tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32715238402281751372024-03-13T07:07:09.455-07:00Finlayson FamilyPriscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-19003619256302202972011-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:38:58.146-08:00Christmas 2010Merry Christmas from the Finlaysons!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TSXToBvrqTI/AAAAAAAABg4/o6_L8fFHmV4/s1600/fampic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TSXToBvrqTI/AAAAAAAABg4/o6_L8fFHmV4/s200/fampic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559081999675402546" /></a><br /><br /><br />Or rather, Happy New Year! We travelled to Seattle for Christmas this year, and had no time to write before we left! So we hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday and that this letter finds each one of you well. We still wanted to send you a quick update about our family.<br /><br />Kurt still loves his work at Novell, but we just learned that Novell has been sold to another company, so we're not sure what that will mean for his future there. He has two teaching callings at church right now, teaching Sunday School to the 14-15 year olds and teaching Joshua's Sunbeam class (Josh is thrilled to have his daddy be his teacher!) Kurt loves to read on his Kindle, when he can catch a bit of quiet time. He plays basketball a few times a week and still claims to have a three-point shot that's "on fire!". I haven't actually been able to watch him play for years, so I just have to take his word for it.<br /><br /> Priscilla is busy with the four little ones, teaching and organizing preschools, carpooling kindergarten, dance classes, and music classes. I have been taking New Testament classes at BYU this fall in the evening and will continue through the winter and I am learning so much! I just got a calling teaching the New Testament to the 11-year-old Primary class, so my learning is being put to good use. I have had some health challenges this year, but all seems to be on the mend. My Christmas present this year was braces! (Thank goodness the picture was taken before they were put on…!) In two long years, I’ll have perfect teeth!<br /><br />James is 8, and is now busy with Scouts on Mondays and Faith in God goals that he's working on. Kurt loved Scouts, so he spends time with James in the evenings helping him with it. He is reading the Book of Mormon on his own (with his parents) each night, and does lots of other reading too. He is still passionate about Pokemon and learned to play the trading game over Christmas with his cousins, uncles and Grandpa in Seattle, who all love to play it too! He is in a special writing class at school and loves writing his own stories on the computer. He is getting really good on the piano, and is a great helper.<br /><br /> Alexandra is 5, and taking creative dance and piano classes, both of which she loves. She still colors, paints, and draws, and now loves to beautify herself with play makeup. Reading is taking more time than with James, but she is getting it, thanks to her "Dick and Jane" books. She got a salon chair for Christmas and loves to do all her doll's and Little Ponies' hair, but is never happy about doing her own hair! She has endless friends to play with and is very social.<br /><br /> Joshua is 4 in two weeks. He spent the last year as a 3-year-old in nursery class (he was so bored by the end), so he is really ready for Sunbeams! He knows his letters and sounds and tries to read over Alexandra's shoulder all the time. Dora is still his favorite, and he colors, cuts, draws, and paints as well as his older sister. Luckily, he has a younger brother who is now big enough to play boy games with him (although Kaleb is a little rough for his liking). He loves books and will be a great reader as soon as mom is willing to teach him!<br /><br /> Kaleb just turned 2 but seems like he is 12. He talks well, runs, jumps, throws balls, wrestles everyone in the family ("Mom, Kaleb is choking me!" or "Mom, Kaleb is sitting on me!"), and just keeps up with his siblings. He is just so busy and intense--he loves and hugs and plays, then he demands and screams. Yet his intensity is endearing to us, and his little blond head makes him somehow look angelic...he fools everyone but his own family. <br /><br /> We sure loved visiting all of my family (and some of Kurt’s family too) in Seattle over Christmas and made lots of wonderful memories (including the three –day, 21-hour drive home in the snow)! Have a wonderful 2011!<br />Love, Kurt, Priscilla, James, Alexandra, Joshua, and KalebKurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-72450547665335548282010-06-02T14:29:00.000-07:002010-06-02T15:10:56.227-07:00Trip to Goblin Valley/Capital Reef National Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbQG3rl0dI/AAAAAAAABgg/2ind7B3qngs/s1600/DSC02369.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbQG3rl0dI/AAAAAAAABgg/2ind7B3qngs/s200/DSC02369.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294813187363282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Over Memorial Day we decided to take the kids on an adventure. James was the one that wanted to go see the goblins so we decided to make it a camping trip. We left early Monday morning and traveled through Price Utah. We stopped there at the cemetery to pay respects to my brother Eric. It had been so long since I had been there I thought I would not remember where he was buried, but my internal GPS still works like a champ.<br /><br />After stopping in Price, we then headed for Goblin Valley. The children were so excited. I was a little nervous since this would be our first time camping together as a family and trying to get the kids to sleep. The kids had a blast playing on the rock formations.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPeq-FkfI/AAAAAAAABgY/3OSqSJgV8WI/s1600/DSC02384.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPeq-FkfI/AAAAAAAABgY/3OSqSJgV8WI/s200/DSC02384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294122580513266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPeToQH6I/AAAAAAAABgQ/5mgv7AVcwos/s1600/DSC02380.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPeToQH6I/AAAAAAAABgQ/5mgv7AVcwos/s200/DSC02380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294116314914722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdwv5NdI/AAAAAAAABgI/khXG-_JnaEw/s1600/DSC02383.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdwv5NdI/AAAAAAAABgI/khXG-_JnaEw/s200/DSC02383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294106951726546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdfJgq2I/AAAAAAAABgA/hD10KgfYPG0/s1600/DSC02376.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdfJgq2I/AAAAAAAABgA/hD10KgfYPG0/s200/DSC02376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294102227331938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdJEIn0I/AAAAAAAABf4/3HnvMxKU_tw/s1600/DSC02372.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbPdJEIn0I/AAAAAAAABf4/3HnvMxKU_tw/s200/DSC02372.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478294096299204418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/TAbOL_MBLSI/AAAAAAAABfw/jxnh6BJZCqo/s1600"></a><br /><br />After playing on them for a while we headed to our camp site we picked in Fruita. When we got there, Joshua threw up because of heat exhaustion. Boy was he a trooper. It then took us about an hour to get the tent set up. Sleeping with all the kids was an experience. Kaleb woke up during the night and Pris had to put him back to sleep. The next day was crazy. I had forgotten to pack a spatchula so I had to use a paper plate to flip the pancakes. I am glad that worked out. Then we went and saw all the historic sites and then did a 'little' one mile hike. This hike was mostly in the up direction. We made it about 3/4 of the way and called it good because I had to carry Kaleb most of the way. Too bad I did not have backpack for him. In all, the trip was fun and the kids loved it.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-55882903174175529102009-12-18T14:36:00.000-08:002009-12-20T19:51:58.940-08:00Christmas 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywE-slL27I/AAAAAAAAA-k/FX5PAea1zWM/s1600-h/IMG_8243-5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywE-slL27I/AAAAAAAAA-k/FX5PAea1zWM/s320/IMG_8243-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416709926985391026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywETsKnbkI/AAAAAAAAA-c/PHuRw41Mnzs/s1600-h/IMG_8559-1-89.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywETsKnbkI/AAAAAAAAA-c/PHuRw41Mnzs/s320/IMG_8559-1-89.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416709188139576898" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Merry Christmas to our Family and Friends!<span style=""> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><span style=""> </span>December 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >We hope this letter finds each of you doing well. As I sit here ready to type, I’m listening to the “Chipmunks Christmas” album for the 100<sup>th</sup> time (at the children’s insistence), and wishing for a moment I could just turn on Handel’s “Messiah” and write something truly inspiring! Instead, I think I’ll just share some of the Finlayson’s daily life. The children are talking a lot and they reveal their thoughts and feelings more than ever before. This has been fun for me lately, so I jotted some of them down in my journal. I’m sure all of you who have children would agree that sometimes you wish others could be a “fly on the wall” of your home and laugh with you too!</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Here’s a sampling:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Today Joshua ate: dirt, rocks, Styrofoam, Play-doh, soap. Then he refused to eat his quesadilla at dinner and called it <span style=""> </span>“yucky!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >James:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > Mom, I’m going to buy that pack of Pokémon cards when I get my allowance!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Mom:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > James, there are a lot of things that you’ve been saving your money for. Are you sure that’s what you want to spend it on?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >James:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > Yes, Mom! Pokémon <span style=""> </span>is my… second favorite thing in the whole world!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Mom:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > What is your first favorite thing?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >James:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Mom:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > Thanks for showing compassion to your brother, James.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >James:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > Do I get a good point for that, Mom? (We had a points system for a while.)</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Alexandra:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > I showed Joshua ca-passion, too!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Joshua:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > I’n not a passion!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >James:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" > (as he’s going to sleep) Mom, do you still love me even when I burp a lot?</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >Alexandra sang her prayers tonight. I kept a straight face until she crooned, “And pleeease, help me not to hiiiit (high note)!” I started giggling and so did she.</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > </span><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >At church, Alexandra was quietly coloring while we sang the sacrament hymn. Suddenly, she looked up at me and I saw tears in her eyes. She whispered, “Sometimes songs about Jesus make me cry, Mom. Why do I cry?”<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:8pt;" >“Because the songs are beautiful and you feel the Spirit, honey.” I whispered back.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Yes, life is good with four little ones, in all their busyness and growing. <b style="">Kaleb</b>’s jabbering is not listed here, but it is certainly part of the cacophony of our home. He learned to walk in November at 13 months, and was quickly going up and down our big staircase like a pro. He enjoys tackling his older siblings, and gets himself in trouble when Joshua tackles him right back! He yells, and I retrieve him from where he is pinned under his brother, and then Kaleb laughs and goes after him again.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Joshua (almost 3)</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > has learned to cut with scissors and leaves scraps of paper (and some things I don’t want to have cut) all over the house. He locks me out of my bedroom or bathroom and performs acts of mischief in there a few times every day. He is also the first to throw his arms around me and say, “I’m sorry, Mommy! I love you!” when he gets in trouble. Josh still loves everything Dora.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Alexandra</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > <b style="">(4 ½)</b> insists that all things must be pink or princess these days. She is good to play with her little brothers, but more often wants to have over one of the many other little girls in our neighborhood. She loves coloring, painting, and music. She is the most independent of my children and won’t let me do anything for her that she can possibly (and sometimes impossibly) do for herself. She is learning to read and play the piano largely by herself!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >James (7 ½)</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > is so busy with school, homework, reading, friends, and piano that I wonder sometimes how I am going to manage when all <u>four</u> of these children are in school! He and I recently built a working candy dispenser for his 2<sup>nd</sup> grade “invention” that was a real hit with all the other children. He adores Christmas and has already written four letters to Santa, even though I keep reminding him that Santa is on a budget!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Kurt</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > is still busy as ever at Novell. He works from home once a week (sometimes more) which helps me tremendously. He still serves as secretary in the Elders Quorum (a calling which he has had in every ward we’ve lived in—I guess he’s good at it!), he kindly helps ward and family members alike with all their computer failures, and he still plays a mean game of basketball a few times a week. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >I</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >’ve been teaching preschool, serving as Primary Music Leader (I’ve discovered I’m quite good at drawing word pictures!) and caring for our busy home. I was blessed with visits from many members of my family this year, which was a real highlight for me, and I am grateful for their willingness to travel.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >We want each of you to know at this time of year how much we love you. Life has its good and bad times, and we’re so grateful to know we’re surrounded with others who can laugh and cry with us through it all. We are also so grateful for the life of Jesus Christ, whose example inspires us to be better and whose grace gives us the power to do so.<span style=""> </span>Our lives would not be the same without our faith in Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:14pt;color:red;" >May your Christmas be merry and your New Year full of bright and wonderful potential! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:14pt;color:red;" >Love, the Finlaysons<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:14pt;color:red;" >Kurt, Priscilla, James, Alexandra, Joshua, and Kaleb</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywF8X2UXyI/AAAAAAAAA-s/3ckVdF5H_D4/s1600-h/IMG_8347-38.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywF8X2UXyI/AAAAAAAAA-s/3ckVdF5H_D4/s320/IMG_8347-38.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416710986571996962" border="0" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywGSe44NsI/AAAAAAAAA-0/emLWxfd_pZM/s1600-h/IMG_8383-52.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; float: left; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SywGSe44NsI/AAAAAAAAA-0/emLWxfd_pZM/s320/IMG_8383-52.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416711366418904770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/Sy66gpgVxhI/AAAAAAAABB0/Ws7xKGh7OM4/s1600-h/Picture+074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/Sy66gpgVxhI/AAAAAAAABB0/Ws7xKGh7OM4/s320/Picture+074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417472471833363986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/Sy650ZD0fAI/AAAAAAAABBs/bQNXsJV7Fqo/s1600-h/IMG_8328-36.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/Sy650ZD0fAI/AAAAAAAABBs/bQNXsJV7Fqo/s320/IMG_8328-36.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417471711504530434" border="0" /></a>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-68124055375907818462009-06-14T08:22:00.000-07:002009-06-14T10:46:18.228-07:00Princesses and Knights PartyAlexandra wanted to have a Princesses party but she also wanted to invite boys to it as well. So it ended up being a Princesses and Knights party and the main event was to slay the terrible dragon. Alexandra loved helping getting things read for the party.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwqix4j4GDrZJFFBh-YcyFtSv3c6ds1WVXOe6ghvzwNjNKRx7fpA2pZ3-lo9F2Vfa_2kjJqFqtg0I8c5sSy_w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Then we sang happy birthday to Alexandra. Don't you just love the cake we made...LOL. A donut cake is what we got for her.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwy6X8VOgY2qlZWsfdLeMQDP-W3pXArQbKKTqC_-xnD_mJ-jX1FP_WahXYrFbJtNgiRV0PEotASnzXmXvkFCg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Then the dragon arrived on the scene. Boy did he take a pelting from the knights. They did cheap head shots to the dragon...and boy did some of them hurt.<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwhEYo4m3mr_VQ6KhALE_a5Y1toetlJWb0lAIJmF0CWJt-tp2oceTF_8sMaQ0J3oMfJw0bxkolqPtqalBiHgg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-42440576379475085602009-06-04T15:17:00.001-07:002009-06-04T15:46:11.011-07:00Priscilla's Birthday partyWell I guess you would like to see the crazy family sing happy birthday to Priscilla. The kids had fun doing it. Enjoy the show. I think Pris really enjoyed it. James picked out a Birthday card of Star Wars and when you open it, it plays the Star Wars theme. The card said, "A long, long, Time ago" on the cover of the card, and when you open it, it plays the music and said "You Were Born". James laughed so hard when he found it.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxMvCdLzBDwbaqIP2wYATJSB-SWguZvKLbduGOIB84cTFFKCrxSXnHNFqtbY2EAEfk_7EHaJYmFEc3w5HvhaQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-62976826272794068862009-05-11T13:34:00.000-07:002009-05-11T14:12:54.032-07:00Arizona VacationI thought this would be fun for everyone to see before I find time to post more. The kids got a little hot at the Zoo so we let them run in the water park that is there.<br /><br />Phoenix Zoo<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwo9AO0GbCgP0HR4LtjYbgO-SB_a3JG28Z5n5OwTHwYCbcERWcoXZD_IhPcpmBOgOstyeqqwmVwAPjoRoEDjQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-2874787832920044432009-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:002009-01-29T14:40:53.106-08:00Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjKP4cvJpI/AAAAAAAAAHM/wvwFASIoTME/s1600-h/Picture+015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294203736173782674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjKP4cvJpI/AAAAAAAAAHM/wvwFASIoTME/s320/Picture+015.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so what can I say. We (I) have been slacking at updating the blog so I am going to throw a ton of stuff up here, so here it goes.....<br /><br />In the beginning of December we had Kaleb's baby blessing. Pris and I decided that we would have a luncheon after the blessing. We were trying to decide on how much work we wanted to put into it. We decided to buy food from Sam's. When we went to Sam's to pick out the food we decided at first to get a deli tray and some croissants and let everyone build their own sandwiches. When we got to the meat section to order the meat tray, Pris saw the already-made sandwiches. She was sold on those and changed the order. The sandwiches were a hit and I could not get enough of them.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjKPRjgQwI/AAAAAAAAAHE/7ptTQne3gZ8/s1600-h/Picture+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294203725733184258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjKPRjgQwI/AAAAAAAAAHE/7ptTQne3gZ8/s320/Picture+022.jpg" border="0" /></a> Scott and Natalie brought chips, Derek and Kesley brought an awesome pasta salad with pecans in it (yummy!!), and Dad and Dixie brought jello. The pasta salad was a hit for our kids. Kelsey even made two bowls of it and we took the extra because it was so good. I love these special times we have to gather as family and friends. They bring us so much happiness and make the troubles of life easier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjMIqtzAFI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H2gqCp_kIeI/s1600-h/Picture+039.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294205811251413074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjMIqtzAFI/AAAAAAAAAHU/H2gqCp_kIeI/s320/Picture+039.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Christmas was a special time. We had Julie and the girls with us. One tradition that we have always had is getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve. So Grandma Julie and Grandpa Randy sent all the kids pajamas. They had so much fun opening up and seeing what they had sent. We had some secret Santas come and drop off stuff for Julie and the girls. They even left us with a movie package with Kung Fu Panda as the movie. The kids loved watching that movie; of course there were parts that we fast forwarded. James really loved the part where Panda was fighting the bad guy and they were rolling down the steps and Panda landed on the leopard's hard. He laughed so hard. Pris and I laughed when they were walking up the mountain and Panda said "I know you're trying to be all mystical and kung fueee, but...". We laughed so hard. We also had a Finlayson family Christmas party. Eveyone had a great time. Here are some pics from it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjN9Vg2EoI/AAAAAAAAAHk/2dYgBdrQSes/s1600-h/Picture+031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294207815604638338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjN9Vg2EoI/AAAAAAAAAHk/2dYgBdrQSes/s320/Picture+031.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Scott and Jason. Of course Jason loves to be a ham when pictures are being taken.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjN84jVILI/AAAAAAAAAHc/_FTAey0GErA/s1600-h/Picture+030.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294207807830433970" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/SXjN84jVILI/AAAAAAAAAHc/_FTAey0GErA/s320/Picture+030.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-1447510077675020662008-12-30T19:58:00.001-08:002008-12-30T21:03:01.976-08:00Christmas with the chipmunks.I thought everyone would like to see this. They love this music as much as mommy did when she listened to it growing up.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx8ftUNEY3Ai6-60jF_orwUCLkgjRGBkahJQKyaz_Ryk6H5IC04czpwTL9beeVCB0SCCtkOZo64ojk5mUy9NA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-44890562274294430442008-11-29T09:25:00.001-08:002008-11-29T09:41:10.782-08:00Halloween Continued<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF7cbsBkwI/AAAAAAAAAF4/tHGBn0qV0N0/s1600-h/DSC00783.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF7cbsBkwI/AAAAAAAAAF4/tHGBn0qV0N0/s320/DSC00783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274132367026524930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My guess is that you were waiting for pictures from Halloween. So now I am adding these in this morning. Alexandra wanted to be Minnie Mouse, Joshua a Dalmation, and James a Jedi Knight. They got all dress up and Pris brought them to work. Once again Novell made it really easy to get as much candy as possible in one single place. It was like Heaven for the kids. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF8dZ0tQXI/AAAAAAAAAGA/M1hj1HRCf-U/s1600-h/DSC00820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF8dZ0tQXI/AAAAAAAAAGA/M1hj1HRCf-U/s320/DSC00820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274133483217568114" border="0" /></a>Julie and her girls came as well. As you can tell the girls were really cute in their costumes. Unfortunately the adults did not dress up! No Halloween spirit from them. We have a costume contest at work and there were some great costumes. A couple of the employees dressed up lik Sarah Palin and John McCain. It was pretty good. They also had a salsa contest. Work also had a drawing for the kids when they got to work. We won some bath toys for the kids.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF9-olhCNI/AAAAAAAAAGI/GYA9vs5bKeE/s1600-h/DSC00802.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STF9-olhCNI/AAAAAAAAAGI/GYA9vs5bKeE/s320/DSC00802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274135153627695314" border="0" /></a> You are all probably wondering what Kaleb was and so here he is. He was a beautiful bumblebee. I am not sure if I would have chosen that but at least we dressed him up. I think him and Joshua were the most miserable since those are very hot costumes and we did all the trick or treating indoors and not outside.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-81365886623121107022008-11-28T21:15:00.000-08:002008-11-29T09:25:28.765-08:00Halloween 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDS2zPhSfI/AAAAAAAAAFY/r3cApJXKY4U/s1600-h/DSC00765.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDS2zPhSfI/AAAAAAAAAFY/r3cApJXKY4U/s320/DSC00765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273947002560924146" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Doesn't Joshua look a little like Casper?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDQ7yzYy_I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/o_2ayCsvV34/s1600-h/DSC00764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDQ7yzYy_I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/o_2ayCsvV34/s320/DSC00764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273944889319017458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">After Kaleb was born, Priscilla's parents decided to come and visit. It took them a couple of days, but they got is safely. They stayed with John and Tiffany, but drove back and forth between us. As you can see we decided to go Vineyard Nursery and pick out pumpkins and go through the corn maze. Grandpa Harman is always making silly faces when he gets to pose in pictures.<br /><br />Grandma and Grandpa brought Maddy and Eve with them. Julie was out taking care of other business.As you can see we are a little bit behind. Time is flying by really fast having additional ones living in the house. Everyone had a great time there. It was very hard to try and get Joshua to look at the camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDS3OGVlgI/AAAAAAAAAFg/adVcOgOWhSE/s1600-h/DSC00767.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDS3OGVlgI/AAAAAAAAAFg/adVcOgOWhSE/s320/DSC00767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273947009770165762" border="0" /></a><br /></span><br />This corn maze also had a ton of blow up toys that the kids could play on. The had animals as well that the children could look at. They even saw little mice running around the rabbit pens, and drinking water from the rabbit's water trough. They really had a great time, and I think Grandpa had a ton of fun too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDUvV8TqkI/AAAAAAAAAFw/9RxSLVo5onI/s1600-h/DSC00775.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDUvV8TqkI/AAAAAAAAAFw/9RxSLVo5onI/s320/DSC00775.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273949073459882562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Alexandra and Eve holding hands as they came out of a little blue barn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDUuw-QnPI/AAAAAAAAAFo/4wFAn60vQEg/s1600-h/DSC00773.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bK-8wED4whA/STDUuw-QnPI/AAAAAAAAAFo/4wFAn60vQEg/s320/DSC00773.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273949063535959282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />James and Maddy coming out of the corn maze.Kurthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677489431689644800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-59501947124858402612008-10-20T13:57:00.000-07:002008-10-20T14:02:49.647-07:00Kaleb has come!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SPzxSFUHEkI/AAAAAAAAACk/_N3BDeNlE8s/s1600-h/IMG_5006-25.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SPzxSFUHEkI/AAAAAAAAACk/_N3BDeNlE8s/s320/IMG_5006-25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259343757828362818" border="0" /></a>He has finally arrived at the Finlayson household. Kaleb Joseph was born on October 11, 2008 at 5:42 PM in the MT Timpanogeous Hospital in Orem Utah. He weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. It was a surprise for us since he came 4 days early which included an emergency c section. Both Pris and Kaleb are doing well. I will post some more pictures soon. He is definetely a miracle baby.Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-52890851280307408972008-08-24T18:52:00.000-07:002008-08-24T19:38:24.080-07:00Summer has ended!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLISQZk-fYI/AAAAAAAAAB8/DT6tDTDW2JE/s1600-h/DSC00533.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLISQZk-fYI/AAAAAAAAAB8/DT6tDTDW2JE/s320/DSC00533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238269389538491778" border="0" /></a><br />Since I last wrote there has been a lot of things that have transpired. The 4th of July was spent at the parade with the Beckers. They have a family outing every year and end up saving a spot for us. The children have so much fun. It was nice and cool under the trees that the Beckers reserved for the whole family. The kids loved the candy that was thrown to them. We had to keep that under control or we would have sugar rushes on our hands.<br /><br /><br />James had his 6th birthday and invited all of his friends over for a pool party. It was quite fun. They even got to throw water balloons at each other. They were the high point of the party. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIRmNXoBII/AAAAAAAAAB0/_w7LeJVKaaY/s1600-h/DSC00551.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIRmNXoBII/AAAAAAAAAB0/_w7LeJVKaaY/s320/DSC00551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238268664706761858" border="0" /></a>They had a blast just filling up the balloons. I could not make them fast enough. Priscilla made cupcakes for the cake and James loved all of the gifts from his friends. James loves to be around his friends and hates for the time when they have to go home.<br /><br />One of his favorite gifts he got for his birthday was the Game Boy Color. He does not play it often, but he has it around him all the time. It is amazing to see how fast they grow up. Sometimes I think they grow up too fast.<br /><br />Well it is a tradition at Novell to go to Lagoon every year during the summer. And this year was no exception. James could not contain himself when I told him that we would once again be going there. He talked about it all week long. So when the day finally arrived he was so excited we could not get driving soon enough. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIWd07ysTI/AAAAAAAAACE/wOddp0JOvds/s1600-h/DSC00562.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIWd07ysTI/AAAAAAAAACE/wOddp0JOvds/s320/DSC00562.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238274018266755378" border="0" /></a> We did not leave until about 3 in the afternoon, since we have kids that still need to take naps. We made it in time for the dinner that Novell provided. Then the fun began. This was Joshua's first ride at Lagoon, and boy was he excited to be on a boat in the water. Priscilla's sister, Julie, brought her kids and Julie got a great video clip of Joshua being very crazy in the boat. Let's just say he was very animated. It was quite hot and so we decided to go on Rattlesnake rapids. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIYEOeXOOI/AAAAAAAAACM/frDpjmyfuxA/s1600-h/DSC00582.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIYEOeXOOI/AAAAAAAAACM/frDpjmyfuxA/s320/DSC00582.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238275777469298914" border="0" /></a> We waiting in line for quite a while and when we got to the front, Joshua was too short so I ended up taking him back to wait while, Priscilla, James, Alexanda, and Maddy went on the ride. Boy did they get wet at the end of the ride where there is a huge water fall.<br />The kids could just not get enough of the rides and wanted to stay for ever.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIZG5tM3iI/AAAAAAAAACU/R_yyFEa9mj4/s1600-h/DSC00584.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIZG5tM3iI/AAAAAAAAACU/R_yyFEa9mj4/s320/DSC00584.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238276922945625634" border="0" /></a> Before we left, Julie and I went on wicked since Priscilla does not like the scary rides. So while we were waiting in line to do that she took care of all the kids.<br /><br />This past week was James' first day of school. Unfortunately I was not able to be here for it since I was in North Carolina fixing issues a customer was having with one of Novell's software products. Priscilla told me that he was so excited to be going once again. His new teacher is Mrs. Blackhurst. She will be having a baby soon so James will have a substitute for part of the first year. Hopefully I have caught you up on all of the happenings. Hope to write more soon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIa-Xf4u-I/AAAAAAAAACc/BDBnj3OukoM/s1600-h/DSC00626.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SLIa-Xf4u-I/AAAAAAAAACc/BDBnj3OukoM/s320/DSC00626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238278975347276770" border="0" /></a>Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-9815714096982235332008-07-30T21:15:00.000-07:002008-12-11T11:30:06.811-08:00That Time of Year<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJE9OfsG7kI/AAAAAAAAABU/of2Amsn98Y8/s1600-h/IMG_4470_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJE9OfsG7kI/AAAAAAAAABU/of2Amsn98Y8/s320/IMG_4470_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229027961587822146" border="0" /></a>As you can see it's that time of year for the children to have fun in the sun. Pris and I signed up the children for swimming lessons. We set it up so that all the kids had it at the same time. This made it easy for me to leave work and come and help. Joshua and Alexandra had the 'Parent and Me' class. So we each took a child and had a great time singing songs and teaching them how to swim. It took Joshua no time to jump in without any coaxing. Alexandra of course, is like a fish in the water and enjoyed every minute of it. You do not see James in the picture, but he was off with his teacher learning how to hold his breath longer underwater. He has even learned how to open his eyes under there as well. Boy does that burn daddy's eyes. I need to use goggles to do that!. He also was learning how to float on his back. Another thing that he did was put on a life jacket and then jump off the side by himself into the water. You can tell that he had so much fun in the water. After the two weeks <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJE_NbIRVcI/AAAAAAAAABc/mvCtTdCKszs/s1600-h/IMG_4476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJE_NbIRVcI/AAAAAAAAABc/mvCtTdCKszs/s320/IMG_4476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030142207153602" border="0" /></a>of swimming, he wanted to go back and just play. And of course we did. It is so amazing to watch them learn and grow. Especially when it is learning something for the first time. Joshua went down the water slide for the first time as well. He was a little scared going down the first time. Once the slide was over, he said, "again, again, again". There was no stopping him then. He wanted me to take him over and over again.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJFBMPNAf8I/AAAAAAAAABs/7DJDRwD6Kuw/s1600-h/IMG_4502.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJFBMPNAf8I/AAAAAAAAABs/7DJDRwD6Kuw/s320/IMG_4502.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229032320849182658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJFAtpDwzKI/AAAAAAAAABk/lqud6mErFaM/s1600-h/IMG_4500_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SJFAtpDwzKI/AAAAAAAAABk/lqud6mErFaM/s320/IMG_4500_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229031795213782178" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-7715042676400725112008-06-25T17:25:00.000-07:002008-12-11T11:30:07.490-08:00Trip to Seattle, Part 2<div>Kurt left out all the fun activities we did with everyone! Maybe that's because he was often left at home being babysitter for those who needed naps. Thanks Kurt! After staying with the Sorsensons, we spent time with the Hansens and the Harmans. James and Daniel played with Hot Wheels and Alexandra and Ella cooked in their play kitchen for hours. It was so fun to see them get to know each other. At Lori's house, all the cousins played hide-and-seek with Uncle Kurt, played frisbee out in the rain with Jacob (it rained the whole time, so we learned how to just enjoy the rain!), and dressed up as princesses. It was a party all the time.</div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGLxB_yRHNI/AAAAAAAAAA8/yHCerq7UQSk/s1600-h/DSC00389.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215996335052889298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGLxB_yRHNI/AAAAAAAAAA8/yHCerq7UQSk/s320/DSC00389.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215996810209218930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGLxdp4XUXI/AAAAAAAAABE/pWe0KHvdlkA/s320/DSC00413.JPG" border="0" /> <div>In the course of the week, we took a tour of Boehm's Chocolate Factory, visited the Seattle Aquarium, took a tour of Microsoft, had a barbeque at Beaver Lake, and went to the Seattle Zoo. The best event, however, was at the end of the week when we got to see Marie and Jacob perform at their Primary Talent Show. Marie did a ballet dance that she had choreographed herself, and Jacob played a paino piece that he wrote himself! They both did wonderfully. They sure are talented children. We will miss all the Hansen children while they are in Japan. We're so glad we got to spend some time with them before they leave. Now we have some great memories. Alexandra talks about Kate and Sarah (and all her girl cousins) incessantly.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGLydKr2pxI/AAAAAAAAABM/afUb1FnRApU/s1600-h/DSC00455.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215997901346875154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGLydKr2pxI/AAAAAAAAABM/afUb1FnRApU/s320/DSC00455.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We all came down sick on the two-day drive home, but the trip was so worth it and one we won't soon forget! Thanks to all our family for being willing to take time from their schedules to spend so much time with us. Dan and Teri are on their way here to visit for a few days, and the kids can't wait to see their cousins again. It's hard to live so far away, but these reunions sure are fun!</div><br /><div></div>Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-47909625300738774012008-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:002008-12-11T11:30:07.980-08:00Trek To Seattle WashingtonThe family vacation that we recently had was a blast. We took a ton of pictures throughout the trip to help us save those memories. You can imagine what it was like to drive 14 and a half hours in the car. Luckily we made a few stops to brake up the driving. James had a great time and was a great helper throughout the drive. When the other two children where asleep he got his movie time.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK43wy4JDI/AAAAAAAAAAk/hDKHwDtbxTY/s1600-h/DSC00349.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215934586579067954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: right" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK43wy4JDI/AAAAAAAAAAk/hDKHwDtbxTY/s320/DSC00349.JPG" border="0" /></a>As you can see, Alexandra probably was not very comfortable sleeping the way she did, but she at least got some rest. Plus that gave some quiet time for mommy and daddy. The first part of the trip took us through Montana. We left on June 3, and when we drove through Montana it was snowing for part of the day. What a great start for a trip that we only packed one pair of warm clothing for each of us. Oops that was a mistake. We stayed in Idaho Falls the first night and then stayed a couple of days in Spokane with the grandparents.<br /><br />Once we left Spokane we went and stayed with the Sorensen's. The children had so much fun together. We appreciate the Sorensen's for letting us stay there, even when they were in the process of remodeling. One of the things they did together was relax.!! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK7MoYBZII/AAAAAAAAAAs/1Qi6SD8ZNno/s1600-h/DSC00369.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215937144119452802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK7MoYBZII/AAAAAAAAAAs/1Qi6SD8ZNno/s320/DSC00369.JPG" border="0" /></a>Dora here we come. They had a blast up in the bonus room playing together. They could not get enough time together. It was so amazing to see Nathan and Isabella. They are growing up too fast. I remember when Adam and Isabella were on the floor together and Adam hit her on her head. She was shy and Uncle Kurt use to scare her by just looking at her. Now she is very outgoing and loves to wrestle and be tickled.<br /><br />One of the main reasons for the family vacation was for our nephew's baptism. Jacob was going to be baptized. When the Saturday came for all the family to meet, it was a very happy reunion. All the Harmans got into a picture, and as you can see Grandma and Grandpa Harman have a ton of little grandkids, and they still keep on coming.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK82zFkKyI/AAAAAAAAAA0/l-w-DLd-TNI/s1600-h/DSC00385.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215938968060963618" style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SGK82zFkKyI/AAAAAAAAAA0/l-w-DLd-TNI/s320/DSC00385.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Don't we look like a happy family. We sure wished that Ryan and Julie could have been here as well. We definitely missed them. Well, I think I have said enough for now. If Pris wants to say more she can add more.Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271523840228175137.post-68658294225914608682008-05-31T21:04:00.000-07:002008-12-11T11:30:08.297-08:00Our New Family Blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SEIitgO6iwI/AAAAAAAAAAM/2yNT0Vq0gjA/s1600-h/DSC00309.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LqQcGEHpy20/SEIitgO6iwI/AAAAAAAAAAM/2yNT0Vq0gjA/s320/DSC00309.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206762284335663874" border="0" /></a><br />Kurt and I have decided that it's time to join the latest craze and start our family blog. We want to be able to keep our family and friends informed about our lives and I want a place to write some of the funny things that are happening around here! Life with little children is never dull, and I don't take enough time to jot down some of the fun memories. I'm hoping this blog will give me the place and motivation to do it. I just don't want to forget these precious times. I hope those who read our blog will enjoy it as much as we will.Priscillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03341462172489530601noreply@blogger.com1