For My Brother

Irish He Is
A strange blend of shyness, of pride and conceit,
And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat
He’s spoiling and ready to argue and fight,
... Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight.
His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears,
Yet his strength is the strongest to banish your fears.
His hate is as fierce as his devotion is grand,
And there is no middle ground on which he will stand.
He’s wild and he’s gentle, he’s good and he’s bad.
He’s proud and he’s humble, he’s happy and sad.
He’s in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies,
He’s enamoured with beauty wherever it lies.
He’s victor and victim, a star and a clod,
But mostly he’s Irish... in love with his God.


I just read this poem and it made me think of my brother. I'd love to know the origin of the poem but couldn't find an author on the internet. If anyone knows who wrote it, please, leave a comment.

Playing In The Snow

Lots of snow yesterday and last night so we played in the snow for a while today.

Jessica and Andrew

April

Andrew

Jessica

April doing an angel

The angel I did

Kylie doing an angel

Andrew, he said he was making a "glop", not an angel.

April trapped, she didn't want to mess up her angel

The Christmas Card 2012

December 2012



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We have a tradition in our family where every year we think of something significant we have done as a family and then find a Christmas ornament for our tree to be a symbol of that event. Things like new babies, going to Disneyland, buying a house, etc. are some of the ornaments we’ve done over the last thirteen years. This year we tried to figure out something significant we had all done as a family and couldn’t think of a thing everyone had done. With the kids variety of activities and interests and how busy Jared has been with travelling for work it’s been crazy. So this past weekend we took a whole day to spend as a family riding the new commuter train and doing “touristy” stuff up in Salt Lake. It was lots of fun and we found at least one activity each person could enjoy.

Jared is working for a health supplement company in Draper, Utah. He’s had a chance to work with them from the earliest phase of growth to a point where they are now becoming profitable. It’s meant a lot of long hours and some international travel but Jared enjoys what he does and is an expert in financial management for this kind of marketing.

Amy has been able to tackle a few interesting family history projects for friends and acquaintances lately and finds a lot of satisfaction in dusting off that ol’ college degree. She is a Cub Scout Den Leader for the Bears and enjoys working with the boys. She is in a book club and loves the friends and books it has brought into her life.

Krista is in 7th grade at the Junior High this year. She’s taking honors classes and has joined the choir. In October she earned her pointe shoes for ballet, this is a major accomplishment and she continues to put hours every week into dancing. For her 12th birthday she got her ears pierced and now has a deep love of sparkly earrings, vintage earrings, dangly earrings, and earrings that may or may not go with her outfit.

Kylie is in 3rd grade and keeps us all informed about her various interests. Her biggest fascination right now is anything having to do with the TV show Monster High. She watches anything she can on TV or the internet that will further her knowledge of the show and the characters. She has a collection of the dolls and accessories and an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Monster High. Kylie enjoys her jazz dance class and is doing great at her piano lessons.

April started Kindergarten this year and has learned all kinds of excellent new things. Her homework yesterday was to demonstrate tying her shoes, spelling a few short words, and writing the numbers 1-20. She’s doing great in school and loves that her best friend, Clara, is in her class. April enjoys her dance class and likes to put on some music and show us all her flashy dance moves.

Andrew is four this year. He likes Spiderman, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Diego, and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. His best friend, Henry, lives next door and the two of them have a great time together. Andrew is at that great stage where he collects random rocks and bits of sticks and things and keeps them in his pockets so we have to be careful about checking his clothes before tossing things in the wash.

Jessica turned two a few months back and all the stereotypes apply. She’s a busy little whirlwind of activity and destruction and can somehow be louder than all of her other siblings combined. She’s also incredibly cute, snuggly, and sweet. She’s working on potty-training and is very close to moving up from a crib to a regular bed.

All our best to you and yours!
The Stone Family

Someone's David Stone

I was working on this little research project because I found it on one of the message boards for the Stone family.  No clue if we're related.

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.stone/7147/mb.ashx

I am looking for the generations before David Stone and any other information. He was born in 1835 and died in 1915. He lived in vestal and Binghamton, Broome County, New York. His wife's name was Rhoda and his mother's name was Mary Anne. I have no idea what his father's name was. Thanks for any assistance.

Yeah, so it's a tricky problem.  I found four pieces of information:

WWI Draft Registration Card
David John Stone, residing at 44 Second, Bingham Broome, NY, age 48, born April 29, 1876, occupation Carpenter, nearest relative Mrs Donna Stone, registration date 12 Sep 1918

New York, County Marriages, No. 3245
2 Mar 1912, Binghamton, New York
Jennie H. Stone age 26, residence 12 Rush Ave Binghamton, occupation Cigarmaker,
born in Binghamton, NY, father David Stone (American), mother Rhoda Ros (American)
married Frederik P Hendricksen age 44, occupation Teamster, born in Doraville, NY,
father Henry P Hendrickson, mother Polly Judd

1900 US Census, Binghamton, Broome, New York
12 Rush Ave
Stone, David, head, born May 1836, age 64, married 36 years, born in New York,
father born in New York, mother unknown birthplace, occupation carpenter
Stone, Rhoda, wife, born May 1841, age 59, married 36 years, 2 of 2 children living,
born in New york as are both parents
Stone, David J, son, born Apr 1876, age 24, born in New York
Stone, Hannah J, daughter, born July 1885, age 14, born in New York

1880 US Census, Binghamton, Broome, New York
Mary Street
Stone, David, age 44, Carpenter, born in New York as are both parents
Stone, Rhoda, age 41, wife, keeping house, born in New York as are both parents
Stone, Delphia, age 17, daughter, born in New York
Stone, Louisa, age 10, daughter, born in New York
Stone, David, age 4, son, born in New York
Stone, Mary Ann, age 72, mother, born in New York

The military card is for David the son of the man in the initial request.  I saw the address for the 1900 Census and for the residence of the bride matched so those link up.  The carpenter occupation and other pieces of information link the two census entries.  Searched all over for the 1910 or 1870 census for these people, not sure why I'm not finding them, I'm usually pretty good at coming up with people after a bit of looking.  I wonder why the 1900 census says she only had two children and they're both living when Delphia and Louisa would be 2+2=4 or so?

I'd like to know what the birthplace for the groom says.  I read it as Doraville, but apparently that's not a place in New York (there is one in Georgia but that's a stretch of the laws of the universe and whatnot).  Also, there's quite a bit of information on Henry P. Frederickson and his wife Polly from Broome County, New York out there on the internet but unless someone lied about their ages, this Frederick would have been a little too late to be one of their children.

I'd like to know what Rhoda's maiden name is here.  I read it Ros but the only clear letter is really the R and after that it's kind of a short name with a vowel and a consonant most likely or possibly two vowels, like Roe or something.

PS - The two pictures actually go next to each other but I cut them up to post them on here.

Library Books

Halloween 2012

Jessica tried on the chicken costume, it fit but she didn't love it like she loved...

the Care Bear!  (slightly too large but those wrinkles made it ADORABLE!)

Andrew knew exactly what he wanted to be; a flying skeleton - or possibly the skeleton of a bat...

April was Belle

Kylie was The Princess and the Frog  (I do love a good frog)

Krista was Daphne

I carved the Elmo pumpkin

I carved the Frankenstein pumpkin

Hee Haw Farms

Lois and Steve and I took my kids to the local corn maze.

Rode around on the hayride collecting candy at the trick-or-treat stops along the way.

Andrew after the ride.  He loved the tractor.

Lost in the corn maze.

Andrew riding the toy tractor.
The stuff in the picture is dust and floating stuff from the hay and corn.  It was so thick it really set off some of our allergies but we survived.

Kylie riding the cool tire swing cut into the shape of a horse.

April on the log swing.

Revolutionary War Ancestors

Captain Jonathan Drown

Sarah (Wheeler) Drown

This is cool.  Captain Jonothan Drown served in the Revolutionary War.  He's not my side of the family (mostly mine were British then) but Jared's side so this one is for my kids.  Capt. Drown would be ten generations back for them.  It's interesting to me to see that ten generations later we've lost most of what this man fought for and we're back to "revolutionary times".  Capt. Drown and his wife Sarah had ten children that I've been able to find so far.  Sarah's maiden was most likely Wheeler but I haven't found a Sarah Wheeler document to prove it.  Jonothan and Sarah Drown raised their children in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.

Donuts and Exercise

This has been one of my favorite quotes for so long.

Delighted to find a picture that fit!

'Cuz, hey, I resemble that remark!

Owlet

Yup.
Funny.

A Post About Nothing and Everything

I keep thinking I'm going to post something about one of the many events we've had in the last six weeks.  A few birthdays, the start of school, random stuff... but I start trying to remember what order everything was in and which device we took pictures with and then I get distracted and now it's been more than a month with no post so I'm just sticking one in here to get my rolling stone back out off the gathering moss phase.

JESSICA TURNED 2!!

KRISTA AND KYLIE WERE IN A FASHION SHOW

The fashion show was at Dillards Department Store here in Provo.  It was free to do and they got a good discount on clothes for the night if they signed up for it.  There were maybe 20 kids in it and it was so much fun!  All the kids had a great time.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Well, three different first days of school as Krista started 7th grade so they let them go to the Junior High for an early day by themselves to get used to it.  Kylie started school the next day in the third grade.  April started a week after that as the first week of school is placement testing for individual half hours for the Kindergartners.  (I know I have pictures of the kids going off on their first day of school, but I don't think I've downloaded them from my camera yet.)

KRISTA HAD A BIRTHDAY!!

(those pictures are on Jared's phone so I might insert them later or you'll just have to imagine how cute and sweet she is now that she's twelve)

FAMILY REUNION

FOOD

FUN

FAMILY

I HAD A BIRTHDAY

(since I'm the one who takes pictures I'm pretty sure there's no photographic evidence of this one.  also, most of us had a bad case of the flu that weekend so it was kind of a flop all around)

TEMPLE TRIP

Krista got to go do baptisms for the first time and my sisters and I all went and did them as well.  We did some really great-great-great (a lot of times) grandmas names and it was so cool to be there with my sisters.

Steve, Lois, Lynn, John A., Krista, Me/Amy, Lynda

KYLIE HAD A BIRTHDAY!!

I'm sure I'm forgetting something important as I've been running non-stop for weeks and I've had to make up a very complicated spreadsheet to hang on the wall with the times everything starts and ends.  It's pretty much all very good stuff and good busy and other than the normal illnesses we're healthy and have the things we need a few extras, like very important doughnuts, as extra blessings in our life.  The things that are still struggles I'm working on having faith and trusting God with.  The rest of the time I try very hard to be grateful because I really am very blessed, probably a whole lot more than I know.

My sister has a dungeon. I kid you not.

Lois and Steve just rented a cute little house in Provo.  The layout is a little awkward but mostly it's very nice and Lois has such great taste that she'll have it spiffed up in no time.  Only serious quirk - there's a dungeon in the dining room.  See photographic evidence above.  It's a no-kidding dungeon.  Trap door, scary stairs, cement, etc.  My kids were very impressed.

Silence

Bedtime Is A Joke

It's almost midnight and I've still got three kids awake.  My husband is sound asleep and has been for a couple of hours.  I've gotten two kids to go to bed but that leaves three still up.  I feel like I am playing with one of these toys -

If you have never played with this, the little critters pop up and down as you hit them with the hammer.  They are on little see-saw things though so no matter how fast you work two of the little critters will still be up.

... two of the little critters will still be up...

Okay, now I'm laughing hysterically in a sleep-deprived fit of hilarity as I think of the image of my children popping up on the other side of the room as I put one into bed somewhere else.
Someone will always be up.  No matter how fast I work, I can't win.  lol... lol... hee hee hee... sigh

Kid Pictures (Mostly My Kids)

Jessica's hair, July 1st 2012, she's almost two, she's still working on that thick, full head of hair.

In the mean time, she's like a little Troll doll.

Krista got her braces off!  Yippeee!!  Here's the bag of banned foods they give them after the removal of the braces.  Also, sporting the shirt they give them, and pay them points at the orthodontists office (to trade in for gift cards) to wear for free advertising.  Lovely blonde blue-eyed girl.

Krista had a sleepover at our house.  Here is just a sample of the mess they made.  It was kind of a crazy party.  Not sure we're doing it again in the near future.

Krista getting ready for dance.  She's taking intensive training this summer in hopes of earning her pointe shoes.



Henry and Andrew and dirt and rocks and weeds and bugs and happiness.



and a BIG truck.
It's a guy thing.

Krista (far right) heading for girls camp for the first time.

I got my hair cut.  I don't love this picture but you can see how long my hair is.