Finding Joy in the Journey

Big Accomplishments!

2009-09-10T08:41:00.004-06:00

Mitchell received his "Arrow of Light" award. It was exciting that he was able to earn and receive it with one of his best friends. He will miss Cub Scouts but is excited for the scouting program. He had a wonderful experience and wonderful leaders. Thank you Carin and Cheryl!

Mikelle received her "Young Women Recognition Award." She also has had some great leaders and has learned so many new things. Most important, it's been wonderful to watch her testimony grow through accomplishing the goals in each of the values.

Congratulations Mitchell and Mikelle!!!!

First Day of School

2009-09-10T08:34:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late with this post....still trying to deal with the fact that it really happened. Summer always goes by too fast, but now that we are into the 3rd week of school, I think I have to accept the fact that it is over and gone.

Some pictures from the first day of school:

Mikelle: 10th grade

Mitchell: 5th grade

Madelyn: 2nd grade

We Miss Her!

2009-08-14T07:14:00.005-06:00

Mikelle has been gone more than she's been home this summer. Although I am thrilled with the things she has been able to experience and to know the people she's met, I'm ready to have her home.

I miss:
watching Jane Austen movies
listening to her practice
her sweet, calming influence on the younger children
late night talks
the way her room smells after she gets ready
her Taylor Swift song dedications
her laugh
my flat iron

The Benefits of a Big Brother

2009-08-11T07:41:00.006-06:00

She was hot...she was tired. She was DONE!! Mitchell didn't hesitate to help.

Rockin' R Ranch

2009-08-03T08:43:00.006-06:00

Our family, with several close friends, stepped out of life for a few days, went to one of the smallest towns in Utah and stayed at a ranch. The girls felt like they were living with Laura Ingalls and the boys (young and old) lived out every "cowboy and indian" dream.

A few of the activities we enjoyed:

Barrel Racing: This girl acted like she'd been riding a horse her whole life!

Archery

A little swinging and exploring for hours

A few long talks...about what (and/or who)?

The crawfish the girls put in the boys shower!

...OH the pranks that went on...and on..and on....

Tubing and Boating

Hayrides

A little pond for canoeing and swimming

Crafts

Line Dancing..we'll use the term "line" a little loosely here...

Trail Rides every day

Late game nights/early mornings

Last, but certainly not the least--SING ALONGS!!!

Thanks everyone for the great time and the great memories!

My Favorite Childhood Look

2009-06-06T11:26:00.003-06:00

Is there anything cuter than a toothless smile?

Seeing this makes me want to jump rope, play jacks, walk barefoot through the grass, climb a tree and eat a popsicle...

The Magician

2009-05-16T18:42:00.010-06:00

Today was the last day of our soccer season. The boys ended with a win, completing an undefeated run.

They all play well

And most important, they encourage, support and ENJOY each other. As a parent, I also feel extremely lucky to have such amazing coaches for Mitchell. They really see the "big picture" and are teaching these boys life skills that will benefit them far beyond the soccer field.

After the game, the coaches gave each boy a certificate with a complimentary and appropriate title. Mitchell is now "The Magician."

I might point out that Mitchell is wearing a different color jersey than the rest of the team. Is it because he is extra special...or likes to stand out in a crowd...is it because magicians typically wear black or because he went straight to the game after a Father-Sons camp, for which he proudly and responsibly packed for himself (he didn't have his matching shorts either)...hmmm...you decide:)

Japanese Sous Chefs

2009-05-06T13:39:00.006-06:00

Our friend Serina came to visit for a month from Japan. We couldn't let her go home without teaching us some Japanese cooking. She is quite the chef and a great teacher.

We made gyoza and karaage

I have no idea what Emily had just said to Ellie about their "mixture", but apparently it cracked her up and grossed her out at the same time

Learning from the expert

This is serious stuff

Serioiusly, this is serious!

The 1st gyoza attempt...pretty good, I'd say

Everyone getting in on the action.

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but it really cracks me up. I'm surrounded by so many hotties!

The New Bike

2009-05-02T19:50:00.003-06:00

Maybe it's because we live between so many hills...or maybe it's my lack of excitement for running behind a bike for miles and miles (again)...or maybe Madelyn has just grown up too fast. In any case, Madelyn is WAY past the point when our other two learned to ride a bike without training wheels. We decided it was time. Lon took on the task.

First, learning to balance. We should have found a yoga instructor for this one..."find your center, feel your core, etc."

Lon: "Here, let me show you how to do it"

Madelyn: "When is dad giving me my bike back?"

Maybe if some warm weather finds stability in our little corner of the world, we'll have some success.

Happy Seventh, Sweet Madelyn!

2009-04-23T13:14:00.007-06:00

How can my baby be 7??!! (She often reminds me that she's NOT my baby.)

We celebrated Friday night with the girlfriends during a pizza, popcorn, pajama and pillow fight party.

We celebrated Saturday as a family at Lagoon. This is the new ride and Madelyn's favorite...the Jumping Dragon...

A Hero

2009-04-21T18:48:00.003-06:00

I feel so lucky that my children are surrounded by people who are great role models and influence them in positive ways. Brandon Mull is Mitchell's favorite author. He loves all of his books. He loves to read because of talent like Brandon's. We couldn't pass up a chance to go to our local book store to meet him.

He was so kind...he signed all 5 books that Mitchell took, each with a personal message, he talked to Mitchell and posed for pictures.

Belated Easter

2009-04-21T08:37:00.002-06:00

My Easter morning started with a beautiful sunrise service where Ellie sang and played violin.

We had a fun egg hunt with the Rosqvist family

and egg dying and dinner with the Wasden family

Ma went to the little school house

2009-04-19T08:58:00.002-06:00

Pioneer Day for the 4th graders

They were able to spend an entire day doing pioneer games, crafts and square dancing.

Madelyn's New Friend

2009-04-16T12:22:00.004-06:00

It was time to get Madelyn a new violin. She loves it...and I'm glad since she'll be spending so much time with it. I love it because the bigger the violin, the better the sound. She makes beautiful music.

Cousins & Friends

2009-04-01T06:25:00.005-06:00

I love the relationship between cousins. There aren't the ups and downs that siblings have and unlike friends who come and go throughout life, cousins are permanent and part of an eternal family.

Ellie and 2 of her cousins were born within a few months of each other. They were the first grandchildren (she was the only girl) and they were very close. They enjoyed hours on the trampoline, Easter egg hunts, costume parties on Halloween, pinata parties on New Year's Day and Ellie's favorite, working in grandma's garden together.

When they were in the 3rd grade, the FATEFUL DAY OCCURRED!
It was just after Thanksgiving and we were all together making gingerbread houses. Ellie was working meticulously on her "Victorian Christmas Cottage." The boys started making North Pole battle scenes, which included, but were not limited to, ripping apart marshmallow snowmen, scattering their body parts all over their gingerbread and using all of grandma's red food coloring for the blood. I'll never forget the look on Ellie's face that day. Boys (cousins and the rest of them) had officially become DUMB AND IMMATURE!!

Fast forward six years. Now they are all teenagers and have so much in common. They love to communicate via Facebook, texting and talking about life.

Isn't it nice to see how much they've "matured?"

End of Season

2009-03-27T09:24:00.005-06:00

Mitchell's basketball team played their last game tonight. Basketball is one of Mitchell's greatest loves. They were an wonderful team and learned to play incredibly well together. Can't wait for fall and the season to start up again.

I love this one. It shows Mitchell putting his tongue in his cheek. That's how you know he is seriously concentrating. He does it while taking tests, performing a musical piece and in sports. If only I could see that bulging cheek when I was offering my great advice and instruction to him.

Sunny St. George

2009-03-27T09:18:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed a great, warm weekend in St. George. Blossoms on the trees, green grass, blue skies. And we got to come home to 6 inches of snow!

The Gift of Wisdom

2009-03-27T09:13:00.002-06:00

Madelyn danced the part of "The Gift of Wisdom" in her ballet school's production of "Sleeping Beauty." She loved it!
If I could bestow any "Gift" upon my children it would be the "The Gift of Wisdom"

Transition

2009-03-12T08:55:00.004-06:00

Tonight was a busy one for Ellie, marking a few events in her life.

The evening started with the National Junior Honor Society's Induction Ceremony for the new members and officers at the junior high. As a vice president, Ellie was part of the program and ceremony. This was her first step at wrapping up her ninth grade year and ending her junior high school experience.

As soon as that ended, we ran to the high school and registered her for her sophomore year...wasting no time moving forward.

The night ended at the Young Women's "NEW BEGINNINGS"....quite appropriate, I thought.

A Mother's Heart

2009-03-11T14:38:00.007-06:00

"The mother's heart is the child's school-room." -Henry Ward Beecher

A Fun Family Home Evening

2009-03-03T10:34:00.006-07:00

We were invited to get together with some great families to share a night of fun, food and MUSIC!

Starting out goofy!

A Little Macarena---Is that in the Home Evening Manual?

The fog machine getting to Ellie (or maybe she didn't want her picture taken)

Mitchell getting some homemade pizza

Madelyn having fun with the big girls

Mini concert by Justin Williams-- a little preview of his new CD

Justin singing to his screaming groupies

What is she doing??

Ending even more goofy!
These people make me laugh...and even more important, provide wonderful friendships for our family. Thank you! We love you!!!

YUMMY????

2009-02-18T05:31:00.002-07:00

How has this boy never had a cavity?

The Space Derby

2009-01-28T10:54:00.004-07:00

An exciting evening for fathers and sons...a cub scout derby. Lon and Mitchell had a great time working on his rocket. It was a fun night and our last one. He's done the Rain gutter Regatta, the Pinewood Derby and now the Space Derby. Next year he will be out of Cub Scouts, but it has been a great experience. He loves scouting and we love all that he learns.

Last minute prep:

The Rocket:

Two trophies (best looking and farthest distance in the Webelo's category)

It's Done!

2009-01-27T18:50:00.007-07:00

Ellie and I started knitting together last June. It was a Personal Progress Value Project for her and something I had wanted to learn. In the last 7 months, I have made about a dozen scarves and about 30 dishcloths. I was ready for something new. I decided to make a hat...called the "2 Hour Hat." Two weeks later it is finally done! My friend, Misty and I started our hats together during a knitting class. Hers was a more complicated pattern and really only took her two hours. We had a great time together and I'm so happy that she was my cheerleader (after I switched yarns twice and restarted about three times, she just kept telling me it looked great...she didn't even seem too embarrassed to be sitting by me!)

Draper Utah Temple Open House

2009-01-24T20:12:00.004-07:00

It was so exciting to take our family through the new temple in Draper, the city that was our home for almost ten years. Lon and I were amazed at the beauty throughout the temple. Ellie loved the bridal room and sealing rooms. Mitchell was excited to see the baptismal font and can't wait to go in a year and a half. Madelyn had a lot of questions and I loved seeing her sweet innocence and viewing it all through a child's eyes.

This is only a test....if this had been a real emergency....

2009-01-13T08:52:00.009-07:00

Lessons learned from a power outage:

*Lon learned that eating dinner with what we could make without power, by candlelight, in our home that was cooling very quickly and all of our modern conviences gone, it would be a good time to have a FHE on emergency preparedness and a review of our families emergency plans.

*Jennifer learned that if I am not home when the power goes out, the children have enough trust and faith in the neighbors to head over for security. Meanwhile, another neighbor who knew I wasn't home, called to offer to stop by and take our children to her house. How lucky am I?

*I learned that after a summer of outings and camping, we should replace batteries in flashlights. I also learned that the 800 scented candles I have accumulated, have a great use and I shouldn't feel guilty that they occupy a whole wall in the storage room.

*Ellie loved living like a pioneer...doing her homework by candlelight, eating by candlelight, etc., until she realized that it was her night to do the dishes and she would be doing them like a pioneer..BY HAND!

*If you interrupt your FHE to share your newly gleaned seminary knowledge that unicorns did, if fact exist, because they are in the Bible Dictionary, you will get a lot of confused and concerned stares. (She assured us that this interruption was relevant since we were discussing the ark and all. She's pretty sure that's where something went wrong with the unicorns).

*Texting works beautifully when the power is out. Texting during FHE results in cell phone confiscation.

*And finally, no matter how hard she tries to convince us, our family's emergency code word will never be "the Anti-Nephi-Lehi-Rosqvists" (So, if any of you want to use it...feel free!)

*Mitchell had 20 minutes of battery on his DS. Lesson learned: keep DS, ipod and portable DVD player's charged at ALL TIMES!!

.

*Madelyn doubled up on pajamas, socks and blankets and fell asleep. A pretty great way to deal with it all!

COUNTDOWN

2009-01-02T16:57:00.008-07:00

FIVE: 5:oo p.m., 5 happy Rosqvist's go to the New Year's Eve party

FOUR: 4:00 a.m. the party ends! 11 hours of straight fun. (Lon and Madelyn came home shortly after midnight, but the rest of us made it!)

THREE: 3 fun activities:
food, food, food...New Year's Eve and an incredible hostess who loves to bake and cook...need I say more?
shows, shows, shows...in the new theater on a 120" screen
games, games, games...including the funniest round of "Mad Gab" ever played

TWO: 2 girls fighting over Lon. Madelyn and I have a contest each year to see who can kiss Lon first at midnight.

ONE: 1 terrific way to bring in the new year with friends and family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We thought it was GREAT---2008

2008-12-28T15:20:00.012-07:00

Here are our favorite moments from the past year....

Lon thought our trip to Craters of the Moon was a lot of fun.

This picture was taken on Memorial Day. It was freezing (each of the kids had on two jackets and a blanket). This was on our way home from spending Memorial weekend in Sun Valley. We froze the entire time, but it was fun.
I might add that on December 1st, Ellie's tennis class was still practicing outside in 60 degree weather. What is wrong here.

Jennifer's pick...the first day of school.

It didn't start out as a great day. Having my baby go to school full time was a hard and sad adjustment. It didn't take me long though to see the benefits:

*My house stays clean most of the day
*I can explore some hobbies and interests that have been waiting
*I can read all of the books that have been on the back burner
*I can regularly go to lunch with Lon and a variety of friends
*Weekly temple attendance with Lon
*I could get ready for Christmas
*I can look forward to things like Christmas break and the time that I do get to spend with our children

Ellie's favorite time of the year was when:

Our family was able to host three girls from Japan during an International Music Festival. They were all her age and became very good friends very fast. We enjoyed our time with them so much!

Mitchell's favorite thing this year (and any other time)

Is spending time with his buddies. How fortunate we are that he has such a great set of friends!

Madelyn's choice was:

Meeting Ellie's Mandarin teacher. She is here from China for a year, teaching. She has become a great friend of our family. She teaches us so many things, including the language. Lon and Ellie can carry on simple conversations. Mitchell and Madelyn have learned a few basic vocabulary words. It took me two months to learn to pronounce her name...she hasn't taught me anything new.

I love that as my children each picked their favorite thing, it wasn't something material that they had received, an award they had earned, or somewhere they had been. The things that stand out to them are the people they have met, who have touched their hearts. Relationships are one of our greatest blessings.

Happy New Year to each of you who touch our lives! We love you!

A Brand New Year Website

2008-12-27T08:45:00.005-07:00

The website for "A Brand New Year" is up and running. There is so much here for the youth (and many others--Mitchell and Madelyn LOVE and have learned the music.) It will be updated monthly and something I think the kids will enjoy all year.
Ellie has a short close-up in "The Seed" song.

www.abrandnewyear.org

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:17:00.002-07:00

We wish you a day filled with giggles, gasps, tears of joy and thankfulness!
Merry Christmas!

A Night of Music

2008-12-22T08:07:00.014-07:00

Every year we gather with some close friends of our family on the Sunday before Christmas to enjoy a night a music together.

It starts out with a talent showcase...here are some of the kids enjoying and supporting their friends...

Followed by some group singing....

Then some dancing...

and singing carols around the piano

Add some terrific food and fun company! It makes for a great way to start this festive week.

Sounds of the Season

2008-12-14T17:26:00.012-07:00

Is there anything better than Christmas music? I'll confess that Christmas music occupies about 92% of the space on my ipod and I see no problem with listening to it in July.
My children give me the greatest gift every year when they learn, practice and perform A LOT of Christmas songs.

A few performance highlights:

One Voice Children's Choir: www.onevoicechildren.com

Ellie and Mitchell with Janice Kapp Perry: www.janicekappperry.com

Ellie and friends with Justin Williams: www.justinwilliams.com

Intermountain Children's Strings: www.intermountainchildrenstrings.org

Salt Lake Youth Chamber Society: www.slyouthchamber.org

Jeanne Grover's Violin Studio at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

A Brand New Year

2008-12-13T20:32:00.004-07:00

Ellie was able to be in the cast of "A Brand New Year," a DVD created by the church for the youth. She had an incredible experience and made so many great new friends. Today, the families were invited for a premier showing and cast party. After all of the practicing, audio recordings and video tapings, it was so much fun being able to see it all come together.

Cousins and Candy

2008-12-13T20:23:00.003-07:00

Every year, Grandma Rosqvist decorates gingerbread houses with the grandchildren. It's something that the children look forward to and mine have been counting down this moment for days!

A Creature Was Stirring

2008-12-10T12:43:00.004-07:00

Mitchell's dream of taking guitar lessons came true in September. It's something he has wanted to do for so long and something he is loving. In addition to his weekly lesson repertoire, his teaches gives him a new Christmas song each week. He has quite a collection now that he plays very well.
In the middle of the night last night, I could hear singing coming from down the hall. I stayed in bed and listed to Mitchell go through all of his Christmas songs and then back to bed. I could tell he was trying very hard to be quiet (which is hard for a ten year old boy and his guitar), so I didn't want him to know I was awake or listening.
He is so excited for Christmas and I guess decided to bring himself some Christmas cheer when he couldn't sleep.
I love the enthusiasm he has for everything, especially the holidays.

Reflections

2008-12-04T21:45:00.004-07:00

Thanks to a great scout den leader, Mitchell had a nice painting to enter into the Reflections contest at school. This kind and patient lady was nice enough to allow a bunch of ten year old boys and acrylic paint into her house AT THE SAME TIME! Mitchell is great at drawing, doodling and sketching, but had never really tried painting. Now, it is a new love of his. He won at the school level and is moving on to district.

She's a Sweetie!

2008-12-01T13:59:00.003-07:00

Ellie is not a picky eater, but does have a picky palate and refuses to eat school lunch. Every day I make her a home lunch. Once in a while my mornings are so crazy that I fix it after she goes to school and run by the school to slip it in her locker. Today was one of "those" mornings. I must have been really running behind, because I didn't get to the junior high until lunch had already started. I was trying to stay under the radar while looking for her, when she saw me and ran up to me. (At this point when I was her age, I would have opted to starve before acknowledging that my mother was in the building...sorry mom!) Here is the unbelievable part...in the junior high lunch room, she talked to me for a bit, thanked me for coming, HUGGED me and KISSED me and then shouted "love you mom" as she ran back to her table of friends.
Love her! And I really love that at 14 she still loves me.

These pictures were taken by my favorite photographer, wonderful neighbor and great friend, CARIN DAVIS.

Visions of Sugar Plums

2008-11-29T22:48:00.002-07:00

One of our traditions that my children love is sleeping by the Christmas tree the night we put it up and every night that isn't a school night until Christmas.
I love taking this picture every year. To me, it symbolizes that our home is decorated, the mess is cleaned up and we are ready to start a month of celebrating.
Happy Holiday Kick Off!

The Year 1621 meets 2008

2008-11-24T21:54:00.007-07:00

and I quote....
"Mom! Check out this totally awesome pilgrim hoodie my teacher gave me."
--Madelyn

Happy Thanksgiving.

The stitches come out

2008-11-23T18:22:00.014-07:00

After five days, Mitchell was able to get his external stitches out. During this time, Mitchell was a great example of facing a trial with strength and courage. We also realized how many people Mitchell cares about and who care so much about him. We have the best teachers, coaches, family, friends and neighbors!

Mitchell's First Stitches

2008-11-23T17:47:00.007-07:00

Mitchell, the boy who skateboards, roller blades, does crazy things on his bike and plays every sport ever known and has never had a broken bone or stitches....until...he used the bathroom at school!!!
There apparently was some unregulated, pressurized air in the pipes, so the top blew off when he flushed and a large piece of porcelain split his forehead open, down to the skull. This is what he looked like after a day at Primary Children's Hospital, doctor's pulling 15 small pieces of porcelain out of his incision, having skull x-ray's, CT's, plastic surgeons and his FIRST stitches.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-22T18:36:00.011-07:00

Hello friends and family! We're excited to start a blog, a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we count you among that which we are most grateful for. Have a great holiday!

Photography by Carin Davis