Sisters in the Snow

It was such a blessing to hang out together in December. I love you, Anne!

The Better Group Picture

Rich and Lisa's blog has excellent pictures from the trip, and maybe Nathan will post some of his & Kobe's pictures on his blog.

The Best Part of Living in California is FAMILY!

Thank you, Rich and Lisa for organizing a family outing to Muir Woods. We all had a great time, even though Bella does not look particuarly thrilled in the last picture. It was chilly, beautiful fun. I think the cousins enjoyed the time together more than the actual surroundings. Nathan and Kobie were hilarious. We have some great pictures and videos capturing their keen senses of humor and their Indiana Jones-inspired antics. We missed Anne, Bob, Doug & their families and are looking forward to their Christmas arrivals!

Young Grandpa Francis

What a handsome, little guy! Mom, do you know how old Grandpa is in this picture?

Grandma and Grandpa Francis Through the Years

What wonderful grandparents, what great examples. I used to think it was such a rip off that they passed away at such young ages (and it must be hard on you younger grandchildren), but having watched people deal with aging parents who have lost a lot of their abilities and faculties, what a blessing to go without those struggles. However, I still don't think that Dad should plan on checking out in 14 years.

Thinking about Grandma and Grandpa, I'm sitting here crying happy tears. I loved Grandma's laugh and her great smile. I wish I had listened
when she tried to tell me how much I would regret being mean to my brother. I remember visiting them when I was 10 and staying up so late talking that she fell asleep in the middle of her sentence. Grandpa had such a warm smile, you just felt great when he'd look at you. I loved looking at the trophy case with Grandpa and Uncle Arthur and having them tell me the stories behind each shiny artifact. Thanks, Mom and Dad for taking the time to drive us down there as often as you did, especially since we were SO fun to travel with. And thank you, Heavenly Father, for protecting them and all others on the road in their many travels to see us and for blessing us with their love and example.

Look, it's Dave and Rich!

I love and miss Grandpa Francis. He gave great hugs. It's fun to see resemblances in our generation. I've always thought that Dave resembled Grandpa and Uncle Arthur, but I never noticed Rich to resemble him until I saw the picture on the right. It's funny how much Rich can look like Dad and then still look like Grandpa Francis, too. Do you see the resemblance? Rachel thinks I'm crazy.

Family Reunion Zoo Pics

This is a beautiful shot of the back of everyone's heads, but I like the way it shows us all hanging out together.

I recently read that a great photographer knows which pictures to delete. Clearly, I'm not a great photographer. The rest of you are so superior that I usually rely on your skills to document our time together, but here are a few shots from the recent festivities.