It was fun seeing everyone at Kaylie and LJ's wedding! =) Me and Jason are very grateful to have been able to come. Next time we come perhaps we can stay a little longer...
Other than our trip to Utah, November was mostly uneventful. Now, being half way through December, we have some news: Jason has another calling... in the nursery! =D He keeps acting like he's not looking forward to it, but he's so good with our nephew (and kids in general) that I know he'll be good at it and grow to love those kids (even if he denies it). It should be a fun experience. I'm still teaching the CTR 6 class.
Jason is back in work as a substitute teacher for Riverside County, and it's been really good for him. He's not the type that likes to sit still and do nothing all day. So far only one of his substituting experiences has been less than satisfactory (he called it glorified baby-sitting of juvenile delinquents).
I finish my last two classes this week, and Jason is excited to be getting his wife back =). There were many times this semester where our together time pretty much consisted of "snuggling" on the couch while I typed up papers and did research and he watched sports (something he knows won't distract me). I'm looking forward to playing games and going on walks with him again. Maybe we'll even get the Christmas tree put up this weekend!
Have a very Merry Christmas and (since I probably won't write again until next month) a Happy New Year! We love you all and think of you often.
Brittany & Jason
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
F-U-N
Congrats LJ and Kaylie! What an amazing day for you (and for all of us to witness)!
The "dance party" was LOTS of fun!
The "dance party" was LOTS of fun!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
September and October from Lehi by Steve
Things are really getting busy around here, but I thought I would take a few minutes and update everyone. Wedding plans are in full swing. Lynette and her Mom is really working hard to get all the dresses done. Thanks to Libby for helping out. The announcements have gone out, so if you didn't receive one, we may have gotten something wrong. Let us know. Everything else seems to be on schedule. The one thing that makes us nervous now is keeping everyone healthy.
This Sunday Tyson receives the priesthood. The following Sunday Nate is the featured speaker in sacrament meeting. It is hard to believe it is that close. Nate has gone up to Logan a couple of weekends to spend time with Zach. They have had a lot of fun together. Zach is pretty excited about his call. He wanted to go foreign.
Nate went through the temple 2 weeks ago. It was good to have Mom and Dad there with us. Since then he has been to 5 or 6 different temples. He has really been going a lot.
The Lehi girls soccer team won region and then went on to the final four in state. They lost a game they could have easily won. Another team from our region won state, so Kelsey and her team mates feel like it was a lost opportunity.
Anna finished up volleyball this last week. It is amazing to see how good she has gotten at it. It has been fun to watch her matches.
Tyson, Brianna and Max have been going to a new school this year. They are able to walk. No more busses. They enjoy that part. We really like the principal at this school as well. It makes going to school much more fun for the kids.
Well we are on the home stretch for the wedding. I have a hard time believing it is November and Nate is almost leaving and Kaylie and LJ are getting married. A lot of changes will be happening. Things are pretty busy, even at work, but we are going to do our best to enjoy it.
Love to everyone,
The Lehi Hancocks
This Sunday Tyson receives the priesthood. The following Sunday Nate is the featured speaker in sacrament meeting. It is hard to believe it is that close. Nate has gone up to Logan a couple of weekends to spend time with Zach. They have had a lot of fun together. Zach is pretty excited about his call. He wanted to go foreign.
Nate went through the temple 2 weeks ago. It was good to have Mom and Dad there with us. Since then he has been to 5 or 6 different temples. He has really been going a lot.
The Lehi girls soccer team won region and then went on to the final four in state. They lost a game they could have easily won. Another team from our region won state, so Kelsey and her team mates feel like it was a lost opportunity.
Anna finished up volleyball this last week. It is amazing to see how good she has gotten at it. It has been fun to watch her matches.
Tyson, Brianna and Max have been going to a new school this year. They are able to walk. No more busses. They enjoy that part. We really like the principal at this school as well. It makes going to school much more fun for the kids.
Well we are on the home stretch for the wedding. I have a hard time believing it is November and Nate is almost leaving and Kaylie and LJ are getting married. A lot of changes will be happening. Things are pretty busy, even at work, but we are going to do our best to enjoy it.
Love to everyone,
The Lehi Hancocks
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Today is not a good day for me. I came home early form work. I won't be running today so I have lots of extra time. All I feel like doing is sitting around so I will do my first posting.
This summer I moved. I'm now is a duplex and don't have a roommate. It has been so great. I love living alone. My old roommate is now engage. I'm so glad that I am out of there and don't have to be trying to find a place to live. Once Sarah got engaged she decided to get married right away. They only had 35 days to plan everything. This makes my November even crazier. We have to squeeze in a prereception and a shower. She is getting married November 25. Yes the day before Thanksgiving. So with our family and my old roommate November is booked up.
I had a good October. It has been very busy. My friend Danielle bought a house right before I moved. It ended up needing a lot more work on it then she had excepted. She was just wanting to do a little painting. It's an older house and the walls are plaster. There has been some fixing of them. We have some friends that like to fix up older houses. Alison was going to help out a lot until she broke her femur. So she can't do much. I have been doing a lot of what she would have done.
The best thing about October was my trip to Las Vegas to see U2. There was 4 of us who went. We had a blast. We stayed at the Stratosphere. We went on one of the rides at the top. I am terrified of heights. Danielle has a picture of my terror. When she gets that to me I will post it. The concert was great. U2 puts on a great show.
For Halloween I was a Lawrence Welk girl. We found a prefect dress that inspired this. I had a bubble machine. I did have to explain my costume a lot. There are tons of people who don't know who Lawrence Welk is. I never watch it that I can remember but I know the show. It was a huge part of music. I will post a picture of my costume when I get it too.
That is all for now. See you all soon
love Dona
This summer I moved. I'm now is a duplex and don't have a roommate. It has been so great. I love living alone. My old roommate is now engage. I'm so glad that I am out of there and don't have to be trying to find a place to live. Once Sarah got engaged she decided to get married right away. They only had 35 days to plan everything. This makes my November even crazier. We have to squeeze in a prereception and a shower. She is getting married November 25. Yes the day before Thanksgiving. So with our family and my old roommate November is booked up.
I had a good October. It has been very busy. My friend Danielle bought a house right before I moved. It ended up needing a lot more work on it then she had excepted. She was just wanting to do a little painting. It's an older house and the walls are plaster. There has been some fixing of them. We have some friends that like to fix up older houses. Alison was going to help out a lot until she broke her femur. So she can't do much. I have been doing a lot of what she would have done.
The best thing about October was my trip to Las Vegas to see U2. There was 4 of us who went. We had a blast. We stayed at the Stratosphere. We went on one of the rides at the top. I am terrified of heights. Danielle has a picture of my terror. When she gets that to me I will post it. The concert was great. U2 puts on a great show.
For Halloween I was a Lawrence Welk girl. We found a prefect dress that inspired this. I had a bubble machine. I did have to explain my costume a lot. There are tons of people who don't know who Lawrence Welk is. I never watch it that I can remember but I know the show. It was a huge part of music. I will post a picture of my costume when I get it too.
That is all for now. See you all soon
love Dona
Monday, November 2, 2009
October...
October brought much of the same for me and Jason. We did have our sixth-month-iversary and Jason surprised me with me a long-stemmed rose =).
I guess another exciting thing for October would be my promotion. I've been training, so I don't know what the pay raise is yet, but I'm VERY grateful that I'm now guaranteed 40 hours a week, and that once I'm official I'll be eligible for benefits. We're counting our blessings.
On a different note, I am looking forward to January, when I get a new Sunday school class. I taught my class and the class below me this past Sunday, and the younger class is SO much better behaved than my boys (and they participate). I look forward to teaching them. =P
I'm counting down the days until we come see everyone in Utah (though perhaps not as faithfully as Kaylie's counting down the days 'til her wedding ;-).
One last note, Jason and I both have new phone numbers: Jason 951-500-6107, Brittany 951-500-5397.I finally remembered to set up my voice mail, so you can leave messages now. =) See you all soon!
I guess another exciting thing for October would be my promotion. I've been training, so I don't know what the pay raise is yet, but I'm VERY grateful that I'm now guaranteed 40 hours a week, and that once I'm official I'll be eligible for benefits. We're counting our blessings.
On a different note, I am looking forward to January, when I get a new Sunday school class. I taught my class and the class below me this past Sunday, and the younger class is SO much better behaved than my boys (and they participate). I look forward to teaching them. =P
I'm counting down the days until we come see everyone in Utah (though perhaps not as faithfully as Kaylie's counting down the days 'til her wedding ;-).
One last note, Jason and I both have new phone numbers: Jason 951-500-6107, Brittany 951-500-5397.I finally remembered to set up my voice mail, so you can leave messages now. =) See you all soon!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Can you believe it is November. Where has the year gone. Since we have an extra hour this morning, I thought I would be the first to send my blog for the month. We are really excited for November. It will be an exciting month with a missionary, a wedding, and Thanksgiving. I hope all goes well especially for Steve and Lynette's family. WOW!!
It was fun getting together for General Conference. We had a house full. I hope it wasn't too crazy for Brittany and her friends. It was nice they could come.
For the past two months Grandma Hancock has been in a nursing home. She is unable to care for herself. Some days she just sleeps. and on others she will get up for a while. On the 12th, Dad and his sisters and brother went to Grandma Hancock's house to clean it out and get it ready to sell. He spent all day, and they were able to get it all done. He brought some interesting things home that you all will have to look at when you are here. It was pretty hard on him. They did have some help from some of Don and Velda's kids.
I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon the other day and he told me I need to have both of my knees replaced. (Does that mean I'm old or what?) I told him I was not ready to do that so he suggested the TOSH program that Intermountain Healthcare provides. They teach you how to strenthen and stretch the areas that are so painful, and also the things to eat that might help the pain. I had my first appointment with them last week. It was quite interesting. I was there for two and a half hours. We talked a lot about my symptoms, the physical therapist did some measurements on how far I can bend my legs, and then we did exercises. I was pretty tired when it was all done. The good news is that by the end of the session I was able to bend my knees more than at the beginning. So, I am hopeful that the exercises will help. Now I just have to do the work at home. It takes a lot of time. I am willing to give it a try because I really don't want to have surgery.
Dad has been busy taking care of the churches. The other day he had to clean a blackboard that someone had written pornography on. They had also trashed the church by throwing things all over the place. I don't know what it wrong with people. He keeps wanting to retire. He is tired of the phone calls and all the problems. He hopes that maybe in a year that might happen.
We went to Kelsey's soccer game in the state tournament. It was really cool watching the girls play. They are really good. They were able to win the first game, but lost the second. The team that took State (Timpanogas, I think) Lehi had beat before. So, I guess that makes them almost the State champions. Congratulations Lehi Girl's Soccer.
I hope all of you will send your news. We really enjoy hearing about the things thats happening in your lives. We love you and miss you. It will be fun to all be together in November. We are so happy Darrin and Kim will be able to make it as well. Take care. Love you all, Mom and Dad.
It was fun getting together for General Conference. We had a house full. I hope it wasn't too crazy for Brittany and her friends. It was nice they could come.
For the past two months Grandma Hancock has been in a nursing home. She is unable to care for herself. Some days she just sleeps. and on others she will get up for a while. On the 12th, Dad and his sisters and brother went to Grandma Hancock's house to clean it out and get it ready to sell. He spent all day, and they were able to get it all done. He brought some interesting things home that you all will have to look at when you are here. It was pretty hard on him. They did have some help from some of Don and Velda's kids.
I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon the other day and he told me I need to have both of my knees replaced. (Does that mean I'm old or what?) I told him I was not ready to do that so he suggested the TOSH program that Intermountain Healthcare provides. They teach you how to strenthen and stretch the areas that are so painful, and also the things to eat that might help the pain. I had my first appointment with them last week. It was quite interesting. I was there for two and a half hours. We talked a lot about my symptoms, the physical therapist did some measurements on how far I can bend my legs, and then we did exercises. I was pretty tired when it was all done. The good news is that by the end of the session I was able to bend my knees more than at the beginning. So, I am hopeful that the exercises will help. Now I just have to do the work at home. It takes a lot of time. I am willing to give it a try because I really don't want to have surgery.
Dad has been busy taking care of the churches. The other day he had to clean a blackboard that someone had written pornography on. They had also trashed the church by throwing things all over the place. I don't know what it wrong with people. He keeps wanting to retire. He is tired of the phone calls and all the problems. He hopes that maybe in a year that might happen.
We went to Kelsey's soccer game in the state tournament. It was really cool watching the girls play. They are really good. They were able to win the first game, but lost the second. The team that took State (Timpanogas, I think) Lehi had beat before. So, I guess that makes them almost the State champions. Congratulations Lehi Girl's Soccer.
I hope all of you will send your news. We really enjoy hearing about the things thats happening in your lives. We love you and miss you. It will be fun to all be together in November. We are so happy Darrin and Kim will be able to make it as well. Take care. Love you all, Mom and Dad.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Better Late than Never
Wow, what a busy month. We are experiencing for the first time having a child playing soccer. You have the games, and the practices. I can’t imagine it with several kids at the same time. We have enjoyed going to Josh’s practices and games. Josh has been taking after his dad and dominating the sport, its fun to see how excited they get when they score a goal.
Josh also started kindergarten this past month. He is adjusting well and it is fun to see all the stuff he is learning. We just had our first parent teacher conference and his teacher said Josh is doing great and is a nice kid and nice to his classmates. Andrew started pre-school and is becoming quite the big boy. It is relieving to see him overcoming some of his shyness. There primary program is coming up so we are hoping he will be brave enough to do his part.
Andrew had his 4th B-day this past month. He had a lot of fun getting a bunch of cool presents from family and friends. He went to out of this world pizza for his birthday dinner. He was really sweet about sharing his presents with his brothers and enjoyed the time playing with them while his brother was at school. He wanted a Wii cake for his b-day and we attempted to make one. He liked it and thought it was cool, so I guess that is what counts. We definitely won’t be winning any cake decorating contests.
Andrew insisted that he had Jell-O for his Birthday.
Luke is still keeping us busy. He is quite the busy body and a very curious little boy. It is really starting to communicate and is getting really good with sign language. He likes doing the same things as his brothers, especially when they rough house with their dad. He is a lot of fun and we are just enjoying his delight in the world around him.
Kim remains busy taking care of kids, teaching, and volunteering at the school. She just got a new assistant to help her as a Den leader. They finally called someone that would help and not be a burden. Kim is thoroughly enjoying her new assistant and all the help she is giving her with the scouts. Kim has been going a lot on girls nights outs and having fun with her friends. Darrin keeps trying to get her to stay home and have fun with him, but I guess she doesn’t think Darrin is all that fun.
Darrin is trying to be young again and be busy with sports and being active. This past week Darrin played in two soccer games and ran a 5k. The 5k was one for Intel employees so Darrin tried to get Mike and Chad to run also. Chad claimed to be injured and couldn’t run, but Mike took the challenged and whooped Darrin real good. Darrin’s excuse was he had a soccer game the night before which drained him of all the super fast energy he needed to beat Mike. Darrin is anticipating next year to hopefully beat both Mike and Chad.
Well that is probably more than you wanted to hear about us. Sorry we have been terrible thus far. We will repent and do better.
Love,
Darrin, Kim, Josh, Andrew, Luke
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Dear Family, Last summer on one of our get togethers, we had a watermelon for desert that esculated into a watermelon seed spitting contest. Well this summer we saw a plant growing in Mom's herb garden. In the later part of August the plant started to grow melons. Yesterday I picked the first of the melons, it was hugh!! I took it in the house to see how big it was. When I weighed it, it was 22.5 lbs.
That was Dad's contribution to the Blog. Sorry we didn't send anything last month. I was having a hard time figuring out this new-fangled system. We'll see if it works this time. It has been really fun reading the news from Brittany/Jason and Kaylie. I hope more of the grand children will let us know the happenings in their lives. Those of you who haven't blogged yet, get with it!!
Nothing too exciting has been going on with us. We are quite old and boring. It has been fun to have Brittany L in Utah and to be able to spend some time with their family. In August we helped Dona move to her new digs. I hope she writes about her new apartment, and living all by herself. She needed some furniture, so we gave her the chairs that were in our livingroom. It was a good excuse to get some new furniture. (I had been wanting some since we moved in five years ago.)
Jared was in a dance concert in September. If was fun going back to campus and seeing the program. He did really good as usual. I hope all of us get to see him dance before he's finished.
Every week after Cub Scouts we complain about how old we are. The boys are starting to progress, and that makes it worth while. Dad isn't as old as me though. The other day after Scouts he challenged the boys. We had gone about two blocks from the church to pick up garbage for a service project. He said he could beat them back to the church. Only one boy beat him, but he paid for it the next day. That old competitive spirit just comes out.
I helped with the election for Mayor and City Councilmen. It was really sad. Only about 6 percent came out to vote in the primary. I hope all of you take advantage of our freedoms and be good citizens and vote.
We are so excited for Natan and Kaylie. We hope all goes well for them. We love all of you and hope all is well in your lives. We hope to see you soon. Love The Parents & Grandparents
That was Dad's contribution to the Blog. Sorry we didn't send anything last month. I was having a hard time figuring out this new-fangled system. We'll see if it works this time. It has been really fun reading the news from Brittany/Jason and Kaylie. I hope more of the grand children will let us know the happenings in their lives. Those of you who haven't blogged yet, get with it!!
Nothing too exciting has been going on with us. We are quite old and boring. It has been fun to have Brittany L in Utah and to be able to spend some time with their family. In August we helped Dona move to her new digs. I hope she writes about her new apartment, and living all by herself. She needed some furniture, so we gave her the chairs that were in our livingroom. It was a good excuse to get some new furniture. (I had been wanting some since we moved in five years ago.)
Jared was in a dance concert in September. If was fun going back to campus and seeing the program. He did really good as usual. I hope all of us get to see him dance before he's finished.
Every week after Cub Scouts we complain about how old we are. The boys are starting to progress, and that makes it worth while. Dad isn't as old as me though. The other day after Scouts he challenged the boys. We had gone about two blocks from the church to pick up garbage for a service project. He said he could beat them back to the church. Only one boy beat him, but he paid for it the next day. That old competitive spirit just comes out.
I helped with the election for Mayor and City Councilmen. It was really sad. Only about 6 percent came out to vote in the primary. I hope all of you take advantage of our freedoms and be good citizens and vote.
We are so excited for Natan and Kaylie. We hope all goes well for them. We love all of you and hope all is well in your lives. We hope to see you soon. Love The Parents & Grandparents
Sunday, October 4, 2009
September...Survived
Seriously, I think it was a big accomplishment that we all survived September. Getting back into the routine of school, soccer, and such things was...intense.
(These pictures were actually taken on the first day of school. Matt's in 4th grade, Jason in 1st, and Trevor is the king of the school in 6th grade.)
We've spent COUNTLESS hours to the pursuit of soccer. Nevermind, the countless hours of practices and games for 3 boys...but you also have to consider all the time it takes getting shoes, socks, and shin pads on AND gathering all the necessary supplies (AND having your Mom nag you to get all those things accomplished...). Plus, the travel time to and from such games and practices. See, I'm boring you now.
I was going to make a Picture Post of our September, but Blogger is being slow and difficult. Thus, you only get a few pictures.
The boys spent a lot of time this September like this:
(These pictures were actually taken on the first day of school. Matt's in 4th grade, Jason in 1st, and Trevor is the king of the school in 6th grade.)We've spent COUNTLESS hours to the pursuit of soccer. Nevermind, the countless hours of practices and games for 3 boys...but you also have to consider all the time it takes getting shoes, socks, and shin pads on AND gathering all the necessary supplies (AND having your Mom nag you to get all those things accomplished...). Plus, the travel time to and from such games and practices. See, I'm boring you now. If you have wondered what Julie has seen the most of this month, it is unfortunately NOT the treadmill, but the dashboard of the van...running here, there, and everywhere.
Julie's parents came to visit for a couple weeks in September. It was a joy to spend time with them on our turf. They provided a bit of sanity to our crazy schedules. Amazing what a couple more sets of hands can accomplish!
I'm sure you've all heard about Chad's favorite activity for September...involving a larger than life stadium in Texas. I'm sure it's in his top 5 of best days of his life. (Maybe we should say "top 6" so all his kids' births are in there!). I couldn't do the story of the day justice, so I guess Chad will have to post about that. I did think it was funny that he and Mike spent the morning at Six Flags (trying to avoid too much dizziness) and then went back to the hotel for a nap in order to be ready for the game that night. Does that mean they are getting old?
Anyway, hope you are all well. We're looking forward to seeing most of you in November (thanks to LJ and Kaylie for making that a possibility!).
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Mammoth Trip
Hi family! =)Jason and I spent Labor Day weekend camping in Mammoth with his Dad's side of the family. It was quite an adventure! When Jason told me his family was a having a reunion in Mammoth, I excitedly responded, "I've never been there!" Funnily enough, the six hour drive looked very familiar, and by the time we got to the town at the base of the Sierras (Bishop) where we turned off the highway, I was showing Jason the Sizzler that my Grandpa Harrison had taken me to twice so we could binge after a week back-packing through the mountains. While I had actually been to the area, I'd never explored the town Mammoth, so Jason gave me the tour of the town and I showed him the trail-head off the Twin Lakes where my previous back-packi
ng trips had begun. Also an interesting discovery was the fact the air mattress we'd found in the garage (left by a previous roommate; "Let's bring it!") is only twin size. So Jason and I were pretty cozy all weekend (between the knees and elbows). Oops! Jason caught the most fish this year (a fluke, really, but now he has bragging rights for a year so he's super excited) and I cast half my pole into the lake. I did get better from there though! I also learned to play horseshoes and Boinko Ball (which I won once). The day before we came home we also went on a hike in an attempt to hit a peak and FAR surpassed it (purely by accident), but the view was breathtaking (as was the 5 hour hike ;-) so this trip was definitely a success!Back to the norm, I'm in four classes and working almost full-time at work every week so it's busy. I am sorry to report that my garden has missed a few waterings as it hasn't been the highest priority. Jason's thrilled that the football season has officially started and watches many of the games because his Fantasy Football players are in them. He's also a great cook and has been experimenting with salsa recipes, which is fun for the whole house. I appreciate all the cleaning and cooking he does between his work so that I can stay on top of school.
Lastly, I'm SO excited for Kaylie & LJ. =D I am happy ta say that my wonderful managers are letting me take the week before Thanksgiving to come to UT (provided I'm back the Sunday before Thanksgiving) so me and Jason will be able to attend the wedding. I'm thinking we'll drive up the Tuesday of that week... more updates to come.
Congrats to Nate as well! I hope you'll enjoy the weather her in CA. We do. =)
Love,
Jason and Brittany
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I think I'm pretty late in posting...
Hey family.
Wow, what a month.
My head seems to be in a perpetual spin motion, barely hanging on to the nape of my neck. Which I guess is probably how everyone feels upon becoming engaged/making big life decisions such as that.
Between Lj getting home, the engagement, wedding planning, school starting, and BEING ENGAGED (which sucks, by the way...) life has just been one big tornado. Not to worry, though, it has been a tornado chock-full of warm-fuzzies. Life is great, regardless of the business of it.
Sooooo, BYU vs. Oklahoma game. I know Zach was longing to be a cougar that night. After the game, Provo pretty much went up in flames. I've never seen Mormon kids party so hard in my life. It was absolutely riotous here. We drove around hanging out of the car windows and sun roof just yelling for probably about a half-hour; and even though there were far too many people smashed into our vehicle, we weren't worried about getting pulled over because all the provo cops were doing crowd control elsewhere. (Like the stadium where, I swear, half of Provo gathered to sing the fight song, mosh, and wait for the team to get in.) Outside of my apartment (The Riv on University and University) there were kids running around shirtless in the streets for hours. It was fantastic. Not that they were shirtless. But yeah.
Lj dislocated his clavicle and tore some ligaments in his shoulder playing football a few days ago. He keeps telling me it was karma's doing, because of his incessant mockery towards Bradford after his injury in the game. Hm.
School is... Urg. It's actually really good-- however, my drive is almost completely lost to do homework. Between work, school, and fiance-- I barely have two minutes to check my facebook at the end of the week. But seriously.
The wedding plans are coming right along-- but that is only thanks to all the people helping me out. (Specifically, my mother.) I bought my dress. I picked it out back in April. And it's awesome.
Nate got his mission call, which is INSANE. I can hardly believe that he's already leaving. I'm so proud of him, though. I am, however, really sad that he'll have to miss the wedding. I guess we'll just have to have two of those sweet, life-size cardboard cutouts. (One for Nate, and one for Lj's brother Trey.)
Basically, life is great, and I'm really, truly happy.
I love you all!
Wow, what a month.
My head seems to be in a perpetual spin motion, barely hanging on to the nape of my neck. Which I guess is probably how everyone feels upon becoming engaged/making big life decisions such as that.
Between Lj getting home, the engagement, wedding planning, school starting, and BEING ENGAGED (which sucks, by the way...) life has just been one big tornado. Not to worry, though, it has been a tornado chock-full of warm-fuzzies. Life is great, regardless of the business of it.
Sooooo, BYU vs. Oklahoma game. I know Zach was longing to be a cougar that night. After the game, Provo pretty much went up in flames. I've never seen Mormon kids party so hard in my life. It was absolutely riotous here. We drove around hanging out of the car windows and sun roof just yelling for probably about a half-hour; and even though there were far too many people smashed into our vehicle, we weren't worried about getting pulled over because all the provo cops were doing crowd control elsewhere. (Like the stadium where, I swear, half of Provo gathered to sing the fight song, mosh, and wait for the team to get in.) Outside of my apartment (The Riv on University and University) there were kids running around shirtless in the streets for hours. It was fantastic. Not that they were shirtless. But yeah.
Lj dislocated his clavicle and tore some ligaments in his shoulder playing football a few days ago. He keeps telling me it was karma's doing, because of his incessant mockery towards Bradford after his injury in the game. Hm.
School is... Urg. It's actually really good-- however, my drive is almost completely lost to do homework. Between work, school, and fiance-- I barely have two minutes to check my facebook at the end of the week. But seriously.
The wedding plans are coming right along-- but that is only thanks to all the people helping me out. (Specifically, my mother.) I bought my dress. I picked it out back in April. And it's awesome.
Nate got his mission call, which is INSANE. I can hardly believe that he's already leaving. I'm so proud of him, though. I am, however, really sad that he'll have to miss the wedding. I guess we'll just have to have two of those sweet, life-size cardboard cutouts. (One for Nate, and one for Lj's brother Trey.)
Basically, life is great, and I'm really, truly happy.
I love you all!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Update from the National Champ :-)
Hey Family,
August was a super busy month for me. I am working full time on my research for school. Unfortunately my nano-particles are not cooperating. Oh well. I spend about 8-9 hours in the lab. It has it's good moments and bad, but mostly they are good. I am also starting my routines/practice for the touring team for ballroom again. 3 weeks of lots rehearsals and 9 dances to remember give my old body a pretty good workout. We have National Championships Labor day weekend in Irvine, CA.
Things are going pretty well and I'm glad we have drugs like ibuprofen. School is starting as well. I have only one class, Chem 729R - Surface Chemistry and Analysis. After that, my course work will be pretty much done except for one writing class. I'm hoping my stuff will cooperate sooner rather than later. It will be cool to have so many family members in Provo. Anyone else wanna join?Jared
August was a super busy month for me. I am working full time on my research for school. Unfortunately my nano-particles are not cooperating. Oh well. I spend about 8-9 hours in the lab. It has it's good moments and bad, but mostly they are good. I am also starting my routines/practice for the touring team for ballroom again. 3 weeks of lots rehearsals and 9 dances to remember give my old body a pretty good workout. We have National Championships Labor day weekend in Irvine, CA.
Things are going pretty well and I'm glad we have drugs like ibuprofen. School is starting as well. I have only one class, Chem 729R - Surface Chemistry and Analysis. After that, my course work will be pretty much done except for one writing class. I'm hoping my stuff will cooperate sooner rather than later. It will be cool to have so many family members in Provo. Anyone else wanna join?Jared
Note from Libby
Hi--I'm trying to remember to do this, but am obviously not very successful (nothing new about that, is there?)!Do I write a letter and then post it here, or do I just write here, or ??? This is MUCH harder to remember to do...too bad the old days and old ways are past us now. I miss getting letters written by hand and checking the mailbox to find things besides junkmail and/or bills....CONGRATS to Nate, and of course to Kaylie and LJ. (The poor guy looked relatively stunned to have so many 'new' Hancock's to remember when we were 'all' at Nate/Zach's ordinations...and that wasn't even everyone!)Have a good rest-of-September...maybe there'll be time to say "real news" in October? How 'bout Christmas break???Libby
Monday, September 7, 2009
Life Really Seems to be Changing by Steve
It is amazing how much can seem to change in a month. The changes haven't come yet, but now those moments we have prayed for and wondered about are not too far away. Lynette and I were thinking the other day that by the end of this year Kelsey will be the oldest one at home. That is a very strange feeling having three kids leave the house in a matter of months. But we couldn't be happier about how it is happening.
So everyone knows now that Kaylie is engaged and Nate got his mission call to Santa Rosa, CA. He is truly excited the leave. The only thing that puts a damper on it is that it is 3 days before Kaylie and LJ's wedding. I just keep telling myself that the Lord could have easily had him leave a week later, so we will enjoy it.
Quite a bit has already been done for the wedding. (Of course I am measuring this by amount of money going out. So maybe it really isn't a lot if we were to measure it time wise. But a lot of the important decisions have been made.) Kaylie has her dress now. We have a place for the reception and wedding dreamers on board. We have all been able to see Kaylie's dress, except LJ of course. Well, Kelsey hasn't seen it yet, as she so tactifully reminds Kaylie when Kaylie wants to see Kelsey's homecoming dress.
Nate is now working full time getting ready for his mission. He has really taken seriously and is putting a lot of effort into it. He will be speaking in church on the 15th of November, his birthday. Those of you that will be around, we would love to have you.
Zach is now up at our Alma Mater. He has been in school about 3 weeks and already has had a lot of different experiences. Some good and some bad. So far he has been home every weekend. We get to see him when he isn't with his girlfriend Jessica. :-) He probably won't be coming home again for another couple of weeks this time though.
Kelsey is still enjoying soccer. Their team started the season slow but has come on really strong. They are first in their region and we hope that they continue on that way. Kelsey was asked to homecoming, so we are excited about that. Zach's girlfriend is still in high school, so he will be going to that as well. We are absolutely certain Lehi will not win the football game, but everything else should be fun.
Anna has started into volleyball season. She is on the sophmore team, so she has to go from Willow Creek middle school right to the high school each day for practice. Luckily there are some other girls that are making that trip as well. In the first game I watched I was really impressed with how much she has improved. She plays most the games for them.
Tyson, Brianna and Max all have a brand new school this year. It is close enough that they get to walk or ride bikes to school. No more buses.
Tyson and Max are both playing soccer now. Tyson's team is doing really well. They haven't lost yet in the regular season. Max is glad he now gets to play with a keeper. It is his dream to be a keeper and he does a great job at it. He also plays well in the mid-field so we will see what he settles with.
Brianna spends most her free time with friends, but is also buckling down and practicing her piano. We are hoping to have another pianist in the family.
Well I think I have written enough. Hopefully enough to bring everyone up to date. We hope everyone is doing well.
Love from the Lehi Hancocks.
So everyone knows now that Kaylie is engaged and Nate got his mission call to Santa Rosa, CA. He is truly excited the leave. The only thing that puts a damper on it is that it is 3 days before Kaylie and LJ's wedding. I just keep telling myself that the Lord could have easily had him leave a week later, so we will enjoy it.
Quite a bit has already been done for the wedding. (Of course I am measuring this by amount of money going out. So maybe it really isn't a lot if we were to measure it time wise. But a lot of the important decisions have been made.) Kaylie has her dress now. We have a place for the reception and wedding dreamers on board. We have all been able to see Kaylie's dress, except LJ of course. Well, Kelsey hasn't seen it yet, as she so tactifully reminds Kaylie when Kaylie wants to see Kelsey's homecoming dress.
Nate is now working full time getting ready for his mission. He has really taken seriously and is putting a lot of effort into it. He will be speaking in church on the 15th of November, his birthday. Those of you that will be around, we would love to have you.
Zach is now up at our Alma Mater. He has been in school about 3 weeks and already has had a lot of different experiences. Some good and some bad. So far he has been home every weekend. We get to see him when he isn't with his girlfriend Jessica. :-) He probably won't be coming home again for another couple of weeks this time though.
Kelsey is still enjoying soccer. Their team started the season slow but has come on really strong. They are first in their region and we hope that they continue on that way. Kelsey was asked to homecoming, so we are excited about that. Zach's girlfriend is still in high school, so he will be going to that as well. We are absolutely certain Lehi will not win the football game, but everything else should be fun.
Anna has started into volleyball season. She is on the sophmore team, so she has to go from Willow Creek middle school right to the high school each day for practice. Luckily there are some other girls that are making that trip as well. In the first game I watched I was really impressed with how much she has improved. She plays most the games for them.
Tyson, Brianna and Max all have a brand new school this year. It is close enough that they get to walk or ride bikes to school. No more buses.
Tyson and Max are both playing soccer now. Tyson's team is doing really well. They haven't lost yet in the regular season. Max is glad he now gets to play with a keeper. It is his dream to be a keeper and he does a great job at it. He also plays well in the mid-field so we will see what he settles with.
Brianna spends most her free time with friends, but is also buckling down and practicing her piano. We are hoping to have another pianist in the family.
Well I think I have written enough. Hopefully enough to bring everyone up to date. We hope everyone is doing well.
Love from the Lehi Hancocks.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Summer is almost gone. Let the busy season begin.
August was just as busy as the rest of the summer. The month started out with Kira having soccer try-outs and debate on the same week. Debate was at Bingham high. I went there twice a day. In that week I put over a 1000 miles on my car. Because dummy me let Kira split the difference and make it to debate in the morning and then took her to soccer in the afternoon. That week Elijah was going to go and hike devils peak. Terry came home that week early. Kira was really tired and had a tournament on Saturday. Elijah came home early due to weather and it was a good thing to because I was really missing him. The the phone call that I got from him did send me in a panic. I also think that Elijah would have gotten very mad at some of his fellow campers for some bad attitudes. It was a really dry week. Though on an exciting note we were stopped in traffic jam were just minutes before there was a shoot-out. Good thing we stopped to get food. The other 2 weeks were spent getting ready for school. I had to resister the 2 older kids boy that was expensive. School shopping for school stuff. This year is Noah's first year of school. He is very excited about it. I had to get ready to coach Noah's and Isabelle's soccer team. Somewhere in between there Kaylie called to tell us that she was engaged. Isabelle and Noah had to very funny things to I thought to say on that matter. When I told Isabelle and Noah, Isabelle said she put her hand on her head and said oh man you mean she gets a pretty dress and a ring and can gets babies now. When is it going to be my turn. Kira and I just laughed. Noah asked what LJ looked like I told him that he kinda looked like him. Noah's response to this was she sure must love me lots huh mom. I laughed and said yes she does. Noah is the star of having funny things to say. Noah had to have an assessment test done before school. I didn't think that I would have to tell him how the test works. 1st mistake. He went in to the test with flying colors. The teacher asked him his colors, numbers, and how to write his name. He did just fine on these. Now here comes the tricky part. She asked him what this shape was. He told here it was a box. She asked if there was another name for it he said no it's a box. She then asked him what other shapes were. To which he answered ( I don't know why this is yellow) that's an oval and duh that's a diamond I learned that in pre-school. Now here is my 2nd mistake I forgot to tell him to try and be respectful to his teacher. She continued to ask him about the shapes and he got the rest right. She got back to the box and he said I already told you it was a box. Then she said it has another name what is it. Well I guess it could be a cube but a cube and a box are the same. Is there any other name for it she asked him. Then he asked her what she would call it. So then he said I guess if you really wanted to you could call it a square. Well they went on to ask him more question like where is the front of the book and back of the book. Then she read him the first page of the book and asked if he were reading the book where would he start from he turned it to the second page and pointed to the top of the page. The teacher then put the book back to the beginning and asked him the same question. He again turned the page and pointed to the beginning. He failed this part of the test. They said he didn't know where to start on a book. Noah's thinking was they had just read the first page so it was time to read the next one. Made sense to me. So the teacher had come to tell me how the test went. She said that he did really well in the beginning but toward the end he didn't. Maybe he was just getting tired. Well during this time Aaron's 5th grade teacher Mrs. Jacobson came and told me that she would take any of my kids. After this I was talking to Noah about his test. He then told me he thought that he needed to go to Mrs. Jacobson's class. I said but she is a 5th grade teacher. He then asked me if they were really kindergarten teachers. I said yes they were. He said are you sure they are. I assured him that they were. I asked why he thought he should be going to 5th grade. He processed to tell me he doesn't think they are because he had to tell them all the answers to the test. They didn't know any of them! So how could they be teachers. That is also why he stopped answering the questions. 3rd mistake I laughed at this. Which kinds of made him mad. I had to explain that he was taking a test and they were trying to find out what he knew. Then it made some sense to him. He still questions his teacher about things though. I did think that it was funny. Terry was able to be here on the 1st day of school which was great. Kira and Elijah nor was Aaron looking forward to me walking them to class and the taking of the pictures. Terry told them to just grin and bare it they couldn't stop it. I must admit that I did cry. I always do one the first day of school. We went to dinner. It was Noah's choice and he chose Olive Garden. He was so excited about it. I think that he had a great time. Though I do think that he should have gone to Red Lobster. He kept on asking for everybodys shrimp. Noah didn't have to start school until Thursday. Well, when it came time for me to walk him to school he informed me that he didn't want me to walk me to school and he didn't want me to walk him to class. I had to tell him that I walked the 10th, 8th , and 6th grader to their class and school I'm going to walk him. He can have Aaron do it all the other times. Well, now he wants me to do all the time. Kira and Audrey's schools played each other in pre season soccer games. We won. It was the first win for Stansbury High ever. Their game ball was signed by all the players and it is now in the trophy case. This is all for now. Terry, Pauline, Kira, Elijah, Aaron, Noah, and Isabelle
Better Late Than Never
Hey Everyone,
It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. We have had a great summer so far and luckily we have been able to spend a fairly good part of it together as a family. We started the summer off by making the children miss all the shenanigans that occur on the last day of school and had everybody on an airplane to visit Virginia. The stated purpose of the visit was to have a family vacation and enjoy the historical sites of Virginia. The secondary purpose was to ascertain how well the family would handle relocation away from mountains, high altitude and in particular Grandma and Grandpa. The flight proceeded without any major embarrassments. Noah did not smell any disturbing odors that he felt obliged to questions and for the most part everybody slept for most of the flight. We had a great visit to Virginia except that the weather did not want to cooperate. It was rainy and cloudy except when we were in DC and then it was so hot and humid everybody wilted and a five dollar bottle of water at the Lincoln Memorial sounded like a great idea. While we were in DC we decided that it would be fun to see “A Night at the Museum – The Smithsonian” at the Smithsonian. Unfortunately, 10,000 of our closest friends decided that this sounded like memorable experience at well. The staff (used to handling a few dinosaur loving prepubescents and their sightseeing families were all of a sudden drafted into shuttling 3,000 people into a sold out theater. Needless to say anarchy was the rule of the day. I was able to use Isabelle to get me in a side door. As I was trying to get Kira’s and Aaron’s attention to let them know I had some good seats in my sights, I watched some very ignorant (Utah definition) people push Aaron down and steal the seats he was trying to save. We finally succeeded in scoring enough seats with only one that had a seat pan less than horizontal when in use. The movie was very enjoyable and definitely beat the heat. The majority of the vacation was spent at the Water Park and Busch Gardens. We did drive by a couple of historic monuments and wondered if they were related to the civil our revolutionary war (Pauline was able to set us straight and gain some brownie points for knowing stuff that Dad didn’t - not really all that uncommon; however, I have the kids buffaloed). The vision that the kids would come back with a greater knowledge/appreciation of our Nation’s history was replaced with a knowledge of physics and what pulling 3 g’s will do to the human body (in Kira’s case it turns her a interesting shade of green).
We also spent some time at Virginia Beach. It was raining most of the time; however , we were able to still have a lot of fun. The girls weren’t all that keen about playing in the water. Isabelle preferred to build a sand castle while Kira was all about looking pretty for the boys. Elijah and Aaron had Dad nervous about how far out into the water they were willing to venture. The most surprising of all was Noah. He absolutely loved the ocean. He loved playing in the waves and did not care when he would get knocked down. I could not believe how big of fish he was and how much he loved the ocean. I kept expecting him to grow some fins and gills and swim off. The rest of the month was very uneventful – the family returned to Utah and started to get moving on their action packed summer. Kira and Elijah went on Trek for Youth conference while Aaron stayed home to keep Pauline company. I will get Kira or Elijah to write about Trek since no one has been very verbose in discussing their experiences with their dear old dad. That is the update for June. I will post July when I get it done. Pauline is responsible for August.
It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. We have had a great summer so far and luckily we have been able to spend a fairly good part of it together as a family. We started the summer off by making the children miss all the shenanigans that occur on the last day of school and had everybody on an airplane to visit Virginia. The stated purpose of the visit was to have a family vacation and enjoy the historical sites of Virginia. The secondary purpose was to ascertain how well the family would handle relocation away from mountains, high altitude and in particular Grandma and Grandpa. The flight proceeded without any major embarrassments. Noah did not smell any disturbing odors that he felt obliged to questions and for the most part everybody slept for most of the flight. We had a great visit to Virginia except that the weather did not want to cooperate. It was rainy and cloudy except when we were in DC and then it was so hot and humid everybody wilted and a five dollar bottle of water at the Lincoln Memorial sounded like a great idea. While we were in DC we decided that it would be fun to see “A Night at the Museum – The Smithsonian” at the Smithsonian. Unfortunately, 10,000 of our closest friends decided that this sounded like memorable experience at well. The staff (used to handling a few dinosaur loving prepubescents and their sightseeing families were all of a sudden drafted into shuttling 3,000 people into a sold out theater. Needless to say anarchy was the rule of the day. I was able to use Isabelle to get me in a side door. As I was trying to get Kira’s and Aaron’s attention to let them know I had some good seats in my sights, I watched some very ignorant (Utah definition) people push Aaron down and steal the seats he was trying to save. We finally succeeded in scoring enough seats with only one that had a seat pan less than horizontal when in use. The movie was very enjoyable and definitely beat the heat. The majority of the vacation was spent at the Water Park and Busch Gardens. We did drive by a couple of historic monuments and wondered if they were related to the civil our revolutionary war (Pauline was able to set us straight and gain some brownie points for knowing stuff that Dad didn’t - not really all that uncommon; however, I have the kids buffaloed). The vision that the kids would come back with a greater knowledge/appreciation of our Nation’s history was replaced with a knowledge of physics and what pulling 3 g’s will do to the human body (in Kira’s case it turns her a interesting shade of green).
We also spent some time at Virginia Beach. It was raining most of the time; however , we were able to still have a lot of fun. The girls weren’t all that keen about playing in the water. Isabelle preferred to build a sand castle while Kira was all about looking pretty for the boys. Elijah and Aaron had Dad nervous about how far out into the water they were willing to venture. The most surprising of all was Noah. He absolutely loved the ocean. He loved playing in the waves and did not care when he would get knocked down. I could not believe how big of fish he was and how much he loved the ocean. I kept expecting him to grow some fins and gills and swim off. The rest of the month was very uneventful – the family returned to Utah and started to get moving on their action packed summer. Kira and Elijah went on Trek for Youth conference while Aaron stayed home to keep Pauline company. I will get Kira or Elijah to write about Trek since no one has been very verbose in discussing their experiences with their dear old dad. That is the update for June. I will post July when I get it done. Pauline is responsible for August.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Date and Time should now be final
Kaylie and LJ have finalized their plans. (At least the important part of their plans.)
The wedding will be November 21st at 1 PM in the Draper temple. The reception will be that night. We hope it doesn't snow too much that day as the temple is up on the hill.
On November 20th in the evening we will have a wedding dinner.
So put it on your calendar. If you are able to make it we would absolutely love it.
Love to all.
The wedding will be November 21st at 1 PM in the Draper temple. The reception will be that night. We hope it doesn't snow too much that day as the temple is up on the hill.
On November 20th in the evening we will have a wedding dinner.
So put it on your calendar. If you are able to make it we would absolutely love it.
Love to all.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
And the votes are in...
I don't know why that's my title.
But I'm engaged. I think all of you already know.
We're thinking November 21st. Subject to change, though.
Expect a phone call, post-temple scheduling, of course.
It's crazy exciting.
I'll tell my Dad or Nate to put the vid up for those of you who don't have facebook.
But I'm engaged. I think all of you already know.
We're thinking November 21st. Subject to change, though.
Expect a phone call, post-temple scheduling, of course.
It's crazy exciting.
I'll tell my Dad or Nate to put the vid up for those of you who don't have facebook.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Chopped My Hair
I was getting a lot of pressure to buzz my hair off when we were in Utah so I could look like Terry and Steve. I decided to takes some action on my own once the pressure was gone. This was as much as I dared to do, but it is shorter than I can ever remember having.
Take a look …
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Kim and Darrin's Update
Hi Family,
July was a busy month for our family.
Of course we started out with our vacation to Utah. We had a fabulous time, and the kids loved getting to know their cousins. I feel like they really made tight bonds this year.
When we got home, life was rough for a week while we adjusted to "real" life again, and we've almost got Josh's snapping under control!
The boys have been in swimming lessons for the past few weeks. They have really excelled in their swimming skills. Josh was able to skip a class and go on to the 3rd one and Andrew is now in the 2nd level. They are doing great, and I feel much more confident with their swimming abilities.
Luke is a monster as usual. He doesn't play with toys much, he just wonders around the house looking for trouble. He is a climber and climbs on everything...the couch, kitchen table, end table, etc... None of our other kids have climbed like this, so we're not sure what to do.
Darrin is very busy with work and EQ. We are grateful for the times when he is around. The kids adore him love the time when Daddy comes home. Lately he's been playing basketball with the Elder's Quorum to get some "guy time." He also did cut his hair. It's a six on top and a one on the sides. I really like it and hope he keeps doing it, but I don't think he likes it very much. I'll post a picture when I can sneak one...
I've been busy doing who knows what. I'm, oddly enough, planning to run a 5K on Saturday. This time I'm going to run the whole time and see what happens. Hopefully I won't die! I'm enjoying a break from scouts. September is coming too soon. I did go to cub camp for a half day...it was very fun and I look forward to lots more years of going because I have sooo many boys!
Anyway, that's our update!
We miss and love everyone!
--Kim
July was a busy month for our family.
Of course we started out with our vacation to Utah. We had a fabulous time, and the kids loved getting to know their cousins. I feel like they really made tight bonds this year.
When we got home, life was rough for a week while we adjusted to "real" life again, and we've almost got Josh's snapping under control!
The boys have been in swimming lessons for the past few weeks. They have really excelled in their swimming skills. Josh was able to skip a class and go on to the 3rd one and Andrew is now in the 2nd level. They are doing great, and I feel much more confident with their swimming abilities.
Luke is a monster as usual. He doesn't play with toys much, he just wonders around the house looking for trouble. He is a climber and climbs on everything...the couch, kitchen table, end table, etc... None of our other kids have climbed like this, so we're not sure what to do.
Darrin is very busy with work and EQ. We are grateful for the times when he is around. The kids adore him love the time when Daddy comes home. Lately he's been playing basketball with the Elder's Quorum to get some "guy time." He also did cut his hair. It's a six on top and a one on the sides. I really like it and hope he keeps doing it, but I don't think he likes it very much. I'll post a picture when I can sneak one...
I've been busy doing who knows what. I'm, oddly enough, planning to run a 5K on Saturday. This time I'm going to run the whole time and see what happens. Hopefully I won't die! I'm enjoying a break from scouts. September is coming too soon. I did go to cub camp for a half day...it was very fun and I look forward to lots more years of going because I have sooo many boys!
Anyway, that's our update!
We miss and love everyone!
--Kim
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
July by Steve FINALLY
I finally have gotten around to posting this month. Things have been crazy and work and the sprinkler system keeps breaking at home, so I decided I needed to do this during lunch time. I think I can handle writing a post. Fixing the sprinkler system is another thing altogether. It has been an endless array of trying something, finding out it is still broken, swearing and throwing things around, repenting and then starting all over again.
Well we have pretty much finished up our summer. Zach is getting ready to go up to USU, Kelsey is in the middle of tryouts and Kaylie is anticipating the return of Leland James. So I think all these things mean the end of summer is approaching.
We had a great time on our vacation. We rented a cabin down by Zions and Bryce for 3 days. It is just outside of Duck Creek. We spent most evenings at the cabin and then spent the days at a National Park. The kids liked Zions the best. We didn't do any major hikes, but it was so hot the water hikes were definitely enjoyable. The picture is from my phone, so not great, but this was the hike up the narrows. Kaylie took approximately 2000 photos, so she can share more if inclined.
On the way home we stopped by Cedar Breaks national monument. I have never been there. It is quite beautiful.
The rest of that week we spent up at Strawberry at the Jorgensen family reunion. Everyone was there except Mike and his family. It was fun to see everyone, but it was very hot. Only one fish was caught while we were there. Later after eating it we found out that it should have been thrown back.
Other than that we have been doing the normal summer stuff. The garden is doing OK. It got a late start because of the cool spring, but we are expecting tomatoes soon. We have already had a lot of corn.
Well, I better get back to work. Hope everyone is doing well.
Well we have pretty much finished up our summer. Zach is getting ready to go up to USU, Kelsey is in the middle of tryouts and Kaylie is anticipating the return of Leland James. So I think all these things mean the end of summer is approaching.
We had a great time on our vacation. We rented a cabin down by Zions and Bryce for 3 days. It is just outside of Duck Creek. We spent most evenings at the cabin and then spent the days at a National Park. The kids liked Zions the best. We didn't do any major hikes, but it was so hot the water hikes were definitely enjoyable. The picture is from my phone, so not great, but this was the hike up the narrows. Kaylie took approximately 2000 photos, so she can share more if inclined.
On the way home we stopped by Cedar Breaks national monument. I have never been there. It is quite beautiful.The rest of that week we spent up at Strawberry at the Jorgensen family reunion. Everyone was there except Mike and his family. It was fun to see everyone, but it was very hot. Only one fish was caught while we were there. Later after eating it we found out that it should have been thrown back.
Other than that we have been doing the normal summer stuff. The garden is doing OK. It got a late start because of the cool spring, but we are expecting tomatoes soon. We have already had a lot of corn.
Well, I better get back to work. Hope everyone is doing well.
Monday, August 3, 2009
July by Britt and Jason
Hi!
This month went by so fast! I'm still working at B&N, and Jason's been working with a guy in our ward who's just opened an ice-cream business. We go to the gym two to three times a week, for which I am glad. It's nice to have someone who supports my running/aerobics/spinning/boot-camping self. Jason plays basketball with the guys and I hit whatever class I feel like that evening. It's very good for the body AND mind. =) I'm secretly hoping to participate in next year's 4th of July run in UT and not do too terribly... we'll see! Lol.
Jason got called as Assistant Ward Clerk. He's in charge of the ward history, so we get to attend all the church functions and then he gets to write about them. It's good to be social and get to know the ward better, esp. since I'm still in Primary and usually do more socializing with my CTR 6 class. It's just boys most of the time, and I have to say I admire all of you with multiple boys in the house. My boys have been a lesson in patience, and I don't even live with them.
We miss you all and are looking forward to seeing everyone again. Enjoy August!
Love, Britt and Jason
This month went by so fast! I'm still working at B&N, and Jason's been working with a guy in our ward who's just opened an ice-cream business. We go to the gym two to three times a week, for which I am glad. It's nice to have someone who supports my running/aerobics/spinning/boot-camping self. Jason plays basketball with the guys and I hit whatever class I feel like that evening. It's very good for the body AND mind. =) I'm secretly hoping to participate in next year's 4th of July run in UT and not do too terribly... we'll see! Lol.
Jason got called as Assistant Ward Clerk. He's in charge of the ward history, so we get to attend all the church functions and then he gets to write about them. It's good to be social and get to know the ward better, esp. since I'm still in Primary and usually do more socializing with my CTR 6 class. It's just boys most of the time, and I have to say I admire all of you with multiple boys in the house. My boys have been a lesson in patience, and I don't even live with them.
We miss you all and are looking forward to seeing everyone again. Enjoy August!
Love, Britt and Jason
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Chad's July Report
We had a fabulous trip to Utah at the start of the month. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of our Utah family. Thanks everyone for gathering with us. Highlights were definitely 1) spending time with family, 2) Lagoon, 3) visiting the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House (we agree with Mom and Dad…that was really special to be seated in the sealing room with a bunch of our family), 4) hiking to the T on the mountain (I don’t think the kids will soon forget this experience…and it was a valuable story as Chad and I had to teach HP and RS today. I won’t bore you with the details.), 5) Grandma’s potato salad and macaroni salad and ice cream by Grandpa.
It was hard to make the adjustment to home life after a long vacation. We had a week to adjust and then started activities. Matt had Cub Scout Camp for a week. He came home covered in dirt every day. Good stuff. Trevor, Jenna, and Jason took swimming lessons for 2 weeks. Matt also did a basketball camp.
We’ve had record HOT weather in Portland this last week. We had 4 days in the 100’s with one day reaching 107!!! I know this is typical Utah weather, but really rare for Portland. We were glad for A/C and are dreading our bill next month. Between the record snow fall in December and the record heat in July, we’re a little bit confused about where we are living…
We can’t seem to keep enough books around the house for Trevor and Matt. They have been reading A LOT this summer. It seems that they have a book and a DS attached to them at all times.
Jason has really perfected the art of flips on our trampoline. He has “invented” many different styles of flips. He makes it look easy. He is so used to doing flips that he has had a hard time diving for swim class. All of his dives end up in a flip. I think he has made his teacher nervous a couple of times.
We celebrated our 14th anniversary this past week. We celebrated by going out to dinner. It’s been nice to have a “built-in” babysitter (aka Trevor). It makes it a lot easier to go on dates and Trevor does a great job as the babysitter.
It was hard to make the adjustment to home life after a long vacation. We had a week to adjust and then started activities. Matt had Cub Scout Camp for a week. He came home covered in dirt every day. Good stuff. Trevor, Jenna, and Jason took swimming lessons for 2 weeks. Matt also did a basketball camp.
We’ve had record HOT weather in Portland this last week. We had 4 days in the 100’s with one day reaching 107!!! I know this is typical Utah weather, but really rare for Portland. We were glad for A/C and are dreading our bill next month. Between the record snow fall in December and the record heat in July, we’re a little bit confused about where we are living…
We can’t seem to keep enough books around the house for Trevor and Matt. They have been reading A LOT this summer. It seems that they have a book and a DS attached to them at all times.
Jason has really perfected the art of flips on our trampoline. He has “invented” many different styles of flips. He makes it look easy. He is so used to doing flips that he has had a hard time diving for swim class. All of his dives end up in a flip. I think he has made his teacher nervous a couple of times.
We celebrated our 14th anniversary this past week. We celebrated by going out to dinner. It’s been nice to have a “built-in” babysitter (aka Trevor). It makes it a lot easier to go on dates and Trevor does a great job as the babysitter.
Mom and Dad July
Hi Everyone, I'm not sure what I'm doing, but here goes. We have had a wonderful July. It hasn't been too hot, and we've been able to see most of the family. It was really fun to get together over the fourth. We are surely glad Chad's and Darrin's family were able to come and celebrate with us. We were only missing Mike's family, but we get to see them in August, so we're happy.
We had fun going to the temple open house for the new Oquirrh Mountain temple. It was really beautiful. A special thing happened when we went into the sealing room. They have everyone come in and sit down, and then they explain the purpose of the room. It just so happened that only our family was there. It was awesome to look around and see all the children and grandchildren, and realize that we have all been sealed together as a family. How blessed we are!
Lagoon was fun. We enjoy seeing everyone riding rides and having a good time. Dad and I rode the Bumper Cars with some of the grandkids. They were amazed that we, especially Grandma, could drive them. I crashed into some of them pretty good too. It was really fun.
Thank you all for the nice dinner on my birthday. I normally don't like my birthday (I don't like getting older), but it was fun to all go out together as adults. I felt really proud of my family.
Dad and I are keeping busy with the Cub Scouts. We had a family summer picnic for our July pack meeting. We roasted hot dogs up at the Wigwam, and had watermelon and corn on the cob. I think everyone had a great time. We are going to take a vacation during August from Cub Scouts. We will start up again in September. Thank goodness for the vacation! We're worn out.
We did it again. Dad and I got up early at 4:30am on July 24th to drive into SLC to get us a spot for the parade. It is getting harder and harder to find spots in the shade. We were lucky and found one. The only problem was the concrete. We didn't have any grass. I think everyone had a good time anyway. The parade was really nice as usual. We came back to Tooele for lunch and then had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. The kids played in the water and had water balloon fights. That is the way to keep cool.
We love all of you and hope all is well. I hope you all take a few minutes and keep us posted on the blog. Love Mom and Dad.
We had fun going to the temple open house for the new Oquirrh Mountain temple. It was really beautiful. A special thing happened when we went into the sealing room. They have everyone come in and sit down, and then they explain the purpose of the room. It just so happened that only our family was there. It was awesome to look around and see all the children and grandchildren, and realize that we have all been sealed together as a family. How blessed we are!
Lagoon was fun. We enjoy seeing everyone riding rides and having a good time. Dad and I rode the Bumper Cars with some of the grandkids. They were amazed that we, especially Grandma, could drive them. I crashed into some of them pretty good too. It was really fun.
Thank you all for the nice dinner on my birthday. I normally don't like my birthday (I don't like getting older), but it was fun to all go out together as adults. I felt really proud of my family.
Dad and I are keeping busy with the Cub Scouts. We had a family summer picnic for our July pack meeting. We roasted hot dogs up at the Wigwam, and had watermelon and corn on the cob. I think everyone had a great time. We are going to take a vacation during August from Cub Scouts. We will start up again in September. Thank goodness for the vacation! We're worn out.
We did it again. Dad and I got up early at 4:30am on July 24th to drive into SLC to get us a spot for the parade. It is getting harder and harder to find spots in the shade. We were lucky and found one. The only problem was the concrete. We didn't have any grass. I think everyone had a good time anyway. The parade was really nice as usual. We came back to Tooele for lunch and then had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. The kids played in the water and had water balloon fights. That is the way to keep cool.
We love all of you and hope all is well. I hope you all take a few minutes and keep us posted on the blog. Love Mom and Dad.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Lost Shirt
Has anyone seen
???
It didn't come home with us from Utah.
And it makes me sad.
I love that shirt.
Anyone seen it?
I maybe feel a little weird doing this.
Since I'm a blog-a-holic anyway, I figure there should be nothing stopping me from posting early. So here I am. I guess my parents' post might encompass mine a little as well, seeing as I am still living at home, but that's alright. If you're scared of redundancy I suppose you could just skip over mine.. or theirs... :)
July seems to have flown by, and thank heavens, too. I don't think I've ever wanted a summer to fly by in my life, but I think I have a pretty good reason waiting at the end of this one. Or I guess I'm waiting. Whatever. Anyway, It was so good to see some of the Oregon Hancocks this month for the Fourth and stuff. Always so fun to get together, so thanks Grandma and Grandpa-- for housing us, and feeding us, and loving us...
Our family went on a little trip to Southern Utah and did the national parks down there towards the middle of July. It was beautiful, if not agonizingly hot. Awesome, though. We stayed at a cabin up in the middle of nowhere mountain land-- which was actually quite appealing. We drove up there-- this time in 2 vehicles as to not have a similar mishap to the one during the return from California and Britt's wedding. Don't worry, though. We didn't have to spend the night in Bryce.
Upon returning home, Jared, Dona, the Tooele cousins, Audrey, and us Lehi cousins all went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter together. It was a good time, and the movie was pretty good, too.
The next day we left for a family reunion with my Mom's family at Strawberry lake. Apparently the lake is polluted with human fecal bacteria, so we were basically forbidden to swim. Therefore, we fished-- which is surprisingly relaxing when you don't sink yourself up to your knees in mud or break your line nine times trying to cast or get caught by your little cousins' straying hooks or get bitten by a crayfish. I had an unsuccessful encounter with the trout in the lake, but the trip in general was successful in the sense that we had a good time.
Other than that I've just been slaving away as an orthodontist assistant in Orem, Ut. Okay, so slaving isn't really very accurate. But I've been working. It's what people do, I hear.
Lj comes home in 10 days, in case you were wondering. Yes, I will be at the airport. He knows, now, and is advocating it, so that's a good sign. I'll keep you all posted. (Baha, posted. Literally.)
Anyway, I love you all, and look forward to reading about your lives.
Until next time...
July seems to have flown by, and thank heavens, too. I don't think I've ever wanted a summer to fly by in my life, but I think I have a pretty good reason waiting at the end of this one. Or I guess I'm waiting. Whatever. Anyway, It was so good to see some of the Oregon Hancocks this month for the Fourth and stuff. Always so fun to get together, so thanks Grandma and Grandpa-- for housing us, and feeding us, and loving us...
Our family went on a little trip to Southern Utah and did the national parks down there towards the middle of July. It was beautiful, if not agonizingly hot. Awesome, though. We stayed at a cabin up in the middle of nowhere mountain land-- which was actually quite appealing. We drove up there-- this time in 2 vehicles as to not have a similar mishap to the one during the return from California and Britt's wedding. Don't worry, though. We didn't have to spend the night in Bryce.
Upon returning home, Jared, Dona, the Tooele cousins, Audrey, and us Lehi cousins all went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter together. It was a good time, and the movie was pretty good, too.
The next day we left for a family reunion with my Mom's family at Strawberry lake. Apparently the lake is polluted with human fecal bacteria, so we were basically forbidden to swim. Therefore, we fished-- which is surprisingly relaxing when you don't sink yourself up to your knees in mud or break your line nine times trying to cast or get caught by your little cousins' straying hooks or get bitten by a crayfish. I had an unsuccessful encounter with the trout in the lake, but the trip in general was successful in the sense that we had a good time.
Other than that I've just been slaving away as an orthodontist assistant in Orem, Ut. Okay, so slaving isn't really very accurate. But I've been working. It's what people do, I hear.
Lj comes home in 10 days, in case you were wondering. Yes, I will be at the airport. He knows, now, and is advocating it, so that's a good sign. I'll keep you all posted. (Baha, posted. Literally.)
Anyway, I love you all, and look forward to reading about your lives.
Until next time...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Life and the 4th by Britt and Jason
We're both doing well here in Menifee, CA. Britt's new saying: "Married life is awesome... adult life is not so awesome."
Britt just got a job at Barnes & Noble and is super excited to be there. Her favorite part? Employees are allowed to check out hard cover books as if they were library books, provided the books get returned in the same condition they leave the store in. That means she can read all the new releases without having to buy them. =) Yay!
Britt has also discovered the joy of growing a garden. She's got a couple of bell peppers and eight cucumbers and lots of tomatos that will be ready for picking relatively soon. Now she's waiting for the zuchinni to show itself...
Jason's applied for managerial positions at a number of restaurants (as he has experience in that field) in the hopes of having a full-time job while school is out for the summer (he usually substitute teaches and/or works with special needs kids). We're praying he gets one soon.
Jason's still extremely in to sports. He's currently following the LA Angels, as basketball just ended and the Lakers aren't on any more. =P
We celebrated the 4th twice, because our city celebrates a week early. There was a fair and a firework show just across the street at the park, and we volunteered to be "Mormon Helping Hands" and help keep people from crossing the yellow tape into the fireworks zone. The best part? We got the ultimate seat for the fireworks. The second best part? The neon yellow "Mormon Helping Hands" vests that swallowed us. =P On the 4th we played board games with friends, and then parked in a field and watched fireworks from the trunk that night.
Lots of Love! We hope you are all doing well. =)
Britt just got a job at Barnes & Noble and is super excited to be there. Her favorite part? Employees are allowed to check out hard cover books as if they were library books, provided the books get returned in the same condition they leave the store in. That means she can read all the new releases without having to buy them. =) Yay!
Britt has also discovered the joy of growing a garden. She's got a couple of bell peppers and eight cucumbers and lots of tomatos that will be ready for picking relatively soon. Now she's waiting for the zuchinni to show itself...
Jason's applied for managerial positions at a number of restaurants (as he has experience in that field) in the hopes of having a full-time job while school is out for the summer (he usually substitute teaches and/or works with special needs kids). We're praying he gets one soon.
Jason's still extremely in to sports. He's currently following the LA Angels, as basketball just ended and the Lakers aren't on any more. =P
We celebrated the 4th twice, because our city celebrates a week early. There was a fair and a firework show just across the street at the park, and we volunteered to be "Mormon Helping Hands" and help keep people from crossing the yellow tape into the fireworks zone. The best part? We got the ultimate seat for the fireworks. The second best part? The neon yellow "Mormon Helping Hands" vests that swallowed us. =P On the 4th we played board games with friends, and then parked in a field and watched fireworks from the trunk that night.
Lots of Love! We hope you are all doing well. =)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Blegh, it's technical.
Sorry to ruin the blog with technical mammajamma, but I was just thinking about the set-up, and I have a few suggestions, if that's alright...
It was initially said that everyone can just sign into the blog as its own entity in order to post. However, if you already have a blogger or a google account, you can simply be added to the author list and then post from your own profile and dashboard like your regular blog. I know everyone probably doesn't have a blog OR a google account-- but there are a few positives to being able to post from your own dashboard. Upon every post, there is an explanatory author label (for instance, see the bottom of this post-- it says "posted by kaylie jean.") Maybe that would be less confusing. Also, it is much easier if you already have the account. It'd just be like any other blog.
If you want to add your account to the author list, here's how:
Go to the settings tab
Click on permissions, then add authors
Type in your email address
Log out of "Hancock Herald"
Go to your email, and verify the invite.
Tadaaaa, and you're Hancock Herald Blogging away.
Or, you could just give me your email, and I'll set you as an author.
Anyway, just a suggestion. :)
It was initially said that everyone can just sign into the blog as its own entity in order to post. However, if you already have a blogger or a google account, you can simply be added to the author list and then post from your own profile and dashboard like your regular blog. I know everyone probably doesn't have a blog OR a google account-- but there are a few positives to being able to post from your own dashboard. Upon every post, there is an explanatory author label (for instance, see the bottom of this post-- it says "posted by kaylie jean.") Maybe that would be less confusing. Also, it is much easier if you already have the account. It'd just be like any other blog.
If you want to add your account to the author list, here's how:
Go to the settings tab
Click on permissions, then add authors
Type in your email address
Log out of "Hancock Herald"
Go to your email, and verify the invite.
Tadaaaa, and you're Hancock Herald Blogging away.
Or, you could just give me your email, and I'll set you as an author.
Anyway, just a suggestion. :)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Fourth of July posted by Chad
A gathering of a bunch of Hancocks happened on the 4th of July weekend - 2009. The "fireworks" started with plenty of poppers.
Then those with the pyro gene took to displaying a "legal" firework show...with only a few "scares." No ambulance needed. That night the boys all slept in tents in the backyard.
The kids lined up ("behind the white line" - sort of) at the Tooele 4th of July Parade. With their bags in hand, they were ready for candy. The 5K run had a little more excitement this year with some NEW participants. Pauline, Libby, and Kim (and Luke!) decided in the 11th hour to join Zach, Chad, Steve, Jared, and Julie in the race. All survived. All finished. Zach brought home a medal and promptly awarded it to Pauline. Next year we expect more Hancock family participants.
Ladies looking lovely at the Parade.
Grandma's famous potato salad at the picnic at the park. It was as good as it looks! Yummy!
The line-up at the park for our meal. Feeding this crew is no simple task. Grandpa and Grandma have it down to a science.
A raging game of Hancock Soccer ensued...leaving the old men feeling a little stiff the next day.
We made s'mores at the park. Later that night, we went to the fireworks in Grantsville.Great memories were made. Laughs were had by all. Lots of time for family bonding.
Welcoming the Hancock Herald to the 21st Century!
Here Goes Nothing...we're taking the Hancock Herald into the totally digital world. The goal is that EVERYONE (siblings/spouses & grandparents) will post at least once a month and fill us in on the on-goings of their life. (You know the routine...we've done it for 15+ years).
We'd love for the grandkids to post and help us all with this transition to the blogging world.
BTW, if posting isn't your "cup of Tea," you can email your "letters" to Chad and we'll post them for you.
We'll send out a reminder email at the first of the month...in case you need it.
We'd love for the grandkids to post and help us all with this transition to the blogging world.
BTW, if posting isn't your "cup of Tea," you can email your "letters" to Chad and we'll post them for you.
We'll send out a reminder email at the first of the month...in case you need it.
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