Happy Birthday to Amy!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful mother and wife and sister and friend.

We wish you the best of everything, and we hope this long-planned-for family trip is all you

and Chris hope it will be. 

Happy 4th!

  4th of July in Kentucky a couple of summers ago

                             Happy Fourth of July!

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, and amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesty amid the fruited plain... (on cross-country trips, I've often thought, how true - ) How beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress  A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness...

O CANADA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANADA!

You welcomed us, and so many other immigrant families, with generosity, optimism, wide skies, and the promise of a fresh new start.

We stayed only five or six years, but they were very important and formative years for us children.
Canada gave us many lasting gifts, including native-level fluency in reading and speaking the English language, and all the doors this opened for us.

So thank you for everything! And a bright and happy future to you, and all of your citizens and neighbours.

Our flag was still the Union Jack

P.S. You've all heard, haven't you, that it was actually an Austrian who gave Canada its name.
Many, many years ago, a small group of Austrians landed on this new shore. They looked around, but saw no one.

So one Austrian said to the others, "Kana da."  (Nobody here.)

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful sons, and their dad!

Bon Anniversaire!

at home in St. Clément de Rivières

Happy, happy Birthday and Joyeux Anniversaire to a cool French kid who was born fifteen years ago on this very day!

His sports class had a party today, since it's his birthday and it's almost the end of the school year and he is leaving and sadly, won't be there next year. He made cookies to bring to the fête, and everyone liked them. He said it was a great day. We love you lots, Hayden, and are very proud of you.

You've come a long way, baby, since your first days in lovely Oxford, England.

here's newborn baby Hayden in the blanket, with his family, punting on the Cherwell!

Created by Mom

For Mother's Day this month, I'd like to pay tribute to my mom's skill with a needle and her trusty treadle sewing machine. That machine was a very important part of our household, and it went with us on all our moves, including to Canada and back. Mom loved to create and to sew. She worked quickly, but carefully and neatly. Seams were finished, and almost every dress and skirt was lined. Usually she had just one or two basic patterns, and made the rest up as she went along.
She made many, many items for my siblings and for herself as well, of course. The pictures are just what I have on hand, and show a small fraction of her creations.

In my little wood, Letten

Ute and I with new dresses in white cotton with little blue flowers, for Pentecost Sunday, when new dresses are a tradition 

White dress for my debutante ball / graduation from dancing course in downtown Linz

Mom created this party dress, here beautifully worn by Urs, out of an old evening skirt, originally for me; I left it at home when I went to BYU.

My skirt and Ursula's dress by Mom, in Pasching, with our family's missionaries at the time

BYU graduation, expecting first baby

 this dress was of 100 % raw silk, really pretty material; expecting second baby.

leaving Davis Community Hospital with little David. Mom made this dress before I left home.

Baby's blessing day.  Mom sent this dress to Davis.

Law school graduation, with Delpha, Angie, Betty, Peter; photo by Jean. Mom sent this dress also.

 Mom made this wrap skirt with re-purposed fabric.

I kept a few items. The tag says "Specially Handmade by Mother".

Seeing Double?

Have you heard?  The stork worked over-time, and delivered two sweet little bundles of happiness on the same day!

Congratulations to big sisters Charlotte and Hazey, and big brother Atticus, and wonderful parents Marcie and Jamis! So grateful for the babies' safe and problem-free arrival.