Christmas on November 23 this year!

We opened gifts on Tuesday evening, at least a month early! We will not be with our Missouri kids closer to Christmas, so we did it while we were together.
This is a picture taken before gift opening. Rowen was reading a book to Micah while the rest of his family were in the mountains. I chose this picture because so many "little people" have been fascinated by Rowen's beard.

The dress the Johnstown kids got for me.

Rowen always asks the question: "Why do we give and receive gifts?" before anyone can open any gifts. The correct answers are about how God gave Jesus, the greatest gift we could ever receive; the wise men gave gifts to Jesus; we show our love to one another and gratefulness to God by giving gifts to one another. This year, he said, "Why are we giving and receiving gifts today?" The answer was because we wouldn't be together at Christmas...
Rowen is opening the box that holds the game "Things" from our Missouri kids. We played it later that evening after Quil and Micah went to bed.

Updated picture of Randy's family

Tim and Brenda looking sweet, and waiting their turns.

Joy reading Quil and Micah the Shutterfly book about THEM!

Quil and Micah loving the dogs that play Jesus Loves Me.

The magnetic bulletin board and magnets that Brenda and Tim made for each of us girls!

Jeffrey starting to delve into his box... He got some things for his hope chest. Since Beth moved her collection into her own hope chest, he has room for collecting his own.

Emily got him an Eco cup. Tim and Brenda got some from Beth.

Micah with his new truck from Aunt Emily.

Emily ready to take some more pictures! Since she was holding the camera, nobody took any of her opening...There is a picture I could post, but it would spoil the fun for the other cousins who haven't gotten their gift from Grandma and Grandpa yet.

Joy with the handmade gift Beth made for her encouragement.


Randy and Joy taking their turn at looking sweet.

Randy and Tim both got the new Johnstown books, signed by the author.
They were Johnstown Historical Society members as teenagers, and Randy was even a board member as an 18 year old, years ago now!

Quil looking sweet, sitting by Uncle Jason.

Randy, tickled...

Jason got a very special gift, a Thompson Chain Bible.

Odyssey and a picture from Emily

Beth waiting her turn--she ended up being last this year.

One of Beth's gifts, which expresses our feelings about her.

Another great shot of Tim and Brenda

Beth instructing Quil about the new sticker book she got for him.

Randy holding the cross stitching Emily made for him.

Closer view.

That's a little about our Christmas... We hope you will have a great one!!!

Tuesday, November 23

Our sons, Randy and Tim had not been in Colorado since last Christmas, so they were anxious to go to the mountains while they were here. So the Missourians, minus Micah, plus Jason and Emily went to Rocky Mountain National Park on Tuesday. Here are some pictures they came back with:

Quil enjoyed looking at the "purple mountain majesty."

Some of the roads were snowy and icy.

The views were spectacular and the sky a gorgeous blue!

Randy, Joy, and Quil

Randy and Jason

Tim and Brenda


Randy and Emily

Pictures from Monday, Nov. 22

On Nov. 22, Randy, Joy, Quil, Micah, Tim and Brenda arrived after driving all night at about 9:20 a.m. We regularly have Lincoln Brown here on Mondays to be babysat, so he got to have play time with Quil and Micah. Quil and Lincoln have played together three years in a row now!!

Joy's cousin, Dorie Johnston, who lives here in Colorado, came over for Monday afternoon to see all of us, but especially Joy. We had a fun visit with her.

Everybody helped in the kitchen making Creamy Tacos and all the veggies that go in them, so we could have time to play "Wise and Otherwise" together.

Joy and Dorie

Dorie and Quil making eyes at each other!

Randy and Micah. Randy was still tired from the long night and only a short nap.

Brenda and Emily making music.

I think we were singing a song together.

Rowen and I were watching the boys play.

Overview of Thanksgiving Week

We enjoyed having Randy, Joy, Quil, Micah; Tim and Bren all with us Monday-Friday this week, and are thankful that the Lord allowed us this time together. Pictures will come later, but I just wanted to post a little about our week-which flew by. Most days Jeff spent time at work and doing his college studies, so we missed him in some of our activities.

Monday "the Missourians" got here after driving all night. My babysitting boy was here and he, Quil, and Micah enjoyed playing with each other. Joy's cousin came over for the afternoon and supper.

Tuesday Randy, Joy, Quil, Tim, Bren, Jason, and Emily went to the mountains; the Missourians went for their "Colorado mountains fix". Daddy, Mother, and I enjoyed taking care of Micah and holding down the fort. We exchanged Christmas gifts Tuesday night, as we will not be with our Missouri family for Christmas. We also enjoyed playing Things TM after the Quil & Micah were asleep.

Shopping happened on Wednesday, and Jason helped Tim get Linux on T/B's computer. Randy and Daddy changed the brakes on R/J's van.

Thanksgiving Day morning we spent taking family pictures. (If you scroll down to the bottom of our blog you can see one of the pictures. The side-bar pictures are also from Thanksgiving Day.) Quil was better behaved for pictures this year than last year. We sang between pictures to help him be happy. He loves to sing "Jesus is All the World to Me", "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", etc. We used Jason's new marionette sheep puppet to provoke Micah to smile. (Micah, fascinated by the sheep, has a love/hate relationship with the puppet.) Before "dinner" we individually had short prayers thanking Jesus for 3 things; that was special. After a delicious meal we had a walk together. After supper Daddy did a slide-show (a literal one, with slides and a slide-projector). Of course there are always enjoyable stories and memories that stem from pictures, and it was a great time of sharing. Quil and Micah were interested in some of the pictures and were pretty good during it. We worked on and completed two song visuals on Thursday of the song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", one for Federal Heights Sunday School and one for the Missourians to use in their Kids' Church.

We did do some shopping on Friday, but not at unreasonable hours of the morning! Randy and Tim were able to purchase a van for their painting company. All the men-folk spent the afternoon getting the previous owners' logos off of the van's exterior. We played a couple of games and some people took naps before RJQM and TB left for home Friday night.

- Beth

Hope Chests made by my daddy

Starting with his oldest grandchild, my daddy, Rex Scoles, has made a cedar lined hope chest for each of his grandchildren as they approach graduation from high school. This year he has made two for our family. When he got finished with Beth's, a neighbor friend there in Joplin happened to have a relative visiting from Loveland, CO, who was willing to bring it out to us. So here are pictures of Beth's hope chest.

It actually resides in our bedroom, as there was space in a corner, but where it is makes it hard to get a complete picture of it. You can get the idea. These are well made, uniquely-designed-for-each-grandchild, cedar chests. A lot of love, planning, and work goes into each one.

The following are pictures of Jason's chest. It was transported from Joplin to Johnstown this week, and is now reassembled and looking great, ready for Jason's collection of hopes to become realities in the future.

These pictures of Jason's chests are sent from Tim's cell phone, so may not be as nice quality when you click on them as other pictures. Each grandchild gets to choose whether he/she wants a dark or light finish. The hearts with the names on it are a new feature on the chests this year. Another feature: he stamped it with the Grandma and Grandpa picture stamps that have always been on the kids' birthday cards through the years! Sometimes we call it a treasure box instead of a hope chest because it is a treasure of love from Grandpa. Grandma makes a crocheted afghan to go on top of the chest. Beth has not received her afghan yet, so one she made is on the top of her chest.

This is a picture of Jeffrey's chest when it still had a lot of Beth's things stored in it. You can see how each chest is different. Jeffrey's whole lid is lined with cedar.

Randy and Tim also have chests built by Grandpa, but they are not here, but back in Joplin, where they were made, and where Randy and Tim live since they are married and gone from home.