Christmas 2014

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  The Saturday before Christmas we had the annual Branch family party.  It was really low key and wonderful to visit with everyone and enjoy yummy food.  Monday we went caroling (see the previous post) and Christmas eve we went to Derk and Debbie's for a delicious dinner and to open presents.  The kids reenacted the Christmas Story and we watched some home videos before opening presents. The kids had so much fun opening presents and Kinlee was so excited to open her Elsa doll that sings "let it go,"  but told Debbie that Santa was supposed to bring it to her so she wasa little worried she was going to get two.  When we went home later that night, she left her Elsa doll under the tree so Santa would know she already got one. Matthew was excited to be the sheep in the Christmas Story so he crawled around on all fours baaing all night. When we got home he was so upset because we wouldn't let him take all his trucks he got from the party to bed with him, he kept saying, "me big truck! " Christmas morning the kids were awake by 4:30 am. I made them wait until 5:00 before going out to see their presents,  but Kinlee couldn't wait and snuck into the living room.  When she saw the Kindle santa brought her she started yelling,  "I got a Kindle! " over and over again until all of us got up to see it.  After opening presents we all fell back to sleep until it was time to go to Nana and papas for breakfast.  Nana and papa made us a delicious breakfast like always, then the kids opened their presents and stockings.  The rest of the day we relaxed and played games,  then yesterday Connor went rabbit hunting with his cousins.  Finally tonight Rory and I went to a Jeff Wood committee celebration at Connie Hamiltons house.  She had so much food and it was so so fun to visit with everyone.  We are so blessed and have had an amazing holiday season.

Cookies and Caroling

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is making sugar cookies and decorating them with the Miller's.  This year we decided to do a little service and go caroling to some older widows and widowers in the community.  We picked 10 different people to visit and after frosting cookies with the Miller's,  Rauhala's and some other friends,  we braved the freezing cold and went caroling. It was such a wonderful service project and it was great to make some people smile.  The kids really enjoyed singing Jingle Bells,  Silent Night,  We Wish You A Merry Christmas,  & Frosty the Snowman.  Hopefully we can continue this tradition for several years. 

Windows

All the windows are in!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Santa made a visit to hometown flooring in Price,  so we went to see if he was ready for Christmas.  The kids loved visiting with him.  Matthew told him he wants a big truck, Kinlee wants an Elsa doll that sings "Let It Go," Kadee wants an Ipod touch,  and Connor wants a new book.

Progress

The house is coming along.  We have all our exterior doors in, most the windows, almost all the framing, and the roof is near completion, yay!

Grandma Archie's Funeral

It was a beautiful but sad day.  Rory spoke and did an amazing job.  He and his cousins were able to share a lot of very special memories they had made with their grandma.  At the cemetery, the pink ladies let pink balloons go to honor grandma and her 30 years of service as a pink lady.  After the services we went to the church and had a delicious luncheon.  We were able to visit with family and the kids were able to play with cousins they haven't seen in a very long time.  That evening Rory's cousin, Brett, came to visit before they headed home to Kansas.  Rory and Brett were really close growing up and it was fun to see our kids play together and act like their dad's did at their age.  Brett has a son that is Connor's age and a daughter that is Kinlee's age so it was fun to take pictures and reminisce.  It was a wonderful day to honor grandma and I miss her so much but I know that she lived a good life and her memory will live on in our hearts. 

Grandma Archie

During the city of Wellington's 100 year Pioneer Days celebration two life long residents looked back in pride at a city that they have called their home for the better part of a century. They were born in Wellington, have never really left and have watched the small municipality grow and change as if they were caring parents.
Azella Thayn Bradley was born June 3, 1918 in Wellington on the family farm and according to her family she was nine years old before her father was even able to set eyes on her. He served a distinguished term and was in France at the time of her birth, fighting in World War I. Azella was the oldest of 12 children which meant that she had a ton of responsibility around the farm.
Milking cows, feeding chickens and making bread were all done without running water, electricity or indoor plumbing.
Although her family was poor and life on the farm was hard, Azella never knew it. Bradley attended the Wellington school house on the hill by walking to and from the campus everyday. According to family historians, sometimes the Bradley's would move into town during the late fall for the winter and then return to the family farm in the spring.
The cycle of life for the Bradley's involved planting, tending, harvesting and bottling all of their own fruits and vegetables. Additionally soap was made by saving the fat from farm animals putting lye in it and then letting it harden. This soap kept the family clean and was used for the Saturday night bath which took place in a number three tub with the smallest children bathing first.
All transportation in Azella's days as a child took place via horseback and on foot until her grandfather W.A. Thayn purchased one the the first motorcars in Carbon County.

Azella Thayn Bradley is one of Wellington's oldest living residents.

"I really did grow up poor," said Azella. "But you never knew it because everyone else around you was poor too."
According to Bradley, she would get a new dress every July 4 and new pajamas for Christmas.
"I was happy, loved and we always had enough to eat," commented Bradley. "And that was all I really needed."
When she was a teen she met the love of her life when a young man rode up to an LDS function on his black horse and just kept riding up to here on it until they married.
Azella married Archie Bradley in September 1935 and they moved in to a two room home in Miller Creek. Archie worked a full time job that allowed Azella to tend to the farm and house work. They had four children; Arlene, Dean, Dale and Derk. Once they were school age, Azella worked at the Wellington post office for 31 years.
The only time in her 89 years that Azella ever left the town of Wellington was to serve an 18-month LDS mission. She served faithfully and then returned to her red brick home, a dwelling she has lived in for 57 years.
"There's no place like home in Wellington," concluded Bradley.

This morning we lost an angel of a lady.  I can't even imagine life without her.  She was an amazing lady and our lives will never be the same.  I'm so grateful for the beautiful memories we have with her and look forward to the day when I will see her again.