I know I am a little late, but for some reason our Christmas pictures were in a file marked "Summer/Fall 2009". Who would have thought that the Christmas pictures would be there...???
9 years ago
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Rock-n-Roll
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Ashley....
A few months ago, Ashley and I had a conversation it went something like this...
Ashley: " Mom, you know what would make all my dreams come true?"
Me: "Tell me." (ummm, a million dollars, a trip to Hawaii, a new car, etc.)
Ashley: " A plastic shower cap."
Me: " A shower cap....the plastic old lady kind..?"
Ashley: *sigh* "Wouldn't that be just so legit?" (legit=cool, groovy, etc.)
Me: "I'll see what I can do."
Fast forward a few weeks. I went to Big Lots for something else, but came across a pink shower cap for $1. I thought, what the heck, this will make all of Ashley's dreams come true. I of course bought it, and brought it home to her. She LOVED it !
Ashley: " Mom do you know what this means?"
Me: " Of course I do, all your dreams have come true!"
Ashley: "Well that too, but now I can take a shower and not get my hair wet! That is so AWESOME!"
She tried it on right away.. and cleaned her ears. I LOVE being a MOM!
Thanks Ashley...
Ashley: " Mom, you know what would make all my dreams come true?"
Me: "Tell me." (ummm, a million dollars, a trip to Hawaii, a new car, etc.)
Ashley: " A plastic shower cap."
Me: " A shower cap....the plastic old lady kind..?"
Ashley: *sigh* "Wouldn't that be just so legit?" (legit=cool, groovy, etc.)
Me: "I'll see what I can do."
Fast forward a few weeks. I went to Big Lots for something else, but came across a pink shower cap for $1. I thought, what the heck, this will make all of Ashley's dreams come true. I of course bought it, and brought it home to her. She LOVED it !
Ashley: " Mom do you know what this means?"
Me: " Of course I do, all your dreams have come true!"
Ashley: "Well that too, but now I can take a shower and not get my hair wet! That is so AWESOME!"
She tried it on right away.. and cleaned her ears. I LOVE being a MOM!
Thanks Ashley...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cruise 2010
In February Bartley and I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a cruise to Mexico! We have not been on a vacation together alone, in FIVE years. We had a blast and can't wait to go again!
First, a little background. Our wonderful friends David and Amy Powell invited us to go with them. David and I grew up in the same ward, and since junior high we have been friends. We have lots of fun memories, my favoirte is our entire Sunday School class (I think there were 12 or so of us) went to his house during Sunday School time, (long story, we scared off MANY teachers) and ate doughnuts on a regular basis.*gasp!* The jury is still out if our parents knew... David and I both went to Snow College, and since I had a car and he didn't, we spent many weekends driving back and forth together. One last note about David, his mom was one of my beloved Young Women leaders, and she made me promise that I would take good care of him while he was away from home.(I did..keep reading) Amy is my room-mate from Snow College. We had never met before then, but quickly realized we are "kindred spirits" and became life long friends. I of course made sure that they both met, and as they say.... the rest is history. David's room-mate happened to be Bartley, and we all have lived happily after.
We drove down to LA together, and laughed and talked the whole way. Thanks, Dave for all the driving! It was awe inspiring to finally get to the port and see the HUGE ship we were about to board.
Soon we were off! There are so many things to do and see... The ship had a miniature golf course at the back, on the top deck. Bart and I headed there for some fun! It was a little cold and windy, but we had a blast despite the weather!
Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas. Looked beautiful and quaint, but we happened to be lucky enough to be there during a rainy day. Apparently, it only rains on average three days a year. Bart and I took a tender and went to see what there is to see. We had fun walking in the rain...it wasn't cold just wet. The streets were flooded. We picked up some fun stuff for the kids and just enjoyed each other's company.
On our way we walked past an open air restaurant, (almost completely empty) and saw this little boat.
I jumped a little when we walked up to it and saw these.....
This was clear in my mind as the waiter cracked open the lobster tail at dinner the last night of the cruise....
This was our first sunset...breathtaking. Dave and Amy had a room with a balcony. Our room was conveniently right across the hall. They were very gracious and shared often their luxury. I highly recommend going on a cruse with friends who will share their balcony. All the benefits of the great view, with out the cost!
This picture is just another view from my "perch" on the deck. Notice how empty all the chairs were! This was my favorite day! No worries, no demands, just me a good book and my best friend right there with me! It doesn't get any better!
Every night when we returned from dinner there was another "towel" animal sitting or hanging on our bed. This one was my favorite. Just another reason a cruise is so much fun!
This was our sunset leaving Mazatlan. MY FAVORITE!
The next day we arrived in Puerto Vallarta. We decided to go to a resort with a private beach. We traveled by bus to this resort, it was goregous! Green and well landscaped, with beautiful architecture.
The one downside was the rain! It poured for a few hours. We used the rain for an excuse and ate lunch while we hoped it would clear up some. I think I may want to come back to this resort someday. It was well cared for and beautiful as you can see!
After it cleared up, it tried to get warm but never really succeeded. We did wade out into the ocean a little...Happy 20th Anniversary! The resort day was Bartley's gift to me for our anniversary. Thanks, honey it was great!
Our last Mexican sunset.....
The four of us after dinner....
Once again a special thank you to Dave and Aim, you guys are the best! Thanks for the comfortable friendship we share, we love you both!
We really enjoyed ourselves, and we are already figuring out where to go next.
First, a little background. Our wonderful friends David and Amy Powell invited us to go with them. David and I grew up in the same ward, and since junior high we have been friends. We have lots of fun memories, my favoirte is our entire Sunday School class (I think there were 12 or so of us) went to his house during Sunday School time, (long story, we scared off MANY teachers) and ate doughnuts on a regular basis.*gasp!* The jury is still out if our parents knew... David and I both went to Snow College, and since I had a car and he didn't, we spent many weekends driving back and forth together. One last note about David, his mom was one of my beloved Young Women leaders, and she made me promise that I would take good care of him while he was away from home.(I did..keep reading) Amy is my room-mate from Snow College. We had never met before then, but quickly realized we are "kindred spirits" and became life long friends. I of course made sure that they both met, and as they say.... the rest is history. David's room-mate happened to be Bartley, and we all have lived happily after.
We drove down to LA together, and laughed and talked the whole way. Thanks, Dave for all the driving! It was awe inspiring to finally get to the port and see the HUGE ship we were about to board.
Soon we were off! There are so many things to do and see... The ship had a miniature golf course at the back, on the top deck. Bart and I headed there for some fun! It was a little cold and windy, but we had a blast despite the weather!
Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas. Looked beautiful and quaint, but we happened to be lucky enough to be there during a rainy day. Apparently, it only rains on average three days a year. Bart and I took a tender and went to see what there is to see. We had fun walking in the rain...it wasn't cold just wet. The streets were flooded. We picked up some fun stuff for the kids and just enjoyed each other's company.
On our way we walked past an open air restaurant, (almost completely empty) and saw this little boat.
I jumped a little when we walked up to it and saw these.....
This was clear in my mind as the waiter cracked open the lobster tail at dinner the last night of the cruise....
This was our first sunset...breathtaking. Dave and Amy had a room with a balcony. Our room was conveniently right across the hall. They were very gracious and shared often their luxury. I highly recommend going on a cruse with friends who will share their balcony. All the benefits of the great view, with out the cost!
The next day the ship docked in Mazatlan. Bart and I tried to find an excursion that we both wanted to do, and could afford, but we just came up with nothing. The port is in an industrial and kind of scary area, with armed army soldiers everywhere. We decided walking around and finding an adventure may turn into a nightmare....so we stayed on the ship. It was fabulous! Most of the passengers got off the ship, the weather was fabulous, and so we took advantage of the peace and quiet and laid up on the deck, reading books, napping, and taking advantage of the yummy tropical(non-alcoholic) drinks available. AAAAHHH! it was fabulous. The above picture was my view from my lounge chair. 
This picture is just another view from my "perch" on the deck. Notice how empty all the chairs were! This was my favorite day! No worries, no demands, just me a good book and my best friend right there with me! It doesn't get any better!
Every night when we returned from dinner there was another "towel" animal sitting or hanging on our bed. This one was my favorite. Just another reason a cruise is so much fun!
The next day we arrived in Puerto Vallarta. We decided to go to a resort with a private beach. We traveled by bus to this resort, it was goregous! Green and well landscaped, with beautiful architecture.
The one downside was the rain! It poured for a few hours. We used the rain for an excuse and ate lunch while we hoped it would clear up some. I think I may want to come back to this resort someday. It was well cared for and beautiful as you can see!
Our last Mexican sunset.....
Once again a special thank you to Dave and Aim, you guys are the best! Thanks for the comfortable friendship we share, we love you both!
We really enjoyed ourselves, and we are already figuring out where to go next.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Christmas 2009
I know I am a little late, but for some reason our Christmas pictures were in a file marked "Summer/Fall 2009". Who would have thought that the Christmas pictures would be there...???
We had a lot of fun Christmas morning. The kids woke the parents up at 6:00AM sharp. They were full of excitement. Everyone but Lindsey. Santa had only left what looked like 2 presents for Lindsey. She and the other kids decided she must have been a bad girl. (It was kind of sad) As we opened our gifts, Lindsey found that Santa has a sense of humor. She had many presents to open because Santa gave her an Ipod in some nesting boxes. She opened one after another until she finally opened the last one that had her Ipod. Nathan was really excited to receive a BYU football jersey. Ashley was VERY happy with her keyboard.(so is her MOM!-Ashley can practice in her room with headphones-so happy!) Abbey was so sweet this year only asking for a present for our dog. She lucked out though, 'cause Santa brought her a Ninetendo DS. Maggey was the most satisfied. She said she knew what she had received before she opened the box for her American Girl doll. She just sighed a sigh of statisfaction after she opened all the American Girl suff that came along with her doll.
Hope you all had as much fun as we did!
We had a lot of fun Christmas morning. The kids woke the parents up at 6:00AM sharp. They were full of excitement. Everyone but Lindsey. Santa had only left what looked like 2 presents for Lindsey. She and the other kids decided she must have been a bad girl. (It was kind of sad) As we opened our gifts, Lindsey found that Santa has a sense of humor. She had many presents to open because Santa gave her an Ipod in some nesting boxes. She opened one after another until she finally opened the last one that had her Ipod. Nathan was really excited to receive a BYU football jersey. Ashley was VERY happy with her keyboard.(so is her MOM!-Ashley can practice in her room with headphones-so happy!) Abbey was so sweet this year only asking for a present for our dog. She lucked out though, 'cause Santa brought her a Ninetendo DS. Maggey was the most satisfied. She said she knew what she had received before she opened the box for her American Girl doll. She just sighed a sigh of statisfaction after she opened all the American Girl suff that came along with her doll.
Hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Happy Holidays-Family Update
Last year we posted our annual Christmas letter on our blog....and we had so many positive comments that we are doing it again this year.
2009 was a year full of new challenges for our family. We have truly been blessed, and as we look back we see that we have much to be grateful for this year.
ABBEY- is in 3rd grade. She loves school and is a good student. She played soccer for the first time this year and loved it! She turned eight and was baptized this year. She is a sweetheart, always willing to help and always the peacemaker.
MAGGEY-turned 10 on her birthday. She was so excited to reach double digits. She is her teacher's number one helper, and she just passed off all of her times tables 1-12, and her division facts 1-12. Quite an accomplishment since she is only the 3rd kid in her teacher's carreer (10 years or so) to do so. She too played soccer and loved it. She is very responsible, and usually is the first to do her chores, and most of the time without any reminders!
NATHAN-has changed the most in the last year. He has grown about 4 feet since last year (ok so maybe not quite that much, but it sure seems like it!) His great happiness this year is that he is taller than; one mom, both grandma's, two aunts and three sisters. He has left behind elementary school and is now attending junior high. He says, "I wish I had enjoyed more of my childhood while I was in elementary.." His favorite activity right now is a toss up between baseball, eating, BYU football and of course eating.
ASHLEY- is busy working on all of her musical talents. She started taking piano lessons again this year after a two year break. She has decided that practicing actually pays off! (YEA!) She is also in the top choir at the junior high and has an amazing alto voice. She is involved with an "extra " choir which practices only during student's free time. They sang recently at a Christmas concert and they stole the show! She is very responsible and helpful to those around her. We are constantly getting compliments about what a wonderful person she is. We agree!
LINDSEY-has had a big year this year as well. She has been to several school dances, and is quite happy to be part of the dating scene. She has her drivers license, and is enjoying the new freedom and responsibility. She runs errands for her mom all the time, picking up kids, running to the store... her mom LOVES it! This year as most of you know Lindsey was involved in a serious bus accident that took her teacher's life. (see previous posts) It has been a time of growth and reflection for her as well as our entire family. She continues to love marching band and is already looking forward to next season.
JEN-remains busy taking care of a busy family. It seems like our kids are growing up so fast now that I feel like I am missing it! When they were all little I wished that they were bigger, older more responsible, but now that they are bigger, older,and more responsible I am thinking, wait slow down, there is no rush.... They are my biggest blessing and my greatest joy! I have learned this year to treasure every moment and to always say "I love you". You just never know when your life can be turned upside down and inside out. I am still working as the Manager at Maple Village Apartments and still love my calling as Young Women President.
BARTLEY- is doing well. After three hospitalizations this year, he has been give as clean of a bill of health he can get. He is busy with his 5th grade class and his second job doing Customer Support from home for Tax Hawk. He is always chasing after the kids with me. He is a great dad, taking time with each kid on an individual basis. He continues to love his calling in the Bishopric. This year he decided (with my approval, sort of) to get the kids a dog. YEP, that's right a dog. His name is "Cooper". He's a beagle and a great dog. I'm not sure who is enjoying the dog more Bart or the kids??
As we look forward to 2010 we look forward to the blessings and challenges that lie ahead for our family. We have faith and confidence that the Lord will continue to bless us.
Love from our family to yours,
Bartley, Jen, Lindsey,Ashley, Nathan, Maggey and Abbey......and Cooper
2009 was a year full of new challenges for our family. We have truly been blessed, and as we look back we see that we have much to be grateful for this year.
ABBEY- is in 3rd grade. She loves school and is a good student. She played soccer for the first time this year and loved it! She turned eight and was baptized this year. She is a sweetheart, always willing to help and always the peacemaker.
MAGGEY-turned 10 on her birthday. She was so excited to reach double digits. She is her teacher's number one helper, and she just passed off all of her times tables 1-12, and her division facts 1-12. Quite an accomplishment since she is only the 3rd kid in her teacher's carreer (10 years or so) to do so. She too played soccer and loved it. She is very responsible, and usually is the first to do her chores, and most of the time without any reminders!
NATHAN-has changed the most in the last year. He has grown about 4 feet since last year (ok so maybe not quite that much, but it sure seems like it!) His great happiness this year is that he is taller than; one mom, both grandma's, two aunts and three sisters. He has left behind elementary school and is now attending junior high. He says, "I wish I had enjoyed more of my childhood while I was in elementary.." His favorite activity right now is a toss up between baseball, eating, BYU football and of course eating.
ASHLEY- is busy working on all of her musical talents. She started taking piano lessons again this year after a two year break. She has decided that practicing actually pays off! (YEA!) She is also in the top choir at the junior high and has an amazing alto voice. She is involved with an "extra " choir which practices only during student's free time. They sang recently at a Christmas concert and they stole the show! She is very responsible and helpful to those around her. We are constantly getting compliments about what a wonderful person she is. We agree!
LINDSEY-has had a big year this year as well. She has been to several school dances, and is quite happy to be part of the dating scene. She has her drivers license, and is enjoying the new freedom and responsibility. She runs errands for her mom all the time, picking up kids, running to the store... her mom LOVES it! This year as most of you know Lindsey was involved in a serious bus accident that took her teacher's life. (see previous posts) It has been a time of growth and reflection for her as well as our entire family. She continues to love marching band and is already looking forward to next season.
JEN-remains busy taking care of a busy family. It seems like our kids are growing up so fast now that I feel like I am missing it! When they were all little I wished that they were bigger, older more responsible, but now that they are bigger, older,and more responsible I am thinking, wait slow down, there is no rush.... They are my biggest blessing and my greatest joy! I have learned this year to treasure every moment and to always say "I love you". You just never know when your life can be turned upside down and inside out. I am still working as the Manager at Maple Village Apartments and still love my calling as Young Women President.
BARTLEY- is doing well. After three hospitalizations this year, he has been give as clean of a bill of health he can get. He is busy with his 5th grade class and his second job doing Customer Support from home for Tax Hawk. He is always chasing after the kids with me. He is a great dad, taking time with each kid on an individual basis. He continues to love his calling in the Bishopric. This year he decided (with my approval, sort of) to get the kids a dog. YEP, that's right a dog. His name is "Cooper". He's a beagle and a great dog. I'm not sure who is enjoying the dog more Bart or the kids??
As we look forward to 2010 we look forward to the blessings and challenges that lie ahead for our family. We have faith and confidence that the Lord will continue to bless us.
Love from our family to yours,
Bartley, Jen, Lindsey,Ashley, Nathan, Maggey and Abbey......and Cooper
Monday, November 9, 2009
AF MARCHING BAND
Just a short update......American Fork Marching Band won the Utah State Championship on Friday, then went on to win the Western Regional Competition on Saturday! Way to GO!!! We are proud as parents of Lindsey for all the hard work that has gone into this show, (they started in April). These kids have been through a lot of emotion in the last 4 weeks, and they truly triumphed at these last 2 competitions.
One other reason for this post.....the band needs YOUR help. They have been invited to attend the Bands of America Grand National Competition in Indainapolis for the national championship. They may have a chance to place, right now they are ranked 10th in the nation:)!They need to raise $250,000 in the next few days......the smallest donations will help a lot. So to all of our family and friends, please see what you can do!
One other reason for this post.....the band needs YOUR help. They have been invited to attend the Bands of America Grand National Competition in Indainapolis for the national championship. They may have a chance to place, right now they are ranked 10th in the nation:)!They need to raise $250,000 in the next few days......the smallest donations will help a lot. So to all of our family and friends, please see what you can do!
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