I'm DrEaMiNg Of A gReEn ChRiStMas!

To me,

there's nothing better
than a
gReEn ChRiStMaS!
(And a GrEeN ChRisTmAs means a visit to
F.D. Mom's!)

It's a GrEaT place to hang out with family
(This is Stats in Pasadena. They have an amazing array of ornaments.)

It's so FuN to roam around the Mall
(and try on all manner of fashion!)

It's GrEaT to visit the Temple,
see the lights,
and do a few baptisms!

On Christmas Eve,
we lOvE to join in the family feasting
as we all await a visit from Santa Claus!
Oh-oh, 'looks like he knows that we only made the semi-nice list.
(That's Laura with him--she's a sweetie. Maybe she can put in a good word
or two for us!)

Then, on ChRiStMaS dAY,
it's eXcItInG to sit back
and just watch the JoY!

And when dArLiNg GrAnDcHiLdReN show up,
it just gets even bEtTeR!

'Yep, there's nothing bEtTeR than a gReEn ChRiStMaS

with F.D. Mom and D.B. Craig and lOtS oF fAmIlY!

ThE bAtTlE oF tHe PiAnOs!

sTiNkiNg CoLd

It began snowing Sunday evening,

and it didn't stop until 24 hours later.

Wow, are we ever covered in white

(10 inches to be exact)...

Which wouldn't be too terribly bad,

except that the temperatures since

have been hovering right

around and below zero.

'Yep, it's stinking cold.

At least, Chels looks fashionable

in her boots.

HaPpY bIrThDaY, f.D. cRaiG!

He's cute and adorable, and his birthday is today!

(So, here are some pictures to celebrate.)

1st. Grade

(He never went to kindergarten, you know.)

2nd. Grade

He has one older brother and one older sister. He also has one younger sister and two younger brothers.

(His older brother always told him that he was adopted. He also shaved the hair off of Craig's cat.)

A leading debut as Jack Frost

(He really does have a good singing voice.)

Craig and Tiny, his bull

He grew up on a dairy--Craig and the bull, too.

(The bull had to stay outside, however.)

Third Grade

His favorite t.v. shows were

"Leave it to Beaver", "Mr. Ed", and "Flipper".

(He can still sing the "Flipper" song--it's one of our favorite renditions.)

Fourth Grade

(It was fun to go trick-or-treating and get candy

cigarettes from Dr. Woodward, the local vet. Hmm, times have changed!)

5th. Grade

(This is the age when he began wearing glasses.)

7th. Grade

His favorite class was woodshop.

8th. Grade

He took metal shop and played the trombone in Band.

9th. Grade

He once showed a pig that was Grand Champion.

A Senior Moment

(Hopefully, the only one that we ever have.)

After graduating, he went on to BYU and majored in Animal Science.

A Missionary!

He served for two years in Samoa.
(The purple arrow is pointing to him. The picture was taken in Hawaii at the LTM.)

A wedding day!

He married Joanne Severson in the Oakland Temple, in August of 1976.

He graduated from BYU in 1978.

Add 2 fun boys

(Brandon's on the left, and Jared's on the right.)

He graduated from CSU in 1982.

Add another boy

(That's Darren, if you can't tell.)

There's a new vet in town!

(He moved back to Fallon in 1987.)

The men.

Ready for Church

Another wedding

(in the Los Angeles Temple on 10 July 1992)

Add a second crop

(That's Chels and N8.)

Sprinkle in some sweet daughters-in-law

and a few grandchildren.

(Tahoe Reunion 2008)

Add another granddaughter

(Girls are rather a rarity in the Schank line.)

Attach at least one more cute grandson

and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

(I'm so very glad that you were born!)

'Just in case, you didn't know--

Craig shares his birthday with his father.

Craig was born on his dad's 23rd. birthday.
(I think that was an exceptional present!)

ThAnKsGiViNg WeEkEnD!

Craig got some time off,

so off we went to Cabella's Black Friday sale

where N8 and he happily roamed the store,

while Chels mingled with the native elephants.

Then, up to Tahoe to relax while

the land was being covered with a serene blanket of snow.

Then, home again, home again....

to enjoy relatives.

Here's a picture of the four Schank boys.

(I'll take the one on the right!)

It'S bEgInNiNg To LoOk A lOt LiKe ChRiStMaS

Oh, man! We forgot to bring our camera to Gma's delicious Thanksgiving meal.

(We would have captured some photos of our fun relatives.)

So, in lieu, the kids have been dressing up the animals in holiday fashion.

And what would you like for Christmas?

The only thing the cat wants is just not to be dressed up!

WhAt ThE wInD bLeW iN...

Okay, so last week brought the wind that blew down the fence,

but....

it also brought darling, little Carter, beautiful Marie,

and handsome Der.

What a great week!

HaViNg A bALL iN fALL!

Okay, so you saw last week's photos...

what did we do with those

leaves????

Well, Veteran's Day came,

and we raked,

and raked,

and raked....

and then hauled them to

our burn pile.

Then, jumped for joy

when the job was done!*

(Note: This is not our yard. Only in Nevada can you find a mattress at the side of the road.)

Time to rest!

N8 and Chels also entered pictures

in the local phone book cover contest.

Here's N8's.

(He likes it, because it looks the same

right-side-up or upside-down.)

And, here's Chels's.