Extra Granny Smith apples

Craig told me there are lots of green apples and he is only going to be home for two days.

I got the message.

Family History Surprise

We were visiting with Dawn. We had just had dinner at Chuck-A-Rama and were visiting at her home.

She pulled out some pictures that she had gotten of her ancestors. I got a bit excited and told her she could scan them and put them online on the Family Search website. I had recently done that with Aunt Grace.

To show her I logged in and went looking for Aunt Grace's photo.

There are 122 other family members with pictures linked into my line. Aunt Grace makes 123.

We just started scrolling through the pictures, and she saw Sarah A. Dowell and started telling me her story. I was way confused and thought that Craig's family pictures were mixed in with my family pictures.

It took us a few minutes, but we got the story straight, as far as we know it.

My great grandmother's, Annie Lovina Allen, older brother, James Alexander Allen married Sarah A. Dowell. They were only married for a short time. She left him or he left her and she found herself a young, single mother.

She later married Thomas Ball and had a large family. Sarah Ball is Dawn's grandmother.

So, just to be clear, the woman my relation jilted - later remarried my husband's great grandfather. The poor, jilted woman is Craig's great grandmother.

How crazy is that?

Here are the pictures that set the story in motion.

Dawn recognized her grandmother Ball.

We looked on her line, and the same pictures were attached to her grandmother. 

I am now trying to figure out the story. According to her Aunt Rose, James Allen was a polygamist, but Sarah didn't know it. He didn't support her and the baby. The baby became sick and Sarah had to give her up. Aunt Rose later met little Dora, who was grown and married with kids of her own.

Dawn found Sarah's history, and Sarah said that James wasn't ready for married life. "Life with her parents was hard, but life with Jim was intolerable." She couldn't go back with her parents because she had married a Mormon. She left with the help of a neighbor and had little Dora. But Dora became sick and she had to give her up.

I am now very interested in looking up James Allen and seeing if he did indeed have other wives, or if the story got embellished over the years. James died Christmas Day in 1940. He is buried in Jackson, Wyoming. Next week, I am headed to the Family History Library here in town and digging through Ancestry to see if I can find any answers.

Family party

The Oswalds got together  and partied today.

I didn't take ant pictures. What is up with that?

But Thea had this picture snapped.

Cute family after an hour of jumping and an hour of eating.

Josh got the Star Scout

Today Josh had a court of honor.  He was awarded his star scout. He also received eleven merit badges.

So fun.

A few pictures.

Shaking the hand of his scout master.

Notice the handful of blue cards.

I got pined by my son. :)

A bid hug for me.

A hug for Craig.

Next is Life and then Eagle.

I am determined that he is going to get the Eagle. 

He just finished his Communication merit badge. We are also half way through the Fitness MB. We are working on Family Life. Next is Personal Management. Then only two more required, I think.

We are on our way.

Christmas cats

Mayo had her turn wearing the Christmas collar.

She was not amused.

Cinco wanted in on the action.

On the perch thinking about what mischief they could get into.

Merry Christmas

Craig came in from North Dakota Monday and we were all together for Christmas.

This sis the first time we have had Thea all day. It has been great. She has been so cute. We have been playing games and watching Christmas movies. 

We set our Christmas morning starting at 7 this morning. 

Just a few pictures of our morning.

The boys excited to see the presents.

A smile with hot chocolate - Mormon Joe.

Driving truck is not really conducive to shaving.  

The tree with the presents.

Christmas socks.

We love Lindor chocolate. Boaz saw the empty bags in the garbage and wondered were all the Lindors were. He notices too much. Funny boy.

The apron I made yesterday for Thea. She said it will help her cook. I love the bright, happy colors.

Christmas miracle

Boaz found a kitten on the road as he wS coming home from school. He dashed home and got Thea.  Thea called me, I was still at work, but it was almost time to come home. 

I hurried home and found them standing guard over what looked like a lifeless kitten. They had an old towel over it. 

I scoped it up and we went home.  I got the portable heater and set up a little warming area.  The cat was cold and stiff. He was so skinny I thought he might have been run over by a car.

I felt along his bones and tried to see if I could feel anything broken. To my inexperienced fingers he felt intact.

I remembered we had an old heat pad and went looking for it. I turned it on low and put it in between the layers of the towel.

I heated up a bit of milk and found a small medicine syringe.  I squitrred warm milk into the un responding mouth.

We said a little prayer and asked for what was best for the kitten. Boaz cried, but was brave and said the prayer.

Josh noticed it had some poop, so I cleaned it up.

We waited.

We continued to try and feed it.

We waited.

About three hours later I noticed it was pooping some more.  I thought that was a good sign.  It is always a good thing when the pluming works.

I cleaned him up again, got a new towel, and tried the milk again.

We noticed he was breathing better.

Boaz noticed first when he woke up. I fed him some milk. He was enthusiastic.  After a few squirts, he decided to get up and find the true source. The little bowl less than a foot away.

Our kittie, Cinco, was not happy about the new cat. The new little guy started to explore.

Boaz took a few pictures, once he stopped crying. He was so happy we were able to save him. He has such a tender heart, my boy. I was afraid to take a picture when we were not sure he would make it.

We think he is only about three months old or so.

Once he got moving he was wonderfully curious.  He wandered the hose for a bit. 

Then he decided to cuddle.

Josh took this picture.  The kitty likes people.

I was going to lock him in my bathroom for the night, but he was way to noisy. Boaz begged to sleep with him in the bathroom, so we changed plans and had them upstairs.  The boys switched out in the middle of the night.

After Thea saw him in the morning, we started canvasing the neighborhood. It didn't take too long for his home to be identified and a family claim him as their Christmas miracle.

Our cats are still a bit freaked out, but after the laundry  and a good vacuuming, I think they will settle down.  

I love miracles.