The origins of Ewok-speak, revealed!

Johnny's favorite video game - UEFA EURO 2008

I think Johnny just tackled me from behind.

I'm always the Azzurri, of course.

This is my idea of a good time playing sports!

Johnny asks me at least three times a day to play this with him.

Benjamin, Il Maestro

This picture was harder to get than it looks.

I definitely need a lens with better zoom.

Benjamin reluctantly poses at the end of the concert after I made him come back on to the stage.  "Dad no one else is taking pictures on the stage."  Isn't he cute?

The 7th grade band was clearly the best one tonight.  Nice Christmas concert!

A Visit from the Oregonians

Johnny and Grandpa both love to play catch...

Learning to share...

This is called snow...

Sometimes Hannah sleeps....

Rachel's Violin Recital

I wasn't expecting much from elementary school students, but I was pleasantly surprised.   This 45 minutes concert really helped bring in the Christmas season for me.

My laptop buddy

Last night Johnny saw me setting up a new laptop and got very excited -- he decided to find the other laptop and sit in bed next to me.

Rachel's Ballet Recital December 13th

I am very impressed with how quickly Rachel has transformed into a young ballerina with true skills and artistic presence.  I especially love the way she uses her hands.  Good job Rachel!

Merry Christmas!

Dear family and friends,
We hope the Christmas season finds you all well and happy. Christine agreed to write our family letter this Christmas.
*Mom and Dad are both busy with taking care of their 7 children. Our basement is currently getting finished and we are all very excited to see how it turns out! Dad is doing very well in his job, and Mom recently auditioned for and made the American Festival Chorus under the direction of Dr. Craig Jessop. She enjoys taking Pilates and dance tone with me. We love to play online games with Dad, (Mostly Lord of the Rings Online.) Mom is a great cook and fun to talk to.
*Benjamin (12) is a fabulous straight A student. He is in the 7th grade. He is taking guitar, piano and tennis lessons. He also plays the trombone at school. He always tries his hardest in everything that he does. He is a great big brother to his younger siblings and even lets Isaac take over most of his Lego collection.
*Daniel (9) is also a great student. He enjoys sports including football, baseball, soccer, and tennis. He is taking piano and tennis lessons. He recently informed us that 13 girls like (have a crush on) him in his school. He is quite the little ladies man. He loves to play online video games with me, Benjamin and his dad.
*Rachel (7) is currently performing with a children’s Christmas singing group (Music Theater West). She loves to be in the spotlight and loves to sing. We are always blessed with her full voiced renditions in our home. She is also taking ballet lessons, and learning the violin at school. She too is a wonderful student. She is always happy and helpful.
*Johnathan (4) is currently going to preschool at Riverside Preschool. I think his favorite part is the chocolate milk. He loves to go to preschool and he always comes home with a smile. He enjoys playing video games and watching movies with his brothers. He has always been very smart with computers and video games since he was a baby. He is very cute and often says the funniest things!
*Isaac (2) is a very smart little boy. He catches on quickly, and sometimes can be quite the rebel. (Or at least he tries to be…). Isaac was Batman for Halloween; he loves Batman. We can always find Isaac reading through Lego instruction packets and building things with Benjamin’s Legos. He always carries around his “Silky” which is his favorite silk blanket.
*Hannah (1) is our sweet little troublemaker. She is very curious and always crawling around getting into things. She loves to empty all the kitchen cabinets she can reach. Another favorite activity is to unload the dishwasher while we are trying to load it. She has always loved lots of attention and being held. She is pretty proud of herself because she just learned to walk! It is so fun to watch her toddle around the house. She can even manage holding a doll (almost her same size) while walking. She is extremely cute and really happy most of the time.
(Mom wrote about Christine as she did not want to write about herself)
*Christine (14) has just finished her second year of the Nutcracker with the Cache Valley Civic Ballet. She did a wonderful job as a soldier and dew fairy. This was her first year to perform on Pointe
Shoes. She did a beautiful job. She has amazing muscle strength and beautiful dance presence. She is busy as a CVC Ballet Company member and studying hard her first year of High School. She too is a straight A student. She is a wonderful big sister to all her siblings, they adore her. It is hard for us to believe that we have a child in High School! She also takes piano lessons and still enjoys singing and drama.
We are very grateful for our family, friends and the gospel this very special Christmas season. We are especially grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ. We love you all, Merry Christmas.

Christine, the ballerina

Christine has become such a graceful and powerful artist.  This has been her second year in a row of making the Junior Company ballet staff.  They just finished a beautiful Nutcracker season at Eccles Theatre.  She is definitely the star of her ensemble numbers.  As I sat by myself in the back of the theater on opening night I quietly enjoyed her performances.  I reminisced on the years we have shared together and the joy she has brought to our family.  Thank You Christine! These are pictures from her class yesterday.

Rachel, the performer

Rachel loves to perform. She crafts cute invitations out of paper that include ticket prices and distributes these to select members of the family, with a specific time to assemble to watch her in the front room as she performs her piano pieces, dance moves, ballet steps or cheer routine. (Sometime she even offers free admission). Unfortunately I couldn't watch her ballet class today, so these pictures from Elizabeth's cell phone will have to do.

Hannah's First Birthday November 3rd 2008

We all love Hannah

Hannah patiently awaited her cake...

She could hardly wait...

Everyone agreed Hannah had a good party!

A brief glimpse into the early stages of the night that changed our life (for the first time).

MTC

It looks like Taylor and James were pretty happy to see me go... can't say the same for anyone else.

Favorite mission pictures

My companions probably got tired of these, but I never did :)