Minnesota to see Oliver

We went to Minnesota to see Oliver. Oh yeah, Sara and Ian were there too.  And here we are with Oliver at the Minneapolis farmer's market. By the way, the rest of the McCloone family was there too. This picture does not do justice to how cold it was while we were at the market. It was very nice, large and quite impressive, but cold.

We had a wonderful time getting acquainted with Oliver.  He is very good-natured and full of smiles.

After a yummy Mother's Day brunch prepared by Sara, we toured Minehaha Falls.

Here he is again.   Ollie has a really big smile which took a few shots to capture.

Not  quite . . . pay attention young man.

Got it !  A smile for Nana.  There were lots of smiles but we were not able to capture many as pictures. (Not shown -- darling coos, gurgles, and full body happy-wiggles.)

While there we also drove down Summit Avenue and saw beautiful homes including the mansion of James J. Hill, the railroad magnate. That was a fun drive.

We enjoyed visiting with Sara, getting to know Ian better and having some fun with little Oliver. It was a very nice visit.

A Thought from Pop, the Old Dust Mop


It was nice to visit Sara, Ian and for the first time, Oliver. He is a cute and happy boy.

Family is so important and it was wonderful to see Sara, get better acquainted with Ian and to meet and play with Oliver. I love my family and everyone of them is important and precious.

I hope to spend eternity with my family and through the atonement of Christ that is possible. As President Packer said, ".... there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ."

Graduation

Wendy at her favorite Restaurant

The Marriott Center

Ryan with his tie from thetiebar.com - the best place in the world to buy ties.

Mother and daughter (Ashley is the third person in the family to wear this graduation cap and gown.  It was first worn by Mom (2008), then Nicole (2009), and now Ashley.  Wendy is next.)

Graduate and graduate

Ashley and Nicole

Steve, Wendy, Ryan, Ashley, Nicole, Jeff

Nicole with her cousin Christine Johnson (Lynn and Marian's daughter)

We are very proud of Ashley and Ryan and their accomplishments.

Graduation week at BYU brought Wendy and Steve to Provo to honor our latest graduates.  We are very proud of both Ryan and Ashley and honor Ashley who completed her senior recital and final classes while dealing with morning sickness.  Cousin Christine Johnson also graduated so seeing Uncle Lynn and Marian was an extra bonus for the trip.  Holly was also in Utah valley that week to make all the selections for the house they are having built in Highland.

Ashley and Ryan will stay in Provo until the end of June.  Their baby is due May 21.  We are eager to have Ashley and new baby here in Maryland during the summer while Ryan does his job training at Goldman in New York City.

Holly and Dave received three offers on their house here and they will be moving out on July 31.

Nicole and Jeff are leaving Provo for Denver on May 11.  Jeff has a summer internship at J.P. Morgan and Nicole will work at the summer day camp where she worked last summer.

Mom and Dad are headed for Minneapolis this weekend to visit Sara and Ian and baby Oliver.

Cousin Jenny Truman had baby number 8, little Braden Truman, on April 29.  That makes 4 girls and four boys for her and Chad.

Grandma Morris will turn 90 on May 24 and we plan a trip to New York to honor her on this special birthday.

Strasburg Here We Come

Strasburg Here We Come

During the spring break, we rode the rails with Michael, Reed, and Sadie on the Strasburg Railroad, located near Lancaster, PA.  The old steam locomotives and rail cars are authentic from a century ago and travel a route through the Amish farmlands.  As we passed farmers tilling their fields with horse-drawn plows, it was easy to imagine we were stepping back into history. 

Here it comes. We are just about to board.

One of the old rail cars behind our car and a tree. 

Here our traveling companions:  "Choo-choo," said Sadie as we pulled out from the station.

Michael enjoying the ride.  (Notice the velvet seats, the period lamps, and the fittings in the car.  On cold days, the conductor fires up the coal stove in the car -- if you look carefully, you can see the stove pipe in the far back corner of the coach.)

Having fun, aren't we?

Time to get off.

We all had a good time and it was great fun.  

It Snowed and Snowed and Snowed

A Lalapoloozer of a Storm


We live in an area where in most years we get little if any snow. However, there have been a few memorable snow storms and we got one over the weekend.  It snowed continuously from Friday morning to late Saturday afternoon leaving us with a total of 28 inches.  Bless our good neighbor across the street who plowed out our driveway and all our adjoining neighbors. 

During such a paralyzing snow storm a hush falls over the neighborhood.  The only movement outside is the relentless snow.  All our neighboring wildlife -- the squirrels, the deer, the rabbits, and geese -- have hunkered down in their hiding places.  We are grateful to be safe inside -- snug and warm.

Here are a few photos of the storm's aftermath:

Did we mention that we bought a new car before Christmas?  For those of you far away, we thought you'd like to see what it looks like.



We had a lot of limbs come down.  Dad will be busy with his chain saw and trips to the dump.

There is the view of MacClintock Drive toward 97.  The tracks are from Mr. Douglas's tractor.  We did get a county plow through early Sunday morning.


Holly and Dave and family, however, anticipated the storm and are spending this week in the 80 degree Caribbean waters on a Disney cruise.


Today 's weather report tells us another big storm is headed our way and we can anticipate perhaps twelve, even twenty, more inches of snow starting tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9.  



We have been shivering through one of the coldest winters on record and the heaviest snowfall since 1899. We are not the only ones.  Lisa and Brian have had a terrific ice storm and they were among the lucky few who didn't lose their electrical power.

Just to mention a few other events of interest, Dad has officially retired. He completed his final day at work the last week in January.

Nicole was invited to be one of three pianists to perform in a master class for Menahem Pressler, a virtuoso concert pianist who is performing at BYU this week.

 Jeff has accepted an offer from J.P. Morgan for an accounting internship in Denver this summer.  Nicole will able to work at the day camp where she was a camp counselor last summer.

Little Oliver McLoone is now pushing ten pounds and Sara is feeling a little better every day.

Brett ran a half marathon last week in Pasadena with the finish line in the Rose Bowl.

Lisa and Brian will be moving into their new house in Cache, Oklahoma on March 8.  They will have much more space inside and out and be within walking distance of the kids' schools.


A Thought from Dad
The scriptures tell us, "...Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly and then thy confidence shall wax strong in the presence of God." I know that God is our Father and that he knows us and loves us. I want to live so that my confidence shall wax strong in the presence of God.

President Benson once said, "We once knew well our....Father in Heaven. Now we are here. Our memories are veiled.... Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us."