Random catch-up.

So, my little sister Lindsay has a new man. His name is Sterling, and he is pictured below with my sister Andrea, because they happened to be sitting next to each other at dinner the other night. And they are covered in milk and salad dressing because my brother Wyatt was trying to juggle a gallon of milk and slipped because "Andrea's big head got in the way," and it fell on the table, flipping up Andrea's plate and basically causing a ruckus. Good times that night. There were 21 kids and I don't know how many adults, and we had cake for all the October birthdays. Yum.

Before dinner that night, Wyatt was having all the kids race (and Garrett and Jethro were wrestling), and the pictures all turned out blurry, except this one is rad of Cassidy--look at her wild hair!

So, that night Andrea and Tim and their kids stayed overnight, but they weren't completely sure when they left if they were going to or not, so we were asking them if they were staying. Andrea said "I don't know, I haven't talked it over with Tim." And he said, "Well, I didn't bring anything, but that's okay. I'm a resourceful man." It was seriously the most hilarious thing I'd heard all week. Ha ha!

Me and Talmage.

Hazely Bazely and Bitsy Boo.

Cute girl--getting so grown-up!

Love her stance.

And she's learning to read! Here she is reading "Hot, hot, hot" to Grandpa.

Oh, and here's a picture from Wyatt and Lindsay Ann's shoot that I loved but somehow missed putting up. It's one of my faves.

And--the saddest story. Last month, one of Dad's mares, Goldie, got sick. Dad had the vet over, and they gave her lots of fluid through an i.v., but she didn't seem to be getting better, and then she maybe was, and then the vet found out she was pregnant (which made him feel sheepish because he was the vet who had said she wasn't pregnant), and then they tried a few more things, but ultimately put her down. It was so sad, she looked so terrible--laying on the ground with her feet up. In the autopsy (there is a different word for a horse, but I can't think of it right now), they found a piece of carpet in her intestines. This was the mare that was going to be the best riding horse for kids and everyone.

THEN---it gets worse!!---on Friday the vet came to fix a hernia in Dad's prize baby. His name is Amir, but he's also called The Prince, and Cash -for the money he's going to make for dad. The vet gave him anasthetic to put him to sleep, but he didn't ever go to sleep after 4X the amount he would normally give a horse. So, the next day he came back and gave him a different anasthetic, repaired the hernia, and he was good to go. Amir got up and seemed to be fine for the next two hours. Then Jethro came in and told my dad that Amir was lying down and he could see blood on his tummy. Dad went out, and he was completely sweated up, huffing in short breaths, and shaking. I came out and saw when Dad was leading him around the corral. The vet did come later that night, but he died in the night. Talk about terrible!!

Okay, we're really ready to be in Switzerland now. Just so you know. Send out thoughts of speed and efficiency to the visa people. Though, as you can see, we're loving being with family and in beautiful Cache Valley.