Another Birthday, Another Year!

I was lucky enough to have my parents with me this year for my birthday! It was lots of fun.

On the menu...Zucchini casserole, of course, and Black Forest Torte Cake, Yummy!

Emma loved it!

Mara just stuck with her plain Vanilla Ice Cream., but that's okay, more cake for me.

had to add this picture of Sam and Ryan.

1st because Ryan is hot hOT HOT! and

2nd because is anyone having an 80's blast from the past looking at Sam's Hair?

Loved my birthday this year, decided to change my attitude about my birthday and just accept the fact that I am getting a little older all the time, and I guess that's okay!

Noah's Double Digits!

Happy Birthday Noah! Love your Face!

Every year, Noah comes up with the most inventive cakes, that stretch my imagination to the core. They never turn out as good as they look in my head, but we have lots of fun trying.
This year, He wanted a pyramid cake. We started with a spice cake and made three layers and then used panouch frosting. It tasted really good, even though it was a nightmare trying to frost.
For finishing touches, Noah added lego skeleton guys that he wrapped up in tissue paper to make them look like mummy's. It was fun to make and good to eat even though it could have looked better.


After dinner, we had a mummy wrapping contest. We split into two teams and used toilet paper to make a person into a mummy. Noah's team won, they wrapped up Max.

Blowing out the candles!
Two whole hands...and where did the time go?

Love Noah for his quirky ways and his eagerness to learn and his love of Emma.

Love how he reads, reads, reads. Love how he always comes and tells me good-night. Love how he can be serious and funny all at the same time. Love that he is so easy going. Love what a good young man he is turning into.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife. You are wonderful and so patient with me - I love you so much!

To all of Melanie's friends - please send Melanie an email, comment here or on Facebook, or call her and wish her a Happy Birthday. She would love to hear from you.

RJA

A Closing Generation

August 20, 2009 we left Great Falls and spent the night in Idaho Falls at my Aunt LaDene's house. We woke up early to head to Preston, Idaho for my grandma Chatterton's funeral on

August 21, 2009

12:00 noon

She was 93 years old and will be sorely missed.

Her funeral was lovely and I was amazed at the memories of her and what a unique wonderful woman everyone remembered her to be.

She was such a character and I am so grateful that she was my grandma.

She had this uncanny ability to know all her children, their children and their children's children

She knew what everyone was up to and truly made each one of them feel so important.

"grandma Dean" with Mara.

There were 16 pallbearers-- All of her grandsons.

And 9 honorary pallbearers, her sons and son-in-laws

All still living. In fact of all of her 9 children and their spouses and her 43 grandchildren, and her 124 great grandchildren and 24 great-great grandchildren, only one of them has preceded her in death. That is amazing! She had many other trials, and I am truly in awe at what life circumstances she dealt with and lived through.

Charlie, Ian, Mike, Matthew, Brandon

Max, Camden, Caleb, Spencer

All of my family was able to be there. Behind us is the farm where my mother grew up.

The cemetery sits at the bottom of the hill that leads up to my grandparents farm.

As kids we used to play in the cemetery-does that explain any of my personality. It was a beautiful day, and I know it is just where my grandma would like to rest.

Trying to explain to Mara...

It saddens me that she will not know this amazing woman who is so strong.

At the funeral, my cousin commented on how even though he was a Thomson, all his sisters were "Chatterton" women. Chatterton women are tough. It is obvious by the strong women that come from my mom and her sisters. We all carry traits from the strong grandmother that we have.

I am so sad Mara will not know her laugh and her quick whit and her ability to work work work.

But I am certain that Mara will be like her, it's just the way it is.

Mara and Emma are already strong willed and determined little souls and I know that comes from generations of strong women who preceded us.

In loving memory.

I will miss how she really cared

I will miss how she could throw together a huge meal at the drop of a hat. Her pantry was always full and her creativity at meal time was amazing.

I will miss how butter tasted at her house

I will miss the "cub river diet" which included a jar of mayo, a cube of butter and a "salt lick"

I will miss green apples with salt and soda

I will miss her yelling at us to "shut the door...there are flies"

I will miss her warning us to not jump off the porch-we did it anyway!

I will miss how she could out shop all the girls at the girls party.

I will miss how she was the last to go to sleep and the first to wake.

I will miss her!

My grandparents grave marker.

My cousin Darin from Seattle. It took Emma a while to warm up to him, but eventually she let him hold her.

After we ate at the church...Thanks to the relief society for the huge amounts of food it took to feed all our clan. Emma sure enjoyed the cake as you can see.

We went to Idaho Falls to stay the night and swim at the hotel. We left early Saturday morning to drive the rest of the 5 hours home.

It was so much traveling in the car, but we listened to "Dragon Rider" on CD and the kids made anklets out of embroidery floss the whole time.

Just outside Butte, Ryan all of a sudden yells...That guys naked.

Sure enough on the south bound side of the road was a man completely naked...not even shoes standing on the side of the road. Thankfully he had his back turned to us.

We laughed and laughed...Who does that? I am pretty sure my grandma would have gotten quite a chuckle out of that one also.

Needless to say that was every ones high for the day! and low.

(Ryan wanted me to mention in lue of the last post,

that he was not the naked man on the side of the road.)

A perfect day?!

I've had a rough go the past couple of months, so this post, or rather the reason for this post is long over due and sorely needed.

Today was in my book a perfect day. Perfect in the sense that all that needed to be accomplished was, and new tricks were learned and taught, quality time was spent, and peace settled on the house for just a moment...and boy how I savored that moment.

Here's the highlights.

I learned that Noah can help Caleb with his spelling...Noah feels smart and Caleb thinks it's cool to hang out with Noah and let him be his teacher...great knowledge that allows me to get Sam going on piano and help Max with his reading...Wha La. Harmony

Max is catching on to not having to sound out every word now, and actually has frequent words memorized...finally! Reading is no longer painful with him.

Caleb, Noah and Sam all got their piano lessons in. School was done by noon.

Had a great time with Mara in Claire's...her first trip...she was in awe at all the girly stuff...purses, headbands, sunglasses, bows, necklaces, princess stuff, jewels, she loved it all. (I lost her for a brief moment in JC Penny, but that was not part of the perfect day.)

Caleb cracked me up. We went into Bed Bath and Beyond and tried out their massager chairs...It was a great date he's been waiting for for a long time. He is so fun to hang out with. We searched the mall for a perfect hat (at a cheap price) and found one in the girls section...we won't tell him. It was a black stocking cap with a brim that he thinks is awesome. When we first got to the mall, he said,"a mall, I haven't been to one in like three years." probably true, but what seven year old keeps track? Had a great conversation with him on the way home and think he is so amazing.

Had a great talk with Noah and learned that he thinks this family is strange and wonderful. When asked if it was more strange or more wonderful he replied..."it's just that strange because Sam and Dad run around Naked and Caleb and Max run around in their underwear, and wonderful because of everything else." Funny thing is Dad doesn't run around naked, and Noah always streaks from the shower upstairs to his bedroom downstairs. when I pointed that out he said no "I run with a hand in front and one covering the back....Oh, good! glad your covered.

Actually got a great scripture reading session in and learned a lot of great things. Got a little bit of homework done, and spent time out in our jungle of a garden. Pumpkins and gourds, cucumbers and watermelon, canteloupe and green beans! all growing and doing well.

Just a moment of contentment.

Tomorrow I head to Idaho for my grandma's funeral. I can't help but wonder if such a perfect day came as one of God's tender mercies for me. I will miss my grandma sorely. What spunk she had. My mom is so much like her and I am so much like my mother. I love the generations and truly know that we are so much like our ancestors. I can't wait to greet her again and thank her for who I am and know that her hardwork is so much a part of me now. I love you Grandma Chatterton!

Chatterton Family Reunion~Paradise Valley, Utah

This pretty much sums it up!Ryan took the boys hiking to the "Wind Caves" on Saturday with my brother Morey and his older boys and a couple of my cousin's boys.

They had a great time, I wish I would have gone, but I was busy yaking!
Going down into the windcaves.

The mighty hiker!

Hey hun, if you got me a pair of hiking shoes, I could go with you:)!
Or is that your plan to keep me away?

Caleb hiked the whole way in flip flops! that is my kid.

Like Mother, Like Son!

I really do like to hike in flip flops...unless of course their is no trail and you are stomping through bushes and ant hills and...hence the new shoes!

A great hike.

They had a much better time this time.

The first time Ryan hiked it was with me and well to put it bluntly, he was out of shape and I dragged Sam (4) Noah (2) and Ryan up the mountain.
This time, he sailed right on up!

Mara and Hattie had a great time. They play so cute together. They were licking suckers and laughing, just like little girls do. I loved it. So glad they got to play together. WE see them too few and far between.

Noah, Sam and Carter, getting ready to go down the slip-n-slide.

They had to soap up so that they could cruise down fast.

Max and Spencer all lathered up!

Loved this picture of my Dad and Emma. He is such a softy in his old age!

I am left to wonder what happened to the grumpy man who used to answer the phone with a gruff "Maughan's" and scare all my friends away.

Hattie and Mara trying out the slip~n~slide. They had to push themselves all the way down, but they loved it and kept going back for more.

Sam (who said the slide wasn't fun because it was too bumpy)

Don't bumps make it fun?

Noah, bum surfing!

Caleb, kicking up the surf spray!

This sums up our adventure we loved it. Lots of good food, 8 of the 9 of my Grandma Chatterton's children were there.

It was great to see so many, and we truly missed those who weren't there.

The boys had a cabin all to themselves and when I walked in there, it reaked of men's aftershave. When I inquired...

"girls hate the smell of boys, so we dumped it all over to keep the girls away."

Between that and all the snakes they had, I guess any girl would keep their distance.

Max Turns 6!

Max turned 6 on August 14, 2009 and we were in Utah. That was good for him though,

because we had a great CARNIVAL party for him.

We went to the State Fair in Montana before we left and they had a dart game.

It was $5 for 3 darts.

I couldn't justify $25 for all the kids to throw three darts so I told them we would make our own and they could throw as many as they wanted.

So A dart game turned into a CARNIVAL PARTY for Max. Sam, Noah, Greyson and Kyle helped with the games.

Max got to have his best friend Hayden come as well.
Sam in charge of the DART GAME.

Noah in charge of the BEAN BAG TOSS.

Grey in charge of the BOWLING.

Ryan was in charge of the PICK 'EM UP game.

Greyson thought he needed to wear the reggae wig.
It looks good on him!

Max sporting some dreads.

Me doing the FACE PAINTING.

Everyone kept coming back for seconds and thirds...

The older boys wanted eyes painted on their eyelids.
CREEPY!

After all the games outside we went in for presents and lunch.

Hot dogs, carmel apples, popcorn and chips with my dad's homemade salsa!

Happy Birthday Max!

We love you and had a great time at your party!

Thanks to everyone for coming and sharing your kids with us!