Brandon Turns 15

Im still trying to catch up and these are out of order but I want them in here. Brandon turned 15 in December!!! During his birthday party ( a video scavenger hunt) I got in a car accident with several of the kid in the back of the van! It was a horrifying experience even though no one got hurt. I totalled the other car by going through a yellow - to red light. Our van has $5000 damage. Needless to say we finished the party at our house.

Im proud of Brandon. He is a great boy and such a great example and leader to his friends. He is looking more and more like my dad Lynn J.

Christensen Sibling Reunion 2010

Todd and I had a great weekend together in the fall at my sibling reunion. It was at my sister Suzy's house in St George, Utah. It was so nice to get away and reunite with family.
In the picture in the middle there are left to right Todd, Lisa, Suzy, Chuck,Teresa, Mom, Jay. Then in the back Ralph Doug, Karen and Marian.

BYU Air Force Game

Parade Time!

It's that time again. Another tradition that I love about living here! This Year Brandon marched with the High School band. Go DC!! All of the hard work during the summer paid off when Brandon had a great time. Brandon is playing the Baritone (he plays the bass clef still and it sounds the same asa trombone basically but it has fingering like a trumpet). He has been playing the Trombone since 4th grade but the high school does not march trombones - apparently too dangerous for their tight formations. Brandon was dissapointed at first and he had to learn the new instrument. He's is doing really well now. Its been great for him to meet new friends before school even started and also be a part of a great group. The band also won first place in the parade!!

SilverCreek/Grand Lake 2010

Ahh, the annual trip to the Inn at Silvercreek Granby/GrandLake area. We love it. We look forward to it each year! Todd couldnt take time off work and Brandon had Band camp at the High School. However, Trevor and Christen and I decided that we were free and the tradition must go on!! We met up with Todd's parents Tuesday night. (It's their timeshare) Grandma and grandpa were very impressed that trevor was helpful with the cooking and in general helping all around. it was nice for Trevor to shine a bit without Brandon there. They fished in the pond at SilverCreek and Grandpa joined in too. We also enjoyed Grand Lake, the go- carts and the shops there. Christen always get a huge jawbreaker and Trevor found a new pocketknife for his collection. We also went to the YMCA that was close for one day. That was fun.

Todd and Brandon drove up on Friday nightand we went back to Grand Lake to fish. Well, they fished and I shopped and read and napped. On the way home we stopped by REI for Life is Good Shirts and instead we got in on the garage sale - that we love and we got some great deals on expensive hiking bootsand gym shoes - $5 each!!!

Ellis Family Reunion 2010

We had our Ellis family reunion this year. We all gathered on July 6th at Todd's parents house. It was great to see everyone!! We especially loved having both Roger and Andrea there, who we dont get to see very often. They live back east and its a big trip We do this reunion every other year so it had been awhile for some of us. We ate and then celebrated Grandpa's birthday followed by a talent show. Then the next day we packed up to go camping. Brandon had band camp Tues and Wed so I stayed back with Heather to meet up with Brandon. By the time we got to the cabin/ camp everything was set up! Great timing! Everyone had meals that they were in charge of and the rest of the time we went to the lake and canoed, some swam when they got swamped, fished played games, rested, and visited. We also had a great fireside and family history moments.

After the cabin we went back to the house and then to Casa Bonita - great fun- and to the Drums Along the Rockies competition. Our nephew, Austin, is a Jr in HS and is the Drum Major. He had found out about the competition and organized the tickets. it was cool for he and Brsndon to share the experience together. It was a great evening.

4th of July weekend

For the 4th of July weekend we went to the ward breakfast on Sat the 3rd. Then on Sunday after church we went over to our friends' house, Jeff and Kris, for a bbq. It was really fun and there were several families over. The men and boys tried to explode a cantalope and then a watermelon among other regular fireworks. It was threatening rain that night but Brandon really wanted me to tske him to the big town fireworks. We got all of the way down there and thenit started to downpour!! Luckily, the next night they rescheduled and we went. After this weekend Brandon Started inon the beginnig of Band Camp. Two mini camps with three days each and thenlater another two full long weeks Band Camp. He learned a lot and had fun - got very tan and very tired.

Trevor Turns Twelve!

Trevor's Ordination Day above - the Sunday after his birthday. Todd's folks were able to come up and spend te day with us. Trevor took took his responsibilities quite seriously and did a great job passing the sacrament his first Sunday. We are very proud of him!!

It was a crazy week with all sorts of things going on but we did make it to Red Robin on Trevor's birthday. We love this tradition!! Trev got a bunch of fishing gear that he wanted and part of his birthday was to take a fly fishing class with his dad. He loved it!

Christen's Big Catch

The Monday after Day Camp and 11 yr old Camp we had to pick up our canoe from our friends property. They have a pond and said that we could fish for awhile. Trevor wanted to try out his new fly rod and gear and Christen camp for fun. She ended up catching a really big trout. She was so proud! It actually tasted great too!

Easter 2010

We had a great Easter weekend. We decided to have our Easter dinner on Good Friday with Todd's parents on Good Friday. We each wanted to be in our homes to watch conference so that's how it worked out. It was also their 45th wedding anniversary. WOW. It was really nice. Actually, Brandon was at a scout snorkling activity. Anyhow, Sat we watched conference and Todd and I went to lunch in between and ran a few errunds. Sunday - Easter and more Conference. Loved it. I have to mention one funny. Trevor with a mouthful of chocolate, said, "Wow, what are the chances of it being Easter and not going to church!!" Of course we ALL watched general conference - with this year especially great because we have Direct TV again with the DVR - oh how I have missed that!!! I guess we will have to take the "dressed up" picture next week before the ward Easter service.

Sunday we had Dave and Denise over for breakfast, Easter egg coloring, traditional Easter cookies we make every year and conference. In the afternoon we even did smores as if we didnt have enough chocolate already. We should have used the peeps to roast though! I actually made it to the baptism of my friend Shanna's son in between sessions on Sunday. I guess her being the Stk Primary Pres gave her some pull to have it done that day. It was cool that it was Ryan's birthday and their Bishop had been baptized on an Easter Sunday as well. Very sweet spirit.

Loved General Conference, Easter and being with family and friends. We are so blessed. Good times!!

Happy 9th Birthday Christen!

Christen and her friends - she decided that she wanted ice cream sundaes instaed of a cake this year - although Denise ended us sharing some of her cake on their actual birthday. We took
the girls bowling and they had a great time. On the actual day of her birthday - the 25th I got her out of school just a bit early and got a drink at Sonic. Then we went home and Grandma and Grandpa were waiting there for her. They gave her a musical jewelry box and jewelry - which she LOVES. Speaking of jewelry, she has a boy that is a friend from school who actually gave her some jewelery for her birthday. I wasn't quite sure what to think but I guess it is fairly harmless.

Later in the evening we met our friends, Dave and Denise at Red Robin for dinner. This has become a tradition. Denise has the same birthday, which makes it extra fun!

I was relly happy that she had a great birthday and a great time with her friends, but i was also a little sad that my little girl is growing up!! It seems ok for the boys to get older - but not her!! SIGH!!

Just today she and I had a special day together. Todd and the boys were at the scout Klonderee (post to come) so we went shopping, got lunch, and then went to the play "Annie" that some of our friends were in. It was nice.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

I was very spoiled that year! Lots of Facebook bday wishes (loving that!), many calls from dear friends and family and lots of fun and FOOD. Too much food actually - but hey - I indulged. Probably should have been more careful but it was great. Lets see how many "out to eats" ...? 5 FIVE!! Craziness. Fun times though. Also saw two movies - Extraordinary Measures - I would highly recommend - and Leapyear - cute, but not a buyer for me.

Most of my gift receiving I will get during spring break when Brandon and I travel to Washington DC to visit our great friends the Ahlstroms - and DC. We hope to see Roger (Todd's brother) and Andrea as well. CANT WAIT!!!

A few funnies

I just posted this on facebook but I wanted to write this down here--

The other day Brandon mentioned that the high school band may go to Ireland. -not sure about that - but anyway -- I said that that is where Grandpa served his mission. Trevor said, " I thought that Grandpa went to South Africa with Grandma. I said, " Yes, but when he was 19 he went to Ireland." Trevor asked, " Grandpa was 19???"

We were talking about the fact that Brandon wants to be an illustrator and then Christen said, " I want to be a Cold Stone worker!!" I also reminded Brandon that we are counting on the fact that he had wanted to work at Papa Murphys as a teenager!!

Fun with friends - and dogs

We just love our neighbors!! We have so enjoyed their company so much this year, Part of the fun about being friends with Dave and Denise is also being friends with their dogs Angus and Tyler! They have an annual bday party -this year on Christmas eve afternoon where we exchanged our people presesnts and the dogs had bday snacks. Angus also got a manacure from our family as a little joke. I know the whole thing is crazy - but fun.

A few of these pics are from when we went out as families - us, Dave and Denise and also with Jeff and Kris and their boys.

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was great to have my mom stay for 2 weeks. We all had fun spending time with her. It was especially fun to play games and bake and make honey candy with her. We also had a fun suprise visit from Todd's brother and his family after Christmas. The cousins had a great time hanging out, sledding and rock climbing together. We also had our traditional sleep by the Christmas tree on the 23rd - (we are all getting too big for our little front room!) and Nativity play Dec 24th with Todds parents and the missionaries and neighbor friends.

Mainly it was nice to relax and enjoy the spirit of the season. We were also very blessed that Todd was able to take the week off before Christmas from work. That is a rare occurrence - but it looks like he may have it off for next year too.

Starlighting - let the Holidays begin!

A yearly tradition for our family - Starlighting. we love it. we cant stay away. This year the weather was good - a bit windy but nice still. The live nativity, being with friends, seeing people all around, Todd and Brandon playing together this year in the band on the street, treats and free hot chocolate, Santa and of course the Starlighting itself. Good times!! Great memories!

pumpkin carving

We were a little late this year on the Halloween prep since we were on our trip and also missed the ward trunk or treat. We finally carved pumpkins but now they are buried in the snow outside. Christen wanted to do her own so she did - she ended up with a big hole in the middle. Good thing we had the princess potato head decorations to add. Then she wasnt so upset.

Snow Days! = 3

Three days of Snow Days!

Above is the only picture I managed to take of our tree before our trip.

We have lived here for a long time now. 11 years in the area. Other than one spring break when we were snowed in - the kids were out of school anyway, this has never happened. THREE full snow days for the kids - OUT OF SCHOOL! Amazing. There is 2 ft of snow on our patio table outside. The boys have made an incredible snow fort in the front yard. It seems too dry of a snow to make a good snowman. Lots of hot chocolate, shoveling, indoor games, movies, and baking. As Christen and I were making pumpkin cookies we played a Princess Diaries trivia game together - asking eachother made up questions. She and I didnt do to well when we played Star Wars Trivial Pursuit with the neighbors!

I think that later today we will be able to go out. We will see. It is pretty outside although after our trip I really feel bad that our fall season is so short here. We had all the backpacks all set out last night just sure that the kids would be back and have their Fall/ Halloween parties. Oh well. Tonight Brandon was supposed to play in the band with the High School during the football game. I am assuming that wont happen now.

Our Fall Break to Illinois and Missouri

We had and amazing fall break! We took the kids out of school a few days early before fall break -- mainly because we were DRIVING to Illinois. My brother Doug and his wife Karen live east of Nauvoo about 3 hours. My siblings and mom had planned a siblings reunion there. Doug and Karen were fantastic hosts! It was a VERY long drive to get there but was totally worth it. We were determined to get there in one day - and we did. I learned a valuable lesson in that even though you have a GPS to get you places --ALWAYS take an atlas like the good ol' days!! When you think you know exactly where you are going and turn off the GPS to listen to the MP3 player that it also is - there can be trouble. We went a but too far on one highway and didnt turn where we were supposed to. OK - I admit -- Todd was a sleep and I was driving and took the wrong turn ......Anyhow.....

About and hour into the trip the kids asked where the DVD earphones were. Hmm maybe back in the garage??? We had 10+ movies but no earphones. It still worked, however everyone had to listen to the movies - thus, I was listening to the MP3 player!!

We go there late - very late on Wed night and they graciously waited up for us. My sister Suzy and her husband Chuck had arrived a few hours earlier. My mom had already arrived a few weeks before. We got some good sleep and then the next day prepared for Jay, my oldest brother and his wife Marian to arrive. Unfortunately, we had a few missing - my brother Ralph and his wife Teresa. Teresa's brother had just lost his battle with cancer and they were at the funeral. We MISSED you so much and were thinking of you!!

Thursday we also got to visit Doug's dental lab. He is a tech there and it is amazing to see his work and the process involved! They have a small lake a few miles away so we had a great walk and enjoyed the beautiful colors. Unfortunately, it was too cold to sail but we did all get to ride Doug's motorcycle!! The kids LOVED that! We went bowling together and had a pie making contest that the kids judged. Gma took first in looks and taste for her famous lemon merengue. Todd and I were close second with the a simple pumpkin - just because we knew they love that. I managed to do a crust although I will admit I need more practice. There was also an amazing apple pie. I kept trying to sneak away t o the grocery store but they wouldnt allow it!

Karen had also organized a service project where we prepared and sewed Christmas stockings for the military troops and we wrote letters to put in them. We ate a lot of great food and visited and played games. My brother Jay gave us a great presentation about our family heritage. I find that as I am getting older those sort of disscussions are much more meaningful. It was very interesting! Thanks Jay! We were also able to see 3 of Dougs kids and their families which was a treat. David, Michelle and Nathan. Doug and Nathan played their guitars for us. It has been so good for us to be better in touch with my family!

On Sunday morning we followed Chuck, Suzy and my mom to Nauvoo. I must say that we were all excited to see the Mississippi River and later to get out and touch the water. Before we even checked into the motel we went to the visitors center to check things out. We went to many of the Old Nauvoo presentations and displays that the senior missionaries do. The blacksmith, the gun shop, the Family Living Ctr - with ropemaking, candle making, breadmaking, pottery and more, the brickmaking shop, historical homes and Joseph Smith's Red Brick store and of course the temple grounds. It was all so amazing!! The next day we took a wagon ride and a carriage ride around, went the the gardens with the women's statues and went to the play, Rendevous. The play was so fun! We decided that the senior couples must just have a great time serving there as well as doing that play. The town was not crowded at all so we were blessed to see as much as we could as fast as we did.

Our last morning in Nauvoo Todd, Brandon and I had the opprotunity to do some temple work - baptisms - It was very special to be there with Brandon. He has done work before in our home temple with the youth but I have never gone with him. It was extra special because we were doing family file names that Todd's parents have been working on. It was a neat experience to part of the inside of the temple. The font is the biggest of any temple the exact dimentions of the first one.

We also had time to shop, swim a bit, get ice cream and have a catfish lunch. On the way to Missouri we stoppped at Carthage jail. What a sacred place. The kids had just been learning some of this very church history in their church classes so it was very meaningful to tham as well as Todd and me.

We met up with Chuck, Suzy and mom again in Missouri at my Uncle Dale and Aunt Mary Jo's Bed and Breakfast in Jameson - a mile from Adam Ondi Ahman. Their place is on farm land with several fishing ponds. The kids were thrilled!! It was so beautiful there and it was fun for me to take some cool pictures. Christen finally caught her first fish and we came home with 12 all together!! Bass, Croppy and Catfish. It was nice to visit and relax there and see my cousin Teresa and her family too. I would highly reccommend their place to stay if you are travelling through!

Their Bed and Breakast link is : http://marydale.com/ Check it out!!

While we were there we also were able to see Jamesport - the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi. That was a fun experience to learn more about their culture. On the way home we stopped off at Libery Jail. It was amazing to be there and to read the sections in the D&C after of that place and all of what we had visited.

It was an incredible trip for out family! We felt very blessed.

A Day Gone to the Dogs

Last weekend we had a first. Our town opens up one of the outdoor pools -before they drain it- over to the dogs! Its called the "Pooch Plunge" and it is very entertaining! There were many labs that stayed in the water for an extended time but our dogs got out fairly quickly each time we put them in. Anyway, it was a fun activity and we were with our friends Dave and Denise and their dogs too. There was even music and toys for the dogs to play with as well as freebees galore. Very festive.