It's been a couple of months since my last post, life gets a little busy!  Here are a few of the Blackwell family happenings!  First, Talley had a face to face encounter with a coyote a few weeks ago, here's the story:  So Talley took us all out on a family walk one Sunday up to her "favorite spot" out in the desert just a little ways west of our house.  We had an enjoyable walk seeing all of her forts!  The next morning before school Talley asked me if she could take her kitty to the desert and show him her favorite spots.  I said sure just don't be gone too long because you need to get ready for school.  Well about 5 minutes later she comes back in the house,  that was quick I say.  "Mom, there was a weird dog in the desert"  I asked what she meant and to tell me about it.  This is what she said, " I was walking up this little wash to get on top of the hill and I saw what I thought was a dead animal under a bush about 6 feet away from me.  I thought, oh how sad a dead animal.  I started walking up to it to see what it was and it stood up, looked at me for a few seconds and then walked up on top of the hill, turned around and looked at me again and then just walked away into the desert."  I asked Talley what this dog looked like.  She said it looked like Rosa, (a dog we use to have that looked just like a coyote) but it had a bushy tail and was a little bit taller and skinnier!  "Talley, that was a coyote!" I told her.  She was very shocked and a little scared.  She asked me why it just stood there and looked at her and I told her it was probably trying to decide if she was small enough to snatch up and carry off into the desert!!!  Anyway, now about the picture.  When Jon got home from work Talley told him all about her "sighting" and insisted that Jon get his gun and go get that coyote!  So Talley outfitted all of us with weapons; Talley had her bow and arrow, Jon had his pistol, Shiley got the bb gun, and I got to hold Talley's extra arrows!  Rowdey opted out of the hunt because he had too much homework!  Needless to say we were unsuccessful!  We still hear the coyotes about every night, and a few nights they have been right in our yard!

 Elder Blackwell continues to love Westminister, he says they eat at members homes every night!  This is a picture that a sweet sister sent me of Elder Blackwell having dinner at their house.  She said, "we were having dinner with your sweet son tonight and I wanted to send you a photo!  What a nice surprise!  So as a mother can you guess the first few thoughts that entered my mind?  First of course, "oh, he looks so good and handsome!"  Then, "what are all those empty bowls doing sitting on the table? and why are you just sitting there and not getting up and clearing that table and helping with the dishes!!"  I'm sure he did just as soon as the picture was taken!  He does look good though, don't you think?!!

 This has been Elder Blackwell's trainer ever since he arrived in Colorado!  Elder T. is awesome and Brodey is learning so much from him.  Elder T struggles with back problems, but he doesn't let that slow him down.  They taught 28 lessons the other week!  They are loving being missionaries!!  They work with a lot of inactives too, and they give out a Book of Mormon every week in church for one of their ward members to place!  One interesting thing Elder Blackwell said to Shiley was that he wanted to memorize the scripture mastery's from seminary and he would race her to see who could memorize them first!  Well I remember as his mother encouraging, bribing, strongly suggesting, trying to help him memorize his scriptures for seminary!  I think he memorized 4  in all four years that he went to seminary!  Hind sight is 20/20!!!

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 Shiley was able to fulfill a dream she's had for quite a few years, she went to Kentucky and even got to attend a horse race at Churchhill Downs! (that's where the Kentucky Derby is held every year).  Shiley is an avid horse enthusiast and knows a lot about the pedigrees of all the race horses!  So she had an amazing time at the race track!  She even had her teacher place a $3.00 bet for her!  Luckily she didn't win though.  She said she didn't have any of their sires or dames to look at where they came from, she just had to go on looks!

 This was a National FFA Convention, thus the sweet attire in every picture!  Shiley serves as the Moapa Valley High School FFA President this year!

 Someday if you get the chance sit down and talk with Shiley about horses, she's amazing with her knowledge of the pedigrees of great horses!

 This is Killer, if you ask dad, Socks, if Talley tells you his name!  The only one who likes this kitty more than Talley is Jon!! :)

My 3 children I still have at home!  They keep me very entertained!  They are so much fun and I am so blessed to be their mother!  Rowdey is still trying to come to grips with being the only "man child" at home!!  Most day's he fairs ok, others he wants to catch a bus for Colorado!  His dad does a good job taking him places and giving him a break from the girls!! :)