The Chantry Six

Miss Scarlet in the kitchen with the candlestick

2012-01-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

So a big 'Thank you!" to my brother and his wife who sent this for Christmas.

It has become a family favorite in the short time it has been in our house! We have played lots and everyone really gets into it. There have been lots of discussions about strategy, lessons on logic and not giving away extra information with the things you say during a game, and lots of little silly moments too.

For example, the other night we were playing. Everyone was playing except Megan and by chance all six pieces for the game ended up in the ball room at the same time. Brian was arranging the pieces as someone made heir suggestion. All of the sudden he chants, "Peel the banana!" and starts moving the pieces around. what he had done was make the six pieces copy the Virginia Reel that Nathan and the fourth grade had performed. "Peel the Banana" is one of the square dance calls that made the kids laugh extra hard. The kids thought dad was so funny and helped him dance the other pieces around the ball room. Then we got back to the game.

A Visit with Santa Claus

2012-01-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

On New Years' Eve day we had the annual Christmas party with our extended Chantry family. The best part for the kids was their visit with Santa Claus. They are old enough now to look forward to this every year. I love how they each climb right up on his lap with big smiles.

I also love to see the joy that Brian's Grandpa gets from dressing up for the kids. It must be hard to change in and out of that suit (and to do it for relatively little time), but he never complains or even grumbles. He is just so excited. And even when little babies aren't so thrilled to sit on his lap, he is OK with that. The parents usually hold their kids and sit next to him and he just talks to them and is so cute. I loved this year when he held out his hand to a nervous Russell, and Russell gave him five.

Thank you Grandpa! We lve you and your willingness to continue this special tradition.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T16:53:00.000-08:00

Dearest Family and Friends,
Another year has come and gone. At the Chantry house we are in the midst of our Christmas celebrations and are enjoying this beautiful season of joy. It has been a wonderful year and we reflect on it with gratitude. Here is a short recap.
Megan has turned five and started kindergarten. She still loves animals and makes us smile each and every day. Mike is seven and in second grade. He loves math and is always amazing us with his arithmetic skills. Nathan is nine, in fourth grade and continuing to be an enthusiastic and diligent Bear scout. Liz is ten and in fifth grade (we can’t believe it either) and is still as creative as ever. Our kids keep us laughing and keep us on our toes, but we are especially grateful for the love they have for each other and for all they do to help each other. It is wonderful to watch.

Jen spent the greater part of the year working with the ten-year-old Webelos scouts, but since September has been working with the 12 and 13 year old young women at church. It has been a bit of a change, but is really wonderful. She attended Wood Badge scout training this fall and had an incredible experience. Perhaps our most exciting news of the year is that Brian has started a new job. He was asked to become an Associate Registrar. It is a job with new responsibilities, new people and a new location on campus. It has been a great blessing and we are excited for his future there.

We are looking forward to an extra special Christmas day as we get to celebrate Christ’s birth on the Sabbath. We are grateful for the infinite love of our Heavenly Father who sent His Son to this earth to make it possible for us to return to Him someday.

May you all feel the peace this season brings.

Love, The Chantrys

Christmas came early for Brian

2011-11-28T15:56:00.001-08:00

So Brian's drill has been on its last leg for a while now, or rather his batteries have been. They just couldn't hold a charge and the drill didn't ever have power behind it. While working on a project he tried something to give it more power and it all ended up dying. So the other day, when he needed to fix something around the house for me I sent him out to get himself a new drill. I am very excited that he got such nice ones and I am sure they will be put to good use for years to come!

Christmas came early for Jen

2011-11-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! This wonderful appliance was delivered to my kitchen this morning.

We have never bought a fridge before and have no idea how old the one is that has been with us since we moved into this house. We have been worried that it was on its last leg, and so we have been saving for a new one. We did a lot of looking as we saved, and became more serious about getting one in the last month or so. We saw this online for an incredible price and took advantage of it. We had to rearrange the computer area just a bit and trim a few inches off of the counter top to the left of the fridge, but it fit just right.

It is so clean and bright inside. I almost hate to put stuff in it. It also has tons of room! Brian and the kids are excited about water and ice in the door. That is not a deal breaker for me, but I do know that it will come in handy. Brian will get the water line hooked up soon.

I feel so very lucky! And it is here just in time for the holidays.

Halloween is here

2011-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

So anyone that knows me probably knows that Halloween is not really my favorite holiday, but a few things have happened this year that have made Halloween special/easier/more fun.

1- My mom sent this table cloth to me. It is a table cloth that she would always put on the our table at Halloween time when I was young, and I have always loved it. I also love that we have a simple decoration and I didn't have to make it. (Also we bought some pumpkins and gourds for the table. Some are real and some are fake, but they are all fun.)

2- I didn't have to do any sewing for Halloween costumes. I actually really enjoy the dress up part of Halloween, once the work is done and this year I didn't really have any work to do. So nice!

Mike and Nathan opted for Luigi and Mario. And it worked out nice because some friends did this last year and let us borrow all of the little accessories.

And here is the inspiration for this next picture.

At first Megan wanted to be an M&M. I was OK with that. It wouldn't be hard to do. But when she changed her mind to Ariel I was thrilled. We have one of those costumes, and even a cute purple hair flower with pearls in the center it. "Mermaid . . . ocean . . . pearls . . . get it?" (Direct quote from the mermaid herself.)

And my leotard fit Liz this year. Then with the cute jacket and pants she got for her birthday and some of the medals from my last meet she is certainly a gymnast. And she and Molly once again dress up as the same thing for Halloween.

And speaking of Molly, here she is with the cute little treat bag that I made. And here are the little treats that Liz has made for her doll. Liz is so creative. (The smarties in the top left are my favorite. It is a striped piece of paper rolled up and then covered in plastic as a wrapper. So cute!)

3- I took these Halloween pictures of the kids last Friday, on a day that we had no school and no sort of Halloween celebration. It is always less stressful to get the pictures when we aren't in a rush to get somewhere. (I love this picture, especially how Liz really looks like a little gymnast. And she almost looks taller than Nathan, and he has shoes on. It might be time to measure those two again!)

4- And since I didn't have to do any costume sewing I was actually excited to make these Trick-or-Treat bags. I love how they turned out and I LOVE that now I can get rid of those awful plastic pumpkins that take up my entire crawl space for the whole year.

Here's to another Halloween season. We have a couple of fun celebrations this weekend and then a fun Halloween evening planned. It will be fun!

F is for fall, fun, family, five and fantastic

2011-10-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic day yesterday! As part of my personal goals to complete Wood Badge I had to do a five mile hike with a map and compass. We loaded the entire family up and went hiking at Big Springs (just past South fork, up Provo Canyon). We enjoyed a beautiful, clear fall day. There were many gorgeous views throughout the hike. We planned about five or six hours, knowing that many of our participants have little legs. The kids did great and we finished in 3 horus and fifteen minutes. There were some very steep parts, but many pleasantly easy portions of the trail as well. Despite the challenges I think we all had a lot of fun!

Here are a couple of the views we saw on our hike. I love the snow capped peak behind the slope of many colors.

Mike loved following my map.

Liz counted the many colors of leaves that she saw.

Nathan had his compass too. He even learned a bit how to use it.

Megan had a turn with the map too. She was so proud and she did great. She really is a trooper.

And here is proof that I was on the hike. It really was a great day.

Personal Progress

2011-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

I was called as the 2nd Counselor in the Young Women's presidency in our ward only nine months after starting my work with the Webelos aged scouts in our pack. I love Cub Scouting, and Scouting in general. Over the last four years I have learned more about scouts than i ever thought possible and I came to understand that I want scouts to be important in our house because of what it will help my boys become.

As a scout leader I decided to attend Wood Badge, an advanced leadership training for adults. I was so excited, and a little nervous, for this new experience. A little ironically, I started my first three days at Wood Badge the same week I was called into the Young Women's program. Wood Badge was incredible; I learned so many things that will be valuable to me not only in any scouting I do, but also as a mom and a YW leader.

One of my Wood Badge tickets is work (on my own and with the girls in my class) on Personal Progress.

I HAVE LOVED THIS EXPERIENCE!

Personal Progress has changed a lot since I was a teenager. The theme has been added to twice and a new value has joined the seven I learned at the age of 12. And now there is so much available online. You can keep track of what you have done, record thoughts in an online journal, and even mark and annotate scripture verses online. IT IS AMAZING!

As I have read scriptures, conference talks and articles I have gained insights, have have learned things I should improve on and I have felt the Spirit teach me.

Personal Progress is an inspired program. I am excited for my own daughters to become Young Women and to have the amazing experience of learning, growing and progressing.

Allergies and the bus

2011-09-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

The day that I hoped would never come, but deep down knew it would, came on Monday. I got a call from the school that Mike was having an allergic reaction to nuts. Megan and I headed down right away. He is fine (we treated it with Benadryl and brought him home early), but this is the worst reaction he has had since the first one over five years ago. The swelling under his eyes was purple and blotchy and just sad to see. The worst part for me was that he was so sad and scared that they would need to use the epipen. It was really wonderful to just hold him on my lap and help him know that it was all going to be just fine.

As much as we like to eliminate any worry from our lives, this experience was valuable for a number of reasons.

1- Mike (who is ultra careful because of his fear of the epipen) now has an experience that he remembers. I hope he remembers how things felt so that he can ask for help in the future, and also he has had an experience where things turned out OK. We want him to be cautious, not scared.

2- We have been able to work out a few kinks in how the school handles his situation. The medication will be kept in a different place now, the lunch situation has been adjusted some to keep Mike safer and everyone has a better idea of what should be done if this happens again.

3- I have an even greater respect for Mike's teacher at school. I know that she will do anything to take care of Michael, and it is wonderful to have that level of trust for someone who spends a large portion of the day with my child. (and she even had a great way to cheer him up once the whole experience was over!)

4- I am more aware again. I have become a little complacent as year after year has gone by without any problems. I forget the epipen A LOT when we are out and about. I am more vigilant once again, and that is important.

I feel so very blessed that all is well!

Also the bussing situation finally got figured out! Megan was a little hesitant as she headed out with the big kids for the first time, but by the time she rode home this is what she looked like.

Yep, she's a pro now!

The big kids are all used to it, and I am so grateful that we have this, especially once the weather starts to get really cold and really icky!

California: A Special treat

2011-08-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

So we jsut got back from a wonderful trip to California. The trip was mostly about seeing Jen's family and being their for her sister's wedding, but we took the chance as we were passing through Ontario to stop and have dinner with Brian's Grandma and his aunts. We went to IHOP and it just so happened that the kids ate free! Afterwards, Grandma DuVall had surprises for the kids. These dogs are well loved and were a favorite part of our trip. Thanks Grandma!

Brian and his Grandma.

Me and Brian with Grandma. We sure wish we could see her more and hope that it isn't another two years before it happens again.

Random Pictures from summer

2011-08-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying of few of these every day for the last week or so. They are so good!Nathan enjoying his chemistry set. He thought this little bit of fizzing was much cooler once Brian explained he was breaking apart molecules and making new ones. Science is so fun!

Mike playing in a big bucket of water by the pool at Grandma and Grandpa Chantry's house. He ws so funny.

Megan fell asleep on teh drive last time when we went to Ogden. When we arrived and said she had slept she said, "No, I was just quiet."

Liz's in her new dress for aunt Michelle's wedding. It is even more beautiful in person. Can't wait for pictures of all fo the little girls.

Movie Stars

2011-07-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

So while the kids were at Brian's parent's house for a week, his mom helped them to make a movie. The idea came to here earlier this summer and they had a great time carrying out her plan. The kids had such a great time and this weekend we were able to get the digital file. I spent today getting it edited and "just right". So here it is. The Chantry kids' first movie.

PRESENTING

THE TWINKIE SNATCHER

Stake Pioneer Day Celebration

2011-07-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today was our Stake Primary Pioneer day celebration. They keep it simple, but it is sure fun. It is worth getting up early on a Saturday morning. The children all sang a Primary Pioneer song, and after the prayer, Nathan led the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the children paraded around the Stake Center. It is just the right length of time.

Liz and her friend Taya.

Nathan marching in the parade.

Megan and Eden

Taya and Liz

This was at the end, Michael is doing more running, than marching, but he knows that the fire truck is waiting.

Nathan enjoys this part to the fullest. The fire fighters sprayed into the air and the children loved running around and getting wet. Here are my two favorite pictures of Nathan. You can just tell how much he is enjoying himself.

Michael didn't really want to get wet, but we walked over tot he pumper truck. He loved looking at the controls on the side of the truck. Then a firefighter asked him if he wanted to sit inside. Mike was in heaven.

The fire fighter was pointing out their backpacks and other equipment. This sure made Michael's day.

Mike liked playing in the puddles once the water was turned off. There was a pretty good sized one, perfect for splashing.
The girls preferred eating popsicles and staying dry. They looked so cute in teh bonnets, even though they were a little bit big.

Dry Canyon Hike

2011-07-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, I really don't love hiking. But I want to love hiking. I figure the best way to love it is to keep doing it. Right now I am in the tolerate stage. I tolerate a hike, but when I have completed it I am ALWAYS glad I did it.

Anyway, Brian is such a sport and yesterday evening we went hiking. The kids are with their Grandma and Grandpa and so we could just go on our schedule. We went up to the Dry Canyon Trail Head and went on a hike I took my webelos scouts on a few weeks ago.

This is part way up, looking back towards where we came from. There are a few really sttep parts near the start of the trail, and just when I thought it would level out again there was another steep stretch, but we made it.
The trail curved around, and this is looking back at Timp. We wanted to do that hike today, but it is still covered in too much snow. Maybe next year.

These aren't great pictures, but this was our destination. There is a bit of a clearing where someone has made a shelter out of old logs and branches. There is a fire pit. (The 10-13 year old boys thought this was pretty cool when we were here before. It wasn't quite as thrilling for Brian.)

There were a few spots on the hike that gave us an amazing view of the valley. This picture does not do it justice. I wish I was better at picking out landmarks from up high..

We saw a deer on the way up, and again on teh way back. We are not sure if it is the same one, but we got a really good shot of it on the way back. It looked right at us. I could kind of see it at the time, but I love pictures because it helps me get a better idea of what Brian (or others) could see. I love the zoom lens for my camera!

OK, so I guess I don't just tolerate hiking. I do enjoy it, especially when I am with Brian and when we can just go at our own pace. It is wonderful to enjoy a bit of nature just a few minutes from our home.

Megan has some new friends

2011-07-01T10:11:00.001-07:00

The other day Megan saw a bag of stuffed animals in the top of the boys' closet. They are my Winnie the Pooh characters that I received as gifts in high school and college, and I love them, but don't really have a place for them right now. She wanted to play with them, so I pulled them down. Later on I saw her in the living room. The characters were all lined up and she was singing songs and telling them stories. I even heard her say, "Silly old bear."

So cute! I love this kid!

Our Garden

2011-06-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

So this year we finally started a garden. Brian and the kids built the boxes in February and we filled them with the right soil in early March, so we had no excuse to not plant. We planted some peas outside in March and planted some more fragile plants inside our house at that time. The pease did well, but growing plants inside was . . . a fiasco. The last straw was when a child accidentlaly bumped into them and everything dumped out. It didn't matter, we picked up some tomato plants in late May and put them in the garden. From here on out, that is probably what we will do.

Here our are two garden boxes with a good variety of plants growing.

Here are the two squares of radishes. Megan REALLY wanted to plant radishes and she was a little generous with the tiny seeds. We thinned and thinned and still ended up with tons. They were also the first veggie ready to pick and eat. See how proud she is of her radish. (A friend told me that our nice cool spring led to them being really sweet. Once it heated up outside, the radishes got really spicy.)

I must say, this is what I am most excited about. I love peas right from the garden. They are so sweet. And our pea plants grew huge, so hopefully we will get lots all summer long.

Yum!

More produce and pictures to come. I think we might actually get a carrot. I have never had a carrot right from my garden before, and it is really looking promising

Liz's trick

2011-06-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Liz is so proud of this trick! She wasn't able to show it to Grandma Call during her visit, so we recorded it and are posting it here.

Rest assured Grandmas that after the events of early June Liz has agreed to not do this trick anymore. :-)

No more pencils, no more books . . .

2011-06-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

So school ended on Friday. But it was much too chilly for our annual water party/BBQ with our friends. So this year we picked the kids up and walked the additional four blocks to a really fun park. (on a side note, this brought back memories of our 1st or second summer living in our house. This same friend and I decided to walk to this park. Between us we had five children, ages 3 and under. WE put two in my double stroller and the big three in the wagon. And we did all of the work getting us there and home. This trip was much easier!) We played and had a picnic. It was a perfect morning and a great way to celebrate the end of another great year!

Megan, loving the slide

Liz and Nathan showed off some skills they honed at recess. (another side note, I am glad I am not their to watch them at recess. I know they are strong and confident, but I prefer to watch this kind of thing knowing that it is their 100th time, not the first.)

This picture of Mike absolutely cracks me up!

Not sure what was going on with Nathan's expression here.the girls hanging out with friends.
Mike and his buddy
The whole crew - Our friends are moving soon. Luckily it isn't too far and hopefully we can continue some form of this tradition next year.

This pretty much sums up our spring . . .

2011-05-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, it has been a rainy one. There has been so much water. And except for a small leak in the roof (that Brian was able to take care of quickly) it isn't such a bad deal. We finally bought an umbrella this weekend because I knew we would need to be riding the bus on days that it was supposed to be wet, and I am so glad we did. Megan really liked holding the umbrella, which was fine with me because the bus stops were covered!

On the positive side, our flowers, vegetables and grass are looking very good!

BYU Baseball

2011-05-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

Brian got an email in March offering free season tickets for BYU baseball. We thought it would be great to get the tickets and to spend a few evenings out in the beautiful spring weather watching some baseball. Well, thanks to our crazy Utah spring every game in April was rainy or snowy. But we finally made it to a game on Friday evening and we had a great time.

The kids before teh game. They got more excited once we actually saw people playing baseball.

Megan counting the seats in our row while we waited for the game to start.

Mike, Nathan and Liz watching the players warm up.

With every hit the boys would watch intently to see if it would go over the fence.

We saw a few home runs.

Hooray for home runs!

Liz and Megan weren't really into the whole baseball thing. (it is hard to follow when you can't see the ball.) But they had a great time anyway. Liz was so cute and would dance around to the fun songs they played between innings and they laughed at the funny sound effects when the players hit foul balls.

I just love this picture of Nathan. He is a pretty intense kid.

It was a beautiful night for baseball!

Oh, yeah, BYU won 13-3!

Happy Hunting

2011-05-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I woke up to snow covering the ground I decided to finally post these Easter pictures. We had an egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter. It was fun to be with Brian's family. Dad and Grandpa did a great job hiding eggs for the kids. They each had their own color to find and had so much fun finding them. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. Needless to say, we had a grea time.

2011-04-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met up with the kids' Chantry cousins down here in Orem to have a professional cousin picture taken. Our goal was to surprise Brian's parents with a picture of all of their grandkids in honor of their upcoming anniversary. Well, it was a surprise and I think they were really pleased.

I couldn't have been more thrilled with how well it all turned out.

6 kids, 6 kids looking at the camera, 6 kids with nice expressions on their faces

that is quite an accomplishment

Then to get pictures of the boys and girls separately was so fun too!

I loved that they did some groupings of my kids too.

And they did individual shots of all of the kids.

The whole process was kind of long, and I was worried about how all of the kids would do, but they were all GREAT! Chloe and Russell were darling and it was so fun that the whole day was so successful. These are just a handful of the many, many pictures they took. What a great memory we now have!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

2011-04-17T09:31:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of the beautiful afternoon yesterday to spend some time outside. We went to the big field behind the elementary school flew kites (though you probably figured that out from the title of the post.) I took a few pictures, and here is one favorite of each kid.

We had such a wonderful time and it felt good to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. I could take days like this any day.

SPRING break and Vitamin D

2011-04-11T13:09:00.001-07:00

So Spring break is here, and it looks like spring might be here too. We had some snow over the weekend, but nothing stuck around long, so that is nice. Today is gorgeous! The sun is shining, the sky is blue and the mountains was covered in white. When Megan got home from preschool we ate some lunch and then went across the street to soak up some sun and help our bodies produce Vitamin D. We had a great time and now the kids are reading, or in Megan's case, sleeping.

Birthday Week: Part 5

2011-04-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

We had our final birthday celebration with Jen's mom and dad the evening that they arrived. The girls were so excited to finaly unveil the surprises they had been waiting for.

Liz was up first!

She loved the canvas and palette for when she paints. They will be put to good use.

She is obviously excited about something at the bottom of the bag.
She recognized the American girl box immediately (though it is hard to miss).

She loved the little socks for Molly.
You can't really get a good look at the dress, but it is a light green with white polka dots and is so cute!
Megan was up next, and she was at her cheesiest when it came to smiling!

The smiles were a little more natural once she actually started opening the present.

She just kept saying, "A horse, it's a horse, it's a horse.)

I wanted a picture of her with her horse, but she couldn't take her eyes off of it. I think this picture shows her excitement really well.

She loves making the gate and helping her horse jump over it. It is so cute to watch her play with it. It is even cuter to watch her haul it around the house.

We finished the evening with very professional looking cupcakes (If I do say so myself). Purple is Liz's favorite color and green is Megan's.

Birthday week was finished when Dad taught us to play our new game, Pandemic. I am hooked!

Birthday week: Parts 1-4

2011-03-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Part 1 -

Birthday week started the Friday before Megan's birthday. She invited 9 friends to come for an afternoon of puppy fun (8 came). That morning we were finishing last minute preparations and she kept saying, "This is going to be the best party ever!" That is when all of the work doesn't matter, because I know she is just so happy. Here's the cake. It wasn't too hard, and I think it turned out OK.

Megan with her puppy ears by the bean bag toss game. This was another big hit with her.

Here is the whole group after our "Pin the tag on the collar" game. They were so cute to watch and loved all of the funny places that the tags ended up.

Megan opened many wonderful presents and oohed and aahed with each one. It was so fun to watch the kids get so excited about giving a present and Megan was very specific about what she loved about each gift. When the bubble container was green she said, "Did you know green is my favorite color?" For a coloring book, "It's Rapunzel! I saw the movie Tangled and I love it." When she opened a t-shirt with a horse on it she squealed and said, "I love horses so much!" [Incidentally, the little girl who brought her the shirt was at the store when I bought the present from Mom and Dad for Megan (a horse) and we talked for a bit. I think it is neat she remembered.] It was just so cute. All of it.

Here's Meg when we sang to her. She was thrilled. And she did a great job blowing out the candles.

Part 2 -

Megan's actual birthday began with sharing cookies at preschool, and a doughnut at the Cougareat with Mom before riding the bus home. Megan also chose hot dogs for dinner. We added olives and green punch because she loves those things too.

Part 3 -

Liz had a great birthday. She woke up to find the book "Happy Birthday Molly" on her dresser. I wanted her to have a surprise on her actual birthday. She chose mozzarella cheese sticks for her birthday. We made them and they were so good! We had them with pizza and they were a hit. Thanks for the great request Liz!

Part 4 -

Our annual Chantry March birthday party was a hit. Jen's Grandma and Grandpa Call, and Grandma Houghton, Brian's parents and two of his brothers (with their wives and one little one each) were all there. It was fun to see everyone and the girls were so excited for everything.

Megan was up first and started with opening cards.

Then a bag full of goodies from Grandma and Grandpa Chantry.

Inside was a cute bag full of art supplies. Markers, crayons, paper, stencils, stickers . . .

Putting it all to good use right away.

Now presents from Mom and Dad. First a cute pillow and window valence for her room.

And a CD player (so Liz can have hers back.)

Here she is with her fun stuff for her room (and horse wall stickers from Chantrys. Those are a hit too!)

Then it was Liz's turn and she was more than ready.

She was also thrilled with the bag of art supplies from Grandma and Grandpa Chantry. This girl cannot get enough paper.

She was also very surprised with a new comforter and sheets from Mom and Dad.

Here she is showing off her new bedding. So cute. She is also wearing the pants and jacket set that mom saw and couldn't leave at the store. They will be for Halloween this year too when she wears mom's first leotard from when she was 10.Liz also loved her Molly sleeping bag that mom made. And Molly slept so well.

Cake time: Liz wanted a fairy cake. This is what mom came up with.

Liz waiting while we sang.

Blowing out the candles: This is getting harder and harder.

Lest you think that Brian and I forgot about our birthdays, we didn't. Brian surprised me with some knitting supplies (I have been wanting to learn) and this

I am so excited. I can't believe how he spoiled me.

I surprised his with a new Britta pitcher so our water can taste nice and fresh.

And we chose Cafe Rio for our birthday dinner. :-) (Thanks for te gift card Don and Sue!)

We also received a new game from Jen's mom and dad. It came today, just in time for their trip to visit (and play with) us. We love games.

Part 5 comes later tonight when we celebrate with Jen's parents. The girls can't wait. They have seen the wrapped boxes for days and the cupcakes are ready.

Thank you all for the many birthday wishes sent out way!

Being a mom makes me happy

2011-03-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine linked to this article on facebook.

http://segullah.org/daily-special/parenting-and-happiness/

As I read I wondered how I really feel about being a parent. I decided that parenting makes me happy.

Yes, parenting is hard. There are sleepless nights with infants and tantrums with toddlers. There is juggling the schedules and activities of school-aged kids, along with caring for our home. And I am only entering the tween years. I am sure there is more hard stuff to come.

Yes, being a mom has brought worries. Is this cough something serious? Are my children eating enough? What if Michael has an allergic reaction at school and I am not there to help and comfort? Will my kids do what they have been taught? Will they be safe?

Yes, being a mom sometimes is stressful. This week, in addition to the usual homework and piano, we have activity days for Liz, Pack meeting for Nathan, 3 trips to Provo to get Megan at school and two birthday parties with two different cakes. (I admit a lot of the stress I feel throughout the year is brought on by myself. I want to make birthdays and holidays special, even if that means extra stress-adding work like cake decorating and sewing projects that I really don't know how to do as well as I would like.)

But despite all of this, some of my greatest joys have come from being a mother. I wish I was more gifted with words so I could describe it better, but there is nothing like hearing your baby say, "Mama." There is nothing like watching your child learn something new and show it off with a huge grin. There is nothing like watching your child work hard and then succeed, and to see the joy and pride they feel in their accomplishment. There is nothing like watching your child have fun and find joy in the little things they experience in life. There is nothing like getting hugs and kisses.

There is nothing like seeing your child make good decisions like choosing to be baptized, or hearing them share a scripture story. There is nothing like watching their happiness as they serve others, at home or abroad. And there is nothing like hearing them bear their testimony and feeling the powerful Spirit that comes from them knowing and believing what they are saying is true.

In short, all of the good definitely outweighs the bad.

In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi chapter 2 specifically, we learn about the necessity of opposition. We cannot understand the good unless we have experienced the bad. We cannot understand joy if we have not had sadness.

So, while the article above quotes studies that say that people with children feel more negative emotions like worry or sadness, I know that for me these times have better helped me to recognize and feel the joy that comes from being a mom. I am grateful for the role of mothers in our Heavenly Father's plan for his children* and I am thankful for my part in that plan. It was ten years ago this week that I became a mother, and I am grateful that I can be one for the rest of this life and the rest of eternity.

*http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng

Above: April 2006

Below: September 2010

I love these kids!

Cranford

2011-03-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is a movie we saw for the first time in the last week. We got the first of two discs from Netflix last week and watched the first three episodes. We enjoyed it an looked forward to the last two episodes on disc 2. So it came Tuesday, we settled down with our Cadbury mini eggs and most of the way through episode 4 it started skipping. We tried not to care about the little bits we missed and picked up where the disc would play OK. But then during the last episode, right when there has been an explosion and the doctors need to perform an amputation and another character is fighting for life, the disc skips to the very last scene. So we turned it off and requested a new disc.

We were able to watch it on Thursday. Everything made more sense when we saw all of the little parts we missed. We really enjoyed the movie, though it is probably not one we would watch very often (like Pride and Prejudice).

This image is from a part in the fourth episode. This is the young doctor who has fallen in love with a young lady in Cranford, he has spoken with her father about Courting her and someday marrying her. But for funny and random reasons there are two older ladies who think they have earned his affections and have formed imaginary engagements in their heads. It all comes out at a picnic and this is his expression when these ladies come forward. It made me laugh so hard. He really was innocent and so confused about what was going on.
I don't want to give away the end too much, but I was pleased with how everything turned out.

Family History is Yummy

2011-03-08T06:28:00.001-08:00

Last summer at a family reunion, Brian's great aunt Wanda told us a story about her mom. Brian's great grandma worked at a factory canning fruits and vegetables. Apparently there was an off season, and at this time she tried to find a way to provide for her family. Long story short, she started making doughnuts and Brian's grandpa and aunts and uncles would deliver them and sell them. It was so fun to hear this story and Wanda said that she found the original hand written recipe that Grandma Byer used. And she had made doughnuts for us to enjoy. They were delicious.

Brian's great uncle Richard, our family historian scanned the recipe and sent it to all of us. We finally got around to making a batch last night.

I don't think Grandma had a mixer like this to make her doughnuts, and she made a lot more than one batch at a time.

Brian did a great job cooking them in the oil, and testing them to make sure they were OK.

Once we had a plate full the kids were more than ready to taste them.

They are delicious, even with nothing on them. I can't wait to try them again!

I can't believe it is March

2011-03-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

January and February have passed so quickly. We didn't have many BIG things going on, but plenty of normal, every day things that kept the time passing nicely.

It has been fun to watch the kids. They are growing up so fast and learning so many new things and they are just FUN! I love spending time with them and i love just hearing them play with each other and laugh.

Yesterday Megan was doing her chore (wiping down the drawer and cabinet fronts in the kitchen). I was reading in the living room. I heard her singing "Scrub scrub scrub, scrub dee dub, scrub scrub scrub, scrub dee dub." It was too cute.

Brian built some garden boxes so we can really try our hand at gardening this year. There are two boxes, 4 by 6 feet each. We filled them with a special soil mixture and divded them into square foot sections. Now we just need to wait until St. Pattie's Day to start planting some peas. I am really excited.

Here are a few pictures fo things that we have done over the last ocuple of months.

MEgan and I made pumpkin bread on a day she didn't have school but the other kids did. She learned about kitchen tools (and garden tools and plumbing tools and fix it tools) at preschool and she loves being a tool helper).

Michael is LOVING his puzzle from Aunt Michelle that he got for Christmas. He needed help once, but now puts it together all by himself.

The fourth grade had a program about Utah's history. Liz was so excited to dress up.

Nathan's Pack went to a basketball game at UVU. The boys had a lot of fun with the mascot, but Nathan was most interested in teh basketball. What a fun kid!

Another Christmas present. Mike liked helping dad put together this dragon.

Nathan earned his Religious Knot at Blue and Gold in February.

We had Megan's pictures taken in preparation for her birthday.

I am making a photo book for Liz that goes along with a song I used to sing as a young women. It talks about finding peace through Jesus Christ, especially as we follow his example. This is a picture I love. I love it so much because, even though it is posed, it is true to life. Liz is such a wonderful influence on our home. She has great love for her sisters and brothers and is so helpful and so willing to show that love. What a wonderful young lady she is growing into.

Anyway, March is a big month at our house. Along with all of our normal crazy busy stuff, Liz and Nathan have piano festival this weekend, then we have a week of birthdays and visitors (wonderful visitors) coming at the end of the month. I can hardly wait!

Christmas Break

2011-01-05T12:17:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas break was really nice. Brian was home for the full two weeks that the kids had off of school. Mostly we were just home, but we had some adventures.

1 - The BYU Museum of Art is having a Carl Bloch exhibit. It was incredible to take the kids to see the huge paintings of the Savior. It was fun for them because they recognized many of the paintings. There was a quotation from Carl Bloch on the wall as you walked into the exhibit that I really loved. "God helps me - that's what I think, and then I am calm." What a great thought! It is something we can all remember, no matter what we are doing. A Danish writer, speaking of Bloch said, "He dipped his paintbrush in his heart." I loved the imagery created by this statement, but it meant a lot more on the heals of Blochs quotation. It was easy to see what was in Bloch's heart.

2 - The Tuesday before Christmas we woke up to about 9 inches of snow. Brian and I went to the temple and by the time we got home there were a couple of more inches. Brian and the kids played outside. I took my usual position (on the porch with the camera.)

3 - (No pictures of this) - Brian hurt his hand. Instacare cleaned it all up nice, bandaged it and said to keep the bandages on for a week. Needless to say we were glad that Christmas projects were done. The week between Christmas and New Years' was a challenge and not much sleep was had, especially by Brian, but we made it through and things are looking better and better (not that I have looked at it).

4 - Wii, Wii and more Wii - Between Sports Resort, MarioKart and High School Musical Dancing and singing everyone could find something they really loved playing. (mom likes Wii Fit Plus best, but we don't have pictures of that.)

MarioKart Wiiiiiiiiiiiii

Nathan and Mike like Swordplay Showdown

HSM Sing It - Liz is pretty good!

Luckily there is a game with a dog for Megan. She doesn't really care about the Frisbee part.

5 - Family - We enjoyed two weekends in a row with Chantry family. It was fun to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We wish we could have seen members of the Call side of the family, but that will come this summer!

This week was back to school for the big kids. Megan goes back Monday. She and I have been having fun. She helped me bake pumpkin bread for scouts yesterday and today we have been been learning a little about reading. She has been so much fun! I still can't believe how grown up she is.

Grandpa and Grandma Chantry

2011-01-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

We got this really cute picture of the kids and Brian's parents yesterday. It was fun to spend Christmas Day with them and a few days to celebrate the New Year. We appreciate all they do for us.

Can you believe that this was the first shot? Everyone happy, everyone looking at the camera, no weird faces . . .

Christmas at Chantrys

2010-12-29T18:45:00.001-08:00

We woke up Christmas morning at about 8:00 (the kids had let us sleep that long, and it was much appreciate) and found that Santa had been here and been very generous. That is for another. This post is what happened after our calm, relaxing and fun Christmas morning at home. After the traditional toaster waffles (still unsure of why this is so thrilling for the kids, but they insist) we headed up to Ogden. Grandma and Grandpa Chantry and all of our Chantry family were there and we had a grand "opening of the presents" there. It was fun to give the gifts that we have been preparing and to see the surprises that Grandma and Grandpa have been planning and making for a long time. We sure appreciate Grandma and Grandpa so much.

The boys got very cool robots

After enjoying Tangled so much at Thanksgiving, Grandma though the girls would love these toys. They do.

Then there were books, puzzles, Wii games, and other activities that Grandma and grandpa knew the kids would love.

And a game for each kid too. These are great and the kids have enjoyed them many times already. (I particularly love Megan's game, because it is just right for a four year ole!)

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

It’s a Wonderful Life!

It has been a great year at the Chantry house, though busy. We aren’t quite sure where the year has gone. Here is a quick rundown.

Megan (4) – Animal lover, preschooler and loving every moment of life. She makes our days bright!

Mike (6) –First grade all day, still obsessed with trains and cars, reading tons of great books. His excitement for life shows in every movement and is contagious.

Nathan (8) – Baptized in July, became a Cub Scout and earned his Wolf rank in two months, Harry Potter obsessed. He is so diligent and such a great help in our home.

Liz (9) – Fabulous fourth grader, loves reading and math, such a big help to mom. She is so creative and will make almost anything out of whatever materials she has.

Jen is adjusting to time with an empty home and enjoys riding the bus to get Megan at preschool some days. She had an amazing year in Primary and was recently released as the Primary President. She is excited to begin work with the Cub Scouts!

Brian still works for Freshmen Mentoring at BYU and earned an award from the University for his ingenuity as the new program was started this year. He was recently released as the executive secretary in our ward and was called as the Elders’ Quorum President. The task seems daunting, but he will do a great job as he works with the men in our ward and neighborhood,

Our family has been so blessed in many large and small ways this year. We are grateful for this Christmas season and for the chance to remember the birth of our Savior, through whom we receive the ultimate joy and peace. May this joy and peace be with you and your families this Christmas season and throughout the coming year.

The Tradition of the Orange Sticks

2010-12-15T07:49:00.001-08:00

So I grew up hearing about a time that my uncle's friend gave him a gift of orange sticks at Christmas. The friend dropped it off when my uncle wasn't home. My dad and grandparents were, and they thought it would be funny to open the box, eat some and wrap it back up. So they did. My uncle opened a partially eaten box of orange sticks, and I think he bought a box, ate part and gave it to his friend.

Like I said, I grew up hearing this story every year, and this year Grandpa (my dad) wanted to carry on the tradition and told it to the kids. (We even ate part of a box of orange sticks and wrapped it up.)

Anyway, yesterday I picked up a few other treats to give to various people as gifts and Michael saw them. He also wanted some.

He said, "Can't we do the orange stick thing?"

Kangaroo Zoo

2010-12-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

So with my parents here we took the kids out of school on Friday to have a big adventure. We were planning on doing some really fun outdoors, but the weather was drippy and cold so we opted for an indoor option. Liz is the only one who has been to Kangaroo Zoo (a giant warehouse room filled with those big blow up slides and bounce houses) so we decided to give it a try. It was a blast to see how excited the kids were. They went at high speed for the 90 minutes we were there and had. We liked it because it also meant really great naps later in the day!

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Call

Megan loved bouncing

Liz on the huge slide. I think the blow up toy was about two stories tall.

Mike loved every minute.

Nathan never stopped running the whole time!

What a great time we had!

We have filled the rest of the weekend with games, games and more games, pizza and Chinese food, and lots of time with family.

BYU Family Christmas Party

2010-12-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

So every year BYU has a Christmas party for employees and their families. We have never braved the crowds, but when Liz heard "crafts" and Megan heard "Cosmo", their excitement convinced us to give it a try. It was a bit of a mad house, but there were tons of doughnuts to make the standing in line bearable, and the crafts did not disappoint. Here are pictures from the kids playing in different areas. The favorites were the Snow Flake (basically a giant pit of balloons) and the ice fishing (such a clever twist on the normal fishing pond).

Unfortunately Cosmos was MIA and so we didn't get a picture with him. However, a doughnut on the way out softened the blow for Megan. Overall it was a fun morning and the kids were thrilled, which is was mattered most.

Dear Santa,

2010-11-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

I want a leash for LLBean*. Please

Love, Megan

Megan's letter is short, sweet and to the point, and also very polite! (and I am very proud of how well she did sounding out words and writing her letters. Way to go Megan!)

Santa got the message and has something special in store for Megan and L.L.Bean.

*L.L. Bean is Megan's stuffed puppy that she received on her third birthday from Grandma and Grandpa call. The puppy got its name from the store where it was purchased because the store name was on the puppy's neckerchief.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know that Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but this year I realized that other than the Trick-or-Treating part, I really like what goes on at this time of year. I don't mind making costumes, though I was thrilled that Megan wanted to be a pumpking because we ahd that costume already. Isn't she cute!

Megan was so excited to be a pumpkin. She kept telling people not to eat her. She told one person, "I am just pretend. See! I have legs!"

I actually enjoyed this project. It was not hard and Liz loved it!

Liz looked darling in her poodle skirt. The whole costume fit her personality and she loved twirling in it.

The boys' costumes were a little trickier because I chose a very stretchy knit fabric, but I was thrilled that they turned out so well.

Mike wanted to be Draco Malfoy (or Drayco Moufoy as he spelled it on a school paper). Below is his best attempt at a mean scowl.

Nathan was so excited about his dementor costume. I told him he couldn't be a dementor if that was the cause of all of the gray skies and rain/mist we have had the last couple of days. He does look pretty spooky.

And here is the promised picture of Brian and I at his brother's party. I can't believe I forgot my white gloves! Oh well, it was fun. Jason's party is one of the things I like about Halloween. He has lots of good food, fun games for the kids and we watch a movie on a big screen in his backyard. It is a fun family time and that is what I like about this holiday.

One other thing I liked about this Halloween was Mike's First Grade Halloween program. They did some fun songs, poems and stories. It was so cute (and the perfect length, under 30 minutes!) Here is a poem that still makes me laugh when I think about it.

Wall Written

2010-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

I discovered this great company through a friend on facebook. They have so many wonderful products and ideas and I even tried the "customize" feature to create my own design. It is now on the wall in the living room. The vinyl designs are beautiful and easy to apply. Too bad I can't cover my whole house in vinyl lettering!

Here's a link to their weekly giveaway.

http://blog.wallwritten.com/?p=601

A beautiful morning in Manti

2010-10-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, I have never been to the Manti temple and have been wanting to see it for some time. There is a lot of history for both of our families concerning the Manti Temple. Today we ehaded out after breakfast, and the fairly long drive was very worth it. The temple is actually closed right now, but there were a few other people walking around like us. I enjoyed taking some pictures, though i wish I new more about how to make things look just right.

The Temple was beautiful. I love the color of the stone, and it was amazing how it seemed to be cut right out of the mountain.

We took our traditional "touching the temple" pictures. This time, more than ever before, I can see the kids' personalities coming right through.

It was a wonderful and beautiful trip! Next time i go, we are going to arrange it so we can do a session.

A new favorite thing

2010-10-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have been popping popcorn in a brown paper bag in the microwave for a long time now. (seehttp://chantrysix.blogspot.com/2009/07/microwave-popcorn.html) Well, this week I got this. The Westbend Microwave Popcorn Popper.

My sister has one and I just found it for about $13 and I think that over time it will sure pay for itself with all of the brown paper bags I would go through. Some people may hate it because it doesn't pop every kernel, but I am getting the hang of it and I love how easy it is. the bowl does get a little hot, but if I let it cool for just a minute I can eat the popcorn right out of this container. The only drawback is that it can't go in the dishwasher, but it is so easy to clean it doesn't really matter.

Girls' Night In

2010-10-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

So when we found a great deal on football tickets the other night we wondered who should go to the game. We knew the boys would love it and knew Megan wouldn't make it through the game. But what would Liz want to do? Knowing that she would probably not be able to see well, and knowing that she doesn't have the excitement for football that the boys have we came up with something that she would love to do at home. We talked with her and asked if she would like to paint something. She was thrilled with this and so we headed to Roberts to pick out some projects.

I came out of the craft store with wood letters, sparkley metallic paint and one very happy girl. Liz was so excited to show Megan what they got to do.

Painting . . . turquoise, pink and purple

Then I helped Liz get started on some plastic canvas projects.

It will take some time, but she is getting the hang of it.

The finished letters, Megan loves pink and Liz loves purple and yellow. Everyone is happy.

Liz is so very creative. It is such a joy to work on projects with her and see her enthusiasm for creating.

BYU Football

2010-10-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

We love BYU football, and still love it even though they haven't gotten off to the best start this year. One perk of the poor start is that through some deal we had access to $10 tickets. So Brian and I talked and then bought three tickets, for him and the boys. We surprised the boys the night before and they kept saying, "this is so exciting!" They headed tot he stadium nice and early, and Brian made me proud by taking so many pictures. Do you think they had fun?

At the stadium nice and early, but they couldn't have been more excited.

Michael watching the action, or looking for the cannon (George Q.). He never was able to see it when it was actually fired, but saw it after the game. He also loved seeing and doing the wave.

Nathan is a great fan. He would cheer loudly and didn't hesitate to stand on teh bleachers when everyone else in front of him stood up. When he saw the words to the fight song on the scoreborad he sang right along.

My guys, having a great time

the best part is that we won!

After the game they hung out and went down by the field for a closer look.

The Cannon

Two very happy Cougar fans.

The girls and I had a great time while the boys were gone. i will post pictures soon of our Girls' Night In.

My side kick is growing up

2010-09-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

So Megan starts preschool next week and I really don't know how I feel about it yet. I will get back to this in a minute though . . .

Yesterday my friend and I took advantage of some free bus passes and took a trip down to BYU with our preschoolers. Between us we have five in school all day and three still at home. So this trip seemed very manageable. It was a great day. We caught the bus and had no problems making our connection and arrived at our destination.

We had a great time walking around campus, the highlights of which were a quick trip to the Bean Museum (here's Megan seeing how her feet compare to an elephant's footprint)

and getting doughnuts at Sugar and Spice.

Megan loved both adventures and it was so cute to watch her tromping around campus. She seemed to grow up overnight and I couldn't believe the little girl I spent the morning with. We had not a complaint and she was so interested in everything. It was just such a pleasure to spend time with her.

So today was Get To Know You Day at preschool. A friend dropped us off and we had some time to kill. We bought dad a doughnut and she carried it to work for him. She had her backpack full of things to do while she spends time at work, so she put it in a special drawer that Brian has for her. Then we went to see her teacher and her classroom. She had a ball on the playground

and she did the classroom searching activity where she found all of the items that were pictured on her paper.

She was so excited to meet her teacher who she has been hearing about practically since she was born (all of the other kids had him)

and she loved everything in the classroom. Leave it to her to find the laundry basket full of stuffed puppies! Anyway, she cried when we left but calmed down pretty fast. We rode the bus home, since our free trip card was still good and she looked otu teh window the whole time. I made it home with a darling happy girl.

So back to my original statement, I don't know what to think about my baby going to preschool. On one hand I am so excited. I see how excited she is and I know all of the fun experiences she is going to have and, I won't lie, I know I am going to have some free time with a quiet house for a few hours. But on the other hand, I don't know what I will do without this cutie tagging along wherever I go.

Is it really this time again?

2010-08-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

So today is the first day of school. The strange thing is, this is the first year that I haven't been feeling really ready to send the kids back. We had a wonderful relaxed summer, with lots of little fun events, the kids have been so fun and a huge help, and I think I might miss them a little. On the other hand it will be interesting to see all I can get done with a quiet house and just Meg at home.

So excited for 1st grade and a lunch box

Ready to tackle 3rd grade. He didn't hang around long once we got pictures taken. he was off to line up with his class.

4th grade? Are you kidding me? 4th grade?

Love this picture of my three school kids! They are so good to each other. I can't wait to see them climb off the bus later today and hear how everything went.

Megan's artwork

2010-08-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

So Megan brought me this picture the other day. She had drawn and colored it herself. And thsi is what she said. "This is my goose. The goose went to the stream and put his legs in. Four little chicks followed the goose in the water. And that's the sun and the sky." I was actually pretty impressed.

We love the Water

2010-07-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

We have had some fun times in the pool this summer. The kids are all more comfortable than last year and Liz and Nathan are learning to swim.

As long as she has a life jacket on Megan is all over the pool on her own. She is our little fish.

Nathan loves jumping into the deep end.

So grown up . . . she almost made herself duck under water, but not quite yet.

Nathan loves putting his goggles on and going under water. HE is becoming much more comfortable in the water.We are so proud of Mike and his progress this summer. He loves his life jacket, but he ventures away from the stairs, and kicks around enjoying playing all over the pool.
Liz loves floating

Mike even swims without a noodle at time.

We spent the other day with a friend. The kids played in their pool and Megan was thrilled to hold their dog, Jovi. The other kids stayed in the pool because they knew Jovi couldn't get to them there.

Nathan's big day

2010-07-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

It is hard to express in words how wonderful Nathan's baptism and confirmation were yesterday. He has been looking forward to his eighth birthday and his baptism for the 15 months since Liz was baptized. He was so ready and eager to take this step in his life. We are so proud of him for choosing to follow the Savior's example. I teared up from the moment that the bishopric member started conducting the meeting and it didn't get any better as I gave a talk about the Holy Ghost. I still get teary as i think about it now. Anyway, here are a few pictures of our handsome guy. I still can't believe how grown up he is!

His excitement shows on every inch of his face.

I never get tired of watching Brian used the priesthood he holds to bless the lives of our children. What an amazing blessing!

The whole family was so excited. This isn't the best picture of Megan ever, but it was the best one of the family. Yes, that smile can get cheesier.

Me and my handsome boy! I love him to pieces

He is growing up so very fast!

Salt Lake City in July

2010-07-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

My brother and his wife came to town and wanted to go to the Salt Lake Temple. We drove up with them and while they were in the temple we killed time on Temple Square. We saw lots of cool stuff, and it was nice because it wasn't near as busy as at Christmas time. We saw the cool new model they have of the inside of the Salt Lake Temple* and sat in the Tabernacle. We looked inside the Conference Center and enjoyed the Christus statue at the North Visitors' Center. It was a very hot day, and we all enjoyed water and lemonade at dinner when Rich and Kim were done.

the kids with a nice big picture of President Thomas S. Monson

In front of the Salt lake Temple. The guy who took this picture was so nice and so funny.

The kids love to walk the spiral path to the statue. They point out the planets and everything in the "sky"

Dinner with Rich and Kim was so fun!

After we ate we stopped by the Salt Lake City Cemetery to see the marker for John Taylor. We did this with the kids last year, but it was fun to go with Uncle rich too.

*Here is a link to a page with more information and pictures of the model. It was really tool to see. http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/scaled-model-provides-salt-lake-temple-open-house-experience

Nathan

2010-06-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Nathan has been using the funniest expressions lately. I wish I could remember what he said yesterday, but there were a few times when Brian and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions thinking, "Where does he come up with this stuff?"

Today I heard quite a rumpus in the boys' room and when i asked them what they were doing Nathan said, "Burning calories!"

Hiking the Y

2010-06-20T13:21:00.001-07:00

The kids have loved spotting the Y on the mountain for as long as they even knew it was there. We decided to give the hike to the top a try. We had no idea how long it would take or how the kids would do, but we were prepared with fun snacks, plenty of water and a hope that this would be a great family adventure! What a fantastic morning. We got headed out early to avoid the heat of the day and it was perfect. The kids did great. We got to one turn in the trail and saw this

When teh kids realized the Y was this close they were even more excited. They kept charging up the hill. It took us about an hour to hike the mile. It was about a 1000 foot climb in elevation.

We had a beautiful view of the valley while sitting on the top of the Y. Megan especially thought this was a pretty cool place to perch. We hiked early enough that the trail was shaded for all but the very last bit. It was a beautiful day.

Enjoying a snack with dad.

Mom and the kids.

Brian took a slight detour on the way down and ran the trail to the bottom of the Y to get some pictures. I think I can photoshop the guy out .

Nathan is excited because he gets to sign off an requirement in his scout book.

School's Out

2010-05-28T12:22:00.001-07:00

School is officially out! We enjoyed a short program ("graduation") at kindergarten, then had a few minutes at home before picking up the older kids. The weather cooperated and we were able to have our third annual "Last Day of School" BBQ and water party with friends. The water wasn't quite as refreshing as it has been the last couple of years, but the kids still had a great time playing with their friends.

Time to stop playing on the computer and get stuff ready to throw away at the neighborhood clean up tomorrow.

Two posts in one day?

2010-05-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

So I go weeks and weeks without posting, and here is the second one today.

I just had to share this picture of Liz. Every month there is a field trip for the visually impaired students in our district. Sometimes she goes if we feel like the activity will benefit her and give her a cool experience. For example, we have seen her confidence grow as she has been ice skating every year for the last four years. On the other hand, sometimes the activities are things we have done a lot or recently as a family so we keep her in school (like the dinosaur museum or Discovery Gateway, both activities that we happened to do the same month as the field trips).

Anyway, this year Liz ventured into new territory and went fishing. The report from her vision teacher is that she had a ball. She was one of the first to catch a fish and was thrilled by everything, even the bait, which she later reported was gross, but that she took care of anyway. She proudly came home with three trout. I wish I could have seen her, but I do have this picture, and I think it is darling!

Almost a Scout

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Nathan has a summer birthday and because of this he gets to start Cub Scouts a little early. He will get to go to day camp in a few weeks and is thrilled about that. Last night was Pack Meeting, a space derby. The boys had made rockets out of 2-Liter bottles and they were going to launch them with some contraption that uses water and compressed air. What could be better than that! Nathan made a rocket too and it all turned into a great evening.

Getting his neckerchielf and being welcomed to Scouts.

With his rocket

Getting ready to launch

i wish I could have gotten a good picture of a rocket while flying, but I couldn't. They went pretty high though, as you can tell by Nathan's expression.

What a great adventure we are beginning!

Mike's birthday

2010-05-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Mike is six and what an exciting few days it has been. On Thursday Brian's parents came and took him to dinner at Sizzler. Who knew how exciting that could be! He had a great time and loved telling mom all about it. Saturday we had his birthday party with family. Mom made him a very red fire engine cake. He couldn't stop smiling.

Grandma Chantry, Aunt Jenalee and cousin Chloe came down from Ogden, and great-grandparents living in Orem came too. It was so fun watching how excited he got about everything.

Here is a video of him opening stuff from Jenalee and Grandma and Grandpa Chantry.

Now using the fun toys they gave him.

Yesterday Mike was sung to in Primary and he chose bacon and French toast for dinner. Yum! The candle we put in his French toast melted, but it all worked out in the end. Today capped things off as I went to his kindergarten class. We showed a poster of pictures of Mike and then read a story and handed out tootsie pops. He had lunch with his best friend who had a cool present for him. What a great birthday week he has had!

1 more graduation picture

2010-05-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Here is one more picture of my favorite graduate! Great job Brian!

Graduation

2010-04-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

So Brian has been officially done with his Masters' for a while. He defended his project in November, go the final stuff in a few weeks later and his diploma came in the mail in January. We got them (his Bachelors' and Masters' diplomas) framed for his birthday and he hung them downstairs, but being the sentimental wife that I am I really wanted him to walk in graduation. He attended BYU's commencement exercises at the Marriott Center on Thursday (I watched it on TV) and then he and I went to his convocation bright and early Friday morning. Thanks again Mom for watching the kids! None of my pictures turned out great. Strange expressions, tassel in front of the face, that kind of thing. But I am planning on saving my tutoring money to pay an arm or leg or both for the one taken by the professional.

I guess I lied. I got one really nice picture . . . of Brian's back. He is the one with the yellow hood on the left by the girl in blue.

Brian and the kids when we got home. Megan asked if she could graduate when she grows up!

Mike actually took this picture of Brian' and I. Good job Mike!

Brian with his diploma. He sure worked hard for that piece of paper.

The whole family.

Brian's brother got his Bachelors' from Weber State the same day Brian graduated. After we were done we went to Ogden to have a big family celebration.

Brian's Mom got a big cake. Half of the trim is in blue, half in purple. Brian's name is in blue, Scott's is in purple. There is a cougar for BYU and a wildcat for Weber. We ate on blue and purple plates. It was fun. Good job guys!

Happy "Bear"thday Liz!

2010-03-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Liz's friend party for her birthday. I haven't done one of these for her in a few years, and I have NEVER done a party for eight and nine year old girls, so i was hoping things would be fun. It ended up that five girls could come. We had a great time with the bear theme. We started off by dressing up bears that I had cut out with my Sizzix. The girls picked the papers they wanted for the clothes and accessorized them. Then they stuck the bears on door knob hangers. IT was fun to hear them say, "These are so cute!"

We played a game where the girls popped balloons and there were slips of paper inside. Then they had to do the silly things written on the paper. Everyone was so cute and it was fun to see them be silly. As promised, Liz had her "beary" own cake, and we all sang "Happy Bearthday to you".

After presents and cake we made pencil toppers out of foam shapes, pipe cleaners and curling ribbon. The girls had a great time, and I did too. What a fun group! WE sent the girls home with little teddy bears, gummi bears, cinnamon bears, all in a bag that said, "Thank you Beary Much". Thanks girls for coming!

Birthday Girls

2010-03-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday we celebrated the March birthdays. Brian's mom and dad took the girls to an early breakfast, then Grandpa had a meeting to go to, but Grandma stayed for the party. These are videos of the girls opening stuff from them (and aunts and uncles too). we loved the reactions from the girls. Grandpa, enjoy! Thanks Don and Sue for all you did for the girls, and for Brian and I too.

Megan: some of our favorite parts "I get to be Chloe", "Aaahhhh", and "Now I can sell my bike"

Opening up the scooter! Megan is so grown up!

Liz: some of our favorite parts "HANNAH MONTANA!", Liz loves the container and "There are a thousand beads!"

Liz loves the beads. She is pretty grown up too.

Liz, Chloe and Megan. Sure enough Chloe and Megan match!

Patriotic Program

2010-03-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the kids' patriotic Program at school. The whole school opened with a song called "You're a Hero." And the rest of the program focused on heroes throughout American history. So fun! Michael and the kindergarten sang "Yankee Doodle" in honor of George Washington. Mike was so cute and did a great job!

Marching like a little army.

"Stuck a feather in his hat"

"And called it macaroni"

"There was Captain Washington"

Jazz hands for the big finish

Nathan and the second grade sang three verses of the Star Spangled Banner in honor of Francis Scott Key. Nathan was disappointed that he isn't a Scout yet and couldn't be in the blue part of the flag, but he sange out and it was so great to watch him sing.

No cute choreography, but it was pretty powerful listening to these seven and eight year olds sing about our nation as a "heav'n rescued land" and being preserved by God.

"In God is our Trust" Nathan sang out!

Liz and the 3rd grade sang a Native American song called "Land of the Silver Birch" It was a beautiful song and it was fun to see them all dressed up and singing together.

LIz is such a pretty girl and she was so graceful as she sang and did the actions to the song. It was a joy to watch her!
"Silent and Still"

The sixth grade sang a medley of the anthems of the different branches of the military. As they sang audience members who served in the branches were invited to stand. What a neat way to honor the men and women who have served our country. The program ended with the entire school singing "American Heroes" while a slide show honored friends and family members of teachers and students who serve or have served in branches of the military or as police and firemen. What an amazing way to show gratitude for these incredibly people who bless our lives.

If you are interested here is a link to the video of the kids' performances.

http://eprocrastinator.blogspot.com/2010/03/patriotic-program.html

A few fun things

2010-03-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have posted. This time of year is famous for not much and tons going on at the same time. We haven't had a lot of big things, just lots of little things keeping us busy. It has been a great few months and next week kicks of our birthday season.

We got some new sheets and I love them. Best of all they match the quilt I started last January and finally has finished at the end of the year. It is fun to finally use it.

The yellow and white really brighten up the room. And the sheer is enough to bock people seeing in the window, so we leave the blinds pulled up and that lets even more light in!

This is one thing I got Brian for his birthday. I want him to be ready when the boys become Scouts and to be able to go on an occasional hike between now and then. Now he has no reason to say no! Mike and Megan each way less than what he will pack for a hike.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

Valentine's is kind of low key at our house, but the kids enjoyed parties at school cards from both sets of grandparents and these fun new shirts from Chantrys. So festive! I sure loves these kids, and will forever love my Valentine of 10 years.

Megan

2010-01-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few stories about Miss Meg that I don't want to forget.

-Megan got some Princess CDs for Christmas with lots of the Disney princess songs. She loves them! The other night she was listening to them at bedtime (which happens a lot) and I realized it was Sunday. I went upstairs and told her we don't listen to Princess songs on Sunday, so we traded the CD out for a Primary one and all was fine.

The next day she asked, "What day is it?"

I said, "Monday."

"So it's NOT Sunday," she said, then headed over to her CD player, took out the primary CD and put the Princess one back in.

****She doesn't have anything against the Primary CD, but just wanted to make sure it was OK to listen to Princesses.

-We were at a friend's house and Meg was watching a Sesame Street movie with her friend Kate. At the end everyone was sitting on Sesame Street singing a song and Megan turned to me and said, "Mom, I think I am going to cry." Looks like she has inherited some of her sentimentality from her mom. Poor kid!

-Last night Megan was supposed to be in bed but I heard her whining.She was trying to tie LL Bean's leash (a rope she ties around her toy dog's neck) to the handle of a basket. When I asked her what was wrong she said, "I am trying to do a simple machine and it won't work." Liz filled me in and said that Meg was trying to make a pulley so she could pull the basket up to the top bunk.

-Megan watched our one and only My Little Pony videos then came to me and told me she has to be Sunny Daze (one of the ponys). When I asked why she said it was because Sunny Daze made a charm bracelet out of Sunbeams and she is a sunbeam at church. So cute! She love being a Sunbeam.

Megan wearing the crown she made in her very first Sunbeam class.

Megan "reading" a book. She is really eager about learning the letters

and sounds so she can learn to read.

She's growing up so much I don't know what to do with her (or myself for that matter.)

Mike

2010-01-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

I had a fun moment with Mike today. Megan was napping and Brian was reading to the other kids. We went and sat on my bed and he told me a little about Primary. Then he said, "I want to read you a scripture I read in Primary>" He ran and got his little blue Book of Mormon and told me ht reference. i asked him if he wanted help and he siad that he could do it on his own. And sure enough, he did! He found the book, chapter and verse, and read it to me, and he even told me what it menat. He is growing up way too fast!

This morning he was also looking for a him in his little hymn book. I told him I would find it and he siad, "No mom, I just need to go to First lines and titles." He went to the back, found this index, found the song and found the hymn number. Then he looked up the hymn. He is a pretty amazing five year old!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

2010-01-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

My sister bought this book for Liz for Christmas. She said great things about it and my mom said great things about it. (This is a great perk of having a Children's Librarian for a sister. You get to hear about LOTS of great books.) As you can see it isn't a particularly flashy cover. and doesn't jump out to my eight year old like the bold and sparkly Rainbow Fairy or Tiara Club books do. I could sense a little hesitancy, so I decided to read first so i could encourage by mentioning a bit more about the book than the cover might tell.

After what Michelle and mom said, I am not surprised that I enjoyed the book. I am not even surprised that I LOVED the book. It was sweet and touching with a wonderful story about loving and being loved.

The story wasn't really what I expected, but to tell you the truth I didn't really know what to expect. If I was as good of a writer as Michelle I would have some cute and witty way to explain why I loved it so much, but all I can say is that it was so enjoyable to read. I didn't want to put it down. Liz has started it now and is really enjoying it. I am grateful for good books out there and grateful for a sister who lets us know what they are.

I LOVE Christmas!

2009-12-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

I was so excited for Christmas to come, and it didn't disappoint. I think I can quite honestly say that this was my favorite Christmas, probably since we have been married. I am not exactly why that is, other than the fact that I felt more joy and peace this Christmas season than I recall ever feeling. It didn't hurt that we were all healthy and that we had minimal traveling to do. The kids were thrilled by everything, even the pajamas that they kind of figured out they were going to get on Christmas Eve, and my wonderful husband surprised me with a couple of things. One thing (a new set of scripture, beautiful burgundy, with curly gold writing, and my married name embossed on them) I had suspicions about, but that didn't lessen my amazement or gratitude for such a wonderful and beautiful gift. Here are a few highlights of our holiday.

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. It is so fun to pull out the nice dishes and the kids loved having candles.

Reading the scripture story. Everyone helped and took part. I love seeing my kids growing up.

Opening the first gift is so fun, even if you kind of think you know what it is!

Thanks again for the help Mom, the kids LOVED their pj's and Megan looks like one of the big kids now.

Visiting with Santa and Mrs. Claus (aka grandpa and grandma Chantry!) And no one was scared. what fun!

I want to savor the fun we had this Christmas, though I am going to un-decorate and get the house back to normal. I do have a tiny figure of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus that I have decided to leave up year round so that all year we remember the joy and peace that comes through our Savior.

Tutoring

2009-12-17T14:41:00.001-08:00

This fall has been a great time for tutoring. I love math, and I have had a great variety in the tutoring jobs that I have had this fall. Yes, I know I am crazy, but here are some of the highlights:

-Two column geometry proofs (those of you who read this will think I am nuts, but it is like putting a puzzle together and it so amazing to see how the pieces fit together. So much fun!)

-Arithmetic in different bases - I did some of this when I was young, but not enough to really learn and understand it. I really understand how it all works now and how it all ties into our common bse 10 system. I can even handle base 12 and hexadecimal. Subtracting, adding, multiplying, "carrying", "borrowing". I love it all!

-Factoring Trinomials- A couple of years ago I learned a very cool method that eliminated the guess and check system that I learned and used for factoring as a high school student. It always works! It has been fun to share that with others and to just enjoy a part of math that I have loved for many, many years.

I am grateful for the opportunity to help people with math and look forward to the fun that next semester will bring!

My kids LOVE this

2009-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Dinosaur train is a relatively new show on PBS kids and the kids love it. They particularly like this song. Yesterday this episode was on and they were disappointed that they had to miss the song to get ready for the bus. So I found it on YouTube and now I am the "best mom EVER!"

He is a link to some cool printable pages for the song too.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/dinosaurtrain/lessonplans/dinosaurssatoz/

Thankful For

2009-11-22T22:00:00.001-08:00

This is a great time of year, an extra special chance to be thankful, and a holiday that is not near as commercialized as the others close to it. I am looking forward to a wonderful day cooking with my mom and being with my family, my mom, dad and sister. It will be great! I just wanted to share a few things that I am thankful for. The list is endless, so I just picked a few things that might stand out o me a bit more this year.

! - Brian - of course I am thankful for him, but this year I am particularly grateful for his willingness to follow through on things even when they are hard. A few examples, redoing our bathroom, helping me with lots of projects, and oh yeah, finishing his Master's project.

2 - My kids - yes they top the list too, but this year I am particularly thankful for the ways they are growing up. It is so different being a mom of school aged children (without little tiny ones at home). Between homework, piano, friends, activity days (and in not too long, Cub Scouts) we are so busy and things get a little nuts, but it is so fun! They are also so good at helping each other out. What a blessing!

3 - Primary - I love serving with the children at church. I love seeing my kids as they learn and soon Megan will be there too. I love hearing the Primary music each and every week. I love the sweet spirit the children bring with them!

4 - Friends - I am grateful for my many friends who will take time out of their busy days to help me by giving me a ride. Whether it is a necessity like a doctor appointment, or just a fun errand I want to run, so many say, "call me if you need anything" and mean it. They all say it isn't a big deal, but it is a HUGE thing for me, and blesses Brian too.

5 - My Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made it possible for me to succeed in returning to my Heavenly Father.

6 - My Heavenly Father who has provided these blessings for me now, and who has provided me with countless blessings throughout my life. He has always given me just what I needed, though I may not have understood it all at the time. He is mindful of me and my family and for that I am grateful.

Hogwarts Halloween and Fall Fun

2009-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I don't mind the dressing up (in fact it is so fun to see the kids enjoying it so much!) and parties are fun, but I really dislike Trick-or-Treating. So we minimized that part of the holiday and enjoyed the other festivities, especially Uncle Jason's party. The kids loved our Harry Potter theme and looked great!

Mike as Ron Weasely

Liz as Hermione Granger

Nathan as The Boy Who lived

and cute little Megan as Ginny Weasely

I was Professor McGonagell (or Gonagell as Megan would say) and Brian was Dumbledore. The kids were thrilled!

The four or five days before Halloween were quite wintery, but the day of Halloween was beautiful out. We were able to clean up leaves in the yard. The kids enjoyed making a large pile and jumping. So much fun!

Grandma Dates

2009-10-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids had Thursday and Friday off from school. Brian's mom wanted to take the chance to have Grandma dates with each of the kids. She got here mid morning on Thursday and took Megan for lunch and a small shopping trip, thenw as here for a few hours before taking Mike to dinner and shopping. She spent the night and took Nathan out for his turn (and breakfast) then Liz got to go to lunch. They were all excited by the surprises they got to choose, but more than that,

they LOVED being with Grandma!

New blog

2009-10-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have a new blog. It is dedicated to the craft projects that i have enjoyed making (and will enjoy in the future). Check out my new post.

Smiles from Meg

It was great to see you!

2009-09-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

This post is for Grandma DuVall and for Aunt Peggy. We had such a wonderful time visiting with you on Friday and Saturday. It is always such a treat to see you, but to have so much time and not much going on was particularly wonderful. We could just visit and enjoy one another's company. We hope that we see youa gain soon, and we hope Aunt Julie can come along next time. (Here are some pictures and I posted the Disney video below.)

Four generations

Just like Christmas. Thanks Grandma!

This is for Linda: Look to the right. I thought of you when Megan turned to this in her book today. I just thought I would share it. It is the picture we were talking about the other night.

Disneyland Video

2009-09-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

I made this video MONTHS ago, and I am posting it now so that Grandma DuVall can see it. For some reason Sue couldn't find her DVD when we were there to show it to Grandma. It probably had something to do with the fact that she had a house full of visitor's. :-) Enjoy!

Family pictures

2009-09-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Our neighbor took our family pictures last week. I was really pleased with how they turned out. I can't wait to get them printed and hung on the wall. We are getting some new frames and are printing the family one larger than we have in the past. I am really excited. They will be grouped with the Forever Family plaque that I made.

Me and My Meg

2009-09-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

I blogged about the kids going to school, so here is a little piece of what MEgan and I have done to enjoy our time together.

My friend and I took Meg and her little girl to the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, first the main garden and then the Children's Garden. It is no surprise that I had my camera along for the adventure. What a fun time we had kicking of the school year and celebrating the fact that she and I only have two little ones at home.

My cute girl

This one is a nice shot of the giant bruise on her cheek that she got from losing her balance while spinning and falling into the rocking chair

Megan liked this sculpture

Playing in teh Noah's Ark fountain at the Children's Garden

Leading us through the maze of hedges, she got us out of the maze, no problem!

I enjoyed this morning so much. I am enjoying my time with Megan and it is fun to see her enjoy her first chance of "Megan time" which she hasn't really ever had.

School has begun

2009-08-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially of the mother of three school aged kids; a third grader, a second grader and a kindergartener. I always get a little grin when people ask how it is to have just one at home in the mornings because the house is so quiet and Megan is so much fun (Megan is enjoying it a lot too) but in all seriousness I LOVE THIS STAGE! I loved when my kids were little, watching them grow, learn knew things and surprise me every day by what they were doing.

Well, this stage is just as grand and wonderful, even if it is challenging in so many different ways. I LOVE my kids' enthusiasm for learning. I LOVE that they love school. I love how I can tell how their day went the instant I see them climb off the bus. I love that I have a daughter who faces challenges relating to her vision, but does not see them as challenges. It is part of life and she adapts without worry or complaint. I love that I have a son who is learning to feel promptings from a Father above who loves him and cares about his life (and his lunchbox). I love that I have a son who has no problem heading off to kindergarten, but loves to cuddle with me and tell me all about his day when he gets home. My children are amazing and wonderful people. They are full of wondrous thoughts and ideas. I know that none of this is really eloquent, but I have been thinking about how my kids are really great and I feel so blessed.

Our Anniversary - A Family History Adventure

2009-08-19T11:28:00.001-07:00

So Saturday was our 9th anniversary, and we planned a day with the kids in Salt Lake. It was to follow up our Family Night about ancestors, and for this week we focused on John Taylor, my great-great-great-grandfather. We talked at family night about John Taylor being in Carthage with Joseph Smith and Hyrum. We talked about his pocket watch that save him that night and we talked about serving a mission in Europe, helping wtih the French translation of the Book of Mormon, and his line of descendants that leads to us. So Saturday we headed to the Church History museum in Salt Lake. What a great day. It took us a bit to get there because of unusal traffic, but we made it and even got to ride TRAX to Temple Square. This made everyone happy.

This picture is up in a section where each Prophet is talked about. They had a section about writings from John Taylor, talked about how he dedicated the Logan temple, and about his missions. I love this portrait.

Here is John Taylor's pocket watch and his cane (belor). There is a letter written by Willard Richards and John Taylor recording what happened at Carthage. The kids thought this was quite fascinating.

After the museum we went to the Salt Lake City cemetary and found his grave. It si hard to describe how neat this was. We felt such a connection to the site, where not only John Tylor but Sophia Whitaker was buried.

We also found the graves of John Whitaker Taylor and his wife Rhoda Welling. In a lot of ways it feels like these people lived so long before us, and yet when you think about how close we are really linked. For example, John W. Taylor was my grandfather's grandfather, or the fact that I remember some about my great Grandma Marietta Taylor (Call) who is John Whitaker Taylor's daughter. Somehow thinking of things this way makes them seem closer, and much more real.

Over the last few weeks I have felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for those who came before me. I know that in so many ways I am where I am today because of the sacrifices they made in their lifetimes. We focused this time on our Taylor line because of the many things they already know about John Taylor and the connection they already feel, but I recognize that I have many, many more ancestors who have blessed my life.

And on a completely random note: The Church History museum had this really cute area for kids to play. I have been there before but things have changed since then. WE didn't stay long, but I loved this mural painted on teh wall. We made it look like our kids were at General Conference. So fun! The kids keep asking to go back.

Boston, Lexington and Concord

2009-08-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

We had the most wonderful trip to the east coast. Of course, the highlight of the trip was the wedding for Rich and Kim (more from that to come) but we had so many wonderful days all packed into a week. One thing I was most excited for was to venture into Boston and the surrounding areas with Dad, Brian and the kids. We went into Boston, parked at the Alewife T station and rode the train to Park Street. Needless to say, Michael was in heaven. He pointed out the tracks and watched out the window the whole time!

We headed from the train to the Public Garden, the setting for Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. It took a minute but we found the duckling statues and took some photos. Then we headed to see the real ducks in the ond and even fed them some bread. The ducks were great to watch. They dove after the bread and one even jumped out of the water to catch a piece that Mike threw. It was so fun.

We took the train back to Alewife and then headed out of the city to Lexington. The kids had watched a great movie from uncle Rich called Johnny Tremain. It is one we grew up with about the early days of the Revolutionary War. It talks a lot about Lexington and Concord. It was fun to bring this history alive in Lexington and it was a beautiful day too!

After Lexington, Brian dropped me and the girls off at Orchard house, the home of Louisa May Alcott. They have such a fun tour and so much of what is in the home actually belonged to the Alcott family. I was so excited to share this with my girls.

After dropping us off the boys headed to Concord. They went to the Minute Man Park there and saw the Minute Man bridge. What a fun time they had. Nathan and Michael were thrilled to show the cool pamphlets and maps they got there, adn Grandpa was thrilled to make it to the bridge this time.

What a great day! Thanks Grandpa Call for coming with us!

Take me out to the ball game!

2009-07-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma Chantry took us to an Ogden Raptors (minor league) baseball game. The tickets were free so we knew we wouldn't have to feel guilty if the kids hated it and we had to leave after one inning, so we thought it was worth a try. However the kids loved it. We got there a little early, got some good seats and then waited as we sweated in the hot sun. When we found out the game was delayed a half hour we splurged on snow cones. Yum! They were delicious and kept us nice and cool too!

The game started and the kids were so excited. Once we showed Nathan how to keep track of the strike and ball count by looking at the score board he kept us all on track. He was so interested. The innings went pretty fast and we got to see a home run, some great base running and some fun pitching too. The kids got really into it and would chant and cheer. Liz loved the upbeat music they played between innings. It was just fun to watch how excited they were.

The boys went down by the fence to see better. A lot of kids enjoyed sitting there. I thinkt hey were hoping for a foul ball.

Well, when nine o'clock rolled around and the fourth inning ended with the Raptors ahead by one Liz said, "Let's leave now and I can leave happy." We had a very tired Megan, so we agreed. It was a great night.

P.S. The Raptors ended up winning 11-4.

Stake Pioneer Day Celebration

2009-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today was our Stake Pioneer day celebration, and it was wonderful! There was a flag ceremony, a bag pipe solo of "Come, Come Ye Saints", the Primary children sang two Primary songs and the Stake President shared a message. There was a real strong spirit there. Then we had the Children's parade. The parade had each ward's primary marching in a group. IT was a couple times around the stake center and was perfect.

The Primary singing "To be a Pinoeer" and "Pioneer Children Sang as they walked"

Mike, Liz and Nathan marching with friends

Mike's favorite part. When he saw this pull into the parking lot before the festivities he was jumping up and down with a huge grin! Then he was even more excited when it joined the parade.

ME marching with Megan and another cute girl in our Primary

After the parade came the highlight of the morning. The fire fighters watered the lawn with the truck and any kid, big or small, who wanted to could get wet.

Michael wasn't so sure about getting wet, so he and dad were on teh outskirts of the water. He got pretty wet still, but enjoyed watching the Pumper Truck spray water.

Nathan ran right through it all. After only a few minutes the water was inches thick on teh lawn and all of the kids were having a BLAST!

Liz liked the rainbow . . .

And preferred the popsicles

Megan enjoyed her popsicle too.

All of us in front of the fire engine

Mike with dad and a fire fighter. He was so happy!