Holiday Happiness

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. We have had a fun month, filled with many activities and opportunities to help us remember what this season is all about.
This year we had to break from tradition when it came to Christmas Eve. For 38 years (yes, that's a long time)the Linton family has attended some sort of a Christmas Eve party with the Lauritzen side of the family. Because my parents and Tanner couldn't be here with us this Christmas, the Lowe family was on their own this year. I think we did okay!

So... we had no ham, no rolls, no potato salad and no Christmas bingo. Instead, the kids and I (poor Mark had to work) took a trip to Murray and went to visit Grandpa and Grandma Lauritzen. We had a wonderful time having lunch, watching a movie, and listening to Grandpa tell the same funny stories, AGAIN. In some small way, being with them was the most 'normal' part of Christmas Eve.

After we left Grandpa and Grandmas, we drove into Salt Lake and picked Mark up at work. We told the kids that they could choose anywhere they wanted to go and have dinner. After much deliberation, the back seat of the car had come to a unanimous decision....CROWN BURGER!

Who needs ham, rolls, and potato salad when you can have the best burgers, grilled ham and cheese and fries on North Temple! Maybe this is the beautiful beginning of a new Christmas Eve tradition! We finished off the night by opening Christmas jammies, making Santa some cookies, and watching a movie - "The Christmas Story".

Christmas Day came and went so fast. The kids were up early, and after lots of hard work of trying to get Mom and Dad out of bed, we were finally opening presents around 8:00. In a time when the economy is hurting...our children certainly were not left wanting for much this year. They got a good spoiling and we enjoyed watching the excitement in their eyes as the wrapping paper came off and the anticipation was finally over.


Happy Holidays to all of our family and friends...it is our wish that the New Year brings much happiness and peace to you all!

All I want for Christmas....

It is always my goal to have the Christmas Shopping done by Thanksgiving. This year was no exception. Mark and I officially finished on the Wednesday night before Turkey Day at 10:30 pm. Phew! Just barely made it!

The Christmas Tree is up, the presents are wrapped and the Christmas cards are ready to be sent. It has started to look and feel like Christmas...we even have snow! Avery is still waiting for her front teeth. Maybe Santa has some special tricks up his sleeve to help them come in for Christmas!

With the work of buying presents taken care of, we have been able to spend some time during the past few weeks doing some fun activities that have helped us enjoy this Holiday Season.

FESTIVAL OF THE TREES

Don't worry...we really did look at the trees!

MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Lindsey came through with tickets for us this year!

Lindsey...YOU ROCK!

Ladies night out

DINNER AT MOOCHIES

Moochies...what a place! If you've never been there before, it is worth a visit. The food is delicious. The decor, well..it's like nothing you have ever seen before. Avery was totally fascinated with the bathroom. She was wondering how people could take a bath with all those plants in the tub. Of course we had to take a picture, you don't run into something like this every day!
It was so fun to see Spencer and Brittany..wish we could have had more time to spend together...come and visit us again soon!

We are looking forward to more fun...we'll keep you updated! Enjoy the Holidays! We love you.

A Mini Vegas Vacation

I am getting really good at packing a suitcase quickly and looking like a seasoned traveler as I make my way through the airport these days. Some of my trips have been planned for months, others for weeks, and this one....for a few days. I had the opportunity to come down to Vegas this weekend to help celebrate Chandler's birthday and be a part of his special Baptism day.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend's activities:

Double Trouble- Grace and Chayce

It's all about the treats!

Triple Trouble (or is that Quadruple trouble-can't leave out baby Larson)

Super Star Kids

The kids had been looking forward to Halloween for weeks. Avery wore her costume all day long, counting down the hours until she could go Trick-or-Treating. It was also the first official live appearance of 'Etwon- the King of Cool.' We had all seen pictures and heard stories about the infamous Etwon, but what a surprise to finally meet him. It was sad when he had to go at the end of the night. Many happy returns Etwon!


I guess the kids weren't the only ones that were enjoying the night!


This past week Evan was the Spotlight Student in his class. Mark and I went on Friday afternoon to talk about Evan and show a picture slideshow that we had made of him. It was fun to share some funny pictures and tell stories that the kids didn't know. I think we were very successful in embarrassing him!

U.E.A. - Utahn's Entering Anaheim

Have you ever dreamed of waking up before the sun even thinks of shining, boarding an airplane and flying to California where you will have continuous fun for 5 straight days? Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
Well,this dream became a reality for me on October 16th when I spent the UEA weekend in San Diego and Anaheim, California with my peeps.
We visited Old Town San Diego, Sea World, The San Diego Temple, Disneyland and California Adventure. The weather was perfect as was the company in which I was with.

There are so many highlights from the weekend, but I was very excited to be able to visit the San Diego Temple. As we were driving past it, I got goosebumps. It truly is an awesome structure, and so beautiful inside.

Disneyland was unbelievable! I loved the way that the park was decorated for the Halloween season. The Haunted Mansion was all decked out and I can't believe how much work goes in to making the park so festive. It was very busy, but we seemed to work the system well and were able to ride everything that we wanted to. Of course the roller coaster in Californina Adventure was incredible(especially riding in the front row), but Space Mountain will remain my favorite ride. Did you know that it is possible to sing a song the entire time that you are on that ride?
Lunch at the Blue Bayou was delicious-I highly recommend it, eat the Monte Cristo.
The parade, eating ice cream and watching fireworks, cinnamon bears, Jo-Jo's and riding Splash Mountain 2x in a row added to the excitement of the trip.

We had a great time and it was a much needed break from school life, but it was hard to go back to work after spending so many days away from real life.
Thanks ladies for a wonderful vacation!

Weddings and Winter Weather

We had the pleasure of attending the wedding of our nephew Brandon Moore on Friday. It was a wonderful day filled with lots of fun memories. The sun was shining but the temperature was very cold. Avery got to come with us, but I am not sure that she enjoyed it as much as we thought she would. She was excited to see Katie "aka-the beautiful bride", and then she was ready to leave, which makes for a long day.




Then on Saturday, Breanne Barker got married. We went to her reception and had a good time visiting with the Barker family. She looked absolutely gorgeous and very happy! Avery came home wanting a special drink maker...like the one at the reception. At the push of a button, you could have any drink that you wanted!



We also went to visit Aunt Lindsey in her new house. We were so proud of her for putting her bookcase together all by herself. The kids loved eating treats and playing in the front room because there is no furniture...lots of room to create fun.



Guess what we woke up to this morning? It was the kind of day that you wish you could stay in bed and stay warm under a cozy blanket! Our first official snow storm of the season. Guess it's time to break out the winter coats. Yuck!

Say "Cheese"

A few weeks ago, we took a train ride down to Temple Square to snap a few family photos. We solicited the help of some "professional photographers", and ended up with some great shots. The decision process was hard, but here are a few of our favorites.

Some Florida Adventures

DUDA LAND?
I am visiting my parents this weekend in Florida, and I have learned alot about the town in which they live. The Duda family owned the land - they are Czech. and after much debate, the town was not named Duda Land, but Viera. Thank Goodness! It is a small community that is growing quickly.

Mom and Dad live in a really pretty gated community called Sonoma. All the streets are named after types of wine. There's Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot, and Sonoma just to name a few. The family lives on Sonoma Way. It is a beautiful house with a lake outside their backyard. The view is spectacular! Laurie, Lindsey and I came for a long weekend for a visit and to keep up the family tradition of attending the General Relief Society meeting with mom. We shopped in St. Augustine, took a few bike rides, met a few of the new friends, got to sing in Sacrament Meeting and Primary, and the big highlight was playing tennis with Tanner. A family favorite!

We have spent many nights staying up late, laughing until we couldn't breathe, singing silly songs, watching movies, playing games and just enjoying each other's company. It has been a vacation that has been good for the soul, my soul.
Lindsey and I leave tomorrow for home, something that I am not looking forward to. I have enjoyed every minute that I have been here. It is has been good to be here and see the place that is now the home of the Linton family. I have met a lot of nice people, and feel better knowing that there are so many new friends and families that are here to take care of my parents and Tanner. Viera is not Clinton, but it holds something near and dear to my heart and I have to be okay with that. It feels like home, and that is a good feeling.

Falling into Fall

It has been a few weeks since I have updated the blog, and even now as I am doing it, I don't know what I want to say. Our days aren't as exciting as they have been!

I wish that I could say that life has slowed down a little bit since school started, but it hasn't. The activities may have changed, but the quantity has not. Instead of swimming, running, sleepovers, and other summer fun , we now have lots of reading, math, volunteering and other school related items that fill our free-time. Everyone is doing well in and out of school. I just take one day at a time, and then it doesn't seem so overwhelming.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Mark and I are celebrating our 18th anniversary today. In lieu of our anniversary, this lovely photo was on t.v. Friday morning on Good Morning Utah. We are now famous...the news anchor really liked my beanie hat! We were also able to get away for the weekend in Park City. We spent our days shopping, watching movies, eating out and riding the Alpine Slide, Alpine Coaster, and Zip Line - over and over! It was really fun, but we must be getting old - because it wore us out!

Our lives might not be as exciting as most, but we are healthy and happy and have a great appreciation for each other and our family. We are surrounded by people that love us, that help us, and that bring us so much joy. Who could ask for anything more?

We love you and send our wishes to you for a wonderful week....free from stress, of course. It is beginning to feel like fall here, especially as we drove through the canyon and saw all the beautiful colors. I love this time of year..I only wish you were here to see it!

Have a great week!

Summer Wrap Up and A New School Year

The month of August has come and gone and left us with many more memories. I decided that it would be fun to share with you a few more of the pictures that we have taken over the summer. This is just a small handful of the many photos that we took. If I were to scrapbook all the pictures that were snapped, I think I would have to rent a storage unit to hold them all!

School Days

We have succesfully begun another

school year.

Mason is enjoying 8th grade so far. He has teachers that make him laugh, teachers that are challenging him, and teachers that are thrilled that he is in their class. He is still playing the french horn, learning how to speak Spanish and has joined the Yearbook Club. I think that he will be very busy this year.

Evan is loving 5th grade. Mostly because he has 6th graders in his class this year. He is part of a combination 5th/6th class and his teacher is Ms. Adamson. We were really excited to go to Back to School Night, because we didn't know very much about her. We had heard that she was kind of scary, but now know that she is sweetheart! :)

Avery thinks she is hot stuff , now that she is a 1st grader. She had no problem transitioning to a full day of school and she is really enjoying eating her lunch with all her friends. I don't know who is more happy about her being in school all day. Avery or her mom!

We are all doing very well and working hard. We are looking forward to the month of September and all that it will bring. Have a great week - love to all of you that read this.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

It is with mixed emotions that I write this entry. I began this blog at the beginning of the summer and it amazing to me that so many weeks have passed since then. When I think back on the numerous adventures that I(we) have been on, it is hard to think that the summer fun has to come to an end. I think there is a quote that says something like this: "When one door closes, another one opens". So...although the summer door has closed, the next door has opened and I'm sure that what lies ahead will be just as wonderful as what we have already experienced.

So...I decided that each one of the kids should share what they enjoyed about their summer. Let's just say that it was like pulling teeth to get them to agree to write a few sentences.

Mason -
This summer has been one to remember. One of my favorite activities was Scout Camp. It was a chance to get away from the busy city and enter extreme mosquito territory. I earned 15 more merit badges and swatted away about 10,000 mosquitoes; literally. It was also nice to get away from the constant fighting of my two younger siblings.
Another nice, but not so nice thing about summer was summer gym. It ended up to count for the pe credit, but it was not fun. We ran and ran and ran most of the days. We ran the mile 5 times, did the pace test 3 times, and did 3 fitness circuits. The rounds of lightening kept the adreneline going. The best part about it was lunch! That's all for now.

Evan-
I got to ride Frontrunner a few times. It was fun and long. Last Friday we had lunch with my Aunt Lindsey at her work, and then my Dad, and Mason and me went to have pizza at the Gateway. It was okay. Then we saw the movie Dark Knight. I would say that Batman was cool. It was a good movie. I like the Joker. I was sad when it ended, because it could have gone longer. Two Face was scary at first, but then he died. Bummer. I really liked Batman's motorcycle.
At Scout Camp I earned 3 pins. They were my first pins. I also liked going swimming so much this summer. I learned how to jump off the diving board. It has been a really fun time.

Avery-
A short story by Avery: Once upon a time, there was a Princess named Avery. And she had fun this summer. She got to go camping, and swimming and have sleepovers and eat frozen yogurt and go shopping and find pets that were her friends like a squirrel and a butterfly(while camping) and eat lunch with Aunt Lindsey and she played with Madi and got to go to some movies and have a pedicure and.....the list could go on. What a lucky princess!

Something that Avery failed to mention in her story was that she lost her front teeth. It was quite the ordeal. We were having hamburgers last Sunday and she bit into hers and she could tell that something was different. After several tries at pulling the first one out, she gave in and let me have a go at it. Once I could her to put her hand down, it came out quite easily. What we discovered next was that the other tooth was just as loose. She was determined to do that one herself. The cry of triumph was heard all over the house when she was successful. She yelled,
"I did it" and was crying either because she was elated that she got it out, or because she looked in the mirror and discovered the large hole that now there. It was very funny!

The majority of the week was spent getting ready for school to start. We had one last hoorah of fun this weekend. The boys had their outing to the Gateway where they saw a movie, ate at the California Pizza Kitchen, and rode Front runner. The girls also saw a movie, ate dinner at Robintinos, had a sleepover, and had pedicures. All in all, it was a wonderful way to wrap up the summer. Tomorrow morning is the first day of school and I think everyone is excited to start a new school year. Have a great week doing whatever you have planned. Hopefully there won't be a need for any more hurrication days-right Dad? We send our love to all of you!

A MUSICAL PARODY

Welcome to an opera blog. This is a musical version of the blog, if you were wondering. Get ready to sing along. The music can be found in the Children's Songbook if you need help with the tune. (numbers in parenthisis will indicate page numbers in the songbook) HAVE FUN!

"Good Things Utah on Tuesday"
(Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam - pg. 60)

Lisa was on television
to celebrate her birthday.
The ladies were full of "Good Things"
to show and read and say.

On T.V., on T.V., she was waving and smiling on T.V.,
On T.V., on T.V., they showed her for her birthday.

"Sprinklers"
(Popcorn popping - pg. 242)

I looked out the window and what did I see?
People sleeping out on the trampoline!
The night brought us all such a nice surprise,
when the sprinklers came on right before our eyes.

I only took a second to grab my stuff,
The tramp was wet and I'd had enough!
We made it through the night,
With mosquito bites,
When we slept out on the trampoline.

"Friday Fun"
(In the Leafy Tree Tops - pg. 240)

On this Fun Friday, we started by swimming.
There were some great back flips,
It was a neat day trip,
Mark could join the party, because he works 4 tens.

"Surly"
(When we're helping - pg. 198)

When we're laughing we're happy-
Brian Regan made sure.
That we heard funny jokes
And our stomachs were sore!

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha,
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

"A Midnight Run"
(For Health and Strength-pg.21 - grab your friends and sing this one in a round)

At midnight we laced up our shoes and ran a fun 5K.
We ran up hill and beat our times, the moon showed us the way.

"Es My Birthday-Feliz Cumpleanos"
(Your Happy Birthday-pg. 283)

Today is such a special day
It's birthday time for me.
I came home to a big surprise
Balloons up to my knees!

Strawberry pie and party hats
A burger from the grill.
A trip to Logan is what's next,
Thirty-eight's a big thrill!

A husband's Perspective

I suppose a sub-title to this blog would have to be Long hours, Opera, Girls hair and 20 years is not all that long.

When Lisa told me that I should write the blog for this week I thought, "Hey, no problem, I can just make notes during the week, put together a travelogue of activities and call it good." Needless to say, that didn't happen. This is probably due to the fact that I squished a weeks worth of work into 3 days, took a day of work so I could watch the kids for a couple of days by myself and, let's face it, I forgot. So ready or not, here goes...

My employer, the State of Utah, decided to mandate all available agencies to begin working a four day work week. The hip phrase the governor used when he decided to do this is "Working 4 Utah" (Catchy!). The idea being that everyone would work 10 hour days Monday through Thursday and have Fridays off. According to the Gov this will save the state a truckload of money in utility and maintenance cost and better serve the public by extending our hours of operation into the mornings and afternoon a little more for the days we are working. For me, the jury's still out as to whether this idea will really work or not. Before the days of working 4x10's I was at work at 6:00am and of at 2:30 so I missed traffic both ways (I rode the bus) and I was home close to the time the kids got home from school, now I have to start at 6:30am and don't get off until 5:00 pm which puts me home about 6:15 in the afternoon (I am forced onto the train due to UTA schedules). I admit the Fridays off are nice, but this a change that is going to take some getting used to.

I mentioned that I watched our children Thursday and Friday by myself. The reason for this is that Lisa went to some program up in Logan called "Opera by Children" which is organized by the Utah Festival Opera Company. Ok, I didn't really know what to think about this and I'm not sure if I even do now that she's home and tried to explain it to me. Apparently this program is to teach the teachers how to put on an opera with Elementary school children...One word..."Interesting." Not quite sure how that will work, but apparently they are planning on doing one this next year with the 5th and 6th graders, of which Evan is one, so I guess I'll get to see it all first hand.

As a side note...It seems to me that whenever Lisa is out of town it very nearly always falls over a Thursday afternoon. Sometimes I think she plans it that way. You see, Avery has tumbling on Thursday's and there are certain requirements to how your girls hair is fixed when they come to tumbling class. I know of no better way of saying this than to say simply, "I am hair challenged." Normally a headband will suffice...and does when Lisa isn't around to do some cute thing with her hair. Really, there are many things I do well, however girl's hair is not one of them. On Avery's tumbling days I do give it an effort. After about 15 minutes of me combing, brushing, pulling and tugging on Avery's hair while listening to Avery scream, I can finally get a pony tail in, the problem is it is not very tight, the hair is a little bulgy in places and I still have to get the hairspray to shellac it all down. It's really pretty sad when Avery looks at it in the mirror and says "Dad, you’re not very good at this." I try, but the results are most decidedly not worth the effort I've put into it. I'm just hoping the day comes...and soon, when she can do it herself.

On Saturday evening Lisa and I attended her 20 year High school reunion. I'm not a real connoisseur of reunions, but I do have to say that Lisa's was a lot better than mine was (2 years ago). It took place up at Snowbird in one of their conference rooms and I think there were about 200 people there. Lisa denies it, but I think she was more popular than she let on. There were a lot of people that came up to her to say hi and do a little catching up.."Where do you live, How many children do you have, What do you do, Etc." The usual stuff. If she wasn't popular then she seemed to sure have a large circle of friends, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is the definition of "Popular." In any case, my responsibilities at this function was to 1. Carry the cell phone, 2. Carry the camera, and 3. Carry the pen (for writing down friend’s email addresses). So I was basically the secretary for the calls, (all 7 of them, from our children), Photographer, stenographer for the email addresses and gopher for whatever my beautiful wife needed. I affectionately called myself "the mule." However, despite that, I had a really good time and wouldn't change a thing. I was able to catch up with a few friends I hadn't seen in many years and was able to meet some of those people Lisa had spoken of that I hadn't had the opportunity to meet. It was a very good time and a fun experience I'm sure Lisa will not ever forget.

To wrap up, the week was a busy one, but aren't they all.

All Camped Out

For those of you that follow this humble little blog, you will have noticed that I have not had a chance to update it for a few weeks. Thankfully, it is because I have been having so much fun.

The past two weeks have been a lot of work in getting ready for camping trips. Our first camping adventure was as a family and with our friends. We spent 4 wonderful days in the Uintah Mountains over the 24th of July holiday. This was my first time taking the trailer out and getting it set up without Mark's help. I am happy to report that a bunch of girls can sucessfully set up a camp- we are so good! Once the work was done, we spent our days playing card games (UNO was a huge hit), taking little hikes, eating lots of yummy food, hanging out late by the fire and Avery's favorite highlight: visiting the "stinky potty". It was a great way to relax and enjoy the holiday.

We returned home on Sunday evening and I was to leave for Girls Camp on Tuesday. That didn't leave me much time to get ready. Monday was dedicated to packing, shopping and preparing food for Girls Camp. All I can say is: thank goodness for little helpers! I honestly don't know how it all got done in one day!

Girls Camp was amazing, as ususal. I know that I was only there in the capacity as Camp Cook, but what a blessing it was to be a part of that experience. I will continue to lobby for that position because I love to be with the Young Women in our ward. They are so much stronger in the gospel than I was at that age.
The weather was really hot, our camp spot had no shade, and it was a week of work, work and more work. But I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

Now I know that you would think that I would be completely content to stay at home since I have been away so much. But, that is not the case. I was home from camp for 4 hours and then I was off to my next activity.
It was my friend Michelle's birthday and we celebrated by attending a Peter Breinholt concert and spending some time in Park City riding the Alpine Slide and new Alpine Coaster. It was very exhilirating! Eating some delicious Mexican Food, watching movies, bowling and an ice cream cone were also included in the festivities. When I asked Avery what her favorite part of that day was, she said: "I beat YOU Mommy at bowling!" That's what being a mom is all about! Keeping the kids happy.

I am trying to get caught up on my sleep and get back into the groove of being the mom again. It doesn't take long, believe me. Although I have to say that Mark does an excellent job of running the show while I am gone. I better be careful, because he might prove that he is a better mom than I am!

Just a little update on the kids:
Mason has almost finished his summer pe. Thursday is his last day and I think he is looking forward to being able to sleep in again. Even if it is only for a few more weeks.

Evan has spent a lot of his time doing odd and end jobs for Mark and I so that he can earn some fun money for a cap gun that he is dying to buy. This is a win-win situation. I get the help that I need and he ends up with what he wants too.

Avery has had quite the social agenda this summer. She is definitley had her fill of fun. She has had sleepovers, done painting projects, found a love for stamping, and played her little heart out. She better know how lucky she is to have so many people catering to her every wish. She did get a bit alarmed today when she realized that we had started into the month on August. She is very aware that this is the month that school starts again. I had to remind her that we were at the very beginning of the month and that she has plenty of fun days left. She was okay after that - at least for now anyways.

We hope that all of you are finding the time to enjoy yourselves as much as we are. Please know how much we love you and wish that we could spend more time together. Thank goodness for email and telephones. I would really be in world of hurt if we couldn't at least talk to each other.
I hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you are thinking of us. Because we are thinking of you too!

Have a great week-and don't forget to leave us some comments!

"F"

Fun Friday, Fancy Toes and Flip Flops
This past Friday was the one month anniversary of our trip to Mexico. The day was dubbed "Fun Friday" and it started off early with friends at my doorstep to have breakfast and watch Natasha Beddingfield on the Today show. The morning progressed with painting toes in patriotic colors and taking pictures of our fancy toes and new flip flops. (Thank you Michelle for a fun new pair of summer shoes-even if they don't match!) We looked at Mexico pictures, and played the game "What were we doing a month ago-right now?" It was great to stop and reminise about all the fun adventures we have had this summer.

Friends, Fanatics on the Wii and Frozen Yogurt
Our Fun Friday continued on into the night. We had a sleepover at Jodi and Michelle's, where they fed us all sorts of yummy food(in keeping with the nutrition plan), they set up the Wii with a projector that allowed us to play games on a much larger scale than we are used to, and no stay in Bountiful is complete without a trip to Yogurt Stop. This has become a new favorite with the Lowe family. We are constantly looking for excuses to frequent this establishment. But, do we really need an excuse to partake of this yogurt goodness? I think not.

Fun Run
We got up with the sun on Saturday morning and went to Bountiful Park to take part in our 2nd 5K FUN RUN of the summer. It was a gorgeous morning and I am happy to report that we all made it to the finish line without stopping. YEAH! If I can brag just for a minute, Mark and I both placed 3rd in our age brackets. :) We are now talking of doing a 5K in Sandy that begins at midnight! I know, it sounds crazy. But we have heard that it is actually alot of fun. I better pencil in a good nap for that afternoon, otherwise Mark will be piggy bag carrying me to the end.

Forgotten Son
The week was successful for Mason as well. He enjoyed(or survived?) going to scout camp where he earned 13 new merit badges. He did a bit of swimming in glacier water (brrr.), went canoeing and spent alot of time learning how to be a better scout and individual. It was strange to have him gone for the entire week-I kept thinking that I was forgetting something every time I left the house. It's great to have him home...safe and sound.

Love to all of you-Our family wishes you a wonderful week! Be sure and leave us some comments. We would love to hear from you!

July - up and running

I can't believe how quickly the month of July is passing by. But in looking back, we have had some great days filled with lots of fun activities.

This past week, the boys have really been into tennis. They have spent many hours at the courts playing with each other and their friends. It has become a big deal in the neighborhood-the word got around quickly and so many kids wanted to play that Mason had to put together a sign-up sheet so that everyone would be able to participate. I believe they even had a tournament at the end of the week.
It will be a little quieter this week because Mason and all his buddies have gone to Scout Camp. But I'm sure that Evan will try to keep it going-he already has a court date set up for this morning.

Last week was a good week. I did a little running, went to the temple, played a couple of softball games, went to lunch and a movie with the kids and my friends, moved some stuff into a storage unit :), we all rode the train (FrontRunner) to Ogden with Grandma Janet, saw some old trains, had lunch at the Union Grill, visited the Parade of Homes, and to end the week, we attended Parker's baptism. Whew! It sounds like we were pretty busy when it's all written down like that.

The days seem to come and go so quickly-I can't believe that the summer is almost half over. It's been great to be able to do so many fun things with the kids and our friends. I hope that when the summer is over, we will be able to look back and be happy with how we spent our time together. I know that we will have lots of good memories. The older I get, the more important my memories have become to me. I think I'm turning into a softie. Who would have thought!

We send our love to you and hope that through the difficulties that life throws at us, we can still remember how to stay centered in the gospel, how wonderful it is to be part of a family, to be here on this earth where we have the opportunity to learn and grow and most importantly to be loved.
Have a great week!

Running around in circles

Hello to all my friends and family! This week was dedicated to getting ready for the Layton 5K fun run. Who knew that running every day could be so.....monotonous, but fun!

Our day started at Ellison Park-around 8 am- where Michelle, Jodi and myself would run (and walk a little)around the mile track 3 times. Mark joined our group on Thursday and then we were doing the real deal on Friday. We are seasoned runners now. Not only did we do the run on the 4th of July, but we are thinking of doing several more 5K's before the summer is over. There's no stopping us now!

After the run, Mark made us really yummy blueberry flapjacks for breakfast and then we went to the Layton parade, where Avery was more concerned about how much taffy she could get her hands on than the actual parade.

The afternoon was spent at Grandma Janet's. We had a great time visiting with family, eating and playing fun games that Aunt Marilyn brought. Avery fell asleep on the way home, so we didn't go see any fireworks, but we did put on our own little sparkler/snap show at home. It's the little things in life that bring us so much joy!

For those of you that are fans of tennis, you will probably agree with me when I say that this week was an incredible week for the watching of the greatest game on earth. Thank goodness for the DVR. Otherwise , I might have made a permanent indentation on the couch! The men's final will go down as the best final I've ever watched. Way to go Rafael Nadal!!!!!

It was hard to come home from my great vacation, but because I got to spend so much time with my friends and family, it was bearable. Our days were filled with many fun and exciting activities. Some of the weeks highlights were: A Family Home Evening barbeque/Yogurt Stop night, swimming in Morgan, a visit to The Wood Connection and Quilted Bear, eating the best sugar cookie ever(crumbs and all), helping the YW sew their camp pants and just being with family and friends.

I have lots of painting projects to look forward to now, and I am going to have to keep up on my running, but all in all, the coming week will be dedicated to doing whatever. That's a nice feeling. Just being able to enjoy the summer and take each day as it comes.


Here's a wish to all of you to have a great week-I know that we will do our best to do the same. Love to all of you! Until next week......

Viva, Viva - it's SHOWTIME!

As many of you know, I have recently returned from my Mexico vacation. I spent a fun filled week in the areas surrounding Cancun, Mexico-with two of the coolest people I know :)
If I were to describe and list everything that we did, it would most likely read like a travel brochure. Yes! it was that fun!
Parasailing, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming in the ocean and in our "special pool", digging for seashells, diet pepsi with lime, playing cards, yummy oatmeal, tennis on a rooftop court, visiting the ancient Mayan ruins, moon gazing in our happy place, watching and laughing at the nighttime entertainment and sweating profusely are just a few of the many highlights from the vacation. (I decided to leave out our sunbathing adventures. In my mind, somethings are better left unsaid! )
It was a week of laughing, laughing and more laughing. I am so blessed to have had this experience, but more importantly to have been able to share it with the individuals that I did.
I love you both dearly and will cherish these memories and our friendship forever!

While I was gone, the Lowe children were well taken of. I think they had a good time playing with friends and hanging out with their Dad. Mark always plans a project when I go out of town, and this trip was no acception. He started tearing out the basement bathroom, so we can redo the shower and the floor. Sounds fun, huh !

It's hard to believe that the month of June is almost over. It has been a month of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, but also a month of personal reflection.
The beginning of June was spent helping Mom and Dad with their move to Florida. This was a task that at the time I wasn't as grateful for as I am now. It was time consuming, very tiresome and most days - I couldn't wait for it to be over. But on the other hand, I almost didn't want it to end because then I knew what the end result was going to bring.
As sad as I am to have my family spread out all over the United States, I am excited for the adventures that will come because of it. No matter where we all are, we are still family and I love you all!

The summer is still filled with several activities for the Lowe family. Mason will be going to Scout Camp, I will be cooking food for the Young Women at their camp and if we can squeeze it in, we might actually get a family camping trip in there somewhere.

Our family hopes that all of you that read this are doing well and remembering how much we love and appreciate you. Life is good!

Birthdays, Basketball, Biking, and Boxes

This is the week of the B's. We started the week with Evan in a week long basketball camp at Davis High School. He learned alot of "sweet moves" and got his first experience with playing shirts and skins. He was a "skin" all week. This was a thrill of course because he has some serious muscles that he loves to show off!
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Evan also celebrated his 10th birthday. He received many gifts, but his favorites were a juggling set from Grandma Janet and a webkin dog from Papa Kent/Grandma Chris named Coco. We had a fun party equipped with food, fun and lots of laughing.
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I rode in the annual Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride that was on Saturday, June 7th, in Cache Valley. In years past it has been held on warm, sunny days. This year was a new experience. I think that Mother Nature wanted to treat me to all kinds of weather that day. Rain, hail, wind, clouds and very little sun. The temperature was only 40 degrees at the 8:00 am start. Brrrr.
The best part of the whole ride was reaching the end and realizing that I had my own little cheering section waiting for me. I knew that Mark would be there, and I was excited to see him, but what a great surprise to find my dear friends Michelle and Jodi waiting there as well. They brought me all sorts of "red" treats in a red bag and we celebrated the completion of the ride with dinner at the Bluebird Restaurant in Logan. It was awesome!
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Last, but certainly not least, this is the week of the big move. I have spent many hours helping my mom get ready for her big move to Florida. By Saturday, the truck will be packed, the house will be empty and life in Clinton, Utah will come to an end. I have mixed emotions about this. While I am excited for my parents to begin a new adventure, I am really going to miss them only being 10 minutes away and being able to see them whenever I want. Which is why I have started this blog. I want to make sure that all of my family feels like they are a part of our lives, whether they are 10 miles away, or 3,000. We will miss you!
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Have a great week everyone! We love you all and are so blessed to have so

many wonderful friends and family members.

Our first post!

Hi everyone!

It's official! We are the newest members of the blogging world. We hope that this will be a great way to keep all of our friends and family connected to the life of the Lowes.

We look forward to sharing some exciting adventures with you and we welcome you to our little corner of the world.