Mini Mounties

On Valentine's weekend, Samantha was able to participate in a little dance camp put on by the dance team at the University here in La Grande.  They were called the "Mini Mounties."  She spent three hours learning how to dance and do cheers and then at the university basketball game that night, she performed with the rest of the little girls!  She had so much fun!  Unfortunately, Emma came down with a flu bug the night before and wasn't able to participate which was very upsetting.  Mark took a couple of videos - Samantha is in the middle with thet long brown hair.  Good job Sam!!!!

Our News

I realize that it has been since January 1st since I last blogged about the Perry Family.  It's been a long couple of months for us.  Mark was gone to Minnesota for two weeks after his dad passed away.  The girls and I were at home by ourselves and not really doing very much.  Then Mark had to be gone for another week for some work business.  The weather has been cold, we had some colds and flu bugs, and I have been feeling a little depressed about turning 34 in January!   Needless to say, things have been rather quiet in our household and we haven't had much to blog about.  However, spring is around the corner and we are anxious to get out and do things and enjoy being with each other.  Plus.....we are expecting our third baby!  After Christmas we were completely shocked to discover that we were pregnant!  We tried for a few years and had very prayerfully come to accept that Heavenly Father had blessed us with two beautiful daughters and that was enough.  There were a lot of tears but eventually we felt peace with our happy family of four.  What we have learned is that our plan was not THE plan for us and we have been blessed yet again!  Unfortunately, the morning sickness has been hard to overcome and I am feeling ill almost 24 hours a day.  I have missed a lot of church, a lot of playdates and other activities which I hate to do.  I am optimistic, though, and hoping that things will be back to normal in a few short weeks!  So, here's to more blogging and more updates from our family to yours!

Passing

Today, instead of celebrating the New Year, our family is mourning the passing of Mark's father, Bob.  He died early this morning in Minnesota.  I have learned that no matter how hard you try to prepare yourself for something like this, it doesn't mean that you feel the effects of it any less.  If there's anything that I could share about him in the ten years that I have been his daughter-in-law, it's that he deeply loved his family.  He spent his whole life caring for others, from his mentally handicapped sister, to his widowed mother, to his dear wife and five children.  He worked extremely hard farming and taking care of his family.  He and Maxine were married for over 50 years.

One of the things that brought him immense happiness was being around horses.  He grew up on a ranch working with animals and even at the age of 80 years old, he still knew how to work a horse and he had great fun doing it!  This picture was taken a few years ago at a family reunion and it's one of the best memories that I have of him.  He was so tickled to be up on a horse again!

Bob was a wonderful listener, very wise, and he always had time for his kids and grandkids.  Mark speaks often of the special visits he and his dad would have while they were out working together.  They would talk about life, history, the Gospel, and SPORTS!  He loved the Twins and Vikings but despised the Yankees (and who can blame him for that).  He was also a scriptorian and he knew the Bible and Book of Mormon better than anyone I have ever known.  Our family is not the same without him and he will be profoundly missed.  However, we know that there is a grand reunion in heaven today as he is reunited with his parents, all of his siblings, and a granddaughter - all of whom he loved so much.  We love you Dad and Grampa!

Merry Christmas 2010

It was another wonderful Christmas for the Perry family!  It was quiet, peaceful, and there was lots of love to go around!  As always, Santa Claus was really able to make the girls happy.

Gramma Terrie made us a Family Home Evening board which we really love.  As you can see, the girls are still a bit sleepy when this picture was taken.

Samantha has had a Pillow Pet at the top of her Christmas list since this summer.  She wrote many letters asking for her very own Pillow Pet and Santa came through and brought her one!  I love this picture because of Emma's reaction!  She just couldn't believe it!

Sam really hasn't put her pet down since Christmas morning.  It is a penguin and she has named him Topper.

The girls love Disney movies so Santa brought them the Scene It? DVD game.  They have played it several times a day since Christmas morning.

Emma absolutely loves a series of books entitled "Children Just Like Me."  The books take children from all over the world and talk about their customs, their languages, their dress, etc.  She is very intrigued by learning about other cultures so when she saw this new book from Santa she was thrilled!

Of course, there were a couple of American Girl movies for the American Girl lover....Miss Emma!

On Christmas Eve Emma lost a tooth!  She had wiggled it for weeks and it came out just in time to have a visit from Santa AND the Tooth Fairy!  How exciting!  The next morning she and I were wrestling a little bit and we heard something hit the floor.  I took a closer look and low and behold....another tooth had come out!  So the Tooth Fairy came two days in a row and she has very few teeth left in her top row. :)

Of course the girls are a little down about having to wait for an entire year until Christmas comes around again, but we feel especially blessed this year for our little family and for this special season.  We hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday as well!

The Nativity

One of the churches here in La Grande puts on a Living Nativity each year at Christmas time.  They recreate the city of Bethlehem and the town is invited to come in and see what life was like two thousand years ago when Christ was born.  They have the wise men, the shepherds, and Mary and Joseph as well.  Plus there are little shops to see, like the candle maker, the weaver, the fish market, etc.  We always look forward to going.  This year we went with our good friends, the McIlmoil family, and we had a great time together.

Here we are with one of the Three Wise Men and their camel.

Samantha was very interested in Mary and Joseph's donkey.  She enjoyed petting him.

 Here is Emma with her little friend Ryder petting the donkey.  They had so much fun.

The weather was very cold and snowy, but the girls were troopers and really had a nice time.  It was a wonderful way to feel the true spirit of Christmas.

School Christmas Concerts

It wouldn't be the Christmas season without a couple of school music concerts to attend!  This year was Samantha's first school concert.  Since the kindergarteners attend their own school in La Grande, they had their own program, too.  Sam was so excited to sing with her class and did a wonderful job.  She is a very natural performer and loves being in front of people.  Her video is of the tried and true S-A-N-T-A song.

Emma's school program just happened to coincide with a special visit from her cousins, Ashley and McKay, who were driving through La Grande on their way to Tacoma, Washington.  They spent the night with us and were eager to see Emma's concert.  She had a new dress to wear which her Gramma Maxine made for her and she was the prettiest in the room!  Her class sang some really lovely songs and althoug she was nervous, she ended up enjoying herself.

Emma also had a speaking role in one of her songs.  She introduced "Feliz Navidad" to the audience.

"Well Done" to both girls.  They make their parents very proud!

Special Day

Emma turned eight years old over the weekend!  I can't believe how quickly time has flown by and how grown up she is.  I am not ready to be the mother of an eight year old! :)  We had a grand celebration with lots of family - first a birthday party on Friday night with cake and ice cream and PRESENTS!  The one thing she has been asking for this past year was an American Girl doll - her aunts and uncles made her wish come true and she was absolutely thrilled!

On Saturday we held her baptism and it was a very special experience.  Her daddy baptized her and her family all participated in the service and showed so much support.  She was pretty nervous about having lots of attention on her, but she got through it with a few tears and lots of hugs and kisses.

After the baptism we spent the day at the church with all our family playing games and making crafts and eating lots of good food.  The girls had the best time with their cousins and they were also able to come to church with us the next day before heading back to their own homes.  It was a perfect weekend!  We are so proud of Emma and the young lady she has become!  We love her very much!

Thanksgiving Week Activities

Happy Thanksgiving!  It was a busy week for the Perry family, although we had a lot of fun and it was great to have several days together.  The week started off with a real good snow storm.  It was a welcomed sight for us because last year we saw so little snow.  Sam was anxious to do some shoveling.  She had a hard time getting the hang of it, but it was nice of her to try to help.

The weather turned bitter cold by Tuesday and the girls had a day off from school.  It was a challenge to keep them entertained because playing outside was not an option.  Unfortunately we all came down with colds during the week, too but we weren't going to let it stop us from having a yummy Thanksgiving dinner.  We sat around the table and told each other what we were thankful for and then we had our feast!

Here is Emma with a turkey drum stick.  Her eyes were DEFINITELY bigger than her stomach and she was only able to eat a fraction of it.

Pretty much all Samantha cared about were the croissants.  Who knew all I needed to make for her was bread and she would have been satisfied?  I shouldn't have bothered going to the trouble of making potatoes and casseroles and veggies.

By Thursday the weather had warmed up and we had another round of snow.  The girls took advantage of it and really enjoyed being outside.

On Friday we decided to put up the Christmas tree.  Traditionally, we wait until Emma's birthday in December to put the tree up but it seemed like the right time and it looks really beautiful now.  We love turning out the lights in the house and just sitting and enjoying our very pretty tree.

On Saturday morning we had yet another snow storm to conquer.  We made the trek out to the Festival of Trees here in town.  The children's choir was lovely and the trees were gorgeous.  And the girls even got to see Santa Claus which was a delight.  Unfortunately Samantha got stage fright and couldn't think of anything to tell Santa that she wanted for Christmas.  Is that a good sign?

By the afternoon it was STILL snowing so Daddy and the girls put on thier snow gear and spent time outside enjoying the weather.

And to finish out the day we went downtown to see the Christmas Tree lit up at the town square.  There was a short break in the weather  but by this morning we had several more inches of snow.  At least it was clear enough to see the pretty lights on the tree and do something in the community.

As always we have much to be thankful for this year - our family, our health, our home, and the list goes on and on.  We have our struggles and our trials but in the end we can sit back and recognize the daily blessings that we receive.  We hope that all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as we did.

Grandma

On November 9th my Grandma Peggy passed away pretty unexpectantly.  We always had a family joke that she had nine lives because she could be very ill and all of a sudden would recover and be better than she was before.  This was one of those same situations - she was in the hospital and she did perk up and seemed to be doing much better.  However a few hours later her body just gave up.  She passed away very peacefully with my mom and dad by her side.  I have been feeling guilty since her passing, wishing that I had called her that day to wish her well.  I should have visited more, called more often, sent more letters and cards.  Yesterday was her funeral and although she is gone, it ended up being a really wonderful day.  The service was beautiful and it was great to be able to visit with my aunts and uncles who we don't get to see very often.  I'm grateful to have had a grandmother who always loved her family.  I'm also grateful that my children were able to have a few shorts years with their great-grandmother.  We'll miss you!

Shoulder Surgery

For years now Mark has been living with really bad shoulder pain and electric shocks down his arm.  This past spring we began seeing an orthopedist in Boise to see if any relief could be given.  Some x-rays and a couple of MRI's later, the results were pretty inconclusive because the doctors really couldn't get any good pictures.  However, Mark's doctor recommended surgery and after praying about it we decided that it was what we should do.  So last week we went to Boise for a couple of days so Mark could have his shoulder taken care of.  We were a little nervous but everything went beautifully and we couldn't be happier!  The medical care he was given was outstanding and it ended up that the surgeon shaved 11 millimeters off Mark's bone and he was also able to clean up some arthritis that had set in.  I wish I had pictures to share, but Mark was a little camera shy, understandably so.  He's been doing really well - we are nine days post surgery and he is doing physical therapy and will be back to work full time tomorrow!  The girls spent a couple of days with Gramma and Grampa while we were out of town so we are certainly grateful for their help, along with aunts and uncles and cousins - we're very lucky to have family nearby. 

Leaves Everywhere!

Who doesn't love the fall season?  It's so beautiful to watch the colors changing around our valley, especially when you live in the mountains as we do.  Even when the leaves are falling, it's wonderful to know that the seasons are changing! There are a lot of trees around our home so we had LOADS of leaves to rake up.  One Saturday morning the girls and I raked a giant pile of leaves in our front yard.  They had the greatest time jumping in the pile and throwing the leaves around.  I couldn't resist taking some fun pictures of them!

There were so many leaves that they were literally buried in the pile.  Unfortunately we couldn't keep the leaves for very long because that weekend it started raining and it rained for several days.  So the leaves have gone away but at least we have these great pictures to remember our morning of fun!

Halloween Festivities

We tried to do lots of fun activities during the Halloween season.  We always make a trip to the pumpkin patch so the kids can get pumkins and go through the scary corn maze.  This year we went with our friends, the McIlmoils, and the girls really enjoyed themselves running around with their friends.

Here is Emma sitting on the Castle that was made out of bales of hay - so creative! 

For costumes this year, Emma was a Diva!  She had a lot of input and really liked putting her costume together.  The schools always do a parade with all of the classrooms so the parents can come and see their children.  Since our kids attend separate schools, I went to Emma's parade and Mark went to Samantha's parade.  It worked out just fine, except I didn't get any pictures of Samantha!  What a horrible parent I am!  I'll have to take a picture of her later just to show that she did have a costume and she went as a Karate Girl!  They also were able to wear their costumes the next night to our ward Chili Feed and Trunk-or-Treat that I was in charge of.  It was pouring rain and both girls were soaked to the bone, but they had a wonderful time and definitely filled their trick-or-treat bags.

Emma and Sam had no problem this year getting their hands dirty when it came to carving the pumpkin this year! 



Cousin Time

Emma and Samantha absolutely adore all of their cousins.  They have twenty-one first cousins and they would do just about anything to spend time with them.  A few weeks ago their cousin, Ashlynne, was in La Grande for a middle school volleyball game and we were able to go and watch Ash do her thing on the volleyball court.  We were super proud of her and she is always so nice to give lots of love to her younger cousins, even in front of all of her middle school friends. :)  The entire team sprayed green in their hair because it was their last game.  They were super cute.  Go Ashlynne!

Halloween Field Trip

One thing that I really enjoy doing is being able to volunteer in my daughters' classrooms at school.  On this particular day, Samantha's Kindergarten class was going to the Pumpkin Patch for a field trip.  I was lucky enough to come along as a chaperone.  We had a really nice time together and I had lots of fun watching Sam interact with her classmates.

Our Trip Home

This past weekend we made the trek home to my parent's house. We haven't been for a visit since the beginning of August and we were anxious to get out of town for a couple of days. We had a really wonderful time visiting with Mom and Dad as well as my sisters and brother and their kids. We love hanging out with all the nieces and nephews! A neighbor of ours gave us about fifty pounds of corn so we took a big box with us to share with everyone - this is a picture of the little ones helping Grampa shuck the corn for dinner! They are too silly.
Cute little Lillie was in need of her dinner so we got her in her high chair and little Jordan wanted to be a big helper so he fed Lillie her banana chips. He was quite proud of himself!

After dinner the adults sat around and visited with everyone while the kiddos all ran around and played. We all took turns holding Lillie but she especially loved sitting on Grampa's lap and playing with the water bottle.

On Saturday Mark and I were able to take a few hours away and go to the temple and get some shopping done. So the girls stayed with Gramma and Grampa and watched movies, did crafts, and played with cousins. Emma loves the Lincoln Logs and always makes interesting things.

Now we are home and it's back to real life - school and work and cleaning house and running errands. We are looking forward to our next visit!