Baker Bunch Weekly Update - November 16, 2009

How are you doing this week? We are all doing great!

We had stake conference this past weekend. The stake young women’s sang a beautiful song. Andrea was part of the choir and got to set on the stand for the Sunday Session for the entire two hours.

Ashley and Aiden joined us for conference. Aiden fell asleep on Mom’s shoulder. When he woke up and started to fuss (only a little) Dad took him out. When they went out, he was very good. He just want to stand up with somebody.

Gene Schrecengost (Great Lakes Military Branch President) was one of the speakers. He told about some Priesthood Blessings that had been given at the Navy Boot Camp. One was one of the blessings that dad had given about a year ago. One of the recruits had liver problems. In the blessing that Dad gave, Heavenly Father blessed him he would be healed. If the recruit did not heal, he would have been discharged from the Navy. He was healed and continued his service in the Navy.

Mom and Dad played tennis on Saturday with some friends from Crystal Lake (Martin Smarten) and Island Lake (Pat Packard). They had a great time.

Andrea had a birthday party last Friday night with her friend she has know since 1^st grade. Valerie Burton. Some of the people there were watching an R rated movie downstairs. Andrea and some of her other friends stayed upstairs. Good for her.

Andrea has official all her hours behind the wheel with mom and dad. Now she has to finish up with her behind the wheel with her teacher at Wauconda High School. They told us in January 2010 she will start behind the wheel.

Hope you are all doing well!

Happy Thanksgiving - 2009

“Happy Thanksgiving”

November 2009

"Gratitude is a Spirit‑filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God's love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence."

Bonnie D. Parkin

Baker Bunch Weekly Update - November 9, 2009

BYU Flag Football

Austin and Andrew are on the same BYU flag football team. Their 6^th game was Saturday. Mom and Dad were able to watch them play. We are sure glad they did not break their streak. They are 6-0 and won their first tournament game. YEA!

Grandma Baker’s Biscuits & Gravy!

Dad was able to visit with Grandma Baker while on vacation. He was at her home from Sunday night until Wednesday morning. On Monday night they went to Macomb and had a great Mexican dinner. Tuesday night they had a nice quiet dinner at home. For breakfast on Wed., Dad was treated to Grandma’s delicious biscuits and gravy.

Tucanos for Andrew’s Birthday

We finally made it to Tucanos to treat Andrew for his 23^rd birthday.

Grandma Schaugaard’s Birthday

Mom and Dad treated Grandma Schaugaard to breakfast at iHop in American Fork. Grandma’s birthday is Wednesday the 11^th.

Utah Vacation

Mom, Andrea, & Dad went to Utah. Their traveled Thursday to get there and traveled back to Chicago on Sunday. Thursday afternoon, we went to gravity hill and watched a tennis ball “roll up hill”. We also went to the top of the Church office building. Andrea was working on a school project about revolving doors. She got some good pictures. Thursday night we stayed at Grandma’s home. Friday we were able to see Austin, Shirley, and Andrew.

Shirley had oral surgery on Friday afternoon. Friday night we had Cafe Rio for dinner and watched G.I. Joe. Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving early at Austin and Shirley’s home. We had a great Thanksgiving Lunch with left overs for dinner. We watched Aliens in the Attic on Sat. night.

Church with Aunt Sharon

On the way back to IL. we went to church with Aunt Sharon in Sandy, UT. Her Ward had the primary Sacrament Meeting.

She gave us some really good dried apples for the plane ride back to Illinois.

Adam fixed the brakes on our Pontiac

While we were on vacation, Adam fixed the brakes on our Pontiac. It is so nice to have brakes that work.

Ramus LDS Chapel Cornerstone

Gary Baker and Terry McConnell pictured with bricks & cornerstones from the Ramus LDS Chapel. Near here, Joseph Smith received Doctrine and Covenants Sections 130 & 131. http://www.mormonhistoricsitesregistry.org/USA/illinois/ramus/history.htm

Ramus, Illinois was originally settled by Revolutionary War veteran Ute Perkins and his family in 1826 and lies approximately 20 miles east of Nauvoo, Illinois.¹ At the time of its initial settlement, Ramus was referred to as the Perkins Settlement, after the Perkins family.

Joel Hills Johnson, a member of the LDS Church, moved to Carthage in early 1839 and commenced preaching the gospel in the surrounding area. Ute Perkins and many members of his family were converted and a branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on April 17, 1839 named the Crooked Creek Branch. As the area grew, the branch was reorganized by Hyrum Smith into a stake with Brother Johnson as stake president. Also around this time, the name of the area was officially changed to Ramus, a latin word meaning branch.² When the town was formally incorporated in March 1843, the area was named Macedonia.

Key Events at Ramus - Settled in 1826 by Ute Perkins and his family. - On April 17, 1839, Ute and some of his family were converted an a small branch was organized. - Hyrum Smith organized a stake here on July 9, 1840 with Joel H. Johnson as president. - Doctrine & Covenants Section 130 & 131 was received here.

Joseph Smith made many trips to Ramus and often stayed with a close friend, Benjamin F. Johnson or one of his sisters, Sophronia or Catherine, both of whom lived in Ramus.³ Additionally, Joseph Smith received Doctrine & Covenants sections 130 & 131 while in Ramus.

The members of the Church in Macedonia left en masse with the exodus of the Saints who went West in 1846. After the exodus, the name of Macedonia was changed again to its present-day name of Webster.

In May 2000, the Ute V. Perkins Family Organization, with the assistance of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, erected a historic marker describing the significance of the early history of the area and paying tribute to the many people who helped develop the community.