Busy in Nauvoo

Well this time it seems to have worked after I just posted as anonymous, which I didn't see when I went back to check so not sure what you will get. Love to hear from all of you especially your little every day happening with the kids. Hope more of you will send more often. This is the first evening I have had free for weeks. I went with 6 other single sisters to Burliington today and got my camera clip copied and deleted so I can filll it again. I have made a great friend at the camera section and she takes great care of me. Very helpful so I am learning more all the time but still don't know how you post pictures here. Jen does my old and new e-mail both work now? Grandma

need a ride?

Good to hear from you all. Patty and I have been busy working in the yard. We are looking forward to helping my mom move. It looks like she will be moving in the next few weeks. Last night I went over there to help her move a few things. It was funny. Jacob wants to bring all the treasures home.
Yesterday I brought Maya with me to school for a while. It's a tradition I guess we started last year with Jacob. They get a big kick out of it. I think it's good for my students to see that I have a life outside of the classroom as well. I think some of the students figure we just live here and grade papers around the clock. They forget we are people too.
Two weeks ago Patty and I bought a new car. I say car, well its not much of a car it's a 15 passenger van. We bought it to use for our orphanage support excursions, but it's been more fun just to see the reaction of people when they see it. I guess most people don't think vans are cool, but boy is it a smooth ride. Curt, Jill, Derek, Lanie, Alexi, Maya, Jacob and I took it to the children's museum over spring break. We put Jacob and Derek on the very back row. It was funny to see their heads way, way back there bobbing up and down. It has reminded me of the Clothe Shop van back when we were kids. We'd get all loaded up in there -sitting on lawn chairs, swings, or each other. Good times.
This weekend is Andrea's baby blessing. It should be nice. I'm looking forward to being with Lisa and her kids.

Jeff and I are heading to Guatemala at the end of May. A month before patty delivers. Not the best timing, let's just hope we get back in time. We plan to travel via the hippy central American chicken bus route dressed as Mormon missionaries, for safety purposes, not to proselytize. I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends and showing Jeff the people I grew to love so much as a missionary. We have a basic itinerary,do as much as we can, but still kick back and enjoy Guate. It's been 9 years since my mission and 5 since I've been back. so if any of you have travel tips for Guate or Belize let me know.

FYI patty and I have talked about a trip to Navoo in April of 08 I think the week of the 20th or so. We are thinking it will be the last of grandma's mission so we could help bring her home. It might be fun if others want to join us/meet us there for a few days, do a bit of an informal reunion there with grandma.

Later,

Jesse

20 Days and Counting

20 days left in the shcool year. No, it's not Cody blogging. It's Curt! So what if I'm excited?! I have to cling to my Holy Grail of teachers' perks. It's going to be a grrreeeaaaat summer with non-stop golfing, fishing, and--oh wait--watching kids and doing yard work (I can't make it sound too fun or you'll all be running out to become teachers). Ask Jesse, if you saw some of the characters I deal with, you'd be ready for a break too.

All's well here. Derek swallowed a marble and thought he was going to die. We think it has passed, but we're not sure. He loves westerns, especially John Wayne movies. Grandpa would have got a kick out of him. He wants to try riding his bike without training wheels this year, but is worried because the last time we tried it he told me his bike was "wobbly." He looks like a ten-year-old on his little bike. Laynie is tryng to deal with being knocked off her diva pedestal by little Alex. She's three going on 15; and if anyone knows what 15-year-old girls are like, it's me. She refuses to wear anything but skirts. Alex is cute. She likes to eat.

Jill's well. She's dreading going back to work, but guess what?! I got 20 days left! Ha!

Curt

Dallas Visit

Hello Everyone,

I tried to post this about a week ago but the screen kept freezing and then I ran out of time. Kerbey and I went to visit Dan and Cassie and the girls weekend before last and arrived to the sounds of sirens as a tornado had just touched down nearby. As terrified as I am of tornadoes, that was put to rest when we pulled up at the curb to see Ava and Sophie sitting on the step waiting for our arrival. It does not get ANY better than that for a welcome. The trip was wonderful and we got to see Ava play soccer but time just flew by and before we knew it the weekend was over and it was time to head back. Like Jennifer, I also have a blog that I started about three years ago to keep in touch with far away relatives and friends, but I also use it for rantings of all sorts, from politics, to ... you name it. So maybe I will wait until I know you all a bit better before I share that link, LOL. We have decided that we will spend Thanksgiving in Utah (at Jennifer's brilliant suggestion) so I am really excited and can't wait to meet you all in person.

p.s. the blog will not let me post a 2nd or 3rd pic, I'll try to put them on a separate post.

Hello everyone!!

Hi,

We just got back from our visit with Mom and it was great!! It was beautiful and so peaceful. There are no visitors there now. We felt like VIPs on our own special tour of the place. Mom was pretty excited to see us and it was great seeing her again. She is doing really well and has made some more really special friends I wish we would have had more time with her. It really does have a special feeling there in "Joseph's city." It was fun for Cregg to go to the lands and records place and look up Curtis' ancestors that were there. We were able to see where they had owned property. (Stewarts were in Quincey or Montrose) You all really need to go!! While Mom is there. She as always is a great hostess. They are geering up for the big summer season now. I'm looking forward to seeing you Lisa and your darling little boys. Thanks for the great recipe Jen maybe I'll try cooking again.
Love Ya,
Cathy

Bylund Boys

Here are some pictures of my boys. Garrison is 3 1/2 and Darren is nearly 8 months. Darren is pulling himself up to everything and is almost crawling.

I fly to Utah on Wednesday with the kids. Jared is in the middle of studying for finals so I will be making the trip by myself. Any advice on flying with 2 kids? It will be a first for me.

Jared got a job for this summer here in Lubbock working for McWorter Cobb & Johnson. We are really excited about it. The firm does a little bit of everything so he will have a chance to figure out what type of law he likes the best.

It is so great to hear what everyone is doing! Keep posting.

by the way...

Hey - if any of you want to post your favorite websites for others to check out, let me know and I'll link them to the webpage. I just posted my personal blog link (this blog was written with intent to keep in touch with my long distance friends but you are welcome to come visit me there too, in case you don't get quite enough of me here....) and invite you to do the same if you have personal links.
Hope you all are well.
Grandma, when are you going to post again? Email me your letter if you can't figure out how to get in and do it on your own.

Jennifer

Receipes

I don't know about you all but thinking of somthing to make for dinner is my least favorite part of the day, especially when I try to add a little variety to menu. Do you find yourself always making the same things. I really hate trying a new recipe only find out that no one including myself wants to eat it. My husband is always very sweet and eats anything I prepare even if mine ends up in the garbage. I have a hard time making my kids eat something that I know if gross. So I thought it would be fun to get some of your full proof recipes that your families love. I'll start: This is one of our favorites and it is so easy.

Pasta Shells
cook 24 jumbo shells
Combine 5 oz cottage cheese, 2 c. motzarella, 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, 1 egg in a bowl
1 jar pasta sauce
pour half of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish
once the shell are cooked stuff them with the cheese mixture then lay them on the pasta sauce, pour the remaining pasta sauce over the shells and sprinkle with motzarella. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until heated through.
This makes a lot more then my family can eat in one sitting so I usually do one dish for now and one for latter(I cover it and freeze it for latter)

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions on the recipe. I'll post more of my favorites latter.

here are a few newer pictures

Another Maya funny

Maya names all of her babies. She gives them names like Kalie and Busterd. Like others in the family she also has a few imaginary friends. Jugla is one of these friends. One day we were going out the door and Maya stopped me and pointed at a wall hanging Patty has in the living room. She asked, "dad, do you know what that says?" I asked her what is said and she said, "dad it says Jugla." (she says it with a deep voice) I asked her who that was. She told me, "Jugla's my friend, but she's not very smart she has a baby in her belly." I guess she's learning all these ladies don't like having babies in their bellies too much.

We are doing well. I thought I write another quick post. I love the blog. It's been fun. I find myself checking it almost everyday to see what you are up to and thinking of you all more during the day. Thanks Jennifer.

Last week Patty and I went to Southern Utah to a Mountain Bike race. She was the support crew for our team and mom stayed in Santaquin with the kids. We had a great time. If your interested in following me this race season, Patty's is sick of hearing about it already, you can follow my progress http://www.intermountaincup.com/. I'm in the sport class 30-35.

This week is our spring break. We plan to make our way down to Southern Utah again, but this time with the kids to do some camping and slot canyons near Goblin Valley. If any of you want to make this trip in the future let us know. We do it almost every year, the kids love it. We even have all the camping stuff if you just want to show up.

I just got in on jennifers name. I think my problem is that my password is the same one as she has used for this particular account of hers and they wouldn't let me in.
I will try to take time as much as possible to keep you posted on what is going on here in Nauvoo. I am looking forward to Cathy and Cody and Cregg and Christy coming on Wed. The timing is good as I get a companion on Fri. when they have to leave so they can stay at home with me as I have a house all to myself until then. Wish more of you could have come as that is the way it has been for the last 6 weeks. Love Grandma

Easter 2007

Jennifer, this blog is great. What a fun way to keep in touch.
We had a great easter weekend too. It is always fun to get together with family. Candace had a nice BBQ and easter egg hunt. The kids had so much fun and came away with too much candy.
We are enjoying our new little one. She is 4 weeks today, which means my maternity leave is half over. AHHHHHHHHH!! Alexa is such a sweetheart. I forgot how much joy a baby brings to your life. Derek and Alayna are good helpers for the most part, with the exception of Alayna trying to feed Alexa a fruit chew.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Jill

Sacramento Easter Weekend

We had a nice weekend out here. Weather was perfect and we took advantage of it to go up to Lake Tahoe for a little day hike to Fallen Leaf Lake, a wilder, smaller lake which sits next to L. Tahoe. I LOVE it up there and wonder what I'll need to do to afford a quaint little summer cottage in those mountains, by that lake. I suppose I'll have to stop buying shoes or something.

Here is my E at the lake, in a rare moment when he wasn't complaining. It was super windy but super beautiful. (My kid is pretty nice looking too, don't you think?)

Maren approves of Easter. I think our little lesson about the significance of the occasion and the blessing of new beginnings went over her head, but she totally got the candy-in-the-eggs part. Or, perhaps, as Dad pointed out, this lesson is so obvious to her, she can't see why anyone would bother to discuss it. And me, I can't talk enough about the concept. I shout out: THANK GOODNESS for new beginnings! Slade and I have decided its a much better time of year to make new resolutions. What do you think?

This is the cat who adopted us, Michi. Typically Maren is not caressing him with flowers but rather prefers to poke him with sticks or chase him with rocks. He is a good sport, though, and I guess he figures that price of abuse is worth paying to hang around our family. I admit I find this flattering.

Affection,

Jennifer

I'm on Board

I'm going to start posting more regularly (Jill will provide the photos).

Regarding your Disneyland inquiry Jennifer, I'm glad you've finally decided to expose your children to paradise. We usually stay at the Fairfield by Marriott. It's affordable and close (It's right across the street from the park's main entrance). As far as season, I like the early summer season which begins after Father's Day (you get all the parades and fireworks that way). If you don't want to deal with the crowds, you should go during the winter months, but know you miss out on some of the extended hour stuff. My most important piece of advice would be to just go with the experience; don't freak out about the prices and crowds or you'll be miserable (my brother-in-laws on the Tuttle side). It is what it is; Derek and Laynie have been acculturated as Burtons and think it's pretty cool place. I corrupt everyone.

I'm still educating the nation's youth, and the nation's youth are educating me as well. Jesse and I get the biggest kick out of watching "the junior high game". Jesse teaches right across the hall from me and every year we get a new batch of kids that enteratain us. I guess that's part of the allure of teaching: "the show".

I've taken up marathon running. I enjoy it. I don't run at a race-winning pace or anything like that, but I do enjoy the training and racing. I'm running the Ogden Marathon on May 19th. I'll post some pictures.

Baby's cute. We can't decide if she looks like Derek or Laynie. Her official name is Alexa Naomi Burton, but I've just been calling her baby. She's cool.

Happy Easter! love dan,cassie, ava & sophia

Patty & Kids

Patty brought her kids up to visit yesterday, it was so nice to have some company. The kids loved playing together and actually didn't fight..... the older they get the better they play together. Samuel loved showing his cousin where he rides his bike. Savannah and Maya had fun playing babies (Savannah as the baby and Maya her mommy) I loved having an adult to visit with all day and appreciated Pattys help, I couldn't have picked a better sister in law!
c/ya - a sleep deprived Andrea :(

Un Angel en California

Jesse & Patty - Did you ever think you would see Angel Chicaiza in the States? Well, before I left Ecuador he promised that one day he would come visit me in the U.S. In his own words, "Promesa Cumplida"! En route to Shanghai, China to further a business endeavor, he stopped over in California and came to visit Jen and I in Sacramento. It was lots of fun to have him around. His idea of the States was a place full of people with police on every corner that would constantly be asking him to review his papers. I was happy to be able to dispel this myth. He did, however, feel like he needed to take his passport and visa everywhere just in case. We spent a day in San Francisco and another in Lake Tahoe. It was Angel's first encounter with snow. He had a blast and Ethan served him up a couple snow balls. He hopes to come back with his family before too long. Hope you guys are doing well. There is a chance we will be in Utah over Thanksgiving. Maybe an early storm will blanket Snowbird and we can hit the mountain. Kris came to visit us in Sacramento a couple weeks ago. He and I spent a day up at Heavenly snowboarding. It was a nice break from the normal routine of our lives.

Slade

disneyland?

Burtons,
We want to take E to Disneyland. You are the experts. Tell us what to do - where to stay, when to go, what to do... we will obey.
Jennifer

Hooray!

I'm so glad this is a success, though not a surprise. Two things we are all good at is enjoying good food and wanting to keep in touch with each other. Good for us (on both accounts.) Has anyone heard from Parry or Cory lately? I, for one, would love to see little Sydney. Hey guys! Write to us sometime!

Congratulations to all on these new babies! I just got Alexa's baby announcement and it is really adorable. Hats off to Jill (again...). Slade took one look at it and just said, "You want a Mac, don't you?" He then acknowledged that it was very cute. And not just the idea of it - you have cute kids, Jill and Curt! Actually, thats another thing we do well : pretty kids. Who is next at bat? Cassie, right? Then Catie? Am I still the caboose? (I don't want to be the caboose. It makes the wait even longer...)

I'm posting a picture of Mariah on her behalf. She's cute, isn't she? I thought the Payson-ites would be interested to see how much she has changed. Am also posting a pic of Slade watching this past Sunday's conference. I suppose this is the great disadvantage of watching at home... In his defense, we haven't been getting much rest around here. It was funny because at one point, I dozed off too. I woke up with Ethan standing by the TV turning it off. I asked him why he was turning it off and he replied, "Well, no one is actually watching it!"I looked around and sure enough, Slade and Stephen were both dead asleep. We did enjoy the parts we caught, however, especially Oaks' talk. Outstanding. So good to have someone stand up and give straight talk about marriage and such.

My little brother, Stephen, is in town visiting from Canada over his Spring Break. It has been good to have him and you'll be interested to know that he's not so quirky anymore. I find this a little sad, but its probably better for his social relationships. Ethan is delighted to have "Uncle Kris" here to play with and Slade is delighted to have an eager chess contender. They talk so much trash around these games that really, a ton is at stake when they play. The only other bit of good news is that Ethan was accepted in a Spanish program kindergarten. This is a big deal since there aren't any other programs like this around here (surprising, isn't it?) Most instruction will still be in English, but any Spanish is better than none!

Hope you are all well and that you keep posting. Its great to hear from you.

Jennifer

PS. Burtons, you are being severely under-represented!

Maya's funny thoughts

My kids say some of the funniest things. Curt reminded me this morning of a funny thing Maya said a few weeks ago.
We were sitting at the counter eating some deer jerky that Curt gave me. Maya said,"dad, who caught this elk?" I told her that Curt did. She said,"what did he catch it with?" I told her a gun. She said,"he's pretty brave. He should catch some more. "

Andrea forgot to put a picture of herself!

Just checking in with the family. What a great way to keep in touch. Like email…but more fun. Who wants to take grandma under her/his wing? Jen, you started all this I think you should.

Pictures of Mitchell kids

Here are some pictures of my kids, Savannah is haning out at her Grandma Mitchells Farm, Samuel is riding grandmas horse rennigade and Kaitlen sleeping peacfully.

Hello from Woodruff

Hello Everyone - It was so fun to read what everyone has posted. I didn't think there would be anything on the site yet, but I've been in a time warp for the last two weeks. My little Kaitlen is two weeks old today. I am feeling really good and am adjusting to having three kids. I am still anixouly awaiting for warmer spring days to arrive to woodruff, we always have a hard time getting out of the winter season, which takes it toll on me and the kids we all have cabin fever.

Kaitlen is such a good baby; she eats really good, sleeps for 3 - 4 hour stretches (which is such a blessing at night) and poops a lot.

Samuel who is 4 1/2 is such a good helper he is always willing to get diapers, pacifiers, or whatever else mommy might need. He loves to be outside and can 't wait for bright sunny days, every morning he looks out the window hoping that today will be a "bright sun shinny day!" if it is he spends most of the day riding his bike everywhere. We live in a very small neighborhood that has zero traffic so the roads are his to ride.

Savannah who is 2 1/2 also loves being a big sister, she however is not as willing to be Mommy's runner. She and her brother could not be more opposite, my mom would tell you she is the sweetest little girl that lets you still cuddle her; she loves her nanna. She is a little sweetie but she has a spunky side to her that is a free spirit she will do things her own way and in her own time. The three of them are keeping me very busy. I love being able to spend my days with them and enjoy each minute of their little lives.

Anthony is still teaching History at Rich High School and loves every minute of it. He helps coach the Girls basketball team, which has its challenges but he seems to enjoy it. His team took 2nd place in the State Tournament his year, it was a fun season. We are both looking forward to the summer. I'll try to send pics of the new babe. - Love Andrea

I'm in now!

It has been great to hear from all of you. This will be fun! It really isn't that hard. I hope I can stay caught up with all of you this way.I have to run now school starts in an hour and I'm not ready.
Love Ya,
Cathy