The Stewart Family Blog

Spring Clean Up

2009-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday a few of us got together to do some pretty major spring clean up at Grandmas house. Jeffrey has been by a few times to put his chain saw to good use cutting branches off and entire trees down. Grandma had one more that needed to go. We had 9 kids there they thought it was fun to sit in the tree for a cute picture but mostly just loved to run around in Grandmas back yard.
Here is grandma working right along side the boys....I certainly hope I have her energy when I'm her age. Grandmas yard is not exactly what you call a "maintenance" free yard I'm grateful to Jesse, Patty, Jeffrey, Curt and Jill for all the help and service they give grandma!!

gauntt house

2008-12-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

kids did this one on their own - yes, slade and i preferred to forfeit any award we might receive for outstanding gingerbread house decorating in favor of a nice sunday afternoon nap. and that doesn't make us bad parents, either.
i'm not even going to ask what happened to ALL THE OTHER candy i provided for their decorating needs. i even had stuff to landscape their yard (which is on the back). sigh...
despite this, we think it turned out pretty cute and we are very happy ethan and maren get along so well that they could work together on this little project and have a great time.

Gingerbread parade - Mitchell's house

2008-12-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

Jennifer had a great idea for all of us to post a picture of our gingerbread houses that we did this year. This was our families first year and we had a great time. Savannah is now having a great time eating the frosting icicles off of the roof. So any of you who made gingerbread houses this year lets see your pics.

-Andrea

Wonderful Time

2008-08-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

All -

That weekend was wonderful. As a kid it was always one of the highlights of my year, to come see you guys (not much has changed as an adult), but never did I imagine that it would become one of my kids favorite things to do too. And it is. Ethan and Maren were in heaven and when I suggested we would come back just before Christmas, they were delighted.

That is an announcement, by the way. Slade and I will be coming in on the 17th, I think, just in time to celebrate Grandma's birthday. My parents will be arriving in SL on the 18th, shortly before my cousin's wedding (which will be on the 20th). Cathy, DeeAnn and Grandma will remember my aunt Catherine - it is her oldest son who is being married. (This is lovely for me, since traveling to UT is substantially less trouble than going back to France!). We plan on hanging out with the rest of you when we are not occupied with the wedding. My mother is particularly eager to see you all again so perhaps we can plan a get-together?

Do you love how I tell you to plan parties for me?

Maybe we can plan on celebrating Grandma's birthday on the 18th? I nominate Candace as the official family baker. Is this a good time to place my order? Cheesecake, carrot cake and pie, please. Oh, and whatever Grandma wants too.

I'm kidding (umm, sort of). I just wanted to let you all know that we were coming back into town and will want to see you again. I'll be in touch as soon as I have a better idea how wedding plans will shape up.

In the meantime, I am glad to see so many great pics on the shutterfly account. Don't forget that we are all sharing one account, so hurry up and place your orders (Candace!) so others can get in and use the cart for the photos they want to develop. Just don't forget to add your mailing address to your order unless you want your pics to be sent to someone else. Candace, you are the lucky winner of the first 50 free photos Shutterfly offers on new accounts. Don't hesitate to use them.

See you all soon!

Jennifer

Reunion

2008-07-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

We are getting so excited for the big, get together. I just wanted to make the invite for our house too. We could definitely "host" a family so if anyone needs a place to stay, let us know! Also, if anyone has questions on the carnival/fair thing for Saturday let me know. I want to make some cute signs for the booths, so post your idea and I can make a sign for you. This month in Parent's magazine there are some fun ideas if you can't think of anything. See you soon! Jill
P.S. Add Curt to the 1/2 marathon list. He signed up this week.

Plans

2008-06-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

I want to ask if there is anything left to do in prep for this reunion. Have you Payson-ites divvied up all assignments? No one gave me anything to do. Should I be offended or grateful? I'll volunteer for clean-up duty! Do we want to make a follow-up photobook for Grandma?

My little family will be arriving on Thursday 7th, I believe. We can't stay long at all - turns out, Ethan starts school on the 11th. I know Kris's kids start on the 12 or something. We prolly should have planned ahead a little better... Will someone please let us know what the plan is for the weekend? Jesse, are you racing? Lisa, who is signed up to run? (I have a list of excuses why I will not which I feel so obliged to share...)

It will be Neva's first birthday on the 10th. Will you all join us for cake sometime on the 9th?
Ummm... and could Candace please bake us a fab cake?

I am so excited to see you all again. I have been looking forward to this for a long time now. Please let me know if there is anything left for me to do.

Jennifer

Provo River 1/2 Marathon

2008-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Provo River 1/2 Marathon just happens to be the same weekend as our family reunion in Utah. I just thought I would see if anyone would be interested in running it while we are all in town. The race starts at 7:00 am so we could be done and back to Payson by 9:30 or so. Here is the link to the race if you want to read more about it. I did the race last year and had a great time. It is mostly down hill but not very steep. The course in on the Provo River trail which is paved for most of the race. It usually fills up early so if anyone is interested we would need to register soon.
http://www.trailrun.com/trun/showdetails.cfm?event=55&state=UT

Just leave a comment and let me know if anyone would be interested.
Thanks,
Lisa

coup de grace

2008-04-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'm been meaning to do this post for a few months now and am finally getting it done. Jeff and his band, "coup de grace" came out with a CD a few months ago and I am so proud of him! I am posting a link to the bands "my space" page you can listen to some of their songs and even purchase the CD if you'd like. He has been playing with these guys for quite a few years they are two brothers who live down the street from Grandma, and a girl from West Mountain. Anyway I hope you enjoy.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=19098998

Here are a couple of great pictures my mom sent me. Can you believe that is little Jeffrey he certainly doesn't look like my little baby brother, he's grown up on me........ - Andrea

Gabriella Nicole

2008-03-24T10:21:00.001-07:00

cute little thing...

one more!

2008-03-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

My dad and Isabella had their baby girl earlier today and named her Gabriella Nicole. She weighed in at 7' 7 and has a ton of black hair. Everyone is doing well and I will send photos as soon as I get some.

... and you all thought the Stewarts were done producing immediate cousins!

2008-03-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

The time has come to greet and meet our little one tomorrow (the 1st day of spring). We'll be heading to Seton hospital early in the morning for the c-section.

We'll keep you posted on the developments and will post pictures in our blog as soon as we can.

Love and blessings to you all,

Kerbey and Isabella

Reunion dates?

2008-03-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Does the weekend of August 7-9 work for everyone? If no one has any concerns or other suggestions, lets set the date.

Will you all make sure everyone is aware and ok with these plans (are the burtons going to arizona in august?) and will you think of a few things we could do? Another kid-friendly hike, another cookout, heck, I'm even game for another Easter egg hunt. Payson locals, what is there to do in August?

Send back your ideas. I've never organized a family reunion (especially not from afar!) and don't know what all we need to take care of in order for it to run smoothly. Food? Activities? Lodging? I'm eager to hear back from you all. Don't be shy. We need to make plans soon.

Jennifer

PS. Wanna try to put together another photobook for Grandma (and anyone else who may want a copy)?

reunion?

2008-02-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

check out this great old photo of geneva steel i found on flickr. (i spend a lot of time daydreaming on flickr...). cool, isn't it?

i don't know if this is the best forum for planning a reunion, but we'll start here. Y'all will have to talk to each other to make sure word gets around. we need to know if we should be planning a trip to Utah this summer. we talked about a reunion last thanksgiving and think a date should be set if we're going to do it. i hope we do. i would really love to see you all again. (I'm always sad to leave, and its not just because of the long drive home.)

and who is new to the blog scene? can we add any more links?

hope everyone is doing well, wherever you all are!

Mexico

2008-02-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this photo with the family. This is one of the kids we have got to know over the last few years. Her name is Nancy. Shes 14 and loves Maya and Jacob. In some ways we feel she's part of our family. We had a great trip it was good to see the kids down there again.
We had had to postpone this summers trip due to lack of interest, but that's ok, we'll go down again sometime soon. Hope all are doing well.

Jesse

Elk

2008-01-26T11:02:00.001-08:00

We live near one of the largest ranches in the nation called Deseret Land and Livestock (which is owned by the church) during the winter months all the big bull elk come and feed in the field that is on our way to the grocery store. It is awesome there are about 80 bull elk all together right off the side of the road. Here are a few pictures, which don't really do them justice!

wedding and reunions

2008-01-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

Esme and Neva

M&M
E and Ava

Maren, trying to persuade Sophia to smile

Dan, Cassie and Esme in France
Kris, Crystal and Carina at Morgan's reception

Slade, Morgan, Sarah and Jennifer

Its really hard to decide what to post. I have 50 things to talk about and 500 photos to illustrate! Christmas was nice but the highlight of this past month was Morgan's wedding and the blessing it was to be together (for the most part) again. Our traveling went smoothly, but only because Murphey unleashed all his power against Crystal and Kris and had nothing more to spit out at us. And while its true that most everyone involved with the wedding came down with the stomach bug, at least it passed in a day or so! I'm forgetting to mention the jet-lag. Attending weddings at 4am is a different experience for me and I say thank goodness for concealer and eye-drops! Jetlag did make for some fun midnight encounters, though. It seemed there was always someone up at some point in the night because none of us could sleep.
Despite all this, the wedding was really lovely and I'm SO grateful that we were able to go.
And we're happy to welcome Sarah to the family too. She is a lot of fun. You know, growing up I used to complain about not having a sister and now I have a whole bunch of them and they are all past the point of stealing my clothes or my boyfriends.

We were so glad to see Cassie again in Austin. She brought her girls down to see Ethan and Maren before we came back to Sacramento and we all spent a great afternoon at Grandpa Kerby and Nana Bella's house roasting hotdogs and goofing off.

Kerby and Isabella are in full baby preparation mode. Their house is under renovation and thats not the only thing expanding... Poor Isabella is feeling every bit of this pregnancy but is looking good. Spirits are high too, and I happen to know that makes a very big difference!

Now I am home again and getting back into the swing of my routine - the good and the bad - and am starting to make plans for the next reunion. Maybe in August? Lets get moving on those plans, folks!

Jennifer

Update

2008-01-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put who that was from, If you didn't figure it out its Andrea

Update

2008-01-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great Christmas and are back in the swing of things now that January is half way over. We are all doing great and still tring to keep warm. It has been very cold this last week, funny how you get used to it though. I sent Samuel out to play the other day and I think it was +1 but the sun was shinning, wind wasn't blowing so it was a great day! It doesn't seem to phase him. We have so much snow here and I can honestly say this is the first of my four winters here I am acutally enjoying it. I don't know if I have just gotten used to the freezing temps or know there isn't anything I can do about it so I might as well enjoy it. Anthonys basketball team is doing very well and they hopfully will be playing in the state championship game.....one more month I enjoy it but will be glad to have him home again. As for me I have been spending alot of time playing Polly Pockets with Savannah, it is actually really fun. Lisa, Catie, and I would have loved to have the Polly Pocket cruise ship when we were little. I guess I'm kind of re-living my childhood, but hey isn't that one of the perks of being a stay at home mom?? For those of you who don't know I have started my own blog and you can email me for the link if you'd like. How is everyone else doing??? Does anyone look at this anymore besides me, Lisa, Catie and Jen???

DeeAnn's Grandkids

2008-01-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of all of DeeAnn's grandkids a few days after Christmas. It is always fun to have everyone together.
Back row- Maya Sorenson, Darren Bylund, Savannah Mitchell
Front Row- Garrison Bylund, Jacob Sorenson and Leah Sorenson, Kaitlen Mitchell, Samuel Mitchell (just in case you aren't sure who is who)

mystery gift

2007-12-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

familia,

i have to assume that the mystery gift from the north pole which showed up on our doorstep a couple of weeks ago is from one of you. what fun! the book was nice and all, but the real fun has been trying to figure out who sent it. my only clues: mailed from orem and spells my addy incorrectly (its Shelley, like the poet) - since all of you stewart kin do that, that doesn't do much to narrow things down for me...

so thank you to whomever sent it!

i'm not sending out Christmas cards this year. i've been so overwhelmed with all the things i have to do this season that it just got shoved aside for too long. still, i want to wish you all our very best wishes for a happy and safe holiday. and may it be filled with peace and joy and all that good stuff.

Merry Christmas!

Coldest Temps Warmest Hearts

2007-12-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

If any of you ever get the chance to travel through northern Utah you come upon the small town of Woodruff there you will be greated with a sign that reads "Coldest Temps, Warmest Hearts" Which is exactly what you get here. Yesterday morning it was - 21 degrees. For those of you who have never expericenced such extreme temps let me paint a picture for you. When you walk from your house to your car your nostrils freeze, your lungs ache and you are chilled down to your bones. The "Warmest hearts" I've never meet more down to earth people, they are the type of people who would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it.

This is a picture of Anthonys car tire after he came home from work, the car had been outside all day in the sunshine, yet there are still icilces hanging from the tire well.

This is a picture of the icicles at our church, Before the young men and women got to them there were some that were 6 feet long.

This is our cute little mail box, notice the icicles hanging from the top. When the temps are in the positives (ie, 1, 3 or 5 degrees) the kids bundle up and enjoy the snow! Enjoy your warm weather for me!!! (anything above 10 degrees! :) )

Thanksgiving with grandma dawna

2007-12-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

we decided, last minute, to drive out to see grandma dawna in Nauvoo for Thanksgiving. 9 hours of driving was worth it. it was a memorable trip for our family and a nice way to spend the thanksgiving holiday with missionaries so full of love. we had a thankgiving dinner with all the missionaries and then got to back to grandma dawnas for a second yummy thankgiving dinner!
the spirit in nauvoo is wonderful and it was great for our kids to learn and see so much about the city and the church! we got to watch grandma dawna in 2 performances in which all the kids even little carina thought was fun. they liked seeing grandma on stage!
the kids had been studying pioneers in school so it was fun for them to take a wagon ride, oxen ride and make rope. after 2 days of experiencing pioneer life we went to carthage jail. what a strong spirit there. when we walked up camille looked at the statue of joseph and said, mom look there's joseph smith! if you get a chance go while grandma is there, it's a time you will not forget! we will always remember our thaksgiving in Nauvoo and the spirit we felt!
-crystal, kris and kids

favorite baby must-haves

2007-12-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

Firstly, Paysonites, Slade and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the Thanksgiving weekend with you and wish now that we would have extended our stay with you longer, rather than go up to the resort so soon. We'll plan better next time. I'm particularly sorry I didn't get to hang out with you Burtons a little more.... I don't think I even really said good-bye. Sad. All this just makes me want to come back, so I say plan a reunion for the summer, when Grandma gets home. In the meantime, thanks for the company and hospitality and also for the pies.

mmm... those pies....

So here is a question for all who may feel inclined to respond. I'm compiling a favorites list of baby item 'must-haves' for Isabella, and really anyone who has babies. (Even though I'm on my third, I'm still discovering great items).

You can either log in as me and edit this post to add your ideas or you can just respond through the comments part. Hope to get a few good ideas out of this!

Big Hugs to all!
Jennifer

Favorite Baby Stuff

bouncer seat

slings that are still comfortable after 15 min

burts bees baby wash or mustela, if you can find it

bumbo seat (despite their recent recall)

blanket "sleeping bags" with sleeves

I'll add to the list if I think of more things.

2007 babies (minus one)

2007-11-30T10:23:00.001-08:00

Mexico Summer 2008

2007-11-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family,

As many of you know, our family has been involved with humanitarian service trips to Mexico for the last few years. We plan to do another trip this summer during the month of June. We will be traveling to San Carlos, Mexico to work with children from a nearby orphanage called Ciudad de los Niños. We will be taking the children out of the orphanage for a summer camp experience. We will visit the beaches in San Carlos to snorkel, sea kayak, play in the sand, look for seashells, and enjoy the sunshine. It’s our goal to help the children have a memorable, positive childhood experience. We can only do this with your help.
If you have not made plans for your summer vacations this year, please consider helping us out. If you don’t think you would be able to help, please let your friends and family know about this project.
We will plan your trip through our nonprofit organization, Orphanage Support Services Organization Mexico (OSSOMEX). All lodging, meals, and activities are covered in the program fee. No Spanish is required to serve.
There will be 4 sessions available this summer for families and single volunteers. Each session will be one week long. You do not have to be there the whole month; however, there will be opportunities for Spanish speaking volunteers who would like to stay as OSSOMEX staff for the entre month.

Visit ossomex.org for detailed information about this project.

Come join us !

Jesse, Patty and kids

2007-11-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

I am not sure what happened, but our halloween blog pictures did not post at the top. Be sure to scroll down to see what you think of "Froddo's" haircut.

Halloween Party

2007-11-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween. Every year Curt and Jill have an amazing Halloween party. It is so much fun to get together with family and friends. The kids loved all the fun games that we did. Here is a picture of the kids after the "mummy game" and samuel and Savannah tring to eat a donut on a string.I 've never been much of a Halloween fan but a fun party like this helps me enjoy it much more. Thanks Jill! This year Samuel was a pirate, Savannah was a lion and little Kaitlen was the cutest little pumkin ever.

Halloween in Lubbock

2007-11-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween here in Lub bock. Darren was Eeyore and Garrison was a Power Ranger for the 2nd year in a row. Our ward had a Fall Festival that the kids loved. Of course we got way to much candy which I end up eating the majority of. Hope it see pictures of everyones kids!

Froddo Baggins

2007-11-04T20:35:00.001-08:00

Wow! Derek had been growing his hair out for "Frodo" since June and we finally were able to get it all cut off! Hallelujah!! No more crazy, funky, bed-head hair-dos! He definitely has the Stewart-thick hair.

halloween with gauntt kids

2007-11-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

Halloween is a holiday I can't appreciate very much. Ethan always wants me to decorate our house and I'm just not into that. Its also hard for me to come up with costumes. I think I must get that from my mom. I was a gypsy many times and Kris and Dan were often pirates. Then she got smart and just moved to France and did away with the whole ordeal altogether.

And then there is this issue of candy. Its everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the stuff. And thats precisely the problem. Its terrible that something so good should be so bad.

This year, Ethan was a karate kid who'd been bloodied up (karate was my idea, blood was his), Maren was a farmer girl and Neva was a lady bug.

What did y'all do?

Happy Birthday Dan and Kris!

2007-11-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Cassie posted a blog on her site to celebrate Dan's birthday (and let it be known that I'd like her to write my obituary when that time comes, please). I'm stretching her thought to this blog. What coverage!
Happy Birthday to my two wonderful brothers!

We love you. Everyone does (except, perhaps for your rugby opponents), and we wish you all our best.

jennifer

thanksgiving plans

2007-10-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Payson Stewarts,

Hi all - Slade and I want to know what is happening for Thanksgiving. Are you all meeting for dinner or are different families doing different things? If you will not all be in one place at one time, can we plan a game of touch football for the guys, or another shrimp fest at Curt's? We don't come out to Utah very often so we want to make sure we see everyone.

We plan to stay at Grandma's, if thats still ok with her. Right after Thanksgiving, we will go up to Snowbird to do whatever there is to do up there that time of year. We have a 3 room condo (sleeps 10) at the Cliff Club and would love to have any of you join us if you can make time for a little getaway.

Please let us know what you all have planned. We don't want to show up and not know whats going on.

Jen

PS. If Candace is baking again this year, please lie to me and tell me she is not.

PPS. Did y'all know my little brother, Morgan, is getting married this winter? Dec 28, in the Swiss Temple.

The Van Blog

2007-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

I joke around with some of the guys I ride with that I'm going to start a blog about vans. There would be a place for cool van pictures and people could post about cool van features. I think this post will be as far as the van blog goes. Jen asked me to send pictures a few months ago. I just had to wait until I could get a few picture of the van in all of her glory.

Also, I'm going to be heading out to Navoo to get grandma in April. I think Curt and I are going to take Jacob and Derick. If others want to jump in and ride out with us let me know, we have plenty of room.

Road Trip

2007-10-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Last week mom, Jeffrey, my three kids and I all loaded up in my van for a 18 hour drive to Lubbock, Texas to visit Lisa and fam. What a hoot!...maybe Jeff wouldn't describe it that way. :) Everyone did really great on the car....,kids that is, I was the one who complained the most about being confined to one stop for such a long period of time. Our visit was great though, the kids had so much fun playing together and it was good to spend time with my sis I can hardly stand living so far away from her, thankgoodness for cell phones we still talk at least 2 -3 times aday. Here are a few pics of the kids playing at some parks. Other then that adventure we are all doing great and getting all geared up for Halloween, the kids are excited to dress up and go to a few Halloween parties. Kaitlen is trying to scoot around on her belly and is 7 months old already.... they get big so fast! Winter is quickly approaching which makes me a little "grumpy" (as Samuel would say) I try to find the beauty of cold weather but I have a hard time.......maybe I should be the sister that lives in Texas??? Great to hear from everyone. - Andrea

St. George Fun

2007-10-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

We had a good time last weekend cheering Curt on for the marathon and playing in the pool. I quickly lost track of the number of cannonballs Derek landed. Curt did great on his run. He had a PR of 3 hours and 31 minutes.

Austin Stewarts Greetings

2007-10-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Greetings from Austin, Texas. I guess the pictures above are telling the story of the big news in our neck of the woods. Yes, Kerbey and Isabella are expecting. We are in the 4th month and we expect to deliver our little one in March 08. This pregancy is really a team effort, between Isabella's crankiness at having been put on bed rest for the 1st trimester (glad that's over !), gaining much more weight than expected so early on, and Kerbey's sympathy pains, we're both really going through it together. Yes, he is having nausea, fatigue, headaches and even digestive issues that are usually linked with pregnant females.

An ultrasound done at 13 weeks (we're almost 18 weeks now) showed the baby to be a boy, although it was done so early that they say it is not very sure then, we will be having another ultrasound this coming Friday and then we should know for sure. We are so happy and have even picked out names (for either boy or girl).

We will keep you posted on our progress and developments.

Bylund Family Update

2007-10-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Garrison has been playing soccer and loves it. I have to admit, he is a bit like his uncle Jeffrey in that he is such a little show boat. He wants to look good while he is playing. He is also very competitive and runs down the field with his arms in the air after his team scores a goal. It has been fun for us to watch him play and in a city like Lubbock I jump at the chance for something to do on Saturdays. Jared is in full swing at school and work, we are so grateful it is his last year! Darren is a happy little guy most of the time although he has figured out that he can throw a temper tantrum to get what he wants. As long as we keep his stomach is nice and full he is pretty easy going. We are enjoying our warm weather here in Lubbock and take advantage by making regular trips to the park. Hope to hear from more of you soon!

Neva's Blessing

2007-09-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

We blessed Neva last week at home. Figured it was an appropriate place to bless her given where she was born. Just in case you are getting worried, she has been leaving the house and we have no intent to home-church or home-school her. We wanted my padres to be around for the occasion and couldn't wait for the right Sunday.

In fact, we were so happy to have them be a part of it, we didn't even think to get a picture with all of us. And lucky you, you get to see pictures of Neva's new blanket from Aunt Crystal as well as Neva's first smiles.

I hope you are all checking the personal blog links on the side and remember to send me a link to yours if you have one.

Happy Birthday Ryder-Doodle!

2007-09-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Just checking in

2007-09-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would send a quick note out to see how all are doing. We too are back into a routine. We got our basement put back together after Jacob left the hose on for about 4 days while we were out of town. It was quite the surprise. Maya and Jacob are as silly as ever. Last night I took Jacob home teaching. It was a hoot he thought he was so official, even thought we were just visiting the parents of some of his friends. Leah is Patty's baby. I think Patty and Leah have been able to enjoy these first few months together.
Fall has arrived in Payson. In the mountains this morning there was as light frost on the pines. It looked nice with the fall colors, but Patty and I aren't ready to be done riding the single track on our bikes. We are trying to get as many rides as we can in.
Well, I guess that's all for now. We need to hear from more of you! Tell us what you are up to.

Take care all,

Jesse

go utes!

2007-09-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

Go Utes! Colby and I are season ticket holders and are having a good time supporting our team (especially the unexpected dominating victory over the UCLA bruins).

new curtis burton family pictures

2007-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would get around to posting some new pictures! We are getting back into the school routine and it is nice. Derek is enjoying kindergarten. He might be the largest kindergartner in history, especially with his crazy hair. Uncle Cody has talked Derek into growing out his hair so he can be Froto Bagens for Halloween. We will see were it gets by then. Alayna is busy with preschool and dance class. She is definitely our diva. Our sweet Alexa is growing to fast for me. She is rolling over and sits up (still kinda wobbly). She loves to be held and say DADADADADADADDA! Congrats to Jennifer and Slade on their beautiful daughter! Congrats to Cregg and Christy on their beautiful daughter too(can't wait to see pictures of baby Zoey!).

Summer Fun

2007-09-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

First of all Congrats to Jen and Salde on little Neva! She is so cute. It has been a crazy fun filled summer! and while staying in Payson for a few months was a blast I am very glad to be back home and in a routine. We just got back from the Onion Days celebration which was fun as always! I forgot to charge my battery so I didn't get any pics.....sorry g-ma. Here are some great pics of the BBQ with Kris & crew. It was alot of fun to get together with everyone. As you can see it was a trick to get all the kids to cooperate for pictures. I had to include a cute one of my moms grandkids that we took up payson canyon while lisa and jared were here.

Back to School

2007-08-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

I think that Curt and I are the only guys on this thing. That's OK. Although we are not pregnant, we will be sending pictures of our bellies soon! It was great to see Kris, Crystal and Carina. Just going to keep this short. I'll be better at posting now that we are back in school.

Here are a few pictures of the trip Jeff and I took to Guatemala and Belize a few weeks ago. I'll work on getting pictures of the bbq up, I think Jill was at the camera...

Jesse Sorenson

Thank You Patty, Thank You Jill

2007-08-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

We wanted to Thank Patty and Jill for helping us with Carina the friday night we arrived in Payson. 10 minuted before we arrived at Jessie and Patty's, Carina starting throwing up in the car. She had been having high fevers and was just not feeling well. Jessie called Patty at work and explained how sick Carina was and Patty made arrangements for us to meet a pediatrician at the hospital where she was working. I was so grateful for this doctor willing to meet us at 11pm at night on his way home from a shift. We met Patty in the labor and delivery unit where she works and the doctor examined Carina and gave us medication she needed. Then, we ventured downstairs to the Hospital pharmacy where Jill happen to working this evening a well.

Kris joked with Patty and Jill that this was just our way of making sure we get to visit with them while we were in Payson! Apparently, Jill had just picked up this extra shift! Carina, Kris and I are so grateful to have their expertize and generosity that evening. It difficult to have a sick child on a trip where you don't have your usual doctors, etc. It was nice to have so much support, generosity and willingness to serve. I am grateful to the pediatrician and Patty and Jill for taking such good care of us! If anyone is ever in Payson, you will always be in good hands should any problem arise!

Thank you again Patty and Jill, from Kris, Crystal and little Carina!

We had a great visit with everyone in payson! thanks deanne for arranging the picnic!
I did not have a camera so maybe someone who did can post some of the cute photos they took of the kids! Thanks!

before and after

2007-08-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

august 10

...

if i look a little pained, its because i was. i had been in labor for several hours when this was taken in a last minute panic that i didn't have enough photos of me pregnant with this baby.

...

and here, maren shows her belly:

a few hours and a few good screams later: neva gauntt

Kris and Crystal have a blog

2007-08-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

hey all,
kris and crystal now have a family blog. it is password protected so if you would like to veiw please send me an email to crytur@yahoo.com and i will send you the information to access our blog. hope this does not discourage anyone this is just how we chose to do our blog.

we look forward to kris, me and carina's trip to utah soon. just fyi if you have not heard. we will be in payson friday afternoon/evening august 17th thru monday the 20th. it's a short trip but we hope we get to see a lot of you while we are in utah.

kris is working in las vegas the week of august 13th to 17th. since it is our anniversary i decided to come and meet him. it was suppose to be our first trip without kids in 5 years! yes we know we need to be better about some how taking a couple trip, just doesnot seem to work for us!) carina decided she did not want to be left behind; due to her extreme stranger anxiety and bouts of lossing her breathe as she gets worked up, she will be coming along. benjamin and sariah start school monday the 13th and thus they stay home with camille and have a fun visit with my parents. i have to run as we are going to get benj and ria's haircut today.

link to check out

2007-07-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

Cassie is on the blogging bandwagon, though she is making no promises to keep it very updated long-term. (If Texas keeps getting the weather they've been having, we'll have a lot of new postings to read). Check out their link sometime.
J.

diaper dilemma

2007-07-26T19:39:00.001-07:00

Scene: Jen is changing an offensive diaper. Ethan is standing by, watching with an utterly digusted look on his face:

E: So thats how you change a diaper?
J: Yep.
E: Its the grossest job ever. I am NEVER going to do it. The mother will change diapers.
J: I can almost guarantee that your wife will not stand for that. She'll say, 'Ethan, its your turn', just like I say to Slade.
E: I think I won't get a wife because then I get babies and toddlers. Then I can keep all my money. (pause). Is it better to get a family?
J: Your dad thinks so. What do you think?
E: (bursting out in tears) But I really don't want to change gross diapers!

ready for change

2007-07-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

No, no! Stay! You're in the right place.

I just thought we were due for a change of scenery.

Six Sisters

2007-07-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

We had a nice baby blessing day and snapped a few pictures of the girls.

For those of you who might not recognize who is who; l to R

Alayna Burton '04 holding sister Alexa '07

Maya Sorenson '04 holding baby Leah '07

Savannah Mitchell '04 holding baby Kaitlen' 07

Those we would have loved to see in this sisters picture:

Olivia Alexander '04 holding sister Sophia '07

Ava Stewart nearly '04 holding baby Esme '07

I think this is how it goes but I could be wrong.

I know there were 5 baby girls born close in 04 and now these same girls have baby sisters born in 07. Anyway we thought grandma Dawna would love this.

Great Get Togethers

2007-07-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

We've been blessed to have family visit us here in Austin in the last month. We got to meet baby Esme, Dan's youngest darling, they were such troopers to come by on Father's day and we played catch with Sophie and little Ava read to us Green Eggs and Ham, YES, she READ to us- that was so wonderfu! Then a couple of weeks later Kris and Crystal and the little ones came by the week of the 4th of July and my daughter Ashley also came from Chicago followed by her canadian boyfriend (his 1st trip to Texas) so we had a full house with Mariah spending a month with us and the out of town kids coming by, it was GREAT. Baby Carina only allowed grandpa Kerbey to hold her without crying, I tricked her into thinking I was her mom (Crystal and I were wearing smiliar skirts in the same colors) but it did not take her very long to catch on. Camille is still her sweet afable self and gosh Benjamin and Sariah are such delights. Ashley's boyfriend went crazy for the Texas bbq, even though Ashley took him to a chain restaurant- had she taken him to the Salt Lick (the best bbq in Austin), I think he would have fainted.

Well, that's all for now, enjoy the pictures.

Love,

Kerbey and Isabella

haha goodness,

2007-07-02T11:08:00.001-07:00

my blogging skills stink so please excuse me. i think i'll add some pictures!:

my swim team (then 13-18 girls at least): im top, third from the right and my best friend kelly is bottom,

second from right

anotherrrr:

here you see my friend addie and i on the last day of school, a lot of people call us "twinsises".

go figure.

again

2007-07-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

sorry i haven't said anything in a while but anywho. updates!!! i am so happy with all of you, Stewarts! like with jen's big belly that will soon be my little number ten and kris & crystal coming down on the fifth.. oh and esme, soph, and ava are so darlingg! i was so happy to visit with you (dan/cassie) hmm what else. oh yeah! i picked up on scrap booking again and i have this really weird relationship with my scrap book... im kind of obcessed with it haha! but we all know how those things go, its looking great and i love adding new things to it. swim team just finished and i did fabulous this season and even though i sooooo not the fastest im proud of the accomplishments i have made. i am very excited about eighth grade and holy coww i have two wholleeee months of summer left!!! blahhh so exciting (we don't start school until aug 27!). sooo if anyone sees a time where i could come visit them... this summer is a great oppurtunity to do that. ok, well, i dont know what else to say.. that all came out very fast and now i can't really think.

MUCHH LOVEEE!!!!,
mariah

love at home

2007-07-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Ethan asked me how to spell 'Maren' the other day.

-Jennifer

pictures of Leah

2007-06-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

check out the picutres of the new one. I've got to run, but she's baby s. on the list.

To view and order your portrait, please visit our website at

www.utahportraits.com

and click the "Web Nursery link"

Your default password is your baby's last name.

Thanks and Enjoy your baby!

Memories & Moments Photography
www.utahportraits.com

Baby has a name

2007-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

The new baby has a name and is coming home from the hospital today.
Leah Rose Sorenson

Jeffs graduation - belated

2007-06-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Now that I am not having problems blogging I will post Jeffs graduation. It has been a month already on Friday since he graduated. Time is really going by fast. There isn't any new events on the Sorenson family calendar now that the new baby has arrived. Since March we have been busy with events that is certain.

newest Sorenson Baby

2007-06-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here is my 8th grandchild. Born yesterday at 10:11 am at 8lb 15 oz.

Her name wasn't decided as of this morning but she is a darker version of Maya I think.

She was breech and it is a good thing that Patty had the c section as the doctor said there is no way she could have come the regualr way as big a baby as she was. her little legs were straight up next to her ears in what i like to call the tri-pod position. She didn't bend them for a few hours after the birth and she didn't like the light in her eyes as she kept putting her arm up over them. She was very alert from the first.

Jacob, Maya and I were there when the doctor handed her to Jesse to carry into the nursery and they enjoyed watching her be weighed and poked and measured.

Patty is doing well but has been dizzy and tired.

1st Steps and Swimming Lessons

2007-06-19T07:03:00.001-07:00

It sounds like you have all been having a good summer so far. Although we don't get any mountain adventures or trips to see the ocean we are enjoying our summer here in Lubbock. Garrison is just finishing up his swimming lessons this week. He loves to swim with his "floaties" on and it has been an adjustment for him to actually have to move his arms and legs to keep his head above water. During his whole lesson he keeps telling his teacher "don't drop me ok".

Darren took his first steps about 2 weeks ago and is now taking about 7 or 8 steps before he slowly lowers to his knees and begins to crawl. He is 9 1/2 months old and is weighing in at 24lbs. 11 oz. He weighs 4 pounds more than Garrison did at 9 months. He is such a big kid, and now that he is walking he looks so much older than he is. People don't believe me when I tell them he is only 9 months old.

Jared is enjoying his job and we have quickly realized how nice it is to be out of school. He is home by 6 every night and doesn't have to worry about studying once he gets home. We are really enjoying having him home more often.

As for me I am enjoying not being pregnant this summer! Jen I can totally relate to you. Darren was born August 26th so I was pregnant all summer last year. You forget how little energy you have until you get back to normal and actually feel like doing something. I have started helping with the flowers at the temple every monday morning which is alway a great way to start to week. Garrison enjoys riding his scooter around the temple while I work in the flowers. We love it!

Patty will be having her baby this morning. I think they were starting the C-Section at 8:00 am or so Mountain time so I am sure she has had it by now. I will post again as soon as I hear.

---Lisa

The Mitchell Summer

2007-06-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well summer has officially begun for my family. Winters in Woodruff truly are miserable so we fill our summer days with as much fun as we can. We spent the last week at Anthony's family cabin up in the Uintas, no phones, no TV it was so much fun! The kids love running free. It did get a little chilly up there we had a few days of rain and snow but really enjoyed being with each other. we went fishing one day......That's Kaitlen in my jacket keeping warm :) It really is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Just hang in there Jennifer, I totally feel for you....it does end and soon you will be feeling back to normal, even though it hard to even remember feeling normal is like. Anthony is going to be going to school at BYU during the month of July to get a drivers Ed endorsement (which means he can teach drivers education) So it will be fun to be down in Payson for a few weeks. Samuel isn't very happy that Jacob gets to live so close to Nanna, his solution is to cut up our house and put it in a dump truck, drive it to Payson and build it right next to Nannas house. If only things were that simple. - Andrea

stinson beach

2007-06-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

i took the kids to the beach yesterday and it was a great trip (you'll have to check my blog for the philosophical reasons why we went). there is something inspiring to children about the beach. i can't get ethan to focus on anything for long at all and yet he sat on this beach playing with sand and water for a good 7 hours straight. i didn't get great pics of him because he just wasn't at all interested in posing (and this is VERY unusual for him). even sandbox play or swimming pools don't rivet him quite like the beach does. i would be smart to figure out what else inspires him while its still obvious.

we're all doing pretty well. slade has been almost completely unavailable since we took our trip to point reyes last month. he took another trip to mexico with a buddy (a well-deserved albeit untimely trip) the week following. he just got back from a young men's super activity a few days ago and is now totally focused on catching up at work and on kicking this new cold he is brewing. i want things to get back to normal so that we can start focusing on me. i say that jokingly, but really, i'm kind of serious about it.

me, my belly is getting bigger and bigger every day. i am certainly larger than i was with the first two and am feeling significantly more limited in what i can do. even walks around my neighborhood cause discomfort and phone calls leave me winded. 9 more weeks... sigh... someone remind me that time goes by quickly please! good news is that all is looking good and we can reasonably expect another healthy baby. for this, i am very grateful.

am attaching a few more pictures i took last week, when ethan was eager to pose for me (again. do you think i am over-inflating his ego by taking so many hundreds of photos of him???)

Dan's New Little

2007-05-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Dan and Cassie had their girl last night at 10.49 pm. Her name is Esme Cosette Stewart (pronounced Ez-mee). She weighed 9 lbs 1oz and measures 20.5" long. Dan says she looks a lot like Ava, with more hair. Cassie delivered her in a matter of a few hours, at home in a birthing tub. Doesn't that make Esme the first water baby of our lot? All went very well. Dan said Cassie didn't scream once, which makes her my new hero.

I think this little Esme is adorable and I'm awestruck at how good Cassie looks. Congratulations!!!

Alexanders checking in

2007-05-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hello from the Alexanders, we have had our new addition for about a week now. Her name is Sophia Cate, she was 8 lbs 9 oz. and was 19 inches long. it wasnt a very long labor as it only took about 4 hours. It was also nice to have my own personal anesthesia guy in the room, Colby did my epidural which worked great. I went from a 6 to a 10 in about 30 minutes. So it was a lot different than my previous 22, and 8 hour labors. We are happy to have her here!

Brady also had his pre-school graduation this last week, the picture is of him and his teachers (no wonder he liked school). He loved it. He is reading simple little books and is excited for kindergarten this fall.

Catie & Colby's blog

2007-05-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

So apparantly Catie and Colby have their own blogsite, which they have neglected to tell us about (at least, they never told me...). I am linking their site on the sidebar for those of you, like me, who were out of the loop but who do not wish to be. If they are not happy with this link-age, too bad.
I was happy to see that bunch again. Congratulations on new baby Sophia! And while we are at it, rounds of congratulations are due all over the place:

1. Baby Sophia
2. DeeAnn's new house
3. Cody's graduation
4. Jeff's graduation
5. pending: Cassie and Dan's baby (she is now three days overdue...)
6. Parry for getting online

Am I forgetting anyone? Hope you are all very well.

Jen

the Florida Stewarts (really no joke!)

2007-05-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well I finally made it! still don't have an account yet, my invite had expired. could someone send a new one please? Anyway things are going along fine down here, the fires are not too close and we are all healthy. Sydney is growing like a weed and has her first tooth coming in. as soon as i figure out how I'll post some pics. Cory is fine, although still laid off. I think he is enjoying the time baby sitting and riding his big new motorcycle. pics to follow. so now he has two babies to fawn over. lol. Lora's mom is in town so they are enjoying each others company Lora enjoys her job and works several nights a week, while he plays Mr. mom.
finally I am getting my revenge on him! thats it for now I hope you all have a safe memorial day.
LOVE
Parry

Busy month of May

2007-05-24T20:23:00.001-07:00

Laynie had a birthday on the 13th. She wanted a "High Musical" party. She is obsessed with Disney's High School Musical. She and cousins Olivia & Albie enjoyed using the front porch as their stage for Kareoke.

Curt finished the Ogden Marathon last Saturday. This was his second marathon and he made his goal of finishing under four hours. His race time was 3 hours and 53 minutes. I have no idea how marathoners do it. What a challenge.

Derek also graduated from preschool and is ready to go to the "big" school.

Alexa is doing great. She is really putting on the baby chub. I am enjoying all the sweetness a baby brings. My favorite thing is her "content coo."

Jill

From the Austin Stewarts

2007-05-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Dawna, we received your letter w/the pamphlets, thanks so much. Do let us know when you have a new cell phone. We also just got the DVD and will take a look at it in the next few days. I just got back from Chicago, I left on the 17th on business and got an opportunity to meet up w/Ashley and catch up. Kerbey is keeping busy with teaching medical assisting, they are long days but he gets half a day off on Fridays so that helps the weekend seem longer. I'm taking a class a couple of evenings a week and then we both attend men's only and women's only meetings once a week in the evening at church and we have Mariah on Wednesday evenings also which is so cool, so it keeps our schedules pretty full.

The University of Texas is out for the summer (that's 50K students not on the road) and the regular schools are out this week here in Austin and you can tell for the traffic is already much lighter on the roads which is SUCH a treat.

This weekend is our 1st year wedding anniversary are we are really looking forward to celebrating it, it is nice that we also have Monday off so it is a long weekend. We keep waiting to hear the call that Cassie has delivered and it is exciting to be on waiting mode wanting to see the new little one, we expect to be the same way soon with Jennifer's delivery. Everything is so perfect this time of year, all is bright and green and beautiful and new lives about to arrive, sigh... I think I have spring fever.

Love,

Isabella

New Camera

2007-05-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Patty got a new camera, so expect more pictures. Today is Jeff and Cody's graduation. It's gone by fast.
Last week we helped mom move into her new house. Curt, Cody and a few other friends joined in to get it done fast. Mom's excited and her house will be perfect for her. I think Jeff even likes it. We are just a few days away from full swing summer here in Utah. The mornings are still crisp and the days are just right. Maya and Jacob play outside most of the day with friends they have made on our street. Hope you all have a great day! Jesse

alexa's blessing day

2007-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

We blessed Alexa on the 6th of May. We thought it was cool that she was blessed on 5/6/07, It was a great day. Just take a look at Candace's cinnamon rolls and I bet you can imagine how great the food was (it's great to have a sister that bakes and cooks like she can). Curtis Sr. even made an appearance.

Curt

mother's day

2007-05-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

this is Patty. Happy mother's day to all of you that are mothers. I thought that since so many of the inlaws have posted something I better too. I know you are all very disappointed that you guys aren't going to get a pregnant belly shot from me...but believe me it, it's for the better. You all know, (thanks to Cathy) that Jacob thinks I have a big butt...enough said. I am however greatful for this little one growing inside me and I can't wait to see her. It is too bad that all 7 of us having babies this year don't live closer so they can all grow up playing together and being little friends. Imagine the fun all of the little girls would have together! Life here in Payson is pretty great. I'm excited DeeAnn is moving close by. She is so good to me...well all of us. I hope my little kids don't wear her out by wanting to be over at her house all the time. I am going to have set some rules for grandma's sake. well we still need to post a picture of our van.

Dress

2007-05-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have to brag for my mom here is a picture of the dress, booties, and bonnet (Kaitlen didn't like wearing the bonnet) she made for the blessing.....a first for her, it is so beautiful everyone was very impressed. She looks a little cranky in this picture but she was perfect during church. We had a perfect day it was so great to have Lisa and her boys here, I sure miss my "twin". I'm glad everyone has enjoyed the pasta shells doesn't anyone else have a good recipe? - Andrea

The Derby Hat

2007-05-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jen- The Derby and Oaks races are known for The Hat. most women wear a hat and unless you are doing a picnic on the in field. So i spent about 3 weeks looking for a hat. I think i went to every hat store with in a hour of my house. i found some really cute hat but could not bare to pay for any of them. most derby hats average around 300.oo and some people spend 1500 to 2000 on a hat! ridiculas i think. so, 3 days before the event i still had no hat! then an kentucky native told me to try a craft store named Dees. i went and found my hat and spent about a half hour with their hat experts who showed me ideas and how to put them together. if i would have had them put my hat together it would have cost me about 150.00. so i got my hat and the materials i needed and went home thursday night and made my own hat for about 42.00. i will admit i think i did a pretty good job and had a lot of compliments. my friends and are thinking maybe we should go into the derby hat business! well, here are a couple photos from the event. my harddrive went out but kris was able to recover the photos. the ones i posted yesterday i had from my sister! lesson to all is to back up your hard drive often! got to go move the sprinkler! -crystal

2 Weeks To Go!!

2007-05-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, two weeks to go and it cannot come fast enough! Grandma, my exact due date is May 26 and if the pattern holds up then she will not be here until then or few days after. We are very happy to have another one of these little things around and I have to say I am really glad she will be here before the TX heat sets in! The blessing pics of Kaitlyn got me really excited- thanks for sharing. I am sure the next time I post a picture it will be a pic of baby and not my belly! (lets hope) If you can't tell it is much MUCH bigger than Jennifer's :) It is so good to hear from all of you who post!

Kaitlen Blessing day

2007-05-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a picture of Kaitlen Mitchell's blessing day. And one of Lisa's little guy Darren meeting her for the first time. It was a very special day and we loved having Lisa and her boys with us for two weeks even though it was pretty chaotic with packing up stuff and having a yard sale. Saturday I plan to have another one to try to divest myself of more stuff.

california dreamin'

2007-05-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Kehoe Beach

Slade and I just got back from a 3day getaway to the coast. We left the children with a great friend and off we went. We stayed at Point Reyes Station and visited a couple of beaches in this enormous national park. Its an amazing and inspiring place - very wild, very isolated and quite my cup of tea. We were the only ones on this particular beach to watch the sunset and it really doesn't get much more romantic than this (unless, of course, you get rid of the belly... ) and speaking of belly, thought you'd be amused to see a recent belly shot. Just so you know, it feels much bigger than it looks.

Cassie, I know you have at least one great belly pic you can post and I'd love to see Catie and Patty too. Note aside, have Catie, Cregg and Candace heard about that new thing called the Internet? Someone ought to pull them aside and introduce them to this expansive new world...

So here is my offer: you come see me (preferably after baby is born) and I will take you to the beach. Its only about 2 hours from my house.

Keep up the new postings. Its great fun to hear from everyone. DeeAnn, best wishes for a smoooth mooove!

Jennifer & Slade (but not our kids)

Kentucky Derby

2007-05-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks here in kentucky have been nothing but horse races and fun. we were surprised how everything pretty much revolves around the big Derby race and all the events that go along with it. They start 2 weeks before the race with a big air show and fire work festival on the waterfront. we took the kids to this and they had a great time with all the music and planes. it's been a while since i have seen an air show and i was very impressed with the planes and the amazing acts. camille got the biggest kick out of it. when the fighter jet zoomed by her eyes about popped out of her head. i thought she would be scared because it was soo soo loud! instead she scrouched down like a football player, squinted her eyes in the direction the jet went and said, "mama, i'm going to go get it". then she took off down the waterfront in a full sprint. i guess she thought the plane landed in the field since it flew out of site. she spent the entire 3 hours dancing and pointing at all the planes.

I think there were 2 or 3 different derby related events every day for 2 weeks until last weekend's Derby race. I went to Churchhill downs with my sisters and camille and carina and enjoyed learning about the history of horse racing here in kentucky. I needed to educate myself since Kris and I would be attending the Oaks race with work clients. You always her about Derby attracting the movie stars, etc. So my sister and I see a guy walk in and everyone starts taking photos with him and we are trying to see what all the fuss is about. he walks toward the tunnel we were in and we both look at each other and have no clue who he is. so, for fun we walk up and ask to have a photo with him. so here is our famous person photo! after we took the photo my dad told us is the guy from Kiss with a reality show. guess, we should have stuck out our tongues or something!

Kris and I enjoyed the Oaks Race we attended with his work clients. The Oaks takes place friday before the big Derby race. The oaks is the when the fillies race for the lillies. and the derby is the race for the roses. I guess i need to preface this by describing Kris's job here in Kentucky. He works as an account manager for Cisco and his account here is the State of Kentucky. We did not know coming here would pull us into politics! Kris has his own lobbyist and goes to many meeting in Capitol. Cisco sent Kris paper work and since he "seeks to influence public officials" he is now also a Executive Lobbyist. i laughed and asked if he can put that on his resume now! well, he's been pretty busy since we have been here and i'm was impressed with what he has accomplished in 3 months. So for the Oaks, we actually got to sit the on the 6th floor balcony of Millionares row. bascially, the best seats at Churchill downs. We were one table away from the Governor of Kentucky. I have to admitt i was a bit nervous being sourrounded by so many politicians. We spent the entire day being introduced to people and what they call "walking the room". We got our photo with governor Fletcher and had fun feeling like important people for a day. Most of the room cleared out by 5pm since they were all going to the governors ball that evening. Kris and I enjoyed the next hour on our own and enjoying the moment as we may never be able to sit up in that balcony room again! We watched the last race and after 8 hours in high heels, i thought i was going to cry walking out! i don't know how women can wear those things all day long! wow! i finally took of the heels and went barefoot. i'm sure i looked silly in a dress and hat, running barefoot in the rain! oh, and at the Derby races it's all about the hat. i will post a photo and have to write another blog about, -the hat! silly but fun.

grandma, i wil try to post more often. and the only thing i can think to pray for is that family comes to visit us soon. i enjoyed the last month with my parents and sisters but we miss all the stewarts! hope to see anybody soon! crystal

oh, andrea we loved the recipe. i made it with my sisters and it was great because the kids all gobbled it up too~ thanks and post some more. my easy out dinner is to make a salad and a kiesch. -crystal

Visitathon

2007-05-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'll take a second to up date you all. Lisa has been there the last two weeks for a visit. It's been fun to be with her and her kids. Darrin is so cute. He's big kid. He only weighs 5 pounds less than Maya. Being around Lisa and Andrea's baby's has made me excited for our new little one in June. Grandma, if you need things to pray about, pray that Patty won't have the baby until I get home from Guatemala. I've been pretty worried about it.
Jeff is set to graduate on the 22 of May along with Cody.
Mom is looking forward to moving next week. Jeff is having second thoughts about living nestled between his seminary teacher, his brother, and the stake president. I think mom's new place will be nice. The home is only two years old, and was built with a lot of love, or so we have been told.
Patty is doing well. She is still working and getting bigger. I think the baby has slowed down. She grew so much at first I thought that Patty was going to pop. But she still looks great. Maya this morning walked by the bathroom as Patty was doing her hair and said, "dad, mom is soooo pretty." She's right.

Well, I better get back to my students.

I'll leave you with another Maya funny. Jacob says funny things too, I'll try to remember some of them next time.

The other day Maya was jumping off the couch into my arms. Before she jumped she said, "here come I." She then corrected herself and said, "here comes me." She again corrected herself and said, "here comes she." Then it clicked and she said, "here I come," as she jumped off the couch into my arms.

Have a great day.

Jesse

Here are a few pictures of our race on saturday.

nauvoo grandma

2007-05-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I hate to follow myself on the blog-site. Come on everyone lets hear from you. Cassie are you doing okey and when is your delivery date? Catie, when is yours? You know I need to know the details of all your lives so I can pray for you for specifics. All is well here and so far I am able to keep up the pace. We just got lots of new young missionaries in last week. Some are ypm's which is Young performing missionaries. Some are Nauvoo Band members and then we are getting pageant people starting to come in. This place is really humming. We have 7 sister missionaries that have come back here after spending 6 months elsewhere and have also gotten about 9 new ones straight from the MTC. They sang at zone conference with the 2 elders we have here and the president told the elders they won't be surrounded with that many sisters again until they get to the celestial kingdom. All is well and I am very happy serving full time in the Kingdom of God on earth. Love Grandma

Busy in Nauvoo

2007-04-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-04-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-04-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-04-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-04-16T13:28:00.001-07:00

here are a few newer pictures

Another Maya funny

2007-04-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-04-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

Patty & Kids

2007-04-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-04-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-02T14:09:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-04-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

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.