Wednesday, October 27, 2010

ben and tamme mathews

I guess I will take a stab at the weekly family update. This last week was full of snot and coughs that have continued into this week. I am to blame, I started all the hacking and nose blowing. The only two not affected yet are Sadee and Kloey. Can I tell you how grateful I am for the health of my children. We truly are blessed.

The end of last week was the highlight of the week. One, I turned 32. I didn't feel old until I realized that with my birthday I would be turning a year older. I don't feel old enough to have 4 kids and a husband. (unless I talk to the kids in seminary, they are quick to remind me how old I am). My birthday was a low key day. Ben went with Kael on his Kindergarten field trip. They went to a pumpkin patch and Ben was in charge of 5 kids, plus being Mrs Doerr's strong helper. He really looked forward to it and had a lot of fun, but was tired when they got home. One of Kael's classmates told Ben that if he didn't like his wife she was available. Ben never ceases to amaze me, he can play with and interact with all ages groups. From the young to the old.

As a birthday surprise my parents came for the weekend. It was so fun to have them and just them. Our kids just love visitors and when its grandma and grandpa its extra special. While they were here we watched Kael's last football game, craved pumpkins, decorated a haunted house and played with stickers. My mom and I got to spend time at Super Saturday. She helped me do my projects and took care of Sadee. Ben and I even went to a movie. We saw Hereafter and I will just say...snoozer.

The biggest surprise of all was my birthday gift. Ben is taking me to NEW YORK! He has a business trip in New Jersey, so we will go a few days early and go sight seeing in New York with Tim and Jill. I am super excited.

Today is our 9th anniversary. It sure has blown by. Looking back on where we started and where we are now, I am amazed at all we have been blessed to do, see and been given. I am so grateful that I have been able to do it all with Ben and can't wait to see what the next 9 years bring. BRING IT ON!

We love and miss you all. Just in case you have forgotten, Hotel Mathews in Princeton, TX is always open.

Love to you all
-Tamme

PS new pictures coming to the blog klododidlio.blogspot.com soon

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

bill and rosi mathews

Hello Family,

It seems like we are all so busy. It is wonderful to hear what is going on in the Frus and Sorensen families. It sounds like Adam and Nick O have had great weeks. We are so proud of you both. Congratulations. So glad that Becky is doing well with little Liza Jane and that Claire-Bear and Matfew are as great as ever.

I miss you all so much. It would be wonderful to just be able to drop in and see you all.

I have also had quite the week and will share a bit of it with you. My first concert of the year was last Thursday. It went so well. There was a great spirit there. Many commented on it. Our 320 kids are singing well and most of the kinks were disguised and went smoothly. Saturday was a practice for our Primary Sacrament Meeting program. The program went well on Sunday and after doing sharing time for regular Primary I baked and delivering 4 loaves of bread. Dad and I headed over to Dixie's house to celebrate Kathy's birthday. John was there along with Linc, Jen and family. It was very fun.

Now i am back at school with 7 Halloween Concerts this week, pulling together Christmas and fundraising concerts. (These concerts will be called "An Evening With Andrew Lloyd Webber". We will be doing medleys from his great shows. Feb. 11, 12, 2011. You are all invited.)

We are doing okay. Dad's legs don't always work great but he keeps on keepin on. He picked up Luke and family at the airport today. They have been gone for 5 weeks. Ask us if we have been counting. We are very glad that they are home. We plan to go out to their house tomorrow so that I can give them a body slam.

I am excited to see the Jazz season start tomorrow. Our A Cappella will be singing the star spangled banner at the Delta center on Jan. 3rd. We sang at the Pepsi center in Phoenix last year (maybe you remember) and we were so popular the Jazz called us this year. It is an amazing task to get 130 students on to the court in 20 seconds. Colby, the man who asked us, is going to come to Mountain View to practice with us a few days before the game.

Dad and I have also enjoyed football a lot this fall. MVHS lost their first 5 games. They then turned things around and won their next 4 by (in most cases) sizeable margins. They beat Orem High last week 33 to zip. Their first State game is this Friday. I have two of their star players in my choirs. They are great young men. We also enjoy hearing about Rick down there in L.V. We made a trip down a couple of weeks ago. We went on Friday and returned on Saturday. it was great to see him play. He is a special young man. We have also been enjoying following the Utah Utes, been scared for the Cougars and cheered for the Utah State Aggies. Dad and I spend time on Sundays watching the pros on TV. We are pretty much indoctrinated. I also listen to the Utah radio sports station. I am an insider.

We hear that things are going well in Rhode Island for Tim, Jill and family. They text us pictures quite often through the week. Elle and Liam are growing like weeds and are beautiful to look at. Ben, Tamme and family have been celebrating a birthday and anniversary...this very day. Linc spent time with Ben while the Cougars were in Texas playing TCU. Linc told us that he really enjoyed seeing Ben.

Well... it's going on 9 pm and time for me to go to bed. Yep... I hit the wall about then. I continue to get up pretty early in the morning.

We love you so much. Please take of yourselves, each other and your children. We are very excited to see the next 22 days evolve so that we can become personally acquainted with our new Frus baby.

Mom and Dad

Monday, October 25, 2010

adam and becky frus

sounds like Nick has done a fantastic job! We are so happy for his success!

We here in Phoenix are also having some crazy busy times, especially for Adam. He has been working from 7am to 11pm every day trying to get ready for the holiday rush. His business the Highway Hotshop, the mobile glassblowing studio has been very busy. Last weekend was a big show at the Heard museum where they demonstrated, taught classes and sold product for 3 days.

This weekend is another Highway Hotshop demonstration and sales weekend. The Tempe Center for the Arts museum is having its 3year anniversary celebration where they are featuring local glass artists. Adam had two of his pieces selected to be featured in the show, including having one of his pieces on the cover of the catalog and on the two banners that will be placed at the doors entrance. That is a REALLY big deal. On top of that he and Josh (his business/glass blowing partner) will be demonstrating all weekend.

Next week is the due date for his new line of art to be completed and photographed. He has been featured in the Paul Scott Gallery in Scottsdale for the last 6 months, just on a temporary basis. But as of this December, the gallery has asked him to be a permanent artist for their patrons. They are including his work in the catalog and requested he get 5-10 pictures of his work for the catalog. Another huge step in the right direction for his glass career. We hope that with this gallery catalog we will get some exposure and possibly get picked up by other galleries in the southwest (Santa Fe and Park City are the two cities we would like to focus on next).

After next week, he still have two more shows with the Highway Hotshop before Christmas as well as doing two art shows and teaching classes 2-3 times a week. He is very busy and working so hard. I can tell that he is trying to put in the hours now so that when the baby comes he can sit for a couple of days and help, but then he is back up. The baby is due on Nov 20 and his biggest art show of the year is on Dec 3,4,5. but of course we are so ambitious that while I man the art show booth that weekend, he is going to be doing glassblowing demonstrations at another location. We will see how that all works out...hopefully the baby will either come before or after this weekend, it will be very hard to have it come on that weekend. Luckily we have Uncle Rick and Cheryl who will be willing to help man the booth at the art show, so that I won't have to be there for the full 10 hours each day. We could use everyone's prayers during that weekend.

I am doing really great! It is amazing that we are not 25 days away from the due date. I have started to retain water in the feet, legs and hands, but still feel really good. Both Adam and I agree that I am showing very little for the 9th month. We are in a centering pregnancy group with 15 other couple who are expecting and I am due the earliest and still show less than everyone else. It is kind of sad because I want to shout out that I am pregnant, but it is good because it lets me be so mobile.

I am still teaching on ASU campus and at the Desert Botanical Gardens. I have two more classes at the gardens before the baby is born. It has been really fun to come up with the curriculum for these classes. I have had to do a lot of reading and understanding of the topics that I choose to teach about. Volocanology of Arizona and Paleontology of Arizona....it has been fun to further my understanding on these topics.

anyway, we are excited to hear about everyone else. love you all
becky

nick and deb sorensen

Hello Family!

My kids are doing well. I seem to loose patience with Claire a lot lately, but I'm trying to just give her more attention. When I'm ready to tear my hair out, I try and give myself a "time out". It seems to really help. Sigh. My life revolves around feeding/sleeping schedules for Matthew, attention/potty training with Claire, trying to survive with very limited time with Nick. We're doing just fine though.

Nick's adventures this last while have revolved around Homecoming. He did a bang up job with the sponsors. He was the go to guy on the Merlin Olson (NFL pro player who was raised in Logan and went on to USU) Statue and Field Dedication. He brought in a TON of sponsors for that, too. He met the family, was invited so several of their events, planned quite a few of them, too. His week looked something like this:

Monday-Thursday: started most days at 5am, finishing sponsor packets, meet and greets, putting together alumni events/packets, and too many other things for me to list. Then he'd come home and be in charge of the kids until I finished teaching at 7:30 or 8pm. with paperwork until 11 or 12 most nights.

Friday had several events and the actual installation of the statue for Merlin Olson with a dinner/reception that evening. He hung posters, worked check in tables, bought flowers, tried his hand at decorating a few things. With pumpkins. Made it home about 10pm

Saturday started at 6 with a breakfast to introduce all the honorees, including the football team from '61-62 and others. then the parade, then the statue unveiling and dedication, then clean up and the football game (we were slaughtered by Hawaii 45-7; it poured rain the whole time). Then a family party for Merlin Olson.

We tried to go to as many of the events as possible. Matthew was a trooper and fussed VERY LITTLE! Claire was a handful. She has decided that she doesn't like naps, even though her body is so tired it's WIRED! (any suggestions, moms, I'd love them!) We went to the parade, the statue dedication, the tailgate party, the game (well most of it) and then I went with Nick to the party.

Nick was mentioned so many times with a vote of thanks for all that he did. Usually it was listed liked this: We'd like to thank Vice President Ross Peterson and Nick Sorensen, ..........blah blah blah. Really neat for him to be listed with his boss' name so often. A great honor. Nick is exhausted and I really need to take him on a vacation, but he really is so amazing. I knew my family would be okay if I bragged about him a bit.

check out nick's events of Homecoming here.

Claire is starting to say her prayers without help. "Fader, grateful, day, fam-ly, monies in da bank, married in da temple, go on mission! grammie, grumpy, Christ, Amen!

Matthew is still really congested, but he's doing better. We're grateful for good docs and medicine.

We love you all so much,

-deb

Monday, October 18, 2010

bill and rosi mathews

I HAVE THE SAME ONE!! WE LOVED SEEING YOUR FAMILY ON Friday. WE WENT TO L.V. ON Friday AND WERE HOME Saturday ABOUT 8:00 PM qUICK BUT GOOD TRIP.

love you

Mom

ben and tamme mathews

Our Family is good as well.

Kloey is in 2nd grade and reading so well. She loves the fairy princess books--will sit and read as many as she can get her hands on. She is a great oldest sister, loves her brother and sisters and helps her mom out a lot. The other day she told her mom that she doesn't want to be SO STRONG--she wants to be petite and beautiful like the other girls but she is too strong.

Kael is still our only boy--just in case you were wondering. He loves to wrestle, play with action heros, and tease. Galilee loves to wrestle with him. Kael will push just a little harder with each blow to see what he can get away with. Gali will cry and then get back into the fray and it all cycles through again. I met with Kael's teacher for parent teach conference and she told me that she wishes she could have a classroom full of Kaels. He is also playing football and made 3 of the 5 tackles (flags) his team made on Saturday.

Galilee is our crazy two year old. When they are two it doesn't matter what they do they are just too cute. She loves to crawl in bed with us in the middle of the night right now but dad has been throwing her out and that is so hard with her cute little cry. She loves TV and will tell us when we are watching something one of two things--

I don like that OR I like that --

This makes mom and dad her remote control.

Sadee is becoming so alert. She has the most beautiful smile and big blue eyes. She loves to sit up like a big girl but refuses to put any weight on her legs. She only cat naps all day long which makes it hard for Tamme to get things done but she is a joy to sit and hold.

Tamme is wonderful. She is a seminary teacher, an owie fixer, a "gourmet" chef, a branch organizer, a neighbor servant, a taxi cab driver, and most of all my best friend. She runs our home with speed and agility and does it with very little complaint. She is running a branch craft night which will be a huge success.

I am enjoying work--keeps me very busy. Was in Omaha this past week and had a chance to visit Winter Quarters. The Pioneers are truly amazing and I am thankful for their legacy.

Love you all,
-Ben

part b

AH! That was Claire pushing buttons when it wasn't her turn. Now, she's in time out again! Just when I was telling you how wonderful she is!

Matthew has been sick. He had croup a while ago, but when I took him into the doc for his 2 month check up, the doc was concerned because his croupy-ness was still around. We had to take him to get xrays and the doc determined that he has a bronchial infection and he is still concerned because his larynx is still tight. So, his back on lots of meds and hopefully that will end soon. His 2 month check up said that he is growing like a weed! He can already hold his head up and he's a chub!

weight: 13 lbs 13 oz
height: 22 3/4 inches
head: normal (I never pay attention to this one)

Claire weighed 10 lbs at her 2 month check up! Matthew is mellow and wonderful. He smiles and cuddles and we love him.

Claire is back from time out and wanted to share a message:
ghbujh bmlyvuu vh bmjs b h hhhdb mm mgk mhm f fm,ffmmfncnfnc d djh h k ckmb hk mWKkwjjjjjnk .ll,k `O,1,.mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.mn S B

Nick is super busy this week. It's Homecoming and he has had A LOT of responsibility this week for the event. He's worked on the Merlin Olson Statue for about a year, he's had sponsors come out of his ears from all the hard work he does, he is still working closely with an esteemed boss and is always willing and able to help others out.

Well, we love you all.

-deb

nick and deb sorensen

Claire has started to say 'No!' Drives her mother up a wall. No more cute little Miss Claire that will do whatever you tell her...now comes the moments that I'll remember forever. The Terrible Twos! It's been coming on for a while now, but it's been these last couple of days that she will outright tell me no. I'm ready to ring her neck somedays and praise her for changing her mind so quickly. I hear the Thunderous Threes are worse, but I'm hoping to get that out before that can start. She spends a lot of time in Time Out for these temper tantrums. But honestly, I couldn't ask for a better kid. She is still VERY obedient and tries to listen to what her mother

adam and becky frus

Hello Family
well, we here in arizona are doing great! we have been really busy with school and glass and trying to get ready for the baby.

I was up at the grand canyon all week for the grand opening of the Trail of Time. The project that I have been working on for my masters thesis. the media people at nps have put together a flicka page, so if you want to see some of the pics go to the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/sets/72157624999234563/

it was a great opening with a 4 day workshop that included some very prestigous people from the national park service, researcher professors, educators and myself... ;-) I was able to network and meet some people that I would love to later get a job, once I graduate, and so am glad to have participated. Everyone was concerned that I would have the baby in at the Canyon, but I knew all would be okay.

John and Sondie Frus (my inlaws) came to the last day of the opening and were able to walk the 2mile trail with me and it was very fun to have them here.

We then flew down the mountain and back to the valley to attend a glass blowing demonstration that Adam was giving at the Heard Museum with his mobile glass blowing studio. Here again a very prestigious event with a world renown glass blower and the director of the museum impressed with Adam's work and ablility to teach and talk to the crowd. it was a great experience to have Adam working with the Master of glass and especially because it was out of his own studio.

The baby is getting bigger and bigger and I am finally getting ready to have her. My belly is getting really big and I am always tired, but everyone is healthy and just awaiting the arrival.

anyway, love each of you and can't wait to hear from all of you
becky