Grandma Gurney turns 90!

Ben and Great Grandma GurneyThe whole crew with Grandma!

Ben, Jar and Brookly on the organ we gave Grandma. They really want it back! We really don't for now:)
November 7th was Great Grandma Gurney's 90th Birthday! Doesn't Grandma look amazing for 90 years old?! She amazes me! She has spent a life serving the Lord and worked in the temple over 30 years. She loves the temple and family and is an inspiration to me! I miss seeing her as we come out of the Celestial Room or in our session or at the veil. She isn't able to attend now since her leg was amputated from her diabetes. Jarom was fascinated with what happened to her leg. Usually she has on the prosthesis but she's been in so much pain from it lately she didn't have it on this night. We love you Grandma! Happy Birthday!

Outside Fun!

Brennen and Scott and Josh

Ben's First 4 Wheeler Ride

Thanks Manuel!

My Jar on The Green Machine!

Dallin, Gabe, Brennen, Josh

It's such beautiful weather now I just wanted a few pictures of the kids playing out front! They love being outside and beg to go - a great bargaining tool for a clean house first:) We love our neighborhood and friends!

Nate's Ordination

November 9, 2008

Here's our dear friend Nate Erickson on his Aaronic Priesthood Ordination Day. What a sweet boy and we feel honored to have been invited.

Wedding Dress Shopping

November 8, 2008

What a fun day! We raced around Mesa looking for the perfect dress and what do you know, it was the second dress Julie tried on! It is so perfect for her and for this wonderful day! We are so thrilled that Julie and Jared are so happy!

Chorus Club - Grandparents Gala

November 7, 2008

My cute little Chorus Club Kids! Brookly and Brennen have loved singing this year and Brookly is even trying out for the solo for the Christmas concert. She sounds like an angel singing the 2nd verse of Angels We Have Heard on High! This was a Grandparent's Gala but since none of them live close and I needed pictures of them I went with Ben!

Brownie Awards

November 6, 2008

Brookly has had such a great time this year in Brownies. This was a night of dressing up as someone famous and telling about them. Brookly chose Ruby Bridges. These are her many awards from that night.

What I Want for Christmas!

Ben is just so cute! He saw this catalog out early in November and he turned to the trucks and sat admiring them for a long time! I guess now we know what he wants!

Halloween Night - October 31st

Fireworks were amazing!Trick or treating around neighborhood and then off to the East Valley Christian Church Halloween Carnival with our friends the Pena's.

The battle was undecided between Josh and Brennen on this huge mat and size definitely helped!

Josh was a hunter.

Ben- Our sweet Tigger!

Brennen - A Black Ninja!

Brookly was a Star!

The whole crew!

Dallin was at a Skyline football game for Marching Band.

We had a fun time and the endless line of Trunk of Treat brought home gobs more sweet stuff than we will ever eat! Thanks for the memories and for inviting us, Tami and Alex!

Pack Meeting/Court of Honor Oct. 29, 2008

Josh earned his first merit badges and is now a Tenderfoot Scout!Dallin earned his Star Rank and 9 more merit badges.

Brennen earned his colors and first few Activity Badges for Webelos.

I really don't know how it happened when we worked so hard for this to not happen again and we let everyone we were supposed to know that Court of Honor was Oct. 22nd. The Young Women were apparently late having their YW in Excellence night and so we got bumped to the SAME NIGHT AGAIN AS PACK MEETING! I really feel you can't understand the stress this causes unless you are the one spending hours and hours for weeks before the Court of Honor, organizing the boys awards, updating and submitting all the info to Council, dealing with angry parents for why their boys aren't where they should be (not too much of this or I'd quit!), buying, and then hours of putting together all the awards that have to happen for this special night. To have it back to back with Brennen's Pack Meetings seems to me unfair to Brennen when we are so worried about all the stuff for Court of Honor and setting up when we should be enjoying his Pack Meeting. Since we are the only ones with the problem right now it seems to get overlooked. We had a good time anyway and did get to see Brennen receive his awards. At least this time I didn't have to do the whole program as well! I just had to play piano.

October 27, 2008 Monday Night

Our black cat!

Ben didn't like the gooey stuff! Dallin generally gets the goo out for us!

The carving begins!

Uh oh! Ben climbing the trailer to get someone's pumpkin!

Josh and Brookly with the before pumpkin!


Monday night we had a pumpkin carving party with good friends! We had a lot of fun and when it was over we had a cool cat that only lasted 2 days!

Carson's Blessing

Baby Carson and Dallin - The real reason for the family get together! What a special blessing day! I know everyone was shocked that even in the far away building with a horrible accident on I-17 we made it early! (OK, we beat the gas truck turnover that prevented others from coming) Jarom was a maniac with Don't Break the Ice and Jared accommodated many games of just seeing how fast Jar could break the ice!

Jared was the jungle gym and he did seem to enjoy this!

Hungry Hippos was also a hit!

Julie and Jared just glow!

What a fun day of family and friends! We stayed all day at Greg and Lynnette's and got to visit with Jared and Grammy and Grampy. It was very hard to leave!

Halloween!

Dallin is our baked potato. He is so creative and full of fun! He almost missed the whole thing cleaning his fish he caught earlier in the day, but that is what he loves!
Brennen was a ninja and Jarom an astronaut.
Brookly was a horse for this dress up and Ben was tigger.


My little astronaut!

Tigger and Pooh (Tami Pena)

October 25, 2008

Saturday - Halloween Festivities

This year our Halloween was full of choices. Every other year it seems everything happens on Halloween night but this year we had 4 choices on Saturday before. We ended up meeting Jared Wilcken, Julie's almost fiance when they stopped by for a surprise visit, first! He gave her a promise ring for the promise of a life together yet to come! When they left we ended up at our neighborhood Halloween bash and the kids loved dressing up and seeing all their friends and eating the delicious spread always at our neighborhood potlucks! We tried to catch the end of the Ward Trunk or Treat but when we arrived they were all driving away - miscommunication on my part of the time I guess. We rushed back to the neighborhood in time for the costume parade and Trunk or Treat there and it was a great time for all! Plenty of candy so the kids weren't disappointed. Tonya's popcorn balls are always a favorite as well! We are blessed to live in a close knit neighborhood that really looks out for each other. We missed Josh who chose to go to a friend's party instead of all this mess.:) He went as a milk inspector in his white t-shirt and little pin on his shirt. He is so funny and creative! This from the caribou hunter last year. Love the fun of dressing up!

Skyline Band is Awesome!

Ben was directing the Band at Dallin's Concert. Somehow with his love of all balls and rough play I think he'll be playing the game, not the Drum Major.

Dallin at his concert where they play all the cool stand tunes and surround the audience. The kids loved hearing him play! He did just pass another challenge to stay 1st Chair for the next semester.

Dallin at Step Up night at Skyline with Smith Jr. High band playing with them.

We have loved watching the Skyline Marching Band this year and are so proud of Dallin and how awesome he is on the trumpet! He gets up at 5am every morning except Wed. when they don't have Band. He's up between 4-4:30am if he didn't finish homework. He has held up his end of the deal by maintaining a 4.172 grade point average. That means he only got one B in an Honors Class. I am so proud of him and I think he is amazing! This is definitely what he loves to do and we'll see where it takes him!

Doughnuts with Dad

October 17, 2008

Doughnuts with Dad

What a fun tradition that Brinton Elementary PTO does for the kids! They got to go to school early and eat breakfast with Dad! What a great way to start the day!

4th Picture Tag!

This is it! The 4th picture of the 4th album I have on my computer right now was from last Halloween. There are 417 pictures in that album and I don't think I can stop! Yes, Brookly's eyes are closed and I haven't deleted the pics I don't like in that album yet, but here it is!

I now tag Shannan, Wendy (Both of you), Kristy and Joni!

I couldn't stop at the tag and had to put a few of the cuter pics in that album in. You know me by now to know I can't resist posting pictures!

Ben the Pooh Bear and Wes

My Little Engineer Jarom
The whole crew with Caillou before Trick or Treating! What can I say , they are just so cute!! Although Wes doesn't like Halloween one bit, I love the cute costumes and fun of pumpkin decorating, carmel apples and traditions that come with Fall!

Brennen loved doing his own pumpkin!

Sweet, Sticky moment for Jarom and Ben.

Dallin was the cleaner of the pumpkins and Brookly was glad!

SHEPPARD FAMILY REUNION-Nov. 2007

Wow, this is what happens when you get all of us together in one place! Greg and Lynnette planned this one and is turned our great!

The famous family football game was a riot!

Elise, Lynnette, Adrian, Nicole, Brookly, Camie, Greg, Garth and Dallin

Who was the winning team again?!
Dad, Julie, Jeff, Brennen, Andrew, Jordan, Ben, Wes, Bec, Lily and Kashi

Greg was the master carver and Lynnette the master chef for our Thanksgiving feast! Thank you, thank you to our gracious hosts!

What a talented family we have and that was apparent at the Family Talent Show! There were many wonderful numbers, some more serious than others!:)
Garth and Jeff were a hit!Kashi's song was so beautiful!

Grammy and Grampy

All because these two fell in love!

The Olympics were great fun. Becca vs. Garth.

Don't miss with that ice cream!Celebrations were had for winning teams!The train ride with all.

Andrew, Jarom and Ryan loved being together.

Ben's face says it all!

A rare but wonderful look at the entire Brian and Teri Sheppard Family!

A spirited Pictionary game and this turn was Mom vs. Dad! Don't we always play men vs. women? If Mom's on your team you win every time!Camie and Brookly enjoying the game.

Garth and Rebecca Gagnier and family at Mesa Temple lights.Here we are, the Gardner family at Temple lights.Julie enjoying the lights! Although this year will be more enjoyable with a certain Jared joining the pictures!The reunion had to come to a close and here's the final goodbye at the pizza parlor. Love this family! So grateful I'm a part!

What a wonderful time we had together and I must admit that seeing the over 400 pictures of all again was hard to choose from and made me miss our Utah family immensely! Oh, when is our next reunion? Those babies grow too fast! I feel so blessed to have such a strong heritage and such a close family. I love you all!