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Posts Tagged ‘family’

Catch up (longest post ever!)

August 31st, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Wow! Time has flown by and it has been FOREVER since I posted pictures of our family so I thought it time to catch up.  The biggest change our family has had is the addition of our little Lottie Ann who is now just 1 year old and not so little anymore.  We went to Costa Rica (pictures below) the week before she was born (she came 1 month early!) and ever since then she has still been surprising us all with her spunky little spirited personality.  Kate absolutely adores her and it is such a joy to see them play together .

                                                                          
                                                                        Costa Rica

This live volcano was right outside our hotel balcony in a small city called Arenal,  it was so stunning!

We took these tiny chartered planes around Costa Rica, which abolutely scared me almost into labor but Kate and Ava LOVED them.  Here they are watching the plane arrive waiting to board it…
Kate is such an ocean lover!  She loved to ride to waves in all by herself on a long board.  Even after being tumbled by a couple waves she wanted to keep on going!
Favorite catch up pics of Kate
Kate was lucky enough to go to Disneyland 2 different times this past year!  The first time she got to do the cutest thing I think Disneyland does which is at the Bibbdi bobbidi boutique.  You make reservations before you go and when you get there, your own Fairy Godmother comes and finds you and makes you over as whatever princess you choose to be.  Of course Kate chose Cinderella, her favorite.  She was in her own dreamland!  So cute, just look at those smiles!  We also had lunch reservations to eat at Ariels Grotto that day (pic below with Snow White), where Kate got to meet all the princesses one on one.  I included the pic with Ben Stillers' wife Christine Taylor in the background (silly I know :) ) but I thought it was cool because we sat and ate next to his family! :)


                     Kate at Jackson Hole                          Kate with her buddies Will and Tommy
                                      


                                   Kate in Hawaii                     On the beach with Daddy and Nate

Kate's second time at Disneyland she walked around like a pro and was so comfortable with the princesses (as you can tell from the pics!)  She was in her element for sure!
Kate and her buddy Rex                                                            

       Kate and her cute dance class during their summer recital
Lottie Ann and Family Pics

Easter egg hunt in Laguna Beach, Ca over spring break
Kate went surfing with papa and even wakeboarding this year from behind the boat!  She is our little daredevil!  She told us she even wanted to do it all by herself!
Halloween Time!
Kate loved her first skiing lessons!
                       
Christmas Card pic 2009                       Laguna Beach (2 months before Lottie was born)
McCall, Idaho for the Fox Family Reunion 2010
This summer we were lucky enough to get to spend most of August at Laguna Beach, CA.  Lottie loved eating the sand :) and Kate as always loved the ocean…fun memories to last forever!
                 Our Big Project
Yes it seems like I just posted our new home but we moved again, this time just a few streets over to one of my favorite streets in the Harvard Yale area that I have eyed for years.  We once again renovated an old, old home into a new more family functioning one and had so much fun in the process.  I would have to say this is absolutely my dream of a home and I would love to raise my children here and stay here forever so we'll see… We've have so grown to love this neighborhood and ward and have been here for about a year and a half almost now.  The renovation took about a year total and we are so happy with the outcome.  I have now started my own interior design business doing work for clients and am loving it.
We kept the original lead window in this lattice pattern shown in this upper right pic here.
We did honed black and white marble in the foyer and it hides dirt from the entry so well!  For the wood floors we decided to do extra wide solid 8 inch oak planks throughout the whole house and stained them a coffee color.
We used real cedar shingles combined with the original brick to create a colonial new england feel, the light fixture shown is also a period replica that was hand made to create a colonial feel as well.
                          Love wainscotting :)  we did a bit less shaker style in this home than our previous home and kept it more traditional.
                                                                                       Laundry room- one of my favorite (18th century shutters used to make this piece) furniture pieces from the antique show a few years back.    
I fell in love with this Kohler Harborview double faucet sink and have to say it's one of my favorite things about the house.  I can literally bathe both my kids in here!  We used Legacy Custom Cabinetry and carried the carrara subways all the way around the windows and to the ceiling.   I had always wanted to do X mullions  for the cabinet doors and decided to try it in this kitchen and loved the way they turned out.  The oversized pendants over the island are Resoration Hardware's Benson Pendants.  The light over the kitchen sink is actually an antique crystal flush mount that looks a lot prettier than these pictures show.  But by far my favorite thing about this kitchen is the stove, and about it, it's 24 inch flat grill in the center.  I use it for everything, meats, pancakes, veggies, it's pretty cool and I have to thank my sweet husband for getting it for me, hopefully I can make him some fantastic meals on it :)
                                                                               kids bath
For the kids bath we used honed black and white marble in a basketweave pattern, anthropology hardware and classic subways.
                               Playroom
                                                                            Antique delft tiles (from Holland) around the fireplace
For the masterbath we did a herringbone carrara polished floor which I love, I feel like it gives it a more spa like feeling in there than honed would.  We also did a jetted clawfoot tub which gives the look of the vintage clawfoot but the modern luxury of jets! The best of both worlds!  One day… (maybe for Christmas, hint hint ;) ) there will be a flat screen above the towell racks where those tv outlets are wired:).  The chandelier above the tub mirrors the one above the bed, I wanted to be able to see them when standing in either room so we divided the rooms with french doors and a window transom.
Kate’s Birthday Party

We celebrated Kate's 4th birthday at our home this year.  Lottie was born so close to her birthday last year that she didn't get much of a party so we went all out this year for her.  We had the cutest rental pony come named Snoopy (from Pony Haven Rentals), he was so sweet to all the kids, I really would've kept him if i could've!  I kept it easy and simple and had Cafe Rio do the food.  Granite Bakery did the darling horse cake.
  
Bagley Wedding
One of my best friends Eliza Maughan got married this past year and it was probably the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to.  The ceremony was at Salt Lake Temple and the reception at Tuscany.  She was absolutely stunning.  Buddy is one lucky guy!  You've seriously got to check out her bridals here done by Laura at Busath (most beautiful pics ever!!)
http://laurabruschke.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-01-27T11:07:00-08:00&max-results=7

Foxpaws Note
We were just barely featured in this magazine… We switched website companies and thus our revamp on the website is taking a little longer than expected :)

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Catch up (longest post ever!)

busy, busy, busy (part 2)

August 26th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

After our heavenly two weeks at the cabin, we headed up to Tanners Flat for the Jones Family Reunion!

Lyvia especially likes this campout because all her cousins are there to play with. There were bubbles, big rocks to climb, games, and a sandy volleyball court that ended up being the biggest hit!

Amelia was fighting off a little cold, so she was pretty grumpy. Grammy held and snuggled her a lot, to give mom a break. She also gets extra points for finally getting her to sleep! Thanks Grammy!
Tamra thought ahead and brought this awesome parachute, the kids had a blast trying to keep a few balls from popping off.We played lots of fun games… here is Grammy learning to play “Hearts” with the King of the Game, Paul!

And the infamous stick-pull competition….Jason vs. everyone else, pretty much! He rocked! Even Lyvia tried her hand at the stick-pull with her dad.

Even an obstacle course for the kids…complete with a gold medal at the end.
A few roasted marshmallows to end the evening and some songs/skits around the campfire.
We love the Joneses and had a great time at the reunion!

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busy, busy, busy (part 2)

Rookies…

August 9th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

If a sportscaster were announcing a baseball game played by our family, it would go something like this:
Well it’s the first and only inning and the Christensens are playing nobody. First up to bat is Eli “I’d rather hit it like a golf ball” Christensen. Eli and his mother step up to the plate. Here’s the pitch, they swing and it’s a hit! The ball sails 10 feet towards third base and Eli remains at home plate. The pitcher goes to retrieve the ball and Eli is up to bat again! Well, this is typical of the Christensen team. Nobody usually runs the bases and each batter gets about four hits. Now the next batter is up. The pitcher has sent Eli to the outfield. He told him to run on the grass, and he just kept running. The “outlet” as he is referred to by his sisters, is a good fifty yards away now. Well, maybe the pitcher knows something we don’t about this next batter Janey. She is more commonly known as “Giggles”, due to her fits of laughter every time she is up to bat. Here’s the pitch…and…it’s a strike due to uncontrollable giggling. The catcher is….where’s the catcher. Oh, she’s picking flowers. The pitcher is trying to get the catchers’ attention. The batter is pulling on the pitchers’ leg. She’s trying to tell him something, I can’t quite make out what it is. Oh, she’s saying “I want to be the outlet!” The pitcher has apparently denied this request and managed to get the catcher to throw him the ball before she goes back to flower picking. Here’s the pitch, and thanks to the batting coach, she gets a hit! Now the catcher has left her post and is asking if she can hit the ball. But, the pitcher has left the mound because the outfielder is now running to the family car in the parking lot. The whole team is shouting for him to stop, which he does. Janey Christensen is now the outfielder, April is up to bat. They call April “The Distracted One” and now I see why. The batting coach (also her mother) is trying to explain to her how to hold the bat, but April seems to have her mind on other things. When she’s not staring into the middle distance, she asks the pitcher if she and her siblings can play in their hut instead. Finally, here’s the pitch. April has insisted on hitting herself. And, it’s a strike. Here’s the next pitch, she gets a piece of it, but it’s a foul ball. The catcher has left his post and is wandering down the sidewalk. The batter is now saying she wants to be done. And that’s the game. The score is tied at zero and the Christensen family wins. Tune in next time!

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Rookies…

One extra wee lass

August 6th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Since last Saturday we have had the pleasure of having my niece Ainsley stay with us whilst her mother toiled away at girls camp.  Ainsley and Janey were born about 20 hours apart from each other, and while they are not identical, they could be sisters.  So it was fun for me to pretend for a few days that I had twin  four year-old girls, as well as leave that impression upon strangers.  It was fun and educational having her.  Fun for us, educational for her.  You see, Ainsley is the youngest in her family, so this week she got seriously schooled in what it’s like having a little brother.  A hair-pulling, toy-grabbing, attention-stealing little brother.  All in all though,  I think she liked being in a big-sister role.  She was very sweet and patient with Eli, and all three girls absolutely reveled in the five-day sleepover.  I hope it becomes a yearly tradition, girls camp or no.

We love you Ains!

In Ephraim there resides a scaled-down model of a ship that resembles those that first crossed the Atlantic ocean to the New World.  It is located in the backyard of a very nice family who allow anybody that is interested to come explore and play.  A friend and I arranged to take our wards’ playgroup ther this week.  We had a great time!

Our sleeping accomodations.  You can sleep in this room if you measure no taller than the width of a double-size bed.

“There were four in the bed and the little one said……AINSLEY!  WAKE UP!!!!”

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One extra wee lass

My Birthday Boys!

August 5th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Spence turned 30 this last week! We had a really fun day on his birthday. He was able to golf 30 holes – yes 30, perfect start of his day. Then we got sushi for lunch, he went to work and had a fun dinner that night with my family.

We love our daddy!


I love that my boys birthdays are two weeks apart. It makes July such a fun month!!!

Oh Spence, what to say! Look at you – what a fun and crazy guy you are! You make life super fun. I love your adventure and enthusiasm towards life. I love that you are always up for having a good time. I love that you are such an incredible husband and dad. I love your voice and that you will always sing to us and that you utilize your talents. I love your testimony and what a good example you are to us. I love how you get excited about new opportunities and put your whole heart into them. I am so grateful for you – Happy Birthday Babe! I hope the 30′s are “AMAZING!”


And my Mr. Lance! You are such a sweet little guy. You are very easy-going. You are so nice to Tallie and are the best big brother. They call the past year the “terrible twos,” well, maybe you were terrible two times. Seriously, you are so amazing. I love your desire to learn and grow. You love learning. You mastered your numbers, letters, colors, alphabets, sounds, etc months ago, and are now starting to read words on your flash cards. You memory is incredible too. You love to play instruments and listen to music or to have people sing to you. You love your family, church with the guys, playing on daddy’s ipad “the big shape game,” and playing with friends. You can be silly and so funny! I want to tape a video camera to you so I can capture the funny things you say every day! You are such a joy to have in our family. Love you Lance!!!

You are so easy-going that you don’t even mind wearing diapers… but let’s change that soon buddy, ok?

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My Birthday Boys!

Lance's Birthday!

August 5th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Lance turned 3 on July 15th, and what a special day we had!!!

The Saturday before his birthday we had Spencer’s family over for a little party, since they were going to be out of town on his birthday.

Here is Kelli and Lorin’s little family and by little I mean 5 kids 6 and under! Wowsers, I can’t imagine that, they are amazing parents!


Here is Lance wearing his special birthday hat!


Lance loved his pink cake decorated with skittles!


Then came his real birthday and the day could not have been better! Lance had been telling everyone the whole week “my birthday is on Thursday, July 15th!” It was too cute.

Spence and I blew up a huge pack of balloons and taped them all over the walls and filled the hallway out of his room, so when he woke up he was surrounded by balloons, he loved it!

He looks so old and handsome, I can’t believe it!

For breakfast I put a candle in his waffles and sang to him. I think my families birthdays are my favorite days of the year!!!

Playing with his new toy!


Next, our friend Jessica invited us over for swimming and fabulous lunch with some of our favorite friends.

Later that night we had my family over for dinner, and then some of our friends came over for a little party!

Here is my dad with Tallie.


My parents gave him this cool soccer net.

Miss Tallie Tootles with my grandma!


Me and my friend Leslie!


Mommy and her big 3 year old!


Our neighbors are pro soccer players, they were showing Lance a thing or two about playing soccer!


And now the pinata! Wow, what a story. I swear every kid took a whack at the pinata and it wouldn’t break. Finally Speen had to take one of his golf clubs and take a full swing to get it down. And the best news – it didn’t even hurt his ribs, wahoo!



Love the cutting of the cake, singing happy birthday, and blowing out the candles, isn’t that the best part of the night?



My parents giving Tallie her first and second and about 20 bites of ice cream! Yes, she did end up throwing it up!


Owen, one of Lance’s friends. I really hope Lance gets potty trained in time for school, so he and Owen can be in the same preschool class.


Tallie literally sat on the grass like this for 30 minutes just totally caught up in all of the attention, plus she kept her party hat on!!!

Opening presents.


Me and my besties!


My love!

And Lance and his buddy Fatau!


Thanks to everyone for their love, support and birthday wishes to Lance!!!

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Lance's Birthday!

heaven on earth

August 1st, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Here I am, enjoying the good life at Hebgen.
There is really nothing better than being at the cabin.
a few favorites:
being with my family
swinging with Lyvia
playing cards
eating delicious food
the fire
snuggling with my husband
game night, every night
swimming
skiing (on two skis!)
hanging out at the beach with two happy kids
relaxing
reading a TON of books (check out all I’ve added!)
crafting/scrapbooking
sleeping in
laughing
See you all sometime in August!
(if we decide to ever come home…:)

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heaven on earth

people

July 20th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Playing “people” is Lyv’s first choice in toys.
Ah-Bee has People at her house- and that’s where Lyvia fell in love with them. She was overjoyed when I found some People at the DI for us to have! She plays with her People just about every morning. We have a house, furniture and families that she plays with for hours on end. She makes up names for them, sends some to work, makes lunch for a picnic, teaches the kids to go potty in the big potty, sends mail from their mailbox, puts the babies down for a nap and takes the kids swinging. When she play’s at Ah-Bee’s house, the family can even go on a car ride to swimming lessons in Bee’s People Jeep!
I love seeing her act out things that we’ve done as a family with her own little people! Going to swimming lessons and having game nights are favorite scenarios. But sometimes listening to her play is eye-opening! The other day the People Mom was telling the People Sister that she “had better stay in her bed for a nap or else no more playing with friends!” Hmmm…I wonder where she heard that?! But I loved coming upon her singing I Am A Child Of God to her Sister People when they were going to bed. (I’m glad good stuff is sinking in, too.)

Lyvia is a sweet girl and a wonderful big sister. We love her!

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people

Hot Deal: Amazon 30% Off Diapers – Free 2nd Day Air Shipping!

July 19th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Two-Day ShippingSubscribe and save, amazon has diapers for 30% off and shipped 2nd day air to your door.  You can cancel, que up, or postpone your deliveries at anytime.  This is a substantial saving over Sams Club/Costco where we usually get them, and at 3 boys, all the poopy savings add up!  Enjoy here: http://tinyurl.com/2cjqfrt

Tip, if you also have Parents magazine on page 40 of August 2010 there is a unique 20% off coupon that can be stacked to this promo making your first order 50% off!

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Hot Deal: Amazon 30% Off Diapers – Free 2nd Day Air Shipping!

Memorial Day 2010

July 16th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments


my family came to phoenix the end of may. we shopped, went out to eat, went swimming and my mom and i played tennis almost everyday!! then my dad, andy and kel went back to utah and my mom and grandma stayed for another week which was more shopping, tennis and food!



this is at pizzeria bianco..voted the best pizza in the usa if not the world(ny times). kel and i spotted chris bianco and had to get our picture with him :)
at our clubhouse….


me and kel on facebook with our dc and candy every night :)


thanks for the good time!!!!!

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Memorial Day 2010

Nassau Sunrise Panorama

July 11th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

An early morning sunrise in Nassau, The Bahamas overlooking the port and silhouetting The Atlantis Resort on Paradise island to the left.  One of my favorite vistas of the trip.

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Our Wedding – Part 2….

July 7th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

The day started out windy and partly cloudy. Which turned into windy and very cloudy. Followed by very windy and very rainy. I had decided in the morning to move the wedding inside so we wouldn’t have to deal with the wind.

My Mom and Dad

My Girls: Jennifer, Brenda, Jessica, (Me), Heather and Samantha.

Still the best sister and Maid of Honor ever!!! She was running around making sure that everything was just the way I wanted it. I did not have to worry about anything because she was on it.

The Guys: Jens, Adam, Bryan, Derek, Baby Jack, and Pete.

My aunt Annette, Lauryn and Erin did the music for the ceremony. They did an amazing job and it really meant so much to us.

Jack took his job very seriously. There was no way he was dropping the pillow with the rings. He was a great little ring bearer.

The Orangerie was beautiful and we got married under two Palm trees. Everything was perfect, even if it was a quick change of location. During our beautiful ceremony, the rain stopped and the clouds parted.


Our Family and close Friends.

All of my family.

All of Bryan’s family.

My Family

Bryan’s family

All the wedding Party.

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Our Wedding – Part 2….

Guess who's 9 months today…

July 7th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Are you kidding me? Where has the time gone! I have to admit though, I love this age, it is so fun. I am happy to be out of the super baby stage.

Sorry for the picture overload, but I sold my camera (tear) a few weeks ago, and borrowed my dad’s camera so I could take a few pictures, and got a little carried away.

Man I LOVE this little girl. She is dramatic, full of personality, has spunk, smiles all the times, can switch on and off the tears in a millasecond (it’s amazing!), great sleeper, loves to eat EVERYTHING I am eating or drinking, is trying desperately to get up on her knees, moves everywhere by scooting a little, but mainly rolling like a mad woman. She has the cutest smile, I love her eyes (I think she smiles with her eyes, reminds me of my nana), she has started to wave (it is the cutest thing ever!), says “dad,” and my mom said she mimicked “hi” today. She has two teeth that she got before 8 months, which was nuts because Lance didn’t get any until 11 months, and she loves to put anything and everything in her mouth. In fact, I pulled a sticker off the roof of her mouth last week (oops!) I need to be better about keeping stuff off the carpet!

All I can say is how grateful I am that Tallie is a part of our family, we are lucky to have her!






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Guess who's 9 months today…

The Blue Lagoon, Bahamas Panorama

July 7th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

The Blue Lagoon in the Bahamas was one of our day excursions during spring break and I took a change to snap a few pictures of the back beach before anyone got over there.  Here’s a panorama of the results.

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I'm funny. Really.

June 30th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

I love cheesy, funny things that make me laugh my guts out.

I’m serious.

Laughing ’till my cheeks hurt is common at our house. Stuff like America’s Funniest Home Videos and Readers Digest jokes really get me going! My sister likes to watch AFV with me because I have doubled over in laughter with tears streaming down my face by the time Tom Bergeron awards some lucky family $10, 000.

And once (ok, more than once) called my family after reading a really funny Readers Digest joke and had my Dad put me on speaker phone so everyone could hear the quip. I, of course, barely made it through the reading before busting out in guffaws.

I think the only reason my entire family has even seen Connie and Carla is because Jason told them that the real show is watching me watch the show- so they all laughed at me cracking up the whole time.

Ah, good times.

I attribute my stellar sense of humor, and ability to laugh at myself, to my family. Not a half-past-two went by without my Dad clutching his front teeth saying, “Oh! It’s tooth-hurty!”. Or my mom answering the phone mid gut-busting laughter to the amazement, and amusement, of a friend. Or my sisters tape-recorded “news broadcasts”. Or how my brother has old Bill Cosby and Brian Regan routines memorized and will happily perform them at a drop of a hat. Or how my Nana knows all sorts of hilarious songs, like “I Don’t Like Ya Cuz Your Feets Too Big, so we always win the talent show. Or my Grammy with the peals of laughter during Young Frankenstein. Even my Great-Grandpa was a kidder. At 96 years old he would tell us, “I would have been 97, but I was sick for a year.”

I think this has been rubbing off on my daughters. Millie now happily giggles while Lyvia makes silly faces at her. Lyvia has one doozy of a Laffy Taffy joke memorized and shares it with anyone who asks. (FYI the joke is: What do you get when you cross a poodle and a rooster? A cock-a-poodle-do!) And Jason now knows just the right thing to say to get me rollicking. Then he says, “Oh, here she goes!” like I’m some sort of volcano of chuckles and chortles. And now Lyvia has started making up her own jokes. Or saying something completely silly and adding, “I’m just kiddin’ ya, Mom!” But my all-time favorite is when she makes up funny lyrics to songs she already knows. You should hear her rendition of “We Are A Happy Family.”

Oh dear. It’s pretty funny stuff.

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I'm funny. Really.

Aww, Curses!

June 27th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

I love to play games, and my family and I learned a great one at our  trip to Fish Lake.  It is called Curses.  This is a game that employs both sides of your brain.  Sometimes your brain will even start to hurt.  On a plus side, your sides will also hurt.  From laughing!  Yuk, yuk, yuk.  On your turn, you have to draw a challenge card and perform the challenge.  So for example, one challenge card could say: “Pretend you are a surgeon.  Explain how to remove an appendix.”  After you do this, you draw a curse card, and curse another player by giving it to them.  It might say: “Every time you touch somebody, act like you just got a big shock.”  My brother David got one that required him to cluck like a chicken before and after he said anything.  Anything. A curse that was laid in front of me said I had to talk like Elmer Fudd.  Then I got one that said I had to talk like Scooby Doo.  Do you know how impossible it is to talk like Elmer Fudd and Scooby Doo at the same time?!  And it’s not just on your turns that you have to do this.  It’s anytime you say or do anything.  If you forget one of your curses and someone catches you, you have to turn it over.  If you turn over three curse cards, you are out.  With this game,  sometimes you have more success if you are vewy, vewy quiet.

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Aww, Curses!

Honeymoon…

June 25th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

For our honeymoon Bryan took me to Kauai, Hawaii and it was beautiful. We stayed 6 nights and 7 days on the North shore of the island. We explored the whole island by land and by sea. At the end of the trip we went on a snorkeling boat trip. The snorkeling was amazing and so much fun.
Just off the plane.
Old tracks in Kapaa.

Beaches between Kapaa and Kealis on our way up to Princeville on our first day.

~*~

End of a perfect first day.
~*~

Hanalei River Valley overlook.

~*~

~*~

This was at a beach that we started calling the River beach, because it has a big river flowing into the ocean at one end of it. (The Picture at the top of this post is from this beach also.)

River meets the ocean.
~*~

The town of Hanalei.

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Us at Anini Beach. We snorkeled and made friends with a little chick while sitting on the beach.
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Sunset over Hanalei bay.

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This is on the West Shore. We were on our way into Waimea Canyon.

Waimea Canyon is called the grand canyon of Hawaii. We stopped at all the overlooks. It was so beautiful.

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Salt Pond Beach.
The waves come over the rocks and then on to the beach forming ponds.

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Spouting Horn.
The rocky beaches of the South Shore were beautiful and the sea turtles seemed to love this side of the island.

Us at the Spouting Horn.
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Found this just driving around. We still don’t really know what it is.

Waliua Falls

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Opaekaa Falls.

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Kilauea Lighthouse and wildlife Refuge.

These are Monk Seals there are only 24 left.

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Us watching the sunset over Hanalei Bay.

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Tunnels Beach.

We spent all day snorkeling and relaxing in the sun.
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Waterfalls in the mountains above the town of Hanalei. Bryan and I loved Hanalei. It’s a cute little town. It’s like Kauai’s Park City. It has small and artsy shops.

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This is at the Smith’s Family Tropical Paradise Luau.
There are 30 acres of botanical gardens that we explored.

This is a pine tree that grows on the island.

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Our last sunset on the Kauai (for now).

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Honeymoon…

Fish Lake Family Reunion

June 21st, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

We returned today from my family’s trip to Fish Lake, UT.  My family has never really had an official get-together where we all go away somewhere together, so I hope this will be the beginning of a lovely tradition.  And, what better place to start than at Fish Lake?  If you haven’t been there, you should go.  It’s quite charming.  There were so many fun moments, I will name just a few of my favorites:

1.  Teaching my sister how to say Mytoge (repeat after me: My-toe-gee.  Not toe-my-bee)

2.  Learning how to read a compass, then doing a compass course.  Why do boy scouts get to do all the fun stuff?

3.  Catching a trophy fish with Janey’s Barbie fishing pole.  And I didn’t take a picture!  Dumb, dumb, dumb.  Who is going to believe me?

4.  Getting an unbeatable score of 27,430 at Hand and Foot.  Go team Charlynn and Janelle!  If we had a celebrity couple name it would be Chanelle.  Classy!

5.  Geo-Caching.  It’s like a treasure hunt and a junk exchange all rolled into one!

The whole gang.  Well, those of us who could make it.

My brother David teaching us girls how to read a compass before sending us off on the compass course he set up.

I can’t forget to mention this awesome tree-stand/hut thing we found on our hike.  I think it made the trudge through the woods all worthwhile.  (For the kids and the parents)

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Fish Lake Family Reunion

Two Years!

June 20th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Today marks the 2 year date of when Riley received his diagnosis. I can’t believe it has been two years. I will never forget that day when the Dr. called us and gave us that news. At 2 1/2 Riley has over come the odds and is still continuing to do well. He has been hospital free for one year now which is almost unheard of especially during flu season. Riley is an incredible example to me of what life is all about. I’ve mentioned this before but Riley has presented experiences in my life that I never would have been able to experience. The most incredible people have been introduced into my life that are such a support to me and my family. We owe Riley’s health and strength to the amazing knowledge and dedication of his doctors, therapists and all the others who help take care of him. Riley is an incredible little person. He’s got it all figured out! We love you Riley, keep growing strong tiny man!

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Two Years!

Amelia's Blessing Day

June 8th, 2010 Classmate Blogs No comments

Amelia Mae Jones.
She’s official! :)


Jason gave her a beautiful blessing. The blessing included: be a peacemaker, good health, people would be drawn to her because of her testimony, a kind heart, her family loves her, love for her Father in Heaven. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but this bears repeating: Jason is an incredible father and husband. He puts up with quite a bit from me- and is still hanging around! I love to see him cuddle with Amelia or help Lyvia with a project. He is truly a caring father. I feel so overwhelmed that he chose to be with me forever! We are constantly blessed. We have two amazing girls in our family, a lovely home, wonderful extended family, supportive friends, and a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe- we just couldn’t be happier!

Here are a few pictures of the day…

Thanks to all the family and friends who came up to Bountiful to support our family. (Especially Erica- who came off a night shift at the hospital!I’m glad you made it through awake!) We are also lucky to have so many ward members who love us. THANK YOU!

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Amelia's Blessing Day