CHRISTMAS 2008

We hope that everyone of you had a very Merry Christmas!

I think the camera was tilted because the tree isn't. --more camera learning.

Our family had an enjoyable Christmas day, which began quite late when compared to many of yours I'm sure. I got up at about 4:30 AM, not because I was necessarily excited that Santa had come (although he did, and I was), but that is about the time I get up every day. I'm not sure what time Doug got up, but he came upstairs somewhere around 8:30 AM. Jamie got up about an hour later, and Tyson woke at 11:00 AM. When we were all up and moving around we gathered in the living room and opened gifts and ate our traditional Christmas breakfast. Santa and the kids treated everyone VERY well this year! ....oh, and so did the dog's and tooth fairy. Yes, there were presents under the tree from the dog's and the tooth fairy. Gifts from the dog are not unheard of at our house, but the tooth fairy?? When we asked Doug about the gift from the tooth fairy (him), he made the comment; "In these tuff economic times the tooth fairy had to step up and help out". He is quite a character (Batman...shhh)

Kerrie and I have the MOST WONDERFUL children anyone could ever hope for, all three are amazing. They are very kind, loving and generous.

After we finally got things started it was a busy and fun day. Grandpa and Grandma Anderson came down at about noon to see what everyone had received and to take a couple of pictures. It is always nice to have them stop and visit. They are very good to us.

This is a picture of Rhea. We took one of Richard, but we are just learning how to use the new camera that Kerrie got, and it didn't work.

We then relaxed and tried to figure out our new toys for a couple of hours, then we headed to Grandpa and Grandma Mickelson's. Usually there is somewhere around 30-40 people running around and it is quite busy, but this year there was a total of 12, including grandpa and grandma. As most of you are aware I'm sure, we had some pretty nasty snow storms Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think we got about 12 inches at our house Christmas night-- thank goodness for a snow blower! Since the roads were snow-packed and icy, Diana and her family did not make it down from Logan. Janet's father-in-law passed away on the 23rd and their family spent the day with her mother-in-law. David's wife had a baby that was brand new, so they decided they best stay home. Glenn and his family live next door to grandpa and grandma, so they were there, and we drove down from Bountiful.

We had a nice evening of visiting and food. Below are a couple of pictures while we were in the living room visiting.

Grandma Mickelson loves her picture taken (just like I do-- not), so Jamie decided to step in and make it a little more fun. I love this picture!

As I said, I do not care to have my picture taken, but I've learned over the years that most of the time it isn't optional. I'm not sure whether Jamie was telling me to take a time-out, but I think that must be what is going on here. :-)

Okay, now we're ready...or at least as ready as I get.

Jamie was very proud of herself for getting in the pictures with her grandma and I... I think this is a cute picture.

After we ate dinner and visited for a few minutes, it was time for the Wii bowling competition to begin! Grandpa and grandma's children went in together and purchased them a Wii and a couple of games for Christmas. We had a great time, and if I remember right, grandma won the bowling competition between her and grandpa. -- There will be a next time I'm sure, and I'll bet grandpa will have the game mastered by then... watch out. ;0)

Doug was grandpa and grandma's bowling "coach" for the evening, and as you can see, he had lots of instruction and tips to provide.

As you can see, Dustin was having a great time, as were we all!

Whoot hoot! Grandma wins.

After we all had a chance to humiliate ourselves (not really, it was awesome!) we left for home. As soon as we got on the freeway it was snowing, and very quickly became a blizzard with white-out conditions. The roads were very snow packed, and our average speed was somewhere between 35-40 MPH the entire way home. Fortunately, we all made it safe.

As you can see we had a very nice day, and hope you all did the same.

*NOTE: Kerrie & Tyson were present the entire day, however, just like grandpa Anderson, not 1 picture worked. --we will learn to use the camera before the next holiday.

EXTRA EXTRA

I've tried to get my boys to take some pictures so that I could post something of them on here, but I have had no luck. Maybe I'll sneak and take a picture or two of my own and get them posted. :0) They are both doing well and keeping busy, and staying out of trouble.

In the mean time, here are some more pictures of Jamie--

Periodically Jamie will send me a text and remind me that she is a genius, which she is, however, this time I don't think she was feeling very smart. She burned her hand on the oven. Ouch!

She is also playing soccer on an intramural team, and loving it.
On a previous post I mentioned that Jamie has gone on a bullet bike ride with a friend from school. I asked her if she wears a helmet (more of instructing her that she will wear a helmet), and here is the answer. --good job!

Today she sent this picture and said it was for her cousin, Colby...I think they call this "stuff", Mt. Dew--yuk! :0) Enjoy Colby!

ALMOST TWO WEEKS!

WOW! It has been almost 2 weeks since I've updated...sorry. I think the old adage that time goes by faster the older you get is certainly true.

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat routine, although a bit eventful as well--if that make sense. The week before last Kerrie was really struggling with extreme pain and was up a few nights and in pain all day. This week I had a root canal on Monday, and Thursday they took out the packing, shaped the tooth and filled it. I have, unfortunately, had a few root canals in my day's, but this one was a little bit different. It has taken all week for me to get the feeling back in my jaw; it was almost as though I had a paralysis of sorts. All is well now, and the only thing remaining on that tooth is a crown--ouch $$$!, at some point.

The kids are all doing well and Kerrie and I are very proud of every one of them! We are very lucky parents to have such great children. They are truly blessings from heaven.

Doug has had a ruff time with his bulged disc's the last little while, and limps around most of the time. However, he seems to cope somehow with the pain. Doug and two of his friends went down to the cabin at Fish Lake for a few days this week, and will return home tomorrow. I spoke with him on the phone Friday evening and he said the weather and scenery were beautiful, and they were getting ready to go out on the boat fishing.

He sent me this picture taken from his cell phone--

I hope he has had a great time and will bring home more pictures that I can post.

Tyson continues to work hard and absolutely love his job with security for Target Stores. He is working full time +, and I'm sure is doing an outstanding job! He also has a girlfriend that takes up a lot of his time ;-) Tyson is also doing a great job of saving his money so that he can get back to school in the spring. Yeah!!! (Tyson, I need some pictures from you to add in the blog :O) )

Jamie is at Snow College. She is learning some ruff life lessons with some of her roommates that are not very Christ-like toward a fellow roommate, and she does not tolerate that behaviour very well. I'm glad she is such a good kid and does what is right. She will find that in the long-term she will be far better off for doing what she should and following the Lord than if she had choose to follow those who don't. She has also had some great experiences. She enjoys her bowling class and sends me a text about once a week to let me know that she has done very well. :0). Jamie has also made some friends, one of which has a bullet bike and takes her for an occasional ride. This is a picture that she took while on one of her rides last Wednesday evening. It is of the Manti LDS Template.

She also sent me these pictures of her "morning ride" with her cousin, Mandy, this morning. They took her uncle Mike' 4-wheeler up the canyon. The pictures are up Ephraim canyon. Fall is a pretty time of the year in the mountains of Utah!

One last event that has taken place this past week that I will share before heading off to bed... is our updated backyard. We have (had) 2 peach, 1 pear, 1 apple and 1 cherry tree. One of the peach tree's had 2 branches that were alive, and the other one was beginning to die. The pear tree produced small fruit, which we don't eat because nobody likes them. They end up falling to the ground and we have to clean them up. Kerrie and her dad cut down the 2 peach tree's and the pear tree, as well as an aspen that had died on the other side of the yard. It was a lot of work and I appreciate it very much!

One thing that they did, which was kind of funny, while cutting away at the tree was cut the phone line, which ran thru the tree branches--we had no phone or Internet service for 2 days. Qwest did come the next evening and replaced the line from the pole to the house so we are up and running again. They said the line was old and so they were going to write it up as a repair and not charge us anything, for which we were grateful. We'll have to give some thought as to what we are going to do in the place of the tree's; be it plant other trees, or do something else.

We'll, it is now after 11 o'clock so I'm off to bed. Take care!

JAMIE CHURCH CALLING

This is going to be a short update, and I'm sorry, without pictures.

Today Jamie was sustained as a councilor in the Relief Society in the student ward she is attending at school. Kerrie took Jamie back to school yesterday and attended the service. She said it was very nice.

I have no doubt Jamie will do a great job, and hopefully have some fun and learn a little bit too. She is a great daughter and we are very proud of her! --love you Jamie!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

There hasn't been a whole lot to report the last little while, but I wanted to update the blog so that everyone would know we are still alive. ---

Doug went to the Bob Dylan concert at Deer Valley last night with a group of friends. They stayed the night in Park City and had a great time. He said it rained before the concert started, and then began to pour during the last song.

Because the concert was outdoors and they appear to be up on the mountain a way, this is the best Doug said he could get...but I guess it is proof that he went. :-) I'm really glad he had a good time!

Tyson has been working in the afternoon/evening at the Roy Target so we don't see a lot of him these days. He seems to be loving his job working security, and after 30+ years of work...I've decided that happiness is far more important than making millions (which isn't to say that you can't do both!).

When Tyson was young (he still is, but I'm talking in the single digits) he was pushed into a wall at church, which was covered in a ruff burlap type wallpaper. The scrape became infected and he ended up with a nasty infection. Since that time he periodically has trouble with the staph infections popping up in he same location on his forehead. Well, this week was one of those times. This time it seemed to be worse than it has been previously as it went into his lymph nodes. He was pretty miserable for a few days. We have learned over the years, and was actually instructed by the doctor many years ago, that as soon as we see signs on his forehead that he is getting an infection, he needs to be put immediately on a strong antibiotic. Fortunately, he seems to be doing better and his forehead is looking much better than it did a few days ago.

This picture was taken a while ago, but Tyson is still as handsome as ever!

Jamie came home for the Labor Day weekend. We didn't do anything, but it was sure nice to have her around. I know that Buddha misses her a lot when she isn't home, and the rest of us do as well. --Poor Buddha, he is on the couch across from me, laying on a pair of Jamie's shorts; which he promptly brought to the living room the second she pulled out of the driveway.

She seems to be doing well in school, and keeps me updated pretty much daily...as you probably have noticed from previous posts. I'm extremely glad she sends me notes and pictures. She is a cutie! One of the notes she sent on Thursday letting me know that I would be very proud of her, she bowled a 151! hoot hoot! Good job Jamie.

(I would insert a picture of Jamie from the weekend here, but the two I took I was instructed by her to delete. I told her that I wasn't going to delete them from my camera, but promised they wouldn't end up here :-) )

Kerrie continues to work hard, and unfortunately deal with pain and discomfort continually. She is very strong and at times I wonder how she has been able to tolerate the trial. She has done a lot of work out in the yard the last week, and it is looking good!

I am doing fine. Not much is going on...work, home, sleep, and start all over. ;-)

Here are a couple of pictures of the dogs and I. They are such good "kids" most of the time.

How Many Have Come

wmode="transparent" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" >

JAMIE & FRIENDS

It is late and I have got to get to bed...but I just got these pictures of Jamie and her roommates and a couple of the young men that live next door to her. I will see what I can do tomorrow to add some commentary, but for tonight...it's just going to be the pictures. :-)

Jamie and her cousin, Mandy, 4-wheelin' Claire, Jamie and Hillary chillin'

BUSTED! Hehe

OH, THE RUFF COLLEGE LIFE

"This is what college students do when they're bored"

Hillary, Jamie, Claire

This is the first picture, of what I hope is many, of Jamie studying hard at Snow College. . . It looks like Jamie is having a good time--yea!

COLLEGE

Jamie is officially living away from home and somewhat on her own. She is going to school at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. We are going to miss having her around our house, but she isn't too far away that we won't see her once and a while. :0)

** Standing at her door **

This was a dad required picture ;-)

** Jamie sitting on her bed **

This is her huge (not) closet.

Nifty new fridge and television,

computer and printer on the desk

---study, study, study . . . but don't forget to have a lot of fun too!

The Kitchen isn't bad.

Clair Thompson, next room roommate

and fellow Bountiful High alumni!

Already doing some cleaning . . .unfortunately,

it wasn't the cleanest place when we moved in.

Poor Buddha . . . he's already missing his "mom". :o)

Good luck Jamie... We love you!!! xox

LOTS AND LOTS OF STUFF

This weekend we acquired a lot of "stuff", however; it is all important and necessary. I just hope that we aren't required to move anytime soon! ;o) What am I talking about . . .
Meet Daisy and Lilly--

Daisy, on the left, is Buddha's biological Mother. Lilly, on the right, is his sister. Other than the fact that Buddha is twice the size of Daisy, and 3 times the size of Lilly, they do look like they are from the same family.

Daisy and Lilly's permanent home is with Kerrie's brother, Mike. Mike and his wife Andrea, have gone to Chicago for a few days so we are dog-sitting. Both Daisy and Lilly are good dogs, and we really don't mind having them with us. When anyone comes to the door, or simply walks or drives by our home however; I have no doubt they know there are dogs living here. Those 4 dogs barking is very loud--and we are used to some loudness because our two dogs are really noisy. I can't complain though, it is a cheep and effective burglar alarm. ;0-)

Add Nikki to the group and you have 16 legs running under your feet-- Whew!

_ _ _ _ _

Next in our collection of "stuff" this weekend is dishes, pots and pans, silverware, pillows, towels, etc, etc.

We have been putting together the items that Jamie will need when she goes to school next Saturday. . . . poor Jamie, her room has turned into a storage area . . .

_ _ _ _

The last item of our "stuff" acquired this weekend is a desktop computer for Doug.

Doug has been saving for a couple of weeks to purchase a new computer because his quit working. The computer Doug purchased is really nice and should give him good service for some time. The monitor is big (22 inches), and has a great picture.

. . . . . That is our collection of "stuff" for now.

GIRLS & 4-WHEELER'S

This week Kerrie's family went to the cabin at Fish Lake. It was a crazy week at our house, so those from our family that were able to go went up in shifts. Jamie rode up Monday with Tom and Reese, and Doug drove up Thursday night. Kerrie has a really hard time breathing at that altitude and ends up being on oxygen the entire time, so she decided to go to Ephraim and dog-sit her brothers' 2 dogs Wednesday-Friday. Tyson and I had to work so we stayed at home.
This afternoon Kerrie and Jamie did a little bit of 4-wheeling in the Ephraim area before heading home. Here is a picture of them on the 4-wheeler. Aren't they cute!

Down the trail...

Kerrie's brother, Mike, and his daughter, Whitney.

Dr. P !

All of you who know me well know that I'm a Dr. Pepper addict.

A couple of weeks ago my manager's parents were here visiting from there home in Texas---and they brought me these AWESOME little bottles of Dr. Pepper. I was really excited!

My manager is a great guy and I enjoy working with him very much--and now I see where he gets his kindness gene's from! Thank you Mary and Jim!!!