Kids
My nephew Jake Harman is one husband who is madly in love with his wife. He never has anything but wonderful things to say about his wife, Melanie “Mel” Harman. So often, Jakes words concerning his wife are so much better than anything I could write, that I find myself just putting his words down, and making little additions here and there. Jake tells me that, “Mel is the best wife in the world and an even better mother. We have been together eight years and her laugh gets better every time I hear it, and her smile more beautiful than the last time I saw it. I have had the honor of spending her last 8 birthdays with her and being able to call her mine which makes me the luckiest man alive.” The love Jake feels for Mel is immeasurable.
Mel works for the State Building, and everyone there absolutely loves her. Mel is a hard worker, and her work very much appreciated. She is constantly being told how loved she is and what an awesome job she does. She used to work on a different floor, and the people from that floor even tell her how much they want her back 
there. Mel has always had an amazing attitude and makes everyone’s day better. She has a great smile that blesses everyone she sees.
Like most people, while Mel loves her job, she doesn’t live to work. Her family is her top priority. Mel and Jake have three beautiful children…Alice, Izabella, and Jaxx. The kids are so blessed by their mom and dad. Their home is always filled with laughter, and lots of antics. Mel is really great about “putting up” with the four kids that live there. Yes, I’m counting her biggest kid…Jake. She always makes time for her family, and any needs that they have…even when she is tired after a long day, or even if she isn’t feeling so great. Mel believes in putting the needs of others ahead of her own. Jake says that “those babies are so spoiled when it comes to mom, as she loves them more than life itself, and who can blame her as all of them have her perfect smile.” Recently, Jake switched jobs, and his shifts are overnight, so Mel has had to take on the evening and bedtime duties by herself, in addition to working a full-time job. Jake calls Mel “a superhero only better. She does this so I can sleep and her love for her family is more than anything else.” Two different shifts make it hard, because they don’t get to see each other very much now, but makes the time they do have that much better. Shiftwork is always hard, but love can make it work.
Jake admits to “corrupting” Mel a little bit, saying that “Over the last 8 years I can see I have turned her more towards ornery, as she loves to pick on me and every time she does, I fall more in love with her. I truly believe God gives us our other half, because she truly is mine!! The babies and I are always fighting because they always call her ‘their best friend’ instead of me being ‘their best friend.’ They will tell her ‘I love you mommy’ and she say, ‘I love you to babies.’ Then they reply you’re my ‘best friend’ and that’s when the battle begins!! I can’t blame them, as she is ‘my best friend’ too!!” There is a whole lot of love in that family!! Today is Melanie’s birthday. Happy birthday Mel!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Elliott Stevns is such a sweet little girl. Blonde and curly-haired, she rather reminds me a bit of Shirley Temple or Little Orphan Annie, two of my favorite child stars. And Elliott has the personality to match either of them. She is a very smiley, giggly girl, who absolutely loved being a big sister. She is so gentle and sweet with her little sister, Maya Stevens, with whom Elliott is absolutely obsessed. Elliott has taken it upon herself to teach Mya all to coolest rope a girl can know, and now that Maya is starting to walk, the fun is just beginning. Elliott has a way of lighting up a room just by being in it, and when she gets together with her sister, it is all about the giggles. In fact, with Elliott, it is always “all about the giggles” in her world. 
Elliott just finished two years of preschool, and not that she is five, she is getting ready to start Kindergarten. Her parents have enrolled her at Wildflower School. Her dad, Garrett Stevens was telling me about this school, and it sounds very interesting. The school focuses on “interest based” learning, meaning that the students have some say in what they will be studying. The school is for the gifted and advanced student, which is an area that Elliott qualifies for, and so it will be a perfect fit for her. Elliott is very smart, and has done quite well in her preschool years, so the new school year should be an exciting and challenging one for her, which is very much what is needed for an advanced student. You never want them to be bored.
This past May, the family took a trip to Denver, and Elliott had a great time. The family went to the aquarium and the children’s museum, and Elliott was fascinated by both. She is a very curious little girl, who loves to explore new ideas. Elliott also loves to swim and is getting more confident every time the family goes swimming. She has been in gymnastics as well, but she is taking a break from gymnastics for the summer. 
Nevertheless, she is really into gymnastics, and is quite good at it. Still, kids need a break for some of the school-year activities, so they can simply enjoy being a kid in the summertime.
I love Elliott’s expressions. when she smiles, her eyes light up and her whole face smiles. That is the mark if a thoroughly happy child, and that is the essence of Elliott. Everything is a delight to her, and she loves teaching Maya just how exciting the world around this can be. Maya things he big sister “hung the moon” and loves her dearly. Of course, Elliott thinks the same thing about her sister. I guess it is a “mutual appreciation society.” Today is Elliott’s 5th birthday. Happy birthday Elliott!! Have a great Day!! We love you!!
My brother-in-law, LJ Cook is a classic “funny guy.” He has always loved joking around and making people laugh. He has been like that for as long as I’ve known him, which is over fifty years. I first met LJ when I was about 18 years old, and many was the time he left everyone in the room laughing about one funny comment or another. LJ is a tall man, standing 6’6″ tall, and that has good and bad thing for him over the years. I will never forget when my youngest daughter, Amy Royce was just about two years old, she was out in my father-in-law, her grandpa, Walt Schulenberg’s garage, as was LJ. He said something to her. LJ is the tallest one in the family, and because Amy is the shortest person in the family at a whopping 4’10” in adulthood, you can imagine how short she was at two. She was trying to look up at her Uncle LJ, and started backing up to see him, when she fell into a pan of oil that had been drained out of a car. Whether he was trying to be funny or not, that moment was one of the funniest in LJ history. We were all just shocked. Here was Amy in a white dress with little red hearts on it, sitting in a pan filled with black motor oil. Of course, it was totally unintentional, and LJ really felt bad, no one could stop laughing about it. Amy wasn’t hurt. She never had far to fall, so it wasn’t a hard landing. She was just as shocked as we were.
LJ was always pulling so prank. For a number of years, he was a Deputy Sheriff in Casper, Wyoming, and since his future brother-in-law, my husband, Bob Schulenberg was often out “driving the strip” which was the local pastime in those days and could often be seen going “just slightly” over the speed limit, the police in town had a tendency to keep an eye out for him. One deputy sheriff, LJ Cook, had one other reason to keep an eye out, in that he was dating Bob’s sister, who would later become LJ’s wife, Debbie Cook at the time. Debbie was probably what could be considered Bob’s “polar opposite” and really didn’t speed, so LJ couldn’t pick on her as easily…for speeding anyway. So, when he would see Bob out driving the strip, and miraculously not speeding, he would pull him over…full lights and sirens, of course…and always in the most public place possible. The whole thing was designed to bring the most embarrassment possible, and LJ usually hit his mark quite well. While getting pulled over by the police was not an unusual event for many teenagers, Bob included, it was nevertheless embarrassing when all your friends are driving by laughing about the fact that you were about to get a ticket. Little did they know that Deputy LJ simply wanted to tell his future brother-in-law hello. Hahahahaha!!
Those years are behind LJ now, because he is retired, and mostly likes to spend his time at home or camping in 
the Big Horn Mountains. He is a girl-dad with two daughters, Machelle Moore and Susan Griffith, as well as Grandpa to four grandkids, Weston Moore, Jala Satterwhite, Easton Moore, and Kaytlyn Griffith. LJ and Debbie are still going strong, and just celebrated their 49th anniversary. LJ has had w few health issues, and needed back surgery recently, but he is feeling pretty darned good for a man of 74 years. Today is LJ’s birthday. Happy birthday LJ!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Some people like sharing their birthday with other people, and some people don’t like that so much. I don’t know how my grandmother, Anna Spencer felt about sharing her birthday with her first child, Laura Frederick, but I suspect that she thought it was pretty cool. Of course, on the birthday that she spent laboring to give birth, I don’t suppose it was so much fun. Nevertheless, on the subsequent birthdays, it was very likely reason for celebration. I expect my Aunt Laura felt pretty much the same way. Having a “birthday buddy” or “birthday twin” as some call it, is usually considered a blessing by most people who are blessed to be such.
Aunt Laura was an only child for the first ten years of her life, and no one has been able to tell me for sure, why 
that was. I suppose Grandma just had trouble conceiving that second time. I know it happens, but ten years later, when she had my Uncle Bill Spencer, she also quickly had my dad, Al Spencer, and my aunt, Ruth Wolfe, so trouble conceiving doesn’t seem to be the likely culprit. Nevertheless, Aunt Laura had Grandma’s undivided attention for those first ten years, and the two of them were very close.
That said, I’m sure that Aunt Laura’s marriage and subsequent move to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Holyoke, Minnesota was probably a sad blow to Grandma’s heart. It’s not that the two places were so far apart in miles, but in those days, it wasn’t always easy to just jump in the car and go for a visit. It must have felt like losing 
your best friend, and since Aunt Laura was just 19 years old at the time, that also meant that Grandma was left with three children under the age of ten. Of course, Aunt Laura and Uncle Fritz came for visits when they could, and she knew how much her mother loved and missed her, but her life was in Minneapolis now, and that was all there was to it. Those visit back home must have been bittersweet for both of them, but I’m sure they cherished each one. Today is the 111th anniversary of Aunt Laura’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven, Aunt Laura. We love and miss you very much.
I don’t remember my grandmother, Anna Spencer, because she died when I was just over 2 months old. I have seen movies of her holding me, but my real memories of her ended there. Nevertheless, in my Uncle Bill Spencer’s family history, I learned most of what I know of my grandmother. She was a strong woman, who raised four children, mostly alone, because my grandfather, Allen Spencer was often away working on the railroad, or in the lumber industry. Grandma kept things together on the home front. She made life good for her children. They might not have had much money, but they were rich in love.
Grandma was a capable woman. She ran the farm, stacked hay, grew vegetables, canned vegetables, and so much more, but she was also a beautiful woman with soft expressive eyes, that told you she loved you. She loved her family so very much, and her children were her whole world. She worked so hard to make a home for her children, and she was so proud of them…her two beautiful daughters and her two handsome sons. She raised capable kids who grew into responsible adults and made their mother proud. All of them grew to have families, and gave her and grandpa 13 grandchildren, and the numbers of people stemming from grandma and grandpa’s union is still growing.
Grandma struggled with rheumatoid arthritis in her later years, and was often confined to a wheelchair, but her sweet spirit, and loving nature never changed. Her children did their best to care for her until the day that she went to Heaven, and their love for her never ceased. I wish I had been able to know this incredible woman, 
because I know in my heart that I would have loved her very much. I think that I and many of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beyond, carry that same tenacity and stubborn drive to succeed against all odds. Some things are passed down through the genes, while others are passed down through teaching…and some are a combination of the two. Grandma used both to help her family become the wonderful people they are. Today is the 136th anniversary of Grandma’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma. We love and miss you very much.
My nephew, Sean Mortensen is a dynamic character. He is always on the go. Summer finds Sean and his family at Seminole Lake as much as possible, while winter and fall finds them in the mountains. Sean excels at just about every kind of extreme sports. I love seeing all the pictures he posts about his escapades. Sean is fearless, no matter what sport he is doing at the time. I must say that I think some of my favorite pictures are of the disappearance of the machine into the snowbank. That is strange, considering the fact that I don’t really like snow. Nevertheless, Sean and his friends do make it look fun. Sean also loves to do other sporty things, like fishing, and he has been blessed with some great catches. He and Amanda also love to hang out with a great group of friends on the weekend for some fun…and really goofy times. 
This year has been a different kind of year for Sean and his partner, Amanda Reed, as their daughter Jadyn went off to college, and will be gone for four years or more. They are a closeknit family, and when one member moves away, even if it’s just for college, you really feel the void in the family unit. Plus, you never know if your child will move back home, or if their career choice will take them somewhere else. Nevertheless, Sean and Amanda want Jadyn to be happy in her career choice, and they want her to have a great time at college. Sean and Jadyn have always had a close bond, because she was an early birthday present for him back in 2004, when she was born the day before her dad’s birthday.
Sean loves his “playtime,” but he isn’t all about playing. A couple of years ago, Sean bought Triangle Heating and Air, LLC, and while he might never have thought he would be a business owner, that dream has come true 
for him. He loves being his own boss. As the name states, Sean’s company repairs and installs heating and air conditioning units. The company has been in business since August 18, 2006, and Sean purchased it on October 18, 2021. Owning a business really makes a person feel like they have accomplished something, and Sean has worked hard to get to this point in his life. We are all so happy for him. Today is Sean’s birthday. Happy birthday Sean!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Jadyn Mortensen has just completed her first year of college at the University of Wyoming, where she is studying mechanical engineering. Jadyn was given a full scholarship as part of the University of Wyoming Barrel Racing Team, and she has really been enjoying college. She missed her family, of course. Jadyn is very close to her parents, Amanda Reed and Sean Mortensen, and the family does just about everything together whenever they can, but this year at college, while hard work due to a heavy load, was also an amazing learning and personal growth experience for Jadyn.
With the school year behind her, Jadyn came home to Rawlins for the summer, and found a seasonal job with KC Harvey. She and 
her team partner were tasked with the job of spraying properties in the area. On their first day, Jadyn and her partner had a little bit of trouble in the form of a flat tire. They were not in the best place for that to happen, but Jadyn told her partner that she could change the tire, if they had a spare tire. As it turned out, they did, and before long Jadyn had the tire changed and they were back to work. At the end of the workday, their boss asked them how many properties they had finished. The girls told him they only finished ten properties. The boss said, “Let me get this straight. You sprayed only ten properties.” The girls cringed thinking their boss was upset with them. Then he said that most teams finished only 5 properties, and here the girls had finished ten properties and they had also changed their own flat tire. He told them, “That’s amazing!! I’m very pleased with you both!!” These girls got the bosses praise on their very first day!! Most people have no idea what to do on their first day…much less get it right!!!!
Jaydn has about four years of college left, but I’m quite certain that her summer jobs will be secure for as long as she wants to work at . Not bad for a young lady of just 19 years, but then Jadyn was raised by parents who taught her to be independent, and a dad who taught her to know her way around a vehicle. Jadyn is a tough young lady, even though she is very much a lady. She is as at home on a horse, snowmobile, motorcycle, jet ski, as she is in a pickup. And when she dresses up, she always looks simply stunning. She’s quite a lady. Today is Jadyn’s birthday. Happy birthday Jadyn!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Zoey Iverson is a very special girl. From her birth, as her mother, Cassie Franklin’s second child, Zoey was the “oldest” child, because her brother, Lucas Iverson had Down Syndrome and would need a lot of help. Zoey was just the girl for the job. She is a very loving and caring little girl…and mature for her age. It’s just in her nature. She is a true mother’s helper.
Zoey has changed so much since she was six and seven. Eight has been a landmark year for her, as she has really grown up a lot. Some kids make that transition as they turn ten, or even eleven or twelve in some kids, but every so often, you find one, usually a girl, but not always, who matures at eight. It’s usually because they are the big sister, and often because their siblings need some extra help, such as special 
needs kids. For Zoey, it’s not just her brother. Zoey has a new little sister named Alicen, and Zoey is absolutely thrilled about that. She loves to help her parents with the baby, and Alicen really loves her big sister. They are best friends, and Alicen wants to be with Zoey all the time.
Zoey’s family loves to forage in the woods near their home for things like mushrooms, apples, herbs, and flowers. Zoey’s mom, Cassie Franklin makes and sells candle and soaps, as well as resin dishes, jars, and some jewelry. The things they collect during their forage trips are used in cooking and in Cassie’s products. It’s fun for the whole 
family, and they give everyone lots of outdoor time. While Zoey is really enjoying the summer, she also really loves school, and she is at the top of her class. She loves being “class leader,” which allows her to go around the room and help the other students when they don’t understand the work. Who knows, maybe she will grow up to be a schoolteacher. From what I have seen of this little girl, she would make an excellent teacher. While Zoey is easy going in many ways, she can also be stubborn. Having a “stubborn” child, who is also such a sweet and helpful child is really a blessing, and not a hardship at all.
I have had the great pleasure of watching this little girl grow up from the day she was born, and while some might call me biased, because I am, after all, her great aunt. She is a wonderful young lady, and I know she will grow into a wonderful adult someday. Today is Zoey’s 8th birthday. Happy birthday Zoey!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Dustie Masterson, my grandniece, Raelynn Masterson’s mom, says of her daughter that she is “sometimes an enigma wrapped in a mystery.” Now, that is saying something, since enigma means a mystery. So, Raelynn, is a mystery in a mystery. I find that a very interesting thought, and really, one that is true of Raelynn. She is often quiet, keeping to herself, and listening to her own thoughts. Raelynn, can often be a deep thinker, searching a matter out in her own mind before she makes up her mind on it. Dustie tells me that she is “the sweetest and easiest to get along with until…she has made up her mind.” Raelynn never strikes me as a stubborn girl, but then she doesn’t strike me as a pushover either. She simply has a quiet strength and determination about what she likes and where she is going.
It’s strange that her mom says Raelynn is a lot like her in that way…not that she is like Dustie, which I would agree with, but rather that Dustie, like Raelynn, doesn’t seem to have a huge stubborn streak in her either. They both seem to be easy going and soft hearted, not at all stubborn, but I suppose that is a side of them that they keep to themselves mush of the time, and it would be their close family that would see that side of them, and not their aunt.
Raelynn is very comfortable “in her own skin” so to speak. She doesn’t worry about being “cool” but rather just does what she likes, whether others see it as “cool” or not. Her stubborn streak mostly presents itself, when she has made up her mind <strong>not</strong> to do something. Nothing is going to change her mind, and no amount of pressuring will change the situation…especially if she doesn’t think it’s moral. That is a trait her mother truly admires about her.
Once, when she was in 5th grade, as she was leaving school, she fell and chipped her front tooth. Dustie took her to the dentist, who said she could fix it as soon as the swelling and pain went down. Raelynn decided that she didn’t want to do that. It wasn’t a fear of the shot or the procedure, but rather that she felt like it was a “badge of honor” of sorts. She didn’t want it fixed. She liked the look of it. There was no pain or shots involved with getting it fixed, she just chose to wait a good 5 years or so before just deciding to do it.
Raelynn, and her younger siblings Matt and Taylor too, really should never have been born. She and her siblings are miracle children. Her dad, Rob Masterson, didn’t think he was going to want other children after his 
oldest daughter Christina was born, and the marriage to her mom failed, so he had surgery to prevent any future children. In addition, Dustie, although they didn’t know it at the time, had some health issues that should have prevented her from having children. Nevertheless, God had other plans, and they were blessed with three children together. Dustie says she can’t believe that it has been 20 years already. Raelynn is no longer a teenager. Time goes by so fast, especially when you are living out the greatest blessings God has to give. Raelynn isn’t certain what she wants to do in life, but once she has it in mind, Dustie has no doubt that she will accomplish it. I agree. Determination and perseverance will always win in the end. Today is Raelynn’s 20th birthday. Happy birthday Raelynn!! Have a great day!! We love you so much!!
There is nothing greater than watching your children grow, and for most of us, that first birthday is the most exciting. That is exactly how the parents of my grandnephew, Ryder Birky are feeling today. Ryder is one today, and he is such a sweet boy. He is learning lots of new things, and of course, his big brother, Jace has been a big part of that learning process. Jace had waited a long time to get a brother, and he was so excited when Ryder finally arrived. For kids, the waiting game is a lot harder, and Jace had a hard time being patient as he waited for his brother, but once he got here, Jace was the best big brother!! Ryder gets to hear stories and play games with his big brother. Jace is a great helper for his mom, and Ryder is well cared for, by his parents, Sierah Martin and Riley Birky, and by his brother. 
Ryder is more and more mobile these days, and before they know it, he will be running all over the house, and they will be chasing after him. The good news is that his older brother has lots of energy, and he can help with all that chasing. Kids grow so fast, and it already seems like just yesterday that Ryder came to join their family. The future will go even faster, and before long he will be off to school, but I guess I should slow down a bit. I’m sure Ryder’s parents would rather not think about that just yet. For now, the usual baby toys, games, books, and song will be all they want to see.
Since Ryder and his family live in Powell, and we live in Casper, we don’t gwt to see them much, sadly. 
Nevertheless, Sierah and Riley are good about posting pictures to keep the distant family updated on how Ryder’s life is going. He loves his big brother so much, and it is a beautiful thing to see them together, playing and just hanging out. It is so obvious just how much these two sweet little boys love each other. And they are such a blessing to their parents. The laughter and little antics that brothers are famous for, fills the Birky household, and puts a smile on the faces of everyone who knows them. Today is Ryder’s first birthday. Happy birthday Ryder!! Have a great day, sweet boy!! We love you!!
