Well It Has Been A Long Time

Hello All! Since I'm back living with my parents and I refuse to start my own blog and am making my husband do so when he gets back I thought I'd renew my parents' blog.So I'm going to do a quick synopsis of the last year and a half.

From the last post of Dec 2010 our family has seen two weddings and two more grandchildren though we will talk about three along with all the other grandkids. We have had three graduations and lots of moves. I think we will go youngest to oldest children and then talk about the grandkids a little. I am horrible at chronological order so just know I'll be all over the place but you will get all the info.

Garrett as most know now joined the Air Force and in April 2012 graduated from boot camp. He then went to Mississippi for training . Basically he's becoming his dad which is definitely a good thing! Garrett also was one of the recent marriages...Tara Bennit (now Bowen) dared to brave the world of Garrett and married him in May 2012. Many are still hearing about the fact that he is married as it was more of an elopement or last minute decision with only some of each side of the immediate family present. Luckily Tara was able to move out to Mississippi to be close to him while he finishes his classes (yeah I'm jealous). Garrett finishes his schooling in September and will be back in Texas for a short jaunt for his reception on the 15th. After the reception Garrett has received his first station in Okinawa, Japan and Tara and he will be leaving shortly after the reception. JAPAN!! I never saw my brother going there but we are all so proud of him and amazed at how much he has matured and grown since starting this path and section in his life. Love you Gare-Bear!!

The Wedding

 Mom and Dad and the Newlyweds

 The sister representative

The Cake with a perfect topper for Garrett

The Mess and Fun

Melanie has moved back in to torture her parents some more while RJ, her husband, is on tour for the Navy. Melanie was the other wedding though theirs was back in August 2011. She is now a Service but forever Bowen Strong (or jinxed depending on how you look at it). RJ is stationed in Virginia and that is where they moved to but given the 8 months they lived there it was quickly seen that an ocean home and the fauna there were not good for Melanie or Lily and so it brought them back to Texas when RJ deployed.  Melanie also came back in time to walk for her graduation with three associates degrees in Social Work, Criminal Justice and Psychology. Also a big reason for moving to Texas was to be healthy while Melanie was pregnant. On July 30, 2012 Brighton Richard Service joined the grandbaby ranks making him Rose Ann and David's 10th grandbaby. He also evened up the boys and girls ratio with 5 girls and 5 boys. RJ is to get back at the end of the year and they are looking to move to Texas or Arizona when he gets out of the Navy in April 2013. He is looking into Law Enforcement as he has been working security on the USS Enterprise and has had special training that he can carry over. Melanie is hoping to start her bachelors in Social Work soon as well as enjoy being a stay at home mom. She was recently called as a visiting teaching district supervisor and she's excited as well as nervous. This is her first "big girl" calling as she calls it as her others were to do with young single adults. Welcome to new adventures!

                      Ivy was sick but here are sister and brother
                              welcoming their new brother



                                                                                                                      Brighton Richard Service

Brandee has just moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming and began a new chapter of her life. She is very excited to be a stay at home mom for a while now as Spencer just got a full-time job that will allow her to stay home. Spencer was our third graduate and we are all very proud of him for finishing school! He now works for the school district in Cheyenne as their IT guru. Brandee also finished her last days as Pocatello RN and her kids don't know what to do with mommy home all the time. They are now living on Taft Ave...looks like being closer to Colorado also brought home Taft St memories and their home was found. It is nice being able to get a hold of our Brandee Brooker any time now. Brandee this last year and a half has had a lot of medical issues but thankfully she seems to finally be on the mend and hopefully with the older two in school she may have a little resting time. Of course she did have Mr. Bowen Bagshaw on October 28, 2010 so he will still give her a run around. Bowen began the latest set of three of the grandbabies and he is Mr. Smiles even entering the terrible twos. Brandee needed Mr. Smiles this last year. Also Brandee after only being home in Wyoming for two weeks was called as the visiting teaching coordinator while Spencer was called as elder quorum teacher. Brandee is a little frazzled as their boundaries are huge. We know she can do it. We love you B4!

Christina and Arik are our most stable family. Still living in Pocatello, Idaho and visiting and helping the family as they can from Utah and beyond. Christina has begun working on her Masters focused on online teaching. She loves her job and Melanie takes advantage of her knowledge every chance she can. Arik is still fighting fires and working hard. Christina had a new addition May 3, 2011. Aiden Jorgensen has turned into a cute rolly-polly with the most beautiful blue eyes. His sisters were shocked and wanted to throw him back when he came out with blonde hair, the first non-redhead of the three. They have since decided he is a keeper. Christina has her hands full not only with her one year old and school but in church she is a primary teacher for the 10 year olds and is also the girls' camp director. Arik on the other hand is young men's president...yep we all know what that means. Good thing Weenie is a trooper. We love you Weenie!

Rose Ann and David enjoyed 8 months of almost an empty nest. Garrett before joining the Air Force was home for a bit and of course they get rid of him to gain back a daughter and three, almost four, grandkids. Poor Grandma and Grandpa. David is still without a mustache and is first counselor in the Bishopric. Rose Ann is Webelos leader and finally can go to Relief Society on Sunday. She was also called as a church service missionary for the FM group that in reality is a free way for David to get her to work for him. It's her own fault for being that good at any job. Rose Ann's health has been up and down but on the mend when she listens to her husband and kids and finally goes to the doctor. Thanks to a new program called Pathways through BYU-I Rose Ann is going back to school for her degree and starts in September. So they have finally seen all their children married and greeted their 10th grandbaby this year while working and planning for their own future (hopefully nest free).

The piano of Grandbabies...only no room for Brighton (and no picture yet) so he got a Welcome above.

GRANDBABIES!!!

Alex, Lily and Ivy start soccer next week with David as coach and Melanie and Rose Ann as assist coaches though this year Rose Ann is backup as last time she got roped into doing it all. Alex just finished up gymnastics and since his favorite part was cartwheels he didn't mind leaving gymnastics and now gets back to his sports. Lily and Ivy just finished summer dance, ballet and tap, as well as gymnastics. They will continue into the school year semester. We now have a kindergartener or 5 year old, Ivy, and two second graders or 7 year olds, Alex and Lily. We met their teachers today and are way excited for the new school year. Brighton is doing great and was 7lbs. 3.5oz at his two week check-up. He will be 4 weeks on Monday Aug. 27. RJ got to Skype with the family this last week and saw Brighton in action for the first time. It was awesome and they are excited to greet him when he gets home.

Oh yes...Lily broke her collar bone while at school in May but it didn't stop her dancing!

Brookelyn got to play soccer in Utah at half time of a Real Salt Lake game with her soccer team(Lukas was there too as they are on the same team) and we are so proud of her! She is also in second grade and a big 7 year old. Kira just finished dance which she did with her MaKynzee though she does play soccer too. Kira is 5 and totally ready to take on kindergarten. Of course having a mom that's a teacher helps but she is very excited. Both Kira and Brookelyn can ride their two-wheelers and have been for a while. Something that no other grandbabies can claim yet. Bowen turned 1 in May and is finally walking and getting into everything. He has a great blue eyes and a smile that screams innocence that makes you think mischief. He is definitely a daddy's boy.

Lukas is a mini Spencer and a computer smarty. He played soccer with Brookelyn and is such a stud, must be that Bowen blood. Lukas is 7 and just about to go into second grade too. MaKynzee was tied to the hip with cousin Kira in dance and soccer. She is such a doll and definitely a little leprechaun as her birthday suggests. MaKynzee is the oldest of the 5 year olds and is just as ready for kindergarten as the rest of them. She loves to read and will do great. When they moved to Wyoming MaKynzee thought they were moving by Melanie's kids. It will be a new experience not having family close. Bowen will be turning 2 in October and when we saw him at Brighton's birth he was letting us know that those twos were coming up. He is still Mr. Smiles and with how sweet he was with Brighton...he's going to be an awesome big brother when it happens. No that is not a hint.

 Bowen Giving Loves

 

 

A gift to Grandpa but a good representation of the Grandbabies

 So that is our update. We have been busy and loving every minute of it.

Garrett's Mission

Just a note to let everyone know that Garrett will be entering the MTC December 29th. We are very proud of Garrett and his willingness to serve the Lord. We are grateful that he is the man he is and that he had the desire and strength to make sure he would be going on his mission as a worthy and willing servant of the Lord. Congrats Garrett and may you have a successful mission filled with the Spirit and Guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Love Ya!

By Popular Demand the Unveiling

Here comes the unveiling

The man with the missing mustache!



So everyone has been asking about pictures of David without his facial hair so there you go!! In the almost 29 years we have been married this is only the second time I have seen David without a mustache. His children have never seen him or were too little to remember!

Just an Update

Three months is a long time! So we thought we should blog something.

Alex finished his basketball season with YMCA. He never came close to the rim on any of his shots but he made an awesome defender and even got a few steals! We now have him in t-ball but he's still on a basketball kick so we'll see whether that'll change or not with the season. We need to steal Aunt Kathy's camera to get pictures of his games.

Lily just finished her first session of ballet and is into her second session. She loves it though she has attention issues. She gets stuck at staring at herself in the mirrors rather than watching the teacher. She is one that is very confident in her beauty.

Our Lily at her "recital" at the end of session one

Ivy is a handful. She loves Diego right now and napping. She's even worse than me on how much she could sleep. Don't worry though she's as healthy as a horse! Onery too but she says the darnest things and her new get out of trouble card is to say "I'm sorry Mommy, I love you." Doesn't always work but definitely makes me feel bad.

Garrett is back at home and working with the same pool company. He is taking some flex online classes and needs to pick his sister, Christina's brain on math.

I'm working at Office Depot now and school is kicking my butt. Ok well my online English class is. My relaxers are watching the kidos at their different activities and reading as always. The semester will be over after finals the first week of May. Thank you! I'm counting down.

Dad and mom are doing great. They've gotten back into date night. A temple session is scheduled for this week and movies have been seen the last couple of weeks. We also started doing FHE again regularly. As the kidos grow they participate more and we're back to hide n seek for activity. Though the kids are better at telling where everyone is then hiding for too long.

The Holidays are over!

The trip to Utah and Idaho was successful and we have arrived back home to our little bungalow in south central Texas. We enjoyed the time with family and the great get away from our daily work schedule. It seems that the get aways are never long enough. It is so hard to leave and say good bye to family and good times.

Here are our Nativity players for this year's nativity. Lily was the angel. McKay (David's sister Julie's boy) was Joseph. Amber (David's brother John's daughter) was Mary. The sheppard's were Kayla (David's brother John's daughter), MaKynzee and Brookelyn, our granddaughters (Ivy was suppose to be a sheppard but she wouldn't keep her sheppard hat on and kept running around). The wiseman were Lukas, Alex, Kira our grandchildren. Good Uncle Garrett was the donkey.

Kira received a workbench with tools for Christmas. We were opening presents and we looked over and Alex had put on the goggles and was playing construction man with the tools. He even knew what to do with the tools.

Melanie, Brandee and Garrett took some of the grandkids sledding by the church near Christina's house. There's a nice little hill there. Here they are ready to go. Melanie took the picture. The grandkids are Melanie's three, Alex, Lily, and Ivy and Brandee's two, Lukas and MaKynzee. Christina's two were sick with colds so they stayed home.

Here is Melanie on the sled with her three, Alex, Lily and Ivy.

Cute way to help little sister up the hill. Here is Lily trying to push Ivy up the hill with her head. It made me chuckle.

Here are the boys! Uncle Garrett with Lukas and Alex!

Five cute little angels or holy terrors (depending on the day and time) and Uncle Garrett making angels in the snow.

The snow wouldn't pack and since the San Antonioians don't get snow they made a snowman laying down. Here are Melanie, Lukas, MaKynzee and Lily laying next to their snowman.

We had a great time wish it could never end. We start back to the old grindmill tomorrow!

Halloween and Soccer Fun

OK so I'm finally getting around to posting Halloween pictures and some soccer party award pictures. Here they are....

Alex-Superman, Lily-Cinderella, and Ivy-Tinkerbell

Alex - Superman

Lily - Cinderella

We have to show off the Glass Slippers

Ivy - Tinkerbell

Garrett bought a Superman outfit to match Alex and a Superman wig too! We went to a Halloween Party that the twins' soccer team mates Marcus & Sammy who are also twins threw. David put on Garrett's costume to wear to it. It didn't last long it was too tight in the neck but, he lasted long enough for pictures before he took it off.

Grandpa and Alex

Uncle Garrett wore the Superman costume to the Ward Party.

Uncle Garrett and Alex

Our Halloween Pumpkins

We had the Wildcats Soccer Team Party. Alex and Lily received medals, awards, and certificates. It was fun.

Alex with Coach David and Asst. Coach Melanie. He was awarded Most Improved Soccer Player!

Lily with Coach David and Asst. Coach Melanie. She was awarded The Biggest Boot!

Last but not least just to let you know there are still miracles in the world! Garrett has this game for the computer. It is an airplane game and it has a controller that you grab and it moves the plane up and down and sideways. It also shoots if you push the trigger. Well all three of the kids sat in the big office chair and took turns and enjoyed playing together. See the proof below.

This n That

Well we are alive. I know it's been awhile but were back. Our biggest lack was in pictures but we finally took our camera with us to a soccer game. Yes soccer...we finally got Alex and Lily into a sport. Their mother of course wanted soccer. She even signed up both David and I as coaches...gee thanks. Though her and Garrett started as our asstistant coaches but now we have backups as team parents as Garrett living in Corpus misses practices and Melanie with work is usually late or leaving early. David coaches Alex and Lily's team, the Wildcats. While I coach a whole different team, the Eagles they are 3 and 4 year olds. It's very enjoyable though and very entertaining. We haven't been keeping scores but our first highlight is this last Saturday Alex scored his first goal! He was way into it for the first time finally. The green and white team pictures are from David's team, the Wildcats. The gray and black is my team, the Eagles.

Our Lily and why she hasn't scored yet lol...

Alex and his proud strut...

They do try though...GO WILDCATS!!!

Assistant Coach Garrett helping warm up the Eagles

Look at them Eagles go! All thanks to Coach Rosie as they call me.

Eagles cheering section. GO EAGLES!!!

Well that's about it for the U5 teams. Melanie was put on her college soccer team but come to find out they didn't register on time so they weren't part of a league. So no soccer there but she's loving school and playing with her kids that are growing as ever. Garrett is absolutely loving working in Corpus and living away from home for the week days. He's trying to get it to where he never comes home...he just likes his job that much.

Today we had the Primary program in sacrament thanks to yours truly the twins had their parts memerized. Lily even did her part and a little of Alex's. After the program though we got plenty of compliments and comments on Alex's wide variety of facial expressions. It was great. Now on one last closing note Melanie wanted some pictures of Ivy and since Ivy has picked up a new favorite habit we thought to included it. But we are all doing well and yes...we are still alive.

Her latest quirk or clothing...the hat! And it always has to be backwards.