m e peterson family blog

FAMILY PHOTO 2011

2011-12-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

Blessed beyond measure!

Christmas 2011 - MEP Style

2011-12-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

This year was an "on" Peterson Christmas. We missed Ashley and her family - she is ready to deliver her #6 and was not able to travel. (Mark and I will go up in early January, me to be a grandmother and Mark to deliver an address to School of Business at BYU). My family has always had fun Christmas traditions. One of which is our white elephant gift exchange. We introduced the idea to my husband's family years ago when we moved here to AZ and they too have embraced it as one of their traditions. It is really fun to do with the kids. We also Christmas carol to friends and neighbors. I have always gotten the matching jammies for our girls and the grandchildren. They really love dressing alike on Christmas Eve. The excitement of seeing their own personalized stockings and anticipating Christmas morning tickled us.

CAROLING

TEMPLE LIGHTS

CHRISTMAS EVE with Grant, Zachary, Nathan, Jacob, Alice, Cole and Caleb. We were missing Isabel, Ava, Gavin, Kate and Ruby - and baby boy Willis.

Jessica, Mom, Natalie and Ana - Missing our Ashley :(

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-11-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Petersons love Halloween!! Our Breinholt grandsons had a great time getting ready for the night. We kept in touch with our grandchildren in Utah sending photos of all the kids back and forth.

The Willis family, Ava a Rock Star, Ruby a witch, Isabel a Vampire, Kate is Minnie Mouse and Gavin a BYU Football player.

Breinholt Boys w/Granddad after our neighborhood Halloween Party
Jacob the Caveman, Nathan the Mad Scientist, Zachary the Mummy and Caleb the Pirate

Wirig Kids in Utah - Grant the Skelton, Alice the Piggy, Cole the Gorilla

Anniversary Trip

2011-08-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

GIVE ME A LITTLE KISS.

THAT WAS WORTH IT!!

34 YEARS and COUNTING

2011-08-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

We've changed a little over the years as you can see, but I am happy for all 34 of them. Our family is still growing, stay tuned for our 13th grandchild in January.

BIG BOY GRANT - Pirate Ship Project

2011-03-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

While in Utah for the third time this year (Mark lectured 150 BYU business students in early February, I had our girls only trip and then Mark had BYU Advisory Board Mtgs in March) I was able to spend one on one time with grandson Grant. He is a very large 3 yr old with a brain to fit his body size. He wanted to do a project with me so we went to the store and he picked out a wooden pirate ship. We put it together - then he got to paint it. That was the highlight of the project for him. He actually painted it again the following day. How great is that? Painting your project two times!!

1st Annual All Girls Trip

2011-03-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in St. George, UT and Las Vegas, NV for our first annual all girls trip. While we love our babies and husbands, it was the first time in 10 years that we could get away with just the girls. We knew we had a very short window given Natalie's baby girl coming in early April. With the long President's Day weekend, available and willing daddy babysitters, we did it. We shopped all day in Las Vegas, ate out every day and even cooked our own gourmet meal on Sunday. It was just four days for this first outing, we are planning a longer CA trip for next year followed by a NY trip an island trip to Hawaii - the sky is the limit. SO MUCH FUN.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010

2010-12-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

and a

WONDERFUL NEW YEAR

HALLOWEEN 2010 - Grandchildren

2010-11-08T20:36:00.001-08:00

The Brienholt Family: Nathan the skeleton zombie, Zachary is Harry Potter himself, Jacob is Lord Voldemort, and Caleb is Thomas the Train and his engineer. I love it.

The Willis and Wirig family costume parade. Enjoy !

Kate the witch, Ava the mermaid, Gavin the zombie, Isabel the snow princess and Ruby the fairy. Ethan was Spock this year and it was hilarious. I'll find a photo!

Grant the hotdog, Steve is his mustard, Cole the turtle and Natalie the pregnant devil mom :)

THOMAS THE TRAIN COSTUME

2010-10-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

THE FINISHED THOMAS WITH HIS ENGINEER!! HE LOOKS PRETTY HAPPY.

Thomas the Train is very popular with two of my grandsons. Jessica's Caleb and Natalie's Grant. Caleb wanted to be Thomas the Train for Halloween. His wish is my command--I figured out how to put a train costume together. It actually was fun! Caleb will dress as the engineer and stand inside of Thomas with straps on his shoulders. I can hardly wait to take it to him. This was a labor of love.

IVINS FAMILY REUNION 2010

2010-07-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

43 IVINS

Our 2010 family reunion was in St George, UT. All 43 of us were there but one (Michelle's son Derek had to work in NYC). We were together to celebrate Reid's 80th birthday and Nani's & Reid's 55th Anniversary.

A few of us arrived earlier in the week and were treated to Reid's military stories and awards and ribbons. He mounted two shadow boxes of his military history one was given to Tony and one was given to Skip. We were fascinated by the tour.

Thursday we had a pizza dinner at the house to organize ourselves and pass out the itineraries, family directories, Granddad Reid songbooks, photo albums and t-shirts. We went to the St George Temple to do baptisms and confirmations, initiatories and endowments for the Pertierra family line on Nani's side. Everyone was glad that we had a bit of free time each day to do as we pleased. We all had beautiful condos at Las Palmas which is next door to the Green Valley Tennis Club and Resort where mom and dad are members. And, just a couple of blocks from the house.

Friday the guys had their day together without women and children. They played golf and tennis and had a great BBQ lunch out. The women had all the children swimming and lunching poolside and we even got a little shopping in. During nap time for the babies the non-nappers had fun doing crafts thanks to Aunt Shaunae. Friday evening we had a conference room at a hotel for our Mexican dinner and family night in our red and white reunion t-shirts. We had a photographer take a few photos of all of us. We had a great time playing "Minute to Win It" challenges. They were hilarious. We are a competitive bunch that is for sure. We sang Happy Birthday to Reid and presented him with his birthday gift from the four of us - a trip across the pond to The All England Tennis Club and Wimbledon 2011. After the games we had a chance to change clothes and meet up again at the Tuacahn Amitheater for a night of Tarzan the musical. What a beautiful outdoor venue that is. It was a late night but SO FUN!

Saturday we were up bright and early for our real family photos at Sugar Loaf on the red rocks. These photos will hopefully be beautiful. Our photographer was a 40 year photo veteran. She was a hoot. Her husband would bark like a dog to the little ones to get their attention. He sure made us laugh. After the photo shoot it was time for the girls to have their day. We met at one of the condos and had two massage therapists and a couple of manicurists there. We ordered lunch from 25th & Main, ate gourmet cupcakes and talked and talked and laughed a lot. What a relaxing day for us. Then it was off to genealogy night at the Green Valley Spa conference room. We learned our new Ivins family song to the tune of "Hello Mother, Hello Father" and lyrics by Tony and family. We put together songbooks of Granddad Reid's music and the grandchildren sang several of them on stage. It brought tears to my dad's eyes. He sang good night songs to all of this grandchildren when they were little and they love his songs. Mom and dad then told us several stories of their childhood days and meeting and falling in love; and we laughed and cried some more. Michelle then gave her beautiful tribute to dad and Skip gave his equally lovely and funny tribute to mom. We passed out the beautiful albums of our ancestors including many photos and stories of their younger years. We ended the evening with a special gift of memories that we have of Reid and Nani. All of us including their 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren put these memories into a box so that every day for the entire year they can pull one out and read it. A GREAT NIGHT. A few of us had enough left in us and went to the movies afterward.
Sunday we went to church early and had lunch at the house before we all said our goodbyes. We visited the St George Airport Museum where Granddad Reid has his actual flight suit on display. We even got to climb into a few airplanes like the one he flew in Korea. A few of us stayed until Monday to recover a bit before our trip back to Phoenix.
We loved being together, laughing and crying and remembering what a great childhood we had with Reid and Nani as our parents. Thank you mom and dad.

Another Funny Ava Story

2010-03-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Recently Ashley had parent/teacher conferences, and while she was talking to Ava's teacher finding out how she was doing in school, her teacher mentioned that she writes very creatively and comes up with stories quickly. In some of those stories she writes about families but never has a brother in them. An excerpt from her story entitled, "The Egg" by Ava Willis - "There was a hen. She lived on a farm. She was pregnant. She did not go many places because she might throw up. One day she wrote an invitation for her family, like her grandma and aunt and her sisters (she didn't have a brother because he would be annoying)."

HAWAII

2010-03-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 2 weeks in Hawaii. We were hosted by my Aunt Chris and Uncle Rudy in their lovely condo on the beach. They close their shop in Zurich Switzerland every year for one month and go to Hawaii. I want that life! We walked the boardwalk every morning, had great weather and shopped, ate and traveled the islands.

Traditions of a Peterson Christmas 2009

2009-12-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009 from MARK AND BROOKE

CHRISTMAS DAY: Matching jammies, Great Grandma Nani and Great Granddad Reid, "The Boys" and their new musical T-shirts, and Mark being teased by Travis because he likes the vampire books.

The girls gingerbread houses surely turned out differently than the boys (The Breindholt boys did the house at the end of this blog). Look what the girls allowed Gavin to do...he decorated cookies and the back of one of the houses!

TEMPLE LIGHTS, and DINNER WITH THE IVINS FAMILY. It was soooo cold.

CHRISTMAS EVE: Talent Show, Cousins, White Elephant and Fun.

Christmas 2009

Featuring our eleven grandchildren

WOW! 220 Christmas Stockings Donated to the Child Crisis Center in Glendale, AZ

Thank you for making Christmas a little better for those who suffer abuse and neglect.

Decorating the Gingerbread House on Thanksgiving with the Breinholt boys. Decorating is not the right word, more like loading up. We will decorate with the Willis and Wirig children during our Christmas visit to Utah. The kids wait all year for this tradition.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

2009-10-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Finally photos of the two Wirig brothers on Halloween. A little cute chickie and a scary Dracula.

Willis children, Kate the BYU cheerleader, Isabel and Ava the Brides and Gavin the Blue Power Ranger.

Caleb the Frankenstein, Jacob the GI Joe, Nathan the Storm Trooper and Zachary the Batman.

I am using this post to share our Halloween costumes for 2009. The first post is my husband. Mark is way into this holiday!! He buys yucky costumes and masks all of the time. But, then again, he likes the State Fair too. This is what came in the mail yesterday. I took the photo with my cell phone so that I could send it on to our daughters as soon as I could. Nobody smiles after they cut off their own head. For the party he wants his face to look like it is dead. Here we are dressed up for our neighborhood Halloween party and Stake Halloween party both back to back. The little kids at the parties weren't too sure about the headless man.

LATEST PROJECTS - Frames and Drapes

2009-10-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

Ashley and I went shopping to several home boutiques and she found some very fun things. Many of the things she picked up were items I thought I could do just as well. So I challenged myself and found the materials I thought I would need. And voila the decorated frames were born. I need more work on my antiquing skills but all in all they turned out. The possibilites are endless. There is one other project I plan to complete on an item she really loved, I am scouting out the materials and will post the finished product if it turns out like I want it.

Jessica really liked the drapes I made for her living room and thought I should post them since they were another home project of mine. We just modified her old drapes to fit these windows.

NEW HOBBIES Continued

2009-09-30T21:02:00.001-07:00

My latest project for my daughter Jessica. She had a kitchen set she didn't like - so I offered to change it for her. We found fabric she loved; I recovered and painted and here is the result. The chairs took a couple of trips back and forth from her house to mine and back again. I did the table at her house. Let this be a lesson, nothing ventured nothing gained. It was a rewarding project for this first timer.

NEW HOBBIES

2009-09-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that I love to do; working with my hands and having friends over and giving parties to name a few. I was excited for these last two parties for people I dearly love.

Natalie wanted new window treatments in her kitchen. She is pretty non-traditional and envisioned something unique. We went shopping and found the fabric and I got to work putting together her ideas. A few trips for the right hardware and the right look and we came up with these fun coverings. And yes the Roman Shades over the sink really work. We had a great time figuring things out and I decided I like this new hobby. Next we tackle her family room, living room, and the bedrooms upstairs. She better start thinking about what she wants. Maybe I can do a little pre-work before my next visit to Utah in November when Ashley's baby comes.

COLE STEVEN WIRIG - Newest Grandson

2009-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

He is as good as gold and just so beautiful. He was a bit smaller than his older brother Grant but is already catching up. He gained a whole pound in just 12 days. Mark flew out to Utah for 2 days just to meet his newest grandson. We love these grandbabies. Ashley has her baby girl in November so we will have 11 grandchildren soon. What blessings they are.

4th of July in Provo Utah

2009-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Della Mae was in Norway and offered her backyard for our 4th of July BBQ. We played a little and ate a lot. It was great to be with family; my brother John (Skip) and his family, all of the MEP children and grandchildren, grandma Nani and granddad Reid, Mark's sister Mary and her David and his wonderful Jessica, and then my older brother Tony and his family came later.

And ate some more. We had a short game of Scrabble (an Ivins favorite). Smart Mark and his sister Mary were a team, David and Jessica were a team, my father and I were a team and Steve and Travis were a team. My father was thrilled that we won!! Mary said that she and Mark let us win, hum - I think that sometimes clever beats out smartie pants.

Uncle Skip brought his cotton candy machine to the BBQ. It was a hit with the kids as you can well imagine.

He had lots of flavors and a long line of kids waiting for their treat. Skip is like the ice cream man. Uncle Skip loves stuff like this. He has a popcorn machine and even a big snow cone maker. He's one of a kind and a great baby brother.

YUM YUM!! Ava was trying to sell us the cotton candy for a profit.

Ethan and I found a great grassy spot to watch the fireworks outside of the Credit Union where Grandma Nora used to work. We took our blanket and camp chairs there earlier in the day and walked from my Aunt Della Mae's home. Aunt Mary and her son David and his wife Jessica were able to join us for the fun. We could see the Jonas Brothers on the jumbo screen and all of the fireworks. It was a late night for Petersons.

On Friday morning EARLY we went to the soccor field by Provo High School. We watched the 20+ balloons get filled with hot air and take off. What a thrill to be among those big balloons. We went to breakfast afterwards.

Ava wanted to be tall.

Saturday morning is the 4th of July parade. It starts at 9:00 am but you can be there as early as 7:30 for the pre-parade. Travis and Ethan got our spot set-up the night before. Unfortunately it rained hard that night and our blanket got wet. The big people got to sit in chairs.

Easter 2009

2009-04-25T08:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter from the "Big" Easter Chick, Grant
This photo of Grant was sent to all in the family, I had to share.

Easter in Utah with the Willis family was very eventful. I left Arizona for Utah to take care of my Willis grandchildren while Ashley and Ethan were in Hawaii for a week celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. We did all of the fun Easter egg coloring and Easter egg hunts and Easter pictures. Meanwhile, after being in Maui for five days, Ashley was in the hospital having an emergency appendectomy - she's 12 weeks pregnant. Needless to say the doctors would not allow her to fly home on the appointed day. I extended my stay for an additional week so that I could help her out when she came home. I am happy to report that she is doing very well.

Breinholt boys on Easter morning. These boys couldn't be any cuter!!

Springtime Visits - Natalie, Steve and Grant - Gavin and Ashley

2009-03-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Steve surprised Natalie with tickets to fly the family to Arizona for two weeks in March. She was getting a little blue with all of the cold and gray weather in Utah and mentioned to him that she needed the sunshine. We had a great time in the sunshine on walks, on bikes, festivals and parks. Natalie and I were also able to get in some lunching and power shopping:-) Steve and Natalie also got away to celebrate their wedding anniversary and a few extra date nights. Natalie is expecting our grandchild # 10 in August.

Ashley allowed her son Gavin to come with Natalie and Steve. These are our six grandsons for a day in Jessica's backyard playing in the splash pad and riding all manner of things with wheels. For two weeks we had only the boys around. Jessica and her four boys even came to stay with us for three days while Travis was away as a captain on the pioneer trek with a youth group from church.

Lest you think that I have lost my touch, I was determined to help a couple of grandsons learn to ride their bikes. I don't know about them, but I sure got a workout. Gavin in his pj's in the morning jumped on his bike and Nathan trying out his two-wheeling magic.

The day that the Wirigs and Gavin went home Ashley flew in. Ashley and Jessica have a dear friend who was in town with the traveling "Les Miserables", she plays the part of Cosette. Both of the girls went to her performance and said it was wonderful. Ethan took care of his four children and since Travis had been away for days on the trek he offered to take the boys up to their cabin for a few days so that Jessica could spend uninterrupted time with Ashley. We went shopping, to lunch and dinner, we had a great time together.

Ava Wants to be "Melody"

2009-02-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

Ava, 5 year old grandchild number 4, informed her mother that she wants to be known as "Melody" from now on. She believes her given name is ugly and boring. She proceeded to make signs for her bedroom door - "Melody's Apartment" and a door knob hanger "Do Not Disturb". Ashley said that on her walls she has made signs listing "Melody's" attributes: "She has sparkling eyes like diamonds", "Skin that sparkles" and "She is beautiful like a flower". She is some kindergartener!

Ashley took her to Costco by herself and said "Melody" was singing "opera" at the top of her lungs all through the store and smiling at all who looked at her. Her mother commented that the Willis family has a houseful of characters. (The spelling of Ava's words is mine, I'm sure her version was very different).

Alone Time With Dad and Mom in St George

2009-02-11T14:15:00.001-08:00

It was great to spend time with mom and dad in St George. My Aunt Chris was visiting from Zurich Switzerland. Mom and her sister wanted to take a little trip together for a couple of days and I was able to stay and help out with dad. Dad is recovering from a quadruple bypass and has physical therapy three times a week. He's doing great and getting stronger every day.

After therapy dad and I would go to lunch and drive around St George and even went to the movies. On one afternoon we were taking a back road and noticed a bald eagle on the mountain not 50 feet from us. Luckily I had my camera and took a few shots. Look how magnificent. This is a big bird.

Dad and I had a couple of wonderful days of alone time. We talked a lot about his childhood. I was able to write many things down. I have so much more to ask and he has so many interesting and funny stories yet to tell.

My mother is very close to her sister. Aunt Chris is the baby of the family and is about six years younger than my mother. I went to Thailand with these two ladies and it was a blast. I never got a word in with these two! They also both speak several languages and would speak them all in one conversation. How do you like that :-)

Nathan - Granddad and Grandson Conversation and Another Funny Episode

2009-01-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

Nathan and his big brother Jacob received hand-held video game devices for Christmas from their granddad Mark. Five year old Nathan's was a Leapfrog Digj which didn't work correctly. So we sent it back and received his new one and delivered it the same day knowing he was terribly anxious to get it back. A few days later Granddad and Nathan had a couple of email conversations that went like this:
Granddad: Dear Nathan, is your game working OK? Love, Granddad

Nathan: Dear Granddad, it's working fine. I passed the first level, but then I died on the second. Love, Nathan

Granddad: Sorry to hear that you "died" on the second level, but glad to hear that your game is working. Good luck on that second level. Second levels can be very hard. Love, Granddad

Nathan is a funny boy. The other day Travis had Nathan in the car and they stopped to help a lady who had driven her car into a ditch. The lady was very appreciative of the help. When they got home, Nathan was telling his mother the story and was trying to describe the lady and said "Well, I think she was a democrat". What do you think he meant by that? I guess we all drive in the ditch a time or two in our lives, those on the left, those on the right and those in the middle.

More MEP Holiday Family Traditions

2009-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Every year for 31 years the MEP family would wake up on Christmas morning open gifts and look forward to making Grandma Nora's Swedish pancakes for breakfast. Grandma Nora was not known for her good cooking, but we love this recipe. Nora would spend every Christmas morning with us since her move to Arizona in 1993. When she couldn't drive any more we would pick her up and bring her to us. She was always so proud that we used her recipe and loved to be involved in making this annual breakfast. My married girls carry on this MEP family tradition.

Grandma Nora’s Swedish Pancakes
(Crepes)

¾ Cup Flour
1 Tb Sugar
½ tsp Salt
3 Beaten Eggs
1 ¼ Cups Milk
2 Tb Oil (or melted butter)

Combine all in a blender until smooth. Melt a pat
of butter in a non-stick frying pan on med-high, pour
a small amount of batter into pan to make a
thin round crepe. Cook until edges are
lightly browned then flip with a spatula. You can use a crepe
pan, be sure it is a good one. Serve rolled with your choice
of filling, powdered sugar, preserves, bacon, sausage,
cinnamon sugar - whatever you prefer. This recipe makes
approximately 10 crepes. This recipe also works
when doubled or tripled. You can make these the night

before and put a sheet of wax paper between the cooked

crepes and refrigerate. Just re-heat crepes as needed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TREE

2008-12-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

My old tree took days to put up and decorate, the new one took me only one day!! The holidays are my favorite time of year, I love our family traditions. Actually I just love our family.

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING - Christmas Stockings 2008

2008-12-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING never ceases to amaze me. More than 12 years ago I began collecting Christmas Stockings for the "Childrens Crisis Center" in Glendale. Initially it was a small token from our family to those whose lives have many challenges, we filled 40 stockings. It has since grown to hundreds of Christmas stockings every year. Take a look at the generousity of those who are blessed to those who have less. These stockings now bless the lives of children not only in Glendale but Mesa also. Thank you, thank you to our many generous friends and neighbors and even strangers who ask every year for more stockings to fill. And thank you to those who donate funds so that we can purchase the stockings, we used to sew the many hundreds we filled. Arthur, who runs the Glendale center says these stockings are the "cherry on top".

Peterson Sisters 2008

2008-12-05T21:34:00.001-08:00

They are the most wonderful women I know. Each one very different, all with big hearts. The best part is, they love one another and enjoy being together.

Thanksgiving in St George 2008

2008-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

We have such a fun time together. Great Grandma Nani and Great Granddad Reid love to have all of us. We have so many of us now that we use dad's cousin's home across the street. She wasn't home so we had the run of both homes. Natalie and Steve slept at his sister's beautiful home in St George. All of the boys played basketball Thanksgiving day and all of them were bruised and very sore even young Steve; Travis and Ethan built a beautiful planter and bench in mom's backyard; we took the kids to a wonderful park, we played games (Natalie and Steve are King and Queen of gaming); we went to movies and shopped and shopped; we celebrated birthdays and just loved one another. We did everything we love to do during the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Gingerbread Houses: It's a tradition that my mother started when I was young and I have kept it up with our children and grandchildren. They love it and so do I.

Grandchildren are the best.

Haircutting day. I cut 7 boy heads and 2 girl heads. Travis wanted a mohawk - anything you want Travis. You can't see it, but from the side it sticks up like a fan.

Ethan picked up the guitar hero deluxe tour and we had a ball. We ate and ate and ate. The day after Thanksgiving Grandma Nani made escargo especially for Mark.

We celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday a little early and then celebrated Ashley's and Jessica's 30th.

Losing Daisy Dog

2008-11-20T02:11:00.000-08:00

Jacob made this card for me after he heard about Daisy. How sweet is this?

Nathan made this card for me. This is a picture of Daisy just last month. The boys loved to go on walks with Daisy. This was taken on a morning walk when the boys spent the night at our house.

These are the last photos we have of our beloved Daisy Dog taken just a few days before we let her go. As you can see she was very weak from her illness. Mark and I took her to the vet on Monday, November 17th, held her in our arms and cried and cried. Daisy was 13 yrs old, that's 78 yrs in doggie time. We know she is in doggie heaven because she only bit a few people; who probably deserved it. Mark's sister Mary who is a true dog lover said all dogs go to heaven. Mary and Helen sent us a darling book "Dog Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant.

Granddaughter and Grandmother Comparison

2008-11-08T11:35:00.001-08:00

DO YOU THINK WE LOOK ALIKE? Ava and her Grandmother Brooke.

Blast From the Past - Ivins/Pertierra Family

2008-11-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

Ana Maria Pertierra and Loraine Reid Ivins

Look what beautiful and skinny people they are.

Ana Maria Pertierra engagement photo.

L. Reid Ivins Air Force Cadet Graduation

September 17, 1955

1st Wedding Day was lovely but their sealing in the Temple 22 years later was joyous!!

It makes sense that beautiful people have beautiful children. From left to right: Nani, Brooke, Tony holding baby John, Michelle and Reid.

We are having a big family reunion with the Reid and Nani Ivins family this summer. I found these photos while preparing for the reunion in Park City, Utah.

Halloween with the Willis, Breinholt and Wirig Family - Isabel's Baptism - Grant's 1st B-Day In Utah

2008-11-05T12:32:00.001-08:00

Grant the Turtle.

The Family Von Trapp at the Wirig family Halloween party. They are a fun family.

Grant in his borrowed chicken costume. His turtle costume hadn't arrived in time for his play group party. Grant is younger than most in his play group. He looks yummy enough to eat!!

A close-up. We're hoping he doesn't have his great Pa's body when he grows up.

We had a great time in Utah the end of October and early November 2008. Here we are in Natalie and Steve's new house. It is a cute as can be. She has 5 bedrooms and a huge family room and kitchen. They'll be comfortable there for a while.

Grant's first birthday. He loved the birthday cake. The Peterson's have a "tradition", a dumb one, in which they give a little lemon juice to the birthday baby after a taste of their birthday cake. Grant didn't even flinch!! What a boy.

Isabel had a great baptism day. Believe it or not she was the only one being baptized so it was the Willis-Peterson show. Her mother Ashley and Aunt Jessica sang a beautiful song. Grandma Karen and Grandma Brooke gave the talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost. Granddad Mark gave the opening prayer and her Aunt Cami gave the closing prayer. Uncle Steve played the piano and Aunt Shaunae lead the music. We had a catered feast for over 50 in the Stake Center. It was a wonderful Saturday for the whole family. She even had Great Granddad Reid and Great Grandma Nani and Great Grandma Gail were there.

Halloween night at the Willis house is really something else. Gavin is a pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow, Ava is Belle, Isabel is Snow White and Kate is Pocahontas. Ethan dressed up too. It was hillarious.

Breintholt boys on Halloween. All monsters except sweet Froggy Caleb.

Treasure Island - The Musical

2008-10-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Mark and I took the boys to see Treasure Island at the Valley Youth Theater. Mark really wanted to boys to see this play and this was the last possible chance for us to do it. So we had to cancel a dinner party we had scheduled at our home and away we went.

Here we are before the start of the play. We had a snack in the lobby because the boys insisted that they needed dessert after their dinner.

The boys were excited to get autographs in the lobby after the production. We did not see Captain Long John Silver, with one leg, the boys were disappointed in that.

Can you tell it was after their bedtime?
They fell fast asleep on the way home to Granddad and Grandma's house. We sure love these boys.

Pa's Art Collection

2008-10-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Emily Clyde Curtis, and Rachel Clyde Jones, granddaughters of Evan Tye Peterson, are putting together a collection of Pa's paintings, http://www.etpart.blogspot.com/ . We are currently calling all recipients of his pieces to photograph and email them to one of them clyde_curtis@yahoo.com or rjjones1@cox.net.

Big Family Trip to Florida

2008-10-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

We're back!! We had a fabulous time with all of the MEP family, eighteen in total. What a fun 10-day trip, planned by the twins, so we had only Sunday for our day of rest. Ashley and Jessica vacation like their father - no sitting around.

Grandson - Zachary - SCARY and WET

2008-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Zachary found the Halloween box at home. He loves to scare his brothers, but also scared himself when looking at his reflection in the mirror. Funny boy!!

Never one to sit still, he was running away from his mom so he wouldn't have to take a nap and got all wet in the spash pad.

Broccoli Cole Slaw Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network

2008-09-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

I want to share one of my favorite recipies -- I add cut Tyson Breaded Chicken Breast. This is a tasty salad that you can keep for a couple of days. I entertain quite a bit and this is a great addition to brunch with the ladies.

Broccoli Cole Slaw Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network

31st Anniversary Excitement

2008-09-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Mark and I were in Utah for our 31st wedding anniversary. While there we revisited a local amusement park with our children and grandchildren. I felt daring and decided I could handle an attraction which boasted a 10 story drop toward the earth. Mark said if Brooke can do it so can I. As we were strapped into our harnesses we felt pretty brave. The gentleman buckling me up said, "We don't usually get people your age doing this." Hey, what do you mean by that Mr. adult man whose job it is to strap people into harnesses all day long? We didn't get nervous until we were being slowly pulled up and up and up. It was pretty intense. To make things worse I had to pull the rip cord to let us both go!! That was Mark's idea. Then we heard, "People at the top, ready 3, 2, 1 let go! The loud nervous giggle you hear is me realizing that we were still alive. Mark said that he is glad he never has to do that again. I think I like the anniversary I got diamonds. Happy Anniversary Mark. Hot air balloons next year!

My New Business "My Best Furry Friend"

2008-09-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I made a few unique baby gifts, silky soft, furry blankets, for a couple of new babies. The ladies at the baby shower loved the baby security blankets and asked if I would make some for them. Their friends saw these unique baby shower gifts and wanted more. I made forty animal print baby blankets that month and I just gave them away.

The following month and 30 blankets later I had an epiphany. Why not make these creative baby gifts into a small business. Making these precious blankets made me happy and I love working with my hands. So, the fun began. I created three design lines; Noah's Ark, Sweet Dreams, and Furry & Fun. After deciding on a business name, finding a logo, getting the proper trademark authorizations, opening bank accounts, building a temporary website (the real one is one the way with beautiful photos) created by my son-in-law, getting a terrific business coach through Prosper Learning, purchasing fabrics and hiring employees; BIP Enterprises, LLC dba My Best Furry Friend was born.

I found that all, children and adults alike, love the silky softness of the blankets. I am now offering a variety of sizes to fit the recipient. This alone has increased by customer base. I have corporate customers ordering for their employees and clients who have had new babies. College students are using "My Best Furry Friend" blankets for their afternoon naps between classes or as TV blankets to snuggle in.

I am learning so much going through this experience. Creating this blog was one of my assignments. My husband and children can hardly believe this new computer mama. I am having the time of my life. My husband wants to retire in the near future, why would he want to do that when I am just beginning. Enjoy your tour at my unique baby gifts website. www.mybestfurryfriend.com