Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Our Thanksgiving week has been filled with fun, food, and laughter. We invited my brother Adam, Sally, and family to spend their vacation with us.  Our group became larger at various times during the week with other friends and family joining us.  I'm counting my many blessing, feeling joyous, and grateful.  Hope you had a great holiday - Happy Thanksgiving!

"And he who receiveth all things

with thankfulness

shall be made glorious;

and the things of this earth

shall be added unto him,

even an hundred fold, yea, more."

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19

YA THINK?

Think they're related

or is it just their age?

My youngest son,
Samuel McMullin Blair,

12 years old.

My oldest son,
Richard Houston Blair,
12 years old.

 

My maternal grandfather,
Virgel Edgar McMullin,

approximately 12 years old.

"We are linked by blood,
and blood is memory without language."
Joyce Carol Oates

My Sister

With all the pictures I took I didn't get one of my sister. I made a point to take a photo yesterday before she left to go home.

Beth came from North Carolina to visit our dad and attend my brother's wedding. She drove with us on our trip to Salt Lake City. She was a trooper to endure all that traveling. "It was worth it," she said.

Beth, ready to go home.
She's always good to take on a project when she comes
and great to visit with.

"A ministering angel shall my sister be."
William Shakespeare

SLC Trip

We made it to Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend. It was a whirlwind of a trip. We traveled Thursday to Utah. We traveled Saturday home to California. Friday was the day we visited with family, friends, and attended my brother Adam's wedding. Here are some photos from our very wonderful day.

Hugh and Aunt Noriene Bombard
She's so delightful!  We were happy to visit with her
Friday morning in Bountiful, Utah.

"Over time, you can become like your relatives,
 especially in good ways."

Larry A. Hiller
 “It’s About Time,”
New Era, Aug 1998, 21

Emma, Janet, Janna, and Kate
The girl cousins who came for the happy wedding.

“The temple is a place of beauty,
it is a place of revelation,
it is a place of peace.
It is the house of the Lord.
It is holy unto the Lord.
It should be holy unto us.”

President Howard W. Hunter
Ensign, October 1994, 2

Girls joined by the guy cousins.
Michael, Tommy, Sam, and Scott

“As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us.”
President Thomas S. Monson

Our family outside the Salt Lake Temple

“When you return from the temple,
share with your children and loved ones at home
your feelings about what you experienced.
Speak not of the sacred ordinances,
but of the love and power manifest by them.”

Elder David B. Haight
"Come to the House of the Lord"
Ensign, May 1992, 16 

"Remember this day that you touched the temple.

One day you will go inside."

~Matthew Cowley 

“You are never lost when you can see the temple.”
quoted by Elder Gary E. Stevenson

The reason we came.
Adam and Sally Jo
sealed in the Salt Lake Temple
November 12, 2010

"The most important single thing
that any Latter-day Saint
ever does in this world
is to marry the right person,
in the right place,
by the right authority."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie,
"Agency or Inspiration?"
New Era, Jan. 1975, 38

Greeting their two kids as they exited the temple.
Michael, Emma, Adam, and Sally

"Marriage itself must be regarded
as a sacred covenant before God.
A married couple have an obligation
not only to each other, but to God.
He has promised blessings
to those who honor that covenant. . . .

"Husbands and wives who love each other
will find that love and loyalty are reciprocated.
This love will provide a nurturing atmosphere
for the emotional growth of children. . . ."

Ezra Taft Benson,
"Salvation—A Family Affair,"
Ensign, July 1992, 2

  At the reception
Janna and Janet

“Let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
Isaiah 2:5

Our substitute mother, Janeen Stevens, and Adam

“Temple.
One other word is equal
in importance to a Latter-day Saint.
Home.
Put the words holy temple and home together,
and you have described the house of the Lord!”

Boyd K. Packer,
“The Temple, the Priesthood,”
Ensign, May 1993, 20 

More cousin fun after the reception

“Within the sound of my voice
are many young women, young men, and children.
I plead with you to be worthy,
to be steadfast,
and to look forward with great anticipation
to the day you will receive
the ordinances and blessings of the temple.”
 
David A. Bednar,
“Honorably Hold a Name and Standing,”
Ensign, May 2009, 100

Big Boy - Big Doings!

Sammy, no longer in Primary.

Happy 12th Birthday!

Cake, candles, and Sam - November 4, 2010

Sam was ordained a deacon and bore his testimony on

Sunday, November 7, 2010.
"I know the Church is true. 

I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.

And, I'm glad to be a deacon."

 Dad, Sam, and Tom

November 9, 2010 - Court of Honor
Tenderfoot Scout and two merit badges too boot.

Sam and Mom

Four B's for Boys
Be Smart
Be Fair
Be Clean
Be True
Gordon B. Hinckley,
“Four B’s for Boys,” Ensign, Nov 1981, 40 

Scripture Study Alzheimer Style



"A grandparent is a gift from above

one to cherish, one to love."

Anonymous

Tom had a special visit with Poppy this week.  It is difficult to carry on a conversation with Poppy, so Tom decided he'd read the scriptures with him.  In this first attempt, Tom set Poppy's Bible open on his lap so Poppy could feel like he was following along.  Tom then opened Poppy's Book of Mormon and read from it.  Poppy actually seemed to enjoy it.  He didn't know who Tommy was in spite of  Tom's explanation that he was his grandson.  While reading about Alma the Younger, Poppy looked up at Tom and with some vague recognition said,  "I think I know who that is."

Of Alma the Younger, the Sons of Mosiah, Tommy, and Poppy too:

"And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."

Mosiah 27:37