November 2010

This is the perfect picture, except that I didn't turn it, because this is usually how Brian looked over Thanksgiving. One of the kids were usually jumping on his back.

Brian and Jessica

It’s hard to believe that it’s December already…the Christmas decorations in the apartment are a helpful reminder, but it seems crazy that 2010 is almost in the books! The beginning of the month was low key and involved lots of football (real and fantasy), work, and different projects here and there. Brian now realizes how cold the apartment can get during the winter months and we’ve been getting good use of the space heater and electric mattress pad. Now before people comment on the fact that we live in California, I just want to remind those of you who were in here in May of the baseball game. And considering it’s been getting down into the 30’s at night, the lack of insulation, single pane windows, and extremely inefficient heat makes it pretty darn cold inside… Anyway, I got Brian some slippers so at least now his feet are warm!

The highlight of the month was our trip to Boise for Thanksgiving. I had so much fun getting to know at least part of the Sawyer clan better and it was the first Thanksgiving in several years that I have spent with family. Not only was the dinner fabulous, but I loved being with the kids, seeing some snow, getting a little black Friday shopping in, and attending a very entertaining production of “White Christmas” at the Boise Little Theater (entertaining probably not in the right way…I almost had to separate Brian and Christian during the show). We also got to be super crafty – Brian working on various projects with his dad and me discovering my inner craftiness making Christmas decorations. I could try to claim mad crafting skills, but it’s not too hard to do when you have custom made wood decorations available with experts helping you to design them! It was a really great time and we look forward to visiting with more of you in the future!

Now…time to do some Christmas shopping

Mom and Dad

Having 21 seats filled on Thanksgiving made it a great day for us. We so enjoyed having much of our family here for most of the week. It seemed there was always something going on for entertainment.
After typical winter conditions it was comforting to hear that the Weavers made it home safely.
Dad has been making good use of his/Brian’s CNC. His is always on the lookout for new ideas. Mom has been excited that huge progress has been made on the deck.
We wish you all a month full of fun and laughter.
Love, Mom and Dad

Steve and Sharon

Thanksgiving came a week early for us this year. The girls came home when they had free time and one of them brought her bff Kai. We had turkey dinner, went to a dumb Harry Potter movie, and bowled. Then, as fast as they showed up, the kids were gone! We decided to go to Disneyland for Christmas vacation instead of doing the usual thing. It will be a good opportunity to soak in the 60-70 degree heat while standing in line for hours! And we will LIKE IT.....

Daddy ain't driving this time. We are going to fly down and meet Britt and Kai there. Kelly is going to be moving back home since she is taking all of her classes on-line now. She is hoping to get a job in town somewhere. We are excited to have someone else to do dishes....:)

Steve

Christian and Becky

I can't believe the year is nearly over. I don't know if I am ready for it or not. I guess it doesn't really matter since it will happen even if I am not ready. This month has been searching for work. Christian and I have been so busy trying to figure everything out. Thankfully I was blessed with a job rather quickly. And they let me start after Thanksgiving. I work for an online tax company out of Provo. It is a bit of a drive but so far they are great to work for and I can come in when it works for me so I can pretty much miss the rush hours and have some time at home too.

Christian is trying to figure out his Mr. Mom role. He has requested a moo moo for Christmas. Should I be worried? He is doing great though. He did say homework is no fun. The hard part is him feeling like he can do everything he needs to job search. He is trying hard though and we are working things out so we can both do what we need to do.

Thanksgiving was great. It started and ended with bad roads but the in between was great. We spent a whole we up in Boise. It was so awesome to see so much family. Christian was able to network a little at Boise State and see if they knew of anything and visit with some old friends. I got a lot a crafting in and had a great time hanging out with everyone. The kids of course had a great time and didn't know why we had to leave grandmas at all.

October 2010

Rachel and Mark

In a wild October where our Saturdays were dominated by one sport or another, we managed to sail through it without any injuries or missed games or practices. Alex wrapped up football with a 5-3 season. He is getting better which is good because he is not getting any bigger, yet. He promptly started basketball and has already played some games. They are 1-1 so far. Emily also started basketball and they are 2-0. She has really picked up some defensive skills this year and discovered her competitive gene. When she puts her game face on, it is really on. Lauren played soccer for her second season and was a defensive menace. It's nice to see her be a menace somewhere else other than home. She gets to sit out basketball this winter mainly because I am tired of driving kids everywhere every evening. I think I am losing my mind and the tires on my car are almost bald!

Mark and I continue to work away at things. Mark started a pergola and enjoyed it so much that he got a second chance at starting it after the wind blew it down one night. It still isn't finished but maybe some nudges in the right area can get us to finish it. We put the lawn to bed for the winter and most of the grass is in but we still have a ways to go before the yard is finished. As for me and my free time (laugh)- Mark says I am nesting but I am NOT pregnant so I don't know what he is talking about. Okay, I did paint the kitchen, the music room, the hallway, and the living room but I am not nesting- just getting things done. And by the comments I am getting, it is looking nice. You will have to come visit to see it since the kids broke my digital camera. Apparently cameras don't like being left outside overnight in the sand and wetness.

I am excited to see people for Thanksgiving and other Holidays but not looking forward to the darkness and cold. Maybe the parents and I can find lots of projects to do to get us through the dark months. See most of you soon!

Mom and Dad

Hoorah!!! Canning season is over, and it is comforting to have the pantry full. Dad has the garden all cleaned up and ready for spring.
We have enjoyed watching Lauren play soccer, Emily – basketball and Alex – football. They are all very aggressive and that makes them fun to watch. It brings back memories of watching our own kids play years ago. Where has the time gone???
We took a quick trip to St. Anthony to check out the place for next year’s reunion. We were impressed with what is offered and hope you will all be able to come. Then we turned around and drove to Dietrich to support Peggy and Roger at their wedding.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you here for Thanksgiving. If you don’t come, we hope your holiday is special and football goes your way.
Love, Mom and Dad

Peggy and Roger

Life has changed as it always does. I married Roger on the 16th of October in the small town of Dietrich, ID. We are excited for our new life and the fun and challenages it brings. We are sorry for not inviting everyone but we just wanted it to be very small wedding with the kids and invite everyone when we are sealed. None of my kids chose to come but Rogers kids were there, Mom and Dad as well as Rogers brother who lives right there in Rupert. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect fall day.

There are four new members to our family. Alexis is 8, She's ambitious most of the time, loves to barrel race, read, and really loves school. Hallie is 16, plays volleyball, a nd is a little boy crazy right now. Dustin is 17, loves to hunt, drive big machineryand be outside. Roger (cowboy Roger as Brenten and Landon call him). We all love to ride and work on the ranch. It's a lot of work and Roger has a crazy schedule (I don't get why the cows can schedule things better..haha)so I'm hoping to lighten the load at least a little at home. We do get a chance to work together. Just a great time to bond and spend time together alone and as a family.

We had dinner at Mom and Dad's with Mark, Rachel and family. It's always enjoyable to visit with them. The kids are kick and keep us all entertained.

We had a chance to see Becky, Christian and family a week ago. It was fun to watch them in their primary program. The boys did awesome. Brenten was one of the only ones that memorized his part and Landon sang is lungs out and even had a solo a couple of times!

I'm heading back to college here soon and hopefully will be able to find a job in the Twin Falls area that will help me be closer to home. Until then, I commute and stay at the Middleton house during the week and home on the weekend. I try and sneak down once during the week but that makes for a very short night.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Love,

Roger and Peggy

Becky and Christian

Can you all believe it is November already. This year has really flown by. We had a crazy month. I have to say it is definitely crazier than usual. Softball is officially over. Soccer is over for the boys which also means I am done coaching. They learned a lot and had even more fun. I liked coaching more than I thought. That being said I am glad to have my Tues, Wed, Thurs nights back and Saturday mornings. I don't know how you all do it with so many kids in different things. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Peggy came down for a visit and we got to hang out with her Roger and Lexi. I wish they could have been here longer but we had fun. I even dragged them to a ward Halloween party. We had our primary program so a lot of stress was relieved from me once that was over.

We loved Halloween. The kids looked so cute and I feel we lucked out because the kids wanted to be stuff that we already had costumes for. Aside from a couple of bags of candy it was free. I love that. Cait loved trick or treating. She was confused after the first couple of houses and after that she raised her hands in the air and yelled "YEAH" after every candy. I think that is my favorite. I love when they get it and are so excited even for the little things.

Just before Halloween Christian got laid off. That has really thrown us for a loop. Christian knew there was a possibility but I really didn't think they would do this before Christmas. That is okay though. We are excited to see what life brings. Christian didn't love his job anyway so now is his opportunity to find something that he can like a little more and perhaps give him more opportunities for growth. So he is currently job searching and in the meantime I am also looking for work to try and get us by.

We are excited for Thanksgiving and going up to Boise.

Have a great month,

Becky Weaver

Pictures are not uploading right now for some reason. i will try again because we have some pictures from Africa that you will want to see and a few from Hawaii too.

October 2010

Mom and Dad

Dad had the opportunity of being a bachelor for a couple of weeks, while Mom went to Utah to tend grandkids. Before spending a week with Brenten, Landon, and Caitlin, she made a surprise trip to St. George and just appeared on the Harding doorstep. Spending a couple of days babysitting while Amy and Will worked was a fun time for her. Wearing some of the hats that moms wear, she was soccer mom, housekeeper and entertainer of kids. Although they were all sooo good, it was wonderful to be home again with Dad. After all, “there is no place like home.” Dad was left with a “to-do” list and was able to get most of it accomplished, along with taking care of the outdoors and making sure the dishes were clean before Mom came home.
We finally finished up the canning and have our food storage up to par again. It is a lot of work, but so rewarding once the shelves are filled.

Brian and Jessica

September was quite the month! Before Africa, Brian had a work trip to Taiwan and we went to Colorado Springs for a quick weekend (we won’t talk about the reason for the trip – the BYU vs. Air Force game). Two days later we were off! This was my first real international trip, so the travel alone was exciting for me. We eventually got to Uganda and met up with Scott (who works and now lives in Africa), Brian’s travel buddy Peter, his wife Kelly (who is also Scott’s sister), and Scott and Kelly’s parents.

The first two days were quite the adventure! Brian, Peter, Kelly, and I were driving to the other side of the country to do a gorilla trek. I can’t go into the details here, but let’s just say that the adventure started with our “trusted” driver hopping out an hour into the trip for a “family emergency” which left us with some random guy no one knew anything about, followed by getting lost on several “short cuts” which led us to almost run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, followed by a 7 hour trek through the mountains (part of which included a torrential downpour with hail) which allowed us to sit about 10 feet away from several gorillas, followed by another exciting drive to a different national park, and ended with an armed guard cocking his automatic riffle at us…two times. It was quite the introduction to international travel!

The rest of the trip wasn’t as exciting, but included so many highlights – game drives at various parks, staying in some beautiful lodges, shopping in the market, visiting an elephant orphanage and giraffe center, etc. In Kenya, and probably one of the highlights of the highlights, we went on an early morning hot air balloon ride (thanks Brothers for the gift!). It was spectacular! After our flight, we had breakfast out amongst the zebras and wildebeasts. We also managed to cross over into Tanzania so we could add another country to our lists (Number 54 for Brian, 8 for me). The trip ended with a tour of the Kibera Slums in Niarobi…very eye-opening and emotional for me. Overall, it was a fabulous trip and we are both looking forward to our next adventure abroad!

Peggy

I don't have a lot to add but since Becky has texting....she can "encourage" me to find something to put in. Just kidding Becky! I need a swift kick to do things lately. I appreciate you taking care of us all.

Basically-

-getting married

-remodelling a house

-unemployed once again -yet another child that thinks I'm the worst because who knows...

-Financially strapped because I tried to help someone one of them out and got stung

Thats the excitement of it all. I'm excited for a fresh start which may not include my kids very much, which is heart wrenching, but should bring new and exciting

adventures. I'm excited for all of you to meet him. Brenten calls him Cowboy Roger.

He runs a 14000 head calf ranch not far from Twin Falls. That will put me closer to some of the family and not too far away from Mom and Dad.

We were able to visit with Becky, Christian and boys for a day. Lunch was great and watching the kids interact with all the baby horses we went and saw was so cool. They loved being out there with them. Brenten is a natural. Landon and Cait warmed right up to them. Those big faces looking at you is kind of intimidating when you are that small I am sure.

Hope you all have a great month!

Take care,

Peggy
The Weavs

It has been an exciting month for us. Again more softball and soccer and it has been going great. We took first in our league. We are now in tourney. Wish us luck. The boys are still loving soccer. Brenten is really getting the hang of it. Landon tells us how awesome he is every week.

Peggy and crew came down for a quick trip and took us to a baby horse farm. The kids loved it. And we had a nice time chatting.

Christian and I took our first trip with out the kids. We went to Hawaii with his parents. It was awesome. The weather was perfect and so was all the fun. I felt like we did so much. We went to the PCC, Pearl Habor, snorkeling, shopped, played in the waves, and went to lots of different beaches. We have tons of pictures on face book if you want to check them out.

Mom was awesome and came and stayed with the kids while I was gone. She did the whole soccer mom thing. The boys didn't even want us to come back because they knew that it meant that grandma would have to leave.

The rest of the month was trying to get back to normal life and recovering from all our fun.

I think of you all often,

Becky

September 2010

Brian and Jessica

Brian and I have been really busy with work/projects this past month and can hardly believe that Africa is 14 days away! We managed to fit in a trip to San Diego to visit a few of Brian’s friends from North Carolina who now live in SoCal, plus another friend who was in town. I continue to enjoy getting to know the people I have heard so much about and it’s never a bad idea to spend some time in San Diego! Our days of flying under the radar in our new ward are officially over. We both spoke in church this month and received our first callings – it’s off to the YW presidency for me and the primary for Brian! Those Valiant boys are darn lucky if you ask me and I have already enjoyed some of the time I have spent with the girls. Brian is squeezing in a trip to China for work before we head on vacation…oh, and we’re going to Colorado for the BYU vs. Air Force game on Sept 11. It should be a great setting considering the day, and I’ll be sporting my BYU t-shirt while yelling over and over “Go Cougs!” (I still feel the need to repeat this to myself…like I have to convince myself it is okay). I’m looking forward to my Badgers cleaning up in the Big Ten and my Packers dominating the NFL. It could be a very good season for us Wisconsin natives J Now let’s just hope neither of us get eaten by a lion while in Africa so we can enjoy football season!

Mom and Dad

August was very typical for us – canning produce, which is always rewarding to see the storage room full – but not a whole lot of fun. Now we are waiting for the peaches and pears to come on. Dad has been enjoying his CNC and was involved in making 60 toy kits for a humanitarian project our ward did. He also dealt with medical issues and is getting them resolved by losing weight – down 18 pounds already!!! He was supposed to have cataract surgery, but that is on hold because of arterial disease in one eye. In November they will see how things are and decide what to do next.
Not a very exciting month, but we are still kickin’ – so that is a good thing.
Hope all of the greatest kids in the world have a wonderful school year!!!!!
Mom and Dad

The Weavs

Wow!!! September really flew by. I even forgot to get the newsletter posted. But here we are. Trying to get on track.

Christian and I are in our 2nd season of softball and doing great. I think we are in first place right now. Just rec league. I am feeling so much stronger and faster so that is great. And I feel like I can control my hits a little more.

Brenten and Landon are playing soccer and loving it. Brenten is starting to learn a lot of skills. Landon doesn't like the idea of bunch ball but will get the ball every once in a while. I don't know if we should encourage the bunch ball so that he will get in there and be a little aggressive or if I should support him "spreading out".

Brenten is a first grader now. He loves his teacher and is doing great. He is really reading very well.

Landon is doing preschool but we are doing more of a joy school so it is me and a couple of other mom's doing it. He really seems to be liking it.

I think that is about all for now. September is an exciting month for us. Christian and I are going to Hawaii for the first time. Great picts next month.

August 2010

Hardings
Things continue to get more and more chaotic in our lives here in St George.

Will has been putting more and more time in at his shop that he has opened. It slowly is doing better and supporting itself. Being self employed is definitely way stressful, but hopefully pay off once it is developed more.
Amy continues to work at the hospital at nights and is working on finding a good day shift that will work well with everyone's schedule. She has also started a Master's degree in Health Administration this last month. Definitely no spare time anymore.

Kaleb has been learning so much still. He now can count to 20, knows his basic shapes and colors, and can spell his name. He has quite the imagination and loves to rough house with Thomas and Kimberly already. He can barely wait for them to get strong enough to hold their own.

Thomas and Kimberly both have been getting around the house way too well. They officially turned 1 and have the pictures to prove it. They had such a great birthday. We were lucky enough to have a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Sawyer on their birthday. I'm pretty sure that they will never visit in the middle of July again. Poor dad was melting, but hopefully enjoyed hanging out with his grand kids. Kimberly loved sitting with Grandpa and playing games with Grandpa. Kimberly has been doing extremely well with copying sounds. She has mastered mama, dada, papa, and other sounds. She always pretends that the tv remote is a phone and talks her special way of talking. Thomas is doing pretty well with his words as well. They are not quite walking yet, but working on it.

It was great again to have a visit from Mom & Dad. Will was especially grateful as Dad built a nice set of shelves for Will's work. They are definitely being used. Will and I have been trying to slide in some fun every now and again to keep us sane. We took the family to the community pool. This was by far the most awesome city pool I have ever been to. Kaleb loved the water slides and river.

Well, that is about it for us this month. I hope everyone had a great month.

Mom and Dad
Becky and kids filled one week with fun and laughter. We always enjoy having any of our family come for a visit. It is always amazing to see how much they are all growing up way too fast. After stuffing belongings, kids, and things for the Hardings in the car, Becky rode on the booster seat in the front to Lehi. We didn’t even have to stop very often and the kids were great. We literally dropped them and their stuff off on the curb and took off for St. George where we spent the weekend with Amy, Will and kids. If you think birthday cake for one one-year-old is messy, try two one-year-olds. While there Dad built a workbench/shelf for Will’s shop. We decided we definitely don’t want to live there. It was great to get back to our 90 degree weather from the 113 degree there.
We enjoy having Mark and family nearby. Rachel thinks we should build a house next door to them and let Mark build Dad’s shop between the two houses so he will have total access to Dad’s tools. They came over one Sunday for a dinner of grilled fish from their trip to Alaska. While here Mark and Dad were in a debate over a song that had been sung in priesthood meeting and a bet ensued with Mark’s tractor as the wager. . Because Dad was the chorister he was sure that it was “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” and Mark was sure that it was “I Believe in Christ”. So they called the person who had conducted and he agreed with Dad. Mark still wouldn’t give in so they called another friend and he had no idea, but his son said it was neither. So it is still out for further research, or maybe we’ll just let Obama solve it. Mark says, “But he will just give it to Dad!”
We hope you all enjoy a few more days with our grandchildren before school begins and that our Arizona grand kids all have a great school year.
Love to all, Mom and Dad

Brian and Jessica

Another month is gone already?? And is it really already August?? It’s been another busy month which started with our trip to Wisconsin which was really fun. It was good for Brian to see a pretty part of the state during a nice time of year, and my family really enjoyed getting to know him better. After that, I’ve been busy with work and Brian had his Manly Man Trip to Alaska, which I’m sure others will have plenty to say about. I know Brian had a really good time and we will be reaping the benefits for many many months (sea bass tonight!). Now we’re starting to get things in order for Africa in September. Vaccinations are checked off the list as of yesterday.

Steve and family

July was a very interesting month in our household. The family started off on a surprise trip to Utah, Idaho, and Arizona while I was at a basketball camp in Denver. I wasn't sure if they were ever coming back, but eventually they made it. I was so sure that they weren't coming back that I decided to move into a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER! I hope they never leave me again....

The boys and I headed to Alaska for a week with the Sawyer bro's and their male offspring. What a blast it was! I stressed out the whole time about whether they would like it, would the fish bite, would the weather cooperate, and would we all get seasick or not. I also wondered if the rest of my stuff would be gone when I got home!

As it turns out, we caught about 300 pounds of actual fillets of salmon and halibut. All seemed to have a good time. And my family and stuff were still there when we got back. The weather could have cooperated a little better, but I was impressed that none of the kids complained once (and they could have).

Steve

The Weavers

It has been a busy busy month. We started off the month with a little visit from Peggy and then the kids and I rode back to Boise with her. And then we hung out with Mom and Dad for the week. We had a great time and got a bunch of sun. It is nice to get to see Mark's family too. We came back with Mom and Dad on their way to st. george.

We have been playing a bunch of softball and we did well enough to win t-shirts this year. Hopefully this next season we can get another shirt.

Early this month I got called as a Primary President. I have been so busy. I am amazed at how many phone calls I have had to take. But we are getting organized and getting things together so hopefully it will feel less crazy as time goes on.

Toward the end of the month we went to Kolob for a long weekend. We love to be able to get away and have no worries besides hanging out with my family. This kids did well and that really makes a difference.

July 2010

Brian and Jessica

How is it possible that June is already over?? Nothing major to report except, for some fun weekend excursions. We decided last minute that we wanted to go to Yosemite and were able to secure lodging for the first night and then found a place to camp the next night. The park was beautiful and we were fortunate to have some bears welcome us as we drove in. The next day we did the Panorama hike which started at the top of Glacier Point and ended back down in the valley – not that we were counting, but it covered 9.5 miles and 3 amazing waterfalls. The next weekend we headed off to Pebble Beach to watch Saturday’s round of the US Open. It was my first golf tournament…why not make it a major? It was fun to hang with Phil, Tiger, and the rest of the boys at a pretty spectacular site. I’m currently writing this from Wisconsin and Brian will be joining me tomorrow for a weekend of family fun on Washington Island (which is located at the tip of Door County in Lake Michigan). Let’s hope he doesn’t have any delays flying in…I was three hours late because they shut down the airport for President Obama. Other than that, we continue to get used to this marriage thing, work has gotten really busy for me, and Brian has made it 7 weeks without killing one of the cats (although I am a tad worried to have him alone with them right now). Happy summer everyone!

Mom and Dad

This summer is passing by much too quickly. Even though we haven’t been so busy it seems like time is flying by. We made a flying trip to Colorado to be with Steve. Even though the circumstances weren’t the best, we were glad to be able to be there. The upside to such a long trip is that we had a short, but pleasant, stop at the Weaver’s. We always love any excuse to see any of our family.
The strawberries are finished bearing and we were able to get some jam and berries in the freezer. The raspberries are beginning to redden – so they are the next produce from Dad’s garden. He has been working on an irrigation system for the garden and putting it on a timer. That way we won’t be so tied to home that we can’t get away for a few days.
Our love and condolences are with Lisa and her family.
Love, Mom and Dad

Jazzi (Jessica)
Hello everyone!

Not much happened last month. I started my classes and loving going to school. I didn't realize how much I missed learning and school. Other then school just lots of work. Also I've been trying to help mom get the house looking a little better! Oh my how could I forget I am also enjoying the time I get to spend with Bradley, and the new puppy drake!!

Hope everyone is doing good!

Love you all,

Jessica


The Weavs

Another busy month has passed by. The boys were in the thick of their baseball season. We had so many rain/snow outs earlier on so this month they did the make ups. We had 2 games and a practice a week for each boy. That is a lot for t ball and coach pitch. The boys loved it and we really saw a lot of improvement in Brenten this year.

I had girls camp. It was my first time going since I was in y/w. It was so fun. The girls were great and the weather wasn't bad. Christian's mom came up so I didn't have to ship the kids all over while Christian was at work. I made it so much easier to not worry about things going on at home.

Christian is still working hard. He is looking for new work but is still doing his very best for F Matics.

We are also playing softball on Fridays. It is so fun and we won tshirts this season. That is a big deal. Our team was pretty excited. We are in the middle of tourney right now so we will see how we end up for the first season.

I miss and love you all.

Becky

June 2010

Brian and Jessica – May Newsletter

It’s official! Brian and I were married on May 15 and I am now a Sawyer! The beginning of the month went pretty smoothly leading up to the wedding. We were busy moving in the rest of Brian’s things (including about 15 boxes of cereal) and getting things as cat hair free as possible before the big day. Luckily, we didn’t have any last minute issues and were excited when people began coming into town for the wedding weekend. Although some were surprised by how cold San Francisco can be, overall it seemed like people had a nice time. Brian was able to show several people the town on Friday while I spent time with my family. Then after a nice dinner with Mom and Dad Sawyer and my mom and step-dad, Brian and I met everyone else for a chilly but fun night at the ballpark. The day of the wedding brought warmer weather, and it was so nice to have most of the Sawyer clan there for the sealing. I was super nervous but luckily Brian was cool as a cucumber! After the ceremony came Brian’s favorite part…hours with the photographer! We then met the family back in Palo Alto for dinner. The dinner was also a really nice time and we agree that one of the highlights was when Steve, my brother-in-law Griffin, and Brian’s travel buddy Peter cut and fed each other part of the wedding cake. HYSTERICAL (and a first for our photographer who has shot a bazillion weddings)! By the end of the dinner, everyone knew our honeymoon destination except me. I was very pleased to find out that we were headed to Turks and Caicos Islands then next morning. We stayed on Providenciales which had the whitest beaches I have ever seen. Over the course of the week, I was introduced to the world of snorkeling. I rocked it after I overcame some gear issues (and a tad bit of nervousness). We also went on a kayaking excursion and were a few feet from several lemon sharks while paddling around. It’s okay Mark, we were perfectly safe…I hear you are easily freaked out by sharks. We had a fabulous time and it was very hard for us (especially me) to come back to reality! But so far, reality hasn’t been too bad!

Amy and Will
Okay, I guess I should stop being such a huge slacker! Life has been crazy, but full of adventures at our place. May was so much fun. We celebrated Kaleb's birthday early including M&M birthday cake and nerf guns. Kaleb loves laying on the floor in our living room and trying to shoot darts at the moving fan. He actually does pretty well. If it isn't the fan it is the TV, shooting at Zurg from Toy Story.

One of Will's friends in town got married the first weekend in May so we got to attend that wedding in the St George Temple. What a nice break from our crazy lives. We definately took advantage of the alone time and went out to eat for lunch.

Then we made a quick trip over to California for Brian & Jessica's wedding. That was such a treat to see everyone there even though it was for such a short amount of time. It definately made me grateful for everyone. Even though we don't get to see each other very often I felt a strong feeling of love while we were in the temple and hanging out at the temple. Thank you Jessica for the lend of your place. It was so comfy!
After the wedding Will has been busting his tail to open his shop. So, he is official open for business and he already has 10-15 units in or will be in the next week. I just hope that the business continues to come. Even though it is hard work and long hours, Will has always wanted to open his own shop. We are hoping that it will grow and develop into a great machine/performance shop some day. We framed out a little play area for the kids so Will can continue to work while I am at work. So far it is working.

So, Will decided that before Kaleb gets out of the corner he has to count to a certain number all by himself. Even though Kaleb still doesn't like going to the corner, I think he is starting to like to count. He can now count to 20 all by himself.
Kimberly & Thomas are becoming more fun as they are starting to play together and with Kaleb more. It is still so fun to watch both of the get around the house by crawling/scaling the walls or furniture/etc. Even though it is exausting, it is so fun to watch sometime. Now if I can just keep all my kids from hurting themselves. Thomas cut his gum all the way up and Kaleb hit is head enough to cut and goose egg it. Luckily we have an awesome clinic we take our kids to that will just slide us in and peak at our kids to make sure they are ok. Most the time they are, but they are so patient with me. What is next.

We ended may with a little yard sale. I have never done a yard sale before but it was a pretty good turn out. Living on a main street helps a bit. I think I had a total of about 40-50 cars pull by and look at what we had to sale. So, I just might do a second round once I have time to go through all my stuff.
Memorial day weekend I worked most of it since there were so many people wanting it off with school out and all. So nice to work though because of the benefits. Other then that I was wiped out.

Well, that is about it for us St Georgians. Hope to hear from everyone this month!

Will, Amy, Kaleb, Thomas & Kimberly

Mom and Dad
Of course, the highlight of this month was sharing in Brian and Jessica’s wedding. What an exciting day that was! It was especially nice to have so many of our children together in the temple and to feel that specially closeness there. Thank you Brian and Jessica for making that weekend such a memorable one.

Dad is continuing to improve and walking without assistance, which makes life much easier. He is enjoying learning the CNC program that he and Brian bought and are trying to develop together. I am looking forward to seeing the projects they will be able to create, and am thinking of things I might want made.

I have been trying to keep myself occupied by working on humanitarian quilts and getting some scrapbooking done.
Have a great summer,
Love, Mom and Dad

Becky and Christian,

Obviously the highlight of this month was going to Brian and Jessica's wedding. I can't wait to go back to San Fransisco and get to really see it. It was a quick trip but christian let me go without the kids. I got to meet Brian's friends, Peter and Kelly and they were kind enough to take me around with them and then we met up at the giants game. The sealing was amazing. It was so fun to see Brian and Jessica so happy.

Toward the end of this month Brenten graduated from Kindergarten. WAHOO!!! It was on this day that I met the girl Brenten has been telling me he is going to marry. If this is true he is going to have to grow a lot. This girl is a good foot taller than everyone else in their class. He was excited because his award was the Best Reader award. He has really improved this year and has learned a lot.

The rest of the month has not been near as exciting. The whole house, minus christian, got strep throat twice. Once before the wedding and once after. It was no fun at all. We are looking into getting Landon's tonsils out and possibly taking out his adenoids. I told the doctor we still need to pay off Brenten's surgery.

Also at the end of this month I had the first person near my age to die. She is a little older than I am and was one of my mentors at BYU. She had been dealing with breast cancer and then other cancers after that for the last 3 years. So here is my reminder to my loved ones. Go to your yearly check ups. Early detection is key. I think I have a brother or two who have said that before. :)

I love you all and think of you all the time.

the Weavs

May 2010

Mom and Dad
May was a month of healing for both of us. Dad has been able to spend a little time outside and has the berry garden shaped up and doing well. He works outside for a little bit and then comes in and puts his foot up to let the swelling subside. We think doctors don’t tell the whole story ahead of time or people probably wouldn’t have work done. Can you just imagine him wearing tennis shoes with his suit to church. Mom has been able to find ways to get things done around the house, but has certainly appreciated and enjoyed having help from Mark and family. They should hire out as cleaners and weeders. (:
It was great to have Becky and kids here for a week. When we don’t see our grand kids very often we notice how much and how fast they are growing. Lauren is quite the soccer player and it has been fun watching her aggressive and determined attitude shine out on the field. I wonder where she gets that from…
We are grateful that you are all a part of our family.
Love, Mom and Dad
Jimmy and Vanessa

We haven't written in awhile, but still can't think of a whole lot to update. There's not much that happens or changes when going to school. Just started a new semester, and loving the warmer weather. Braden loves to be outside and runs around everywhere. Even though he's mostly out of the stuff in mouth phase, it's like it started all over again when he's outside! Mostly dirt and rocks, and it drives us crazy! But he loves the swings, grass, bark chips, other kids, and babies! He talks quite a bit now, and has quite a few words which is fun.

We got an internship for January which is exciting. We're not sure where they're going to send us yet, but it's for Western Summit Construction out of Denver. Pretty excited to start that when it comes around. Other than that, we're just enjoying the weather, trying to keep up with classes and homework, and trying not to blink so we can see Braden grow!

Love,
Jim, Vanessa and Braden
The Weavers
April was a busy month for us. It started out with doctors appointments at the ENT for Brenten and Caitlin. Caitlin's tubes are doing well and she has really improved. Brenten had a hearing test and we found out he hears nearly nothing. So we scheduled him for tubes.

The kids and I left Christian to fend for himself and went to Idaho to go hang out with Mom and Dad and to do somethings with them. We had a great time. The boys love all the time at Grandma and grandpa's house.

I don't think it was too miserable for Christian while we were gone because he got to go the gym everyday and hit the batting cages.

As soon as we got back Brenten had his surgery for tubes and then had allergy testing. The surgery went great and the allergy testing came back negative. So apparently he just has bad ear anatomy.

I had my 32nd birthday and Landon had his 4th. We just had small family things, since we were all getting over strep. I wouldn't have it any other way. Not the strep but the small party part.

Brian and Jessica

I’ll have to admit, April seems like a bit of a blur. I remember drama surrounding my wedding dress (I may have slipped into Bridezilla mode once or twice…or a handful of times), meetings about flowers and cakes, getting a marriage license, a visit from my mother, and a lot of work before my Kauai trip last week (because of course it’s customary to take a week long vacation two weeks before one’s wedding). Oh yeah, and I had a birthday in there as well. Brian was a trooper with the daily email updates, although I am sure he’d be happy to never EVER hear about dresses again! Now that we both have something to wear on the 15^th and the rest of the details are falling into place, we are getting excited about having most of you come into town next (!!) week. Brian moves in the rest of his things Saturday while the cats are away on holiday (for those of you who like animals unlike my future husband, rest assured that the cats are staying with a friend through the honeymoon) and then we’re pretty much set. Let’s just hope Bridezilla doesn’t rear her ugly head again in the next 11 (!!!) days.

Safe travels to those of you coming to the Bay area…we’ll try to schedule some warm and sunny weather for people.

April 2010

Brian and Jessica’s newsletter entry

March has been a whirlwind month! It started with our Meet the Family Weekend Adventure which included seven different families in two different states in a mere 48 hours. First, we flew to Utah and met up with Becky, Christian, and my sister Kristin for a night of BYU fun…men’s volleyball followed by ice cream because that’s what you do when you’re in Provo. We stayed with Kristin that night, and then had breakfast with my cousin before driving up to spend some more time with the Weavers before heading back to the airport. From there, we flew to Boise where we were met by Mark, Rachel, and Alyssa at the airport. After we picked up some Papa John’s Pizza (of course), we headed over to Mom and Dad Sawyer’s. My first concern was winning over Emily and Lauren who weren’t quite sure about this whole Brian getting married business…but a bag full of candy and gum did the trick. In addition to Mark’s clan, Amy and her family were in town, and we were happy to see Jazi again who had just visited us in Cali. Peggy rounded out the crew and I quickly felt very welcomed by everyone there. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of Brian from across his childhood J Coming from a small family, I very much enjoyed the energy that a bazillion children will bring to any situation. However, I did have to sleep for about 12 hours the night we got back to California!! The next weekend, my sister Lindsay visited us in California. I think my mother was a bit jealous that my sisters got to meet Brian pre-wedding and since then has planned a quick trip out west…she comes next weekend!

In the midst of all the family fun, Brian and I have managed to plan the most important parts of the wedding and have started the process of cleaning out my apartment and moving in most of his things. I am very happy to have a Carole Sawyer original hanging on my wall! My cats are a tad traumatized by all of the commotion, but probably not as traumatized as Brian at the thought of living with his new furry friends. We also found time to attend Round 1 and 2 of the NCAA tournament in San Jose…6 games in 2 days. Well, I should say 5 ½ games because we left the last one early to watch BYU vs. K-State …we won’t say anything more about that…or mention Cornell beating my Big Red….or talk at all about my bracket…

Only 6 weeks until the wedding!! We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Hardings
Things have been so crazy! I guess that shows you that I have been running around in circles doing dishes, changing diapers, potty training, working, laundry, groceries, church, etc. Life has just seemed hectic. Oh yeah, This month everyone has taken their turn on being sick except me. Well, I at least didn't get the virus that has been running around our house. One night Kimberly was so congested that I slept with her in the recliner and she decided to stop breathing for a little bit. She finally started breathing again on her own so I didn't work about it. Then she did it again, so I took her into the ER. I guess she was just choking because she was just congested. So, I took Kimberly into the Bronchiolitis Clinic to get suctioned out. That helped make our nights a lot more pleasant.

Oh yeah, Bishop Bowler came by our house and helped will dig out the old grass in our front lawn and layed down grass and compost. Now we have a black front yard and a 1 ton truck full of dirt and dead grass. Will and I took it to the dump and shovled it out, in the rain. Let me tell you that was a workout. I am so excited for our grass to grow in. Our bishop is an amazing person. Seriously, that to a lot of time and effort on his part.

We were a little disappointed that everyone was sick because we were excited to get out of town for a little bit and visit with family. So instead of leaving on Wednesday we stalled hoping everyone would get better before we left. Thankfully everyone was feeling quite a bit better by friday, so we headed up north to visit with Mom & Dad Sawyer. We had a great time and are so grateful for everyone that came to visit. It was nice to meet Jessica ("Brian's Jessica) and to see Brian. Kaleb had so much fun playing with Eric. He has never just ran into a house and played with kids before. Kaleb was oblivious to the fact that I was even in the house when he was playing. He definately misses Idaho. Some of the ladies(Peggy, Rachel, Alisa, Jessica and Emily went shopping with me to help me find a nice interviewing suit. It was fun to get some opinions and help picking out clothes. Will had a good ol' time playing on the tractor at Mark's house while I hopped back and forth visiting.

Dad & Mom were such troopers even though they couldn't do a ton. They even managed to take care of the twins while I was at Mark & Rachels house. I am so glad that my kids can be able to play with Grandma & Grandpa. Thank you everyone for the fun visit!

The other nice thing about going to Idaho is on the way up and on the way back there is family to visit and spend the night when there is a crazy snow storm. We just hit a few snow flurries on the way home and then we decided to stop to avoid driving in the crazy snow down south. I'm sorry Weavers! We will be sure to catch up with you next time we are up!

I have been on the search again for a Clinic Manager position around St George. I didn't get the Southern Utah Behavior Health Clinic, but I got a call to apply for a growing Pain and Spine Clinic. So we will see how that one goes. The interview should hopefully be in the next couple weeks. Well, that is about it for now.

The twins have been growing up so fast. They are both around 18 pounds and healthy. We had a fun scare with Kimberly last month where she stopped breathing on us in the middle of the night, but all is well now. Thomas has learned to crawl, sit up and is working on pulling himself up on things. Kimberly is working on crawling but can sit up by herself. It has definatley been an adventure to keep up with this kids.

Love,
Will, Amy, Kaleb, Thomas and Kimberly

Weavers

Our months have been so busy. We started off with Brian and Jessica coming out. They already mentioned the BYU fun we had. It was great to see Brian and to meet Jessica. I can't wait to go to their wedding.

Right after they left, we Cait had surgery to get tubes. It went very well. She is doing great. We have seen so many improvements. She is really a happy little girl when she isn't in pain all the time. She also started walking and thinks that she can run.

The weather is trying to get nicer so Christian and I have been going out and playing catch. Just getting ready for softball season that will be starting at the end of April.

Christian has been climbing on his climbing wall trying to get ready for some outdoor climbing.

Brenten had a hearing test and we found out he is pretty much deaf. He is getting his second set of tubes and allergy testing at the end of the month. Hopefully his surgery will go just as well as Caits.

I will write more next month.