Ethan's 12th B-Day

Today at 1:27 PM Ethan turned twelve. (He pulled out his scrapbook to confirm the time.) It is a landmark birthday. He was sustained in sacrament meeting and ordained to the office of Deacon in the Aaronic priesthood after church. It was his first day to meet with the Deacon's Quorum. Now all the men in our family go to priesthood meeting together. The girls called just as I was decorating his icecream cake. It was 3:00 PM here and 1:00 AM (tomorrow) there.
We continued the family tradition we started Jecia's freshman year of college by singing "Happy Birthday" with the absentee members on the phone. It is so fun to connect with our girls on the other side of the world. I love modern technology!

Ethan checking out new Star Wars Legos for his collection

Ethan on his new bike

A Pinch to Grow an Inch

We have a spot in our laundry room hallway where we chart the growth of the family. Nowhere else in the house is it acceptable to write on the walls, but on this space it is condoned and even encouraged. This tradition started at my Grandparent's home long before I was born. The first marks on our wall were made April 22, 2001. At that time, there was a big gap between Marshall's 6' 1'' mark and that of our children. At odd times we hear comments like, "I think I have grown. Come and measure me." or "Hey Jecia, I think I am taller than you. Let's go measure." This leads to all interested parties converging on "the wall" with Mom or Dad as the unbiased pencil toting judge. A new mark is made, labeled and dated and the verdict announced.

Jecia and Eliza reached their full height a few years ago, so now the boys use them as benchmarks of growth. Caleb passed Jecia while she was on her mission. He was thrilled to have her come home to a "big" brother. Ethan has yet to surpass Jecia, but it won't be long. Eliza was still 1/2 inch taller than Caleb when she left for Jerusalem in January. This morning Caleb felt certain that growth had occured. With pencil I hand, I measured marked and recorded the official results. And the winner is... Caleb by three quarters of an inch (5' 10 3/4 "). He's grown an inch and a quarter in one month. The upside to all of this is that he wears shorts 11 months of the year so I don't have to buy him new pants every two months. Shoes are another story.

An Amazing Husband

I have the most amazing husband! Four days after Joseph's funeral I left for an eight day Western Caribbean Cruise. It was the kind of trip that people dream of and take perhaps once in their life. The timing and circumstances made it diffucult for me to be excited. I went with my sister Yolonda so we could complete a seminar required for a travel certification. Marshall stayed home with the boys. (One more reason I was not very excited.)

The cruise was wonderful. The MSC Orchestra is beautiful. The weather could not have been better. The ports were lovely; Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman & Cayo Levantado. Many times each day I wished Marshall were there to share an experience.

I arrived home about 7:30 PM Sunday and he met me at the airport. I was soooo excited to see him. He was even more excited to see me. He recounted the adventures of the week. Up each day to get the boys off to school before he left. Home in time to make dinner while helping with homework then off to karate or Scouts then home for showers and bed to be ready to start the day again. There was no down time or break! He spent the weekend cleaning the house, doing laundry and repairing and repainting our kitchen stools. He was worn out and glad to have me home! I was equally glad to have returned and we have both enjoyed a greater appreciation for each other for the last few days. That will be the last cruise I do without Marshall. He is just too amazing to leave behind!

Some Days are Better Than Others

Today my heart is breaking. My brother, Joseph Ansley, died this morning in a work related accident in Arkansas. I've shed tears of sorrow and been touched by stories shared by people who knew him. The minister's wife who works at his bank, his coworkers, the neighbor and her daughter, even the coronor in Havannah, Arkansas all speak of his friendship and kindness. His best freind described him as the one who always lifted him. He said, "We became old and settled for life, but Joseph never gave up on the dream."

The planning and details kept me busy today. We have been coordinating things over the phone with my brother's and sisters, our mother and Cristi. Being busy is good. Now it is quiet and the tears are flowing. I just didn't see this day on the itinerary.

The funeral will be in Ramah on Monday, Jan 19 at 10 am (four days before his 49th birthday). Tomorrow I will start a memorial DVD, write the obituary and draft the funeral program. Joseph, give Mother and Grandpa a hug for me. I love you.

Ancient of Days and Holidays

Today Jecia and Eliza arrived in Jerusalem. As I write this they probably just finished dinner and are sitting in on an orientation in the BYU Jerusalem Center. (Jerusalem is 10 hours ahead of Pacific Time) It has been very exciting the last few days to help them prepare for departure and to remenisce on the experiences I had while studying there 27 years ago. Wow! That makes it sound like I am ancient of days. If you would like to follow their expereince you can check their blog http://www.hutchjerusalem.blogspot.com/

We had a great holiday with everyone at home. I treasure this time together as I know that there will be less of them as the girls move into new phases of life in the next few years. Christmas was wonderful. We had missed Jecia the last two years while she was on her mission. The kids had the most fun with the new Rock Band that Caleb and Ethan recieved. I had no idea that Jecia and Eliza were studying Rock Band at college, but they demonstrated their proficiency. The four of them were very entertaining as the Blu PJs. They may never see their names on a marquee, but they were at hit at home.







We left for Ramah on Dec 26 and enjoyed a five day visit. The recent storms left a foot of fresh snow that was our chief source of entertainment. It was great to visit with Mom, Yolonda, Tanya and Parley and families. We played in the snow, ate too much and watched movies. It was the first time we had gathered at Mother's house since we bought it. I was grateful for the hours Marshall & I spent crawling in the attic to install a new gas line as I adjusted the thermostat on the heaters that kept the house warm and toasty. I love modern conveniences.

New Year's Eve was another great family celebration. Caleb turned 14 and could have attended the multi stake dance, but he opted to stay home with the family for our annual celebration. He even invited his friend, Andrew Dakus to join us. It is funny how a simple activity turns into a tradition. When the girls were young I decided to make some inexpensive appetizers, put together puzzles and watch a movie on New Year's Eve. Of course party hats and noise makers are manditory.

This turned into an annual event and has now become a tradition the even the teens don't want to miss. We paused the epic drama "Lawrence of Arabia" just before midnight to countdown the new year and set off fireworks. Everyone had a blast!

The first few days of 2009 were spent doing last minute shopping and packing for Jecia and Eliza. One suitecase each weighing 50 pounds wtih everything they would need for four months. Difficult, but possible. We departed at 4:00 AM on Monday, Jan 5 to attend a manditory orientation in Provo at noon. It began snowing as we arrived in Provo and by the time we returned to the van t 4:00 there was a fresh blanket and it was still coming down. The drive to the Taylor's in Bountiful took 2 hours and we were worried about their 9 am flight on Tuesday. The weather in SLC cleared enough during the night to allow incoming and outgoing flights and they departed without delay. Marshall & I got into the van and headed south while they jetted to JFK. Now they are in Jerusalem and the Ancient of Days mom is back home enjoying the boys that are still here and grateful that motherhood does not end when the kids leave home. Seeing the amazing people my children are becoming and enjoying their life experiences as a parent is immencely rewarding.