Robbing my sister.

My sister Jenn hit the nail on the head in her last blog entry...so I am borrowing her words.

"I just want to let everyone who still reads my blog know that I am actually admitting the true and undeniable: I SUCK AT BLOGGING. I am overwhelmed and let's face it, we're understaffed around here. The cook hasn't been showing up and when she does it's just chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. The maid has thrown in her dusting rag and it looks like she hasn't washed the windows for months! The nanny spends all her time driving kids around and is always one step behind the kids messes. The groundsman, landscaper and part-time janitor have colds - the miserable kind that makes you whine and beg for breakfast in bed and hack up some stuff. As you can see, I have lots to blog about but just not enough energy to blog it. I think the bottom line is that the people who are good at scrapbooking (i.e. my friend Amy - who is pretty much good at everything) are also good at blogging. So much for my hope that blogging would become my new scrapbook. No pressure." Jenn.

My groundsman, landscaper, and part-time janitor hasn't been sick, but has been working around the clock because Singapore and Australia seem to have different hours than we do! And they don't celebrate Thanksgiving...go figure!

Let's be honest though, I am super grateful that my husband has a job. I keep thinking about the state of our nation and can't help but hope that we are able to keep a job over the next few years. It also makes me super grateful that we have listened to our prophet's voice and lived within our means.

So there have been good times over the past month and a half; Thanksgiving with John and Susan, seeing Twilight finally, some totally awesome Christmas parties, two dates with John where he actually called for the babysitter one time, and a lot of Christmas shopping. This week we should wrap up the craziness with a dance recital, Christmas book readings, and a choir concert. If we're lucky we should have some pictures to go along with the good times. Until then, everyone hang in there!

My dad.

We went to the cemetery today and talked about dad. It will always make me sad that the girls didn't get to spend more time with him before he died. We tried to tell them some of the memories...about how much he loved Hawaii, Rocky Road ice cream, getting "buzzed" out of the house by the kids and one time getting locked out, how he would make cakes for the children's birthdays in his primary class, how he was such a hard worker, how he had knee surgery and how hard that was on him, how he finished my birthday cake when I was 3 or 4 because mom walked through a glass door and had to get stitches in her hand, how he always wanted to be a ward librarian at church (news to me...mom explained that he was really organized and thought that hanging out in the library visiting with whomever stopped by would be great.) I am so grateful to have had a dad who loved me and always wanted what was best for his family. We still miss him after five years.

B-Y-U Cougars!!!!

John drove up to Provo for the game against San Diego. When he got home he said it was a lot of driving, but totally worth it. Thanks Tim and parents! Has a decade really gone by since we were there? Man, we are getting old!

Halloween!

The school parade, party, choir performance, and trunk-or-treat that night kept us very busy.

Mom has a picture on the way of she of the girls...check back later!

Fall Break

We headed north for a few days mid-October and had some fun at my sister's house...eating, shopping, eating, and shopping, and I did I mention eating? Her little girl Keslie likes me. That makes me happy!

The North Pole

We're moving again...just kidding, for now! But I just came across this website through a series of links...and I thought I would share it with all 10 of you that look at my blog!

http://www.thenorthpoledaily.blogspot.com/

Hope all the kids will really get into this so that they are sure to be on the nice list!

Family Fun at the Corn Maze

It was one of those nights when we got in the car and Sarah said, "This was the best night of my life!" We followed the corn maze with a cheeseburger from McD's and the second half of the local high school football game. It was really a fun night!

Alison is 9...really?

She is an amazing girl. But is growing up so quickly! Her day started with the traditional breakfast in bed, (Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs this year!) and just got sweeter as the day went on. We had ice cream sandwiches at school, friends for cake and a movie after school, and then a night out with Grandma to see The Secret Garden! What a thrill it is for me to watch her grow. She has such an optomistic and uplifting personality. I hear here telling me a lot..."it's okay mom, don't worry." I definitely take after my dad that way. I don't worry about her because she has been given a gift to know right from wrong and most always chooses right! It's good to be your mother Alison. I love you!

Lauren Walks...Finally

September 12, 2008 and she is off and running!

Redland, CA Temple

We spent Saturday evening visiting my old favorite, Red Robin, watching Chris and his family in a road show, and walking around the temple grounds. It is a smaller temple, but very stunning. We always love to see Grandma and Grandpa Ehorn. Lauren might look unhappy, but all she wants to do is get down and walk around...holding onto somebody's finger of course!

Another Elder Ehorn!

My cousin Christopher is headed to Rome, Italy to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. We went to California to hear his farewell talk. (I say another "Elder Ehorn" because my brother is serving his mission in the Phillipines until early next year.)

Christopher, grandpa, and Uncle Chris (my dad's younger brother)

Good luck Christopher!

Happy 7th Birthday

She is growing up so quickly. 7 going on 17. Sarah wanted a swim party this year. The weather is still very warm down here and it was a perfect afternoon. The girls were happy just being in the water.

First Day of School!!!

My 3rd grader!!!My 1st Grader!!!

"You mean I get my mom all to myself all day long?"
August 12st seems so early to start school, but I think my girls thrive on routine and they weren't getting much of that over the summer. They both have really incredible teachers...and I am not just saying that because Sarah has her grandma for 1st grade! Lauren seems to be taking the quiet a little easier than I am. She takes a great morning nap while I get things done around the house and then we head out and get a few errands done before the girls get home. Two and a half weeks in and we are loving it!

P.S. It is not 6:00am. The short hand is broken on the clock...it's really 8:00am!

John's side of the family!

It would appear from this blog that I am the only one who has any family around here...but we have had a few opportunities to see some of John's relatives too! John and the girls had a nice visit with grandpa Stucki and Uncle Paul in Cedar City. They showed off some of their old Irish Dance moves for them! Alison and Sarah were thrilled to have some time with their cousin Emily before the rest of the Janis family came to visit. We had just barely moved into the house so we had a lot of home time, but we did have fun at the Washington City Community Center, watching Nim's Island, and visiting the County Fair.
Of course, I don't have any pictures of the house yet...it's not quite picture ready! We are enjoying getting settled though. The girls most enjoy being in the backyard without fear of getting hit by a golf ball and having friends nearby to play with. I like being able to make as much noise as I want when cleaning the house since John is still working from my mom's! It was a great year at my mom's. Thanks for everything mom. We love you!

July Holidays!

The 4th of July parade lasted about 12 minutes. It was fun to have the small town feel where you actually knew people in the parade! We stayed after to play a few games in the city park. Pioneer Day in Panguitch! All the cousins came and we had a great time invading Grandpa Brian's house. We ate at the restaurant, watched the parade, ate yummy birthday cake for grandma and some of the kids went fishing and actually caught fish!!! It was a very fun day!
Isn't this what summertime is all about?

Forever Friends

Visit with the Mitchell's in Levan! They are like family. We always pick up like we have never stopped playing together even though it has been four years since we were neighbors!Some of the ladies from Japan!
We had the chance to attend the annual Tokyo Reunion this year. Something we have never done since we've been back for over 7 years. It was a great time catching up and revisiting about fun times in Japan. It is truly a blessing to call these women my friends. They are selfless, dedicated, and were a great strength to me at a time when I couldn't have been farther from family. Japan seems a distant memory most days, but I had so many life experiences there and shared many of them with these incredible women! Thanks ladies!

Grandma and Grandpa's 60th Anniversary!

Mom put together this quilt made up of squares that each individual family made. Ours is the upper right corner...it means "love" in Japanese! I love the colors and it was fun to hear about why each square was made the way it was. The Jeff and Jill Ehorn descendants! June 2008
The Joe and June Ehorn descendants
We spent two nights at the La Jolla Shores hotel right on the beach. We spent some time in our rooms with sleeping babies, but a lot of time was spent catching waves on the boogie boards, eating, and spending time with extended family. I even played ping-pong with my cousin Josh who I had played with over 20 years ago at the very same spot! What a great chance to spend time with your family in a beautiful and meaningful place. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

John, John, he's our man!

John turned 35 this week, went to Youth Conference, and had a Happy Father's Day.
The girls wrote 10 things they loved about him:
1. he plays games with them.
2. he likes to wrestle.
3. he throws them in the pool.
4. he's a great storyteller.
5. he tucks them in bed like a hot dog.
6. he loves Reese's.
7. he colors with them.
8. he makes good potstickers.
9. he plays the Wii with them.
10. he loves them a lot!

Lauren turns 1

This girl had no reservations about digging into her cake!
" Yum, yum. Can I have more?"
Lauren has been such a delightful addition to our family. She is one of the most spoiled babies I know, but I really wouldn't have it any other way. She has two older sisters that adore her, a grandma that she chooses over me, and a G.G. that can make her smile from across the chapel! She has been getting around the house more and loves to go round and round the coffee table. She has started folding her arms for prayers, signs when she wants more, loves to walk, but won't let go, and is a natural at leading music.

All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth!

Sarah lost her front tooth on Monday the 9th...and the very next day while she was jumping around so excited to be at her cousin Brooklyn's house she lost the other one in a head collision!!! She says she looks like she is 7 now!

My Showgirls!

School got out the end of May and we had one week where I let the girls do whatever they wanted. One day they watched TV for about 6 hours...goodbye brain cells! It was my birthday and if you want to see a picture of my present go to Honda Odyssey 2007. The first week of June we got ready for the girls dance recital. Sarah danced to Peppermint Twist and Alison to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. They were the best...and I am not just saying that because I am their mom...my mom agreed.

Two medals!!!

And the winner is... Sarah took first place at the Coral Canyon Science Fair in the kindergarten division. Congratulations! Her project was about what shape of ice melts the fastest. Just in case you were wondering...it was the heart shape. (My picture is blurry...bummer.) Alison participated in the choir at school this year and really enjoyed it. She was awesome.
I forgot to mention in the April post that we went to Denver and decided that that is not where we want to be. It was a nice place, but just not for us.

April...also a long time ago!

Lauren loves water. My other two were much more timid. We went to the pool the other night and she pretended like she was swimming free-style. Her arms were just going around and around! Alison was a crazy monkey in the 2nd grade play. Her class got to sing a song about "goin bananas for video games." It was very well done. (Just a side note...the boy to her right is Noah and he called Alison after school got out just to see what she was doing...cha cha cha!)

Easter... a long time ago!

This is the only picture I got of us in our Sunday dresses that day.

Easter was in March this year, right? We went up to a baby blessing in Cedar and stopped by Uncle Paul's and Grandpa Stucki's. The Arbon's were down for the weekend and we had an egg hunt with them. It was tons of fun to have all those crazy kids around!

THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

We just had a fabulous week in Anaheim. The girls were able to get on all of the big rides, but still got a thrill out of the simple ones. Sarah said her favorite part was when Jasmine waved at her at the end of the Alladin musical. Alison thought it was pretty cool too! The first ride Monday night was Dumbo and the last ride Friday was Space Mountain. They went on just about everything in between. It took my mom to convince them that Pirates and the Haunted House weren't too scary to go on! Lauren was a trooper too. She and I spent some time in the hotel room resting which is a good thing to do on a vacation too. It seemed the perfect time of year to go...not too many people and not too hot.

John is quite the prince with all his princesses. We were all pretty exhausted after a fabulous week. What an exciting family vacation that we will always remember.

Super Bowl Sunday brought more than a game surprise! During the game we enjoyed a snow storm. The next morning we woke up to this beautiful scene in the backyard.

There is something so clean and peaceful about a snow storm. I love the stillness and quiet that exists. I know I can only say this because I only see it once or twice a year, but I do love it.

Happy New Year!

Now that the holidays are officially over for a few weeks, (has anybody bought Valentine's cards yet?) I feel like have a little more time on my hands to get blogging! We had a wonderful season with family this year. Santa brought a Wii and I must admit that the whole family has had a lot of fun with it. I did have to give myself a few days off last week because I threw my arm out playing baseball. Be careful with those Wii playing injuries! Sarah is our high scoring bowler and Alison can knock you out in boxing! We spent some time in the snow in Lehi with our cousins after Christmas. We had a ragin' New Year's Eve party...remember the kind where you actually stay up till midnight?!

The girls started a ballet/tap class that they seem to be enjoying. John got a new calling at church as the Young Men's President. Lauren drank from a bottle for the first time last week. Life is never dull here in Hurricane...(I never thought I would say that!) Can't wait to see what lies ahead for us.