Getting Ready for the New Year

Scotty and Andy passed the time waiting for the New Year playing Sing Star. It was a first for Scotty. But, Andy really gets into it!

Hello Frosty!

The long cold days between Christmas and New Year's Day give the opportunity for a lot of creativity. William, Leo, and Jaxon were inspired and led by Seth to create this snowman in the backyard. They visited Grams for the eyes and nose. They are quite proud of their creation!

Holiday sentiment

Asa is all done! So are the rest of us!

Christmas 2008 was a great time for family. Christmas morning was very nice. Keali and Andy both came home and joined with us for the morning and then Dan's family, Justin's family, Shayne's family and even Eric's family were all able to join us later in the day for lunch and family gift exchange. Grandma made everyone a quilt this year. She really worked hard to get them all done in time. What a labor of love!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Magical Visit

Santa came to the house on Sunday evening before Christmas to give a bit of last minute advice to the little ones. He told them to eat all their food and be sure to make their beds every day. I wonder how he knew they needed just a little reminder?

BriAnna's Wedding

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BriAnna and Benigno Garcia
November 22, 2008

Later that same day...
Beni was baptised!

Behind Again

Three weeks between posts is far too long for this crazy group. We have had Will's eighth birthday, Halloween, Andy's 30th birthday, the sealing of Dan and Brandy's girls, and Will's baptism. I need to be sure to post more often.

The boys all carved their own pumpkins.
Even Bradley gets in on the carving of the pumpkins!
Beware the crazy chick with a knife. No need to wait for the Grim Reaper.
Seth made it just in time.

Asa makes a cute duck!

Boston as a monkey. Mom and Dad beware of the antics to come!

Gabes true colors are shining through (not really)
Tug was Dennis the Menace (although I have never thought of him that way).
I couldn't resist borrowing this picture of Ava. She makes an adorable Doodle-Bop!
I don't have pictures of the rest of the kids or grandkids. I would love to have them (hint-hint).

And now to the angelic (if only for a day)



The sealing was awesome. I have never been happier for any of my children. All five of them have waited along time for each other. What an amazing day!

Moving again!

Well, Keali had a great learning experience. Her apartment was broken into and all of her stuff was stolen - even her shoes! (I almost feel sorry for the theives.) I guess they got what they deserve. No, really, she did recover most of her things like her computer and TV. But, her shoes...they are still gone. And, her mannequins for school. Wow.
She decided right away that she should move into a new neighborhood and has already done so. She now lives out in West Jordan off of I-215. The up side to all of it is that she has less to move, ha-ha.

Empty Nest - - NOT

Well it has been the year for kids to move out. Keali moved out in the early Spring. She did not quite empty her room so everyone still thinks she will be coming home. However, I think she likes her independence and the quiet of her own place. It has been a bit weird though.
Andy just moved out yesterday. He bought a condo in Harvest Hills. It is a cute three bedroom on the third floor. Auhg! He doesn't have much to fill it up so he will rattle around for a while. Bradley is in mourning. (however, he wasted no time in moving in to the newly vacated bedroom) Andy told grandma that she needs to get a little mini-skirt and roller blades so that she can bring his dinner out to his car when he honks on the way home from work everyday. Ha-ha!

School Holiday

Fall break and we decided to attend the Scarecrow festival at Thanksgiving Point. Mello and the boys met us there. It was great fun. The kids went down slide after slide, ran through the haunted house a hundred times, had their faces painted, and we all watched a really funny performer. Shayne even brought baby Boston. Andy dubbed him DOY (daddy of the year) It was pretty cute to see him and his tough guy persona and a designer diaper bag over his shoulder:)



The comedic performer was really good. There was a place in the show where he chose a "helper" from the audience to assist him. He picked Chelsea. We were all really nervous that she would actually juggle the knives (She said she would have tried) It was a relief that he took them away!

Another First

Once again, I got to lead the cheer squad for another new sporting event. Andy and Justin signed up for a sprint triathalon in American Fork on Saturday. On the day of the race, Justin could not get off work so Andy had to go it alone. Race day turned out to be a rainy, miserable day. Jaxon begged to go with me so he and I donned our hoodies and went with Andy. When we arrived we discovered that we were poorly outfitted for the day and had forgotten the cell phone to call for reinforcements. After searching for a phone unsuccessfully, I asked a complete stranger if I could use her phone. I requested dry clothes for Andy, a blanket and a phone:) By the time that Andy emerged from the water, BriAnna was there. Cheering is pretty fun. And, at the rate that I am building my running stamina, cheering will be my permanent roll. When I mentioned this to Andy he suggested that we put signs on our van "TEAM WILBUR."

Filling in the Details . . .

Leo turns 7!

Leo wanted to go swimming and break a pinata. So, that is just what we did.

Lucky Number 13

Welcome to the world Boston!

We welcomed our newest grandchild last night bringing the total to 13. Shayne and Kim proudly announce the arrival of Boston (?) Wilbur (middle name still to be officially announced) who was born at 10:26 on 9:26. He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz and 19 1/2 inches long making him the biggest one thus far. Shayne is so very proud. He has his Great-Grandpa Boston's hands. They are HUGE! We compared them to Asa's hands (who is now about 12 weeks old) and Boston's are bigger. He also has the big barrel chest that Shayne was hoping for.

The Inspiration of Children (regardless of age)

Andy, Melo, Beni, and Chelsea ran in a marathon relay on September 13th. Several of us went to cheer them on. It was a chilly yet awesome experience. It was an amazing experience and it inspired me to try running. I have been able to run a lap around the church and then walk a lap to do my 2 miles in the mornings. My friend Wendy reminded me that she started "mailbox to mailbox". I have such hope!

Happy Birthday Melo!
Sunday night we had a birthday party for Melo. It was great!

We had a great party and that got a bit out of had with a bit of a cake fight. Scott and Janelle and Chasity got it started. Then Terrie and BriAnna got caught up in it. The kitchen was a mess but it was all good. It all got cleaned up really well - - I even got the baseboards cleaned out of the whole deal. It was all in good CLEAN fun.

More Family Fun

Eric and Raquel and Ava came for a visit on Tuesday. My, how Ava has grown. And, our family is growing again. Eric and Raquel announced the upcoming addition to come in March. How exciting!

Wow What a Month

As August winds down and I have a minute to breath, I realized that I have not made an entry in quite some time. And, what a busy month August has been! Leo and I started back to school the last week of July. I decided to take him with me to Sprucewood for his first grade year. It has been a good decision so far. He has an amazing teacher and he is already getting the extra help he needs. He and I have time together before and after school (unless he falls asleep which happens a lot). Everyone else started last week. It has been great to get them all back into a routine!

Shayne and Keali have both had birthdays this month. Mello's is coming up soon. Birthdays just give us more opportunities to get together which is my favorite thing.

Last weekend some of us went up to Park City for a night. What a great time! We ate, swam, played pool, played chess and ate some more. I discovered that Kim likes to play chess. I think that pregnancy is messing with her brain because I beat her twice. She has declared there will be a rematch. I am looking forward to it. It was so much fun to step away from the mom roll for just a minute and play.