JANUARY 2010: by Bjorn

It has been a really nice weekend. Auriana and Isaac talked me into taking them to see Percy Jackson & the Olympians on Friday – the first day it came out – since all of us have read the books and they’ve been looking forward to the movie ever since they knew a movie was being made. It was pretty good, and I always have fun hanging out with those two. As soon as we got home Becky and I hopped back into the car and went out on our Valentine date. We enjoyed dinner at China Lily where they have delicious lettuce wraps and dumplings. We usually just go there and order those appetizers and none of the main dishes.

Saturday was busy with Isaac’s basketball game, an Arts Council workshop that I’m in charge of, and preparation for teaching the Gospel Doctrine lesson (I was asked to fill in for the regular teacher). Then at 1:30 Auriana and I left to head to Bountiful to meet up with her cousins and my brothers to do family name baptisms in the Bountiful temple. It was a neat experience for all of us and it was neat to read off all those Norwegian names – some from the 1600s that my Mom had found and gotten ready. I even got to baptize my brother, Mark, and he baptized me for several of the male names. It’s quite a difference between baptizing a petite 13 year old and a 6’5” man, but the experience was wonderful and Auriana and I were both grateful to participate in such a neat family experience. We stopped at Nielson’s Frozen Custard on the way home and enjoyed the best ice cream in the world.

As soon as we got home it was time for the Valentines tradition to begin. So I quickly changed and took the boys with me out shopping for fun, but inexpensive gifts for the girls, while the girls fixed a Valentines dinner for the boys. We usually just go to the dollar store. When we got there, Enoch and Isaac quickly began their search and I lost track of them. Then about 3 minutes later I saw Enoch coming toward me with his hands full of things he wanted to get the girls. It was fun to see him so excited to give. When we finally arrived home with our gifts it was fun to spread them out on the table and then have the girls come in and see what we had given them. Brenda was there too, and so the boys were excited about giving her some yummy dark chocolate and roses along with Becky and the girls. Then the girls escorted us downstairs to the beautifully decorated table where our appetizer (sliced grapefruit) was waiting for us. Then they served us delicious stuff pasta shells and asparagus and breadsticks, and for dessert we had cake topped with vanilla pudding topped with whipped cream. Needless to say I was stuffed! Afterwards, Enoch asked if we could fix the dinner next year and have the girls go buy us treats. I asked him if he would want them to buy us flowers and he said no.

January was a full month with basketball starting for Isaac, Natalie, and Enoch (I’m coaching Isaac’s team), several fun school projects for Auriana and Natalie, Arts Council stuff, several big work projects, and Church callings. I have enjoyed my new calling of working with the 11-year old scouts, and Becky was just recently called to be the Personal Progress Leader for the MiaMaids. So now we’re juggling activity night for Auriana and Isaac and trying not to both be gone on Wednesday nights at the same time.

Auriana has really enjoyed Show Choir, but is not sure if she wants to be in it next year, so I worked it out with her school to start up a Bluegrass/Folk Music Ensemble next school year. I recommended a talented teacher and set up the initial meeting and once all the right people were in the same room everyone got really excited about it. So now it looks like Auriana will be able to be in an auditioned Bluegrass group that will have lots of fun performing opportunities throughout the year as well as some competitions that she can participate in. We’re excited for her to have this opportunity to further develop her skill with the mandolin. And hopefully she’ll blaze the trail for Isaac and Natalie and the rest to be in the group when they’re old enough.

We had fun celebrating Brenda’s birthday with her – especially surprising her early in the morning with a birthday breakfast. She is such an integral part of our immediate family. In fact she just walked in our door right as I’m writing this and not only do each of the kids run to the front door yelling her name, but Berry starts yelping and barking with excitement. I stopped getting that kind of response years ago. ☺

It has been rewarding and uplifting to read letters each week from Mom and Dad as well as Teresa’s missionary letters. We even read her most recent letter as part of our family home evening last week. We are grateful for the positive influence each of you are in our lives and wish we could see all of you more often. We’re sure excited to have Mom and Dad in our home for a bit during their big excursion.

DECEMBER '09: by the kids

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!




We’ve had a wonderful December! The kids will each tell a little about the highlights…

Auriana
For Christmas I got a couple of chocolate oranges and a couple of candy canes in my stocking. I also got a new tuner/metronome for my mandolin. From Brenda I got a pair of pink fuzzy socks, and I wear them all the time. I also got a new skirt, but it was too small so I got a new one in Las Vegas. While we were in Las Vegas, I played the wii a little bit, but I mostly played with K-K’s dollhouse with Natalie. We also played in the playhouse that they have in their toy room. I don’t really want to go back to school tomorrow. Christmas Break was fun.

Isaac
For Christmas we got a lot of really cool stuff like a pogo stick and I got a new scooter and we went to Las Vegas and I played with Collin and Grant. We had New Year’s Eve at our friend’s house. For Christmas I gave Enoch a book that I wrote about him when he broke his foot. He laughed really hard when he read it and he was really excited when he opened it.

Natalie
I did a Christmas program for school. I got my Irish dancing wig for Christmas and I got a Chinese jump rope. I had a lot of fun in Las Vegas and we got to go to a park where Berry could run around. Then we went to Café Rio and on our way home there was a snowstorm and we could barely see the road, but after we prayed it settled down. On New Year’s Eve we went to the Webb’s and we stayed up until midnight and me and my friend Hannah played Horse-opoly for a long time. While we were there we played the name game. It was really fun. On our pogo stick I jumped 387 times in a row. I hold the record! We got a laptop, but it just teaches you how to type and spell and things like that, it does have some really fun games though!

Enoch
We went to Las Vegas last Monday. We played the Wii almost the whole time. We went to this park and it was really awesome and there was this thing that you climb to the top and somebody can spin you around really fast. Ben got stuck in the bathtub a few times and I had to get him out. They have a laundry chute and I looked down it and saw Natalie and Auriana. They dropped a hat down and I caught it. Grant played with Isaac while Collin and me played on the Wii and then we all played basketball. For Christmas I got a pogo stick and I can jump 98 times in a row on it. I gave the boys this helicopter that can throw like a Frisbee and it flies. And, I gave the girls these cool balls that you can throw really far. And, the best part of Christmas was that Brenda came and we had Ebelskivers. On New Years Eve we went to our friends house and stayed up until midnight. Then everybody was blowing horns and shining lights and screaming. And, then they gave us this new game that is really fun and it’s called Apples to Apples Junior. Alan and Konnie and Micah and Anna, Brenna, and Melanie came over. Micah was really funny because I would hold a ball and he would hit it out of my hand and he would laugh like crazy. The End.

Miriam
We got a pogo stick and I got new Pet-shops. We got a dog and his name is Berry. In Las Vegas I picked tons of berries and I took them home and put them in my cubby. I wanted to eat them, but I couldn’t because I thought they were poisonous.

Ellie
I liked opening my presents. I got a strawberry dress and that strawberry dress is for Sunday. My favorite was the purple thing that you put equals. You can push a number and it puts the number on it. (It’s a calculator.) I gave a sucker to everyone and a little animal and I gave Brenda that stuff and chips. I like Brenna and I played with her and we played house. I liked being at KK’s. I played with her in the playroom. I liked going to the restaurant and eating that salad with Mom.

2009 Favorite Pics

Nativity Pageant - Christmas 2009

Christmas Tree Time

NOVEMBER 2009: by Becky

November went by so fast. All that I can think of that we did around here was adjust to having a dog. He’s been really great, much better than I expected, but it’s still an adjustment. Berry loves the backyard and spends a lot of time outside. He can sit on command and is learning to fetch. I’m reporting on him like he’s one of the kids!

Ellie is doing great. She loves to write Miriam’s name all over everything including the wall. It took us a while to figure out it was her… She has been singing the days of the week and peeling and eating Clementines.

Miriam loves school. She can’t wait until Thanksgiving break is over. I got to help in her kindergarten feast where she and I had the job of making vegetable/cheese picks for the class. She finally likes the dog!

Enoch can’t get enough of the dog. He loves to hold him like a baby and carry him around the house. The two of them like to watch TV together. Enoch is becoming more and more goofy. Any suggestions? He’s had a blast playing basketball this year!

Natalie dances around the house non-stop. She has invented her own style of clogging. Bjorn joined her class on their field trip where they went best dressed to hear the Utah Symphony play. They had a great time. She’s looking forward to basketball season and another Irish dancing Feis in January.

Isaac is also looking forward to basketball. He still spends his free time with friends in the back yard or on the couch with a book. He also loves to play on the computer when I let him…he had a great report card. His teacher told us he’s reading on a a12th grade level. He’s excited about an upcoming field trip to a space museum where they can experience no-gravity.

Auriana just finished one week of shows “the 70’s show” for show choir and is about to start her Christmas show this week. The trickiest part is getting her hair done just right each night, but we’re getting it down. She would much rather read than do most anything else, but she’s getting really good grades, so I guess I can’t complain. She’s still a really great help around here and tends & fixes dinner at least once a week. She’s wonderful!

Bjorn and I stay busy keeping everyone fed and happy. We enjoy the routine and we especially enjoy our weekly dates.

Winter is HERE!

November 2009: by Bjorn

Isaac and Enoch and I enjoyed a quick trip to Las Vegas for Collin’s baptism. If I could do it all over again, they only thing I would change is to buy a new car before going down. ☺ Well that and maybe staying a week longer so that everything wasn’t so rushed. With all the delays we still ended up making it to Vegas in time for Collin’s birthday party and the movie at noon and the boys loved watching Astro Boy and hanging out with their cousins. Right before the movie started the repair shop called me and said it was the transmission and that it would cost $3000 or more to replace. I was frustrated enough by that point that I told him I was just going to watch a movie and forget about everything for a couple hours and I would call him later with my decision. After the movie I called Harold and asked him if he know of a place I could buy a decent used car. He mentioned that he though he might be able to find a used transmission for a good price, but if not he would look around and help me find a car. He called back pretty quickly to let me know he had located a transmission with 87K miles on it for $850 and that his mechanic would install it for $450. That sounded a whole lot better than $3000 so after talking it over with Becky I told him to go ahead with it. The only catch was that Harold and I would have to tow it to his mechanic’s shop in Enoch (just north of Cedar City). So I told Harold we would be coming back though the next day and take care of it then. I was doing my best to stay in a good mood and Chad and Jenn made it pretty easy with their wonderful hospitality. We really enjoyed the rest of the day and Isaac and Enoch were in heaven hanging out with their cousins. Chad schooled me in HORSE on their very cool sport court and continued schooling me on most of the Wii games, but he let me beat him at a couple of them so I went to bed exhausted but happy. ☺

The next morning was all excitement. We had a little bit of playing time before the baptism and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys having so much fun together. When it was finally time to go, they all wanted to sit in the van together on the way to the baptism and were pretty much inseparable the rest of the day. They didn’t leave each other’s sight until I peeled my boys away to head home at about 2 pm after several “just one mores”. The baptism was very special. It was neat to see the boys all singing together up in front of everyone. Chad did a great job on the baptism, the confirmation and his talk. Collin was so ready and willing. As the service ended I was so grateful we had come. So grateful that Isaac and Enoch could be there to experience that special event and share it with Collin. As I reflected on the significance of that ordinance and the lasting impact that being there would have on my two sons I realized that in spite of the car troubles and the shortness of the trip, it was all worth it and I would do it all over again, as is, if needed. It was a joy to be in Chad and Jenn’s home and feel of their goodness. It was great to see Boyd and Karinne and Sarah and Melissa there as well. I also got to see my sister Marianne and her family as Jenn was gracious enough to invite them over for lunch afterward.

We reluctantly got on the road and began the trip north. We met Harold at his mechanic’s shop at about 4:45 and got in his van to go get the Camry at the other repair shop. It took a lot longer to tow it back than I thought it would and after many expressions of gratitude to Harold, we left in Sherrie’s car at about 6pm to get back to Spanish Fork hoping to arrive with enough time to fit in some trick-or-treating. I told the boys that I didn’t think we would make it home until 9:00 and that it would be too late to trick-or-treat. They were both pretty sad, but I had warned them that might be the situation if they chose to stay longer with their cousins – and I was glad that they had chosen cousins over candy. Needless to say, my heartstrings were sufficiently tugged and so I really wanted to get home in time for them to have a fun Halloween. I won’t mention how fast I went but we arrived at 8:30 and the boys quickly changed into their costumes and we got in some good candy-getting (Auriana said we should call it that instead of trick-or-treating). All in all, a great ending to a great weekend!

Becky and the girls were disappointed that it didn’t work out to go to Rexburg for Anna’s baptism. With sickness and weather and a certain new little puppy, the logistics of it all just seemed to work against them. We hope Anna had a wonderful day and sure hope we can make up for not coming by fitting in a visit to Rexburg soon.

I guess our other big news is that we got a dog. Most of you have probably already seen the pictures that Becky emailed out. It is a miniature Goldendoodle - a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle bred down in size twice. It just seemed to be the right dog for our family and after months of guilt trips from Auriana, and all sorts of pleading from the other kids, we finally gave in. In reality the kids were able to come up with all the money to pay for it except $25. When the sellers brought the puppy to our home we just couldn’t say no. And now we have another “baby” and have been experiencing all the things that go along with having a new dog including all the required purchases to feed and train and house it properly. The kids are absolutely loving it and so I have to admit that it has all been worth it to see them so happy and able to share their love with this little bundle. And I must admit that they have all kept their word and been very responsible in taking care of it.

Backtracking a bit into October, Natalie had a fun birthday party – going ice skating with her friends. I can’t believe she’s 10 years old. She went to an Irish dance competition earlier in the month and received a 1st place medal and two 3rd place medals for individual dances. Ellie went with Natalie to the Irish Dance competition and came home prancing around the house like a little Riverdancer.

Auriana continues to blossom as a performer in her show choir. She had a concert recently and did a fantastic job of singing and dancing. She and Natalie have been teaching dances to Miriam and Ellie and the little girls love it. Auriana just got full braces and is enjoying that sometimes-painful experience. I continue to be impressed with how responsible Auriana is with everything from homework to tending to keeping her room clean to keeping up with mandolin. I can’t believe she’s officially a teenager now! She was just called as the 1st counselor in her Beehive class.

Enoch has been enjoying his piano lessons with a teenager named Tanner Bowman that is a very talented musician. He comes over to our house and so that makes it easy for us. He’s also cheaper than a normal piano teacher, so we can let Enoch ease into things without having to pay an arm and a leg.

Isaac ended his football season reluctantly. He really enjoyed the experience – especially once he got the chance to be running back and ended up scoring 5 touchdowns. I just got called as the 11-year old scout leader so I’m enjoying weekly activities with Isaac. I had known about it for several weeks before they finally announced it in sacrament meeting and I really enjoyed the look I got from Isaac as he heard it for the first time from the pulpit. We’re going to have a lot of fun! He is a great scout and has already met all the requirements for his First Class.

Miriam, our little budding artist, is enjoying kindergarten a lot. She is quickly becoming a good reader and spends a lot of her spare time drawing and coloring. The other day Miriam and Ellie were coloring together and Ellie said, “Miriam, draw on my shirt.” So Miriam proceeded to draw on the back of Ellie’s shirt – with crayon – until it had quite a few nice lines and shapes all over it. I think it all washed out. Ellie and Miriam love to dance together. As I mentioned above, they have been learning dances from Natalie and Auriana and so we get performances every time they learn something new.

Becky continues to enjoy her teaching assistant responsibilities at ALA. From the stories she has related to me it sounds like she does a great job with the kids and has had a positive effect on many of them. With soccer and football over we’re glad to have a few more free evenings for a while. At least until basketball starts.

-Bjorn, Becky, Auriana, Isaac, Natalie, Enoch, Miriam, Ellie & Berry (also known as Raz)

OUR NEW PUPPY

We welcomed "Raspberry" into our home a few days ago. We call him "Berry" for short. The original owners gave him the name for his cute little raspberry nose. The kids have been wanting a dog for years ... their dream finally came true!

SEPTEMBER '09, by the kids - Photography by Auriana and Natalie

IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOME FRESH, VERY SWEET, PEACHES - COME AND SEE US!!! WE'D LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU!!!

Auriana
I’m getting my braces on tomorrow and I’ll have them for my big choir concert on Wednesday.

Isaac
My team, the Cowboys, got into the playoffs and I’m the running back and I made a lot of touchdowns. At school, I did a power point and oral report on the Ukraine.

Natalie
My soccer team took first place. I have a competition for Irish Dance coming up on Friday.

Enoch
I turned 7 three days ago. I went bowling for my birthday and I won out of all the kids. We had a lemon dripper cake for my birthday. It was really good, it tasted like a normal cake. I’m old enough that I don’t need a cake in a cool shape. I told my Mom I wanted a yummy cake instead. I just barely got out of soccer. My favorite part of soccer was when I made a goal. I’m going on a field trip soon and my Dad is going with me.

Miriam
I like music class because I get to play with Adelaide. And I like my teacher and I’m glad I have friends. I like playing on the keyboards. I’m learning about intervals and I like kindergarten cause I get to have Mrs. Money. And I like my friend Lauren.

Ellie
I love preschool. And I love to show my show and tell. And I like to be with Mom. And I like home Eening. And I like to play with Khloe. And I like dance. And I like music class. And I like my family. And I like to play games at my house. My favorite is the Hippo Game.

AUGUST, 2009: by Becky

School, Soccer, Football, Music Lessons, Homework, Practicing, Finding socks, Tying Cleats, Not cleaning the house, and Not having dinner together. There! That sums up what we’ve been doing in the Pendleton household lately. I could end there, but I guess I’ll fill in some of the details… It’s actually not that bad! I feel blessed to have found good activities for each of our kids, things that they enjoy and that don’t take too much effort. All of their lessons are at home or across the street. Soccer is right here in Spanish Fork, so we all still have time to play, read, and enjoy being together.

School started early this year – Aug. 17, and since we had a Pendleton reunion planned for Aug. 17-19 the kids missed the first few days of school. We had a great time at the reunion at the Heber Valley YW Camp, spending time with family. It’s a fun and beautiful place with plenty of everything.

Ellie started preschool three mornings a week. She loves it. She also started music class and dance class and loves both of them. She feels like a big kid now! I love it because all three classes are no more than two blocks away and they give her a chance to get to know and spend time with some other kids, now that her best friend Miriam is in school. She and I have had some fun one on one time riding bikes when the others are gone. Thanks, Steve and Barbie, for the tandem bike – we use it all the time.

Miriam loves kindergarten. She is in music class also and the same dance class as Ellie. She also gets to play soccer this year for the first time. She’s been looking forward to it for a really long time. She loves being on a team, but I don’t think she’s really that into the game. She is usually following everyone around the field or doing cartwheels on the field. She’s been riding her bike to school with the big kids, then I ride over and pick her up at 11:00. I love any excuse to get on my bike. We both ride together to pick up Ellie on preschool days at 11:30.

Enoch is always either playing the piano or playing with his friends. Those are his favorite things to do. He works so hard to finish his jobs so that he can play. We decided to find him a real piano teacher, because he seems to really love the piano, so he’ll have his first lesson this week from a young man in a neighboring ward. His teacher plays the piano and organ and is willing to come to our house for the lessons. I think it will work out great. Isaac is starting to teach Enoch the guitar, and he really seems to enjoy that too.

Natalie is happy that it’s soccer season – probably her favorite time of year. Bjorn is her coach and he makes it a lot of fun for everyone. Her team went to a BYU women’s soccer game this week and had a blast. She’s also been enjoying school, Irish dancing, and music lessons. She and Auriana seem to enjoy every spare minute together doing fun things. Her 4th grade teacher is famous for assigning projects. Her 1st project was to make a map of Utah out of something. She decided to make a pillow, like Auriana did at that age. Every night this week, she would get into bed and spend some time stitching mountains, lakes, and deserts onto the pillow. It turned out very cute.

Isaac jammed (maybe broke) his finger the night before his 1st football game. A week later it’s still swollen and sore. He hasn’t been able to really enjoy football, play the guitar, or play the piano, so he has spent a lot of time reading lately, which doesn’t make him a bit sad. He was so excited to play tackle football this year, but he hasn’t loved it like he thought he would – flag football was so much more fun to him. His school class was asked to help with the new kindergarten classes the first week of school. He quickly volunteered to help in Miriam’s class and they both enjoyed being together for a few minutes every morning that first week. Miriam was sad when Isaac wasn’t in her class anymore. Isaac is her “best buddy”!

Auriana is doing great in Junior High. She’s the first one up at our house every day! She takes care of everything that she needs by herself and then helps me with the little girls. She often tends and cleans and is so good at it. During soccer season, rather than bring her homework and come to the game, she usually stays home with whoever isn’t playing soccer that night and takes care of things at home. It’s wonderful. She loves being part of the JH show choir – I think it’s her favorite class, but she has a lot of really nice teachers this year, which makes school much more bearable for her.

Bjorn has been playing soccer this year as well - it’s a good thing that soccer only lasts one month. It’s fun, but it’s the only really crazy part of our schedule. We sacrifice our dinner hour for a few weeks, because the games are always between 5 and 7 pm on weekdays, but we’ve enjoyed a few sideline picnics together. I try to enjoy it, realizing it’s only a month. Sunday mornings are so nice. I especially appreciate them during the school year. While I write this letter, the kids are playing quietly and peacefully. No one has to rush off or get things done. The tabernacle Choir is playing in the background. We don’t have church until 2:30pm. A day of rest is good.

I am a hired math aide at Auriana’s school this year. I drive her to school every morning and stay for 1st period and help in Algebra 1. It’s not her class, she’s in Geometry this year, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far.