A festive, fall meal.

Well it's that time again. We shall be gathering at the Ranch this Sunday to enjoy a meal with the family. We are going back to a later time. Dinner will be at 5:30pm and the theme is Fall Soup and Salad. Bring a soup or salad and side dish to share! We've had a lot of fun at our monthly meals, and hope you can make it this Sunday to continue the memory making! 

Here are photos from last months fun evening. There are evening a few videos of a board game that causes more laughter than any other I know of. And of course we celebrated The Robertson anniversary! Woo Hoo for those two!

Saturday Fun.

This weekend we will be honoring grandma in the best way that we can... A ranch work party! There are some areas around the house that need some TLC and fall cleanup.

We'll gather at 9am to start the fun. We realize Saturdays are full of soccer games and other activities, so come if you can. The more family we have helping, the merrier it will be! Bring a water bottle and some work gloves too. We'll work for a couple hours.

And here are some more fun photos from the first day of school.

Wilkens Kelly started 6th grade this year.

Kyra Fromm is a Junior this year

Mckenna is a 9th grader this year.

The Taylor Family: Lindsey, Zane, Ty & Josie

Food & Photos.

We'll be feasting up at the Ranch for our Second Sunday dinner! We'll have spaghetti and sauce provided, so a side dish or two to share with everyone! Dinner will start at 4pm. Spread the word to the fam!

First Day of School Photos (It's not too late to send me your kids' photos)

Jonah is in 10th grade at Leavenworth High School

Hadyn is in 8th grade in Leavenworth

Evie had her first day in Preschool

Taye had her first day at Valley Academy

Jesse also had his first day at Valley Academy

Tyler started Kindergarten, and Jason just wanted to be in the photo.

Marcia's Grandpa Moment.

When I left the Ranch in June after helping clean Dad’s house and pull weeds in the yard, I brought home a few things rather than throw them in the “yard sale” pile.  I brought a baseball type cap that Dad had worn.  Mine says “Rainier Heli-Lift” and I love putting it on and taking off for a walk every morning.  I also wear it in the yard and wish that Mom and Dad were here to help me clean up under the orange trees and thin Grampa Frank’s iris!  I also brought home a bag of almonds!  We all know how he loved his almonds.  Each morning when I go to get a few almonds to cut up for my oatmeal (not Dad’s favorite, but mine—steal-cut) I literally break into a smile as I think of Dad.  What a great way to start my day!!  I’ve been “putting up” lots of tomatoes and I have his little tomato head extractor—for lack of a better term.  I just makes me happy to use things that remind me of him and Mom.  What great parents.  What a wonderful legacy.  So blessed!

Back to School.

Since Labor Day has passed, most schools have officially started their first day back, and we want to see those first day of school photos.

Send your photos (or photos of your children) of their first day/week of school. If you haven't taken one yet, now is your chance to snap a photo for the first month of school photo. Send them to vkdonaghy@gmail.com before Friday so we can post them by Friday morning! (If you know of any cousins who aren't aware of this, spread the message to them too!)

Let the Potlucks begin...

Hello again.

We had our first potluck dinner, and it was truly a sweet night. We also learned that there's a little learning curve to the blog and its usability. The best way for each of you to keep yourself updated with the blog is to subscribe to it, so that you receive notifications when new content has been added.

How do you you subscribe?
To the right of this "post" it says "follow by email", type your email address in that area and press submit. A pop-up screen will then ask you to confirm your email by typing in a specific code. Type the code in the text box below and click on the button "complete subscription request." From that point you will receive updates in your email inbox when new content has been added to the blog.  

Still have questions? Email me at vkdonaghy@gmail.com and I can help you with any computer issues.

 

 

Showin' off his "big mouth" skills

room to spare...next time we'll try a bigger apple.

Ryan.

One of my special memories with grandpa happened when I flew out to Wenatchee for an interview. I flew out by myself for a quick trip and had a wonderful dinner at Pat and Gloria's and spent the rest of the evening with grandpa. It was really my first time I spent one on one with him. I remember he was such a great host making me feel at home and asking if I wanted anything, often. He reminisced and told interesting stories of his childhood and went on about Grandma Peggy and how much he missed her. When it was time to leave he walked me outside and wished me a safe trip back, we hugged and I walked towards my car. As I was about to get in I turned and saw grandpa still standing on the porch watching me leave. I had so much love in my heart for that gentle man and realized I needed to do one more thing. I turned around and walked back towards him and said, "Grandpa can we say a prayer together before I leave?" He said you bet and there under the glow of his porch light we prayed, giving gratitude for our time we spent together and asking for safe travels. We hugged again and I turned and left with tears in my eyes, feeling overwhelmed with love and admiration for this man. I was not his grandson by blood but I felt as close to him as my own grandfathers. This may not be anything that sounds extraordinary on paper but it was a memory I'll always cherish. Love, Ryan