Brad

We all went to the Christmas Party that the Cheshire family sponsored. Santa came. Brad was happy to see Santa.



Give it to me Grandpa.



What a good looking young man.



Brad likes his daddy.



Brad likes anything and all things Cars. He follows in his father's footsteps with his interest in cars. He was happy to get his bicycle with Lightning McQueen on the front.



Brad gets a lesson from Santa?



Brad wanted to go outside. First he had to be wrapped up. His mommy made sure that he could not bend his arms too much before she would let him go out into the weather.



The snow is not as deep as it may look at first glimpse.



I was enjoying watching Brad high-stepping and then kneeling in the snow on alternate steps. He was having a blast.



Eric helped Brad get a ride on the sled.



The family of snowmen.



Poppa had as much fun as Brad.



Afterwards Brina helped Brad warm up by giving him a nice warm bath. She also fed us.

Gr8 kids

Craig says:

Luke is getting big much faster than Brad did and is quite chubby now. He's also really cute! (of course). Hope you enjoy the pictures. P.S. Yes, that's a tooth coming in already! Watch out mom.







Notice the tooth.

Brad likes squeezing Craig's nose and making a "honk, honk" sound.

Mid-Year Status

For FHE the activity fell to me,
So this poem you get to see.
We tried to make it match the meter,
And rhyming made it sound sweeter.
For 2008 our half year report,
Because of time we kept it short.


OUR MIDYEAR POEM

Quietly came the New Year.
Come and hear the school choir here.
Seminary is early.
Debra tutored boy, burly.
Boy scouts, boy scouts, OH HOW GREAT!
Scout camp meals are not too great!
Ink, paper, ribbon relate.

Science project second place.
Debra's eighteen year old face.
Bradly's two and he likes cars.
Dinner group for(1) Larrys are.
Go to the dance Debra Vance.
New York trip, we took a chance.
The ward choir half made of Vance.

Missionaries like to eat.
UIL(2) a tearjerk feat.
Stamping, my hand is cramping.
Three children graduating.
Julie twenty three orange(3).
Brina twenty five purple(4).
Pizzaz(5) mining for silver(6).

Debra went with two to prom.
Luke was born in May like mom.
Eric fourteen has(7) mustache.
B Y U I Debra cash.
Vance family reunion.
Anita is twenty one.
Grandpa's beard is not quite done(8).

1. My name is Larry and I invited three other men with the name of Larry to join with us in doing dinner once each on subsequent months. The four Larrys and their wives met to share time and food.
2. UIL -- University Interscholastic League for competitions of choirs and other activities. Eric related that the choirs from Midway Middle School did so well that the judges gave them a standing ovation and one of the judges was teared up.
3. Nothing rhymes with orange
4. Nothing rhymes with purple
5. PIZZAZ is the talent show for the Midway Middle School. Eric participated with his class choir.
6. Nothing rhymes with silver
note: since nothing rhymes with orange or purple or silver, then they all rhyme by logical deduction
7. It is more like a shadow, but if he drinks milk you can see that there is actually hair there. If you get close and look intently you can now see that it has a dark tone.
8. Santa Claus is getting an early start.

Grandpa

Craig's family

Craig, Brina, Bradly, and Luke were all home in the living room when we knocked at the door. Luke just had a little accident when we arrived. He waited until the diaper was off to do his business. There was a big rush to get things cleaned. The excitement was mostly over when we entered their apartment.



Luke is wonderful. He has a small face with a short chin. He looks much like his older brother did when he was small. I love him.



Look at the beaming on Jeanette's face as she holds Luke.



Grandma Gatha, Eric, and I were there with Jeanette.



I like Brad's cars.



And his car book.



Craig was preparing a photo cd for us.



Brad dropped his cars in the clothes hamper and figured how to extract them. I love him.



I love my mom too.

Amazing boy

It has been a week since the last post on our BLOG. This is the longest spell we have had for a while where we have not posted something.

I had the opportunity to be with Bradly James Vance. His the most amazing runner I have ever seen. He is 2 years of age. We went to the Marriott Center for Craig's graduation ceremony. We spent most of the afternoon in getting his cap and gown, waiting, and finally have the ceremony. Bradly came a little later with his mother, Brina. She handed Bradly to me and headed outside with Craig to take some pictures. We sat together and played a little. He was good for a while.

When Brad started to fuss about the time Craig was going to graduate I took Brad outside so his mother could concentrate on the graduation ceremony. We went outside. He ran. Anita called my cell phone while we were out and noted that I was panting heavily. Brad was tough to catch. He ran and ran and ran.




He is an amazing runner for 2.

Craig

Here is my second buddy, Craig. Here he is lying on the waterbed.



Craig was always a quiet and obedient boy. Here he is again holding his head up high as he looks out from under the blankets in the crib.



Jeanette and Craig were buddies.

Craig had another buddy. Arlo and Craig were inseparable for the first several years. We started to wonder what they were doing when things got really quiet.



The buddies used to go places in the wagon.



Craig was his mothers model son. He modeled clothing for his mother.





One trip we took to Colorado we visited the Sanddunes National Monument. Craig and Donnie had a little this for that. Craig set Donnie right in that he should be nice.



Craig was always a tough little tyke. Here he is with his Brave costume on after he made a visit to the emergency room. He and Arlo negotiated the possession of their mother's scissors. Craig lost.



There was another event that I remembered where Craig showed his persistence. He went with us to a garden plot where we were not far from a playground. Craig went off with his brother to play at the playground. Jeanette and I were busy pulling weeds in the garden and lookup up to see Craig sliding down the 20' slide. He slid down the slide to the bottom where he tumbled on the ground a few rolls and jumped up. He headed directly to the ladder on the slide again to slide down. We were running to the slide and did not get there before he went down the second time just to tumble at the bottom. Wheeee!

If you are to frost cookies you must sample the frosting.



Craig was riding his home made horse. Notice the small chair in the background. The 3 older boys had a chair like that.



Here Craig is posing in front of a real bookcase.



I think this makes 8 years.



When Craig was baptized by his father.



Go Craig, Go.



Craig liked to play soccer.



Notice the ribbon.



Craig also participated in Boy Scouts of America. He was awarded Eagle Scout rank.



Craig participated in band for several years. He played several different instruments. He was elected to all county band playing to tuba.



Craig had a dream of being one of the great sponsored roller-bladers. He practiced on this grinding rail that his dad and he made from a piece of 2" pipe.



Craig begged us to let him get a cat, Neko. He promised that he would care for the cat (and the dog, Scruffy), and that he would always take care of them.



Craig had another talent that few may know. He could place several grapes in his mouth. He seemed to take great pride in his big mouth.



After high school was out Craig held down two jobs to earn money to pay for his mission. He worked hauling garbage in the morning and then worked in a jewelry store in the afternoon.



After Craig returned from his mission in the West Indies, he went off to school at BYU. He got distracted there by a young woman, Brina Luna. Neko was not that important any more.



Grandma Cheshire called one day and indicated that Craig brought by a cute girl and told us we should probably get ready for a wedding. She was right.



Craig and Brina sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then come marriage, then comes Bradly in the baby carriage.



In the voice of Darth Vader quoting Larry

"Luke, I am your grandfather. Luke, reach out with your feelings. Luke, I love you. Luke, care for your mother and father."


Luke is due the end of May.

We love you Craig, Brina, Bradly, and Luke.