Sorhus Family

I looked out the window and what did I see?--the moon shining on the pond early this morning.

2012-01-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

In the Spirit of Christmases Past

2011-12-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

Nov 21st--Feeding pigeons to a tiger and milking a cow--There's always lots to do on a farm

2009-11-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Grandpa's Birthday

2009-11-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Grandpa's birthday, Jeremy, Colton, Austin, Lacie, Steven, Meg, Michael, and David joined Grandma and Grandpa for a ham and baked potato dinner and a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake made my Meg with Colin's favorite theme--6 Saturdays a week.

Steven made the local TV news

2009-11-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/video.aspx?id=375577

2009 FALL ON THE FARM

2009-10-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

FALL ON THE FARM

2009-10-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Third Generation Clogger

2009-08-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jaren is so-o-o fast, he's just a blur!

2009-08-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

Jaren's Mail Force team won this game.

Three Generations of Hafen Men

2009-08-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

One day old

Don't you just love baby faces?

2009-07-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Six hours old and he's looking pretty good!

2009-07-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

Jaren thinks new babies resemble aliens.

2009-07-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Maybe they do, just a little bit. But Grandma thinks he's the cutest new baby in the family!

July 29th they go to the hospital.

2009-07-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Kristin and I decorated cupcakes July 28th. Guess what was on Kristin's mind.

2009-07-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Keeper of the Mouse

2009-06-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2009 I was talking to Kristin on OOVOO when Tabitha settled down on the desk on top of the mouse on top of the mousepad with the photos of Brandon and McKinley. By the way, Kristin measures 42 3/4" today. We're going to measure her each week until the baby comes. How big do you think she will get?

Dolly and Her Filly

2009-04-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

We are thinking of naming her Stormy

because of the weather when she was born.

Momma and Baby

2009-04-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Graduation

2008-12-21T19:46:00.001-08:00

Steven graduated Saturday, December 13th with a Masters Degree in Accountancy.

New Baby

2008-12-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

David Olaf was born to Stven and Meg on December 19th--8 pounds 15.3 ounces--a chubby, healthy little boy!

Decorating the Christmas tree

2008-12-21T19:14:00.001-08:00

I went to the Christmas tree farm with Steven, Meg, and Michael. Guess who helped me decorate it.

DAD'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

2008-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Do you know how, ever since he retired, Dad brags about havings six Saturdays a week? Well, Steven, Meg, and Michael got him the perfect gift for his birthday! It's a clock that keeps track of what day it is.

Erin's Blog

2008-11-25T07:12:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone. Pook and John made a blog and the link is on the side. Make sure to check it out!
Kristin

Thanksgiving

2008-11-14T15:21:00.001-08:00

I thought it was time for a change in the background. And just in time for thanksgiving too! Hope you like it!

Kristin

More Halloween Pics from the Barkers

2008-11-05T09:29:00.001-08:00

Halloween Pics from the Barkers

2008-11-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

Famous TV Stars

2008-09-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Click on the link to see their amazing television debut!

http://www.ktvo.com/news/video.aspx?id=191093

Labor Day 2008

2008-09-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

In the afternoon, Steven, Michael, and Meg rode horses on the farm.

Labor Day 2008

2008-09-10T10:02:00.001-07:00

Michael thought Grandma (the scarecrow) was a scary ghost. He warmed up to her later in the day.

Labor Day 2008

2008-09-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Colin is driving our two little white ponies in the Labor Day Parade here in Green Castle. Michael and Meg are enjoying the ride and waving to the crowd.

Hill's Hiatus from the Blog

2008-09-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Just thought I post a few pictures for something new to look at. Nothing special, just a day in the life at the Hill's.

Not Enough Information

2008-08-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Apparently I need to be more specific when asking Johnny to load all the dishes into the dishwasher. Unfortunately I didn't discover this until after the cycle was done. :(
He now knows that anything with a cord does NOT go in the dishwasher!
-Pook

Claire's 2yr Pictures

2008-08-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

It takes about a hundred of these:

To get one of these:

Sorhus's in New Mexico

2008-07-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Meg and I (Steven) decided for our summer vacation we would take Michael to see his cousins in New Mexico. Alice and Silas Scott, the ones who lived in Philomath Ward while Silas was finishing his PhD at OSU, have been very hospitable and taken time away from their busy lives to show us some incredible sights around Albequerque and Santa Fe.

On our way we stopped at an exotic animal auction in Macon, Mo where a person can bid on and purchase a Zebra, Giraffe, Watusi Cow, Camel (Meg asked Michael if she could take a camel home, he answered, "No... It's too big"), Alpaca, miniture cow, miniture horse, etc. They also sold african mounts the day before. We toured the barns and the warehouse and saw some neat animals.

The rest of Friday and all of Saturday were spent in the car. Sunday was nice and relaxing. On monday we went to the tent rocks formation. I got some mediocre pictures because my camera died before we got high enough for the great views, but here they are anyway.

On they way home from the Tent Rocks we stumbled onto a native american festival at one of the Pueblos. It was impressive to see a hundred or so native americans dressed in full costume dancing the traditional dances. They asked that pictures not be taked (and my camera was out of battery), so I don't have any shots to share. In addition to the dancing, there was a market where native americans sold handmade jewelery and such. Meg got a beautiful turquoise necklace and bracelet for next to nothing.

Tuesday we were all dead tired, but we went to Bandelier State Park anyway. It is an archelogical site where cliff dwellers lived a long time ago. We were able to hike among the ruins and climb around in the caves that were hollowed out centuries ago. The highlight was when Michael's cousin Jesse scared a rattlesnake who was sunning himself on the warm path.

Wednesday was spent doing the shopping that can't be done in rural Missouri. We drained our account a Costco, Trader Joes, World Market, saw the Albequerque Temple, and cooled off with some Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. I was also able to take a tour of the Intel Chip manufacuring plant with Silas, who works there as a process engineer, which made my day. (Meg chose to skip that tour.)

Tomorrow Meg and I booked a horseback tour in the Santa Fe mountains, Friday we plan to head to the Albequerque Zoo. Saturday we will begin the journey home.

I'll post again with more pictures next time I get a chance.

Steven

Strawberry Saturday

2008-06-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is what Michael and I did yesterday (6/14/08) with my friend Mary Craig. We went to a Strawberry Festival (or "Vegetable" as Kristin would say), then to a strawberry farm. --Mom

Things I Learned From My Father

2008-06-15T23:20:00.001-07:00

Things I Learned From My Father (Part 1)

1. The 2% tax would solve all tax problems indefinitely - if only people could understand that it REPLACES existing taxes, it's not an additional tax (ignorant fools - won't even read the whole proposal before they shoot it down)

2. PIN YOUR SOCKS and you will never suffer the frustration of only having one half of a pair again. (but in the event that you are stuck with half a pair of socks - or underwear for that matter- you can always make it into a puppet)

3. When a couple looks mismatched, the attraction can be explained by the "immune system theory"

4. Take your minerals and never have another cold!

5. Processed foods are evil- twinkies are the creation of satan himself

6. The whiter the bread the sooner you're dead (suicide bread, as we call it in our house)

7. If you don't pick up your own things, dad'll pick them up for you

8. 2x4's weren't meant to hold up apartment buildings, and along similar lines, boys don't like girls who are shaped like twinkies

9. brush your face, comb your teeth, and wash your hair

10. If you ask where mom is, you'll always get the same helpful answer: "She broke her leg and we had to shoot her."

11. You're never too old to play "cowboy"

Things I Learned From my Father (Part 2):

1. Screwdrivers are better served for their intended purpose, drving screws, than poked into the ground through a tarp to hold down a slip 'n slide (but if you're going to use dad's good tools for that, at least have the sense to wipe them and put them back!)

2. Transmission fluid and motor oil are seperate and distinct substances. Do not mix and match the two. If you find yourself pouring pink oil into your car, cease pouring immediately and contact dad.

3. Little brothers should not drive cars, lest they park halfway through garage doors. And all neighbor witnesses should be clear on the facts, so that older sisters are not falsely accused.

4. Neighbor witnesses should also be clear on the facts where speeding down potholed roads are concerned. (I say again, it was Pook, not me!)

5. Singing in tune is optional.

6. Along the same lines, melodies are meant as suggestions, not restrictions. If you want to modify a song to make it more original, that's your prerogative.

7. When a scene in a movie offends, simply press 'mute'.

8. It is possible to stop a receding hairline in it's tracks, even if said hairline began receding in the late teen years. I don't know how, but I have seen it happen.

9. The Articles of Faith can be memorized as a picture, and if successful, you will never hear the 7th one again without a giant cow tongue lurking in the forefront of your mind.

10. One fantastic Christmas gift to a wife can make up for years of romantic dormancy - if she is the long-suffering, forgiving sort, that is :)

Most Spoiled Kid in the World

2008-05-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

So, Meg was talking to a friend who mentioned she had a lot of ponies. To make conversation, Meg talked about how we would like to get a pony for Michael to learn to ride on. This nice lady offered to lend us one of her broke to death ponies. The horse wouldn't get any exercise otherwise, and it is one less mouth for her to feed. Meg and I discussed it, Michael promised to feed him and take care of him, and now here we are with another horse, well, half a horse anyway.

The real benefit of all this is that Michael now calls himself a "Cowboy named Chan Wang" (pronounced John Wayne; from the movie Shanghi Noon)

For those who haven't seen good pictures of Tove, Meg's new Norwegian Fjord, here you are.

Pictures of the Farm - take 2

2008-02-17T18:12:00.001-08:00

Pictures of the farm 2008

2008-02-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

I can't!

In case you're a little slow...

2008-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed the food storage focus dad has been pushing in his emails lately? I just want to add my two cents...with the current climate economically and politically, I have felt an urgency to make sure we have the basics stored up. I've been trying to gather information to make sure I do it right, so I'll share what I've found out:

The bare minimum basics for your long-term storage is wheat, rice and beans. Mom suggests adding powdered milk if you've got little ones.

Short-term you need drinking water (empty juice or soda containers work, but mom says milk jugs won't last forever - although they're better than nothing), also comfort foods. Most people eat the same 10 meals on a regular basis, so store whatever you can minus the produce or dairy in your favorite 10.

I want to keep an inventory of sorts for my short-term storage -so I know when I'm out of olives or whatever - and when Ellie see's a sale, she can let me know :) If you have any ideas for how to keep an inventory that would need to be updated daily, let me know.

There are specifications on the type of plastic you should use for long-term storage. Our local cannery representative is supposed to be getting that information to me shortly...but just so you're aware, not any old bucket will do.

Tax returns are in the air, so it might be a good time to consider getting ahead of the food storage challenge.

New Blog

2008-02-13T15:20:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Jaren and I started our own blog and the link is right under Alli and Todd's. Have a great day!

Sophie's New Do

2008-01-23T13:46:00.001-08:00

So...better? worse? should've tried dreadlocks? She LOVES it. Todd keeps calling her boy names. I think it suits her nicely. A little more style to it than her medium length do.

Cousins!

2008-01-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't get too many pictures this last trip to Montana, and the ones I got weren't very good, but here's one of a pile of cute kids. We had so much fun visiting - I can't wait for the next opportunity (I've stopped brushing my teeth to ensure the necessity of visiting my favorite dentist).

Happy Birthday Pook!

2007-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

32 years old, yet she doesn't look a day over 10.

(nice dress Pook)

The Sorhus Source - 2007 Edition

2007-12-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

What a busy year this has been! It started out with us in Montana for the holidays and, amid a multitude of vehicle breakdowns and mishaps, moving Kristin to Provo to attend winter semester at BYU. Her sisters were taking bets on how long it would take her to get married if she went to school there. It didn’t take long—she met the man of her dreams during the first couple weeks of classes. Things were getting serious by Valentine’s Day. They were engaged in May and married in August in the Nauvoo Temple. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Jaren Hafen are newlyweds back at the Y.

Steven is still attending Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He’s finishing his bachelor’s degree this month, but will continue on for his master’s degree. He is also working at our local school in Green City and the neighboring school in Novinger. He does the computer support work for both of these schools. His wife Meg has ended her teaching and coaching career at Truman and is enjoying being at home with 3 year old Michael and taking art classes on the side. They enjoy their horses—Chance and Baldy, fish—(African Cichlids) too numerous to mention by name, and dog Indy (a Basenji) who will soon have a litter of puppies.

Allison is living in Monmouth, Oregon with husband Todd Bevans and four daughters—Sophia (8), Janelle (6), Brooke (6), and Clair (1). They all keep her busy, but she manages to do some substitute teaching at her daughter’s school in her spare time. Todd is working full time and going to law school. They had a new addition to their family this year—Phoebe Jane Muggles Bevans (a Puggle puppy).

Erin is in Helena, Montana with husband John Hill and children—Madisen (8), Johnny (6), Ellie (3), and Andy (1). John is managing a brand new Macaroni Grill restaurant and Erin takes care of things at home. She enjoys making quilts in her spare time. John doesn’t have any spare time right now, but he did manage to relax and get some fishing done this summer before the restaurant opened.

Shanna and husband Tann Barker live in Marysville, Washington. Tann works as an engineer for Boeing in nearby Everett. They are the parents of three children: Jacob (8), Keira (4), and Tommy (soon to be 1). Shanna is a wonderful Mom, wife, and homemaker and also finds time to help out at Jake’s school. Since living in that area, she has become a hockey fan and enjoys watching the local team play.

Jeremy is our favorite dentist. In fact, we travel all the way to Great Falls, Montana to sit in one of his reclining chairs. He is very generous and patient with his parental patients. Of course, the added benefit of going to the dentist includes a delightful stay at his growing home with wife Jill, and children Brandon (11), McKinley (9), Colton (5), and Austin (2). Colin has been helping him build an addition to his house. When he’s not doing that or working in someone’s mouth, Jeremy enjoys hiking, fishing, golfing, and going to BYU Cougar football games. Jill keeps busy with home and family, and entertaining frequent visitors. We love her hospitality!

We love it out here on the farm in Northeastern Missouri and have enjoyed our many visitors this past year. Lots of people came for the big event of the year--the wedding—and some at other times and for other reasons. We also managed to get away now and again with trips to Montana, Utah, Washington, Oregon and Branson, Missouri. Making memories is a big part of what life is about and we have certainly had an abundance of opportunities this year with experiences such as: moving Kristin to BYU, a life-changing visit from a young man working in Minneapolis for part of the summer, a subsequent trip to Utah to plan a wedding, a camping and hiking trip in bear country in Montana, a month-long visit from a granddaughter, a beautiful wedding in Nauvoo capped off with a reception in Kirksville complete with a horse and buggy ride for the newlyweds, an open house for the newlyweds in southern Utah, a fun-filled trip to Branson with close friends, and a week-long visit from other close friends here on the farm. Before the year is out we will travel back to Montana and Utah for the holidays and look forward to seeing Kristin and Jaren perform in a musical version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” as Fred and Sally.

Our wish for all of you—our family and friends—is for a happy holiday season and a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous new year ahead! May God bless you all!

Sophie's First Place Essay

2007-11-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

Sophie won our community's annual holiday essay contest. She got to read it in front of a big group of people who come for the evening to hear the choir sing carols, watch a Christmas parade with Santa in the firetruck, hear the mayors from both Monmouth and Independence speak, and as the climax, hear the winning essay and watch the giant sequoia tree get lit. Sophie did a nice job reading her essay, and then she got to light the tree. It was really cool!

Tommy's Taking a Bath

2007-11-26T22:20:00.001-08:00

Tommy at the Park

2007-11-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Dresses

2007-11-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

The girls got some Christmas dresses from Grandma Bevans, so we had to have a photo opportunity. I personally like the picture with the hick teeth (probably Jer's favorite too)

Dad's Birthday, November 19th

2007-11-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

Steven, Meg, and Michael and Bill and Vivian Rogers joined us for dinner to celebrate Dad's birthday.Michael posed with a chicken bone in his mouth, pretending he was a dog.

Michael and His Birthday

2007-11-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

Michael's latest fascination is with combines, so for his birthday Meg baked him a Combine Cake. If you look closely, you'll see that the combine has a driver and his name is Michael.Grandma figured Michael is now old enough to be inducted into the family "search for clues to find your present" tradition, so he got picture clues.

Helena's First Snow!!

2007-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

It was a scramble to find hats, gloves, boots, and snow pants, but the first real snow of the year has the kids bundled up and making snow angels (notice it is angels, and not angles). It also has the hot chocolate flowing. Speaking of which, Mom, I still need that recipe. Thanks.

Gum Disaster

2007-11-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

Well I always knew if one of my kids was going to do it, it was going to be Brooke. Call it mother's intuition, or call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but that child has been banned from scissors for most of her childhood in an effort to avoid this situation. Can you see the teensy wad of gum in the gigantic pile of hair? Luckily, it's not really obvious, she did an admirable job blending it with her bangs that are growing out, and the shortened portion still fits into a ponytail, so it could've been worse.

Some of My Favorite Pictures

2007-11-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

The kids after making wooden spiders from Lowe's.
Andy's making sure none of his siblings get to his Smarties.

Ellie just being Ellie.

Cutie Patooties

2007-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Ellie and Andy on the quilt Pook just finished for Ellie:

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are some pictures for everyone to enjoy.

The Hill family:
Ellie -Poor Cinderella
Andy - Cow

The Bevans Family:

Sophie and Phoebe - Hermione and Dobby the House Elf (Harry Potter)

Brooke, Janelle and Claire - Arwen, Galadriel and Frodo (Lord of the Rings)

Todd and I - Nacho and Encarnacion (Nacho Libre)

Michael had to be his favorite hero for Halloween (and every other opportunity). Talk about getting your money's worth out of a costume!

Michael having fun at the trunk or treat. He had a really hard time not using his hands for this.

India in her 'scary bones' costume - the eye shine was a nice effect don't you think?

Phoebe Jane Muggle Bevans

2007-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our little girl - thanks so much Meg!!! We're really enjoying her. Working on the housetraining stuff, so I can't not pay attention to her unless she's asleep. She's doing well with "sit" and "come" and is walking well with the leash. And next to Brooke, she's the best Bevans snuggler around here.

Happy 6th Birthday Johnny!

2007-10-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Pook made these cupcakes for Johnny's classroom to help celebrate his birthday today - that ought to win her a few points for coolest mom.

Favorite Missouri pics and moments

2007-09-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

Kristin's Bridal Shower

2007-08-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

Who can't use a candy bra??

Trying to get the perfect group picture (at the sapphire dig)

2007-08-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

My Little Entrepreneur

2007-08-13T09:29:00.001-07:00

Take a little bit of ingenuity, add a tightwad and a whole lot of perseverance and you have Sophie planning front yard stands all summer long. Way back in October she started with a seed of an idea to do a lemonade stand. Then she started saving up candy to add to it. Then she decided, maybe people would be interested in browsing her extensive rock, shell, feather and pine cone collection. Perhaps she should display her artwork and sell them for 10 cents apiece. How about bouquets of flowers too? Maybe they'd be interested in a nice shoulder or foot massage as well...The idea morphed into such a grand undertaking, that I encouraged her to keep it simple and start small (although now I wish I'd let her go ahead with it just to have the pictures of her "Lemonade stand extravaganza!"). So, $8.43 and a good business lesson later, Sophie is wiser, more experienced and thinking about adding a puppet show next summer.

Hill kids

2007-08-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Corn is as Low as an Elephant's Toe

2007-08-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

The corn is as high as an elephant's eye!

2007-08-07T16:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome!

2007-08-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

This blog is intended to serve as a virtual home base for all Sorhus family members to post updates of their families, etc. I'm starting it as a blog for all of us, but if you want to branch off and create a separate one for your immediate family, that would be wonderful. We can add links to each other's pages. Hopefully this will just get y'all started! I'll email out the username and password and some simple directions so everyone can post. Hope to see updates for all of you!
Alli

P.S. If email performance is any indication, we won't see much from Jer and Jill (no offense guys, you know we love you anyway), so....who wants the privilege of updating for them?? I nominate Pook.