Vance and Diane

My cute family

2009-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

It has been way to long since I have done a post - I promise to do better. Here are some darling pictures from this weekend. My family is growing and are absolutely beautiful

Pictures of Saydee

2009-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

8 lbs 13 oz. Isn't she beautiful!!

2009-06-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

2009-06-28T20:40:00.001-07:00

Commencement ( I still think it should be called Prom)

2009-05-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

Idaho Falls High School had their commencement dance last night. It's confusing to me that they call it commencement when it should be prom. They had a lot of fun. We fixed a Hawaiian pork dinner at our house. Another boy's parents helped us and we had fun eating in the "servant's quarter."

Dad's 80th Birthday Party/Reunion

2009-05-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

I loved my Dad's 80th birthday party. It was so fun to see everyone and share a few moments together. I don't think we had all been together for quite a few years. It was most fun to hear the tributes paid to him, but my favorite was his wishes for his children and grandchildren and his testimony.

LIFE DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER

2009-05-31T18:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated. I'm having a hard time getting my camera downloaded to the computer. I saw this picture on the camera and had forgotten I had it. I just think it is so precious seeing Uncle Ben push Carson around in a truck.

Elder Fager Has Entered the MTC

2009-04-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Elder Fager is in the MTC ! David entered the MTC April 15, the weather was far from friendly, with Provo receiving 6 inches of snow! We will use the weather as the excuse for my crying. This was our second missionary sent off, and I do not think i will be able to do it again! Maybe i will make Ben stay home.... just kidding. They nick name it the Mothers Torture Chamber for good reason. It is a bitter sweet feeling. However, overall I am really excited for the experience he is going to enjoy. Good Luck Elder Fager!

Senior Class Secretary

2009-03-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ben won the election for senior class secretary just before spring break. He will tell you it is because people feel bad for him and gave him sympathy votes.

I say it is because he is handsome, charming, intelligent and a fabulous person, not to mention his incredibly legible handwriting!

I didn't know that boys played....

2009-03-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

not basketball or video games, but Jacks?

Yes it's true, it's the hot game around our house. What is amazing is they are pretty good at scooping up the jacks and diving across the room to catch the ball before it bounces again. It is quite entertaining. Now mind you I was the jacks champion in Elementary school in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, so I am the power to be reckoned with even after a 40 year break. So next time you come to visit, lets play a game of jacks.

David's going to.....

2009-02-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Arizona Tempe Mission!! He will be entering the MTC April 15.

As you can see from the pictures, the borders of this mission are huge. I don't think we will be needing a winter coat for this mission. We are thinking Ben needs to plan on somewhere like Alaska, Alabama, Australia, Argentina, or Algeria to keep with the family tradition.

Needless to say we are all most excited. Congratulations David!

Scenes from Charenstavan Armenia

2009-02-01T11:24:00.001-08:00

HAPPY DAY!!

2009-01-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Mission papers are in!! Isn't he handsome. I'd love your predictions!

Ben Gets His Wisdom Teeth Out

2009-01-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

Bright and early last Monday morning Ben grabbed his ipod and sunglasses and headed to the dentist's office for the dirty deed. He decided to go with a local anesthia, since he's not sure how'd he do with laughing gas; he didn't respond well to it as a young boy seeing who knows what kind of hallucinations. He was a champ, even though they had to take a little bone on the left side to get out an impacted tooth. (Actually 3 of them were impacted). He didn't swell all that much, I think Katie still has the chipmunk cheeks award!

Just getting home and holding guaze in his mouth.

The swelling starts, especially on the left side.

...that night

The next morning

What a nice think to have over with!

Katie's been transferred to Charenstavan

2008-12-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

..on December 20th. She's gone from the warmest place in the summer, to the coldest place in the winters. Check out the new slide show on the side bar. These pictures were actually taken while serving in Ararat and taking a trip on p-day to the touristy part of Armenia

Carson's First Birthday

2008-12-28T19:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday dear Carson!

He wasn't sure about eating the cupcake, but had fun playing with it!

a Fun Toy from Grandma and Grandpa Crockett

I don't think that Carson knew what was going on, but we sure had fun.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2008-12-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

Carson watching Mommy from the window

It's here whether I like it or not, so why not enjoy it. It was perfect White Christmas weather, not to mention building snow forts. David, Melanie, and Ben spent a couple of hours creating an igloo. Richard helped stamp it down with his snowboard, I couldn't get the camera out quick enough to get him in action. David slept, well, tried sleeping in the igloo Monday night. Let's just say it was a long, cold night.

Katie has a new companion

2008-12-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Sister Davis is from Hawaii and fresh from the MTC. She had a little of a delay as she had pneumonia and spent some time in the hospital healing, but she is is Armenia and healthy!

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Vance's parents, Aunt, and sisters. It was a delightful time at the church and many hands make a light work load. I felt like I hardly did a thing and enjoyed the day immensely.

Vance tried out a new turkey recipe that involved kosher salt mixed with the fresh herbs sage and thyme. He basted, babied, and baked the bird and it was tasty!

Here was Jenn's part of the assignment, delicious homemade, hot rolls. YUM!

Can anyone gues her favorite food?

My favorite part of the day was not the dinner. Believe or not it was the clean up. David, Richard and Ben were working machines washing, drying, and putting away the dishes, while Jenn, Trudena, Laura, and I cleared and put away as quick as we could. David mopped the floor as we left.

Now our Thanksgiving holiday is never complete until the Christmas decorations are up. True to form, we had the house decorated inside and and out. Jenn was the decorator and Ben the Christmas chairman.

Video Clips from Armenia

2008-11-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

Sister Fager sent a some video clips from Armenia, these 2 were my favorites.

Catching a Chicken

2008-11-17T19:53:00.001-08:00

Armenian Baking

2008-11-17T19:48:00.001-08:00

FALL TIME

2008-11-03T08:45:00.001-08:00

Fall has been absolutely beautiful here. Pictured is the 2-year old red maple in our front yard.

Monday for FHE we carved our traditional jack-0-lanterns. We tried a u-pick place, but the pumpkins were green and moldy, so we headed to Albertsons and bought pumpkins for $4.99 each. Vance and I teamed up on a witch pumpkin, Richard and Jenn carved. David and Ben did their own creation.

Jenn and Richard helped with a church trunk or treat and dressed up as tigers (costumes Richard's mom made). David helped decorate the trunk and dressed up as "Monte the Tiger Tamer" and made a whimpy whip to keep the tigers under control. We had more trick or treaters than normal, perhaps it was because of the mild weather. It has been a beautiful fall.

State Tournament

2008-10-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fun four days in Boise watching Ben play soccer. We stayed with my parents and it is always wonderful to be with them. They are always so gracious to put up with our comings and goings. I don't think soccer is their favorite sport, but I thought it was nice they came inspite of their aches and pain

The first game was against Timberline. It was the first time IF had faced an organized attack and the first time playing on turf rather than grass. Turf creates a faster game and a bouncier ball. They beat us 2-0, but I think if we played them a second time we would win. However the first round loss put us in the Consolation bracket. The boys were disappointed and bothered by their second loss of the season.

The second game, an elimination game was against Eagle. IF came out and scored a quick goal and that deflated Eagle. We beat them 2-0. It was their best game of the season. Interestingly Eagle beat Timberline twice during the regular season.

The consolation championship was against Coeurd'Alene, the other team we lost too in the season. It was a hard fought battle, but IF won 2-1. Northern Idaho teams have a tendency to be very physical and that proved true in this game.

Two of Ben's jobs as right defender is to throw the ball in from the sideline when the ball is bumped out and to take the kicks the clears the ball into the offensive half.

David was the got some nice actions pictures of the games. It is really quite hard to get good shots. Here he is with his coat of many colors. It was a bit cool for the 9:30 games, but warmed up beautifully by the end of the game

It was most fun having Jenn and Richard with us to enjoy the games. They were most supportive and excited for the games.

GOING TO STATE!

2008-10-19T14:57:00.001-07:00

Ben's soccer team qualified for the State Tournament in Boise this next week. It is a double treat for us since mom and dad live there and we can see them. The tigers ended up 14-1-2 for the regular season. The final qualifying game was one of the most intense games I've experienced in quite a while. They finally beat Skyline 1-0 by scoring a much needed goal with only 10 minutes left.

Clearing the ball.

Incoming header

Throwing the ball in bounds.

The defense was not going to let the ball get behind them, all three are trying to get the header.

Getting tangled up.

Cool jackets!

Accapella Choir Concert Last Night...

2008-10-16T11:17:00.001-07:00

...was fabulous, both the boys and girls sections were split into 4 singing parts each; now I have to figure out how to tranfer the video to the computer so you can enjoy it too, but meanwhile isn't Ben handsome in his tux!

From almost Empty to Full

2008-10-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

So the adjustment to almost an empty nest for me is relieved for a few months: Jenn and Richard moved here last week, while Richard tries to find employment. Richard came in last Tuesday afternoon and Jenn followed Thursday night as she had to finish up at a job in Boise. She is working part-time for Vance at Rosetta. Richard is tapping into all resources looking for a job, plus he is helping me explore ideas on how to get my Diet Manual online. There is much more to that process than I thought.

(Looking at this picture reminds me that Jenn and Richard were engaged 1 year ago on October 19th.)

David came home from Provo last night while he finishes the mission paper process and earns a little money in the meantime. I do enjoy having my children home and will treasure the moments as I know it will not last long.

Bathroom Blog

2008-10-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

I have noticed that when my grown kids come home to visit, my bathroom is where everyone likes to get ready. The girls bring their make up and contact stuff and organize it on my counter. Now mind you there are 3 other bathrooms in the house; it must be the size of the bath room, as it truly is the largest master bathroom in any of the homes we have lived in. I could fit a love seat in there with an area rug. I've wondered why a builder would make a bathroom so large, but I have decided it is so we can brush our teeth together.

Hold it!

It is not what you think. I had just finished cutting Ben's hair and he took off his shirt 'cause it was so itchy. Melanie turned around as she was folding clothes while watching conference and this is what she saw. He actually has shorts on, but this picture does look suspect.

Wrestling with a Witch

2008-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Dave, Melanie and Carson were here this weekend for Conference and applesauce (but the apples were not ready). We (Grandma and Grandpa :-) took care of Carson in the morning to let Dave and Mel sleep in a bit more. Carson usually gets up between 6:30 and 7 AM and we were partying way to late on Saturday night for that early hour. But Ben has to deliver Sunday papers by 7, so we were up anyway. To keep Carson entertained, we took out our Halloween witch Vance bought years ago. The witch was thoroughly examined and explored by the time he was done: he talked, tasted, and scratched as he got acquainted.

This was my favorite picture, it looks like he is kissing her, but he is actually biting her nose.

Then I pulled out the plastic pumkin and placed it about 2 feet from Carson to see if he could reach it. Smart kid, he first pulled the blanket towards him, inching the pumpkin closer, then he rolled, scooted, screamed and talked his way there. I think crawling would be faster, but at 9 months, he has not discovered that tool yet. Watch out when he does, as he is still pretty mobile.

ARMENIA!

2008-10-01T16:17:00.001-07:00

Headers

2008-09-28T19:13:00.001-07:00

Saturday Soccer Game

2008-09-28T18:29:00.001-07:00

(Picture by David Fager) This was an amazing slide tackle and an amazing photographer to capture the picture. I have been moved to the bench, but fortunately my replacement lives out of town.

Moral of the story: don't park your car behind the goal at a high school soccer game.

Handsome Guy

2008-09-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

Ben got his school pictures back this week and I love this picture of Him. It is already up on our wall of fame.

The Window Washer

2008-09-14T16:57:00.001-07:00

David came home for the weekend and little did he know what he was in for - window washing and preserving peaches (see the previous blog). He currently is working washing windows in Provo while waiting for a mission. He is professional and our windows look great. I am amazed what the right solution, tools, and know how do. He even taught me, but I don't think you will see me up on the roof anytime soon.

Remember the window above our front door and porch?

PEACH PARTY

2008-09-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Melanie wanted to get together this year and can a bunch of peaches. I found a source from Caldwell that we could order peaches in bulk from and get a good price. Finding the slot to join forces from Idaho Falls and Provo was a trick as the weird weather kept pushing back the fruit delivery date and how we would finagle arrangements. But the fruit finally came. Melanie left Provo at 5:30 AM on Saturday, leaving Dave to survive with Carson for the day, arrived in Idaho Falls at 9 to can, and then headed back at 6 PM with her share of the goods.

It ended up being so much fun and definite memory maker. Some of the peaches were not quite ripe, and only needed a little heat and light to encourage them, so we placed them on the grass in the backyard to sunbathe. Melanie and Ben decided to join them.

We had a great assembly line and had the job done by about 4 PM, with just enough time to celebrate David's upcoming 19th birthday. See if you can figure out what we did by our nick names, Melanie was Blanch, Ben was "Minkey" (from Pink Panther), Cami (David's friend) "Pitta", I was Granny McCanny, David the Third Degree, and Vance Steamer.

We ended up processing 6 bushels, which came out to 145 quarts. Whew, all done... until next year.

Canning

2008-09-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

This week my time has been occupied by canning. I processed my garden green beans and tomatoes. My neighbor has a yellow transparent apple tree. It rivals gravenstein apples in Sebastopol. California. It makes the smoothest applesauce and tastes great. The only problem we had was how fragile they were, by the time we picked them and got them to the sink to be washed, they would bruise terribly. I had to be sure not to get them too wet in the washing process or they would absorb the water and the skin would split. Vance picked 4 bushels, but we processed 3 and got 40 quarts of beautiful sauce. I think I'm getting older though, as we did it all in about 6 hours, but my back was complaining about 1/2 way through. This week will be peaches, corn, and plums. The church farm plants corn that is free to anyone who wants to pick it, my neighbor has plum trees loaded with fruit for the taking. I love harvest time!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was wondering - from Idaho Falls to Coeur d'Alene via Helena and Missoula and back and then down to Provo and back to Idaho Falls is over 1620 miles.

Vance and I took advantage of a couple of soccer games to enjoy a ride together, do some business along the way and some beautiful scenery. Below are a couple of pictures of Ben playing in a soccer game at Lake City High School, look at the backdrop for the soccer field. It was absolutely gorgeous. (In case anyone was wondering, Ben is #6). The competition up north is a little more fierce and dirty, so the games were quite intense. After it is all over, those are my favorite kind of games. The lost a game and one a game by one point.

We got in late Saturday night, went to church on Sunday at our regular 11:30 time, packed and left for Provo for Vance to ordain David to the office of an elder. The cool thing about the event was Jenn and Richard were there preparing for their Wyoming pack ride. Dave, Richard, and Vance were in the circle all dressed up with their white shirts and ties. It was a neat occasion.

Had the weather been nice, Monday would have been spent with a little Frisbee golf and football, but instead we opted to sing and try out some of Dave's choir selections (remember he is the choir director for his ward) and then go bowling, Ben, Vance, Dave, and "Elder" bowled while Melanie and I stayed back for awhile to let Carson finish a long nap. We headed back to Idaho Falls after lunch. I must admit, we were all a little weary, but the whole thing was well worth it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

2008-09-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

Ben turned 17 on Thursday. We actually celebrated his birthday on Wednesday by going out to dinne after soccer, enjoying our traditional "trifle" cake, and opening presents a little early, as Vance and I were leaving Thursday to head to Coeur d'Alene for a couple of soccer games, and conduct a little business along the way.

It sure has been a wonderful 17 years with Ben. Some of my favorite things about Ben are his easy smile, his pleasant and upbeat personality, his ability to feel the spirit, how excited he gets about the smallest things - it is contagious, and how easy he is to talk to. I can hardly believe my baby who liked to play with dinosaurs on the floor for hours or sit on my lap and read books is "all growed up."

My Garden

2008-08-24T17:34:00.001-07:00

Getting tomatoes to grow in Idaho Falls this year has been a trick with the crazy weather. My mom says she plans on tomatoes about the 20th of August. Well, I did pick my first tomato 2 days ago and here are the next ones ripening.

Green beans, lots of green beans, they are my favorite. I have learned bush beans do much better than pole bean here.

I love gardening and getting vegetables from my garden. I have watered, fertilized, succored, talked, and sang to my plants. Aren't they pretty?

Soccer and Shin Splints

2008-08-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ben made the Idaho Falls Varsity Soccer team. At the beginning of the season he usually has some ailment or another after 4 hours a day of intensive work out. This year we avoided sore heels, and pulled muscles, only to encounter shin splints. He has iced, stretched, and Melanie had to do some quick coaching on how to tape shin splints. I had to start taping, take a picture and then send it to her to see if I was doing it right. It worked! Mel was patient and good at explaining the procedure to someone who is mechanically altered when it comes anything that takes exactness and precision. Nice Legs Ben!

Idaho Falls always plays their first game of the season against Bonneville (4A Idaho State Champions last year). They have not beat Bonneville in a couple of years as they are such a quick, strong team. Ben was petrified to start as right wing defender. He was the only one on the team to start that has not played varsity before. It was a much faster paced game than he was used too, but he bobbled his way through the first game without too much damage. He played very well. I think the next game will much more enjoyable for him.

Ben had to mark #17 who was quite quick and looked for the long ball so he could sprint to it before his defender and score. Ben's job was to stay goal-side, which wasn't easy as #17 kept maneuvering for position. I did ask Ben what flavor of gum #17 was chewing as they hung around each other a lot.

Sprinting back to position, after Bonneville's defense kicks a long ball. Idaho Falls won the game 5-2.

David's in the kitchen

2008-08-17T20:00:00.001-07:00

David's home for a few days between summer term and heading down to work in Provo. He had a great time, enjoying tennis, a few classes and summer social life. He got a job at a warehouse in Orem and starts work on Wednesday. The plan is to work while getting mission papers in. He offered to fix dinner for me as he knows the cooking is not my favorite past time. Aaron, his cousin, came to help him make homemade pizza.
The best was the sauce that Aaron made, it had tomatoes and fresh basil from my herb barrel. YUM!

Katie's FINALLY in Armenia

2008-08-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

We received this photo from the Armenia Yerevan mission on Saturday. Katie is picture with President and Sister Dunn. She left Thursday, August 14 at 2:30 from Salt Lake and arrived at 11:30 pm Armenian time Friday, August 15. Armenia is 11 hours ahead of Idaho Falls time. She is so ready for this next step. She is stepping into a whole new culture and life style. She said she had to say lots of good byes to quote Katie:

"Having the last everything is so weird...my last wrap, last real shower, last night on a mattress, last time seeing my teachers, etc. It is neat though because I have loved my time at the MTC but I don't feel sad leaving it. Many people don't enjoy the MTC, but I think it is a matter of just living in the moment and getting as much as you can out of it. I can't really pick out any favorite moments and I can't say there is anything I really hated. It has all been just pleasent. They do a really good job of managing and taking care of 2500+ missionaries...

"It will be fun to get in Armenia and experience all these things I have heard about for the last three months. It will be cool to try the nasty salty cheese, the nice warm bread, have my shower break on me, speak with someone in this strange language I have learned, and so much more. I really just pray that I can have a love for these people so that when I serve them they will feel Heavenly Father's love through me.

A Fabulous Four Days

2008-08-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Richard and Jenn came up this last weekend plus a few days and we played hard. Thursday, after Jenn was pronounced cavity-free, we went on a bike ride to the river and back, I imagine that is about an 8-mile round trip excursion.

That afternoon, we went huckleberry picking up Kelly Canyon. Huckleberries are thick this year. The only spot I know was one the Driggs family showed us. The berries were a bit small, but Richard saved the day. He got to thinking what type of terrain would create the biggest berries - one that got lots of water and sun. So he went exploring a found a slope further up that produced gorgeously big berries and showed us the way.

While we were picking berries, we heard a bunch of mooing, hawing, and whistling. A cattle drive was going on just a few feet from us.

Friday we stopped for a picnic on our way to Jackson Hole for a hike around Jenny Lake and a visit to Bar J. The ants were a problem at this spot so we just all sat on the table and it worked great.

Here we are in front of Jenny's Lake.

Ben likes taking pictures and got several beautiful pictures as we hiked.

Richard was voted the most adventurous hiker. He was always mapping out and exploring the unknown terrain first. One little contest he and Ben had was to try and stay on the rocks, as the path was a bit rocky at places.

We veered from our usual path and hiked towards Moose Lake. It was quiet, humid, with lots of beautiful wild flowers and bugs. Jenn was even startled by a snake.

Oh, I forgot to mention the early Friday morning golfing game at Pinecrest on Friday. No wonder we were so tired Saturday. Although we did go to the river to check on the Roaring Snake River Youth Jam, checked on the remodled Idaho Falls Visitor Center, and hit Deseret Industries to buy special outfits for a horse-packing trip over Labor Day weekend with the Oldhams. Here's Jenn and Richard relaxing watching 2008 Olympics on Saturday. We had such a wonderful time. Let's do it again!

Working for the City of Idaho Falls

2008-08-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Ben's last day working for the city. He was in the weed control department. His main job was spraying round-up or some other chemical on weeds. Now this can be a trick in Idaho Falls as spraying cannot be done if there is more than 7 mph winds. Ben started work at 6 AM and was done by 2:30 PM. Usually the wind kicks up late morning and he is reciprocating in the afternoon. A reciprocator is a weed-wacker like machine, but the head has two frisbee-size discs with teeth that rotate is opposite directions, making a scissor effect when cutting down weeds.

Jenn, Richard, and I rode bikes down to the river by the Idaho Falls to sneak pictures of him working on his last day. The weed crew was cleaning up for some town jamboree at the river. The first time I road right past Ben thinking that could not be him because the boy I saw was too muscular, but lo and behold, it WAS him. By the way Ben weighed in at 173 lbs today. I'm not sure if he has cracked 6 foot yet, that is 35 lbs more than a year ago. Kill me if I do that.

Video clip

2008-07-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

I tried loading this video from a different computer and in the morning - it worked! This video was one of Katie's experiments during P-day laundry hour, so it wasn't carefully filmed, but it's fun to see.

Mission UPDATE

2008-07-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Katie just sent us a cassette tape and pictures. It was just like Christmas!!! For those of you who were at her farewell and noticed her rate of speaking, this cassette tape was similar. She described the language, her schedule, and everything about the MTC. She is having a wonderful time and can hardly wait to arrive in Armenia in 2 WEEKS!!

This is a closer up picture of Katie's district. Back row is Elders Harris, Ellison, Craft. Front row is Sister Peterson, Katie, and Sister Barratt. As you can tell Elder Harris likes to have fun. Katie says he keeps things lively and helps break up the monotony of 10 to 12 hours in the classroom. Elder Ellison is the Zone leader and takes it very seriously. Elder Craft is a professional rock climber and is Katie's teaching partner in the classroom. She really likes teaching with him as he is very smart and competitive. He's the type that keeps a 4.0 GPA without effort. They push each other and it is helping each rise to greater language abilities. Sister Peterson just graduated from the U of U is athletic training. Sister Barratt is energetic and fun to be around. Both companions are from Arizona.

No this is not gang signals, it is the sign language for "What's it to you?" or "Keldeetzch" (I have no idea how it is spelled) in Armenian.

This kind of reminds me of the ghost busters, but it is actually what Katie and her companions do for service on Monday mornings. They get a powerful spray washer to clean and squeegee the bathrooms. They have to wear goggles because of the force of spray and heat. Katie says it gets pretty hot and humid in the bathroom and her naturally curly hair is a piece of work when they are done.

These 2 pictures are Katie's classroom. Click on the pictures to get a closer view. She loves writing Armenian. She says it is really cool. She memorizes 15 to 40 words a day on her own, in addition to class time. They have days they "Speak Your Language" She she speaks Armenian in all conversations. If she is with a non-Armenian speaking companion during gym time, for example, she talks in Armenian and then translates. There are only 4 sisters in Armenia currently. 3 of them are going home in November; 3 more will be arriving from the MTC shortly after that, so Katie feels it is important to do everything she can to be as fluent as possible. Most likely she will have an Armenian companion after she is trained.

This last picture Katie sent especially for Grandma Gabrielsen. Katie misses seeing Elder Gabrielsen at the MTC, he left for New York on Monday.

Last but not least, her is a short video Katie sent. It's a bit crazy, but fun. Sorry it is not loading, I will try again later.

Church Callings

2008-07-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Melanie asked if I would do a blog on my church callings throughout the years, so here it is. It is a bit lengthy, but I sure had fun thinking about some neat experiences.

I have had numerous callings through the years, most places I’ve had more than one calling at a time. Usually it has to do with playing the organ or music of some sort. I have been ward organist 5 or 6 times and ward choir accompaniest 3 or 4 times.

Junior High and High School
Beehive President – because of my shy, unimposing nature I hesitated to visit an inactive girl in the class as my advisor sternly lectured me about the importance of fulfilling by calling.

Sunday School Organist – Back in the days when there were 3 meetings each Sunday. I was not very good at the organ and appreciated the congregation putting up with my mistakes for a few years. One time I was asked to play for a stake baptism service. The meeting started a half hour late and I only knew one prelude song, Come Ye Disconsolate, I played it over and over as the song only lasted about 2 minutes.

Roadshow Director, senior in high school. This was probably my most intimidating calling as my creative side would fit into my little toe. I had to write the play, direct, and organize the whole thing. I felt like I did it all, but in retrospect, there were some great leaders who made me think I was taking responsibility.

College
· Sunday School Secretary
· V.T. supervisor
· Stake RS Board as VT supervisor
· Spiritual Living RS Instructor
· Relief Society President
· Nursery Leader
· Gospel Doctrine Teacher – I team taught this with Vance before he was called to the bishopric

Virginia
Homemaking Counselor in Virginia.
Ward choir accompaniest

Texas
Primary 1st Counselor
Choir Director
Merrie Miss Activity days

California
Primary Chorister
Stake Primary Chorister
Primary President

Montana
Primary Chorister
Relief Society Chorister
Choir Director

Washington
Beehive Counselor
Relief Society President

Boise
Primary teacher
Beehive Counselor
YW President
Activities Chairman
Primary Chorister
Visiting teacher supervisor
Ward Music Chairman
Mia Maid Advisor, and teaching organ lessons as part of my ward organist position. Teaching organ has probably been my favorite calling so far. I had 8 “students” who came every week. One of them would play 1 of the 3 or 4 hymns each week.

Idaho Falls
YW President
Family History Consultant current position

My greatest service has been being a visiting teacher. I have had some tremendous experiences. The following bullet points are my most memorable experiences:

In Virginia…
· Brenda - I was only in Virginia for a year, but I visit taught Brenda the entire time. She worked for the Bishop at a clothes factory and lived in a run down home (it might have been a trailer house) on the outskirt hills of Roanoke. She was very poor, uneducated, ungroomed, and very receptive and kind. I had to drive quite a ways to get to her home. Her husband was an alcoholic and was very anti -church, as a consequence, Brenda could not come to church. She did not have a phone, so initially I had to just drop by. She was so nervous because her husband would disapprove, but she longed for contact with the church. We set up visits for when he would not be home and would never know. One time I came and he was either drunk or on drugs and unconscious on the couch. It was a short visit.
· I cannot remember the middle-aged sister I visit taught, she lived in some apartments in a bad part of town. I walked in the middle of a gun-fight as I went into the complex. I had to wait in her apartment for ½ hour after visiting so the policeman could get control of the situation.

In Texas
· Rose Garcia – an inactive friend that had 2 children. She went from total inactivity to a counselor in the primary. She ended up getting a divorce, which I was really sad to hear about
· I visit taught a black single mom who had 6 children living in one of the poorest situations I’ve seen. All of her children were mentally slow. I only visit taught there only once and the bishop pulled me out. When I went there were human feces on the floor, the smell was overwhelming. There was no air conditioning so all the doors and windows were open in the southern Texas town. There were flies everywhere. While I was talking, one of her boys started a fire as he sat behind her.

In California
· I cannot remember the name of the people I taught, I just remember going to a trailer home of a sister who had a virgin Mary statue in her front room. She was very poor and the stench was almost unbearable. I don’t know that she ever came to church, but she was always very receptive to me.
· My visiting teaching partner was Alice Fish, a middle aged single sister with lots of energy and spunk. She struggled with her lot in life and I know I really helped her. I don't think she had ever been a visiting teacher except with me.

In Montana
Lisa Carpenter – lived way out on the outskirts of town. She was about my age and had 4 children. Her husband was a cow-hand on a ranch. She lived in a mobile home trailer. She was inactive, but really just needed a little attention as she was so receptive. She became active and also a worker in the primary.

In Washington
Hazel Woodworth - the first time I visited her I had to drop buy without calling. She lived close to downtown Vancouver, which was in a rough part of town. Hazel was divorced and had a hard life. Our first encounter, she smoked and drank coffee while we visited. She proclaimed to have joined other churches as she was so dissatisfied with the LDS church. Her daughter lived on the streets of Portland. Somehow she let me come back. She seemed to soften each time. She had a mild heart attack and decided it was time to give up smoking. She called me one time a said she was thinking of devious ways to get a cigarette and could I please help her. After that she started coming to church. She ended up going through the temple, and was my secretary when I was RS President. She moved to Montana shortly after we moved and is still active today.

Peggy Schaeffer – a very poor widow in Vancouver. She had 6 children, most who were mentally slow, most them, even though adults, lived with her. Peggy came to church a couple of times and did not own or would not wear a dress. She would sit in the back row. One of her sons would come and sit in on the visits whenever I came. I think he had a “crush” on me and it really made me uncomfortable. For years Peggy would send me a Christmas card with just her name signed. I don’t think she could read and write very well.

In Boise
Le – a divorced single mom going to school. She lived in one of the apartment complexes. Her divorce was bitter and she didn’t feel comfortable going to church. I don’t think she ever had a testimony, but she would let me in every month. I was helped several times to share a spiritual message with her and we became very good friends.
*Another young girl in her early twenties in an apartment complex, I can’t remember her name. I would always have to just drop by. She was a strip tease dancer for a club in Nampa. She ended up getting cancer (I think it was colon cancer) and had to quit her career. I visit taught her for 6 months and was making great progress and then she moved.

Christy – lived in government subsidized housing, divorced with children. As she had 3 young women and I was young women president, I was asked to VT there. She was excommunicated from the church, and quite bitter. But for some reason she would let me in month after month. She helped with a church activity or two, but that was about it. When we moved into a rental home, switching wards and stakes, she happened to be in that ward and lo and behold, I was called again to be her visiting teacher. No one knew I was acquainted with her. Once again she would let me in. A couple of times she would put me off in a month and then call me the last day of the month and ask why I hadn’t been there yet. My favorite memory if taking Jennifer with me and Jenn speaking to her said, “Christy, I’m a sinner and you’re a sinner, why don’t we both go back to church.” Only Jenn could have got away with that one.

Pictures from the MTC

2008-07-01T15:42:00.001-07:00

I just received pictures from Katie (she signs her letters Sister Katherine Fager) at the MTC. The pictures are in no particular order. The first picture is of the Provo temple. Katie goes to the temple once a week and I have a few pictures of her studying on the front lawn of the temple (on Sundays). Katie's mission president requests that all shirts be tucked in. Katie says that is quite the chore to keep everything tucked, but she is so obedient.

Here is a picture of her companions, Sister Barratt from Arizona and Sister Peterson from Utah. She seems to enjoy her companions and what they have to teach her.

This is a picture of her District. Elder Ellison is the district leader and as you can guess loves basketball. Elder Craft and Katie seem to be the ones understanding the language the best so far, I think they have a little competition going, Elder Harris has quite the sense of humor and keeps thing light to break the intense studying.

Armenia is a long ways away....

This is my personal favorite picture of Katie All her letters say she loves a mission and the gospel.

This picture is a little fuzzy, but if you enlarge it and look at her name tag you will get a sample of Armenian. There are 39 characters in the alphabet. She says the hardest thing about the language is the pronunciation because some of the characters are very similar in pronunciation, for instance the "t" "tz" "dz" "d" - are similar but oh so different and those are not the hard ones which she couldn't describe. She calls herself a nerd because she carries around cards to memorize during exercise. Her teacher describes her as intense. He suggested in their last interview that she help others in her district know what she knows.

I included this picture to show that Katie is having a lot of fun on her mission and hasn't lost her sense of fun.

I Love the Summer in Idaho Falls

2008-06-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

I know I complained bitterly about the long, hard winter in Idaho Falls - it has been a trial of my faith after the Boise mild winters. However, the summers here are absolutely glorious. My kids always tease me about my garden and flowers as I am learning to love gardening with all it's symbolism and beauty. The perennial and annual flowers flourish in the temperate weather. While Salt Lake and Boise are sweltering in the 90's, Idaho Falls stays in the lower to mid 80's. PERFECT! I want to enjoy every minute of the summer, because winter will come again and I will remember these pictures.

A Begonia in front of Hostas. The Hostas this year are as big and green as ever.

This Dianthus plant is in the front and can be seen all the way down the street with its brilliant neon pink color. I don't think a blossom failed to bloom on this plant.

Moving In, Moving Out, and Moving On

2008-06-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was busy one with moving David into his dorm at Hertiage Halls for a summer adventure and helping Richard and Jenn pack a truck and trailer to move to Boise for the beginning of a career. Provo has always held so many wonderful memories for me and I love that each of my children have had an opportunity to live there (I am speaking in the future tense for Ben - but he is a BYU Cougar through and through.)

Jenn was so organized having everything packed and cleaned; since they are moving in with Grandma and Grandpa Gabrielsen, she had it figured out which things to store for awhile, and which things she needed immediately, and what section of the truck/trailer to pack.

A bird's eye view most of the crew when the loading was done. Richard and Jenn had lined up Dad, Ben David, Dave, John (his brother), and a couple of friends from work. It was an efficient crew and the deed was done by about 9:30 AM after an 8 AM start.

Richard closing the door for the last time at apartment #316.

David got more than he bargained for with everyone help him move into Heritage (except Katie :-) (See Melanie's blog -link to the right side of this page for pictures and a write up of his move and other fun things about our weekend)

FAREWELL FUN

2008-06-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

I loved the Memorial Day weekend when my parents came over from Boise and Jenn, Richard, Dave, Melanie, and Carson were her for Katie's farewell. We played games, we sang, we cleaned, we ate, and we enjoyed each other. It's sad to know that it won't happen again for awhile with Katie on a mission, but I am sure Heavenly Father will make it up in other ways. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

We played the dice game and even made up our own rules; Hand and Foot and Settlers of Cataan where also on the agenda.

Katie and I spent a few hours the week before making cookies and rolls to feed family and friends after church on Sunday

This is one of my favorite pictures of some of my favorite people

WANTED. $10,000 Reward

2008-06-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Actually this is Katie's passport picture, not a wanted poster. It is a requirement that teeth cannot be shown in a passport picture

David is is Graduated - Phew!!

2008-06-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

David graduated for Idaho Falls High School. I think we were all glad it was over. David wouldn't let me take a picture in his cap and gown, so this is the best we could do. We celebrated by bowling and then David went to the all night party and won a TV. He also won a scooter, but left before it was announced, so he missed out. (The winner had to be present.)

The accapella choir sang a beautiful song. I'm not sure where David is in this picture, it might be like finding Waldo.

Katie and I didn't end up bowling, but we were the #1 fans.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE

2008-06-04T16:01:00.001-07:00

My it has been a month since I have done a blog. It has been so busy getting Katie ready for a mission. Here are pictures from her 21st birthday a month ago. She requested Vance's infamous barbecued salmon, an trifle angel food cake, and go figure a salad.

David and Brandon on to State

2008-05-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

David and Brandon took 4th place in Districts by beating the Twin Falls number 1 team twice, the Madison number one team but just missed beating Skyline number 1 in 3 sets . They are a very talented team when they pull it all together. They can arguably play with anyone as long as they dont get down on themselves. They are also very well liked by many of the other teams. Brandon has a great sense of humor and David even though temperamental at times on the court is a very good sport and is very friendly to his opponents and his teammate , just not his racket. The State tournament will be in Boise one week from tomorrow, so back to Boise we go to finish out Davids very fun High School Tennis career.
Dav

Commencement Dance

2008-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

This was Ben's first guy ask girl date. He asked Lauren Avondet to prom. That should be the name of this dance. I'm not sure why IF calls it commencement. To me, commencement means the beginning of the year, but it is tradition here.

Ben rented a tuxedo for the occasion, my did he look handsome!

He had some great coaching from big brother on how to treat the ladies.

There was a group of 4 couples. They planned a lasagna dinner at our house. The assignments were doled out amongst the guys. Katie created a partition between our living room and kitchen. The table was decorated tastefully with candles and of course there was music playing in the background

"Irre," short for irresistable, was the head waiter, with his capable assistant Katie.

Everyone had a great time.

TENNIS!

2008-05-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Spring time is the season for school tennis. David is playing #2 boys varsity doubles with Brandon Walker. He and Brandon played together the last third of the season last year and ended up going to state. They have high expecations this senior year. He has really improved his game this year and it is fun to watch.

Last week we went to Boise for the Capitals Tournament, which David and Brandon won the consolation spot (lower bracket) last year. They ended up making it to the semi finals in the upper bracket. They should have won, but lost a match in the semi finals. It was most disappointing.

Here is Brandon serving and David at the net. Brandon can have a killer serve. Usually the strongest server serves first. Brandon usually goes first, but David is the stronger server. So it really surprises opponents when David smokes them in.

David usually plays the backhand side. I always hear him referred to as the big kid from IF (Idaho Falls)

Can you guess whether or not they won this point??

Districts are this Tuesday and Thursday. This is the set of matches that determine whether or not they go to state. Go Team!

Ben's Blog

2008-04-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ben decided he wanted to set up his own blogspot. Check it out http://simplyben6.blogspot.com/. There is also a link with the other family links.

A Birthday to Remember

2008-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

My Birthday Roses from Vance

Yesterday was my 50th birthday and it was such a nice day, it actually had been an lovely 3 days before. My parents called and wanted to come over for the "celebration." Dad felt like he could try freeway driving after a couple of years of poor eyesight (oh the miracle of cataract surgery!) They arrived Thursday night. Jenn also arrived Thursday to help with Sarah's wedding. She had originally planned to leave early Saturday morning, but decided to stay an extra day to play. I was so grateful Richard was so generous to share (he had to take a test Saturday and could not make it). She helped fix me a birthday salmon dinner, then we played hand and foot with grandma and grandpa.

The boys did not have school on Monday, as it was parent-teacher conference. It was a laid back day and I simply treated myself to reading a book and then fertilized flowers. The boys took me out to Johnny Carino's Restaurant. I love the rosemary lemon chicken. We came home and had Roro's over for angel food cake and strawberries. Then it was a push to edit David's senior thesis project. He has spent hours on researching and writing the paper. We worked feverishly until about 10:30. Then Vance handed me a folder that contained letters from my children and siblings . I was quite surprised and was anxious to read the notes. I was very touched as I read the letters. It is has been a rough few months in many ways, with lots of questioning and doubts about myself. The expressions of love and confidence in me were overwhelming. It meant more than can be imagined.

The birthday cake. This actually was Vance's birthday cake that Katie and I made, but it fits the category, so why not. The small berries on top are huckleberries! yum.

The Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-27T09:54:00.001-07:00

We had a glorious Easter Egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter. It was a beautiful day, Wymount Quad 3 was the site. Rather than try to think of clever places to hide the eggs, I divided them up, put them in sacks, and had the kids hide them for each other - so Katie hid eggs for David to find, David hid for Richard and Jenn and so forth. It seemed to be the year of the tree. Dave hid one quite high in a tree for Ben to retrieve, Richard climbs trees like a goat would climb a mountain and hid cereal for Dave to retrieve. David propped up Dave to hide the "big one" for Richard (which by the way he knocked down with a rock - no fair!)

HIDING THE EGGS

FINDING THE EGGS (OR CEREAL)!

The one Richard knocked down with a rock.

Melanie seemed to enjoy the hunt the most. I got such a kick out of watching her follow everyone as it was their turn to find hidden eggs. The audience requested popcorn as they watched the hunt. Carson and Granpa stayed in the house and rested.

Katie's hunting was particularly challenging. As you can tell she had to have a bit of help to get to where her eggs were. Thanks alot Ben!

Called to serve in...

2008-03-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

ARMENIA!!!

I am so excited to go, but terrified at the same time. I am just grateful for the support I will have as I prepare to go from my earthly and heavenly families :-) Just wait for more to come...

Girl's Choice

2008-03-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

The theme of the Girl's Choice Dance was "Cops and Robbers." Ben had a much better time this go around. Here is a preview picture

Spring Fling

2008-03-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've tried my hardest not to complain about the horrible winter in Idaho Falls - okay I admit to whining a little, but it wasn't nearly as much as I felt inside. Ben and I found a very therapuetic practice - while looking for my cell phone, we dug down the 5 foot piles of snow in the front by taking a big shovel full from the pile and flinging it into the street. Cars driving by would quickly smash and melt the clods of snow. Another practice that kept me entertained was to check the drain chain in the back. If it is warm enough, drops of water trickle down the chain and freeze before it gets to the bottom. If the temperature hit around 30, sometimes (if the wind didn't blow) the ice chains would break and form piles of ice at the bottom. I loved observing the process. (Double click on this photo, you can see the details better)

My other entertainment has been the windmill. I love watching it work furiously in the wind.

I gave up waiting for the snow to melt, since we still have a foot of snow and temperatures stubbornly hovering around 30 degrees; I was finally eligible to buy a new cell phone at a discount on Saturday, March 8 so I bought one. Today, Sunday, March 9 after 2-1/2 months of digging and searching I FOUND MY CELL PHONE, not in the big pile in the street but much closer to the house. And guess what??? IT STILL WORKS!! It was a bit dirty and wet, but not scratched. It cleaned up real pretty and started right up with it's display picture of Carson.

Another miracle, I had to take a picture I was so excited. I took a picture for proof.

I planted 50 daffodil bulbs last fall and several of in the front are starting to peek through the bark. SPRING IS COMING!

Weekend Visits

2008-03-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

It has been so nice to have "the kids" home the past few weekends while Katie has been getting her mission papers ready. Dave, Melanie, Carson, and Katie came to Idaho Falls President's Day weekend; then the next weekend Richard, Jenn, and Katie came. It was so fun to have them home.

Mr. Carson had a rough weekend and grandma and grandpa got the early morning shift. Here is grandpa getting him to sleep and then grandma enjoying grandpa's success.

A typical picture of Melanie these days nursing Carson on the couch.

I am not sure which picture Katie ended up turning in for her mission papers, but here is my favorite.

I think my biggest surprise of the first weekend was Uncle David handling Carson. He is like a fish to water in know how to hold, comfort, and coddle a baby.

Had I not been so lazy on pictures the weekend Jenn and Richard were here, I would have gotten a picture of Jennifer competing in the boxing game of the Wii. I think she remains undefeated as she is vicious! And a picture of David and Richard playing Star Craft would have been a great one to have, they were pretty focused on beating the other team (the computer). I also wish I had a before

and after of the guest bedroom pillows. Jenn had finally had enough with the old flat, drooled on pillows and whisked me away to Ross to find replacement pillows and duvet covers. Both guest rooms are now are stocked with good pillows.

Tribute to a Loyal Friend

2008-02-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

The 1988 red camry is on her last wheels. She was an inheritance from Grandma and Grandpa to handle the extra load of teenage drivers. She has mothered Jenn, Melanie, Katie, David, and Ben through high school. I don't think she will be able to complete her term with Ben as she is suffering from arthiritis in her wheel. The power steering is now gone, so one gets quite the upper body work out when driving. We have to keep her well oiled, since she leaks.

It is quite a process to get her started in the morning. Ben has to open the hood attach the battery cables to the post, close it and jump in the car to start. When he parks the car he has to do the reverse procedure so the battery won't drain will sitting.

The driver's and passenger windows no longer roll done. So when Ben was pulled over a few months ago, the policeman startled and called back up when Ben had to open the door to communicate with him. Ben had to quickly explain the window doesn't work. And remember the passenger seatbelt doesn't tighten immediately, but does a surprise attack later (or is that the gray camry?)

It will be a sad day when we have to let her go; the camry holds many fond memories for me.

The Never Ending Winter

2008-02-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

We're going back to the old days. Vance has told me that the winters are not like they use to be in Idaho Falls when he was growing up back when the snow didn't melt until April, there were 6 foot snow banks. He has changed his mind. The past 6 weeks have been a winter fest. Yesterday and today have produced 6 to 8 inches of snow and still going.

Remember this picture taken January 16:

This is yesterday:

Today, less than 24 hours later.

Remember the snow bank my cell phone is at the bottom of? It is increasing in height.

Yesterday....

Today.....

The kitchen window on the north side, the wind usually comes from the south - but the wind is swirling and blowing snow on all windows. FUN!?

Melanie, Your Reign Has Ended

2008-02-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

It's official , February 7, 2008, the pencil is level, he isn't on his toes, and it isn't even first thing in the morning. David is 6'1. For the record he weighs 200 lbs.

Ben is not far behind him, he's coming in at 5'11. I am now the second shortest (thanks Katie!) Currently he weighs 165 lbs, 20 lbs more than he weighed on September 1, 2007.

Happy Birthday Davy Crockett!

2008-01-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

Dave is 24 years old today, January 28th!

I feel blessed to have Dave in our family. He is a great son-in-law and father. He makes everything fun from never ending wedding pictures

to chores

Playing (remember the lucky pose that scores a strike?)

Singing

and most of all he loves Melanie!

How we spend extra time on winter days

2008-01-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Some times we get creative in how we spend our extra time indoors on long winter days...

1. Friendly competition:
David LOVES to arm wrestle dad. He is always challenging dad to little competition to check if he is as strong as dad. Usually David is turned down because he is so strong and dad is trying to protect a weakening elbow. The picture below is when the challenge was taken on New Year's Eve: the wager - going to grandma's for a while to celebrate. Guess who won and you can guess the rest of the story.

2. Visiting family:
We love to drive down to Provo to spend time with "the girls." Winter is a great time to see them, hit a BYU basketball or volleyball game, play games, and just simply enjoy each other.

3. Finishing projects:
Here David is putting together a computer desk. Something that we put off for a while and finally got around to it. David has a knack for putting things together. The foosball table was an interesting project and he pulls out the screwdriver now and then if it seems off balance. By the way the foosball is ready for all visitors to play. I am horrible at it and obviously the last one chosen to be on a team. The boys seem to tolerate me as I go from team to team. Funny how the team I am on always loses.

4. Playing games:
Ping pong is a favorite especially for David. He plays almost daily with who ever he can get. The boys are getting so good, I am slipping into last place in that category, but I still have some "stuff."

5. I think David was particularly bored when he did this. This is the hard way to play ping pong!

Grandma Bragging Rights

2008-01-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

I think Carson is the cutest, most handsome grand child ever. (Except for my babies :-)

IFHS Christmas Concert - WOW it was GOOD!

2007-12-21T12:58:00.000-08:00

David and Ben sang in there respective choirs on Wednesday night and it was MARVELOUS, the more I listen to it the more I like it. David's choir has been selected to sing in a choir festival on January 24th in Pocatello. Only a few high schools and college choirs in the state of Idaho were chosen to participate and IFHS was one.

Below is a sampler of the accapella choir numbers. I missed filming the first one and it was actually my favorite. Katie did get it on on the camcorder along with a full version of the other numbers. I chose the wrong side to film from, and as the Colonial Theatre was FULL (a facility like the Egytian theatre in Boise), I could not move to a better filming spot. Next time I will need to guess better.

Ben's choir started practicing at the beginning of Trimester (3 weeks ago). There are 20 boys in the choir (3 of them were missing due to a basketball game).

BABY, ITS COLD OUTSIDE

2007-12-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right, those are icicles hanging from the house and drain from the gutter, festive for the season don't you think? Those are the only outside decorations by the way.

I just bundle up with 3 or 4 layers, a fire, 3 heaters and I'm making it just fine. Happy Holidays!

David's Goofy Mood

2007-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if it has been the single digit temperature's here in snow Idaho Falls driving all activities indoors, the start of a new trimester, Christmas Season, or a day at home because he was not feeling well; but David was in the funniest mood last night. It all started with standing on the couch and singing in his best opera voice with Les Miserables music turned up loud. He really sounded quite good and I would have captured it on film, but I'm sure it would have intimated him.

Next he decided to imitate cheerleading moves (after showing off his ever growing biceps) by the junior boys during the powder puff football game. My bedroom decorative pillows served as pom poms. I did get a video of it.

Then came the worm as shown below.

We ended up at the library for some books to read in front of the fire while listening to a lopsided BYU basketball game. It was a memory filled night.

Breaking News - Braces are OFF!!

2007-12-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, you got it right. David got his braces of TODAY. He wins the award in the Fager family for having braces the longest: 3 months for the first round, 3 years and 6 months for the second round. Katie comes in a close second.

No pictures yet folks, but they'll be coming, cause he looks GREAT! He'll have to wear some pretty heavy duty retatiners until he gets 2 implants post mission, 1 on the bottom and 1 on the top; meanwhile, he'll have a small retatiner on the top with an extra tooth in it:-).

I have to decide if he is worth a couple of caps on some smaller teeth. Maybe I could get some mileage out of him for those! (Just kidding, but it will be expensive).

Shower, Shower, and Showers

2007-12-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Melanie get lots of people to help her create a beautiful wedding shower for Jennifer. She and Katie made darling announcements. She asked Teresa Harding to decorate and make a cake, Laura Fager and Laura Ewing Byrd to do the snacks and drink. Everyone came through on their jobs and here are picutres of is the ends product. Teresa decorated in white, black and silver, she had balloons, streamers, black fabriic, sparkles, It was especially festive with the beautiful snow showers.

Yes, this is the bride cake Teresa made - amazing!

This is a picture of the first batch of people that came. I think there between 20 and 25 girls that came; plus a couple of special guests that will be obvious from the pictures below.

Great job Melanie and Katie!!

It's Christmas Time!!!

2007-11-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

As tradition merits, setting up the Christmas Tree always ushers in the beginning of the Christmas season. Setting up our gigantic tree (it is a 12 footer) is always quite the chore and therfore takes a small army to do. Well, the six of us made up that small army and between all of us we did the deed. Now the season can officially start...

Mom stabilizes the antique ladder so Ben isn't killed in this process while Dad relays the ribbon from Ben to David (who'd have thought the boys would be the decorators of the family).

Jenn steps in to save the tree and make it presentable.

and I pose for mom's sake so she can take a picture of me (but really, I did help too!)

...and ta da!!!! Here it is--our magnificent and beautiful Christmas Tree.

Bowling Frenzy

2007-11-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

As part of our Thanksgiving Holiday festivities we had an enthralling game of bolwing which probably turned out to be more comical than competitive. Due to poorly size shoes with laces falling off and unusually heavy balls our games were thrown a little askew. It was great to watch Jenn granny bowling becuase nothing else would work and to see Ben experience beginners luck on "the spin." There was also Dave's little kick of the foot that we came to expect on every trip he took to the line. As for the winners of our eventful trip...the mom and the pregnant lady--go figures ;-)

Thanksgiving Holiday Fun

2007-11-25T14:39:00.001-08:00

I can't think of anything I enjoy more than when everyone is home like in the olden days. I realize those precious days are quickly slipping away with marriages, grandchildren, and my family growing up. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Thanksgiving.

Jenn adding the touches the tables to make them look festive.

With the cold weather (in dipped down into single digits at night), the boys going to the church gym to throw football, play tennis, and basketball. I know Dave hoped for playing in a Turkey Bowl, perhaps this helped; he certainly has not lost his touch.

Yes that is a few days growth on his face!

Cute Katie

One of my beloved moments when David and I worked side by side washing the many dishes from our Thanksgiving meal.

Momma Melanie, the only thing missing is her ever expanding belly.

Making homemade noodles for our traditional post Thanksgiving turkey noodle soup.

End of Trimester

2007-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

Idaho Falls High School incorporates a trimester instead of a semester system that I am used to. Ben and David completed the 1st tri on Thursday. Instead of having 6 class periods in a day, there are 5. Classes last 1 hour and 15 minutes. They have been celebrating now for 2 days and will start 2nd tri on Monday.

Ben was pushing hard to earn a 4.0 after slacking off a little in a couple of classes during the soccer season. He had to play catch up in honor's English for the last month and was moaning about having to finish 200 pages of Jane Eyre in a week. A's had to be earned on all the book's quizzes, tests, and papers in order to accomplish his goal. He had to get high A's on both biology finals (the teachers test and the state's ECA test) to squeak by. The English "A" was captured, but biology still remains in question. Stay tuned.....

David's final week didn't seem as intense. He did put in some hours studying for American Government and English. He endured Economics, which obviously has not been one of his favorite classes. The teacher is a really nice lady, but Dad was one of her students 32 years ago when she first started teaching and she is understandable weary and ready to retire. He has really enjoyed choir and weight lifting. His final in weight lifting was to improve "X" amount of percentage in the amount they could lift (I am not sure what that was). He scored 204 consecutive situps, maxed at 230 lbs at the bench press, and did 10 repetitions of 450 on the sled press for legs.

He will have Trigonometry and American Government for core classes next tri along with choir, weight lifting, and seminary. He will have early release since his math class is 0 hour.

Ben takes Algebra IIB, Honor's English, History, Men's choir, and seminary. Both he and David have seminary 4th hour. I wonder if they will get the same teacher. They have 3 seminary teachers. They only take seminary 2 of the 3 trimesters so one or two teachers will teach the second half of Old Testament, another(s) will teach 1st half. Neither boy had seminary last tri.

Happy Birthday Richard!

2007-11-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yep, November 13th is the day. Jenn made him a chocolate birthday cake. I LOVE Richard's smile. It is among my many favorite things about him. (Don't mind the piece missing from the cake - Vance couldn't wait for a taste!)

We celebrated his birthday with his family at Brick Oven. It was a fun group and I enjoyed getting better acquainted with his parents and siblings. We purpose spread out so we would get to know each other better.

Here is a picture of Jenn's first attempt at cutting Richard's hair. She was like a duck to water, an absolute natural at the job. They decided that next go around they will leave it a little longer on the top. She will strive for perfection at Thanksgiving break. A word about his hair. It is thick and grows really fast, so although Thanksgiving is in 10 days, it will be ready to cut again!

Katie's Condo

2007-11-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Her condo is on the 3rd floor on the right hand side. The two things that attracted her to this particular place was the price and each unit has a washer and dryer. She is living with Becca, a roommate from last year, plus 3 other girls. She likes her ward and is the youngest one she knows of. Her current calling is an FHE mom. She carefully plans and invites her "family members" and has between 15 and 20 attendees.

Here Comes the Bride

2007-11-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

One of the main purposes of the weekend was to select a wedding dress for Jennifer. We decided to rent because it is a little cheaper and gives a few more options for the price. Here is the dress Jenn didn't choose, so you can imagine how good the one she chose looks.

This picture is of the necklace she is going to wear. It is an heirloom from Grandma Miers, Jenn's great-grandma on the Fager side. She ended up wearing the necklace all day so she didn't lose it. It was an interesting combination with blue jeans and silver hoops for earrings.

Here is a preview of the one she did chose, but we are not sharing all the secrets, you will have to come to the reception and see :-)

Katie's Fun Date

2007-11-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture from a date Katie had last week. It looked like fun - Katie fill us in on the details.

The first date

2007-11-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

so this is ben telling the rather boring tale of my first date. we started off by going to the high school to get pictures, it was quite slow as we came a little late and had to wait in line. After pictures we went to pizza hut for our dinner where it took FOREVER for the pizza to get to our table, so naturally we arrived late for the dance, we got there at about 9:10 and stayed for an hour and a half, the group i danced with was sooooooooo nervous that they wouldnt dance and so i felt like a true white boy dancer with my not so graceful moves, i felt that i danced like the guy off of hitch. i still prefer stake dances, because there is less rap, and i dont look around and see dirty dancing. After the dance we went to our house to get pictures, because my mom is a blog finatic who doesnt know how to take pictures. Then we went to one of the houses of a guy in our group (sada, the asian). we played games and watched ten minutes of waynes world, which i thought was the most retarded movie in the world, even worse than napolean dynamite. when i took my date home, (maddy) i totally spaced out to take her to the door, and now i feel like i failed the date, even though i was the only guy in my group that would talk to my date, and so as to not make the rest of the girls in our group hate that night, i talked to all of them too. but all in all i think it was a successful first date, besides katie.

The Weekend

2007-11-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have done more canning this year than I have in a long time; 144 bottles of peaches;50 + of jam, 170+ of grape juice; 85 of applesauce. Here are pictures of the latest escapades.

Mel, Dave, and Katie came especially for this 2nd annual event. We all dressed for the occasion. Melanie won the best dressed award with her blue man shorts that hung below her ever growing belly, soccer socks donated by Ben, an oversized t-shirt that covered Carson sponsored by Vance, it was accentuated by an apron.

Melanie, Katie, and I worked for a few hours on it and had to call in reinforcements. All seven of us worked feverishly for about 3 hours to get the job done. Ben was the apple sorter and washer, Vance and Katie the cutters, David, Dave, and Melanie the mushers at the Victorio Strainer, and I was the overseer running the canner and other little details.

Although we all helped with clean-up, Vance did most of it, especially the dishes and there was A LOT to do.

It was one of those moments that created memories that I will think about every time we have applesauce.

Vance and Diane Blog

2007-11-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

I've decided to create a blog for Vance and Diane and link it to the Gabrielsen and Fager blog so I don't have to post things twice. That way, I'm not hogging all the blog spots and can still report on all the happenings in our family.