Where Did Summer Go???

Well, this summer was a busy one! We had a lot of fun and a little drama along the way. We had scout camp, girls camp, gymnastics camp, football camp, a campground next door with a pool (can you say 2 hours per day?), our own campground in the woods by a creek, campouts, Camp Rock...did I miss any??

Mike and Jill and Family came to visit over spring break. We had a lot of fun. We took a day trip out to Kirtland, OH, which is about 3 hours away.

We had a lot of fun. We really miss being close to family and are so thankful when you all come to spend time with us. You are welcome anytime!

Tom and Heidi and Family also came for a visit. We were excited to see them, and are pleased to report that our favorite Superhero came along, too.

Again, it was great to have family with us. We have lots of room and fun stuff to do close by. Hope to see you soon!

The summer wasn't all fun and games. Allison, who is a little kamikaze, finally found something she couldn't successfully jump off of, or fall from. After falling off of stools, counters, stairs, toys, chairs, tables, etc., etc., she broke her arm jumping off of an inflatable toy (something you are actually supposed to jump from...go figure!).

She was a real trooper, and hardly complained at all. Her biggest problem with having to wear a cast for a few weeks was not being able to spend her afternoons at the pool. The cast is off, and her arm is fine, and now she is ready for some more daredevilry.

Janna just got back from a trip to Utah. She spent lots of time with family, jumped on trampolines, stayed up late, played games, ate lots of dessert, pierced an ear or two...and had loads of fun. She really had a SPECIAL time with her Mother in one of those epic life events. She felt quite blessed to be there to support her Mom.

Janna always has fun with her family and wishes she could spend more time with them. Of course we don't like to have her gone- Dad has no clue how to style girls hair. But, if we didn't let mom out every once in a while she might lose it. Plus, we wouldn't get pictures like this:

Summer has been lots of fun. Hard to believe it is already over. Now we will have to start raking leaves and carving jack-o-lanterns. Wait 'till we post pictures of our GIGANTIC PUMPKINS...

Spring Has Sprung!

Well the snow finally melted and we made it through our first full Michigan winter. We had quite a welcome. This past winter was in the top 5 all-time snowiest and coldest winters on record. The plow truck came in quite handy with all the snow that kept piling up.

But even more exciting than spring is how well our favorite SUPERHERO is doing in his battle against Leukemia. check him out at prayfortommy.blogspot.com!

We have been having fun with some special visitors over the last few days. Janna's Sisters, Tami from Pittsburgh, and Sarah, along with her daughters Saija and Belle from New Jersey, have been hanging out at the farm.


We have been having loads of fun. The girls all went to an inflatable playplace and had loads of bouncy fun.

We have been very busy with school and church. The big kids are getting great grades with only one 'B' for the whole group at last report. Shelley just started preschool and will be starting full-day kindergarten in the fall. Michigan just changed the rules, so now the cut-off date is December 1st. So much for starting her next year. Ali is starting to talk pretty well, and we have fun trying to translate the rest into English. Jenni is old enough to get her learner's permit, so we have had fun letting her drive on the dirt roads that are all around us. Danny has been growing like a weed...take a look at the picture at the top of this post and tell me who is taller!

We just went through a small flooding episode in our basement. A combination of frozen ground and a lot of rain made the water table raise to the point where we had a half inch of water in portions of the basement. Most of what is down there is either on a pallet, on a shelf, or in a plastic tote. However, there are table legs and wood framing that was getting wet, so we spent about 24 hours babysitting a small 1/2 hp pump- 2 hours to pump the water down, and one hour to fill back up. FUN! Luckily, no real damage and it didn't happen at all over the last year, and we had one rain that dumped more than 5 inches overnight with no flooding. Hopefully, we are not starting a trend...

We are looking forward to warmer weather and spending lots of time outdoors. We are also looking forward to having more family come to visit. We have lots of room and lots to do! We might even take your picture and immortalize you on our blog (now that IS exciting...NOT!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Well the leaves we piled up have been replaced with even bigger piles of snow-- just in time for a White Christmas. Good thing we have a plow truck, or it would have taken a couple of weeks to shovel the driveway.

Before we go any further, please take a moment to visit Tommy's blog at http://www.prayfortommy.blogspot.com/. Our nephew, Tommy Hasleton, has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He is a very tough little 4 year old, who we love a ton. We know he is on track to make a swift and complete recovery, but we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers on his behalf. WE LOVE YOU, TOMMY!!!

As we move into the holiday season, we reflect with gratitude on our Savior's birth, His life, and the rich blessings He gives us. The Savior devoted His life to helping and blessing the lives of others. Let us each use this season of joy and hope to dedicate ourselves to following our Savior's example, and do our part to spread joy and love to our fellowmen. We, as a family, have been very blessed this year. We have a job, we are all healthy and well, and we have a warm house to live in.

This time of year always makes us think of family gatherings, spending time next to the fireplace, Christmas carols, and seeing the beautiful lights and decorations. The snow is deep and the weather outside is cold, but the love we feel in our home warms our hearts. We wish you were here with us.

May each of you enjoy time with family and friends this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Summertime!

Well its hard to believe, but we made it through a Michigan winter that didn't want to let go. We are having fun at our new place- its like living in a park. We spend plenty of time watching the birds, squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits, deer, raccoons, (Janna- and bumble bees, wasps, giant carpenter ants, mosquitoes, etc.) around our house. One problem with living in a park is you are the ones who have to mow the grass. We have almost 3 acres of grass to mow which takes us about 6 hours per week. You tend to get a lot of thinking done...

The older kids have one week of school left, so Janna and I are busy trying to figure out how to keep them from being bored. Although it seems like June and July are booked up with temple trips, youth conference, football camp, tennis lessons, and scout camp. I am sure we will think of something- there are a lot of weeds to pull. We have been trying to get unpacked and have kind of stalled out. Most of it is done- just the fun stuff left like hanging pictures.

We are trying to get used to having to drive 40 minutes to church and the store. You don't realize how often you run to the store for just a few things. Now we try to fit most of our shopping into one night. On Wednesdays, Jen, Dan and Melissa have youth activities and Janna is a the Laurel's Advisor, so we make the trek to the church, and then hit the local Wal-Mart Supercenter for groceries. Lowe's and Kohl's are on the way, as well, so we are set.

I am getting my office set up in the basement. We finally got our satellite Internet set up, so we are back online. It is nice not having to commute into Ann Arbor everyday and my office here is much better. Things are going very well at work. I have a great team of managers that make everything run smoothly. We will be starting up two new facilities in the next few months, so I will be busy. Luckily, they are within driving distance so I won't have to travel too much.

We miss being in Utah close to family and we miss the mountains. There are some trade-offs. The trees and the green grass are beautiful. The crops are starting to come up. Soon we will be surrounded by corn and soybeans again. Life is good!

We Moved to Michigan!

Well, we made it. It took us 3 long days of driving-- running ahead of a major storm, but we are now Michiganders. We now are living in a house full of boxes. Every day when I get home from work I find that our home is getting bigger (maybe it is just that the boxes are getting fewer). It is finally starting to thaw, and as the snow melts we get more excited to get outdoors. Gotta Run! We'll post some pictures soon.