CarlnPeggy

Christmas this year

2010-12-30T16:07:00.000-08:00

We went sledding at Aspen Grove after Christmas and Cara smashed her face into a drift with sunglasses on. Ouch!

Although Christmas was not white this year, we had some excellent snowstorms before and after

Christmas morning brought Wesley a snowboard and Cara an ipod Touch. Spoiled?

This year we have one more family close by so we had even more fun. I took off the week of Christmas to New Years and ended up with a fun project. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, Wesley and I built an 8'x12' treehouse in the big backyard mulberry tree.

Christmas Eve at our house included the traditional pajamas

Mom got to run to Sanford for Grandma's birthday earlier in the month. It's always good to be with family.

Doing the December scramble

2010-12-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

We are off in all directions this evening. Mom is in Sanford for Grandmas birthday party/Mortensen get-together. She went with Marsha yesterday and will get back Monday night. The kids have been trying to finish up homework. Cara finished first so I dropped her off at the ward Christmas party then came back home to help Wes get his done. He is writing his online book report out long hand, then I will enter it after he gets to go to a birthday party.

It is fun to be in December, though, with the house glowing and presents starting to pile up. There are lots of things to do and good feelings all around.

As you all enjoy your families and celebrate our sweet Lord Jesus, may you all continue to be blessed. We love you all.

Nobody wrestles like our bear cub

2010-11-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

Wesley started wrestling for the Mountain View Jr team and had his first tournament yesterday. He got to wrestle 4 matches and won the last two, coming home with a bronze medal. He is a total novice but has a great time and shows talent.

Not bad for a middle school jazz band

2010-10-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Cara got a shot at a solo during the years first concert. Here is just a minute of a classic old Chicago number. Wes is playing tuba as well this year but we couldn't get a good shot of him.

Joy of joys

2010-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

All of us at the Timpanogas Temple, the shrunken family and the girlies and boylies. (More to come. I am being tutored in this procedure.)

Spring break in Colorado

2010-04-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

While Cara and Wesley were off last week, I took a couple of days off and we all went on a quick Sanford trip. It was great to be with family there and we enjoyed it a lot. We spent most of the time with Lois and Kim who are always great hosts and enjoyed their beautiful home. You can see a panorama of their home above.

Part of your Haynie history you may not be aware of has become more real to me. When the original Haynie family (Emily and her 9 children soon after her husband Robert died from wounds suffered as a Confederate soldier) joined the church in Georgia in 1878, they were driven out by their neighbors. John Morgan, their missionary, arranged for they and a few others to migrate to the San Luis valley in Colorado. After a long wagon and train trip they spent a hard cold winter in Pueblo Colorado then walked carrying their belongings the 50 miles to the southern end of the valley. In the cold, dry climate-so different from their Georgia home- they were without home, shelter or food. A local Mexican family, the Salazars, took pity on them and gave them a milk cow as well as grain to help them survive. (As an aside, the former senator from Colorado and current Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, is a descendant of that family who saved our family from starvation). They moved 25 miles downriver to the confluence of the Conejos and Rio Grande where they dugout a rough shelter on the river banks. Weakened by starvation and exposure, Emily died within a couple of months at the age of 50. The children took her body back to the newly founded town of Manassa to bury her. The oldest boy, Patrick Calhoun Haynie, who was my great, great grandfather built the first house in Manassa for the family to live in.

The attached picture of where the Conejos and Rio Grande rivers meet, is close to that unknown site where Emily Haynie died. Seeing that place and the Salazar ranch gave me a greater appreciation for the faith and toughness of our ancestors. Who would have thought that Peggy's girlhood home was the original home of the Haynies.

Lyn and Dixie have moved into an old ranch house owned by Lynn's employer in the far Northeast corner of the valley close to Fort Garland. As part of the cleanup and refurbishing, they threw out a lot of junk, including the old jeep in the photo above. I told Lynn I would tow it home and fix it up- we'll see if I really do.

Life around Orem

2010-02-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

This is not Florida
Wesley is thankful for Sunday dinner.
And who would these two lovelies be...
While Mom was away for a week, somehow a mustache got started. It only lasted for a few weeks but it was fun for a while.

My Germany trip

2010-01-18T19:12:00.001-08:00

I had to go to Germany in November for training with the Unilux window factory. My week in Trier (the Southwest corner of Germany and an old Roman city) was a real treat. Besides a great old hotel, we were treated to great food and beer (I can only vouch for the food). Even with the cold weather it was a good trip.

Quick lets talk about fall before winter's over

2009-12-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

We organized a picnic up South Fork before it got too cold. It was a little nippy but fun. It included Jack leaping across streams, Cara sunning herself and Wesley standing around looking grownup. Also Wade was trying to teach Sarah about motorcycles

Harvest Time

2009-09-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying the bounty of harvest crops. We went gleaning in the neighbors yard where the chickens are and came back with this basketful. We have tomatoes, beans, zucchini, squash, walnuts, fresh eggs and Asian pears. Doesn't that basket look good? Anna got another load just as big to make salsa.
We took off a couple of weeks ago to climb Timp but it was raining so we drove a dirt road around the front of Timp and went hiking a little later when it dried off. We hiked for a couple of hours then Peggy & I walked back to the car to drive back around and pick up Cara, Wesley and Nathan at the bottom of Battle Creek canyon in Pleasant Grove. It was a beautiful day.
Yesterday we were working on the stucco prep (thanks, Jeff) and had a little driveway lunch while Wesley showed off his "mad skilzz"

The living room is finally livable

2009-08-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

The carpet came in and we got the final details pulled together. We are ready for Curtis and company to come and inspect.

A few more baby steps on the house

2009-08-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks hiatus, we got the patio room insulated, sheetrocked and mudded. I got the door installed and tightened so we tore out the sliding door and opened the room up to the house. So far it is keeping cool. With a little more mudding and sanding we will be ready to paint. Peggy is trying to get carpet ordered and we are getting closer to a real sunken living room. The outside is covered with plywood and the goal is to get it stuccoed before winter, funds permitting.

A frantic run for home

2009-08-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

After a fun 3 days we headed for home with a few stops along the way. We got to Palmyra and enjoyed the Church historical sites, especially the sacred grove and the print shop. We sprinted for Niagara Falls and got there about 11:00pm. It was a spectacular sight and we spent the night in Buffalo. The next day we toured the Kirtland temple, spent the night in Des Moines, then straight for home.

A bite of the Big Apple

2009-08-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

After two days in DC we headed for New York. I find it a grimy expensive place but worth a day. Half the day was taking the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty then we spent the rest of the day seeing the sights in Manhattan. FAO Schwartz and the Apple store, Central Park (incredible), apple cinnamon donuts off a street vendor, subway rides and Times Square.

Cara and Wesley go to Washington

2009-08-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of Anderson's blessing, everyone but Anna was able to get to Raleigh NC. Peggy and the kids drove out over a week and I met them in Raleigh. It was awesome to be part of Curtis and Lindsey's life for the weekend and to play with grandkids.

After the festivities we took the opportunity to show Cara and Wesley the East Coast. We drove to Washington DC and spent two days enjoying our Capital. Thanks Becca for the place to stay and thanks Syd and Chad for meeting us there. We were just a few minutes ahead of the crazy man who shot the security guard at the Holocaust museum so we feel blessed to be safe. I even ended up live on Fox 13 in Birmingham with a "report on the scene"

The museums were spectacular and being in DC gives you such a reverence for this great country.

Enjoying the Jensens

2009-05-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

We have been so glad to have Ryan and Amber here with the little ones. They are so much fun and we miss them already. We got together Sunday before Memorial Day and went to Orem cemetery to put flowers on Grandma's grave. It was a beautiful day.

It all seems so slow

2009-05-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted and we have made some progress. I will include pictures of the kitchen and dining area. We have also ripped out the walls of the patio and installed new windows. There is still a lot to do to put on new siding, insulate and sheetrock.

Garden of Eden or of Carl and Peggy

2009-03-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

As PW says, "this is the cast of characters for the garden. Seeds planted in peat pellets ready for the real thing. We planted them outside last week and they are not sure they like the brisk outdoors. They liked the warm house better.

Not another project

2009-03-23T21:11:00.001-07:00

Somehow I picked up an old Kawasaki KZ400 for $200 (just because it didn't run...go figure)and just as soon as the house is finished ;-)I'll get it running. Meanwhile it's the perfect vehicle for Wesley's fantasies.

Wesley hoops it up

2009-03-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Wesley started basketball with a travel league. He is working with a good coach and has picked up a lot of skills he hadn't been exposed to. He is still just a beginner but he is pretty quick and is having a lot of fun.

The kitchen makeover

2009-03-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

The next phase is reworking the kitchen, meaing tear down the wall to make the kitchen/living room into a great room. It was a dusty mess but the result is amazing. We had to change the lighting in the kitchen as well.

This is why we can't have parties at our house yet

2009-02-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we exchanged places with Grandpa and moved all his things to the downstairs apartment. He is adjusting pretty comfortably while we work on the upstairs. Cara and Wesley are still downstairs while Peggy and I are tearing things up. We moved into the front bedroom whilst working on the rest of the floors. We found out that the whole upstairs but the kitchen and bathrooms is covered in 2" oak flooring under the carpet. We have stripped out the carpet and sanded/refinished the floors. The painting is done in the bedrooms as well but we still need base molding. It is a glorious mess as usual but a lot of fun getting there.

Stay tuned for lots more action.

Wesley turns 11

2009-02-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Wesley continues to lead from the youngest spot with a fine eleventh birthday. Anna was persuaded to take Wesley skiing at Sundance on Saturday and took the camera to capture the action. Unfortunately Anna was rolling Carls left-footed snowboard and after the first run Wesley was gone. He had a great time but Anna was worn out by days end.

On Sunday we got together at Jordan's for ice cream, cake and a family conference call. Thanks for all your love.