Thursday, August 20, 2020

Shared birthdays!


David was born on Lyn's 19th birthday. He jokingly said, "Well, now you have someone to celebrate on my birthday so I can leave." And he did - he left on a mission to Ireland!

This photo is from David's blessing day - and Lyn's missionary farewell. The significance here is that it is a picture with Grandpa Clayton and all of his grandchildren - at the time anyway. Byron and Gilbert each had one more child after this.

Obviously the bulk of the grandkids came from the Bob and Mary Clayton crew!

But it's fun photo to play with - and see how many you can name!

Happy Birthday Lyn and David!!

Happy Birthday Hannah!


Today is Hannah's 35th birthday - how can that be?? It does indeed seem like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital!

Hannah came 2 days early - something really unheard of in our tribe - the previous 4 had come 11 to 13 days late! Also, they were trying out a "shortened stay" plan and I came home just after 24 hours. It was hot too! So it was all pretty memorable.

Since she is one of "the little kids" she got in on all the grandkids coming when she was a teen - so she's pretty much one of the favorite aunts!

She is in France right now - and we miss having her nearby - but we are eternally grateful for all the ways we have to connect virtually!!

Happy day Hannah!

Friday, August 07, 2020

August so far!


August is the birthday celebrations for Los Dos Hannahs - my Hannah comes later in the month, but the 7th is Hannah Kerksiek's big day.  Alice and I lived many miles apart - in different states, neither one of us knew we were having a girl, and neither one of us let on that our name of choice for a girl was Hannah! 

So when her Hannah was born, Harry and I weren't sure if we needed to choose a new name - it could be a boy after all. And when it was a girl, we decided that since they wouldn't live in the same state even, it wouldn't hurt to have "Los Dos Hannahs."

It mostly confused them when they were little and together - they mostly thought they were being talked to pretty often! When the girls were small, and Alice and Dale were in the foreign service, they came home each summer for several weeks - and spent some of those weeks with us - good times for sure!
 

My grandpa Stevens was born in 1890 - so this is his 130th birthday!  Loved my grandpa - he was not a member of the church and actually criticized my parents for being active - but he was always good to us. In her later years, my mom would tell me about him when I asked questions - turns out he came home for dinner every night - and they had Sunday dinner together every week. Explains why my dad was there every night for dinner. He had his own machine shop, but would come home for dinner and then go back to work.  I guess my mom felt like if her dad could do it, my dad could too!
 

Marcie Hoopes has a bday to day also - the 7th - loved having her as  colleague at Clifton Middle School. I do not miss working - I do miss our daily lunches in the staff room though!
 

And August also featured Sisters Day -  I have 5 sisters - the best gift a gal could have is a sister - so 5 of them is 5 times as good!!

Love my sisters -  shown here at Leslie's wedding. Eliza had been born 4 days before - I'm impressed I was there!

Hopefully I can keep up with regular posting in August!!

Sunday, August 02, 2020

I am so behind!!



So July went by and I didn't do much posting - meanwhile Joan had a birthday - and we had a Clayton Zoom Birthday Party for Joan and Charlie - and it was a hit!
 

Each week I enjoy a Zoom Clayton Sunday School class with Charlie, Jeanette, Donna, Leslie, and Mary. It is a great addition to our Sabbath worship - and a chance to interact with my siblings.
 
  
Robbie had his 35th birthday - in Paris - and we weren't there to celebrate - that makes me sad! The pandemic is messing with our lives.


Joy had her 75th birthday -  along with all the "Girls of '45" - it is sobering to think that we will be 95 in 20 years!!
 

And lest I feel old, Annika Joy had her 16th birthday - and we were able to go and "socially distance" and "mask up" for the celebration.
 

53 years ago, on Bastille Day, Harry and I got engaged!

It's been a good month - looking forward to August - and remembering to post more!!

But does anyone even read it??

If a tree falls in an empty forest, does anyone hear it - does it even make a noise??