Fun with Letterfolk Letter Boards

Thanksgiving

My parents came into town for my brother Neil's baby's blessing, so we hosted Thanksgiving this year. We invited my cousins that live in the Salt Lake area, but only Jessica and her husband Paul were able to come. I was so glad that Jessica volunteered to make the rolls and pie! Jeremy made our turkey again and I must say if his career doesn't pan out he's got a future in cooking turkey. It was delicious! We had a nice, relaxing day with food, football and family. A perfect Thanksgiving. I didn't even go out black Friday shopping.

Twas the Night[mare] Before Christmas

"Mommy, I feel like Cinderella."

 "woof, woof"

 "Treat or treat!"

Thomas Edwin Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks is my 3rd great grandfather.


Thomas E. Ricks was born on the frontier of America on July 21, 1828 at Donaldson Creek, Kentucky to Joel Ricks and Eleanor Martin. His parents were converted to “Mormonism” in the year 1841. Tom did not commit to baptism in the church until after visiting Nauvoo, Illinois in 1843 and hearing the Prophet Joseph Smith preach. Tom’s family moved to Nauvoo and purchased a farm there in 1845. Tom attended the first conference in the Nauvoo Temple and was ordained an Elder in the Priesthood at age 17.


In 1844 he had an accident while breaking a horse. The horse landed on his left leg. As a result of this accident Ricks' left leg did not grow as long as his right leg. As a result, wearing a platform shoe, he walked with limp, and later used a cane.


As the Latter-day Saints fled their beautiful Nauvoo in the middle of winter, Tom drove a team across the frozen Mississippi River for the Charles C. Rich family, who were without means of transportation. The Ricks family later joined the Heber C. Kimball Company, which departed Winter Quarters on May 29, 1848, and arrived at the Elkhorn River, Nebraska, on the 1st of June. On the morning of June 6, 1848 an alarm sounded in the camp that the Indians were driving off the cattle, which had been grazing across the river some two miles away. Four boys jumped on their horses and rode rapidly about six miles downriver when they suddenly came upon a party of about ten Indians, who immediately fired at them. Tom was hit with three balls. Two balls lodged in his kidneys and another hit his backbone. He fell from his horse and lay on the ground. The other three boys exchanged gunfire with the Indians as they fled the scene. One Indian approached Tom with knife in hand, apparently attempting to scalp him. When Tom put up his hand to protect his head it so startled the Indian that he changed his plan, took Tom’s gun, and hurried on down the river. 


Years later Tom, speaking at a family reunion, told of a special spiritual experience that comforted him as he lay on the ground. While laying there weltering in blood, he thought of the condition of his father and family and how badly they needed his assistance, and wondering if he was going to die. While thus engaged in thought he heard a voice say audibly and clearly, “You will not die; you will live and go to the valley of the mountains and there you will do a great work in your day and generation.” Tom was later rescued and floated across the river on a buffalo hide and transported to camp in a carriage. When the company doctor examined Tom, he thought it too dangerous to remove the rifle balls. He dressed the wounds and expressed the belief that Tom couldn’t live more than a few hours. Heber C. Kimball and other priesthood brethren administered to him and promised him in the name of the Lord that he should recover and live to see the Latter-day Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. The journey to the western mountains was very trying and painful to Tom. The first time he was able to leave the wagon was at Fort Laramie. By the time the wagon train reached the Salt Lake Valley he had almost recovered from his severe ordeal. The balls were never removed and Thomas carried them in his body throughout his life.


He would later assist five additional groups of pioneers to make the same trek. In 1856, returning from a colonizing mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, he immediately left to be part of the rescue party sent from Salt Lake to assist the stranded Martin Handcart Company near the Sweetwater River.


A colonel in the Utah Militia, he was commissioned to locate a better route from the Cache Valley to the Bear Lake Valley, in Northern Utah. While thus engaged, he discovered a natural spring flowing from the cavity of a large rock. To this day, Ricks' Spring bears his name. It can be found on U.S.-89, between Logan Utah, and Bear Lake, on the Utah-Idaho boarder.


He was also an influential church and community leader in both Utah and Idaho. He is known as the founder of Rexburg, Idaho and participated in the founding of the Bannock Stake Academy, which would eventually evolve into Brigham Young University–Idaho. This school was named in his honor for a period of 99 years first as Ricks Academy (1902–1917) and later as Ricks College (1917–2001).


He served as a bishop and later as a stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Rexburg area.


He had five wives, Tabitha Hendricks, Tamar Loader, Elizabeth Jane Shupe, Ruth Caroline Dille, and Ellen Maria Yallop, and 42 children.


Thomas E. Ricks lived to see the fulfillment of the blessings he received. He was a true pioneer and was instrumental in the settling of the West. He died on Sept. 28, 1901. President Joseph F. Smith said at his funeral, “He will be remembered for his devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in doing whatever he was called to do.  It may be a long time before we find another man his equal in honor, mind, and unswerving loyalty to the cause of God and his people." 

Before and After

Here's some before and afters of the outside of our house. Landscaping makes such a difference!

 

Our Little Doll Turned Four

Audrey had quite the birthday. On the Sunday before her big day she had cake and ice cream with the extended family. Tuesday she woke up to decorations, presents and french toast for breakfast. Audrey loves her dollhouse, but she was wishing that she could change their clothes. Oh, I thought, she wants barbies. Somehow I was hoping we'd skip the barbies. But she had a princess barbie and really wanted a daddy barbie and a baby barbie. So, we have barbies now. She was spotlighted at preschool and came home with cards from her class and lots of goodies from her teacher. Wednesday she had a few friends over for a paper doll tea party. I had so much fun doing a girly birthday party. They were all so cute and sweet.

 

 

 

 

Happy 1st Birthday!

Aaron turned one, so we had a party--a sailboat party. It turned out pretty cute. Aaron wasn't into opening his gifts, but he did devour his entire large piece of birthday cake. Jeremy built him a sandbox and it's been a big hit with all the kids.

He's such a fun and happy baby. He's finally crawling, but not showing much interest in walking. He's quite cautious. He loves to play toys (especially ball) and with his siblings. He's a great little talker and says several words and mimics lots of sounds. He's still a mama's boy, which I love. He also loves the water and food. He gets very upset if someone is eating and he is not. He likes fruit a lot, especially grapes and watermelon, but he eats pretty much everything. I'm so in love with my big blue-eyed baby boy and kinda wish he could stay a baby forever.