HE'S GOT THE BIG BUCK! A 9 POINT!

Is that a happy face??? Jacob's face, I mean....not the deer's face. He just looks dead! The second day of gun season Jacob brought back this deer. Not what one would call a trophy for a mount because one of the tines was broken from fighting. But, like his Grandpa Chris says: the best trophy is meat on the table. And Jake has done that very well. This is his 4th deer since he first started hunting a couple of years ago. Pretty good for a 14 yr. old hunter.
If the back ground looks a bit funky....I tried to clone out the big red truck right behind Jake...not a good back ground for a picture. But I was glad to have one taken in the woods. Thanks Uncle Julio.

FIRST SANTA "GIG" OF THE YEAR

Well....we thought that it was awfully early for a Santa visit....but Kroger was having their annual Holiday open house. They invited us to join it. We jumped at the chance....if nothing else, but to get out their and try on the new Santa suit!
Jozie and Josiah have been sheltered from the fact that PaPa is Santa's helper....they were a bit surprised to see PaPa in Kroger! Their sitter today, with her family came over to get a picture to send to their Dad, in the Reserves in training for Afganistan deployment....and he's gone out west right now.

They have the "T" names(left to right): Ti, Trenton, Santa, Tayden, and Tonie; Trevor is kneeling on left. Tonie....the young lady on the right, was babysitting Jozie and Josiah today. So when the family came to shop at Kroger, J & J just came along..... Aren't they a beautiful family. Daddy leaves for Afganistan after January 1. May God protect him and keep him safe.

HOBO DINNER; OCT 24, 2009

Amidst the misty, damp, cold October weather, the staunch VanderHorst Clan met for a wonderful Hobo Dinner on the Deihl homestead, Waterloo, IN. Never counted, (everybody kept moving too fast), but their had to be about 40 folks there. These pictures are nowhere in order....but the kids sure enjoyed themselves. Dean and Chris are supervising the garbage cans on the fire cooking our Hobo Dinner. They were full of soooooooo much super good food; i.e. sausage, ham hocks, potatoes, hot dogs, cabage, corn, etc. It took about 1.5 hours to do the great job of cooking it to perfection

Many of the kids are from Toledo, not rural area where Andrea and David live. So, when they got the opportunity to collect the eggs from the chicken coupe, they really enjoyed picking up the eggs, and then weighing them (where you get the A, AA size eggs, etc.) Here's Dawson weighing an egg.

While everyone was pitching in to ready the yard for the hobo dinner before the rains came on Thursday, David had the stroke of genius to pick up a large amt. of the dry leaves BEFORE mowing the lawn, putting them in the big barn....so that the kids could play in the huge pile of
leaves.

You can tell that it was a huge success.

Madison enjoying herself.

The smiles tell it all.

Yvonne had the bright idea to get up in the hay loft and get a picture of the kids int he leaf and hay pile.

Jacob and his friend Kristin sitting around the fire....trying to keep warm.

Charolette looked like she was waiting for the rain....but it really never came, although some of the folks thought it would. Mist was the most of it.

Andrea and David beginning the hay ride for the kid and adults.

They stopped off to see the small calves next door, and really enjoyed the touch of farm life.

Everybody took zip locks of left overs home. That was a good thing....meaning we didn't have to eat boiled dinner for the next two weeks. It was such a wonderful day....and exhausting. Everyone pitched in on the clean up....and when I got home I just collapsed in my chair and didn't want to move.! Such good times to remember....

JAKE BAGS FIRST DEER WITH BOW AND ARROW!!! WOOO PEEEE!

Does he look proud???? That's no small feet to shoot a deer with a bow. He's been getting some practice tracking, too, with his dad and Uncle Julio. Apparently this doe went a lot further than Dean thought he should have gone...
It was pretty difficult aiming the digital camera into the dark, and not seeing anything in my view finder, as it was dark! Just had to point and shoot, and hope I got something. The looks on Dean and Julio's faces seems to be: "is she really going to get it.?"

Fall Traditions....the Apple Orchard

You can see what this chilly fall day brought....a drive to Chicago and a day at the apple orchard. Jozie wanted to go on a trip with GaGa and PaPa, so this was her turn to travel with us to visit Yvonne's family. These pictures are all self explanatory.

Dawson in back, Charlie and Jozie.

We all picked 1/4 peck.....not counting all the apples we ate! And Grandpa had his trusty knife to cut them up for everybody to try.

You can get higher in the tree when PaPa picks you up

Giddy-up hossie!

Jozie with her prize...

The Big Apple

...and that IS the Empire State Building in the background. This picture is taken from the Jersey side of the Hudson. To think that people live here have this view every night! This was the end of a beautiful day in New York City. We walked on the Hi Line....a garden area on an abandoned elevated railroad bed in the heart of Manhattan; had another wonderful tour of the Tenement Museum (my second tour....but I had mentioned to Jim before I knew that we were going to the city that I would love to go to again); then had the fantastic dinner at Becco's in Hell's Kitchen. What a wonderful day. Drove home today....pictures to follow. But for now I'm too tired to do it. Nite....

The Big Day

This is the first glimpse of the wedding couple, Holly & David Aufox. And Holly was at her best

And us...

Charolette & Julio enjoying the moment with their cusin, Holly.

David's 98 yr. old grandfather having a moment to wish the best to the wedding couple. It was moving.

Dad telling the attendees of the wedding about the first time he saw Holly (i.e. when she was born...duh. That was a new thing back in those days to be in the delivery room) He just said to himself "well....I hope she has a good personality...)

The chapel where the wedding took place

The 2 yr. old little sister of the flower girl. I don't have a better picture of her. But isn't she beautiful. She had the time of her life.

Joy and Charolette. Joy is the wife of eldest nephew, Jim. (lots of Jims in this family)

Chris and our niece, Sandy

Madelyn & Paige, wife of another nephew. And the beautiful emerald dresses that you see in this pic and the one before do not denote wedding party....just they per chance bought the same dress. AND nobody tried to sabatoge the other's dress! :-)

Nephew Michael (who writes plays and have had them produced) and his friend, Ashley.

Our next wedding????????

Chris and Ginny.....the 88 yr. old mother of my brother's lady friend. She goes on like the energizer bunny.

Craig and Jill....niece and nephew

And there's some of the pictures....the story to follow