November Already!

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post. Time sure does go by quickly. I guess we have just been so busy that I haven't had a chance to get to the computer long enough to write anything.
First of all I have some sad news to report. On Halloween we lost our Father, Papa, and all around great person. John Sr. passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. About 5 years ago he was diagnosed with serosis of the liver, and has been living with the side effects from that. The past 2-3 years his health deteriorated rather rapidly, and he spent most of the past year in and out of hospitals for various reasons. In the end his body was just worn out. He died peacefully, going to sleep and just stopped breathing. In a way this is a blessing because he doesn't have to be in pain any more, and a relief for Carol as well, she will be able to have some well earned rest. The hardest part for me is that Jackson won't have the opportunity to know his Papa. He will be greatly missed, but I choose to believe that his spirit resides within all of us who knew and loved him, and he will be waiting for us all in heaven, with a healthy mind and body. He touched many lives, and will be forever a part of them. John is in Phoenix right now with his Mother, helping out with arrangements and helping out wherever he can. His Memorial service will appropriately be held on Veterans Day, and a special family memorial will be held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this coming spring.
Now for the other updates. We have been bust as usual with normal life stuff. Mackenzie is still playing the drums in band, and has had a few performances at football games. She enjoy's it very much, and is always drumming on something. We often have to tell her to keep it down. She is also still enjoying girl scouts. Her troop walked in the Halloween parade through our little main street for the 3rd year in a row. Their theme was the Wizard of Oz, and Kenzie was the scarecrow. For our ward Halloween party she was Sacajawea, and for Halloween day she was the reaper. She had a lot of fun dressing up.
J.T. Is still sticking with the Viola. He practices every morning, and I can't wait until he learns how to tune his viola, it really needs it. He was a mummy for our ward Halloween party, but his wrapping all fell off as he ran around, so on Halloween he decided to be a Ninja for the 3rd year in a row.
Jackson is getting so big! He is nearly 8 months now, and is so much fun. He isn't quite crawling forward, but he has managed to scoot himself around in every direction, and he can do it quickly. It only takes a second for him to get from one place to the next. (thank goodness he isn't crawling) He has mastered the pincer grasp, and loves to feed himself Cheerios's and other baby puffs. He is a very happy baby, and its very easy to get him to smile or laugh. The big kids love to make him laugh, and try all kinds of silly things to do it. For Halloween Jackson was Yoda. He is the cutest Yoda you will ever see, anywhere. He was a great sport while trick-or-treating, he just sat in the stroller and watched all of the other kids in weird costumes. I don't think he really quite knew what to make of it.
John has been busy, like always, but I think he is starting to slow down. He built a shed in our back yard, finished our deck,and has done a number of other things in the yard. It now looks very nice.In the end of September, he completed a triathalon with a time of 2:08. We are all very proud of him. That was a great acomplishment. He put together a Zombie movie night on Oct 30 for the Film Club that he is a part of. They showed the original "Night of the Living Dead" and had a zombie dress up competition. It didn't go exactly as planned, but I think it was a success anyway. He has finished putting together his Christmas children's book that he wrote about 10 years ago. We had an artist friend illustrate it, and this week it was sent to the printers. These first copies are just black and white, coloring book type, but keep an eye out for him in the future, I believe he will be a famous author someday. When he returns from Phoenix he will be starting a small construction project on our kitchen. He is always doing something.
As for myself, I recently took a pottery class, something I have always been interested in, and finally did. I really enjoy creating something from a blob of clay. I am still learning, but right now I have about 8 pieces that will be ready for Christmas. With the economy in such poor shape, we decided that this Christmas we will try to have a lot of homemade things, so the pottery works out great. I have also been sewing blankets for my little ones, and hopefully I will have time to finish a few other projects. Jackson has finally taken to napping, so I have a little more flexibility.
Anyway, we here at the Graham house are forever busy, but I will honestly try not to take so long in between posts form now on.
Be sure you tell your families and friends how much they mean to you, you never know when it will be too late! We love you all, and hope everyone is happy and taken care of.