JULY 2008

Rob & Marci and Family
Hello from Herriman! We hope you are all doing well and surviving the heat! We have been busy as usual, especially with school being out. It is always very "interesting" to all of the sudden have all the kids home all day. My house has never been the same and is impossible to keep clean for more than an hour at any given time. Rob is enjoying work and has been under a lot more pressure with different projects, but is doing well. He has been a big help pinch hitting for the girls’ primary class, which they love. We had a really fun day going to Rob’s work for a family day. We have never been allowed in the plant, so it was fun to see where he works, have lunch with him, etc. He is still enjoying his calling as a teacher for Elder’s Quorum. He had a great time at the Xbox party for the brothers. I am staying busy with the kids being home, playing taxi driver, etc. My business is doing really well, although I am feeling the summer slowdown. I am also overwhelmed with the HUGE landscaping project of our backyard that awaits us. I am bound and determined to do it, but it is going to be a HUGE amount of work and time. It would have been nice to actually have spring instead of going straight from snow to scorching, but oh well. We bought a nice big wood swingset/playset for the kids yesterday that they are excited to get put together. Primary is going well and we continually get new kids each week it seems like. Custer’s services were really nice and we had a really enjoyable time in Ephraim. It certainly brought up all sorts of questions from the kids about death. Ashlee was really curious about him in the casket. She had the most questions about life and death etc. Cayden is enjoying summer break, although I think Cayden would be perfectly content going to school all year. He got his appliance to space his teeth in and we will be going back in, probably in August to get braces. McKell will probably be following suit. Cayden also had to have a tooth pulled but he did great with that. His biggest most exciting news was Pinewood derby. It is his first year and he has been waiting for this event forever! He did a great job designing it, painting it, etc. He and Rob had a fun time working together on it. He was so proud of it and actually took first place as well as Best Paint Job. He was beaming for the rest of the night. He is loving swim lessons and is doing amazingly well! He has advanced to level 3 and is a really good swimmer. He finished a very successful season of soccer and can’t wait to play again in the fall. Ashlee is also loving summer break. Unlike Cayden, Ashlee would be perfectly content to never go back to school. She keeps asking, "Is today a no-school day again?" She is loving swim because she is part fish, however she has requested on more than one occasion that we do swim lessons with no teachers. That way she would have free reign of the pool. No such luck. She is doing well though and is an amazing little swimmer. She has been in a little bit of a downward "slump" with her autism. It seems to go in cycles for her and she has had a rough month or two, but hopefully we are pulling out of it. We got a little pool for the back yard and she loves spending forever in that pool. McKell is having a great summer break. She lost another tooth and is quickly running out of space in her little mouth for bigger permanent teeth to come in. Oh boy. She is also doing great in swim lessons and advancing well. Sadie is growing like a little weed. She is such a sweet sweet baby! Her big news is that she now can crawl! She was a little hesitant at first but then just took off and hasn’t stopped since. She thinks she is quite tricky. She has 2 teeth and is loving the world of real food. She also has said her first word, "hi". She is just a little ray of sunshine in our house. She gave us a real scare with her febrile seizure at the beginning of the month. Thank heavens for Priesthood blessings and Tylenol...in that order. It was a miracle that Rob heard her and was able to take care of her. The kids adore her and she loves them right back. Well, that is it from us. We hope you are all doing well.

Scott & Tiff and Family

June was a busy month for our little family. I got the great idea that it would be fun to coach Ryan and Jaydee's Tee Ball team thinking that Scott could help on the days he didn't have to work. Little did I know that Scott would only make it to 2 games the entire season. So my mom was my assistant coach which I'm sure made for a hilarious sight...two short, chubby women chasing teeballs and trying to teach a bunch of kids how to run the bases. But we survived and had a fun time. Gage was even our little bat boy and had his own uniform that went down past his knees. One of the perks of having your mom as the coach! I did really well with the parents as well considering how onery I've been told I am. There was only one mother that I wanted to knock out with the bat but controlled my pregnancy hormones and just grinned and muttered under my breath words I won't repeat here!! Ryan and Jaydee also completed another round of swim lessons and are working on becoming little fish. They had a ball and Gage actually got to see that the water can be fun. Up until our swimming outing this last week with the family he has never willingly got into a swimming pool. Thanks Dad for taking us up to Camp Williams to do that. Now Gage can't wait to go back. He was so proud of himself for "jumping" into the pool. Granted it was just jumping on to the first step and the water only went up to midcalf, but we'll take anything he willing to give us!! Thanks also to mom and dad for letting me and the kids come down and stay for 5 days. It was a nice change of pace and a good distraction for how big I have become. I think I double in size every morning. We had a fun time going to playdates, going to Wheeler Farm, and getting attacked by the geese. Other fun distractions are our camping trips up to the Uintas. We are loving our trailer and the freedom it brings to just hook it on the Tahoe and to go up in the mountains. I especially love the bathroom feature. It makes it a whole lot easier to camp when you are 9 months pregnant! We bought a raft a couple of years ago and finally got a motor to go with it. The kids are digging the whole trolling thing. Gage thought it was great right up to the point that Scott dropped a fish into the raft. Gage started to scream and wasn't so impressed after that. We'll have to see if he does better next time!! Anyway, we hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

The Olsen's:
We're doing great. Our biggest news lately is that Kyle got into the Nursing program!!! YAY! This is his third time applying to the program. Last semester seemed hopeless after they told him due to the competitiveness he would have to get a 4.0 to get in. He went back and retook classes he already got A-'s and B+'s in and came out with a 3.98 GPA. Low and behold the third time is the charm because he finally got in!!! I'm so grateful for all of his hard work and dedication. He is THE MAN!!! He also received his Associates degree in the mail this week, that he graduated with two semesters ago. They said if we waited until this summer to receive it, then he would have one from Utah Valley University, instead of Utah Valley State College, so we thought it was worth the wait. We're going to buy his first set of scrubs and white shoes this week. This is such a huge blessing in our lives. Another blessing is I just got promoted at FedEx Freight. I work in Team Selling now. And it's a good thing because I was starting to hate my old. I'm handling much bigger accounts now like the Dippin Dots Ice Cream account, and some other bigger accounts that you've probably never heard of. I love this job a lot more. It's more exciting and my accounts send me yummy gifts.. free chocolate!! The most shocking news is probably that Kyle and I just got called to be the Young Men and Young Women Presidents. As Jen says.. it's my Karma:) Because I didn't necessarily enjoy Young women's when I was younger, and unfortunately I think my leaders knew it too. I'll have to send them all sorry letters:) I think they would pass out if they knew I was the president.. so maybe I'll hold off on the letters. We have a small unified ward with just a handful of young men and women, but we love it. Even though I felt like someone dropped a brick on my chest when they asked us to be in this calling, I'm still looking forward to it, and I really have NO idea what I'm doing. I'm glad there's inspiration that comes along with it, or I would be in deep crap. Kyle and I just got back from Cedar City. He coached his swimmers in the summer games down there. He's an amazing coach. If anyone wants to learn how to swim like a champ.. Kyle's your guy. All of his kids got metals. The kids love him, and the parents love him even more. If they could, they would all take him home to live with them. We got to visit Jarry while we were down south. And my mom and Jason joined us for some Cliff diving in St. George. It's always good to see Jared! He's looking great! I also just got back from girls camp a couple of weeks ago. We had a lot of fun! I got to prank all of the girls .... lets just say their tents were filled with Silly string one morning.. Also the whole stake did a spiff on American Idol, but our theme was Under the Sea, so it was "Ocean Idol". We took a popular song, and had to re-do the words to reflect the girls. We did "Murray 8th Girls love to have fun" to Cyndi Laupers "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" I taught the girls how to break out into a wicked awesome Robot-- it was the coolest dancing you've ever seen! We're planning on being in Murray until Kyle finishes school.. we absolutely love it there. Life is good, and even when it's not .... it is.
Love ya-

JAY

Well Happy 4th of July everyone! It's been about three months since I've written, so I've got some catching up to do.I passed my National Board Certification exam for Massage Therapist in April, and so I'm officially a Licensed Massage Therapist, (LMT).Yahoo! I've been concentrating on building my private practice, and working out of my "Studio", in my Apartments' second bedroom.I'm in the process of designing a more "ZEN" like atmosphere and professional setting for people to come to ,so it's a work in progress, but is coming along. The summer heat has hit hard, and early, and I'd like to remind you that I do have an outdoor pool and hot tub at my apartment complex that is available from 10am-10pm for relief from the heat if you need it. You're welcome anytime. Just let me know. I had a great time this year at the Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point with Dad, Mom, Alex, Ben, Livy, and Mary, and Michelle. We had a great time, crowd watching, sampling the 'Haggis", and dancing on the field to the music of "The Wicked Tinkers!" On a sadder note, the passing of Uncle "Cutter", I'm sure has touched us all. I'm glad that we were able to get together and sing as a family at his funeral, and also have the honor to be a pall barer. We need to get around the piano more often, and sing together. (Just a thought.) Think of the thousands of dollars spent on music instruction for the family. Can we really afford not to keep a legacy of music going in the family? We're a musical family,. "Families that Sing together, Cling together"....er somethin"....=) Please remember Aunt Bonnie, now widowed, and although she has her immediate family members there in Ephriam with her, I'm sure she has lonely moments and would appreciate a phone call, and expressions of love and concern. Her PHN. # is, 435-283-3045. Friend Josh, will be returning to the states at the end of July. He'll be moving to Phoenix. AZ. He's been accepted into the Executive Masters program at ASU, and will be starting it in the fall. It will be good to have a good friend back in the country again, and just a phone call away. It was great to run into my long lost cousin Mike Neilson at Custer's funeral. We went to lunch together recently, and caught up on each other's life's' story. Wouldn't you have liked to be a fly on the wall of that one?! The following weekend we went into "Music and the Spoken Word" at the conference center. It was very good to see him and catch up with him. He stated that Brian is at "the point of the mountain", and he has given me the paper work to be cleared as a visitor for him. (Matt: 25:41-45) No, I'm NO SAINT,..just trying to do my Christian duty. I'll try to get his contact information for writing, and get it all to you as well. I've enjoyed working in the yard at Dad and Mom's, and spending time with the family. My prayers are with MIki, as I'm sure all of yours are too. She needs our faith and prayers now for healing, so please keep good thoughts and wishes for her in your hearts and minds, and daily prayers, as I'm sure you do. Happy Birthday to all the July babies!!!...And good luck Tiff and Scott with the delivery of yet another July baby coming soon!Well I'm going to wrap up this epistle, and want to thank you all for your Love and Prayers, in my behalf. Have a very happy and safe Summer! See you for "Family Night" at Dad and Moms in July. Since I was given the honor of giving the lesson, I'll be in touch looking for volunteers for some help, and any preparations for the evening. This should be interesting eh? Again, I appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers in my behalf. Thanks for all you do for me!Love Ya,Uncle Jay.

DAD AND MOM

Hello Everyone,
June was a busy month--for Mom. Regular schedule, plus the Temple, plus Custer's and two more funerals in the Ward, plus the usual "meals on wheels". She, as Compassionate Service Leader, and Alisa Aston as Relief Society President have gotten to know each other pretty well. They have done a remarkable service.

Dad just sits around and watches all of the work being done. A huge thanks to Jay for taking care of the lawns and yard. Don't know what we would do-------
Enjoyed having Marilyn and Bruce for a short visit. (the operative word is "visit", not "short".)
We took time for a change to go to Ogden and visit with Guy and Jodene. They have sold their house and are moving out of the apartment that they have been living in, and get in their motor home and just travel for the next few years. They are going to become snowbirds and sunbirds and just follow the sun. They said to tell all hello. And thanks Miriam and Paul for your hospitality and feeding a couple of 'drop-ins'. Enjoyed visiting with you as well as your food.
Dad went to Dr. Smith, his hip doctor and he said that the bone scan didn't show any stress fracture and that everything looked in place, so unless something happens, just to see him next year. That was great news. He said to just don't do anything stupid. Or as the Book Of Mormon says, "Be wise, what more can I say".
Miki's leg is looking a little better. She has to go into the Huntsman Cancer Unit of the IHC Hospital in Murray every day and have an infusion of antibiotics. Take between an hour and a half and two hours. The other thing that she has to do is keep her foot elevated. This thing takes a lot of time to heal.
Enjoyed the family swim trip to Camp Williams. A dollar isn't a bad price. Any time that any of you want to go, let us know.

JUNE 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELISE ON JUNE 2!!

The McBrides

Hello all:
Yes, the McBride family is BACK!!! Love the little lady, but today is the first day Lexi starts her summer stay in Utah, and I actually find myself finishing a complete thought! Now if Ringo would just stop playing her obsessive in-and-out game with the door! Okay. Since the McBride’s haven’t made news since December, I’ll just hit the highlights. Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day were a smashing success! But that Civil Rights Day…not so much. Our local boy John McCain is still squirming because of his vote against making a national holiday for Dr. King. So us white folk are just happy we were given the day off.

Round 3 of the McBride Easter Eggs-travaganza was insanity at its finest. We had Shawn and Heather + Kids, all of my kids + Brandon’s friend, and big Brian, who joined us from the armpit of Arizona. The weather was perfect as was the swimming and fun. We are thrilled with the annual improvement of Mary’s maturity. Less items broken, less screaming by Heather, and less lock-jaw and pacing from Shawn. J Highlights always include an evening at Cheesecake Factory, swimming at night just to warm up by the fire pit, and watching the athletic and comedic skills of everyone drowning each other in the annual vicious game of pool basketball. And I am proud to announce that after our Easter weekend, we have a new American Idol addict in Brian. Yes!

Just as Brandon did in February during Super Bowl, Austin came down in April to stay with Lexi so I could go to the annual Girls Beach Trip to Newport Beach. Lexi had a great time, and those boys’ patience never thins. They are fabulous with that little girl.

Speaking of fabulous boys, both of them did incredibly well in school this past semester and made their momma proud! Austin is a sushi chef at one of the premier sushi restaurants in Salt Lake, Takashi. It’s a local favorite of many of the Jazz. Brandon works down the street from Jazz headquarters at Iggy’s Bar & Grill where I’m sure he puts on an act of comedy for every table. Brandon is still performing with Kid Theodore and has taken off where Austin left a few months back.

Now about us girls: Madi is still pulling straight A’s and recently was awarded the Presidential Recognition award at her junior high. Her vibrant-crazy attitude has won over her friends, teachers, and dance teachers. She made JV Cheerleader at Cottonwood High next year, although she isn’t loving the summer conditioning! Lexi just finished her senior year, but will continue to go at least another year at Desert Mountain High School so she can take advantage of their Life Skills program, aka job placement. She will also participate in graduation next year when the majority of her friends do. Lex just finished her last week working at Wal-Mart and is learning that it’s a bad idea to text message on the job. Somehow, her sweet smile helps her get out of the stickiest situations.

Work is going well for me, and living in one of the cities hit the hardest by plummeting real estate prices, I’m very grateful to have a job that has not been affected. I’m also happy to report that while most homes around me have dipped dramatically, mine seems to be holding its value through the storm. While many are suffering, our client Wal-Mart is having a banner year in sales. That’s what cheap pricing will do for ya in tough times. We also just brought on Ace Hardware as a client, which I love. Good people! These store owners all remind me of Jack Webster. Salt of the earth and always smell like horse feed and metal nails. And tomorrow morning, I will be attending an event on the governor’s lawn as a VIP guest during the roll-out of Arizona’s quarter! Mom, I will definitely get you a quarter fresh off the mint – literally! I was fortunate to do the PR for this event, and it’s been fun to watch the whole process. Arizona is the 48th state, leaving only Hawaii and Alaska to get their quarters. Theirs are coming this month as well.

No new love interests worth mentioning (or worth a second date,) so I can’t give you any tidbits of gossip other than to say that the guy from the Suns game is a coke-head, the pro-golfer who accosted me in the Starbucks parking lot is a bald and fat narcissist, and that freak guy who stalked me at Fish Lake LAST YEAR (you know who I mean) sent me a card inviting me to the Kenny Chesney concert, which of course for him was FREE!!

Happy summer to you all! Lexi is in Utah for the next 4-5 weeks. If you need a babysitter, she would love it! I am also hoping to get up there for a weekend at some point. If not, I hope to see you all at Fish Lake. I’ll try to leave all coke-heads, narcissists and stalkers in Scottsdale.

Loves,
Mel and Family


CONGRATULATIONS TO ELISE AND JUSTIN ON THEIR NEW ARRIVAL TO COME IN DECEMBER!

The Peacocks

Hello from beautiful Herriman! We are happy to say that things have actually returned to some semblance of order here in our home after the benefit event for Nate. Unfortunately, I am still dealing with "Mt Washmore" - my laundry project after not having time for laundry for 2 weeks but it is slowly dwindling down. We were saddened to hear of Uncle Cutter dying. What a great man he was. Some of my favorite memories I have of him were of him tickling my knee to see if I had a boyfriend when I was little, always calling me "honey" but pronouncing it "Hoh-ney", and just listening to him tell stories with that wonderful southern drawl and great laugh. He will be missed. We ended our big soccer season with Cayden and McKell. Cayden is all signed up and ready to go for next year...McKell wasn’t so excited about soccer so we are going to try to find a good dance class for her in the fall. We are so proud of both of them and the great work they did in soccer. We are now focusing on the HUGE project of getting our backyard finished. It is quite a daunting task, but one we are determined to get done this summer. I am working on learning how to do a pondless waterfall in the backyard so hopefully that will work out. We are also nearing the end of the school year with only a few days to go. I’m not sure I am ready for this big adjustment, but we will adjust sooner or later. The kids are excited to start swim lessons again and do some fun summer activities. We also hope to actually squeeze in some family trips. We had fun watching the big Herriman rodeo fireworks. This is a favorite family tradition with the kids as we all wear our pajamas, bundle up in blankets, and eat popcorn on the trampoline while watching the fireworks. Sadie joined us this year and was fascinated with the whole thing. Rob is enjoying work and has enjoyed having his wife back. We have just hung out like our college days watching movies, playing games, etc. We will be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary this month! He is a huge help getting the yard done. I am trying to juggle work, primary, FHE groups, Mommy duty, and all sorts of other fun things. My business is going really well, it is now just a matter of finding the time to work, especially with the kids being out of school this week. I have enjoyed having this alone time each day with just Sadie. But I have a lot of fun things planned for the summer that I am excited about. Cayden has had a busy month. He did great in soccer and has also been working on his scouting, skateboarding, and biking skills. He has been such a trooper this month with getting his spacing appliance on his top teeth. He will get braces mostly likely in August. He also had to have a tooth pulled which I know I was more anxious about than him. Our pediatric dentist is a saint and Cayden didn’t feel a thing! He just had the laughing gas and that was it. He couldn’t feel the shot, or when they pulled the tooth out. What a brave guy he is. He has enjoyed going to the new skate park by our house with Rob and can’t wait to be out of school, although he will miss it. Ashlee has had a very trying month. We attribute this mostly to the fact that she hasn’t had glasses for the past 3 weeks. Unfortunately, she broke both pair of glasses and because we order them out of state, it takes a while to get them in. We usually have a back up pair so it is no big deal, but because both were broken, she has been without glasses for a long time. It is amazing how this has affected her behavior and it has been a very difficult month for us. We are hoping with the return of the glasses, she will be back to doing well. She does still keep us entertained. While at the skate park with Rob last Saturday, she got into a full out debate with a 16 year old skater kid because he wasn’t wearing a shirt and Ashlee was determined to let him know that he was NOT being modest! We had to explain to her that it was okay for a boy not to wear a shirt which opened a WHOLE big discussion. She took quite a bad spill at Mom and Dad’s on the driveway and after tripping and falling down, Cayden mowed her over on the bike that he didn’t know how to stop. She was very brave. McKell is excited for summer. She has worked so hard this year and is reading like crazy. It is amazing how well she is doing. She can pretty much sound anything out now. She is my little helper and is always inquisitive and insightful. When I told her about Uncle Custer dying, she paused and then said, "Oh no, does this mean we have to do ANOTHER benefit concert!?" I had to chuckle at that and told her no, which then made Cayden not too happy. Apparently they both thought that when someone dies, we do a carnival. McKell can now ride her 2 wheeler really well and can’t wait for swim lessons. Little Sadie is getting so big! She is such a sweet baby. She is getting very close to crawling which I am not ready for! We all love to play with her and talk to her. She is very opinionated and knows what she wants. She is such a snuggly little baby and loves to give hugs. She had a rough week with her first 2 teeth coming in at the same time and then getting sick with a throat virus and high fever. She was back to her happy self for a few days before a double ear infection hit. Not fun. We now head full force into summer with swim lessons, field trips, yard work, etc. We hope you all have a great summer. Love ya!

Scott, Tiff, Ryan, Jaydee, Gage, and Bump:

Where to begin with the month of May.
I started out going for a week long getaway to Camp Guernsey for training. Tiff, meanwhile, had all kinds of various illnesses involving stomach projectiles hurling everywhere. This has become somewhat of a tradition for us every time I go away to training. Quite fun for me really, not so much for Tiff.

I scored big time points on Mother's day which is a first for me. I took the kids over to shop for Tiff and Jaydee picked out a heart locket with an Angel on it to help remind her Jenni. Ryan, in turn, gave her a shirt that read, "So you want to start somthin' with the pregnant woman?". Which brings me to our next adventure for the month...Benefit Concert.

First, Thank You's to Marci and Rob, Shawn and Heather, Miki, Jay, Mom and Dad for all your help, could not have done it without you. The concert was on Saturday, the 17th. We spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday setting everything up. It was long and hard but everything came together in the end. For those who got to watch it, we were told it was a fantastic event. Not the least of which was the carnival portion of the event which I am proud to say, Tiff pulled off remarkably well. I overheard one little boy tell his mom, "Look mom, it's Disneyland!" I thought that was great! Tiff literally worked herself to exhaustion, which I know is surprising (said with extreme sarcasm) and actually had to be taken to mom and dad's as she was cramping so badly that she could no longer stand up. She is doing much better now and has already begun planning the next event - Ryan's and Theoryn's Birthday parties.

Peter Brienholt, J. Marc Bailey, and Ryan Shupe were gracious and amazing performers. I had a chance to talk with each of them individually after the performance and they were amazed at what had been pulled off. The best, and most important part of the whole thing was that Nate and the kids all were completely overwhelmed with the whole thing. They all had a great time. I can't count the number of people who approached us in tears with what had been accomplished. It definitely couldn't have happened without help from above, and it made the last month and a half worth it even with all the trials and struggles. Truly remarkable in all aspects.

We then needed a break from the afore mentioned stresses so we retreated to Jackson Hole with the Harris's to watch the Bar-J Wranglers preform over Memorial Day weekend. That is always a nice treat and it was nice to see a performance that required no effort on our part.

MOM AND DAD

Dear Family,
First of all, Bonnie called and said to thank everyone for their kindness and love in Custer's passing. Stacy and Amy said the same. They said to tell you how much they love each of you and appreciate both those that were on the program and those that called and sent cards. The funeral was nice and we have received several compliments on how well it was done. One person in our ward said that it was the highlight of the service. Not sue of that, but thank you all.
The graveside Military service was also good. Sorry that Shawn and Heather and their family and Scott got delayed by an accident going up Nephi Canyon, but so thankful that they were not involved, except to help at the accident.
George Pemberton said to also tell everyone thank you for your time and energy on Nate's behalf, especially Scott, Marci, and Jay who spent countless hours making sure that it was a success--which it was.
Mom said to thank eveyone for the special Mother's Day. She loves all of you and you are her life.
Mom has been doiing a solo at the Temple for the past few weeks while Dad goofs off at home. The hip started bothering a little bit and the doctor said to get back on the cane or walker for a month. Had a bone scan done and will know the results in a couple of weeks. Just don't bury me yet. All is going to be well.
We had an enjoyable Memorial Day--- at the cemetery program, at Denny and Gloria's for breakfast, and here at the barbeque. And what a great Country that we have--inspite of what is happening on the politcal scene and $4.00 gas. Glad that we spent the time that we did in the Air Force.
Hope and pray that all is well with each of you. We love you.

Mom and Dad

Hello from the Quist Family
So, May........... you know it all starts to blur together. SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!
We'll start with the missionaries.
Heidi continues to do very well in the CTM in Sou Paulo. The highlight as of late was having Elder Bednar there for a visit to speak to them. She was able to shake his hand and he gave her some great advice. The week before that, the Relief Society President - Sister Beck was there along with the Primary President. So, she has had some great visitors there just recently. We are anxiously awaiting to hear about her participation in the Curitiba Temple dedication & celebration. President Monson was there, and they were hoping for a visit from him as well. We'll let you know next month. She loves learning the language, and even speaks it in her sleep. She was a bit concerned, as her companion told her that she wants to go home. So that has been a bit of a shakeup for her. We're confident that Heidi will do her best to keep her there. We anticipate her leaving the CTM sometime around the 9th or 10th of June. She is very excited to get to Santa Maria.
Warren continues to do very well in Argentina. He is in a suburb of Bahia Blanca, and is teaching a lot. We are waiting to hear about their first baptism this past Saturday. He loves the work, and he constantly has great messages for us in his letters home. He said the weather is a little up and down right now, so that's an adjustment for him, but other than that, he is doing great!!
Ian finished with track, and did quite well. He struggled with some shin splints, and other aches & pains, but was happy with his accomplishments for Jr. High. He had his spring choir concert, and did very well. He tried out for the show choir at Layton High, and made that, so he is quite happy. He is just even more happy that school is out.
Jakob is still playing baseball, and enjoying that. He's hoping their team will go to the play-off's. He is also very happy to have school out for the summer. He and Kaijsa live outside on the trampoline and riding their bikes all over the place.
Kaijsa finally got her room all cleaned out from Heidi being gone, and she loves that!! She loves the space for her and her dolls (her little sisters). She is also very happy to have some time off from school!! However, she will miss her very favorite teacher Mrs. Banks.
Paul is currently recovering from minor toe surgery - both big toes!! OUCH!! He is also very happy to have the back yard sprinklers in. So, just the front yard, and we are there!! WAHOO!!
I am still working at the nursery, and hoping to have fewer hours now that the kids are home from school. It's been a very busy spring. I still don't have our flowers planted yet.
Well, that's our month at-a-glance. We are just looking forward to the summer activities ahead!!
Until next time - Adios & Tchau
The Quists

May 2008

May 2008

The Monsons

Dear Family,"Hola" and "happy cinco de Mayo!!!" Since you last heard from us life has been exciting and full of traveling for our family! First of all I (Marilyn) enjoyed a wonderful and eventful trip to Utah at the end of March and celebrated birthdays with Dad, Mom, Jay, Katie, and Andrew!! Katie turned 1 and Andrew turned 5, and it was so much fun to be with them again...sickness and all! (I won't mention the ages of the others as that just wouldn't be polite!) Ang and I had a great time shopping, getting the kids pictures taken, crafting, etc. Scott survived another tax season at the accounting firm where he works and is back in full swing with the regular visits, audits, and etc. Justin & Elise returned from a fun trip to Florida/Disneyworld with the Petersons while I was there, and when Derek & Melanie came up to Logan for the weekend we all had a mini Monson reunion together...minus Bruce and Brian! It was great to see so many of the family while I was there and catch up a little! That trip was followed by Derek coming to WA for a job conference in Seattle and then coming to visit for a couple of days. We had fun playing games and found a "fortune" in sand dollars on the beach while he was here! Unfortunately Melanie had finals that next week and wasn't able to come with him. That trip was followed by Bruce & I taking a trip with Area CES co-workers and spouses to Mt. Vernon (not Virginia!) to see the annual Tulip Festival. It was amazing to see fields and fields of various colors and varieties of tulips!! We also drove to the top of Mt. Eerie to see an unbelievable view of the Skagit Bay! It was breathtaking! Our trip ended at Deception Pass, which is a narrow water passage connecting 2 islands and one where the currents are extremely strong and pretty much impossible to boat against. It was amazing! That trip was followed by Elise making a trip up to attend the sealing of a good friend in the Seattle Temple and visiting for a few days! She took me out to lunch for Mother's Day and we had a fun time being with her! Justin was also busy preparing for finals (and enjoying his motorcycle!) so he couldn't come up this time. And last but not least, Brian will be making a trip from AZ to Utah and will be there for several weeks while he works as an EFY counselor, which he is pretty excited about. He also wins the "biggest trip" award with plans to go to Sweden in August to do some research for his dissertation! If everything works out he'll be there for approx. 3 months! So that concludes our family travelogue! We've kept the "friendly skies" busy and have enjoyed it all!! Of course those planes/cars have routes that come to WA as well...so come on up!! Love to all...Bruce, Marilyn, and family


Heidi
Here's Heidi's first email from Brazil!! She sounds great!!
hey everybody!!!! HERE I AM!!!! i love it here!!! its amazing!!! well we just got back from the temple and it was AMAZING!!! we went to the campina temple that is like 1 and a half hours from sao paulo. it was really nice. i think we go to the sao paulo temple next time. i´ll let you know. the food here is really good. it took me a couple days to get used to it, but now i LOVE it!!! i put beans and this fresh salsa stuff on my rice and it tastes soooo good. we are supposed to go out proselyting soon... well like i said, i love it here. its amazing. it took a few days to get used to, but it is so awesome here. the language is coming really really fast. its really fun to talk to the brazillians and to teach eachother. ha ha i miss you all SOOOO much, but i love it here. i know its gonna be amazing and that Heavenly Father has a plan here for me. you all should go through preach my gospel. it is an amazing book. i remember the first week when i opened it up in provo i could just feel the spirit so strong. i know its an inspired book and it will bless your lives. I LOVE YOU!!! Eu amo voce muito!!! i will try and do my testimony a little bit...what i know at least...hee hee...Eu sei que Cristo vive e o Livro de Mormon e a palavra de Deus. Eu sei que Joseph Smith foi um profeta chamau para Deus a restoruar a Igreja verdadeira de Cristo. Eu sei que nos podemos vive com nossas familias eternidade. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amem.well thats as good as i could do. its kinda frustrating to have your testimony grow so much and you want to say so much more and you cant because of the language barrier. i know it will come though. i love you all. i miss you so much, but its going by fast and i will be home soon! i love you, big hugs and kisses to you all. tchau!!!!love,Sister Quist

Scott and Tiff and family

From Scott and Tiff: We are surviving!!! Details to come in following issues!

Hey from the Quist's-
Well, we can all breath a little better for now, as Heidi was finally able to get her visa and get to Brazil. We were able to talk to her for quite awhile as she had a 3 hr. layover in Dallas. She sounded so good & happy!! We could even hear a hint of an accent in some of her words too. She had a great experience in the Provo MTC. She & Warren were able to see a lot of each other, which we know was a real blessing for both of them. She made it safe & sound to Brazil. She is doing so good, and loves it there. The language is coming very good for her, and she has been out teaching already. We will keep you updated on her as she continues in the CTM - in Brazil its Center for Training Missionaries.

Warren is leaving the MTC on Monday the 5th, so we'll be able to talk to him when he leaves. He is very anxious to get out and start teaching. He sent some pictures home, and from the looks of things, he has had a great time at the MTC. He smashed his finger a couple of weeks ago, (yes, he sent pictures of that too - lovely) We knew not to worry too much, since nurse Quist was there to take care of it for him. He is so happy, and excited to get out and get doing the Lord's work. We'll keep in touch with his adventures.

Ian is busy with school, soccer, track, young mens, scouts, etc. (not necessarily in that order). He's doing great in track running the sprints of course. He is also starting on his Eagle project which is going to be great. He keeps very busy with his social life, and is taking being the oldest now at home very nicely. He enjoys the perks that come with that.

Jakob is starting baseball, and is so excited. This is his first experience with baseball, and so far he really loves it. His team are the Cardinals, which he's pretty stoked about. He's also playing soccer, and loves his position as being goalie most of the time, and a dang good one at that!!

Kaijsa is just busy with her social life, playing at friends houses, and barbies, butterflies, and princesses. She is also having fun with soccer, and loves keeping us enterained with her singing.

Paul & I are just trying to keep our heads above water, and keep up with the kids, work, church, etc. This is a great time for us, and we are so blessed to have these two out on their missions. It really puts things into perspective for us alot of the time. We really appreciate all of your support and prayers in their behalf.
Well, that is about it in a nutshell for us for now. We'll see you all next week for mother's day!
And as Sister Quist says:
Tchau!!
The Quists

Mom and Dad
Greetings to all,
First of all, thanks to all of you for making our birthdaze special. Thank you for you love, thoughts, cards, and gifts. We won't go into the amount of them that we have had.
Also thanks to you for the time,effort, and money that you are putting into Nathan's fundraising activity. George bore his testimony last week and thanked all of the members of the ward, for their thoughts, prayers, and work and then said that he needed to mention by name some who have really gone the extra mile. You know who you are.
Enjoyed having Marilyn here for altogether too short of a time. Thanks for the evening at "The Cheesecake Factory". The company and the food were both outstanding. Also enjoyed having Angela and Andrew and Katie here for a short time. (The enjoyment was having them here, not the short time.)
General Conference was special, especially the Solemn Assembly.It seems impossible that President Hinckley is gone, but the work moves on. And we didn't have to wait until the white smoke came from the chimney to tell that a new Pope had been voted in like a certain other church that we know of. Thanks Marci and Rob for the traditional Saturday evening get together, and thanks Shawn, for the tickets to the Conference Center for Priesthood meeting.
Congratulations, Ben, on your baptism. For a minute there, you were the youngest member of our Heavenly Father's Church.
Good to have Scott and Tiffany and the kids for a few days while they worked on Nate's program. A lot of work involved.
If you have not already done so, you need to see the show, "Emma Smith, My Story". It is extremely well done and gives a little different perspective. Also, a 'must read' is Go Forward With Faith, President Hinckley's biography by Sherri Dew. Little do we know how much work he put into the Church.
Enjoyed having Melanie and Lexi here for a few days. Again, not nearly not long enough. Thank you for the enjoyable dinner and evening at The Cheesecake Factory. Sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together. And thanks for the birthday cakes and all of the effort that you put in to make them look so professional. Also thanks for the evening at Madi's dance program. And congratulations to you, Madi, for a job well done. You did a great job!!
And thanks to Jay for the tickets for "Celtic Woman" at Kingsbury Hall. It was a great program. The four singers were outstanding, the accompaniment was great, and the solo violinist was unbelieveable. It was a most enjoyable evening.
We spent Joan's birthday in Ephraim. Stacey and Amy had a belated birthday party for Bonnie and invited the family down to celebrate her's and Joan's birthdays. It was fun to get with the family. Had a barbeque at Stacey and Brian's. Had a good time.
And speaking of Stacey and Brian, they have adopted another baby. She is an Oklahoman, weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, is bi-racial, and will be named Amelia. Congratulations to them.
We continue to enjoy our Temple calling very much. It is a humbling experince and we enjoy the people that we work with and associate with, especially the patrons who come. You don't know how much you are appreciated and loved when you go to the Temple.
In closing, you may have this, but in case that you haven't:
"As you have heard, the Bush Administration said each of us would get a rebate check to stimulate the economy. Now if we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all of the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline, it will go to the Arabs. If we purchase a computer, it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Japan. If we purchase useless stuff it will go to Taiwan. Therefore, none of the above will help the American economy.
"We need to keep that money here in America, and the only way to do that is to spend it at yard sales...since those are the only true American businesses remaining."---- Or by sending your parents on another mission.

Love, Mom and Dad

The Peacocks
Hello from the Peacocks. To say that May has been a whirlwind month would be the understatement of the century! Our biggest event was the Benefit Concert for Nate Pemberton and his family. What started out as a "little carnival" and possibly a few performers, turned into a HUGE event which included Peter Breinholt in concert, a huge silent auction, raffle, vendors, Smith’s Tix, Carnival, bounce houses, train rides, food vendors, advertising, banners, news stories, etc. It has pretty much consumed our lives for the past month. To put it into perspective, about a week before the event, McKell said to me, "Mom, I am SO excited for this Saturday!" to which I replied, "Oh, because of the carnival?" to which she answered, "No, because after Saturday, you won’t be on the phone all the time." Wow, from the mouth of babes...! It did turn out great and we had a great turnout. Tiffany and I were over the Silent auction/raffle/carnival and we broke that up so Tiff oversaw more of the Carnival and I oversaw the other parts with help from Jay. Tiffany did an amazing job! I know that isn’t surprising if you have ever attending one of Tiff’s birthday parties, but that Carnival rocked! She did such a good job and it turned out great from what I could see and from what I have heard. Jay and I had a great time doing the silent auction and even managed to calm the controversy of the great Marie Osmond Doll debacle. We raised a lot of money for Nate and I was so happy to also get a swing set from Rainbow Play donated for his kids that they will be getting soon. Nate really was so happy and overwhelmed and it was nice to see him happy again. We really appreciate everyone who helped. Shawn and Heather were awesome at their post of wristband sales and we appreciate Mom and Dad and all their help as well. It was one of the most exhausting things I have ever done and unfortunately, life doesn’t stop just because I need it to, so we are just moving right along. Other than that big event, we are staying busy trying to get our backyard landscaped. We are hopefully going to really get working on that this spring/summer. We bought a lot of trees from Costco and will get working on that soon. The kids are adamant about planting a garden this year so we’ll see how that goes. Apparently "visiting" Grandpa’s garden isn’t going to do it again this year. Rob is enjoying work and was a big help to me with this event. He was the brains behind getting credit card access which was HUGE. He has definitely been a trooper through all of it. I have been doing well with my business. It has been on hold for the past few weeks, but I look forward to getting back to that soon. I have missed it a lot. I am excited to get working on our yard as well. I am currently recovering from a horrible sunburn from being out in the sun for 2 days straight. My feet look like lobsters. I also tweaked my foot running somewhere on Saturday, so I am still limping along. Primary is going well. We had ward conference this past week (a day after the benefit concert...THAT was fun!). It went really well and was the most entertaining thing I have ever seen in primary when the whole Stake Presidency got up and tried to do sharing time in Jr Primary. To say that they had audience participation would be an understatement. At some point they had all completely lost their composure and couldn’t stop laughing due to some of the comments from the kids. It was hilarious. Cayden is plugging along in soccer, scouts, and piano. He just had his first piano recital this past week and did great! He takes piano from our bishop’s wife and our bishop commented after that he couldn’t believe that Cayden was playing that well after only a month of taking lessons. Cayden wasn’t nervous at all and did a great job. He is also doing really well in soccer and is becoming quite a good player. He is loving scouts and is close to earning his Wolf. He is earning belt loops like crazy which he is excited about. He is doing well with his spacer and will be getting braces on possibly this week. Unfortunately, he does have to have a tooth extracted which sounds awful to me, but they assure me it is no big deal. We shall see. He is excited for summer break coming soon. Ashlee had a great time at the carnival, especially because she basically had "VIP" access to everything (or so she thought). She is doing well in school and learning a lot. She was excited to turn 6 this past month and she and McKell had a fun "Ladybug" party. We had 26 kids in attendance! They had a fun time and loved having all of their friends here. Ashlee is still getting used to the idea of turning 6. For some reason, she is really concerned with different ages. This morning she asked me if she was getting older and I told her yes. She asked me if you get really really old if you die, and I said yes. She then said, "Then I definitely don’t want to turn 7!" She is doing a good job making her bed and cleaning her room so the "clean up fairy" will come. McKell’s big news is that she can now ride a two-wheeler with no training wheels. Just like Cayden, she just made her mind up one day to do it, and she did. She is very proud of herself. She had a great birthday and loves being six. She recently was concerned that she might not know everything she needs to in order to go to the first grade next year. I assured her she would do fine. She is our little peacemaker and always makes sure that everyone is happy. She is always looking out for others and when Cayden and Ashlee don’t clean their room, she tries to help them so they can all get a treat from the clean up fairy. She is our little helper and is doing great with reading and writing and we love her little notes that she leaves us. Little Miss Sadie is growing like a weed. She is so much fun and is a joy and light in our home. Everyone rushes to get her when she wakes up and no one but Sadie can get Cayden awake in the morning with a big smile. She is getting very close to crawling and we now have to be very careful where we put her to sit and what is around her. She took a topple off the bed already but luckily had some padding on the ground so she was fine. She is incredibly loud and loves to babble on and on. She gives the best loves and also claps when we say "yeah!". She is a little sweetheart. Well, that it is from the Peacocks. Love ya!

April 2008

The Peacocks

Hello from beautiful Herriman! The Peacocks are doing well. March kind of came and went in a hurry. We are more excited to have it go and for April to hopefully bring in some beautiful spring weather. The kids are getting very confused and frustrated with temps that are 65 one day and then 45 and snowing the very next day. Rob actually got paged this morning that Alpine Highway was closed due to blizzard like conditions due to the wind. Now, that is just wrong the day before April! The kids have loved the time they have been able to be outside on their bikes, playing soccer, going to the park, etc. We had a great Easter weekend. We headed up to Centerville for Rob’s family Easter egg hunt which was fun. We also had a great time at Mom and Dad’s for the Neilson Easter egg hunt. Cayden and McKell were both thrilled that they found golden eggs with a dollar inside. Ashlee was more concerned about seeing the cats, as usual. We also had a really neat Easter family home evening with the kids and it is always a special experience hearing the story of the atonement and crucifixion from your small children. Cayden actually became quite emotional and it really touched him a lot. It dawned on Ashlee that when we are resurrected that Rob will no longer be allergic to cats and dogs. She is now definitely gunning to be resurrected! We had a fun time dyeing Easter eggs with Mom and Dad. This has become a tradition that we really look forward to. We had a nice spring break at home. Rob took a few days off to be home and we had a lot of fun going to the zoo, having a few movie parties, etc. Rob and I enjoyed doing sealings at the temple this month with our ward. Thanks Mom & Dad for the temple babysitting service you have offered! Rob is doing great and enjoying work. He has been told he may need to go on a trip to Singapore, but we’ll see. I am really working hard on my business right now and hoping it goes well. So far, things have gone pretty well so I’ll keep plugging away at it as much as I can. Primary is going well, even though I about had a stroke yesterday when the youth took over primary so the teachers could go to the combined RS/Priesthood meeting. They did great. We have a very large primary, but a very good primary. I am looking forward to getting out in the yard and getting some things done that I have had to put off for 2 years due to moving to Idaho one summer and being pregnant with Sadie the next. The kids are excited to grow a garden. Cayden is loving school, scouts, and is thrilled that soccer starts this week. He is going like gangbusters in scouts and earning all kinds of awards. He is very excited to get to start piano lessons this week. He will be taking them from our bishop’s wife. I took him to the orthodontist last week with not good news. The doctor was flabbergasted at Cayden’s bite, teeth pattern, etc. There are 2 of his baby molars that apparently are fused to his jaw bone so they will have to be pulled. He will also have to have spacers for a few weeks before finally getting braces on his top teeth. I am not sure who is going to need more medication, me or him to get through this! We told him with what it is going to cost us, that this may be his Christmas, Birthday, etc. He didn’t think that was amusing or true. Ashlee is doing great in school. She has made lots of friends and amazes us with how well she is doing. She is working hard to make her bed each day and clean her room. McKell is excited to have yet another tooth loose. The orthodontist wants to look at her teeth when we go in for Cayden because her bite is so tight. She is loving school and looking forward to soccer season starting. Sadie is growing like a happy little weed. She is definitely vocal and expresses her opinion very well without saying a word! She had a bout with 2 ear infections this month which wasn’t fun. She had a fun time getting in a spitting match with Grandpa a few weeks ago and has now tried to carry that on with anyone who will do it. She is such a happy baby and brings so much joy and love to our home.

The Quists

Hey everyone - Hola!! From the Quists!! Suffice it to say, we are busy getting Heidi ready to leave on the 8th. So, for this month, this is the latest letter from the MTC from Elder Quist.
Hope all is well with everyone, and we will fill you in on the details next newsletter.Thank you for your love & prayers.
The Quist's
TARES AND THE AGES! I sent yuo guys a letter and it was good to hearfrom you! Also, I'm happy about Pippin! He should be awesome! Well, thelast few days have been the litteral translation of trying! It's awesometo be able to see the Lord give more responibility to the District nowthat we have proven that we can handle it! Ah! I love it here! But Ican't wait to get to Argentina! It will be awesome! Tayte has left butDoug Sass is now in my zone! I put more about it in my letter that Isent earlier today. Also, Dad, there's something special in there foryou. I hope you like it! Heidi- Remember that patience is going to save you for the next 18moths! Learn it NOW! There are Elders in here who haven't learned ityet.Ian- Score a goal for me! Give my love to the team and WORK HARD! Dogood in your English class. I know it's hard dealing with that type ofperson, but if you can learn how to now, you'll be that much fartherahead when you get to where I am!Jacob- How's that puppy you want coming along? Keep working for it.Before Mom and Dad will get you one you have to prove you can handle theresponsibility!Kaijsa- How the heck are you? I hope you are as excited as I am becauseexcitement is what makes the days go by! Remember to smile and begreatfule for all you have!Mom and Dad- Oh my gosh! I LOVE IT HERE!!! I have never been in a placeso much like home away from home! I can't wait to get down to Argentinabut I'm happy to learn while I'm here. Yesterday we taught for the firsttime the first discussion in Spanish! It was so awesome! The guy wetaught had take 5 years of Spanish in High School and College and wewere having to teach him some spanish phrases! He's actually going onhis mission to Brazil in June! So anyways, I have a lot to thank youfor and I don't think I'll ever have the time to do it. But I love youvery much and you're always in my prayers, which are in Spanish by theway.Ha Ha Ha. So on Tuesday we had an MTC devotional and at the openingprayer the person said it in English of course, but right at thebeginning I was like "what is she ... OH! Right! They still say Englishprayers!" It was pretty funny! My comp and I get along like "peas andcarrots"! We are a lot alike and we compliment each other in theteaching very well. So anyways, the pranks here are amazing, so watchout for when I get home!But all is well and I love you all very much!Heidi I can't tell you how much you need to buckle up! But not in thebad way! It's like in the way you buckle up for the funnest thrill-ridein the WORLD!!!Elder, what's my first name again? oh yeah!, Warren P. Quist

Mom & Dad

Dear Family,
Firstly, enjoyed going to Alex and Jordan's school basketball games. They play like a chip off the old block. Congratulations to Jordan for his team winning the championship!
Adios, Warren. Off for a great adventure. Haven't heard from him, but Miriam says that he is doing great--but what would you expect.
Enjoyed the trip to the Hogle Zoo with Marci and the kidlets. Also Michelle and Jason and Miki. And didn't even get clawed by a tiger.
We also enjoyed driving up American Fork Canyon and meeting Michelle and Jason and Kyle and Jules and Miki who were up there fishing. It was a little cool so we didn't stay too long. Took a short trip down memory lane on the way home. Stopped at what used to be the Crystal Hot Lakes where we would swim in the nude a lot and where Grandpa Steedman would come up and tell us that he was going to being his daughters up swimming and we needed to either put on our bathing suits or get dressed. Didn't have much choice as we didn't have bathing suits with us. Guess things have a way of working out, seeing as one of the swimmers there married one of his daughters. The Crystals are now surrounded by all of the commercial buildings up there and the big lake has been partially drained. It's sad.
Then we stopped at Grandma Steedman's old house and walked down where the spring house used to be and from where they got the drinking water. That is also sad as the spring house is no longer there and the spring has dried up. I guess it's like they say, you can't go home again, or at least if you do it's not the same.
Had an enjoyable Easter and hope that all of you did also. The weather was good and the kids had a good time on the egg hunt. We missed those of you who weren't able to be there.
Two books that everyone should read--THE HOLY TEMPLE by President Packer and
GO FORTH WITH FAITH, the biography of President Hinckley by Sherrie Dew.
Had a nice time celebrating Gage's birthday with Scott and Tiffany and the kids and Bob and Yvonne and Cade and Hailey. Never have there been so many golfers in one family. Perhaps a Tiger Woods?
It was good to see Jared and his girl friend (or as he would say, my friend that happens to be a girl. Ya)and have them for dinner. He seems to be doing well at Dixie
The Temple continues to go well and be enjoyable, especially when you get a chance to work with those who are either there for the first time or haven't been for a long time and are just returning. You can just feel the Spirit that is there and the joy and excitement of their being in the Temple.
That seems to be about all from this part of the world. Hope that all is well with all of you and yours. Love, Mom and Dad

Shawn, Heather and Family

Well HELLO from the Shawn and Heather Neilson family! It's been quite a while since we took sent anything in - sorry. Let's take a few minutes to tell you all of what has been going on. Okay, in the words or Indigo Montoya, "No - too much, let's sum up." - Heather and I participated again in the Moab 1/2 marathon and 5 mile run. Heather ran the 5-mile run with several friends/members of our ward. Her time was 52 minutes. She did great!! Shawn ran the 1/2 marathon and finished in 1 hour, 48 minutes. He was quite pleased with my time beings that he didn't have as much time to train as he would have liked. - Things in our ward have been a bit challenging lately. We had 2 members of our ward pass away from cancer. They actually passed away almost 24 hours from each other. One, a guy that I knew in high school named Seth Shaffer, age 37 has been fighting cancer for about the last 2 years or so. He's completely outlived the doctors expectations, but obviously is very young and leaves behind a wife and 6 children, ages 16 down to 9. The other, a woman named Vicki Bigelow also passed away from cancer. She was diagnosed last August and leaves behind a husband and 5 children - most of whom are married and one was married the week she passed away. Their youngest daughter is a laurel in the ward. Both remaining spouses are extremely wonderful people with the spiritual base it will take to make it through what lies ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with them still. They are wonderful people. The ward has been amazing and these challenging experiences have really brought us all closer. - On a happier note, the Neilson clan spent a wonderful week in Scottsdale with Melanie, Lexi, Madison, Austin, Brandon and Brian. It was a great week and as always, Melanie spoiled us rotten. It was beautiful weather, especially considering that since we've returned home, it's snowed twice and is supposed to do it again a couple of times over the next few days. We definitely miss the 80 degree temps. We stopped in Paige on the way down and did a tour of Glen Canyon dam. It was very fun. Once is Scottsdale, we had a great time with Mel and the gang swimming in the pool, hanging out playing games and having a wonderful Easter. We had the opportunity to go with Brian, Madison, Alex and Jordan to do baptisms for the dead at the Mesa temple. It was a great experience. We also attended the Easter pageant about the life of Christ at the Mesa temple (an outdoor pageant similar to the Manti pageant). We met Brian there and had a great time there as well. It was a wonderful pageant. Again, Melanie spoiled us and we had a very, very memorable time there as always. It's harder and harder to leave each year to come home. - Alex and Jordan both finished their school basketball seasons at American Preparatory Academy (the school they attend). Jordan's JV team won their age group championship and Jordan played very, very well. Alex's varsity team took third and lost to the team that eventually took the championship. Alex also played very well and led the team in scoring and just about everything else. They had a great experience. Their coach, who is a wonderful guy is going to take them and their team to a couple of camps this summer - one in Texas and the other in Washington. It should be fun for them. Alex is actually going to help coach. - The kids are all doing well in school, but are also very ready for it to be over for another year - thank you spring break. They're working hard and doing well. Mary is doing great in pre-school and loving every minute of being with the other kids socializing, etc. School work is definitely secondary, but she loves it. - Overall, we're doing very well. We're all healthy and life is treating us very well. We've been having great experiences and some trying ones as well, both of which are part of why we're here. For Christmas, we got the kids membership into Cosmo's kids club, and along with that, they get football and basketball tickets to BYU games. We have had a great time going to both football and most recently basketball games as a family. It's especially good since BYU is winning. It's been great. Well, we hope that all is well with each of you . Hopefully, we'll be much better about writing more regularly. We love you and think and pray for you all very, very often. Take care!!

MARCH 2008

The Peacocks

Howdy from Herriman. Here is some quick news from us. We had a fun month in February with tubing at Mom and Dad’s, Valentines, mini-golfing, Heidi & Warren’s Farewells, and doing lots of organizing of our house. We also had a great time going to the zoo last week with Mom, Dad and Miki. It was a lot of fun! Some not so fun moments were the ridiculous issues with our car including having to have a new transmission put in only to have our car completely stall on I-15 three days later. After having it towed to the shop and fixed, we hopefully won’t have any further issues. Another not fun moment came on the night before Valentines when Rob was literally stuck in the snow in Lehi during a freak blizzard. It was quite scarey and he ended up having to run a half a mile in waste deep snow to a co-worker’s home. He couldn’t see anything and luckily a man in a truck saw him and picked him up and took him where he needed to go. It was a blessing that he was okay. He ended up having to spend the night and said it was one of the most freaky things you have ever seen to see all of the cars just parked and buried on Alpine highway. It took them all day to get cars uncovered and cleared out. We were happy he made it home and had a warm place to sleep. We’ve also had a few bouts of the flu/cold bugs and are ready for warm weather! The kids are doing well. We had parent teacher conferences and they all received lots of praise from all of their teachers. They are doing great in school and we are so proud of them. Cayden was excited this month to receive his Bobcat rank in scouts. He was so proud to get his new badge and loves scouts. He is working hard to get his wolf. He is such a sweet kid and is working hard to always make the right choices. Ashlee is doing great. She keeps us on our toes as always. A few weeks ago the toilet had a clog and she was upset that the water wouldn’t flush so she apparently just kept trying over and over and over to flush it. The end result...about 3 gallons of water all over the floor that then seeped into the carpets before we found the mess. She also broke her glasses at school and apparently told everyone that she looked "hideous" without them. Her other fun saying this month with the cold weather is that she is "frozen salad!" (Instead of frozen solid). She is quite a character. McKell’s biggest news is that she finally lost her front top tooth! It took a long time but she finally managed to get it out and the tooth fairy visited that night. She and Ashlee are both very excited that their room is pretty much all done. They are working hard to keep it clean and organized. McKell is also excited that we now have new neighbors including a 6 year old little girl named Kennedy that she loves playing with. Sadie Jayne is growing like a weed! She can now sit up on her own and gives mommy loves. She also has found her love for "real" food and loves when we sneak her pancakes, bread, crackers, etc. Everything goes in her mouth right now! She is such a sweet little baby for the most part and her brother and sister adore her. Rob is doing well at work. He once again shocked our ward at the annual Elder’s Quorum party. Last year he did an uncanny imitation of Randy Jackson when we did our ward American Idol and this year the theme was around the "America’s Got Talent" theme. He got talked into doing the whole Dance from Napoleon Dynamite and had people literally falling off their chairs laughing. He had the whole dance down and we had him wear his whole Napoleon outfit, including moon boots, from Halloween. I am doing well keeping up with kids, primary, etc. I have decided to get back into doing my business again after a few months off. We will see how that goes.
Well, that is about it from us. We look forward to seeing you at Easter. Love ya!

The Quists
Hola!! From the Quist's
Here is our news for "Febrero". Oh this is going to be FUN!!! We'll learn spanish together!! WAHOO!!

Well, to start off the month, we celebrated Warren & Kaijsa's birthdays. Just FYI, they are almost exactly to the day, 10 years apart. Kaijsa took 2nd place in the Powder Puff derby. Her car was "The Midnight Flames". Yes, we thought we were done with pinewood derby's after Jakob left cub scouts, but oh no, we do powder puff in our ward!! Kaijsa had a lot of fun!!

We attended Ian's awards swim banquet. He did very well this year, and we are looking forward to more good times next year as a sophomore.

We had a great open house for Heidi & Warren for our ward and friends. We just had a casual get together at the church, and visited with friends. Our ward has been great to give support to us right now. We want to thank you all for coming on Sunday, to support Heidi & Warren as they spoke. It was a very good day for us, and we want to let you all know how much we love you all and appreciate your love and support right now. Thank you for helping with the food, making my load lighter!!
Warren and Paul were able to go and spend a day on the Provo River fly fishing before Warren left. They had a great time and enjoyed spending time together. Needless to say, we haven't focused much on anything else lately.
Well, this is very short, but our fucus is pretty self explanitory.
We will fill you in on Warren's setting apart & the MTC in next months news. We haven't heard from him yet, but we're confident that he is just happy and busy!!

Until next month!!
The Quist's

Mom & Dad

Dear Family,
It's difficult to realize that President Hinckley is not with us anymore. What a great man, a great Prophet, and a great friend to everyone. Probably none, except the Prophet Joseph have had such an influence on the Church and on the world. He will be missed.
And speaking of being missed, most of you probably already know this, but Neal Allen died. We went to his funeral and it was very good. He and Beverly had some trials in their life, as their oldest son was paralyzed from the waist down while he was playing Church basketball, and their second son lost an eye while helping Neal change a tire. And one of their daughter's has Lupis. Neal was head of security at the Jordan River Temple for several years.
You may also know that Mary (Mame) Mousley died. The old folks in Bluffdale are getting fewer and fewer.
We are thankful that prayers are answered and that Scott was not hurt when a car hit into his car while he was investigating an accident on I-80. The results could have been so much different. We hardly worry at all. And if you believe that.......
We enjoyed the traditional tubing party this year, this time held sliding from Sam's hill down in the back. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the weather cooperated so that we could enjoy the time. Glad that Jason was able to make it.
We enjoyed going down to Trafalga with Tiffany and the kids and Marci and Rob and the kids and Miki for a round of miniature golf. We won't mention the scores. It was a lot of fun even if we all have a little hearing loss due to the loud music.
And one more congratulations to Heidi and Warren on their mission calls. And to Paul and Miriam for their teaching and encouragement. As the saying goes, this is one of the great "defining moments" in their lives. We envy and are jealous of them for the experience that they have ahead of them. Their talks in Sacrament Meeting were great, as was the whole day. They will be in our thoughts and prayers.
The Temple calling continues to go well. It is a joy to be around the workers there and we enjoy so much working with the patrons who come there.
That's about all from here. We love you all and appreciate you help and support.

Love, Mom and Dad
ps here is some "humor" from Dad

DAFFYNITIONS:
ARBITRATOR: A cook who leaves Arby's to work at McDonalds
AVOIDABLE: What a bullfighter tries to do.
BERNADETTE: The act of burning a mortgage.
BURGLARIZE: What a crook sees.
COUNTERFEITERS: Workers who put kitchen cabinets together.
ECLIPSE: What a barber does for a living.
EYEDROPPER: A clumsy ophthalmologist.
HEROES: What a guy in a boat does.
LEFTBANK: What the robber did when his bag was full of money.
MISTY: How golfers create divots.
PARODOX: Two physicians.
PARASITES: What you can see from the Eiffel Tower.
PHARMACIST: A helper on a farm.
POLARIZE: What penguins see with.
RELIEF: What trees do in the Spring.
SELFISH: What the owner of a seafood store does.
SUDAFED: A lawsuit brought against a government official.
HUCKABEE: Seeing how far you can throw a wasp.

The Monsons

Hi All!!A very brief update of the past couple of months for our family!! Bruce & I keep busy, mostly with our church and Institute responsibilities. The highlight of this past month was having Elder Ballard visit for our Stake Conf. and getting the opportunity to meet him! What a great and humble man...so down to earth, yet such a spiritual giant! In one of the sessions of conf. he told us that grandparents are the "memory makers!" Bruce and I plan to live up to that title! Our Stake RS presidency had the opportunity to fix a dinner for him and for the Bishops of our stake and their wives. It was a special honor. I also had the opportunity to prepare a sack lunch for him. (Just in case you ever need to know, according to his secretary, he really enjoys a good tuna salad sandwich and dill pickles!). We've had some really great weather here recently. The other day I walked out the front door and the sun was shining, there were 4 deer in the front yard grazing, 2-3 robins were hopping across the lawn, and birds were chirping in the trees!! I felt like Snow White!! I was tempted to burst into song but fortunately was able to refrain!!Ang, Scott, & Andrew have recently all had the flu bug, but are now doing much better and life is back in full swing for them. Fortunately Katie didn't get it. Of course this is a hectic time of year for Scott as a busy accountant and auditor. (Tax reminder!!) Ang also stays busy being a mom, and enjoys Elise's company on nights when Scott and Justin are working/studying. Andrew is doing great in pre-school and enjoys entertaining Katie and making her laugh. Katie is growing and has learned to maneuver the stairs and stand up to furniture. Brian is busy with school, dating, and singing. We recently got a singing phone call from him and a few of his friends. Evidently they had been singing to various girls' apartments and wanted us to be part as well! It was great!Derek & Melanie had fun celebrating Derek's birthday this past month. Thanks to mom and dad for inviting them up for a special birthday dinner, and "thanks" to all who were there and shared the memories of the Board of Education and BYU ring experiences with them!! Melanie said she received quite an education!Elise is still working for USU doing evaluations, interviews, and recommendations for the "Birth to Three" program. When Justin has classes in the evening she becomes "Auntie" and enjoys spending time at the Burtons. Justin is very busy in school and is preparing for the MCAT (a huge medical test to qualify for med school). He'll take approx. 14 practise tests, each 3-5 hours in length (real brain fryers!), before he takes the real one in about a month! On other fronts...we're glad to hear that Jason is home and doing better day by day..."love you man!!" Also "bon voyage" and good luck to Warren, and to Heidi next month as they enter the MTC and embark on the wonderful and spiritual journey of serving missions!! Hope all is going well for everyone! We miss and love you ALL!!