Jared's 9th Birthday

Jared turned 9 last week.  We celebrated both the boys birthdays with a family party a couple days before Jared's birthday.

Jared knew exactly what was in this present because he picked it out.  For some reason that made it all the harder to wait to open it up!  He asked every five minutes if he could open it after his grandma got to our house!

Just what every nine year old wants for his birthday!  A kiss from Grandma!

Cheering after blowing out all his candles on his cheesecake.

Things Jared likes at 9: Lego's, Lego's, Lego's... (any guesses at what was in that present he was dying to open?), Star Wars, Harry Potter, playing with his brother and sister, baseball, basketball, football, riding his bike, cheesecake, anything with sugar, camping and fishing with his dad.
Things Jared doesn't like at 9: cleaning his room, waking up for school in the morning, homework, and practicing piano.
Some of the things I love about Jared: his laugh, his imagination, that he still likes me to walk him to and from school, he's smart, and he's sensitive to other's feelings.  It's hard to believe nine years has past since he was born and that in another 9 years he'll be an adult!  Time is passing way too quickly!

St. George Marathon 2011

For the third year in a row we headed to St. George the first weekend in October for the marathon.  Jason had been training with our coach, Paul Pilkington, all summer and was in the best shape he had been in for years.  I was so excited to see him race!  Just like last year, we were in the middle of a heat wave.  Add on top of that, the emotions from the previous week when his grandpa passed away, and it didn't turn out to be an ideal weekend for him.  While it wasn't his best race, he did an amazing job finishing in 2:52, just two minutes off his best time.  Marathon running can be so challenging because even though you do everything you can to prepare for the race there are so many outside conditions out of your control that affect your performance.  As runners we always want to run a PR but a lot of times the only thing we can say is that we gave it everything we could that day.  I thought he did a great job and he was excited to place 8th in his age division.

The kids had fun making signs while we were waiting for him.

The night before the marathon I took the kids to see The Little Mermaid at Tuacahn.  We left home later than we had planned and hit traffic a good part of the drive and I started to worry we would miss the play.  Once we got there we all had a lot of fun.  The kids loved it although Kaitlyn was a little scared of Ursula.  Here they are with Scuttle after the play.

A Few Random Things

Here are a few odds and ends that don't really fit anywhere but I wanted to include them.

I love Jared's imagination!  He has always loved to imagine he is someone else and make his own elaborate costumes to play in.  I keep thinking maybe he has outgrown that stage but the other day he was running around playing that he was an Ewok and he was so cute that I had to take a picture!

On the day of Andrew's last 11 year old scout camp it rained. Hard.  This wasn't normal Utah rain.  It was a downpour like the ones we saw when we lived back East.  I spent the night tossing and turning in bed listening to the pouring rain, worrying that I hadn't sent enough warm clothes, and knowing that tents just don't hold out that much water.  As you can see, Andrew came home all smiles.  He said he woke up once soaking wet and the leaders were attempting to cover the tent with a tarp to keep them dry.  A few hours later with a river running through the tent he was woken up again by a leader who let him go sleep in his truck the rest of the night.  Everything he took came home completely soaked but Andrew has such a great attitude!  As Jason put it.  "You'll remember this camp!  It's the bad ones you remember!"

It's soccer season again.

 This was Jared's first time playing goalie.  He was pretty nervous!  He only let one goal in.  I thought that was great but he gave himself a really hard time about letting one get by.

Kaitlyn may not kick the ball a lot but she loves it and is all smiles.  No wonder her kindergarten teacher has nick named her "Smiley!"

We started a project this summer that has taken way too long to get going.  We are in a mess now and hopefully I'll have some pictures to show soon of the finished project.

It started with just cutting down a tree.  This is what the back yard looks like now.

And last but not least, after the last couple months of trying to get plane tickets, visas, immunizations, and babysitters everything is finally set for our trip in a few weeks.  Stay tuned for some amazing pictures soon!

Andrew's 12!

Andrew turned 12 last week.  For his birthday present we gave him tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in Salt Lake.  When we were walking over to the Energy Solutions Arena he was amazed to see about 30 semi trucks parked outside.  He said, "Why does she need all those trucks?"

When we got inside I think Andrew felt a little awkward surrounded by tons of screaming girls his age!  We had to wait an hour and a half before Taylor Swift came on stage but as soon as she started singing all the songs he loves he had a great time.  Here he is covering his ears, not because the music was too loud but the screaming was really enough to make your ears hurt!

When we saw the stage it wasn't hard to see why she needed so many trucks!  What a fantastic time we had!  Taylor Swift put on an amazing show!  We were way up at the top of the arena but I couldn't complain.  The concert sold out in 30 minutes and the only reason we even got tickets is because my friend had some extras to sell.  (Thanks, Jennette!)  It was such a fun first concert for Andrew and I'm so glad I got to go with him.

Since the concert was a few days before his birthday it made his actual birthday a little anticlimactic.  We still celebrated with cake.

In our church, when boys turn 12 they can receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained to the office of a Deacon.  Sunday was one of those days that I thought would take forever to get here and yet 12 years have passed in the blink of an eye.  We enjoyed having lots of family there to support Andrew.

Andrew with Grandma and Grandpa Brown

Andrew with Grandma Thacker and Grandpa Darrell

Sam, Melanie, Alex and Tiffany

Here's a recent funny story about Andrew.  Last week the weather turned off cold and wet after summer-like conditions for several weeks.  I woke up one dark morning to cold, wind and rain.  The last thing I wanted to do was go outside for a run so I rolled over, turned the alarm off and went back to sleep.  Jason got up to get ready for work and was scared to death when he got out of the shower and heard the front door open and someone walk in the house!  Andrew had woken up, put on his sweats and gone for a two mile run up a big hill in the cold rain!  It made me a little nervous that he was out in the dark alone without us even knowing but I couldn't get too upset with him when I saw he had left a detailed note of when and where he had gone.  I sure did feel like a wimp for going back to bed when he went out for a run!

Here's a look at Andrew at 12.

What he likes: hanging out with friends, running, biking, skiing, soccer, baseball, pizza, ice cream, Taylor Swift, learning to play the piano, school, science, being a Green Ambassador at school, Fablehaven books, Harry Potter (books and movies), Hawkeye football, Angels baseball games, camping, fishing and scouts.

Things he doesn't like: vegetables, rice, potatoes, sleeping in, cleaning the bathroom, babysitting his brother and sister, and writing essays

What I love about Andrew:  his dimples (they are still just as cute at 12!) and smile; his energy and excitement for life; his outgoing, friendly personality; skiing, biking, running and just having fun with him now that he is older; he's a great helper, a hard worker and an excellent student.  I sure am proud of the young man he has turned into!

Jack R Blackham, Nov. 4, 1925 - Sept. 24, 2011

After 6 long weeks in the hospital trying to fight off complication after complication from gall bladder surgery, Jason's grandfather, Jack, passed away.  We spent a lot of time the last few weeks driving to and from Orem to visit him, many times wondering if it would be the last.  Other times we were hopeful he was on the mend.  We felt fortunate to visit him one last time the week he passed away so that we could tell him goodbye.  He was alert and as always, happy to see the children.  In fact, as his condition was worsening and they wanted to transfer him back to the ICU he refused because he wanted to be able to see the great-grandchildren.  It wasn't until a day or so after his death when we realized the significance of the date.  Grandpa died on the anniversary of the day he was sealed for time and all eternity to his wife and three children in the Manti Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

In the days following, the family gathered at Grandma's house.  We had a lot of laughs going through Grandpa's things.  Grandpa loved to collect things.  He had a basement full of trains that the kids always loved having him run for them when they visited!  After living through the Great Depression, Grandpa hated to throw things away.  We opened up his desk drawer and found it crammed full of pencils; some had been sharpened so many times they were too short to write with!  There was also a whole bucket full of pens that were broken. Grandpa always had pens in his pocket and often wore pocket protectors.  Although he would never let anyone borrow his pens; they were too special!  We found 15 pocket protectors full of pens in his desk !  I'm not sure if Grandpa would have appereciated everyone going through his things.  Jason said he kept hearing Grandpa's voice in his head, "Jason, stop snooping!"  Regardless of what he would have thought each of his sons and grandsons wore one of his pocket protectors full of pens to the funeral as a tribute!

Each of the sons, grandsons, and even some of the great-grandsons, wore one of Grandpa's ties.

After the funeral all of Grandpa's baseball caps were brought out and each of the great-grandchildren got to pick one.

I wanted to write a tribute to the man I have come to know and love the last 15 years but I thought it would be more fitting to come from one of those who knew him best.  With Jason's permission, I'll share some of his words from a paper he wrote for his 10th grade English class titled, "Fishing with Grandpa."

"Grandpa loved baseball!"  In Grandpa's own words, "My favorite pass time is playing baseball.  Everywhere there was an open field, road, or flat wash we'd play ball.  We basically taught ourselves how to play.  One of my best summers was in 1950.  Our ward's softball team placed 8th in all the Church.  It was fast pitch that's all we knew back then, none of this slow pitch junk."    Jason says, "When I was a kid, I would spend the night at Grandpa's.  After my family left, Grandpa and I played catch with his old baseball gloves.  Dad and Grandpa took us to watch the Salt Lake Gulls and Salt Lake Trappers at Derk's Field.  Dad and Grandpa taught me how to keep a scorecard."  As Uncle Darrell said in his talk at the funeral, "The New York Yankees just lost their biggest fan."

A Salt Lake Stingers game in 2002

Grandpa served in World War II.  His words were, "My mom had to pick up my high school diploma because I was training.  I served for 28 months including basic training.  I hated it.  We went on 25-mile hikes in the rain, climbed through barbwire, shot rifles, ect.  I was the company clerk in the engineer unit and a corporal rifleman in the infantry.  In a raid, we lay in a field overnight and through the day with bullet fire all around.  An armor unit was supposed to get us out but never showed.  The Germans had us pinned down until night when we were able to get out.  Several of my best friends were killed by my side.  On the boat ride to and from Europe, I was very seasick.  We were on it for seven days.  The greatest part was seeing the Statue of Liberty as we sailed into New York.  It brought tears to my eyes because I had survived."

Grandpa's family was everything to him.  His words were, "I first met Elna Christensen when I was riding in a car with my friend.  We saw his girl friend and her, and stopped to pick them up.  We were married in Elko, Nevada on April 30, 1949.  (They were married for 62 years!)  I can remember picking up her wedding ring in Salt Lake.  I was so excited that I ran into a snow bank and bent my watch up."  Grandpa loved his grandkids and they adored him.

Jason and his siblings at the viewing: Vance, Eric, Melanie, and Brian

Jason and I remarked that it is miraculous how many times his grandpa's life was spared both in the war and afterwards.  Grandpa said, "I was digging and putting in a sewer line in Helper by putting pipes together.  After lunch, I went back into the tunnel and continued working.  Someone yelled, "Look out!"  and all of a sudden, the tunnel was caving in.  I stuck my head by a large rock where no dirt was falling down.  I was very scared and prayed hard.  I yelled for them to put a pipe through behind me so I could breathe.  I was buried for twenty minutes."  The Salt Lake Tribune said, "Mr. Blackham was buried completely, with three feet of dirt over his head." Years later "I was working at Bunker's and was blown off the silo.  Both my legs were broken.  I was hobbling around the house and wanted to soak in a hot tub.  A neighbor called Elna wanting to know why I was hobbling around.  She took me to the hospital even though I didn't want to go."

Grandpa loved to tease. Jason said, "Fishing with Granpa held a special opportunity for me.  Fishing with him became an adventure.  We didn't care if we didn't catch any fish, yet most of the time we did.  Fishing allowed time to talk, relax, enjoy nature, and enjoy each other.  Indeed fishing with Grandpa was joyful.  I learned more about him as a person, not just as my grandpa.  I could see the vibrant youth coming alive again.  I loved going fishing with Grandpa where we could be alone in nature and forget everything else.  Grandpa teased me when I used flies and spinners.  He was a bait fisherman.  Still, all my life I could just go fishing with Grandpa.  I just had to convince him to tease the fish more than me."

Our hearts ache thinking about how much we will miss Grandpa.  However, we are comforted by the knowledge that through Jesus Christ, death is not the end.  We will see Grandpa again.

Angels, Dolls, Princesses....and Yankees

The Yankees were really the whole reason for our trip.  Everything else was just extra.  Jason's dad is a huge Yankee's fan and for a while we have wanted to take him to California to see them play the Angels but it seemed like every time they were in Anaheim we always had conflicts.  The Yankees were scheduled to play in Anaheim last weekend and although I felt guilty taking the kids out of school we finally decided we just needed to do it.  It was a great trip and I'm so glad that we went!  We had a great time with Jason's dad and really appreciated my parents putting us up.

In front of Angels Stadium before Friday's game.

My dad and brother, Spencer, joined us for Friday's game.  It was a little strange watching my two favorite baseball teams play each other.  We love the Angels but Jason convinced me to be a Yankees fan shortly after we were married.  I was excited to see the Yankees for the first time in person. (Sometime when you have time ask me why I skipped out of college classes to drive to San Diego so the Jason and the rest of my siblings could see the Yankees win the 1998 World Series while I watched it on TV.  So, I'm still a little bitter about that...)  Anyway, I was excited to see the Yankees but have to say I was a little disappointed in them from the two games we watched.  The Angels ended up winning both Friday and Saturday night's games.  Not that that is a bad thing.  Our kids are huge Angels fans since they have grown up going to Angels games every time we go to see my parents during baseball season.  It was easy to get caught up in the excitement Friday night when it was a tie game and the rally monkey came out!  Here's Kaitlyn with her rally monkey!

We loved spending the weekend with Jason's dad.  It was hilarious to watch my dad sitting next to Jason's dad at the game since they were cheering for opposite teams.  They were both giving each other a hard time and my dad really got into the game.

Last weekend was the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th attack on the World Trade Towers.  It  brought back a lot of touching memories and gave me time to reflect on the wonderful country we live in!  God bless America and thank you to all those who have and are protecting our freedom!

Notice you can even see the jets flying overhead on the score board!

A trip to California is never complete without a trip to the beach.  We pulled out all the sand toys we've been taking to the beach for years but the kids were more interested in body boarding and digging for sand crabs this year than building sand castles!  I guess it's just another sign they are growing up.

Saturday my mom and I took Kaitlyn to the American Girl store in Los Angeles.  Kaitlyn was so excited to take her doll, Kanani.  She was in heaven in the store!  She just ran from on thing to the next.  Jason called while we were getting Kanani's hair styled.  He said, "You're doing what?!"  Kaitlyn thought it was lots of fun though and my mom and I thought it was awfully cute.  It made for a fun girls outing.

The American Girl Doll Salon

Kaitlyn with Kanani in front or the American Girl Store

The last few times we have gone to Disneyland it has been on a holiday break from school and it has been so crowded that we stood in line all day.  We decided since the kids were already missing school we would stay one more day and surprise the kids with a trip to Disneyland.  We did have a wonderful day with light crowds and short waits.  The down side was that some of our favorite rides were closed to get ready for Halloween.  The weather was perfect and the kids loved having Grandpa Earl with us as well as having my parents join us for the afternoon.

Jared, Jason and Andrew on Autopia

Kaitlyn and Sleeping Beauty.  I can't believe I forgot her princess dress!

We even found Mickey Mouse!

Grandpa Earl and Andrew

Dad, Mom, Kaitlyn, Andrew, Jason, Earl and Jared

First Day of School

It seems like summer went by too fast.  There were several things on my list of things to do that just didn't get done.  However, the last couple weeks of summer vacation it was obvious the kids were ready to go back.

Jared's first day of 3rd grade.

Andrew's first day of 6th grade.

Kaitlyn had to wait until the next week before kindergarten started.  She was so excited!  I had a lot of people ask me if either she or I cried.  That kind of surprised me since it was a happy day for everyone.  You can see from the pictures she was all smiles!  And as far as I go, half day kindergarten is only 15 minutes longer than her preschool class so it still doesn't quite feel like real school yet.  In fact, I keep accidentally calling it "preschool" and Kaitlyn doesn't like that at all!  It does seem like I just sent Andrew to kindergarten though.  I'm not sure where the time has gone!

Kaitlyn's first day of kindergarten!

Jason came home for lunch to walk Kaitlyn to her first day of school.

In front of the school.  It was so bright it was hard to open her eyes!

In her classroom.  She can't wait to get started!