1st Day of School -Aug 22, 2017

 Austin- 2nd grade

Olivia - 4th grade

Madilynn- 5th grade 

Savannah- 7th grade

Eclipse- August 21, 2017

The eclipse was very cool thing to hear about all across the United States.  We didn't see the full eclipse here but the sky did darken for a time.  The sky was also cloudy when it first occurred but it cleared up just in time for us to see part of it we did see part of it by sitting in Jason's car looking through the tinted sunroof with sunglasses on. 

(the first 3 pictures are from the internet)

1st Family Camping Trip

August 18&19 Family Camping Trip

Someone's sweet farm dog kept roaming around our camp, so we adopted him for two days. 

Brown County Fair

This year Savannah went to the fair all day with her friends and then the rest of us came later at night, saw the animals and rode a few rides.

 

Sanford Ad on Facebook

Jason has been in a lot of Sanford ads.

  I am putting this one in the blog because it has comments from people.

New toy for the backyard

The hot tub was delivered yesterday and was hot and ready to use today!!

August 12, 2017

Linnea Augusta Jacobson Spjut- 100 year anniversary of her coming to America

Linnea Augusta Jacobson

From Nancy Spjut Slawson (grandpa Spjut's (Phil) sister)
"My Mother arrived at Ellis Island on August 9, 1917 at the age of 17. She had traveled from Götoberg, Sweden to Oslo, Norway where she boarded the ship, United States, and sailed to Ellis Island. When I was in Sweden, I got to go to the railway station that she left for Oslo from and arrive in the very same Oslo station she did. I had my husband and daughter with me; she was all alone. The Germans wouldn't harm a passenger ship during World War I but they followed it to make sure there were no hidden arms on it or soldiers. A sub did follow it from outside of Oslo to just before New York. World War I (the war that was going to end all wars) started on July 28, 1914. On May 7, 1915 the German's subs sank the Lusitania, a British ocean Liner, killing 1,198 persons. The Germans promised the USA they wouldn't torpedo any of their passenger ships; only ships carrying arms. The US joined the war on April 6, 1917. My Mother crossed the Atlantic 4 months later. They did have German subs following them all away the across the Atlantic. Mother said it was so scary when those subs, one or two would surface and watch them. What happened to the Lusitania was all they talked about all the way across the Atlantic. Bill and I tried to take Mom and Dad back to Sweden. My Mom had sworn she'd never cross the Atlantic again and she never did. The journey was indeed frightening for a 17 year on her own. The journey took 2 weeks too! She spent at least 2 days on Ellis Island. They slept in barracks and got their vaccinations, etc. She was so happy to get on a train to Salt Lake City. Ellis Island had her name spelled wrong, Richard spent a lot of time finding it. I can't remember how they spelled it now. Richard may remember. I have a certificate issued by Ellis Island saying her name (and my Dad's) have been added to the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. Mom was the 6th child of 13. At that time she had a brother living in Duluth, Minnesota, a sister married and living in Ashton, Idaho, and 2 sisters in Salt Lake City who greeted her at the train. They also had her employment as a nanny-housekeeper-cook, etc. She said she was so happy to see her sisters, Anna and Signe, waiting for her at the station. She knew only a few words of English. She taught herself how to read and write English.
As you celebrate 100 years since my Mom arrived in the USA, I thought of another story of her departure. They (Mormor & Morfar) sent their children by twos from Sweden to the USA. The first to go of the. 13 children was Hilding with Elin. They went to Duluth,Minnesota where the missionary who had been Sweden was living. Hilding stayed in Duluth where he married and had 2 sons. The eldest son Paul, died in May of 2016 one month short of his 101 birthday. Elin married a missionary from Idaho and lived in Ashton, Idaho. The next 2 to come were Anna and Signe. They both went to Salt Lake where they got jobs as live in housekeepers. My Mother who went next was to go with her older sister Karin. Karin was too scared to go because of the war and refused to leave so Mom went on her own. She was the only one to do the trip by herself! What a gal and such a great Mother!

photography skills

Savannah and her friends have really been into taking pictures.  

homemade macarrons

Made with love by Jason

Stake Activity Days- August 5th

We drove up to Fargo for the annual Stake Activity Days day.  Madi and Olivia were the only ones from our ward that could go so I drove them up and helped.  It was a fun day of a Service Scavenger Hunt.  The girls in our group really had a great time serving people they didn't even know and feeling the spirit.  The houses they went to couldn't believe that they were doing this just to help people with nothing in return except a good feeling. It was a good experience.

singing "I am a Child of God" to an older man who was lonely.

 Writing in a journal about their experience and how they felt.

Nate and Ashlee

July 30- Aug 5, 2017- Nate and Ashlee came to stay with us for a week.  Nate needed to shadow a doctor and asked if he could come shadow Jason for a week.  It was fun to have them here and spend time with them and fun for Jason to show Nate what he does every day.