Photo of the week!

Back to School!

August 2016: by Bjorn

Wow, what a month it has been! We feel very grateful for all that has transpired over the last few weeks, and for the opportunity to be with so many of you. And the fun isn’t over yet, with Scott’s special day coming up in one week! Congrats to Karen and Andrew on the safe arrival of adorable little Lindsey. Congrats to Ben on his baptism. I could watch his beaming happy face all day long.

We’re so grateful for the experiences Isaac is having – especially the trials that turned into blessings. It’s so wonderful as a parent to see your children learning valuable life lessons and learning to trust in the Lord and the Spirit more completely. Our testimonies are growing along with his as he learns the reality of the gift of tongues and that this is the Lord’s work and He is in control.

We had a wonderful few days before he left. Tuesday after he was set apart (which was a powerful experience in and of itself) Becky and I asked him for a Priesthood blessing and he humbly consented and did an amazing job that had all of us in tears. After that, it was fun to sit around and hear the kids have one last jam session together on their instruments and just sit and talk and laugh. A few good friends came over later in the evening and did more of the same. It was kind of fun for me to think of myself as his “companion” until we delivered him to the MTC. Becky and I enjoyed a temple session with him at the Payson temple Wednesday morning and then grabbed his suitcases and the rest of the family and went and did baptisms in the Provo City Center temple, with Isaac performing the ordinances. Then it was lunch at the BYU Creamery with one last bottle of cookies and cream milk. Isaac had us all laughing our heads off because he didn’t want to be one of "those missionaries" that goes into the MTC crying so he was just being crazy goofy. And he was very anxious just to get going, and so I think that made it a bit easier for all of us. We said our good-byes in the Creamery parking lot and then drove up to the MTC and did the curbside drop-off. I was the only one who got out of the car to help him with his suitcases so I got one last quick hug and “I love you” and then he was off. I got back in the car and everyone was in tears so then I had a hard time seeing the road as I drove out of the MTC and down 9th East towards home. Within 15 minutes—before we even got home—we received a quick email from him saying he was checked in and doing well and ready to start his first Russian class. We received another short email from him on Saturday requesting a few things and informing us that his first “official” letter would come on his Thursday p-day – which is the letter most of you have read. We’ve also enjoyed seeing many of the photos that he has taken since he can upload them straight from the camera with wi-fi and we don’t have to wait for them to come with a letter. It is such a blessing to have a missionary serving the Lord. It’s a privilege to pray for him each day and know that he is in the Lord’s hands. And I love what it has done for our family and the added spirit that is in our home because of it.

Enoch participated with his friend, Bryant, in an Eagle Scout backyard donation and fundraising event complete with donated food from local restaurants and local entertainment, of which Auriana’s band “Sailing Paper Boats” was the main attraction. This is the first time we’ve seen her perform with this particular band and it was fun for us to be with other ward members as we watched and heard all their amazed and impressed comments about how good she is. All we could do was say thank you and agree with them. ☺ She’ll be playing with that same band again at the Harvest Moon Hurrah on September 17 if any of you want to come see her. They’re also on iTunes and Spotify. Becky and all the girls really helped out a lot in preparing for Enoch’s event and it was a fun time and a great success. Miriam even completed a 10 hour project for personal progress as she decorated the neighbors backyard for the event. It was nice of Matt and Lissa and Adam to come and show their support and even bring a donation! Enoch received some great donations for his project of building emergency 72-hour kits for an orphanage in Mexico. He’s now even closer to finishing up his project and receiving his award!

Enoch also got braces this week and his soccer team took first place in a pretty tough tournament in which Enoch scored 2 goals and had several awesome assists. Natalie started high school soccer this week and is once again on the varsity team. She scored a goal on Friday while playing defense, so through a series of give and go passes and some fancy dribbling and dodging she made her way up the field and kicked it in. Ellie and Miriam are both involved in soccer as well and Miriam has a tournament this week in Salt Lake.

It’s hard to believe that school starts in a week and a half. Sad to see such a wonderful summer come to an end, but it’s always nice to get back to a regular schedule.

Oh, and happy anniversary on the 16th to my wonderful wife!

Photo of the week!

Busy day for a Champion!

July 2016: by Bjorn

July 10, 2016

It has been a wonderful, full summer . . . and its only half over! We enjoyed a wonderful day in the temple on Friday with Isaac as he received his endowment. He seemed to take it all in stride and was happy and peaceful throughout the experience. It was definitely one of those “joy and rejoicing” moments for us as parents. And thank you to those who were able to join us. Its always so wonderful to see family in the Celestial room.

Having that experience with Isaac served as the final alert  – at least for me – that this mission thing is really happening. We’ve been reading with interest about the latest law changes in Russia that may affect Isaac’s experience there and how and where he can preach the gospel. We hope and pray that things will change in a way favorable to the Church so that the gospel can continue to spread in that country. We’re confident that Isaac will be successful regardless of any external conditions.

While still glowing from our amazing Nauvoo / Carthage / Adam-Ondi-Ahman / Liberty / Independence experience and the thrill of seeing Auriana perform there, (Link to Nauvoo Pics) we transitioned quickly to scout camp at Bear Lake with Enoch and Pioneer Trek with Isaac and Natalie in the same week. Enoch enjoyed his experience at scout camp, but probably would have chosen not to get stranded in the middle of the lake when the boat ran out of gas right as he said “hit it” to start waterskiing. He had to swim back to shore. Good thing he’s such a strong swimmer. Now he and I both have a Bear Lake scout camp horror story. ☺ After Enoch returned from scout camp he took a bath, threw a few more things in his huge duffle bag and headed off to serve as staff at Timberline youth leadership training camp. He enjoyed it so much I think he still wishes he was there.

Pioneer trek was amazing! We assume that most of you have seen photos of the Payson temple replica that we built in one day. If not, I’m guessing Becky will include some photos as part of this family letter. Our stake youth leaders decided that instead of focusing on the trekking part of trek that we would focus on the temple since that was at the center of the reason the original pioneers trekked in the first place. The replica was about 24’ square and approximately 25’ tall. As each of us took a photo of someone special to us and put it inside the temple replica it was such a neat experience. As we were driven out the next morning by a “mob” it was a powerful lesson to the youth of what the original pioneers experienced, and hopefully it created in them a greater appreciation for the temple in their own personal lives. Becky and I loved being Ma and Pa to a group of great youth in our stake. It was a lot of fun to interact with Isaac and Natalie as they enjoyed their own trek families and participated in the various activities. They both made pretty good pioneers.

We have enjoyed time with many of you lately as well, being able to see everyone but Steve and family and Mike and Alison. Pizza Pie Café was fun for Adam’s birthday. The 4th of July in Rexburg was wonderful despite it being such a quick visit. It was fun to see Jenny & Chad and Brenda & Matt for Jenny’s birthday outing. And it was great to see many extended family members at the Pratt reunion. We especially enjoyed watching Rachel act out the part of a chair and a bed in Goldilocks. Miriam and Ellie served their teams well in the minute to win it games. Thank you to Mom and Dad and Alan & Konnie for taking such good care of Miriam and Ellie while they stayed up in Rexburg for a few days after the 4th.

We’re looking forward to our last big family vacation before Isaac leaves as we head up to Quickwater Ranch in Idaho for the family camp that we’ve participated in the last several years. We hope to cap off a wonderful summer of memories that will strengthen each family member over the next couple of years.

We look forward to seeing many of you on the 31st as Isaac speaks in church before leaving to the MTC on August 3. Samara, Russia – here he comes!

June 2016: by Becky

It's SO nice to be out of school now and a little more relaxed, although it seems like there is still always a lot to do. Yesterday Isaac got his new mission call to Russia, Samara and today he got his wisdom teeth out, both went well. He is glad to still be going to the same general area, after learning so much about a place you start to love the people even though you haven't been there or met them yet. Someday he will make to Kazakhstan.

Congrats to Scott on his graduation and we hope he is enjoying his first time in the temple today. We would love to be there, but we are home nursing Isaac's chipmunk cheeks.

Our next door neighbors built a zipline in their backyard, so the kids have been spending their spare time playing over there. Natalie has taken on a new interest in photography after taking a class in High School. She is excited about taking Brenda's nice big camera on our trip to Nauvoo and is looking forward to seeing six new states that she hasn't seen before. Auriana is already safely in Nauvoo and has her first show tonight. They perform outside every evening at 8:30pm and they spend their days traveling around to various places to perform. We are looking forward to our trip to see her play and watch Natalie play soccer in Denver.

We enjoyed a family hike last week and found the same spot that we used for our engagement pictures.  We had fun trying to reenact the picture 21 years later.  

1995

2016

2016

Happy Graduation Day Isaac!

Photo of the week!

State Champion in the 400 meters
48.76 Seconds

May 2016: by Becky

Auriana is home for the summer, so we have our entire family under one roof again.  Yay! She is working on campus as a secretary as well as working at a music store in Springville.  She recently found out she was accepted into the Communication Disorders program at BYU, so she is excited about that.  She is looking forward to going to Nauvoo in a couple of weeks with the Folk Dance team, and we are excited about going there to watch her perform.  We will drive for two days, site see for two days, and drive home for two days.  We will drop Natalie off in Denver on our way home for a soccer tournament.

Isaac is the Region Champion in the 400 meter this year.  He set a personal record of 49.57 seconds and he became #2 on the top ten board for all time at Spanish Fork High School.  He achieved academic All State for track and he is looking forward to running at the state meet next weekend at BYU in the 100 meter, the 200 meter, and the 400 meter.  He is counting down and only needs to run the 400 meter at one more meet in his life, he is looking forward to being done with that one race.  It’s a tough one to run!  It was very fun to see Adam and Matt at the last meet … Maybe that extra support gave him the added energy he needed to win the 400 :-). Isaac will graduate from high school on May 24 and from Seminary on May 29 where he will speak.  He will be going to the temple on July 8 before the Pratt Reunion starts.  He will speak in church on July 31 and enter the MTC August 3.  Please join us anytime that it fits into your schedule :-)

Isaac and Natalie had their end of year choir concert this week, and it was very well done. Natalie tried out and made the Chambers Singers Choir for next year, which should be a great opportunity and experience for her.  Her spring Soccer season has ended and she is still in one piece ... all the other kids only have a game or two left.  She has started working at the concession stand at the Baseball Park.

Enoch is really enjoying soccer this season.  His team is really fun to watch and he has been able to score a couple of times this season.  He is preparing to be a leader at the Timberline Scout Camp this summer and has decided on an Eagle Project.  He is hoping to provide Emergency backpacks for the orphanage in Mexico that Isaac visited earlier this year.  

Miriam got to dress up as the Canyon Elementary cougar cub for a school assembly recently. It was very hot and sweaty, but she had fun.  She gave her first sacrament meeting talk today and did a great job.  She is looking forward to giving tennis a try this summer and she MIGHT try out for a soccer team again, she is thinking about it.  

Ellie became SF champion in her track races and the long jump again this year.  She is unbeatable! Her time is even faster than all but one of the 4th grade boys in all of Spanish Fork.  Two more weeks of school and we start summer vacation! She and Miriam are missing a day of school today to babysit Brenda during her recovery :-)

April 2016

This is the fun run!  Miriam came in 1st place for the girls at her school, but Ellie had more FUN :-)

Miriam is 12 years old now and went to Young Women for the 1st time today!  She also started her Personal Progress today.  Natalie better watch out or Miriam will finish and get her medallion before her!  

Central Eurasian Mission
Kazakhstan Mission Region
Russian Speaking
Provo MTC Aug 3
Speaking in Church - July 31 at 11 am

Привет ! Меня зовут старейшиной Пендлтон

Photos of the week!

March 2016: by Bjorn

Auriana just returned home from a 9-day travel tour to Idaho and Washington with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble. Some of you were able to see her performance. Thanks for your support. You’ll have to ask her about bowling in a skate park. ☺ Becky and I got to go watch her concert on Wednesday that was just the band (and the other BYU Folk/Bluegrass bands), no dancers. As always, she was amazing up there on stage. She has also recorded 7 songs with another band she’s in. Yes, this is our shy little Auriana – all grown up and not so shy anymore. She has made a bunch of new friends at BYU and is really enjoying her college experience.

Isaac enjoyed a quick trip to an orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico with a bunch of his friends at the end of February. He had a blast interacting with all the kids and being able to use some of his Spanish language skills. He says he wants to go back. He just started his mission papers last Sunday – so maybe he will. ☺ We were excited to learn that he got accepted to BYU (and U of U and Utah State). Nice to have options, but of course he’ll pick BYU. He’s been quite focused on school work and maintaining his 4.0 GPA through the end of the year. He had a hard time deciding between tennis and track this year, but decided to stick with track. He is the team captain.

I’m always so impressed when I hear Natalie or Isaac getting up early in the morning and leaving to go do baptisms at the temple. They both are a great influence for good on their group of friends, but it’s neat to see how they all are motivated to make good choices like that and support each other in those efforts. Natalie made a pretty seamless transition from high school basketball to club soccer last week. Her soccer team won the President’s Cup down in Mesquite recently and therefore qualified to go to regionals in Colorado in June. Their team is really quite good and a lot of fun to watch. I’m eager to see how they do this season. It’s fun to see Natalie almost back to full speed and strength and really enjoying herself. She will be participating in track as well. One other thing I’ve enjoyed from Natalie lately is hearing her sit at the piano and play hymns and work through other new songs and teach herself. “Waterfall” by Jon Schmidt has been the latest challenge she is conquering.

When Enoch is not falling in freezing cold rivers while “fishing” with his friends, he is enjoying soccer or basketball or playing the piano. His basketball team won the league championship recently with him making the final 3-point shot of the game. He recently earned his “Life” scouting rank and is now only 2 merit badges and a project away from earning his Eagle. He cooked lunch today as part of his cooking merit badge requirements. He learned well from his father how to make tasty grilled cheese sandwiches. ☺

Miriam is enjoying her ongoing responsibilities with Student Council and has so many friends she doesn’t know what to do. We recently enjoyed seeing her great artwork on display at school. We just finished a fun season of basketball. It was a great group of girls, and even though we didn’t win a single game I think the girls really enjoyed it – especially the end of season pizza party. Spring soccer has begun for Miriam too. She and Ellie are always playing the piano or singing around the house. Just like their older sisters, they have learned to harmonize together quite well. Every time I look at her lately I can’t believe how grown up she is. She registered for junior high this week, and it’s hard to believe she will be in Young Womens in less than a month!

Ellie’s soccer team just completed a fun futsal season and enjoyed a victory at an outdoor scrimmage yesterday. It’s nice to get back outside and on a full-size field. I was impressed with how much her foot skills have improved – and with it her confidence. She had a fun basketball season as well. Ellie has taken to experimenting with her voice lately and regularly gets us all laughing when she starts singing in some strange voice. She has such a fun sense of humor. I look forward to where her amazing musical abilities will take her.

Becky and I continue to enjoy serving in the temple and in our ward. We’re excited for the good weather and being able to get out and walk together and be a little more active as the elliptical can only do so much, and the scenery in our basement isn’t that great. Becky has been working on a clever way to lengthen dresses for both Ellie and Auriana. Maybe she’ll include photos of her handiwork. We got asked to be Ma and Pa for the youth trek in June and have our first meeting for that in about 15 minutes, so I better close. We have enjoyed the opportunities we’ve had to see many of you recently in conjunction with the Provo City Center open house and other get-togethers. We’re looking forward to participating in the dedication next Sunday. All the kids are headed to a waffle party at Matt & Lissa’s in about an hour. We’re so grateful for so many good people to look up to and interact with. We love you.

Photos of the Week: in St. George