Catching Up!

My girls have been giving me a bad time about updating our blog. It has only been a few weeks after all..... I only have a few excuses for it taking me so long to get on it, sending Kevin off on his mission, getting acclimated to my new calling as Stake Young Women's president, making alterations to a wedding dress for one of the young single adults in our branch, getting my act together for the 3 October birthdays in the family, making lasagna for munch and mingle, attending church meetings all while working full time...... oh, wait! I don't have an excuse because these are the same you all have going on in our lives everyday too. I am blessed with work! Really I am grateful to be busy.

Here are a few random pictures from the past few weeks. As you scroll down there are pictures of our Anniversary party and Cooper's birthday. Enjoy!

Andrea at Cooper's Birthday Party

Heather and Jeff waiting for the party to start

Siena with Cooper

Sweet little Hannah

Papa with the two youngest grandchildren, Cooper and Hannah

Grandma and Grandpa Sharp on Halloween

Siena helping me make cinnamon rolls

Kevin and Kim washing dishes the weekend before he left for his mission

Tami (she's so photogenic)

All four grandkids! It's so hard to get them all to hold still, smile and look at the camera

Cooper's First Birthday!

We had lots of fun celebrating Cooper's 1st birthday. He turned 1 on October 19th. He was a good sport letting us all take pictures and "help" him with his gifts. Andrea did such an amazing job making his cake!

30th Wedding Anniversary Surprise!!

Our kids surprised us with an anniversary party to celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss. We really have had a great marriage and we are grateful for every minute of it (the good times and the hard times). All of it has drawn us closer every day. We are grateful for our children and the time and energy they took to make this happen for us. We are also thankful for all of our extended family members that came to celebrate with us. We love them with all of our hearts.

Heather made this beautiful cake for us using the same colors used for our wedding/reception.

The Happy Couple!

Kevin Leaves for the MTC!

It was a wonderful and sad day when Kevin left for the MTC. We were so happy for him and excited for the experiences that he would have yet sad that it would be two years before we would see him again. We know he made the right choice to serve the Lord for these two years and know that he will touch the lives of many people in the Czech Republic for good. We love him and will miss him, his hugs, phone calls, and especially his teasing but look forward to reading his letters/emails about his missionary service and of course look forward to his holiday phone calls. He was really excited to leave and get started. He has a strong testimony of the gospel and is ready to share it with others in his mission area.

To help distract myself I took pictures. They aren't great because I was looking through tear filled eyes and not remembering to adjust for the light, etc. This is a picture of Kevin and Steve as we were walking into the Eugene Airport.

Kevin and Mom

Kevin and Dad

The last picture I could get of Kevin behind the security gate.

Kevin started a mission blog, which is now my assignment to keep updated, the link is on the right side of the screen. His address is posted and as I receive letters and emails I will post them here also. Please feel free to send him letters, I know that he will love to hear from you.

Cooper with a Pinwheel

He knows that it is supposed to spin and has figured out his own method for making it work.

He's just too cute!

Our Vacation in Nauvoo!

We spent our summer vacation in Nauvoo, Illinois and Hannibal, Missouri. While in Nauvoo we took advantage of every event and tour available. We went to bed late and got up early so we could do it all but it was worth every minute. It's so hard to put into words what we felt and experienced. Our testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel have grown immensely and we wish that everyone could see and feel what we did. If you ever have the chance to go to Nauvoo take it, you won't regret it. Below are a few of the hundreds of pictures that we took. We hope you enjoy them.

Nauvoo Temple

Steve and I in front of the Temple. Inside the Temple is beautiful, decorated in 1830's period decor.

Statue depicting Joseph and Hyrum Smith's last ride out of Nauvoo on their way to Carthage where they were martyred.

The same statue at night.

Carthage Jail

Our first view of Carthage Jail. As you can see the grounds are beautiful.

Carthage Jail. The second story window is the room where Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum were martyred.

Steve and I in front of Carthage Jail.

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

The grounds were covered with beautiful flowers. I had to take some just for my mother to see.

Carthage continued...

These plaques were on the pathway up to Carthage Jail.

Nauvoo Tours

Standing in front of the Scovil Bakery. This was one of my favorite tours because they gave us a gingerbread cookie to sample! Yummmy!

Inside the bakery.

Authentic baking tools in the 1830's.

This was one of Steve's favorite tours. There were guns galore displayed. It was pretty amazing to see all of the small intricate pieces that were all made by hand.

Tours continued....

The John Taylor Home

Inside the John Taylor Home. The rocking horse was handcarved and I thought the potty chair in the corner was especially cute.

Lucy Mack Smith Home.

The Brigham Young Home.

Summer Vacation - Hannibal, MO

Our trip to Nauvoo included a trip to Hannibal, MO the birth place of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). The following pictures were taken in a park next to a bridge that was dedicated to Mark Twain.

This is a statue representing Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Becky Thatcher's flower garden.

This is a plaque on the "old" Mark Twain Memorial Bridge. My favorite paragraph states "A recurring summer problem was the swarming of mayflies attracted to the bridge lights. At times, the pavement was covered 2 inches thick by the insects causing it to become extremely slick. Snow plows were necessary for their removal." Eeewwww!

Tom Sawyer's famous fence.

Becky's house is across the street from Tom's house. It was being renovated so we didn't get any good pictures of the house its self.

Mark Twain Riverboat

While in Hannibal, MO we took a dinner cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat. It was a fun experience. The Mississippi River is amazing. It's about a mile wide and very muddy. Mark Twain once described the Mississippi River as "too thin to plow and too thick to drink." It is very true. It's not the kind of river that I would want to swim in.

A picture of the Mark Twain Riverboat before we left on our dinner cruise.

A view of the dinning room as we were seated.

Our table!

Steve standing on the top deck just before we left the dock.

This is a picture of a barge hauling coal. We saw several of these during the week. They are a lot bigger than they look in this picture. One of the passengers told us that working on a barge like this is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the world! I was surprised to hear that especially because there was not a soul to be seen and it was moving so slowly and quietly.

Mark Twain Cave

This is the entrance to the Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) Cave. It was so amazing inside, our pictures don't do it justice. The tour guide made it fun with all kinds of stories related to the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Walking in beside a little girl who was telling me that she was afraid of the dark and worried about going inside. She was holding on to her father's hand so tightly that her fingers were white.

A view inside the caves.

There was a section of the caves where names were written all over the walls and celings. This is one that was way up high that was signed June 25, 1924. They used to use a torch to burn the rock and then scratch in their names which has helped to preserve them over time. The cave became a protected site in the early 1970's so they no longer allow people to sign their names.

Steve inside one of the passage ways.

Me inside the same passage way. You can see the lights they have placed along the way. At one point in the tour they turn off all of the lights so you can see how dark it is. See is not the right term because when they turned off the lights it was so dark that you could not even see your hand in front of your face. As soon as the lights went off my thoughts immediately turned to the little girl I walked in with. She did okay, but I'm sure that the blood supply to her father's arms and hands was cut off for those few seconds that the lights were out.

Lover's Leap, Hannibal MO

This is Lover's Leap just outside of town in Hannibal, MO. It's a beautiful site where you can see for miles around.

This plaque tells the story of the legend of Lover's Leap. To me it seemed very similar to Romeo and Juliet. It is a reminder of how strong of an emotion love really is.

This picture gives a little better view of how high the cliff is.

Steve (below) and I standing on Lover's Leap with a view of Hannibal and the Mississippi River.

Principal Jones

Due to recent budget cuts, this is Steve's last year as principal at Territorial Elementary. On the last day of school he was presented with these two pictures along with a gift certificate for a round of golf (they learned early on about his favorite hobby). The first one has pictures taken by some of the parents during Outdoor School the last week of school. It reads "Students may forget what you said but they will never forget the way you made them feel." Steve had lots of fun with the kids. He has always been good at making a point to have memory making moments with them so this was a perfect gift for him.

This is the back of the picture, all of the kids at Outdoor School signed it.

The second picture is of all the kids at Territorial Elementary

with their signatures around the border.

Steve will really miss being their Principal but will be forever grateful for the time he had with them and the memories they have helped him make.

More Hannah Blessing Pictures!

We didn't get a chance to take pictures of Hannah in her blessing dress on Sunday so Kim dressed her up later in the week and did a photo shoot. These three pictures are my favorite.

The dress is made out of cotton eyelet with little pearls sewn on the body and hem of the dress.

The hat is also cotton eyelet with pearls sewn around the edge.
I just thought this picture was so sweet and it really shows the red tint in her hair.

Cute Grandkids!

Here's a few recent pictures we took that I thought were pretty cute.

Cooper with his Dad.

Janae and Kiera.

Hannah with her Dad.

Sahalie Falls

Last week we spent the day at Sahalie Falls. It was a beautiful day. We hiked the trails for a while and then had a picnic lunch. Days like this always renew my gratitude for the beautiful country we live in.

Surprise News From Kevin!

Kevin and his friend Erica came home from BYU-Idaho this weekend to participate in the blessing of Kevin's newest neice, Hannah. While they were here they surprised us all by telling us that they had both decided to serve a mission! The biggest surprise though was that Kevin had already received his mission call, on June 18th, ---- to the Czech Prague Mission! We cried, cheered and cried some more. He leaves for the MTC on October 14, 2009!


Erica will be submitting her papers within a week or so and is looking forward to her call. We are so excited for both of them; for the things they will learn, the experiences they will have and the spirit they will feel as they share the gospel with others.

Hannah's Blessing Day

On Sunday, July 5, 2009 we all went to Corvallis for Hannah's blessing. Chris did a great job giving the blessing, he is such a loving and devoted father to Hannah and husband to Kim. We are so happy that he is part of our family. Afterward, we went to Kim and Chris' house for a picnic. It was a beautiful day.

Stephanie Comes To Visit

This weekend we all met at Grandpa Jones' to see our neice, Stephanie and her daughters, Tyler and Ashley. We had lots of fun visiting with everyone. I thought the picture of Mallory sitting on the tractor was especially cute.

Swinging with Great Grandpa

Janae talked Great Grandpa Sharp into pushing her on the swing. She had lots of fun. You could hear her saying over and over again "higher Grandpa, higher".

Making Cookies With Grandma

Cooper is now old enough to help us make cookies. His job was to hold the package of chocolate chips while Janae and Kiera helped to put the other ingredients into the bowl.

Fun By The Fire

One of our favorite things to do in the summer time is to roast marshmallows over the fire. As you can see Janae just could not wait for the fire to die down. Kiera and Cooper are just happy to eat graham crackers and watch the action.

Hannah - 1 Week Old

These pictures were taken on Saturday, May 23rd, Hannah is now 1 week old.

Kim and Chris are great new parents. I am so grateful that they let me spend the week with them. There's nothing like a new baby, especially when they're your grandchild....

I love being a grandma!

Janae and Kiera Come To Visit

On Thursday, May 21st, Heather, Janae and Kiera came to visit. It was really fun to see the girls with Hannah. Janae was so excited to meet her and so sweet. Kiera was not very interested in her new cousin, she just laid there after all!

This is such a sweet video of Janae holding her new cousin.

The sound isn't great but it's worth watching.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Come To Visit

On Tuesday, May 19th (Hannah's original due date)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Sharp came to visit.

Hannah is their 6th great grandchild.

Hannah Kristine Blevins!

Here are a few pictures of our newest granddaughter, Hannah. I'll post more pictures and info once we get them home from the hospital.

Mother's Day

Kevin surprized me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day delivered to my office. Heather, Jeff, Andrea and Chris gave me some great photo albums for all of the pictures that we sorted long ago. Kim and Chris gave me a bottle of Eucalyptus Spearmint (my favorite scent) Body Lotion and Pillow Mist. Steve gave me some of my favorite candy from See's and a trip to see the grandkids. I'm so blessed to be a Mom to such a wonderful and loving family!

Fun at the Park

Four Generation Picture

After Kim's baby shower we celebrated Mallory's (our neice) 1st birthday at Roaring Rapids Pizza Parlor. While we were there we took the opportunity to take this four generation picture of Cooper, Andrea, Grandpa Steve and Great Grandpa Dale. This was the first time that Dale had seen Cooper in person.

This is a picture of Mallory and her sister Chelsea earlier in the day at our house.

Baby Shower for Hannah Kristine Blevins

This weekend Heather and Andrea hosted a baby shower for Kim at our house. There was lots of good food including a beautiful dessert provided by friend Lindsay. It was fun and they did a great job. Kim is loved by many and she was blessed to have 29 friends and family members and their 11 children come to help celebrate the upcoming arrival of Hannah. Here she is with the gifts she received. Everything was so adorable and very much appreciated.

Kim's 24th Birthday

We celebrated Kim's 24th birthday this past weekend.

She now has enough candles on her cake to nearly set off the smoke alarm!

Happy Birthday Kim!

Today is Kim's 24th Birthday! These pictures were taken on her 4th birthday. It doesn't seem like 20 years have passed by already. But it has and soon she will have her own baby girl to celebrate birthdays with!

Happy Birthday Kim, we love you.

Kevin's New Adventure

This week we had the priviledge of taking Kevin to BYU Idaho were he will continue working toward his undergraduate degree. His goal is a career in neurological sciences.

He has a great apartment that he shares with 5 roommates.

The apartment sits on a hill with a great view of campus and...

...is across the street from the Rexburg Idaho Temple

which he can see out of his bedroom window.

Kevin with his friend Erica wishing we would

just hurry up and leave already!

Good Friends!

After we left Rexburg and Kevin we stopped in Meridian to see our friends Linda and Lynn.

We had a good time and we are very appreciative of their generous hospitality.

We Looked Out The Window and What Did We See!

April 14th at 7:00 am??????

More Snow!

These pictures were taken at about 7:15 am!