The Peterson Kids

5 month Recap

2011-06-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Super quick summary of our last 5 months...Seriously has it been that long? I am the worst journaler/scrapbooker/blogger ever!!! (Of course we are choosing just to blog the good times over the last 5 months hahaha) The bad times have already been forgotten :)

Meg and her friend Lauren Meg and friends on their last day of third grade

Meg and Mrs. Westenskow, her third grade teacher

The amazing Derek pitching his magic pitches - Can you tell his Mom is his biggest fan??

Derek's Yankees team took first place with 15 wins and 1 loss this season

Jake got 3 straight years of a 4.0 gpa. Who does this?? Way to go Jake you little overachiever!

Jake's last day of 9th grade and middle school

Jake and his awards

Meg was Princess Diana at the "Wax Museum" at the school

Derek pitching for his Yankees team

Derek's band concert. He is a serious clarinet player.

Mel's first Mother's Day

Mother's Day - We were all so excited my mom was finally out of the hospital/rehab center!

Carson's blessing day, May 1, 2011

We are all loving every minute we get to spend with Baby Carson

Alan won President's Circle at Fidelity Investments. We got to go to a fun little all inclusive trip to Arizona in April.

Carson Wallace Powell was finally born on March 4, 2011. We all fell in love with him the second we saw him!

Jake lettered in swimming! Way to go Jake. Since the kid is still growing (we think), we are waiting to get his letterman's jacket til next year. Then Mom can wear it proudly!

Jake and friends at swim dinner

My sister Melanie was the cutest pregnant lady ever!!!

Derek got a baseball bear for Valentine's Day from cute Janine and they broke up shortly after.

Miss Meg signed up to be a mini cheerleader with our real cheerleader friend Andi. She got to do cartwheels at half time during a West Jordan basketball game.

That's Meg upside down - Good shot Alan the photographer!

Lion of the Quarter

2011-01-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Derek!!!

Derek with Grandma Moore and Grandpa Moore

Congratulations to Derek who won Lion of the Quarter at West Jordan Middle School. We are so so so proud of you Derek!!!

Meg's Family Tree

2011-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

This is Megan's version of genealogy.. I love it! When you don't know the answer, just write in IDK.

Major Catching Up to Do

2010-12-29T17:28:00.001-08:00

We spent a few days after Christmas at Wolf Creek in Eden. Happy 19th anniversary to us!

Meggie cozy by the fire

The boys created a sledding hill for all of the guests at the condo

Jake and Meg sledding near Snowbasin

Alan took a little spill on the way down

Jake, Derek and Megan

Jake and Megan

Jake and Megan (Derek is not a big fan of snow/sledding)

It was soooo pretty up there

Jake cruising down his homemade hill

Jake and Meg

Derek and Meg on Christmas

Grandpa Guy and Grandma Janet

Family pic on Christmas

The kids got an x-box from Grandpa Guy and Grandma Janet

Meg and her favorite gift, the karaoke machine

Jake and some super special boxers

The kids at Grandma and Grandpa Moore's Christmas party

Meg in the Fall 2010

Park City with Aunt Mel

Cascade Springs

Jake and Nathan - Halloween 2010

Meg and friends - Meg was a vampire

Derek and friends - Derek is Barack Obama

Meggie the cutest vampire ever

Our baby got baptized

2010-09-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Meg wore her baptism dress on the Sunday she got to sit on the stand with the Bishop.

Meg and the dress

Grandpa Great McKell spoke at her baptism and at both of the boy's baptisms too :)

The brothers and Meg

Grandpa and Grandma Moore, Grandpa Great

Grandpa Doug and Grandma Bev

Grandpa Guy and Grandma Janet

Grandma Nedra

Aunt Mel (4 months pregnant :) and Meg

Megger's 8th birthday

2010-09-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Megan's party at Gene Fullmer Rec Center

Meg and Kara

The girls

Mel and Meg

The fam

Meg gave every girl a hug

Megan decided to continue getting older even though I told her to STOP. She turned 8 last week and had a fun party with friends. Now we are preparing for another party for her baptism tomorrow. Happy Birthday Miss Meg!

Happy Birthday to Us!

2010-08-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

Alan turned 45 and Nat turned 40 this month. So we celebrated on Florida beaches

Our resting place on the beach

Our one and only picture we had taken together on the beach

Nat's 40th birthday lunch - It was really humid that day. Derek told me when he saw this picture "no offense Mom but you look really shiny"

Hanging out on my pink floatie.

Fireworks off the pier

Alan on the balcony

That balcony was amazing!

End of July Fun

2010-07-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Along with the rest of Utah, we went to the Bees game/fireworks on July 24. Super fun and super crowded! Megan and Derek brough their mitts so they could catch a foul ball. When we were walking in, Megan smiled at a Bees worker who in turn tossed her a genuine Bees ball... She was pretty excited and Derek was pretty jealous!

Derek and Megan ran the bases after the game. Jake with his flip flops wisely chose not to.

Meg with her arm around Jake :)

West Jordan All Stars took 4th place in the State Tournament. A disappointment that Derek got over pretty quickly.

Derek got to pitch in all of the State games

I dropped some cash on cute photos of Derek taken by a sports photographer at the games.

District Champions

2010-07-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

Derek's All Star team took first place in the District Championship this year. It's the first time he has been on a team that took first. He was so excited! His team starts to play in the State tournament on Friday.

Coach Mike got drenched by water after the game.

Jake was a spectator at the game and got hit by a foul ball. His poor arm was so red and swollen for a few days. There was even a cool baseball seam on top of the swelling.

Derek and his friend Hunter

Derek getting his trophy from Mike. I totally caught Derek's real smile in this picture!

Derek was so excited he got to pitch for 3 innings in the tournament.

Alive and Well

2010-07-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Meg and friends walking out of the recital rehearsal. Meg is on the right. Oh.my.cute!

Tara

Braydee

Emily

Meg and Mrs. Davis, her second grade teacher

Derek got the President's Academic Achievement award along with 3 cute girls. Go Derek!

Meg's team took 2nd place

Meg before her dance recital

Meg hanging out at Derek's game

Derek leading off at first base

Derek up to bat - He has been hitting really well lately!!!

Just a quick note...We are still alive over here. We have just been relocated to the baseball fields all over the valley. Here is a quick update on the Peterson kids:

Jake - He is busy working at the outdoor pool (loves it), swim practice and friends, friends, friends. He just finished up a week of EFY (loved it) and is heading to Trek this week. Jake ended the school year having a crush on 3 different girls. So I included pictures of the the girls and Jake (in no particular order) just because I know how much he will appreciate it. haha

Derek - He is now playing on an All Star baseball team for West Jordan, so our life is on hold for another month or so. He is having a great time and his team continues to win almost every game. He is gearing up to start middle school in the Fall.

Megan - She had her last baseball game and her dance recital both on the same week. She is now Derek's loudest cheerleader at his games. And her free time is filled with lots of chatty friends.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays...especially since I became a mom. I love having a "day off" courtesy of Alan! And I love honoring my sweet mom who is the greatest person I know! We were also able to see Alan's mom a week before Mother's Day this year. Alan has never spoken an unkind word about his mom. I know she is one of the heroes in his life!

This year Megan adorned me with various gifts and many, many cards. One of my gifts was this bunch of white artificial flowers that she plucked out of a flower arrangement and then put into a vase of water. She is so stinkin cute! About mid-day, I had to yell down the stairs that I do distinctly remember giving birth to 2 boys as well as a daughter. The boys made their way up pretty quickly after that :). You gotta love boys!!!

Alan always does a good job keeping things clean and quiet on Mother's Day...just the way I like it! He picked up my favorite Cafe Rio meal Saturday night so I could have it on Sunday!!! And he taught my Primary class of 9 little 7 year old girls. He was a little brain dead after that haha.

Nat and the kids on Mother's Day

Sharalyn, Mel, Mom, Nat and Megan at Mother's Day lunch at Aunt Mel's on Saturday

Alan and the boys

Meg's Adventures

2010-04-24T15:16:00.002-07:00

Megan's first Piano Recital

Derek while we were taking pictures after the recital

Megan and Grandma Nedra

Family Picture (Derek came straight from baseball)

Derek showing his excitement again

And again...

Nat congratulating Megan

Megan and Grandma Moore

Megan playing one of her songs

Megan's baseball team got to participate in "Field of Dreams" with the Bees.

Megan got to meet the Bee's shortstop

She also got to announce her name and the position she plays

Talking to a Bees coach

Meg

2010-04-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

Play Ball!!!

2010-04-17T13:05:00.001-07:00

Meg the Mariner up to bat

Meg getting ready to run

Up to bat again

Meg loves to put her wet hair in a towel

Derek up to bat - check out the ball he is about to hit

Derek warming up Derek up to bat

Derek pitching during warm ups

Baseball season has begun! This year Derek is a Yankee (so we have had to set aside our distaste for the Yankees). We are now true Yankee fans!! Megan is a Mariner and playing her first year with machine pitch. She loves to go to baseball practice and loves her games. She is the only girl on her team and can tease the boys right back if they tease her. She is having a blast! Derek was picked by the same coaches he has had the last 2 years. He really likes these coaches. Their team has won all of their games so far.

Jake will probably be joining us at the ball park more often now that he has learned a certain cute girl has a brother playing on the fields. :) Jake is still swimming every day for his swim team. And he recently had his first real job interview for a job at the rec center's outdoor pool. He will hear if he got the job on Monday. Either way, it was a good experience for him to put a resume together and survive his first interview.

Jake and Bella sitting in a tree....

2010-03-22T13:35:00.001-07:00

Jake attended (or was dragged to) a midnight Twilight/New Moon party at Wal Mart with the Whatcott family. And yes you could have your picture taken with the look-alike Twilight characters. I think he had more fun than he let on. :) I love this picture because I love the Whatcott girls...but it does seem Jake and "Bella" are getting a little cozy. Jake was complaining about how white he looked in the picture, and we decided he fit right in with the vampires!

Makeover

2010-03-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Meg left this little note on my bed the other day. And of course I said YES! She brought out her "makeover" kit which included yellow finger nail polish, glitter lip gloss and lots and lots of hair accessories. I really should have taken a picture of myself post-makeover. I have to say I looked kinda cute!
For my next makeover, can mommy have liposuction and microdermabrasion????

Florida (without the kids this time)

2010-03-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

We just returned from a fabulous getaway in Naples, Florida!!!! Who cares if it rained half the time and was a little chilly! We were just glad to get away and be really spoiled by Fidelity hospitality. Alan made "President's Circle" at Fidelity Investments and won this trip. Fidelity knows how to put on a show. Each night at dinner felt like a high school prom. And during the day, they had us pampered like celebrities. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

Formal awards dinner night. We were soooo sunburnt this night!

There were a million things to do at the Ritz Carlton

This was the awards presentation dinner

I was happy to see a Tiffany's box at my place setting. All of the ladies got a cute necklace.

Alan on our balcony

Amazing beaches in Naples

A phone in our bathroom...too funny!

Alan in front of the biggest flower arrangement I've ever seen.

The dinners each night were incredible! This night there was a DJ and dancing.

Lounging on the lounge chair in our room

It was too cold on the beach to wear swim apparel...

Alan saving his soda for later

Collecting shells from "Shell Beach"

Alan's find....a shell too big to take home.

Alan and his shells

View from our balcony

Shell Beach

Alan and his big shell again...He was very proud.

You can't tell from the picture, but the sand was COVERED in beautiful shells

My view from my beach chair

We stayed a couple of days at a different resort....It rained all day so they never unlocked the lounge chairs. So Alan decided he would enjoy them anyway.

Sampling of the lovely weather we had

Pathway to the beach (at the first resort)

We never saw an alligator....but loved the warning sign

Valentine's Day - Kid Style

2010-02-17T17:30:00.001-08:00

Random drawing from Megan. Not sure if it is a temple or a birthday cake.

Valentine's treats from Derek's "valentine" Janine

Little Meg at her school valentine party. Her teacher requested healthy snacks instead of sugary treats for the party....so we came up with muffins, fruit and milk. The kids didn't seem to notice that it was healthy. :)

Megan got a hold of the camera again!

P.S. Jake posted on facebook that he had a great Valentine's Day...but of course he wouldn't elaborate. Hmmmmm. And Alan and I plan to celebrate Valentine's Day next week in Florida on a Fidelity sponsored vacation!!! Yipee!

Miss Megan is officially not a baby anymore

2010-01-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

We finally got around to remodeling Megan's room. For seven years, she has been housed in the "nursery" with the baby wallpaper and lots and lots of writings on the walls. We spent a good week scraping off the 15-year old wallpaper. Another week of patching up holes and painting. And yet another week shopping at Ikea for new furniture (Alan's LEAST favorite thing to do in the world). Anyone who has shopped at Ikea knows the furniture is cheaper because you have to put it together yourself. Alan and the boys were able to put all of the furniture together last Saturday, and then Megan, Melanie and I organized and decorated. For such a small room, I think we did pretty well. And as Megan pointed out, SHE IS NOT A BABY ANYMORE...SHE IS A BIG GIRL!

The crew at work

I love her lace curtains!!! Love, Love, Love them.

We made a reading/guinea pig/stuffed animal/ doll area under her bed decorated with cute lights from Ikea. I am not sure why on her dry erase board she has written "worst day" on each line. Seriously Megan, what is that about?

She is so excited to finally have her own desk!

What room is not complete without a shiny purple comforter?

Goodbye 2009!

2010-01-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to Us! 18 years and counting!!! Thanks to Aunt Mel for coming over and playing with the kiddos while we hung out at The Anniversary Inn and Little America for 4 days. So Fun!!! Christmas was fun...and the Grinch (I won't name any names :) was trying REALLY hard to be nice this year! Meg has pretty much figured out the Santa thing...but she still played along this year just for our fun. We got to spend time with family and friends....Can't ask for more than that! We do wish we could have seen Nedra and Al, but we are always too scared to drive to St. George in the cold and snow. We don't have any good New Year's Eve pictures. Alan and I were the chaperones to a 14-year old party at our house. And the 14-year olds did not want their pictures taken. Luckily the girl Jake likes left at 11:00 so we didn't have to stress about a possible New Year's Eve kiss haha.

Megan and more Megan

2009-12-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures starring Megan! It might seem we favor Megan in our family (The boys probably think we do). But seriously, Megan BEGS to get her picture taken constantly. And she is so stinkin photogenic, I have to post every one. The day we were putting up our tree, Megan came upstairs draped in the Christmas tree skirt and said "Look, I'm Judge Judy!"
Note to the brothers...You too can be the stars of the blog too IF you actually smile and act nice when I'm trying to take your picture. :)

Christmas Parties

2009-12-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Parties, Parties, Parties! We have had some fun family parties this year. Every time we are at my mom's house, Jake loves to bring out the legos. And Derek is contantly jumping in the air trying to touch celings...His jumping is at its worst (or best) during basketball season.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was at Aunt Sharalyn's this year. It's always fun to get together with family! Sorry it took me so long to get the pictures up Mel!

The Petersons are Alive!

2009-12-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

Finally a catch-up post! This is the first day in about 5 weeks when I haven't felt like total crapola!!! Who knew a stupid cold could last so long! Anyway, we'll start with the kid's sports. Derek started basketball and loves it! Jake is rocking it in swimming. He has his 50 yard free style down to 31 seconds. Yay! And Miss Megan has finally agreed to be a ballerina (thanks to some peer pressure from her cute friend Kara). Derek is #13 in the blue jersey with the ball in the pics. Jake is in the white swim cap in the pics. And Meg is the ballerina in pink :). In the recital picture on stage, Meg is the one jumping highest in the air in the middle. My favorite pic.

Megan's Rules

2009-11-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

I will have to do a catch up post later.....But this newest sign on Megan's door is too funny not to share. I guess this is what happens when you have 2 pesky brothers who are always bothering you.

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-10-31T15:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday to the greatest Mom /Grandma in the world!!! Seriously, if anyone wants lessons on how to be a perfect mom or a perfect grandma, look no further than my mom. I'm not sure how I got so lucky to have her as MY mom...but I am very grateful that I did. Thank you for all you do for us Mom!!! We love you!!!
Love, Nat, Alan, Jake, Derek and Meg

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

2009-10-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

Happy 65th Birthday Dad! You are now months away from retirement ...yipee!!! This year we also celebrated your year anniversary of the scariest Halloween I've ever had...that scary day your heart valve decided to come off. I remember very clearly sitting in the ICU waiting room on Halloween, waiting for news that you had come out of surgery OK. The thought of possibly losing you was heartbreaking! This will be a much happier Halloween!!!

Melanie made and decorated the cutest cake to celebrate his "heart" day. Jake and I were happy to get to deliver the cute cake.

Happy happy birthday to an awesome DAD/GRANDPA! With MUCH love from the Peterson clan!!!

Florida Fun

2009-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a week in Florida hanging out on the beach. It was incredibly beautiful and relaxing!!! We stayed in a condo on Ormond Beach, 5 minutes away from Daytona Beach. All of the kids had a blast, especially Jake who is our family daredevil. He had a lot of fun catching the waves with his green inner tube. Megan and Derek didn't go out as far as Jake, but they caught their own waves with their boogie boards and Meg's pink inner tube. Overall, it was the greatest vacation!!!!

Jake's Cakes

2009-10-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Jake is one lucky kid! When he got to school, a cutie named Sadie gave him a cake that looked like a giant blue cupcake. By the time he walked around for a couple of hours with it at school, it was covered with finger marks and all of the cute decorations had been eaten. His Spanish teacher made Jake and his cake stand in front of the class while they sang Happy Birthday to him. One teacher even gave him a fork. At some point during the day, he received a balloon bouquet which (surprise) didn't last long. He then got to check out of school for lunch at Cafe Rio with mom and dad. After school was a trip to a cell phone accessory store at the mall. The lucky kid then received another cake from a cutie named Emily. She made him a cake shaped and decorated like a swimming suit. Seriously, can a 14th birthday get any better????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE

2009-10-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY JACOB ALAN PETERSON! It was so fun to go back and look at the pictures of you growing up. You have always been the sweetest, kindest, happiest kid. You have always been an overachiever and the perfect student. My favorite thing to do is walk into a Parent Teacher Conference and tell the teacher that my son is Jacob Peterson. Teachers love my Jake! Apparently he is the perfect kid away from home. :) You are a great example to your brother and sister and a great example to your parents. It is an honor to have you as a son! Love, Mom and Dad

*Disclaimer...If you happen to see a scrapbook page, it is courtesy of my sister Melanie who was kind enough to put together many scrapbook pages for our family. Thanks Mel!

THE TOP 14 GREATEST THINGS ABOUT JAKE:
1) He has a big heart and would do anything for anybody.
2) He is a natural leader. We used to call him the Pied Piper when he was younger because he always had a group of kids following him around.
3) He is very disciplined at everything he does.
4) He is in better shape than anyone in our family. He swims an average of 6-8 hours a week.
5) He is an animal lover and takes great care of his guinea pigs.
6) He has had a 4.0 GPA since the beginning of 7th grade.
7) He is an entrapreneur...He once made $75 in a day running a neighborhood snack shack.
8) He can text really quickly and very accurately, even with his eyes shut.
9) He loves to build things out of legos, rocks, bricks, wood, snow, etc.....
10) His closet and drawers are immaculately organized. However, his room is usually a disaster.
11) He loves to be outside...trampoline, biking, walking with friends, hiking.
12) He and his cell phone are BFFs
13) He would rather spend time with his Aunt Melanie than anyone else.
14) He knows who he is and is very confident in who he is. He has never been one to cave into peer pressure or follow the crowd. He has always just done his own thing.

Backyard BBQ

2009-09-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

Alan hosted an Elder's Quorum BBQ in our backyard last Saturday. It was a perfect night for a BBQ! It was fun for everyone in the neighborhood to get together. I didn't do an official count, but I think there were close to 50 kids there.... All of the people in these pictures are the reason why we are still live in our little starter house. We LOVE this neighborhood!!!!

Our newest little neighbor

2009-09-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Ashley Turnbow. She was born September 8th (her dad was really really hoping for a 9/9/09 birthday...so close). She is the fourth of the Turnbow girls who live next door to us. We LOVE the Turnbow girls, and I especially love that BreeAnne let me hold little Ashley for almost 2 hours straight. It was so fun!

Jake's million dollar smile

2009-09-09T20:52:00.001-07:00

Well that smile didn't actually cost a million dollars...it has just seemed like it! Jake was pretty excited to get his braces off today. He couldn't stop smiling all day. He has a permanent retainer that you can't even see without really looking for it. Times have changed! Permanent retainers weren't invented in our day. At least we don't have to worry about accidentally throwing it away at McDonald's...remember that little incident Mom????

Zoo Day

2009-09-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Megan's birthday celebration continues on and on. Grandpa Guy and Grandma Janet took Megan and all of us to the zoo for her birthday. It was a perfect day to visit the zoo! Megan always chooses Derek when we tell her to go and hold someone's hand. Derek is a pretty good sport about it!

August Catch Up

2009-09-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Megan's new hair. 5 inches taken off the length.

Young Derek was recently dumped by his girlfriend (who by the way he never talked to anyway). He took his frustrations out at a ball game that night and has since decided he is a much better baseball player without a girlfriend. I do have to admit he has played amazingly well the last 2 games since he has been "single." Maybe this is how we can keep him away from the girls...by pointing out what a better athlete he is without them!

Jake started 8th grade at West Jordan Middle. So far, so good. WJ Middle does not have air conditioning, so the poor kids roast all day. But Jake is just happy to be back with his friends. He also started back on his swim team after a couple of weeks off. And his beloved cell phone was stolen out of his swim locker. He is now saving for another one and using my phone for most of his texting needs.

Our furry friend Taco survived a scary fall onto the cement driveway outside. She got to hang out in our Guinea Pig Rehab Center (laundry basket with lots of towels for comfort) for a couple of nights. She has now moved back to her cage and has made a full recovery.

Meg chose to have a family birthday party at Lagoon. Lucky for us it was 2 for 1 days...and even luckier, it was 100 degrees most of the day. We had a good time (even Derek who normally hates Lagoon had a good time). Derek found a pitching booth where he was clocked at 53 miles per hour...earning him a special plastic batting helmet and blow up bat. He was pretty excited!

Happy Birthday Aunt Mel

2009-08-31T15:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my very favorite sister Melanie!!!! She is thirty something today...we stopped counting at 30, right? She is absolutely my best friend in the world. She has been a second mom to my kids...There are definitely some days I would have crumbled without her. She is incredibly kind, extremely talented at everything she does, super funny and witty, and just an all around perfect person. Here are some comments from her biggest fans:

Jake: She is a rollercoaster lover and goes on every frickin ride. She is WAY nice! She always takes us to great places. She has a great attitude! Happy Birthday Aunt Mel.

Derek: She is the best aunt ever! She's always nice, never mean. And she is always positive. Happy Birthday!

Megan: Happy happy birthday Mel. I hope you have an awesome birthday. Thank you for being nice to me. You are an AWESOME aunt!!!

Birthday party at Wendy's

2009-08-26T21:07:00.001-07:00

Look at how cute that cake is! Jake's friend Emily and her mom Julie and sister Abby made this flip flop cake for Megan. They even crushed up graham crackers for the sand.

Megan chose to eat at Wendy's for dinner. We told her she could choose anywhere...and that is what she chose.

Aunt Melanie snuck in early this morning to deliver a gigantic balloon bouquet in Megan's room. She was pretty excited to wake up to that. Who wouldn't be???

Happy Birthday Megan!!!

Happy Birthday Miss Megan

2009-08-26T16:24:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN!!!! Our baby is 7 years old. Crazy, crazy, crazy. It seems like she was just born. Megan was born unexpectedly 3 weeks early. The doctor and several nurses all told me that it was a miracle she was born alive. She has been feisty and spunky and a fighter from day one.

Here are the TOP 7 AWESOME things about Megan:
1) Super social!!!
2) She always points out she is the tannest in the family.
3) She is the kindest person I know
4) She will be friends with ANYONE
5) She can mess up her room in 5 minutes flat
6) She loves to read and sing to her guinea pigs
7) She is very affectionate and loving

There are many, many, many other great things about Megan...but I don't want to go on and on. She is the perfect daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister and friend!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS MEGAN!!!

Happy Birthday Alan

2009-08-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Alan! You are the GREATEST husband, the GREATEST dad, the GREATEST at everything you do. We LOVE you!!!

Happy Birthday Dad! You are an awesome dad. So awesome. I hope you have a great birthday. Love, Megan

Alan's favorite thing to do...chillax

Random July Pictures

2009-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

First Day of School for Derek and Megan. Derek wearing his favorite Browns jersey of course!

First day of 6th grade for Derek and friends Matt and Hunter

Aunt Mel came over to plant some flowers and add some spice to our yard. Thanks Mel!!!

Picture of our car before heading to the car wash

Derek and our cute neighbor Katie

Megan on her first day of second grade.

Megan and her friends

Megan wanted to be acknowledged on the car too!

Jake hanging out with his favorite friend Emily (on the left). She has a pool in her backyard where they love to hang out. This day Megan was invited for a swim.

Meg on the slide at Emily's house

Our Beautiful Yard

2009-07-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Our yard has been a little unkempt this summer. Our weeds are taller than our daughter!

Baseball ends with a Bang!

2009-07-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

West Jordan vs. West Jordan. Picture of our neighbors/friends we played against. Derek is not in the picture because he had to play another game immediately after this one. Derek's team ended up placing third in the state tournament. We lost to our rivals who have the worst sportsmanship I have ever seen...South Davis. If you live in the South Davis area, do not let your child join their baseball program. Just a suggestion!

Can you see why we call Megan "Miss Sassy Pants."

Just some cool pictures of Derek and friends. You gotta love his dirty bum!

Megan and her baseball friends making their own fun during the game.

Still In it to Win it

2009-07-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the greatest picture??? It was taken by a professional sports photographer at one of Derek's games. We think he is stealing third in this picture. We are still playing in the State Tournament in Kaysville. Today we had a game at 3: 30 and another game at 8:00PM. We left our house at 1:30 and got home at 11:00. At least it wasn't 102 degrees like Saturday.

Tomorrow we play Game 4 against the West Jordan "B" team (a REALLY good team). It's pretty cool that 2 West Jordan Mustang teams have made it this far. It will be an intense game to say the least. The winner goes on to the Semi-Final game and the loser goes home. More importantly, the winner gets the bragging rights. The worst part is Derek has a lot of friends playing on the "B" team. Hopefully we can all still be friends after the game. :) It is just a game, right?

Alan and Jake took off for Scout Camp this morning. They will be gone until Saturday. I miss them already!!!

Second Place is the Best!!!

2009-07-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Alan having some fun at Wendy's. We have been living on fast food for a month. Notice Jake isn't in any pictures. He has mostly opted to hang out at home unsupervised and run wild through the neighborhood while we are at games.

West Jordan Sluggers took 2nd place in the District Championship. That's ok...we didn't want to win anyway:)
We are heading to the State Tournament on Saturday!!!

Derek and Meg in between double header games. Derek looks exhausted.

Derek and Hunter with their cute necklace medals.

We are back online!

2009-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Our stupid Internet has been down forever!!! I think the problem has finally been resolved. It had something to do with everything in our house falling apart all at once. I never realized how much I rely on the Internet (e-mail especially) until our stinkin @$#&!$ Internet went down. Anyway, we are glad to be back online!!!!

Non-Baseball Events

2009-07-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Our house is falling apart. I like to call it the Money Pit because I have a negative attitude. Alan likes to call it "Well, the house is 15 years old...it could be a lot worse" We caught some bubbles forming in our living room. It turned out to be a leak from our roof that slowly had been turning into a moldy mess. Alan is installing new insulation into our attic as I type. We are hoping to get this mess finally cleaned up by the end of the week. These kind of situations always bring out the best in Alan and the worst in me. He is seriously the most patient problem solver I have ever known!

Here's what Jake caught in our backyard. Yikes!

A lunch out with my BFF Marci, Michele and Tammy

One of our many trips to our favorite hangout, Gene Fullmer outdoor pool.

Dinner with Grandma Nedra and Grandpa Al. And Derek's friend Hunter :)

Meg LOVES to hang out at the pool.

End of the School Year

2009-07-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

Jake with Mrs. Gentry who was his kindergarten teacher.
I did get to pass out yearbooks at Jake's last day of 7th grade...but he made it very clear I was not to take any pictures of him...or talk to him...or look at him...etc.

Megan with her first grade teacher this year, Mrs. Gentry

Derek and friends at the End of the Year Assembly. Derek in his favorite Browns jersey of course!

4th of July

2009-07-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

Derek's team was in the West Jordan parade. I got this picture from a Deseret News article. The kids were so excited to see their picture in the paper. You have to look really close to see Derek in the back in the middle.

4th of July at the West Jordan Carnival!!!

We are not big parade lovers...unless someone we know is in one. So we fought the crowds and dragged ourselves to the parade. I can report that Megan loved every minute of it!

Mr. All Star

2009-07-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

Derek on his Tigers team. He had 5 really great coaches, including one former West Jordan High School baseball coach and 2 Juan Diego baseball players. They have been so great to Derek and have taught him a lot!

Derek played catcher and/or pitcher during the regular season.

Derek (on the left in the back) at an All Star swim party.

Derek was so excited to make the All Star team.. He was even more excited to find out his best friend Hunter made the team too. Their team has been playing really well. They are trying to make it to the State Tournament. We will know this week if they make it (They still have to win 3 more games). Derek has had a great time playing on this team. It has been a fun month for him to play or practice for hours and hours each day. We all have really attractive farmer's tans!!!

Derek and Hunter with cookies with their numbers it. Thanks to Dallin's parents!

Derek next the the Mangome's van. Conner Mangome's family decorated their van with all of the kids names and numbers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!!!

2009-06-12T12:39:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!!!

Derek Ryan Peterson was born into our family 11 years ago today. The night he was born we watched the Jazz play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and he's been an avid sports lover ever since. Derek makes life so fun around here with all of his exciting ball games and his easy going and witty personality. We are so proud of every thing he has accomplished and the great kids that he is. We love you Derek!

ELEVEN COOL THINGS ABOUT DEREK:

1. He is a GREAT baseball and basketball player - both with his "awesome skills" and his sportsmanship.

2. He is really smart and does well at school.

3. He is the most competitive 11-year old I know.

4. He's well known in his circle of friends as being the master of FARTS.

5. He loves burgers, ketchup, marshmallow mateys, and ramen.

6. He can recite any sports statistic about baseball, basketball and football because he watches Sportscenter every day.

7. He's my only kid who has been in the hospital (5 times!)

8. He's afraid of heights. He hates amusement parks, and our hike in Bryce Canyon "freaked him out."

9. Everyone tells me he is really kind and has great manners.

10. He could care less if his room is clean or organized.

11. His nickname is BEAR (Der Bear) because he would always growl and charge people when he was a toddler...and we've kept the nickname because he can still go from zero to crazy in 60 seconds.

Miss Megan

2009-05-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

You never know which Megan will show up. She is the Megan of Many Moods. She can be silly, sensitive, angry, whiney, goofy, pouty, funny, shy, outgoing...the list goes on and on. But most of the time she is the happiest most joyful little girl - like a ray of sunshine each time she walks in the room. She tests my patience every day, but she adds so much love to our home!!!!

Fun after the Funeral

2009-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

My Uncle David's funeral was in Kanab, Utah - the most beautiful place in the world. While we were there, it rained like crazy (except for the half hour we were at the cemetery). Our hotel parking lot flooded, which of course the kids thought was so cool. While we were in Kanab, we also got to decorate my Grandma and Grandpa Frost's graves.

On our way home, we stayed at Brian Head. Beautiful! The ride up to Brian Head was amazing. We stopped at Navajo Lake to skip rocks and sit on branches. Then we did some sightseeing at the windy Cedar Breaks Monument. A tourist offered to take our family picture. When we got back to the car, we laughed for about 10 minutes straight over my "Medusa" hair. Classic! I couldn't reproduce that hairdo if I wanted to. That is one family picture that won't be framed and put on the wall!

Uncle David

2009-05-26T20:52:00.001-07:00

My Uncle David Frost passed away last week from pancreatic cancer. He died at home with his family around him in the city and home he loved. We went down to Kanab for his funeral over Memorial Day weekend. All 5 of his daughters spoke at his funeral...and their tributes to their Dad were so loving and kind. He was so loved by his family, friends and coworkers. He was a great man! Uncle David was a truck driver and wanted to be driven to the cemetery on his "Big Red" truck. It was so cool to watch this big semi lead the procession to the cemetery. The flower arrangment on his casket had a red truck on top of it. So perfect!

"Big Red"

Rainy Swim Meet

2009-05-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

Jake not happy but cooperating with me...I just wanted one picture.

Jake's latest swim meet was an outdoor meet and it rained most of the time. No lightning though...only the coolest rainbow you've ever seen! And I finally remembered to take pictures at this one. Mel took a picture of Jake's rained-out fans. We all look like we have had enough (especially Alan and Meg).

The Baseball Kids

2009-05-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

This was one of the days they had a game at the same time. I love watching Megan trying to be like her brother with her big ball bag on her shoulders walking fast to keep up with him.

11-hour Swim Meet...Are you kidding?

2009-05-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the kids from Jake's new swim team. I forgot to take pics at the swim meet but I snapped them eating at KFC at 10:00pm after the first day of the swim meet. Last month Jake joined a comp team that is more challenging for him and also requires a lot more practice time. We can see that this new team will help his time and technique, but the first meet we attended was spread over 2 days and was 11 hours long. And yes we had to stay the entire time because he swam in 5 different events spread out over 11 hours. He seems to enjoy the team and his times are already better. Next meet I will have a lot more reading materials and will NOT have Megan with me.

Jake and the Orchestra teacher Mrs. Flygare after his violin concert at the school.

Our Littlest Ball Player

2009-05-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

This is Megan's first year of baseball. She is having a blast! She is always so excited to wear her baseball "costume". It is so fun to watch her play because she knows all of the positions and rules of baseball. She is quite the hustler and is starting to become a good little hitter too.

Poor Derek, Part 2

2009-05-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Derek has seriously had a rough couple of weeks. We think he is finally better (I am knocking on wood as I type). Last Friday, he started developing a rash...We thought it was from too much Vicks. We let him play his ball game and then took him to the Dr. AGAIN to see what was going on. While there, we found out Derek now had pneumonia. So more drugs were added to his pile. By Saturday afternoon, he was COVERED in giant hives all over his body. We ended up at Primary Children's for the night and for Mother's Day. We are just grateful he seems to finally be better!!!!!

Poor Derek!!!

2009-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Young Derek has been super sick going on 7 days now. This nasty illness first appeared during his field trip to the Planetarium/Gateway (pictured above). He seemed fine until he starting puking at the Gateway Food Court (sadly in front of his entire class). Luckily? I was there with him at the Field Trip to console him and annoy him at the same time. We took him to the Doctor the next day after high fevers, coughing and achiness (Sound like swine flu to you?) No swine flu, but he did have a massive ear infection and strep throat along with a ridiculous virus that makes him cough all day and night. Derek will finally be returning to school after a 5 day absence! I am knocking on wood that we have seen the last of this!

As soon as he walked in the door to the the pediatrician's office, he was asked to put on this mask, and we were quickly escorted to a "special" room in the back.

COUSINS

2009-04-26T14:03:00.001-07:00

Night out with Alan's sister Teri and her hubby Russ, and Alan's cousins Tod, Terri and Melissa. I think we laughed for 3 hours straight.

Piano Recital

2009-04-26T13:57:00.001-07:00

The boys had their Spring Piano Recital and they both did a great job. This was Derek's farewell performance. He is retiring from piano. Almost just in time for Megan to take his place. She is so excited to start learning how to play the piano. Only one more year Meg!

BYU Graduation

2009-04-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Our niece Cassie Randall graduated from BYU last week.

We are so proud of her!!!

It has now been 17 years since Alan and I graduated from this fine institution. We were talking about what we remembered about that day 17 years ago...hmmm, neither one of us remembers ANYTHING! So Cassie, I hope you remember this day. You looked so happy and so beautiful!

Lion of the Quarter

2009-04-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Way to go Jake! He received the "Lion of The Quarter" at West Jordan Middle School today. The school made him a book of letters from each of his teachers. The one from his English teacher Mrs. Jones was my favorite because she is someone who he admires and respects a lot. (I hope Mrs. Jones doesn't care that I downloaded her picture from the WJMS website) You can tell from her letter that she has really taken the time to get to know him. He is lucky enough to be her teacher's aide next year. This amazing teacher is also battling cancer. We wish her the very best and appreciate the influence she is on Jake.
Here's a picture of the trophy
Group picture of all of the Lions of the Quarter (Jake is in front middle)

7th graders lining up to hear good stuff about themselves and get their awards.

Enjoying the brunch and award presentation.

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU JAKE!!!!

Busy Week

2009-04-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

We started the week off with a phone call that my dad was in the hospital again. His heart rate was all over the place and ended up stuck at 150 beats/minute for 24 hours straight. So on Sunday he got a little shock to his heart (after the doctors tried many, many medications to bring the heart rate down). Since the shock didn't work, he ended up having an ablation surgery on Monday. This seems to have solved the problem, and he was discharged Wednesday. Yay Dad!!!

(I didn't take any pictures of Derek's first game - it was too cold!!!)

Wednesday night was Derek's first baseball game of the season, and he hit his first HOME RUN ever! He CRUSHED the ball, and it stopped just short of the fence. He ran so fast that I could tell he was not going to stop for anything...I think he was determined to make it all the way home. A home run was the goal that he set for himself this season. So Derek, does that mean we can forget the rest of the season???

(Picture of Michele, Tom and Gledhill kids with Paul Cardall (blue shirt), Peter Breinholt (red shirt) and David Tolk (black shirt)

Monday night we attended a benefit concert for Paul Cardall. Paul is a talented musician who is waiting for a heart transplant. (www.mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com) The concert was incredible!!! Peter Breinholt performed a song while they showed a slideshow of Gracie. So touching! And the last song of the night was Paul Cardall playing the piano. He played a song he wrote for Gracie..."Gracie's Theme." Michele has the video of Paul and Peter's performances on Gracie's blog (www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com) It was so amazing - something none of us who were there will ever forget.

Sweet and Sassy

2009-03-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I was browsing through Megan's notebook of doodles, this is what I found. Most of the notebook drawings were super sweet and loving, BUT she does have a bit of a sassy side to her.

Isn't being a parent so rewarding sometimes???

Megan Misses Gracie

2009-03-27T15:50:00.001-07:00

Megan and her friend Brooklynn at a Primary party

Megan has been crying about, thinking about, talking about and drawing about Gracie Gledhill who passed away March 2, 2009. She says she misses her friend Gracie.

Even our Hangman games shows she was thinking about Gracie.

Grandpa and Grandma McKell

2009-03-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa McKell saves his change and gives it to my kids - always with a cute note!

I wanted to get this picture on my post...It's one of my favorite of my Grandma and Grandpa McKell.

The many crazy outfits created by Megan

2009-03-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

There was a time when Megan loved to wear Derek's underwear on her head.
This outfit is classic Megan

I think she's wearing 3 hats with this outfit

Megan has always loved hats of any kind

There's Derek's underwear again...and Derek's boots.

Mid March Updates

2009-03-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Meg enjoying Jake's swim practice! (It's a little freaky how Megan sleeps with her eyes partially open, even when I try to close them over and over again) Jake participating in Crazy Hair Day at school

This used to be Derek's very special door hanger - a souvenir from ESPN Sportscenter store in Las Vegas. As you can see, a graffiti artist who shall remain nameless changed "Sportscenter" to "Disney Channel."

Derek working hard at Scouts

Cowgirl Megan at Derek's Blue and Gold Banquet

Meg and her very handsome nail technician

Gracie's Funeral

2009-03-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

After Gracie's funeral on March 7, it has taken a while to feel normal again. (Megan still cries every day for her "friend" Gracie) It was an amazing funeral I will always remember. White and pink balloons were let off at Gracie's grave - one for every day she lived. It was beautiful to watch. At the grave site, it was freezing cold with a bitter wind - but once the balloons were let go, the wind stopped and the sun came out for about 5 minutes. The entire day was incredible - just like Miss Gracie!

Gracie - you will be missed

but you will ALWAYS be remembered!

Angel Gracie

2009-03-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

Gracie Jean Gledhill

March 20, 2008 - March 2, 2009

Sweet Gracie passed away yesterday. We are so heartbroken for her family. She was loved by so many. Michele and Tom valued every minute they had with her - it showed in their actions, in their words, in their faith, and in their absolute devotion to her.

I will always remember Gracie like she was in these pictures. She loved to listen to us talk at our lunches with the ladies. She loved to watch her mom. Everywhere Michele went, Gracie followed her with those big beautiful eyes of hers.

Gracie fought hard to be here as long as she could. Eleven months does not seem long enough, but look what she did with those eleven months! When I was on Gracie's blog Monday night, it was frozen for a while because of the many Gracie fans who were sharing their love for Gracie and her family. (thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com)

Gracie Girl - you will always have a part of me.

Gracie Girl

2009-02-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is Gracie post transplant. I hate this picture but it is reality. Sometimes life stinks! Sweet Gracie received a heart transplant on February 22nd, and she is not doing well. The doctors don't know what went wrong. She is now on an ECMO (full life support) machine...She can stay on this anywhere from 2-4 weeks while she waits for a second heart. We are still praying for Miss Gracie that she will receive a second heart!!! Gracie's mom and dad have been strengthed by everyone's love and prayers...Keep them coming!!!

Gracie's new heart!!!!!

2009-02-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Gracie's family got the call last night that there is a heart available for her. I just read her blog and saw that the doctors started her transplant surgery about noon today! What a miracle this is!!!! The faith of her family has been tested and tested. Faith always precedes the miracle. Gracie will still need a lot of prayers as she recovers from this surgery. My heart breaks for the donor family, and I am in awe of the love they have shown through their sadness and their loss. If they had any idea what happiness they have brought to Gracie's family and friends............

Vegas and Valentine's Day

2009-02-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Family picture at the top of the Stratosphere - 109 stories high

The kids at a Globetrotters Game
Alan and Meg
Derek and Hunter after a big game - Their basketball team went undefeated and are now getting ready to compete in a tournament. Yippee...more games! Now there will literally be no break between basketball and baseball.
I found this note in an envelope addressed to "Melanie Powel" in our mailbox without a stamp or an address. Megan told me she put it there so Melanie could have it for Valentine's Day. I took a picture of it before we gave it to Melanie.

Meg and her favorite person in the world...Mel

Meg's Valentine's Day party at school - She was excited to have dad there!

Just a cute picture of Meg

Jake and his dream car

Jake, Meg and Derek at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas - not a great picture, but that was some view!!! Nat and Alan - celebrating Valentine's Day in style Derek in his own personal heaven, the ESPN Zone store in Vegas (as soon as the camera came out, Megan ran up the stairs as fast as she could in order to get in the picture)

Prayers for Gracie

2009-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

Gracie Gledhill is the daughter of my incredible friend Michele. Gracie has just been placed on a heart transplant list. This sweet little girl was born with a heart defect (HLHS) and has been through so much in her short little life. She has proven over and over again to be a fighter! She is fighting again while she waits for a new heart at Primary Children's Hospital. Her family has shown so much faith through this trial - faith during the good times and the bad times. We are all hoping for another miracle for Gracie...Please include her in your prayers. Gracie's story has touched so many lives, including mine. Michele and Tom have shared their journey with everyone through their blog - www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com. I can't wait to blog about Gracie's new heart!!! That will be a good day!

January stuff

2009-02-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

Derek and Matthew and the favorite scout leaders, Mike and Lois Mortensen

Derek earned his Webelos badge (Thanks to the Mortensens)
Derek pinning mom after he got his Webelo badge (This mom didn't do anything to deserve the "mom" pin - I'm kinda lazy when it comes to scout stuff) However, I did let him pin me for all of the other many things I do for Derek on a daily basis (haha)

I like my neighbors so much that we go out to dinner to catch up. I guess it would be just as easy to walk outside and say "Hey" but not as fun.

Taco dressed up in a Hannah Montana outfit - It must have been a slow day that day.

Meg and Alan

The cheering section at Derek's basketball game

Meggie went to the funnest birthday party where they painted her face and did her hair in the cutest updo.

Meg at Taryn's party (She is in the front right)

Well it's basketball season again. There's our Derek "Lucky 13" going after the ball. Derek is also "Lucky 13" in baseball.

We got to visit with my 90-year old Grandpa McKell while the kids where off track. This sweet grandpa of mine is now recovering from being kicked and thrown by one of his ungrateful cows. He is recovering well and continues to keep his amazing positive attitude about everything that happens to him!

Megan's unique style

2009-01-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Megan is always coming up with crazy little outfits for herself. This one made me laugh because she did her own hair in a side pony tail and found an old purse of mine in the basement.

Adventures in Tubing

2009-01-22T12:57:00.001-08:00

Meg, Jake and Alan on the tubing hill at Soldier Hollow. It was a really fun time with the exception of Nat and Meg crashing into a fence.
Jake and a long line of people - the lines were long, but we never had to wait more than 5 minutes to be hauled up the mountain again.

So fun!!!
Meggie being towed up the hill.
Nat taking a break
Jake and Derek taking a break

The kids in front of the lodge at Soldier Hollow
Midway in the winter is so beautiful!

A deer coming through...He was actually part of a pack (or herd?) of about 5 deer. The kids in front of the most beautiful, aqua-colored natural ice sculpture at the Homestead Resort in Midway.

Nat and Alan

Alan and the boys also swam in the crater at Homestead Resort...a 65-foot deep warm water pool at the bottom of a large crater. All of my pictures from that were pretty foggy from the steam...but they had a great time!

Jake, Bree and Braydon

2009-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Jake with friends Braydon and Bree - Warming up before they head outside again.

Geography Bee

2009-01-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

Derek competed in the school geography bee today! There he is in the white shirt. The cute girl in the back row, green shirt was the winner. Congratulations Jenny!
He survived the first 8 questions...and placed 11th out of 26. He was bummed because the top ten people got medals. So close! We are so proud of him anyway! We did learn that Derek is very competitive in academic sports as well as regular sports. I can't imagine where Derek gets his competitiveness.

Derek and the beautiful Josie. Josie and Derek have been great friends since first grade.

New Fence and some more Christmas pics

2009-01-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas party pics from our old camera
(Frost Family Party at Uncle Barry and Aunt Dan'L's house)Jake with Santa
Meg...I think she is the same age as "Santa". As soon as a camera comes out...Meg is posing.

Derek, Santa and Grandpa Guy

Can you see the potential?

What a muddy mess!

We decided to finally get rid of part of our charming old wood fence...so now we are in limbo. Fun colored flags and piles of junk all over our grayish colored snow. You know those neighbors that you always wish would just clean up their junky yard??? Yeah, that's us...at least for another week or two.

Christmas etc.

2009-01-01T18:28:00.001-08:00

Jake's creation - a well engineered snow hill that all of the neighbor kids have enjoyed for days!

He even included a ladder to get up the hill.
Jake and some friends he recruited to help him. Jake has been building things since he was 2 years old. He's really an amazing kid! He and his Aunt Mel worked on this hill for days. Once he starts a project, he is relentless in getting it done.
Here's a non-posed shot. Alan decided to get a surprise picture of the boys in the hotel sauna. Hmmmm...if looks could kill.
Meg hanging out in the hotel spa in her lifejacket. Safety first!

Meg doing the splits and the back stroke at the same time
Jake diving into the 4 foot pool
He apparently didn't see the giant NO DIVING signs everywhere.

The pool at Little America is so cool - half indoor, half outdoor with a gigantic hot tub.
Alan chillin at the pool
Here's a picture of Derek that I can use as bribery later on in his life

This is a great picture of Alan!

December 27 - Nat and Alan's 17 year anniversary. Every year we have the same "discussion" about why we chose that day to get married...something to do with college semester breaks and Alan being a really good "salesman" with the whole idea of a December wedding. Thanks Mel and Grandma Moore for supervising the kids while we escaped for a while!!!

Meg, Derek and Jake at Little America

Giant Gingerbread house at Little America

My dad, Janet and Ellie the dog on Christmas morning - My dad just recovered from open heart surgery 8 weeks ago...He looks amazing, huh?

The Peterson clan on Christmas

Alan, Derek and Mel. Derek is completely decked out in Vikings gear. He is a true Vikings fan!

Derek, Nat and Alan (Alan looking a little groggy...maybe it was the late night wrapping session) Mel and Jake

Wally and Derek

Meggie is soooo excited to open some more presents at Grandpa Guy and Grandma Janet's house

Meg and the major gift for the family - the Wii

This is the only picture we have of all 3 kids on Christmas morning at our house. We got a new camera on Christmas and didn't figure out how to really use it until Christmas was over.

Random Fun

2008-12-12T20:44:00.001-08:00

Derek in deep thought at a Jazz game

Derek, Hunter and Matthew at a Jazz game - they were clear in the back but still had a blast!
Megan being crazy with Jake's encouragement behind the camera

Jake being crazy without any encouragement from anyone

Christmas recital

2008-12-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Proud mom and Megan. Her recital was at Eastmont Middle School. What a blast from the past for me...
Meg and her favorite person in the world, Aunt Mel

Meg with mom and dad after the recital

There she is in the middle...standing on her hands.

Kenzi, Emily and Megan

Meg before the recital

She was so excited all day! Especially becuase she got to wear make-up! She is such a girlie girl.

School pictures and rooftop fun

2008-12-04T14:17:00.001-08:00

Jake and Derek helped put up Christmas lights this year. I held my breath the whole time they were up there. This was a big deal for Derek...he is really afraid of heights!

Jake hanging lights....Hey, isn't it December? Where are your pants young man???

Meg's school pic. The last thing I told her before she left for school that day was "MEGAN, TAKE OFF YOU JACKET AS SOON AS YOU GET TO SCHOOL...DO NOT WEAR THE CHEETAH JACKET FOR YOUR PICTURES!!! She had a lovely green shirt on underneath that favorite jacket of hers. Oh well, this picture is so Megan! Miss Obedient!

Derek's school pic

Jake's school pic

November

2008-12-04T13:41:00.001-08:00

Night games on our tramp - Jake (in white) is apparently too cool for a jacket. Our poor neighbors are probably sooooo sick of the constant noise in our backyard. If any neighbors are reading this, I am so very sorry. We are the worst neighbors!!!

Megan scooting away at the Riverside family fun night at Classic Skating

Derek and company at the school skate night...This little group of boys spent a lot of time scoping out the girl situation for the "snowball" skate. What a weird experience to see your little boy "snowballing" with a girl! Yikes!

Derek and mom at Thanksgiving dinner

Jake and Alan at Thanksgiving

Megan at Thanksgiving...She was sick that day and only ate one little bowl of ice cream then laid her head down for a little nap.

Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral. Since no one at our house felt inspired to cook (no one at our house is ever inspired to cook) we did a low-stress meal at the Corral. Pretty decent food, good company, and absolutely no clean up. Megan isn't showing in this picture...She was not feeling well and didn't want to cooperate for a family pic.