Well, sadly, it's taken me over a year to update this blog. And a LOT has happened during that time.
First an update on my dad. Mom and Dad had a wonderful time in Hawaii, but since they were alone, I don't have any pictures to share. I do know they spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. Over the last 12 months, Dad has lost strength in his neck, tongue, and lungs. He becomes winded easily, but that didn't stop him from being right in the middle of the work building a fence in their back yard last month.
Then on November 5, 2010, our 5th grandchild (2nd grandson) -- Boston Michael Craig -- was born. He is absolutely adorable, with very blue eyes and blonde hair. And, as probably most of you already know, Kelsey has started a blog called Craig Life, which you can find at http://www.kelseyandcorey.blogspot.com/ (OR use the link to the right called "Kelsey and Corey").
Another huge change in our family came in the spring of this year. The company Will works for, Waste Connections, bought a company near Albany, New York, and he's the only one they wanted to run it. So on March 31, Will and Wendy (who spent 6 days looking for a place to live) flew to Albany and Chet and I flew to Boise. The next day we drove back to Newberg with Lilyanah, Ethne, Westyn and the pugs in the van. The only great thing about their move to NY is that we were blessed to have Wendy and the kids (& a visiting Will a couple of times) for 2-1/2 months. Then on Memorial Day, Chet, Wendy, Westyn & the pugs headed east across the country in their new vehicle. Chet flew home after a brief visit and two weeks later, on June 16, he and I flew with Lilyanah & Ethne to join the rest of the family. I was fortunate to stay a few days longer than Chet (who had to go back to work), just long enough to spend a couple of days in their new home. Wendy has also started another blog called This Crazy Upstate Life.
In July we had a Butcher Family Reunion which lasted 3 days. Mona, bless her heart, did a wonderful job of planning activities, including a day at Camp Yamhill and a "scavenger hunt" to find places around here that have been a part of Mom & Dad's lives. They included the spot in Dundee where Daddy was baptized in the Willamette River, the grave sites of his mother and several siblings, and some of the houses we lived in. Then on Saturday we had a a family picnic at Memorial Park. Sadly, our Wendy and her family were the only ones who didn't make it (they'd only been in New York about a month). That's the reason I'm holding their family picture, as you can see above.
A couple of weeks later we had a Butcher/Hubbell family reunion. I didn't get too many pictures, but I got this one of Daddy, Aunt Ruth and Auntie Jo.
On August 31 I was blessed by my husband, who let me fly to New York so I could be with Lilyanah for her first day of kindergarten! She is the most adorable kindergartner!
One more thing, Mom and Dad celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on September 1! And on the 11th we had an open house to celebrate! (See picture at top of this page) I praise God for giving my siblings and me such wonderful parents!
I hope it won't be another year before I update you, but I can't make any promises! Unfortunately, I don't have the excuse of "going to Idaho this weekend" anymore, but I really hope to get to New York at least every 3 months. In the meantime, I'm very thankful for cell phones and Skype!
