Welcome back!

One of my goals for this next year is to remind all of you family about this FAMILY blog.  I will use whatever tactics necessary - bribing, cajoling, and pure stealth.  I know I'm one to talk about posting regularly on a blog - I go several months between postings on my blog.  But it doesn't have to be a long or particularly poignant post.  Just tell what you are doing today or what you did last weekend.  Just so we can stay in touch a little more.

For example, I've been working at Santa's Workshop (in my room, on my bed) making a scarf for my roommate, presents for Curt's family, and for Mom and Dad (wouldn't you like to know what they are?  Ha ha ha!). 

Or, if you post on your own blogs, you can just put a link saying, "Look at this new painting!" (Ginni), or "Look at the delicious shephard's pie I made!" (Shannon), or "Look how cool Clint and Derek's lego creations are!" (Rachel), or "Look what funny face Cole made today!" (Curtis).  Get my drift?  Cool.  Love you all.

She impressed a lot of people...

This is a comment from my sister Shelli who met Esther. Esther made an impression on lots of people. More than we will probably ever know...

Shelli said...
I remember Esther. She was in the back seat of the car, I think when you were getting married. I remember being impressed with her at that time too. If I remember correctly she was a pretty lady, slim. I don't remember why she was in the back of the car, I think it was just you, me and her. I just remember she had a testimony, and was interesting. Sorry to hear of her passing, but I guess we should rejoice for her! P.S. I'm glad your home.

Remembering Esther

The first time I met Esther, Jeff and I were engaged. We met up with her at Bridal Veil Falls and she took my arm and wrapped it around hers, and said "So, You are going to marry my Jeff..." It was not a question. It was a statement.

I was so impressed with her immediately. She was so sweet and kind and strong.

She was always kind. And always interesting. It was hard to be closer to her because she lived a few states away. But she made little efforts to stay connected. I have a cassette tape of her singing primary songs for Clint when he was a toddler. I remember her unrolling her posters of mind maps whenever we made it up to Oregon to visit. I remember thinking that they were actually pretty cool.

She remembered birthdays, and lots of other things too. I admired her for phone call termination techniques, and also her stamina and Independence.

When Jeff and I first bought our house, I was feeling overwhelmed with the mess of the remodel and the plans for Clint's birthday, and I think one of my nieces was having a crisis...I was in the kitchen and immobilized by the mess. She came in and while I made phone calls and dealt with other problems, she quietly cleaned the entire kitchen...and I was grateful.

She really knew how to get things done. And I am so thankful to be a part of her family. I am grateful for her example and for the life that she led. I am grateful for the family she raised. And I know she is busy now...working hard, more than ever...with Russel at her side.

We Love you Esther!

Pictures of Ryan

Here are some pictures of little Ryan. He's a little gooky; I don't think they had cleaned him very well when Lance snapped some of these. If you want to see more pictures, click here. He's doing well so far - he hasn't been eating too much, but still seems okay. Ginni gets to go home tomorrow (Tuesday) and if Ryan starts eating a little more and is still doing well, he will get to come home as well. Lance and Ginni had a hard time getting any of the clothes they bought him to fit! The cute little shirt and overall set will positively drown the little guy, so they'll have to find something else. They weren't quite prepared for Ryan to come so early!

New Addition!

Hey family!

The newest family member was born at 3:22 pm...Ryan Lance LeVar! He decided he wanted to come 4 weeks early and there was no stopping him! Once Ginni started pushing, he was out in less than 10 minutes! He weighs 6 lbs., 5 oz. and is 17.5 inches long. He is very little, but very cute! So far, he's a healthy preemie. He's breathing on his own and seems to be doing well.

Ginni started having labor pains around 2 am this morning. She and Lance went to the hospital, just to be safe, and by 6:00 am, they knew they were having a baby today! I rushed down from Sandy to pick up Leah and have been watching her all day. Since I'm off-track for 2 more weeks, I'm hoping to be able to take care of Leah quite a bit while Ginni recovers and Lance is finishing up teaching and starting his graduate school classes at BYU. Leah is excited to have a new baby brother. We watched from the nursery window as Ryan was given his first bath. Leah said, "baby wah wah wah!" as Ryan was crying at being woken up. That's what she calls him now, "Baby wah wah wah". I'm calling him "Elmo" because he is red! We'll keep you all posted...

When are you ever going to work?

With all of the river-frontage, when are you ever going to find time to work?!

Cell phones still not working? You should be able to call the companies and get them to let you out of the contract.
CB

New House, continued

The view of the entryway.
The kitchen.
The living room.
The back of the house and the deck.

New House

Hey family! Kimm took these photos of our new house. It's still in the unpacking stage, but I thought you'd like to see what we've got up here in PARADISE. When are you all coming to visit us????

The front of our home, with all of our boxes in the garage!!! Clair is already planning his garden, lots of colorful flowers, bushes, and trees, and his very own waterfall!
The Washougal River marks the edge of our property.
The first peek of the house as you come in the driveway. It's a VERY steep hill that we have to go up to to get the mail - so we'll get into shape very soon!
The view off the deck in the back. There is a shed for wood, and then down the steep hill is the river.
Clair's office (not quite set up yet) and me, trying to figure out how to get better internet service.

Charlie the Unicorn

It's a magical leoplurodon charlie!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Or, Happy Valentime's Day, as my students say. Today is a great day! I don't have a specific valentine, but it's such a super day! Besides that's what nephews are for!!! ;) I got up WAAAY early this morning to make cinnamon rolls with pink frosting and red sprinkles for my roommates. Later today, I'm going to my old school (where I did my student teaching) to visit the kids for their Valentine's Day party. I'm excited.

I just love Valentine's Day - it's a great day to tell your friends and family that you love them. So, family, I LOVE YOU!!! Hope it's an awesome day for all of you.

Hare hair

I straightened my hair - hairs, really. Not permanently. Just for a change.

Although, who ever gave us the curly hair gene, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Also, any of you who know a really cute curly haired single guy....let me know. I could use one...

Also also, anyone know of any food photographers that would be willing to give an amateur some tips? I think this is going to become my new hobby.

Halloween Continued

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Clint's Dolphins

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Pictures from Kelsey's YW activity

I sent a number of pictures to be included in a YW slideshow and thought I'd share them with you all and embarrass Kelsey in the meantime.

The first is from Christmas. She received the purple down vest and was especially pleased with the U2 CD.









We all went on a Scout Family Campout to the White Mountains in New Hampshire and managed to get a pic of everyone in uniform.

Kelsey and the Venturing Crew have gone rock climbing a fair amount and she's become quite good at her new-found hobby!





Classic Kelsey stare--"Whaddya want?!"












Kelsey is gonna kill me for this one... Another Christmas shot. I don't remember what she was so excited about but it was good, whatever it was!











Kelsey on the paintball range! She had a ton of fun with the rest of the boys. Turns out that Cole kept shooting her by accident :(




Kelsey in full costume at the Holiday Bazaar where the Venturing Crew held a fundraiser.

I Am A Teacher

This statement really blows my mind sometimes. I can't believe it! Sometimes it's really scary to think that I am responsible for teaching these students all that they need to know in second grade. Whew! What a job!
Most days, I really enjoy my job. The kids are pretty good (with only a few that regularly cause problems, and I'm dealing with them) and I really like the team members that I work with. On Friday, we had our Valentine's Day Party. I gave the students a piece of paper shaped like a soda glass, with the words "Everyone likes you, and 'soda' I." I attached a mechanical pencil to the card and put it in everyone's bag. About 15 of the kids came up to me throughout the day and said, "Thank you thank you thank you for the mechanical pencils! We love them! Now we don't have to use the pencil sharpener anymore!" It was funny to see what a little pencil does to a 2nd grader!
I wanted to see what any of your memories of 2nd grade were. I remember learning to tell time on the Judy clocks (the yellow and red wooden clocks). I remember mean old Mrs. Harris who always yelled at our class, until she quit or got sick and Mrs. Lowry took over for a long time. She was nicer, but I don't think she knew as much.
Here is a picture I took of my class on Friday. They were being monkeys all day because of our party, and it was the last day before our 3 week vacation (I'm "off track" now, which means I don't have school until the 2nd of March. Instead of a summer vacation, I get periodic breaks during the year).

New Houses!

Well, it seems that a few of us are moving. For those of you who are out of the loop, or who don't check their email, here are some pictures of Mom and Dad's new house that they bought in Washougal, WA. Here is the front yard.

The back yard - there is a lot of forest continuing all the way to the river.

Here is the river bank that butts up to their property. Good fishing, so I hear. Trout, anyone?

And, I moved into a house at the end of December. It's not much outside, but it's huge inside with plenty of room for me and my 5 roommates. I really like living here. It's pretty much a party, all the time! ;)

Here is the outside of the house.

Me!

I am so excited about my FIRST BRAND NEW BED! Once I got my first real paycheck as a teacher, I "splurged" and bought a bed after sleeping on the floor for 2 months.

New Job!

For anyone who reads this, I FOUND A JOB! And this is no flipping burgers job. I've got me a teaching job at Daybreak Elementary in the 2nd grade. Daybreak is a community on the West side of south salt lake that is sponsored by Kennecot Land, which means there is quite a bit of wealth in the area. The school is very large and equipped with the latest technology in all the classrooms (the school is only about a year old). Also, there is a community center attached to the school which has gym facilities, a workout center, and a plethora of other stuff. I hear there is a lot of parental involvement in the community, which will be nice for me. I start this Wednesday (whew!) and it should be an interesting ride!

Haircut

Just for kicks, and because I don't have anything else really to say, here's a pic of my new haircut - Ginni did it. She does a good job.

Speaking of jobs, I am currently in the process of filling out job apps, making a stellar resume, cover letter, and portfolio. Fun for me. Blech.

Clint and I

Well, I have a new car (pictures are forthcoming). It's a 2001 Dodge Neon, in Cinnamon Glaze (kind of a gold/brown color). On Friday, I picked Clint up and took him for a ride and ice cream in my car and we took some funny pictures. Here they are.

Dream House - Washington

Hi Family,

Here's our "dream house" in Yacolt, WA. It looks huge, but is actually smaller than the one we're in...but there's certainly still room for you all! On Nov. 2nd, we're going to look at some houses and try to narrow down our search range, but this is the best we've found so far. It has a "hot tub house" in the back yard that would be GREAT FUN for everyone...especially when it rains, which I think is about 50% of the time!

Love you all,
Mom

Run, Derek, Run!

Derek runs.

Al Qaeda like Mormons

Funny video. Our techniques are catching on, eh?

Bangkok Tour

So a word to the Utah clan - I'm storming your state in 5 days. I can't wait! Just thought I'd post a picture from last month's bangkok tour. My microphone gave out, so I tried a cucumber. It amplified my voice very well. ;)

Advice

This is copied from the Isom Family Blog:
Shannon's brother Jeff said,
"Please post pictures regularly and often to the blog. Family snapshots and activites are perfect to share and enjoyed by everyone. You can post using the following method. Go to the link New Post on the right side of the blog. When in Create mode, click on the tiny photo in the menu above the text box. It will bring up a pop-up that will guide you through the process of selecting a photo and how it will appear in your post. This is perhaps the easiest method."

Shannon said,
"Scott is doing very well. He has been working alot the last two weeks in preparation for not being able to do much after the surgery. We started a trim and tile job together two weeks ago for a friend. We had so much fun being able to work together again. The kids were able to come with us and play at the house we were working on. They loved all the new toys, movies and kids to play with. We stayed up until 3:00 a.m. the night before his surgery to finish some book cases for the job and then he had to install them before the surgery in the morning. So Scott loved lying on the hospital bed knowing he would be in a drug induced sleep. He actually really likes being laid up because he is forced to rest and gets lots of extra attention. He has been watching lots of movies and drawing and coloring with the boys. Garrett is really into coloring. He fell asleep on the floor the other day while coloring. Preston gets sweeter and sweeter every day. He is the most enjoyable easy going child. He will play on his own for hours. Especially when Garrett is not around. Preston always has a car in each hand and when you ask him what he is thinking about he says, "cars"! When we were at the splash pool the other day he told me in two very well formed sentences that he did not want to go down the big slides again because that would make him sad. We love reading to him because he is such a cuddly little ball engrossed in the stories. When he wants something besides the cars in hands, he says, "hand, hand, hand...." until you take them out of his hands so he can have whatever it is he needs. The sucker at Choa's, a drink of water, his toothbrush. I could go on and on. He does so many little things I love. The boys' Thomas movie is starting to wear off and Garrett is calling Preston the "little ear guy". Preston is telling him "boys don't hit". "

Take some good advice. Post something, especially pictures.