Heritage Pride

On the Saturday before Easter the kids and I went over to visit my Aunt Kay who also lives in St George. She is like a 2nd Mom to me since I lived with her during my college days! She's so fun and my kids just love her, so we went over to chat and during our visit she told us about some of our pioneer ancestors that helped settle St George! I had no idea! She said there were sites here in St George and Washington City that told their story! So we went to grab Chan and off we went to visit them! The picture of us as a family is right by the plaque of our ancestor who was asked by Brigham Young to come to the valley and settle it. (great picture Kay- thanks!!)
His name is Randolph Alexander and he was one of a few men that held prominent positions in committees that helped families settle here in St George.
Here is the story as seen on the monument.
There were also full statues of some of the men as well as this large monument- so cool!
He had quite the hair style don't you think! Chan said he was ahead of his time with that one! Will said he thought he looked a bit like him.
Then we went off to the Relief Society Hall. This plaque tells the story of the building and it was beautiful! They completely restored it and use it now to house receptions and such.
I loved this statue! There were other pictures around the base- it's just gorgeous!
I had Will put his fingers by the two women that were my ancestors. They are related to family on my Grandmother Washburn's side. My Grandmother's sister was actually named Myrza after her- cool.
There was also one more- Brianne and Will are pointing at this name.
We were so grateful that Kay shared this information! Here she is in this picture with me and the kids. THANKS KAY!!
Then we went over to the Brigham Young home because my family and I haven't been there Together!
Here's a shot of Brigham Young as he was older.
When the families came down to St George they had to learn the cotton farming trade. It was rough work and the kids were asked to help too. When we did the tour they ask one of the kids there to try and lift a bundle of cotton! Brianne did it no problem and the tour guide was nice enough to let me get a picture of her with it! :)
They also planted Mulberry trees all over the valley- this one is right behind Brigham's home and it was struck by lighting YEARS ago and some men saved the tree from splitting all the way with these brackets and cement. It's amazing that it still stands! And that it's still ALIVE!
Here's a picture of the kids right by the entrance.
Here's a shot of the outside of the house. Apparently this is the original colors of the house! Brigham was a colorful guy!
This is his bed- pretty extravagant! And beautiful!
This is the other part of his bedroom- it was really quite large!
Here's a shot on the grounds with Kay. I couldn't resist a picture by those amazing flowers! So pretty!
This is a picture of that Mulberry tree- it is HUGE! and so cool!

I am so thrilled we went to see those things. It's so important to know where we come from and to remember the people who settled this amazing place in which we live. Those pioneers were amazing people! I am honored to know that I come from such awesome families!

Easter 2011

When we woke up Easter morning it was a gorgeous day!!! The sun was shining and it was WARM! Something us northern Utahan's were LOVING! Our kids are aware of who the "bunny" is so we had gone shopping with them the last couple of days, but we did get them some peeps (a must for Easter in my book) and a Cadberry egg. But another "bunny" got them some gifts too! (That naughty God mom!)
They were actually really excited- it was cute and that naughty bunny got them some very nice BIG chocolate bunnies and gift cards- they loved it!
Then it was off to find the eggs! You can't do a proper Easter without a hunt and this year we had hidden some golden eggs, so they were excited to find those.
All the eggs were basically the same inside, but it's just FUN!
You can tell how much they enjoy their eggs! So funny!
Here's one of the golden ones!
Here's Carter and his haul!
The Easter Bunny also brought me a couple things- but my favorite was the HUGE Reese's egg! And it was sooooo good!! (I did share it though- I would have been sick otherwise!)
This is Carter devouring his bunny- hee hee!
Will wanted me to take a "before" picture- it wasn't long before all these bunnies were gone! It was funny though because they would eat some, put it in the freezer and then eat some more! But by the time we left the next day they were pretty much gone!

It was such a lovely holiday! All the kids know the real reason for the holiday and we did talk about that too. However, my favorite part of the holiday is just spending quality time as a family. There's nothing better than creating traditions and fun family memories that we can share for years to come!

Our St. George Solace

The last 3 years we have escaped to St George for our Easter break. It's where Chan and I met and holds a special place in our hearts!





















Not only is the city itself beautiful we also enjoy our BFF Tammy's house just as much! Her home and yard is a desert heaven! We spend more time outside than inside when we are there. I took several pictures of her yard as well as some shots of the city, the big "D" on the mountain for Dixie College, and some amazing blooming cactus's that we saw by the local hospital- they were amazing!






























It's just beautiful isn't it! We just love it there! Can't wait to go again!

Growing pains

I am planning on doing a post soon of all our Easter festivities but it will have to wait because I have been pondering all our family's growing pains lately. Usually when you think of growing pains you think of kids- well Chan and I are doing some of our own. Our family business lost the bid for our retail space in the airport but that has opened a door to a new relationship with a food and beverage company. With this new connection comes new construction in the airport of some pretty amazing restaurants that we're excited about. Also the family have decided to open a new women's boutique store in Draper called Zeta so we are also building it out and getting it ready for a July open date. Add to that the fact that I am now working about 17 hours a week as an aide at the middle school and our work life is getting quite intense! FOR SURE more on Chan's end and for his family as well! Mine will end for summer soon which I have to admit I am looking forward to. It seems that our working "pains" are going to be challenging for a bit... we will keep you updated. Now not only are the kids physically growing they are stepping into some new ground this year too! Carter is leaving middle school and going to high school and with that an intense desire to play on the JV football team as a starting lineman!! Add to that the fact that he will be getting his driving permit soon! Then Will is moving on from elementary to middle school and with that comes the promise of a cell phone because that's what we did for his brother! Then Brianne will be the only one left at the elementary school and will be entering the 4th grade! Yup that's three kids and three different schools! Crazy! I am grateful that I have a whole summer to sort it out and even more grateful that Chan keeps me involved in all the decisions that are going on with him and his family. So if you see me looking a bit like a deer in headlights, now you know why!!

Carter is 15!!!

Its hard for me to believe that my oldest child has just turned 15! Carter was born on April 14 1996 which honestly just feels closer than it actually IS! Anyway, I asked Carter what he wanted for his birthday and his response was "Money"! I guess that is one of the first signs you have a teenager!
Even though all he wanted was money I couldn't let the day pass without making it special and fun so I went and got $60 in ones and fives and spread them all over the counter along with his birthday cards from us. I figured that would grab his attention!
He doesn't look like OMG or anything, but it is pretty early in the morning after all! It was only about 6:30am and he was surprised and couldn't wait to start counting!
After reading his cards he started with the fives and counted those first and then the ones.
Now there's a good smile and facial expression! He was very excited and was plotting on what to buy!
After all that excitement we ate his breakfast food request of orange rolls! Mmmmmm!


Later that night after Brianne's softball game we came home to eat cake and sing! We sang really loud! And I am happy to say that I made this cake! I think I did a pretty darn good job! And Carter said it was good which made me smile!
Carter with his 15 candles! WOW!
The perfect blow out picture! Hope he gets his wish!
I wrote the Happy Birthday Carter on this board, but I thought it was cute how Brianne added her own message too!
The morning of his birthday I also went to his school and decorated his locker with some of his favorite things! Reeses pieces, pez candy, his favorite Sobe drink, that new dessert gum and some peanut butter cups. This was a total surprise to him- I have never done this before! But I found his locker number and combination on a web site we use to check up on their grades etc and I thought it would be a fun change! I also brought him and his friend Dylan $5 foot longs for lunch! It was a good day! And I forgot to get pictures but we did go to dinner to at La Costa- a great Mexican food place here in Sandy. It did not disappoint! So yummy! And he's already studying the driving guide and plans on getting his permit THIS week! I'll keep my fingers crossed for him! He's so excited! Happy Birthday Bubba!