The Griffith 7

Spring Break in Moab

2011-04-30T09:11:00.003-06:00

Had a great time with family in Moab a few weeks ago.

Wow and sorry...

2011-02-18T15:42:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it has been 10 months since our last entry. I spoke with Tasha the other day about our blog...life just gets in the way along with Facebook...We are going to make an attempt to have another go at our blog hopefully with new photos and all.

Gavin's Baptism

2010-04-19T14:04:00.003-06:00

Gavin was baptized April 10 by J.D! We are so excited for him, and appreciate so much what a good kid he is trying to be. Congratulations Gavin, we love you soooo much! We had Sande, John, Sheri, and Jordan all come up and spend a few days with us and it was so much fun to be together and make a fuss over Gavin. We also had my parents, Todd's family, Tyson's family, and Trevor all attend the baptism. Thanks guys for coming to support Gavin!

And here is Lily Sue pretty close to getting whatever it is that she wanted. Lily and Grace sang "I am like a star" at Gavin's baptism. It was adorable. It always amazes me how much my two little girls love to sing, and even more that they have no fear in public. We were all very proud of them.

Tasha

Too Cute

2010-04-15T15:56:00.008-06:00

So, my little girls love to play house almost daily. It is so fun to watch because it reminds me of being a little girl and playing with Tamie. We would play dolls, house, restaurant, any sort of make believe...so I love watching these two play. This picture is one morning that Lily was being the Dad and making us call her JD, and Grace was the mom - but her name was Aliya (not sure where that came from). There is one main rule in the kitchen at our house - stay off the table (bar). Lily is constantly trying to see if I am serious about rules...and then trying to tie me around her little finger to get out of trouble. Look at that face! I think it worked this time.
Gavin got new glasses. It is so funny because he has always wanted them. Who would have thought! In this picture he is also modeling his "get out of my face" expression, or is that the "you are an idiot" expression...they are pretty close.
And here are my two sweeties again. They are at such a fun picture age. They were modeling mine and Hanna's fluffy socks. I got about 5 pictures, I know, I am in trouble.
And here is the little "schmunchkin" as we call her. The other day she came up to me and said, "Daddy calls me schmunchkin," and then she gave me a disgusted look and said, "stintin Daddy!" I gather it isn't her favorite nickname, but it is ours - so I guess she will have to live with it.
Poor Sully. I think that face says it all..."the next person who comes near me will die!" The girls don't actually pull off dressing him very often, so this was a rare occasion. Lets just say - he dishes it out as well as they do. He is a cat of retribution!
And here are the culprits who are in for it...watch out kids, he will get you! (and, yes I do realize that Gavin is doing a cross-eye, and who knows what Gunnar is doing...boys!)
Gunnar had a class play yesterday. It was "Lewis and Clark". They did an amazing job! Gunnar was a drummer for one of the songs, and is dressed as a mountain man with a raccoon vest and hat. (Sadly, in this video the hat just looks like fuzzy hair on his head) Enjoy!

More to come...Tasha

Catching Up!

2010-04-14T15:45:00.009-06:00

Ok, so it has been horribly long since I posted any pictures of our family, so this is a post to catch it all up. I won't go back as far as Christmas (though I did miss blogging that) - but, here are just some things, good and bad that have happened in our lives. First of all - we have had snow, snow, snow...

In January, my Hanna turned 12! It is amazing to think of how fast it has gone. She is so much fun, and is always the life of the party. She is in young women's now and is loving it. We love her very much.

Next was Gracie's birthday party. I can't beleive my little girl is 5 already...she is getting so big. She wanted a princess birthday (like most 5 year old girls), so we made it fun by all dressing up.

Grace was the princess, I was the Queen Mom, Lily Sue was a fairy, Gunnar and Gavin were castle guards, and Hanna was a servant girl...she actually thought of that - it was really fun.
J.D. was a good sport and dressed up like the king for this picture...it didn't last much longer than that, but we will take it!
This is the "servant girl" painting all the princesses' fingernails.

Now the bad, January 30th my Uncle Scott was killed in an avalanche. He is my dad's baby brother and lifelong business partner. It was a very sad blow to all of us, and we miss him greatly.

Tasha (more to come, soon...I promise!)

Cakes

2010-04-04T14:38:00.009-06:00

Tasha loves making cakes and we love eating them. For birthdays and other special occasions she always asks the kids what kind of cake they would like, I think she takes it as a personal challenge...

Washington State cake for my last birthday.

This was for Lily Sue during the summer.

Liz graduated from BYU-Idaho in the Fall and we held a little gathering at our house and this was the cake Tasha made for Liz...

This was for a late night party Hanna had which was suppose to represent a sleep over....

Gracie's princess birthday cake...

Gunnar's alien cupcakes...

Blue and gold banquet....

Gavin's birthday cake...

Sunday in Ghana

2010-01-31T13:31:00.009-07:00

This is a photo of dinner with the Seminary and Institute Teachers taken on Saturday night.

I finally bugged the hotel computer person enough that he brought a modem straight to my room which has helped tremendously with the Internet. Rather than try and catch up on my past 4 days in Ghana, I will start with today.

President Emanuel Nelson (an Institute Administrator in Ghana) invited us to the Winneba Branch where he is the Branch President. There are actually 7 Stakes in Ghana, but we were excited to visit the Winneba Branch since it was an hours drive outside of Accra where we have been staying all week. I was excited to see the country side on our drive out there. No lions or elephants, but plenty of small villages with shacks and thatched roofs.

The Winneba Branch has a nice building and averages about 150 people each Sunday. We arrived early and were greeted by 4 full-time missionaries. Two of the missionaries were from Utah and they were very excited to see Americans again. One Elder from Morgan, Utah who had been out for 16 months said we were about the 6th or 7th Americans he had seen during his mission. There is no air conditioning in the building, but they do have lots of ceiling fans and the windows on all sides of the chapel open up to create a breeze, although not enough of a breeze!

The Sisters in Ghana wear very colorful dresses with bright patterns. The Brothers, including the Priesthood leaders were white shirts and ties; no suit coats thank goodness.

Of course, we were asked to sit on the stand and to speak in Sacrament (the Branch President asked about 15 minutes before the meeting). They had two youth speakers and then the rest of the time was turned over to the three of us. They very seldom have visitors and they made us feel very welcomed.

During the third hour I went with the Deacon's quorum (because that is what I do at home and it just felt more comfortable). There were 3 deacons. They starred at me most of the time but a lot of it had to do with the fact the teacher kept asking me to give my thoughts on every question from the manual. I did find out the teacher was the first missionary from Ghana to serve in Nigeria.

After church the people lined up to say goodbye. I tried to take pictures but felt a little silly doing so. I loved seeing the little children. I did sneak into nursery and take one photo during the block (and I made a little girl cry, she was not use to seeing a digital camera, I tried to show her the photo on the LED screen but that just made it worse. We went to the Branch President's home after church. Very humble home but seems to be better than most which I was glad to see being he was a church employee.

This is President Nelson and his family.

The Deacon's Quorum. Our lesson was on the Plan of Salvation and you can see the notes on the chalkboard. The Deacon in the t-shirt didn't have scriptures, I asked if he owned any and he said he has never had a set, I almost gave him mine right there on the spot...

Photo of snack time in Nursery...notice the little girl on the left starting to cry.

Photo of the meeting house...notice the chickens on the lawn in front and the basketball hoop in the parking lot which to be honest looked like it never gets used. There were over a hundred people at church but probably only about 10 cars. Many walked or rode the bus.

Hello from Ghana

2010-01-29T09:30:00.003-07:00

(sorry, photos just won't download; will have to wait until I get back)

We'll see if I can do a post. The kids wanted to see some photos...the Internet at the hotel is a little shaky.

I am here with two other colleagues from BYU-Idaho. We are researching the possibility of bringing an online educational program to the young adults here (I have to make sure people reading this know it is just research and not to start any rumors).

Ghana is a lot like you would imagine, at least how I imagined it. Lots of people, small streets, lots of street vendors, hot, and very humid. The people are very nice and have great smiles. The Church members have been wonderful and very appreciative that we are here.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T10:21:00.005-07:00

I posted a blog last year about the best holiday ever, I won't bore you with all the details about Thanksgiving, but just say how excited I am to spend some time with my family for a much needed break. I also wanted to post this clip from Mormon Messages which was shot at Times Square in New York.

How I would have responded to this interview...I am thankful for my sweet wife and loving children. I am also very thankful to have a job and the opportunity to serve in my church.
JD

My Latest Creation

2009-11-06T11:25:00.005-07:00

At Enrichment Meeting last month we had a goods and services auction. The thing I offered at the auction was that I would make and decorate a cake for someone. A member of the Young Women Presidency won it, and asked me to make a shoe cake - any kind of shoe. They were having a Personal Progress meeting or something (obviously, I am not in YW), and the theme was around shoes. Oh, and they wanted me to use all the YW colors. It was quite a challenge for me to come up with something, but with the help of the internet, it turned out alright.

I know - if I took this many pictures, it obviously took me way too long...oh well, I need something to remember all day yesterday by.

Tasha

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T21:40:00.004-07:00

Another Halloween has come and gone, and we have more candy in our house than food. At least for a day or so.

Hanna saw this Rubix Cube costume on the internet (thank you Liz), and that was the only thing she would possibly be this year. She has recently mastered the Rubix Cube, and can solve them amazingly fast. She made this costume herself (okay, I helped a little.)

Gavin was Darth Vadar, and Gunnar was a ninja. They are such boys...always want to look tough!

Lily was Tinker Bell and Gracie was a bride. This was Lily Sue's first time out trick or treating like a big kid. It was really cute. She stayed right with all the big kids - as long as I held her hand (awwww). She stared with wide eyes and made very wide circles around any scary looking costumes. Gracie got to go out with just her dad this year - she says he's her prince. I love it!

Lily tried on the Rubix cube, and then couldn't walk without falling over.

We had a great Halloween. Now I just need to perfect my candy-stashing skills.

--Tasha

Triathalon

2009-10-17T14:11:00.004-06:00

Hanna and Gavin did a triathalon last month. (Gunnar had scouts that day.) It was so adorable. The people running it only started 10 children at a time, so it was fairly non-competitive, but the kids all had a great time, and we are proud of them for their great effort. Neither JD nor I have ever even tried a triathalon. So, way to go kids!

Gavin transitioning from his swim to his bike ride.

Hanna biking 1.5 miles!

Hanna and Gavin crossing the finish line together.

Hanna's race actually started and finished before Gavin ever started, so after she had already finished, Hanna went back and waited by the side of the trail for Gavin, so they could run-in and cross the finish line together.

They both got metals. It was so much fun! Great job guys!

Pinewood Derby

2009-10-17T13:23:00.003-06:00

Our ward actually had a Pinewood Derby. We have been here for six years now and this was the first one that we can remember. JD and the boys set out to make the derby cars and as they were sitting in Grandpa's shop, JD admitted to the boys he had no idea what he was doing. He had his old derby car with him and each boy had their block of wood, Gunnar asked him how he had made his car to which JD replied, "I didn't make this car, as a matter of fact I never even saw the car until the night of the derby and then I wasn't even allowed to touch it until the race was over." We had some friends help carve the cars but then JD and the boys painted and put the wheels and stickers on. Gavin's car took 5th place and Gunnar took 6th out of about 12 boys. Although, Gunnar won a prize for the "fastest looking car". JD considered that a moral victory...

Flag Football

2009-10-17T13:18:00.003-06:00

Gunnar and Gavin both played flag football for the first time and they ended up on the same team. They had lots of "fun" (isn't that what it suppose to happen). JD was a little more relaxed then baseball season for some reason. Probably because the boys actually played pretty well.

Gunnar playing quarterback and Gavin is playing runningback over Gunnar's sholder.

JD and the boys.

Finally some NY photos

2009-10-17T12:16:00.025-06:00

Had 176 photos floating inside our digital camera. Remember the days when you took 24 pictures and actually had them developed. Digital has been nice, besides storing hundreds of photos, you noticed how much longer it takes to actually take pictures..."stand here, let me look through the view finder, ok hold still look at me (snap picture), wait, let me look at the picture, oh wait, one strand of hair was sticking up, let me take another picture (snap), let me look, wait that guy in the background was doing a raise the roof sign, let me snap another picture (snap)...you get the idea, it just takes longer...anyway here are a few photos from our New York trip.

JD (up) and Tasha (down) in Central Park.

Tasha sitting on the Subway. We actually got unlimited subway passes each day and took the subway just about everywhere we went.

JD waiting for the subway.

JD on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That place was ginormous, but very cool.

JD in front of one of Vincent Van Gogh's "Haystacks". Out of the thousands and thousands of pieces of art, this was one of the only ones we recognized. We also saw original Picassos and Rembrandts just to name a few. Pretty amazing.

Radio City Music Hall. That's Tasha on the corner under the umbrella. It rained most of the time we were in New York. Tasha was looking for little orphan Annie...

Tasha at the heart of Times Square.

We watched a few segments of the Today Show. Here we are right behind Matt Lauer and Al Roker. They are both very short...Al is maybe 5'7"

This parking garage was near our hotel and so every time we walked by we stopped and considered what it took to park your car in the city every day. It was simply an elevator system that cost $25 a day.

Outside the NBC studios building. We were actually approached and asked if we would sit in on a Dr. Oz Show taping, it was raining and so we did. We missed it when the show aired, but it wasn't a great show. The whole time inside the studios, we were looking for Tina Fey, or wait, was it Sarah Palin...anyway, didn't see anyone famous.

Statue of Liberty from Battery Park view. The water was pretty rough and it was raining so we elected not to take the boat ride over to the island.

This was also taken at Battery Park, we were actually at Ground Zero on September 11 although this was the only picture we took. There really isn't much at Ground Zero to take photos of. There were several soldiers and memorials around the site. It was a very sobering feeling to be on location. We still felt the spirit of the memorials and are so appreciative of the service men and women that did so much that day.

The Manhattan Temple. Right across the street from the Lincoln Center and the Julliard School of Dance. We did some sealings one day we were there and had a great experience. President Kimball purchased the proper in the early 70's and it was a chapel for many years before being converted into a temple and dedicated in 2004.

Sadly, this is the only picture of the two of us together. We were just coming out of watching Wicked on Broadway. It was a great show and we were so happy we made the effort to go.

Times Square at night after seeing Wicked.

Crazy Summer

2009-10-04T09:27:00.004-06:00

We've done a pathetic job of keeping up with our blog this summer. We actually had a great summer with tons of travel, both me and the family. I use to enjoy a moderate amount of travel...not so much anymore. I try and take the family or a kid or two with me when I can. Here is a run down of our summer:

June

Go to Las Vegas for 3 days for work. Take family with me and meet up with Patti, her kids, and mom and Tony.
Camping at Craters of the Moon with Josh and Liz (rained like crazy the entire time, loved the new camper)
3 trips to SLC and back

July

Camping near Kelly Canyon
JD trip to New York
JD trip to Mesa, AZ
JD trip to Nampa, ID
Griffith Family reunion in McCall

August

Leishman Family reunion in Island Park
JD to Salt Lake meetings for two days
Camping at Buffalo campground in Island Park
JD and Hanna to SLC
JD to Las Vegas
JD to Mesa, AZ
Fathers and Sons camp out at Wright Creek

September

3 days of camping in Yellowstone
4 days in New York with Tasha
JD to Mesa, AZ
JD to SLC

Pictures to come at some point. We have not downloaded our pictures for the summer, we have like 150 pictures in our camera right now...joy. Throw in bishopric and PhD classes and it was truly crazy but loved every minute of it.

Back to School

2009-08-26T08:54:00.010-06:00

We had our annual Griffith family Back to School Cake party and let the kids each design thier own cake...

We are not really sure what Gavin was designing...

Hanna is sooo excited to be in 6th grade, she wanted a Red and Gray Bobcat cake

Gunnar is a pretty simple kid, his cake just says "Go school"

Gracie had a little help from Tasha, but it was all her own idea. She really does light up a room.

This will be one of those pictures someday when Hanna says, "why did you let me leave the house like that?" Hanna is in the 6th grade, Gunnar is in 4th, Gavin is in 2nd, and Gracie is in pre-school. Gunnar and Gavin are about the same size but Gunnar was down-hill on this one.

Lily Turns Two

2009-08-26T08:48:00.002-06:00

Well for the second year in a row, Lily didn't realize we celebrated her birthday a day late...are we terrible parents? Last year we had a family reunion and had to postpone her party, and this year Lily was sick on her birthday and so we just didn't tell her and had a party on the next day.

She lights up our family and is a joy to have around the house. She wanted a Dora the Explorer cake and so Tasha made a backpack cake.

Happy Birthday JD...we LOVE you!

2009-07-16T08:43:00.019-06:00

Happy Birthday JD! We just want you to know how very much we love you. You are such a wonderful husband and father, and we are grateful everyday that you are ours.

JD works so hard to keep our lawn looking nice in the summer, and the snow cleared in the winter. He is a fabulous dish-doer, and tickle monster. He takes such good care of us.

He is such a wonderful husband. He always listens to me, and is constantly trying to keep us all happy - no small feat. I love how he can make me laugh even when I don't want to. He loves our children so much, and they know it. Happy, happy day!

We did a quiz for the kids today about their dad. Here are their answers...,

What makes dad happy?

Hanna: Beef Jerky.
Gunnar: Football.
Gavin: When we give him something he really likes.
Grace: If I give him kisses.

What makes dad sad?

Hanna: Loud kids.
Gunnar: Fighting.
Gavin: When we don’t do our jobs.
Grace: If I don’t give him kisses.

What makes dad laugh?

Hanna: Lily.
Gunnar: Grace.
Gavin: When Gunnar does the beaver face.
Grace: If I do a funny joke.

What is something dad always says to you?

Hanna: Be nice.
Gunnar: Choke up on the bat.
Gavin: We are NOT getting a puppy.
Grace: To clear my plate.

What was dad like as a child?

Hanna: A puppy person.
Gunnar: He liked playing baseball.
Gavin: He had blonde hair like me.
Grace: He was just like me.

How old is dad?

Hanna: 38
Gunnar: 38
Gavin: 37
Grace: 8

How tall is dad?

Hanna: 5’8”
Gunnar: 6’2”
Gavin: 6’2”
Grace: 80’

What does dad like to watch on TV?

Hanna: Football.
Gunnar: Football.
Gavin: College sports stuff.
Grace: Baseball and soccer ball and the one with a brown ball with white stripes.

What does dad do when he is at work?

Hanna: He works – a lot of things
Gunnar: Write on things.
Gavin: Work on the computer and go to meetings.
Grace: He talks to people, and he, like, does things on the computer.

If dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

Hanna: For the computer thing he is working on
Gunnar: His wrestling skills.
Gavin: Because he works a lot and does a lot of things people like.
Grace: He would do American Idol.

What is dad really good at?

Hanna: Football, baseball, etc.
Gunnar: Baseball.
Gavin: Baseball.
Grace: Doing paperwork.

What is dad not very good at?

Hanna: Agreeing to puppies.
Gunnar: Punishments, he makes them too hard.
Gavin: Making dinner.
Grace: Doing jobs.

What is dad's favorite food?

Hanna: Beef jerky.
Gunnar: Steak.
Gavin: Cowboy Caviar.
Grace: Sandwich.

If dad was a cartoon character, who would he be?

Hanna: Yosemite Sam.
Gunnar: Boog.
Gavin: Shaggy (in Scooby-doo).
Grace: Jack Attack.

What do you and dad do together?

Hanna: Daddy daughter dates.
Gunnar: Play catch.
Gavin: Ride bikes around.
Grace: We play dollies.

How are you and dad the same?

Hanna: Same hair color.
Gunnar: We both like baseball.
Gavin: We are both really good at riding bikes.
Grace: We both have brown hair.

How are you and dad different?

Hanna: He works.
Gunnar: He is taller than me.
Gavin: I really want a puppy and he really dosen’t.
Grace: We don’t have the same feet. His are big and mine are little.

How do you know dad loves you?

Hanna: He says so.
Gunnar: He teaches me a lot of things.
Gavin: Because he takes me to the movies and all that other stuff.
Grace: He thinks I’m a pretty princess.

Why did dad marry mom?

Hanna: Because of mom’s awesome good looks!
Gunnar: Because she is pretty.
Gavin: Because he liked her.
Grace: Cause you fell in love, he he he.

Where is dad's favorite place to go?

Hanna: Daddy daughter dates
Gunnar: Craters of the moon.
Gavin: Red Robin.
Grace: Sam’s Club.

What does dad want for his Birthday?

Hanna: Hugs and Kisses.
Gunnar: Movies.
Gavin: A lot of movies.
Grace: A cat.

We love you, Love Tasha

Summertime...at last

2009-07-08T15:05:00.011-06:00

Summer is finally here and I am drinking it all in. I love all the colors and having the kids around me - although the house pays the price. We try to get out as much as possible.

A few weeks ago we went camping at Craters of the Moon with Josh and Liz. We had a great time except for the constant rain...Josh and Liz's tent filled up with water on the down-hill side and they had soaked clothing the next day. From left to right, Gunnar, Liz, Josh, Gracie, Gavin

Lily Sue and JD

Some of the underground caves we went into were actually filled with water, so we had to stick to the above-ground exploring.
My boys are so strong. That tree had no chance....:)

JD finally found another lawn-mowing buddy. Gunnar and Gavin used to always come out and tag along with him when he mowed the lawn, but Grace has had no interest. Lily Sue discovered the little mower in the garage and has been following him ever since.

My flowers have finally filled in and have been so pretty this summer. I have enjoyed them thoroughly. The little girls and I go outside almost daily to see if any new ones have opened.

I hope it lasts! - Tasha

THE Family Jaw Breaker

2009-06-30T20:03:00.003-06:00

This is kind of gross, I know, but here you go anyway. Gunnar won one of these 3 inch jaw breakers on of the last day of school. He brings the thing home and the other kids are soooo jealous, I had no idea it was such a big deal. Anyway Gunnar works on this thing for a few days until his tongue is raw. I find the jaw breaker all over the house in random spots. Pretty soon he gets a little bored with it...suddenly, I see Gavin working on it (yes its true) and guess what, low and behold Gracie starts working on it. Hanna even takes a turn. Lily, well let's just say Lily worked on it all along, every time someone put it down, Lily would have the thing in her mouth. I tried to throw the thing away a couple of times, but I swear the kids would pull it out of the garbage...it was like a summer zucchini from the Home Teachers, that gets passed from family to family, or in this case kid to kid. Anyway here is a photo of the jaw breaker before it was finally finished off (I think Gavin actually ended up with it). The good news is, we have Christmas ideas now...one jaw breaker makes them all happy.

Water Slide

2009-06-06T17:17:00.006-06:00

Patti Sue and her kids came up to Rexburg last weekend. Saturday was a gorgeous day and so we borrowed Grandma Chris's water slide and set it up in the back yard. These photos were taken with my cell phone. The kids had a great time. Luke was pretty fearless on this thing. Johnjohn would make us turn off the water before he'd go down. Gavin about ready to roll Posing on the tramp. From left to right, Jake, Gavin, Ellie, Luke, Gunnar and Hanna.

Camping

2009-05-25T10:06:00.019-06:00

We finally decided it was time to upgrade from our tent trailer to real-life camper. Problem was, we have lots kids and need lots of room but we didn't want lots of money going out the door. We have some good friends, Josh and Tara Clark, that wanted something similar so we decided to buy a camper together and split all the costs. The camper is a 29 foot 2002 Prowler, sleeps 8 (or 6 adults), heater, A/C, fridge, freezer, shower, so far so good.

Here is a photo of our tent trailer taken right before we sold it to some other friends of ours. We had some good times in this the last four years but we know it's going to a good family.

We finally got a chance to take the camper out for just one night as a test run. We were waiting for a stabilizer hitch for our Suburban but they didn't come in time so our friend Josh let us take his truck. The kids refer to this as the "Monster Truck". I'm actually not sure if they were more excited to camp in the new camper or ride in the Monster Truck.

The camper looks tiny compared to the truck, but it's actually pretty big and roomy. We had some faded logos and decals down the side but Josh decided to strip them off for now and we made add decals back on later. It is nice having a co-owner that is so talented.

sorry we didn't get too many photos of the inside...we will have plenty more trips this summer.

Nooooooooo!!!!

2009-04-30T15:26:00.010-06:00

I heard Gavin saying "Lily go show mommy," I turned around, and I will admit I freaked out a little bit...I had no idea what that stuff in her hair was! It looks like the biggest glob of gum I have ever seen.As soon as I started pulling on it I realized it was not gum (thank heaven) but something called "flarp" (it is this gooey stuff that is supposed to stay in its little container, and when you poke it, it makes obscene sounds.)
Well, we had a friend over that day who convinced Gavin to try to play basketball with it...what!?
Needless to say, Lily was in the line of fire. - This is after I worked on her hair for 10 minutes or so...A bath came next, and thankfully the little hair she has is still attatched to her head.

At least it wasn't gum, but the "Flarp" may get lost soon.
-Tasha

Happy Birthday Tasha

2009-04-27T08:58:00.006-06:00

So I went around and interviewed the kids one at a time over the weekend and I asked them some questions about Tasha. Interesting to get the perspective of the kids. They love their mom and she is truly a great mother. Here are their responses:

What makes mom happy?
Hanna: Quiet kids at home.
Gunnar: Quiet.
Gavin: When I help her make dinner.
Grace: When we be nice to her and help her.

What makes mom sad?
Hanna: Loud kids at home.
Gunnar: Noise.
Gavin: When she makes dinner and I don’t eat it.
Grace: If we spank her.

What makes mom laugh?
Hanna: My hilarious jokes.
Gunnar: Jokes.
Gavin: When I do something funny.
Grace: Tickle her really hard.

What is something mom always says to you?
Hanna: Be quiet.
Gunnar: Make your bed.
Gavin: Clean up your room.
Grace: Be kind to Lily.

What was mom like as a child?
Hanna: She liked to dance.
Gunnar: Like Hanna.
Gavin: Creative and funny.
Grace: She liked going to her Grandma’s house.

How old will mom be on her birthday?
Hanna: 34
Gunnar: 35
Gavin: 33
Grace: 89

How tall is mom?
Hanna: 5’2”
Gunnar: 5’6” (nailed it!)
Gavin: 6’7”
Grace: This tall (standing on a chair and holding her arms up).

What does mom like to watch on TV?
Hanna: Chuck
Gunnar: Ellen
Gavin: Charlie Brown
Grace: Deal or No Deal

What does mom do when you are at school?
Hanna: Clean.
Gunnar: Laundry.
Gavin: Clean.
Grace: Play with Lily.

If mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hanna: Having her own TV show.
Gunnar: Sewing.
Gavin: Making good dinners.
Grace: Because she wanted to be a Rock Star.

What is mom really good at?
Hanna: Being awesome.
Gunnar: Cooking.
Gavin: Cleaning up the house.
Grace: Artist.

What is mom not very good at?
Hanna: I don’t know.
Gunnar: Pitching.
Gavin: Jump rope.
Grace: Gymnastics.

What is mom's favorite food?
Hanna: Lasagna.
Gunnar: Waffles.
Gavin: Everything.
Grace: Ham & Turkey.

If mom was a cartoon character, who would she be?
Hanna: Daisy Duck.
Gunnar: Snoopy.
Gavin: Sally (on Charlie Brown)
Grace: Tom & Jerry.

What do you and mom do together?
Hanna: Go shopping.
Gunnar: Play board games.
Gavin: Play games.
Grace: Play dolls and house.

How are you and mom the same?
Hanna: We are both girls.
Gunnar: We are on the Griffith Team.
Gavin: Both like doing laundry (???)
Grace: Same hair color.

How are you and mom different?
Hanna: I’m crazy and energetic.
Gunnar: She doesn’t want a dog.
Gavin: She’s a girl and I’m a boy.
Grace: We are not the same size.

How do you know mom loves you?
Hanna: She says so.
Gunnar: Cooks for me.
Gavin: Because she is nice to me.
Grace: She always tells me.

Why did mom marry dad?
Hanna: Because dad is cute.
Gunnar: Because dad is cute (their words, not mine, honest!)
Gavin: Because you liked each other.
Grace: Because she loves him.

Where is mom's favorite place to go?
Hanna: Mall.
Gunnar: Mall.
Gavin: Restaurants.
Grace: Dairy Queen (nailed it!)

What does mom want for her Birthday?
Hanna: Quiet kids.
Gunnar: Earrings.
Gavin: A robot that does all of her chores for her (nailed it!)
Grace: Lotion.

Gunnar's B-day

2009-04-19T21:21:00.003-06:00

Gunnar turned 9 last week. He's a great boy, lots of fun to have around. We are on the end stretch of one birthday a month. Our kids' birthdays are January, February, March, and April and so by the time we finally get to Gunnar, we are kind of partied out (and pratically broke), but Gunnar takes it all in stride.

We took Gunnar and some of his pals to play Lazer Tag. Hanna and Gavin tagged along too. Gunnar requested Alien cupcakes for his birthday, I guess because of the movie Monsters vs. Aliens, so that wasa a challenge for Tasha to figure out.

The cupcakes were made with a big marshmellow and donut hole...Tasha really has fun with it all and so do the kids.

Easter

2009-04-15T09:51:00.004-06:00

Sorry we don't have better photos, kind of a rush to get out the door on Easter Sunday. We had plenty of easter egg hunts on Saturday and a great dinner at the Leishmans on Sunday.

Tasha made these Sunflower cupcakes for Easter. I wish I had more than just the one picture, they turned out great and the kids enjoyed the surprise Lady Bugs (red m&m).

Spring Break

2009-04-03T08:30:00.002-06:00

Today is April 3, our kids started Spring Break today and this is what they woke up to in beautiful Rexburg, Idaho!

I'm going there someday...

2009-03-25T14:12:00.007-06:00

We were in Salt Lake a few weeks ago and got to go over to Temple Square for a little while. JD had a meeting at the Church Office Building, so he was unfortunately not with us. It was a Friday, so there were a lot of weddings going on and it was so fun to watch Gracie watching all the brides walking around, she was awed.

The gates to go into the inner lawns were open because of all the wedding parties, so we were able to walk right up to the temple. Hanna was so worried that we were doing something wrong, but then a security man walked up and I asked him if he would take our picture. He was happy to.

So we walked up those majestic steps toward that majestic building, and I was awed. How thankful I am to not only stand on those steps, but to bring my children. I felt the Spirit there and I know my children did, too.

Tasha

Gavin Turns 7

2009-03-18T16:51:00.004-06:00

Gavin had his 7th birthday last week. We have been watching Madagascar 2 a ton lately and so he wanted an 'Alex the Lion' cake. Tasha took that as a personal challenge and made a huge cake. She made two separate cakes and then had cupcakes for ears and tons and tons of frosting. We sugared the birthday kids all up and then took them to play laser tag. Gavin said it was the best birthday everrrr.

Mom (Grandma Chris's) Birthday

2009-03-10T14:33:00.006-06:00

Just 4 days after Gracie's birthday is my mom's birthday, in fact when Grace was born, she wanted me to wait a few more days - but these things cannot be helped. Especially, since I ordered Grace to be born in February. She was just being obedient.

We had a fun party for mom at Troy and Monica's house. They are always such great hosts, and never complain at the mess their house is left in when we all leave (or maybe I just leave to fast to hear it...)

We love you mom, you are always there for us and are a shining example of love toward all your children, our spouses, your grandchildren, the list goes on and on. Thank you for showing us how we want to be when we grow up...whenever that may be.

Tasha

Gracie is 4!!!

2009-03-10T14:13:00.012-06:00

I can't believe my little Gracie is already 4 years old. She is such a sweet little girl who wins anyone over almost instantly. She loves to smile and to perform whatever to whomever. Grace wants to grow up to be a ballerina and a mommy. To that I would add a singer, as she is constantly walking around singing songs - real or made up, it really doesn't matter. Gracie we all love you so much, thanks for making us smile!

Gracie's Princess Castle birthday cake

Gracie loves to get Lily out of bed after naps. Lily is giving Gracie kisses after her afternoon nap.

Tasha

2009-03-05T08:13:00.002-07:00

I've been taking a bit of slack from family and friends for my recent airport post. Some (and I won't mention names for Kathy's sake) actually called me a smart-alick, although that is the PG version. Anyway, to redeem myself I thought I would post our Ward Newsletter. I was in charge of writing the letter for March and our theme was Provident Living. Anyway, if you need a good sleeper enjoy...

Reportedly, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “if you want to know what people value, check their checkbooks.” If Eleanor Roosevelt were still living today, she might say “if you want to know what people value, check their monthly credit card statement.”

Monthly debit and credit card statements tell and interesting story. They truly tell where one is placing their value and spending hard earned resources. What might Mrs. Roosevelt demise from a quick glance at our monthly financial statements? Would she see wise, sound, spending habits? Perhaps. She may also wonder about transactions referring to cable, satellite, internet, cell phones, DVD’s, electronics, multiple car payments, frivolous beauty supplies, excessive clothing, and various fast food and restaurant bills. During this time of economic struggles, determining value and what exactly is of value is essential for many families to stay afloat.

Determining family essentials is truly one of the more challenging and eye-opening tasks of our day. The advertising industry is very effective in changing our wants into needs. The temptations are often overwhelming to acquire more than we can afford. Monthly financial statements can be filled with wants compared to actual needs. Unlike our forbearers who found challenge in affording their needs, we often find challenge in affording our wants.

Since the early days of the restored Church, Latter-day Saints have been counseled to live within their means, to avoid debt, and to get out of debt. Nonetheless, we may be struggling or we may know of family and friends that are struggling. Rest assured that rough economic times affect all of Heavenly Father’s children and faithful members are just as vulnerable to losing jobs or experiencing a reduced income. Therefore, the blessings to faithful members come from following the counsel of our Prophets and Apostles as we continually seek to live within our means.

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reiterated this counsel “live within your means. Get out of debt. Keep out of debt. Lay by for a rainy day which has always come and will come again. Practice and increase your habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality” (“If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 36).

We are living in an economic cycle right now that many of us have never experienced before. During these financial struggles, families are encouraged to communicate, counsel together, and determine what is truly of value and then go to the Lord with a financial plan in place. Regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, if we first pay our obligation to the Lord and then use wisdom and good judgment in determining true needs, the Lord will help us manage the resources He has given us.

J.D. Griffith, Second Counselor

Airport Travel

2009-02-27T16:14:00.005-07:00

I just got back from another whirlwind rush through airports. You know, I used to enjoy traveling, it was kind of fun and exciting but to be honest, not a big fan anymore. I hate driving long distances and I hate flying, so I'm kind of stuck.

This is the type of thing I think about when I'm at an airport...if I have just driven to the airport, parked my car in long term parking, and rode the shuttle bus to the airport, technically, am I not just arriving at the airport. Shouldn't I follow the arrival signs? Kind of like, "hey, welcome to the airport, glad you arrived." Then I get on the plane and fly to the next airport and when I land, technically, I am going to depart the airport, right? ... sorry, I get bored at airports.

Here is my latest trip through the security line and the wonderful TSA agents. I had to give a Powerpoint presentation and take a mini projector with me. At security, I pull out my laptop, liquids, take of my shoes and belt, empty my change, and even take off my watch and suit coat. I have a briefcase and a suitcase. I need like 4 trays. I walk through the detector with no problems, then...and I am not making this up...

Mrs. TSA agent..."Whose bag is this?"

Sheepish me...that's my bag.

TSA lady, "you have a projector in your bag"

obvious me...yes?

TSA lady, "you have to have the projector out of your bag so that I can see it"

obvious me...but if you can see it's a projector, why do I have to have it out of the bag?

TSA lady, "anything electronic, that you plug in, has to be removed from your bag"

I sit there quietly for a second contemplating then I respond knowing I left my cell phone in my briefcase...What about a cell phone or an electric razor?

TSA lady, "no, those do not have to be taken out of the bag?"

me..."oh, so those electronics, that I plug in, are different than the projector, which is an electronic and also plugged in?"

At this point, the TSA lady glares at me and my heart sinks for just a second thinking that I may spend the next two hours in Airport Jail. I close my mouth and quietly wait while a second TSA lady unzips my suitcase and begins to unload the projector. She heard most of the previous conversation and then proceeds to ask me (and I can't make this up) "are there cords with this projector?"

me..."you do realize it's an electronic?" For the second time in 2 short minutes, I think I might be headed to Airport Jail. Probably wouldn't look good on my BYU-I files. Nonetheless, its annoying to have them open up your suitcase in front of everyone. I miss the profiling days: I was dressed in a suit, wearing a white shirt, clean shaven, short hair, seriously do I look like a major threat? It takes me like 12 minutes to get everything back together. I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the time...

Jackson Hole, WY

2009-02-16T21:11:00.005-07:00

We headed over to Jackson Hole for President's Day. We make this trip two or three times a year. We shop a bit and then end up at the Rec Center in Jackson where they have a fun pool area with water slides, climbing wall, and fountains. It's a fun-filled day and we cap it off with dinner at Bubbas Barbecue.

Hanna loves climbing rock walls and has for years.

I can't put my arms down!

2009-02-16T21:05:00.005-07:00

Think of the movie "The Christmas Story" and the little brother Ralphie whinning "I can't put my arms down." Well Lily Sue doesn't quite have the same whine to her voice, but the picture below was pretty accurate.

Before...

After...

Hulu.com

2009-02-03T21:32:00.005-07:00

I discovered my new favorite website from a Superbowl ad: Hulu.com

It has links to NBC shows and other movies. I love the show The Office. In the last episode Stanely had a heart attack and this is a bonus clip...enjoy.

This bonus clip is just wrong in so many ways...

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-03T09:02:00.004-07:00

I rarely watch NFL football from beginning to end. Occasionally I will turn on an NFL game on Sunday nights to help wind-down a bit (isn't it sad that I have to wind down on Sunday nights). My church calling takes a lot of my Sundays, especially Fast Sunday. I spent exactly 8 hours at church this past Sunday...ah the blessings.

When I was teaching marketing classes during winter semester, I loved Superbowl Sunday even more. I couldn't make an assignment out of watching tv on Sunday, but to be honest, I wanted to.

Here is generally how class would go.
(me to students) "how many of you are going to watch the Superbowl this Sunday?"
about half the hands in class would go up, some thinking "is this a trick question, it is on Sunday ya know"
(me to students) "I will definitely be watching, Superbowl Sunday is a marketers dream"
few more students acknowledge that they apparently misunderstood the question the first time around and do admit they will be watching. However there was always one or two students in the class with their arms folded, glaring at me (does that paint the picture of a female student?, if not sorry it wasn't more obvious)
(me to students) "We will be discussing Superbowl commercials on Monday, so do what you can to get a recap of the ads by then"
(arms folded, glaring students says) "What if I have church meetings during the game?"
(me thinking, seriously? Who schedules meetings on Superbowl Sunday? R.S. meeting?)
(me to student) "go online and get a recap of all the commercials"
(arms folded, glaring students says) "all the commercials? even the beer ones?"
(me thinking, yes!, they are usually the best ones, oh and don't forget the godaddy.com ones, you'll love those ones)
(me to student) "watch what you feel comfortable watching, but yes we will generally evaluate all the commercials"

So we sat down as a family on Sunday night and watched the Superbowl with my brother Josh and his wife, Liz. We had a great time. During the commercial breaks, I would constantly hush everyone; we did our talking and eating during the game. I still love the e-trade spots with the talking baby. Overall, its a great family activity with relatively clean entertainment, and the game wasn't too bad either.

JD

Hyrum Smith

2009-01-23T11:35:00.003-07:00

I love Nauvoo, IL. It is by far my favorite place to visit. If you have been to Nauvoo within the past 5 years, you have seen this new statue right across the street from the Nauvoo Temple. I have many photos of this statue, but thanks to Tony Mitchell I have a new photo. The statue is of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

I love Hyrum Smith. He is one of my heroes. I will never be like Joseph, but I think all of us can be like Hyrum. He was so dedicated to his brother, mind you his younger brother, Hyrum was 5 years older than Joseph. We all have heard the quote (or various quotes) from Joseph 5 days prior to his martyrdom "If I and Hyrum were ever taken again we should be massacred, or I was not a prophet of God" but the quote does not end there, the next sentence reads, "I want Hyrum to live to avenge my blood, but he is determined not to leave me." (History of the Church, 6:546)

Hyrum was so loyal to the prophet. Another story I love about Hyrum took place in Kirtland, OH. Joseph requested that each of the brethren to give his views with regard to building a Temple. Some suggested a frame house and others a log house. Joseph politely rebuked the brethren saying "shall we build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things." Joseph then took the brethren to the to a spot and Hyrum immediately grabbed a shovel and started digging a trench declaring that he would strike the first blow upon the house. (p. 230, History of Joseph Smith by Lucy Mack Smith).

We can't all be Joseph's in this lifetime, but we can be Hyrums; dedicated, loyal, and committed to the cause.

Hanna's Birthday

2009-01-19T17:19:00.005-07:00

Still can't believe we have an 11 year old girl. Our Hanna Bug turned 11 on January 11 although at times you'd think she's turning 16 or 17. Anyway, she had a "late night" party. We've been doing late night parties for the last few years, they are wonderful by the way, I can only handle so much girl stuff in one night.

This is a picture of the whole birthday party crew. Hanna is the one laying across the middle. These are all Rexburg kids so I'm not sure what the deal is with the gang flashing signs.

Tasha is so stinkin creative. I've shown posts of her cakes before and she always finds ways to come up with new cakes for the kids. This cake represents a sleep-over, even though they didn't actually sleep over. The little girls are part Twinkies and part marshmallow and vanilla wafers.

Hanna cheesing for the picture with the cake.

Sledding with the Eppersons

2009-01-07T17:49:00.013-07:00

The Eppersons came up for New Year's this year. It was so much fun. Total chaos most of the time, so while all three babies slept we needed some big-kid fun. First we headed to the BYU-I sledding hill which was shear ice, truly, I could hardly walk. So no sleds were needed there - wherever you happened to fall down was where your ride began.

This is Ellie coming through the tunnel of death. It looked taller than it was, so everyone that came out had a bruise on their head, and was saying "I bit my tongue"!

Next we headed to Smith Park for a smaller hill and fewer casualties. The kids had so much fun. I had a pretty good laugh myself. They would start out holding on to eachother in a big sled-island, and end up sprawled all over the place. As long as they missed the jump, everyone was all smiles.

We are so thankful that Patti decided to make the trip. It was no small feat, but we really enjoyed having them. We hope they will come back when all their bruises heal, maybe next time we can tackle the sand dunes!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2009-01-07T16:52:00.009-07:00

Okay, this is just a shout out to my wonderful husband, who is just as particular about keeping our driveway and sidewalks clear in the winter as he is about keeping his lawn looking as good as possible in the summer. I have only had to shovel twice this week while he has been out of town, and although I do enjoy being outside, it is a lot of work!

So, thank you, thank you to my sweet husband who, on Christmas day alone had to snow blow and shovel three times. Not to mention all the neighbors driveways he usually helps shovel while he is out there. JD, I will never again watch you from the inside window and wonder if you are just avoiding us. It really does take that long. I love you.

Love, Tasha

Christmas Letter

2008-12-31T13:42:00.006-07:00

A little tidbit about the Christmas letter. About four years ago I was tired of writing the same old Christmas letter. My kids did this, then they did this, and then we did this...you know how it goes, they are very informative, but lets be honest here, my 8 year old boy does about the same stuff as any 8 year old boy and my wife is in love with some vampire named Edward just like your wife...so there we go, the premise for the Griffith Top 10 list each year. I try and add photos that tell a few stories about the year and have a bit of fun. Some years we actually succeed in laughing at ourselves, and other years, well, we are just happy to get through. So here is this years letter for those that might not have seen it yet...

Christmas

2008-12-27T09:57:00.006-07:00

Had a wonderful Christmas. We are trying to enjoy having such little kids as much as possible. We still have 4 out of 5 "believers" in the house, so it is entertaining nonetheless. The older kids all sleep in the basement and for the last three years I have had to set-up traps on the stairwell to stop the crusaders. This year's trap was pretty weak, but I was tired. I shut the basement door and put a bell on the doorknob. I taped the bell to the door jam and so it would "jingle" each time the door was pulled open. We only had three jingles during the night. At one point, Hanna was army crawling about halfway up the stairs before Tasha caught her. Why was it Tasha that caught her you ask? I guess I was sound asleep and never heard it!

Christmas Eve pajamas Lily Sue got a tutu from Aunt Patti and she wouldn't take it off for the rest of the morning.

Gracie got a Princess scooter.

Trip to Salt Lake

2008-12-27T09:30:00.005-07:00

We went to Utah a few weekends ago to see the baptism and priesthood ordination of our niece Ellie and nephew Robbie. On our way down, we stopped at Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It was snowing like crazy, but it stopped for about 10 minutes and that is when we snapped most of these photos. We spent the night in West Jordan at Tasha's sisters house then went down to American Fork to see the Eppersons.

It was dang cold. We had the whole crew pretty well covered up. We were cruising through Temple square and this older couple passed by us, the women stopped in front of us and turned around and starting counting our kids. You could actually see her lips moving as she counted; I'm not making this stuff up. Tasha just knew I was about to make some wise crack, something along the lines of "it's a good thing we don't have more than 10 kids because I'd hate to see you have to take off your shoes to keep counting." Nonetheless, Tasha gave me "the look" and I just smiled at the couple instead.

Gracie standing in front of the Christus statue. Anyone that knows Gracie well enough knows she was about to burst out in song and dance. There were quite a few people in the room on a Friday night and I had to try and contain the wee one just a little bit. She was still excited to be there.

Gracie in front of the reflective pools and the nativity scene.

Ellie and Grandpa John before the baptism.
Gunnar, Jake, and Gavin. The baptism was held at the American Fork tabernacle. It is an old tabernacle, pretty neat to explore and these three boys were trying their best not to get into trouble, but when I grabbed them and snapped this photo they were headed to the basement.

Leishman Girls Weekend

2008-12-18T21:16:00.003-07:00

We had our "annual" Leishman Girls weekend in Salt Lake City this year. My sisters Tamie and Teresa were there, along with my sister in law Monica, and an honorary sister Stephanie Shirley (she was our next door neighbor growing up/Tamie's best friend), and to keep us all under control was my wonderful mom, Chris. We literally shopped til we dropped, I am talking 13 hour days, followed by movies and hot tubing. It was so much fun just acting like we were in high school again (without the big hair, of course).

JD stayed home with all five kids for three full days and two nights. His biggest accomplishment was taking the kids to McDonald's and managing to feed the kids a total of 40 chicken nuggets and three large fries. He was pretty excited about that. He also got to sit with the kids in the congregation for Sacrament meeting for the first time in 6 months, he wasn't as excited about that though. All in all I came home to a pretty clean and happy home.

We always ate well, and never at one McDonalds. Mainly we were just happy to not have to cook even once for 3 days. - I can't wait until next year!

Tasha

Gracie

2008-12-10T15:56:00.004-07:00

Gracie loves to sing! She walks around the house singing and dancing. The other day she and I were at WalMart and I was pushing her in the grocery cart, she asks me "Dad, are we allowed to sing in this store?" I look at her and said, "sure, knock yourself out" and she pipes up and just starts singing like no ones around.

Tasha's Christmas Present

2008-12-04T10:26:00.008-07:00

Seriously, what's wrong with a new stove, mixer, pots & pans? These are just a few things I've bought Tasha for Christmas over the last few years. The year I bought her a stove for Christmas, I even cut out a catalog picture of the stove and wrapped it up in a little tiny box, it was a really cute box. I know, I know, lame. Man I'm retarded.

Click on this link below, thanks to Doug Griffith I am hoping to stay out of the dog house this year.
The Dog House

Thanksgiving Day

2008-12-01T13:34:00.018-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. We had dinner at Troy and Monica Leishmans. They were great hosts and it was a great meal. Most of my wishes came true...pumpkin pie for breakfast on Friday and lots of football. We also set-up the Christmas tree over the weekend and transformed our house into the Christmas season so I wasn't able to bask in the Thanksgiving slumber for too long.

I know a lot of people were worried about Tasha's Black Friday shopping day. Yes, she did manage to go and took Hanna with her. Alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. (me thinking, sucker! as I roll over and fall right back to sleep
I think Tasha eventually walks out the door a little after 5 a.m.
Advantage J.D.
At about 5:15 a.m. Gracie shows up at my bed and says she had a bad dream me thinking, go talk to your mothe...crap! Ok Grace, jump in bed.
Deuce.
Gracie wakes me up at about 6 a.m. and tells me to stop talking, apparently I was talking in my sleep; I ask her what I was saying but she can't tell me, me thinking, was I mumbling something about your mother? I can't get back to sleep.
Advantage Tasha.
Gracie finally gets to sleep around 6:30 a.m. Lily wakes up at 7:13 a.m. Lily and I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast.
Deuce.
I look around the kitchen and realize Tasha made 4 pies for Thanksgiving and has yet to wash the dishes, me thinking, man I'm a sucker
Advantage Tasha once again.
At about 10:30 a.m., kitchen is clean, kids are downstairs watching cartoons and playing video games and I put Lily down for a nap just in time to settle in with some more pies and the beginning of the first football game of the day. Tasha calls from Target, she and Hanna have been tag teaming as they stand in line for an hour me thinking, oh yea, who's the sucker now?
Back to Deuce.
Everything else goes pretty smoothly for the day. Kids play lots of video games, I watch football, Lily sleeps until 1 p.m. and Tasha gets home at 1:30 p.m. Then I look at the car, it is filled to capacity with presents, I mean filled...me thinking, I wonder if I can get a Bailout from the government?
Advantage Tasha
And thus ends Black Friday. The retailers report a successful Black Friday and I am proud to have contributed to the bad economy, it's kind of a patriotic thing if you think about it although I'm trying not to think too much about it!

I took a picture of the Relish Tray on turkey day. This is an hour before dinner. It's a constant battle with the Leishman family as to whether or not one can "eat" before dinner, I've always thought the relish tray was for snacking on to buy some time. Is it just me? I need some help here people. Do other families set-out a relish tray to snack on before the big dinner or was it just my family and I need to keep quiet?

This is a picture of the spread (Notice the relish tray looks untouched.)

Hanna starting with the potatoes.

Tasha and Gracie going through the line.

Lily hanging out with a fresh home made roll.

Turkey Day Cartoons

2008-11-21T12:05:00.004-07:00

Got these cartoons emailed to me today and thought they fit well with my rant from yesterday; of course these cartoons are from my perspective, not Tashas.
J.D.

The Best Holiday Ever

2008-11-20T09:59:00.006-07:00

• Is there truly a better holiday than Thanksgiving? Most people get 4 days off, guaranteed every year, you can’t even say that about Christmas.
• You can mill around the house all day long snacking on relish trays (unless you’re at the Leishman’s house, apparently relish trays are off limits until meal time; isn’t that the purpose of relish trays, to dabble in small finger food prior to the big dance? And the weird part is the relish tray is made first thing in the morning and it just sits there all day saying “please partaketh of me” but one little snitch and you’re relegated to the kids table for dinner.)
• Anyway, back to Thanksgiving, you can watch football on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• It’s the only time you can eat cold pumpkin pie for breakfast and nobody flinches except for those that don’t like cold pumpkin pie for breakfast.
• Families get together; however this is only good if you really know the family well. Remember those awkward Thanksgivings where you had to go over to someone else’s house and eat with distant cousins and random people? You were forced to sit for like 8 hours with hardly anything to talk about, hence put some football on the tv and let that be the bond, although that wasn’t even a safe bet, there was always some dork cousin that thought he understood football and wouldn’t stop talking and analyzing the game doing his best John Madden impressions along the way.
• I digress once again, Thanksgiving is the best still.
• Who can forget Turkey Bowls? Rolling out of bed at about 9 a.m. and heading off to the local slightly damp grass field to gather with a bunch of guys to play a little flag football. I got a few people together to play last year, mostly Priests and Teachers from my ward. We played for three hours straight; couldn’t walk for 4 days after that however.
• Thanksgiving dinner at 2, nap at 3. Seriously though, how is this not called “Glory, Glory Halleluiah Day."
• Making stuffing is truly a work of art. Some people have it and some don’t. You just know when you have good stuffing.
• Black Friday. So last year Tasha heads out to her first black Friday ever. Says the misses “Do you mind if I get up a 4 a.m. and go shopping? (me thinking, I don’t care if you get up at 4 a.m. for a root canal, just don’t wake me up) I will be back by noon and you can let the kids hang out and watch tv (me thinking, the kids won't be the only ones hanging out watching tv; pumpkin pie for breakfast anyone?) I would like to get as much Christmas shopping done as possible and get I’ll get tons of good deals (me thinking, why not get up at 3 then?) I’ll even take the baby with me so I can nurse her (me thinking, you had me at hello)

J.D.

Job Change

2008-11-15T07:54:00.003-07:00

No I'm not moving or even getting a really big pay raise, but I've been asked to take on a new assignment in our division. Many of my family actually don't even know what I do now so for those already falling asleep, careful not to drool on the keyboard. I am now going to be the Director of Distant Site Education...woo hoo, I know exciting title. I will help place student teachers in their last semester of college into elementary and secondary classes. We have partner schools in Salt Lake, Las Vegas, and Mesa, Arizon that take our student teachers. I just spent four days and three nights, driving exactly 1,986 miles getting the low down on the new job.

I drove with my co-worker that has been doing student placements for the last four years. He is a major road-warrior. Loves to drive; me, not so much. Spent 12 hours in the car yesterday driving home from Flagstaff, AZ...12 hours! Toward the end I was leaning forward in my car seat trying to stretch my back out; says he "does your back hurt often when driving?" Says me, "I don't know, never spent 12 hours in a car before." Needless to say, as soon as I take over the job, I'll be using a great thing called an airplane.

The student teacher placement will be the side note to this job. I am actually heading up a new initiative to take online degrees to members of the church that can't come to a BYU school. This will be a bit more fun. It's a brand new assignment and I will be working under the direction of the President and V.P.'s on campus so I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Tasha's SEVEN Tag

2008-11-14T14:55:00.001-07:00

Seven T.V. shows I watch
1. The Office
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Chuck
4. Friends re-runs
5. Oprah
6. Ellen (sometimes)
7. My own worst enemy

Seven things I did yesterday
1. Mop, vacuum, clean
2. Tend sick Gracie
3. Text JD all day
4. Pay Bills
5. Take Hanna to the dentist
6. Go to WalMart to buy flouride for Hanna
7. McDonalds for dinner - you can tell who won that argument...

Seven things I am looking forward to
1. Gracie getting well
2. Date night with JD
3. Finishing housework - yeah right
4. Twilight Movie
5. JD finishing PhD - Disneyland, here we come!
6. Temple Trips
7. Resurrection - Patti, this one is for you.

Seven things on my wish list
1. My Christmas shopping to be done
2. Trip to Hawaii with JD
3. Trip to Disneyland with whole family
4. a bigger kitchen
5. My kids to be best friends
6. a bottomless bank account
7. Healthy whole family - Gracie, Mom, Sande...

Seven favorite foods
1. Johnny Carrino's parmesan chicken
2. Grandma Leishman's Rolls
3. Mom's cookies - any kind
4. Thanksgiving Dinner - Dad's gravy
5. Sheri's chocolate trifle
6. John's stuffing (sorry dad)
7. a good steak

The SEVEN Tag

2008-11-10T09:11:00.002-07:00

The Seven Tag

JD’s list of “THE SEVENs TAG”
Seven t.v. shows I watch...
1-The Office
2-Chuck
3-Pushing Daisies
4-My Own Worst Enemy
5-Saturday Night College Football
6-Sunday Night Football
7-College Gameday on ESPN (eventhough I don't get to watch this much, still one of the best shows on tv)

Seven things I did yesterday...(Saturday)
1-Homework (finished a paper…yea!)
2-Cleaned house
3-Took all 5 kids to a movie by myself (Igor, wouldn’t recommend)
4-Tilled the garden
5-Raked leaves
6-Watched Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State
7-Ate Craigo’s pizza for dinner

Seven things I am looking forward to...
1-Finishing another PhD class (only another 15 months to go)
2-Thanksgiving (by far the best holiday ever!)
3-Thanksgiving break (four days off, lots of food and football)
4-Date night with Tasha
5-Weekly Temple trips
6-Sunday dinners
7-Sunday afternoon nap

Seven things on my wish list...
1-New bumper on car
2-Warm weather
3-Finishing my PhD
4-More time to study scriptures
5-More date nights with Tasha
6-Bigger water heater (too many kids, not enough hot water)
7-Three car garage

Seven favorite foods
1-Steak
2-Crab
3-Clams
4-Cheesecake
5-Chocolate chip and peanut butter pancakes
6-Terryiaki hamburgers (from Red Robin)
7-No bake cookies

Halloween

2008-11-04T19:58:00.009-07:00

Hanna and Me at the trunk-or-treat

The kids loved our "scary" pumpkin we carved for family home evening.

Hanna was a "Purple Rock Star" - several people we know didn't even recognize her!

Grace was Tinker Bell

Gunnar was a Dementor (Harry Potter), and Gavin was a vampire (Twilight)

Lily Sue was a poodle - she was so amazed that people kept putting candy into her little pumpkin.

JD was the official "candy man" at the trunk-or-treat. He loves to dress up!

Lily Sue

2008-11-04T19:40:00.004-07:00

This is typical Lily Sue style, kickin back and enjoying a sucker in one hand and popsicle in the other...

Hanna story...

2008-10-22T16:10:00.004-06:00

I was hoping to have some photos of Tasha and Hanna, but you'll just get the story. About a year ago Hanna and I sat down and mapped out a few goals together for her Faith in God Award. One of her goals was to read the Book of Mormon in one year. We wrote out a contract that if she would finish the Book of Mormon, we would take her by herself to Salt Lake City to see General Conference up close and personal. Well about six weeks before General Conference I asked her how things were going. She still had over 150 pages to go so Tasha figured out a schedule that had her reading 4 chapters a day. Tasha and Hanna went down to Salt Lake, just the two of them, and had a great time. Hanna timed it so she could take her Book of Mormon into the Conference Center and finish reading the Book of Mormon (Moroni chapter 10) while sitting there waiting to hear President Monson.

They went to the Saturday morning session and Tasha took the camera but it was raining so hard on that day they never got a chance to snap a photo. I was so happy to see Hanna meet the goal. She inspired Gunnar and now he is reading as well.

Oh yea, her other goal, babysit for 50 hours with the prize of getting her ears pierced...she finished that two weeks ago.

J.D.

Josh and Liz's Wedding

2008-10-06T10:40:00.004-06:00

We drove over 1,100 miles in three days to be a part of my brother's wedding day. Josh and Liz Bowler were married on Friday, September 19 in the Logan, Utah Temple. It was a great ceremony. We spent two nights in Logan (thanks to Eric and Kelly Shipley for letting us crash at their home) and then headed up to McCall (thanks to Kathy and Craig) for a second reception. We had a great time and we all look forward to getting to know Liz even better.

Liz, Gracie and Ava

2008-10-06T09:45:00.003-06:00

Couldn't help pull this photo out from the group. Liz was beautiful and Gracie and cousin Ava were pretty excited to be by the bride, even if Ava is pulling her Popeye face.

Camping in Yellowstone

2008-09-04T09:37:00.001-06:00

We spent three days and two nights camping in Yellowstone Park last week. We borrowed Tasha's brothers 22 foot camper so that we could camp in style. The kids just loved all the sights and sounds (and smells) of Yellowstone. They were such great troopers and the best part was no cell phones, TV, DVD, or video games during the entire stay!

More Yellowstone Fun

2008-09-04T09:24:00.000-06:00

Gracie was so dang cute. She walked around the entire park carrying a plastic Minnie Mouse Cell phone "taking pictures" at every stop. The phone has a little button and it makes the sound of a snapshot. She would line people up and take "photos". The Japanese tourists thought she was a riot.

Gavin gets caught doing a jig. Not sure why the kids starting dancing on this particular board walk but Tasha managed to snap a little video. Enjoy.

Fathers and Sons Camp Out

2008-09-04T09:14:00.000-06:00

Went to our Ward Fathers and Sons Camp Out two weeks ago with Gunnar and Gavin. It was the "coolest spot" according to the boys. There was a place to rock wall climb and to hike through caves. Some of the photos were taken when it was completely dark and the flash was our only light. We had a blast.

Splash Park

2008-08-25T17:22:00.000-06:00

Went to the Splash Park in Kennewick, WA. Had a great time and Lily Sue loved getting wet!

Huckleberry Picking!

2008-08-22T14:37:00.001-06:00

Tasha was getting anxious to go Huckleberry picking so she could make some of her famous Raspberry Huckleyberry Jam. We headed up to the hills last night only to find out that we were about a week late. We were still able to get about a quart or so, but not as much as usual. Here are a few photos:

First Day of School

2008-08-22T14:28:00.000-06:00

The kids started school on Wednesday. Hanna is in 5th grade and has to catch the bus to the middle school. Gunnar is in 3rd and Gavin in 1st grade. The boys just walk across the street to school. It has been hard having Hanna all the way across town in school, but I think she is really enjoying it.

Tasha made her "Back to School" cakes again this year, part of a family tradition. She has to get more and more creative each year!

Lily Sue Turns One!

2008-08-22T14:19:00.000-06:00

Lily Sue turned one on August 14. We ended up celebrating her birthday with the Leishman Family up in Island Park at the cabin last week. She didn't quite get into the whole birthday thing, which was typical, but she had some great Birthday cupcakes to destroy.

Chukars Baseball Game

2008-08-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

I took Hanna, Gunnar, and Gavin to an Idaho Falls Chukars (Pioneer League) baseball game during the first week of August. We sat right behind the visiting team bench. Gunnar was mildly interested in the game, Hanna was only concerned about catching foul balls, and Gavin was interested in the concession stand.

Camping at Palisades

2008-08-22T14:10:00.000-06:00

We went camping up at Palisades Resevior at the end of July. It was Lily Sue's first camping experience and she did fairly well, mainly because she wasn't walking yet!.

Palmyra, NY

2008-08-18T09:32:00.001-06:00

Just got home from another week of hosting a youth conference. I spent the week in Palmyra, NY with 37 teenagers. It was a wonderful week. Palmyra is where Joseph Smith and his family grew up and where Joseph experienced what is now referred to as the First Vision, where he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees.

Many of the youth that come to Palmyra know the story and know the history of Joseph Smith but few really have a strong witness of their own to what took place in this special place. Spending time each day in the Sacred Grove helps solidify the truthfulness of the historic event.

I am always grateful for my dear wife Tasha, and her sacrifice while I am away hosting the youth conferences. She may never really know the impact of her sacrifice on so many youth.

J.D.

Family Reunion

2008-07-24T10:41:00.000-06:00

We spent three days in Riggins, Idaho at a family reunion. What a tremendous time we had. The hot springs swimming pool was enough to keep the kids extremely busy. In our spare time we did a little fishing and sang some Karaoke (I use the term "sang" very loosely here). The food was great and the company was even better. Thanks to Dad and Sheri for pulling this all together. This is probably my favorite photo of the entire weekend. Everyone here is holding up their RobStrong bracelet, honoring the great life and legacy of Rob. I was so glad that Patti Sue and her children were able to come. Below is over 130 photos of the weekend. Sorry about the music, not much of a selection to choose from, if you want to turn it off just click the speaker icon. Also to view the photos individually click the view all images link. Enjoy:

Gotta love Uncle Brian!

New Trampoline

2008-07-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

We finally broke down and bought a brand new trampoline. We had inherited an older trampoline that the kids wore out until it ripped about two months ago. The tear in the old tramp went right down the middle and we found the kids actually enjoyed playing with the ripped tramp for quite some time. Alas, that finally wore out and Tasha insisted on getting a "safer trampoline". So we bought the mother of all trampolines. It took about 4 hours to set up. We are still all smiles here. I had helpers for the first 20 minutes or so.

Day number two and about 4 hours into the project. The kids drove me nuts asking when it was going to be finished and they kept trying to jump on the trampoline before it was ready. Finally I finish, there are no kids to be found and I had to ask Tasha to come out a take a picture. I told her to tell the kids the tramp was finally ready, where were all the kids? Scroll down to the next photos!

The kids were too busy playing with the BOX the trampoline came in!

Teresa's Wedding

2008-07-24T10:05:00.000-06:00

It has been tough on everyone since the passing of Gary, Teresa's husband, over a year and a half ago, but the family was able to come together for a great day last June. Teresa was married to Doug Bodily in Salt Lake City. It was so nice to see Teresa smiling again and she was such a beautiful bride. Doug is a great man with three kids of his own so life is busy for the newlyweds!

Visit to Salt Lake City

2008-07-24T09:52:00.000-06:00

In early June we made a stop at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. I always love the feeling at Temple Square and it is especially nice to take the family there and spend some quality time together.

Visit to Nauvoo

2008-06-23T16:31:00.000-06:00

I just got home from directing a week long trip to Nauvoo. The group consisted of 36 youth ages 16 to 20 years old. We had three counselors, a faculty director and his wife, and me and Patti. It was a wonderful week. This is the 8th tour I've been in charge of in Nauvoo and it was one of the better weeks. We had amazing weather (sadly, we didn't really even pay much attention to the flooding). It was great to have Patti there with me. We spent each night talking and laughing together and we also had a great time discussing doctrine and the life of Joseph Smith. I just knew that Patti would fall in love with the spirit of Nauvoo just like I have. It was a great week thanks to Tasha and Sheri for helping out at home.

This is a photo of Patti speaking to the youth just next to the Monument to Women statues. She did a great job and the youth really liked hearing from her. 29 out of the 36 participants were female.

The Nauvoo Temple at Night. Photos do not do it justice, but it is an amazing site.

I think Patti got tired of hearing my man love for Hyrum Smith. I don't feel like I could ever be a Joseph Smith, but I could be a Hyrum, loyal and faithful to the end. This is a photo taken in front of the temple where they have a statue of Hyrum and Joseph commemorating their last ride together.

Photo of Patti and me in front of the Temple

Photo of all the youth in front of the Temple before heading inside to do baptisms.

Lily Sue Slide Show

2008-05-22T09:41:00.001-06:00

Gracie and Lily Sue

2008-05-22T09:19:00.000-06:00

Enjoy a little clip of Gracie and Lily. Gracie loves playing with Lily. This video gets a little fuzzy but it's still good for a laugh.

Birthday Cakes

2008-05-22T09:10:00.000-06:00

Tasha let's the children pick out any type of cake and decoration they want. Gracie picked a flower cake, Gavin picked a jungle cake, and Gunnar, well he's pretty easy kid, you can see what he picked.

Photos coming

2008-05-20T13:33:00.000-06:00

Wow, I had no idea that it had been so long since I last published a post. I promise I will have some photos soon! We've had a busy month with Gunnar's birthday and baptism. The three oldest kids are playing softball, baseball, and tee ball so that keeps us on the hop as well and we just signed them each up for swimming lessons as well.

The weather in Rexburg finally warmed up and I've spent the last two weeks in the yard. We planted our garden last Saturday and it is always nice to get that out of the way.

Finished another class!

2008-04-21T17:12:00.000-06:00

Whew, I finished another PhD class last Satuday morning. It was one of my most challenging classes thus far. The course title was Marketing Research 2. It was an extensive marketing research course using multiple statistics approaches and SPSS software to learn how to analyze and correlate research and report findings.

I am now officially half way done with the required credits. I have one more Statistics class before starting my research courses. Unfortunately, I have saved the toughest class for last and it will fall during my busiest time of work...wish me luck.

Sacrament Talk

2008-04-16T06:41:00.001-06:00

I was asked to give a 5 minute talk in Ward Conference on Sunday stating the goals of the Young Men in our Ward. I took a little different approach than the other auxiliary leaders and tried to share the goals in a parable, rather than just stating goals. Here is the talk...

I am addressing this talk specifically to the young men, aged 12 to 18 in this ward.

There is an old parable that I’ve somewhat adapted to our day. As the story goes, a fairly aged, but wealthy farmer wanted to pass along his wealth to one of his two field workers. Both workers had been hard-working faithful employees, but the old farmer wasn’t sure which one would continue to work the hardest and carry-on the well maintained farm. He devised a plan; his property and assets were worth more than a million dollars and he would give it all to the worker that found the three largest ears of corn.

The two men were told to stand in front of a row of corn. Each man stood side to side, each peering down their own row of corn. They were then instructed that the one that made it to the end of the row with the three largest ears of corn, by the end of the day, would inherit the farm and all the assets. However, as they set out to find the largest ear of corn, once they passed on an ear, they could not go back. The farmer would be waiting at the end of the day.

The first worker figured he had plenty of time to make it through the row, besides; it was just three ears of corn, how hard could that be? Determining he had plenty of time he decided to text his buddies to see if they free to play a little Guitar Hero. After hours of Guitar Hero, he determined he still had plenty of time so he watched some TV, and surfed the net. After much idleness and procrastination he hurriedly went through the corn field at the last minute. He started getting a little nervous as he sped through the row quickly, looking for the largest corn. Within a few minutes he dashed out the other end of the row panting a bit, but happily handing an over three impressive ears of corn to the farmer. Surely the farmer would be impressed that he had finished and managed to beat the deadline. Besides he had run really, really fast and worked really hard during the last few minutes of the day.

However, to his surprise, he looked over at the other worker, who had slowly but methodically harvested all the corn as he went down the row, working all day long. The second worker had harvested one stock at a time, packing each ear of corn as he went down the row. The second worker, also out of breath, sweat rolling down from his forehead, reached the end of the row, and slowly but confidently went through his entire bag to find the three largest and most impressive ears of corn.

Who do you think the farmer picked to inherit his wealth? He picked the second worker. Not only did he hand over the three largest ears of corn, he had worked his way through the crop. By strength, hard work, long hours and no short cuts, he labored to finish the goal and learned the value hard work.

Each of you will find this principle to be true in life. Anything of value takes time, energy, commitment, and effort. But here is the key principle, don’t procrastinate and then be in such a hurry to get to the goal that you fail to learn the value of preparation and hard work. Success does not lie in the achievement of the goal, rather in the journey toward the goal.

In the parable, what might the three ears of corn represent? In selecting three goals for the young men of the 16th Ward, I would highlight #1 Duty to God Award, #2 Eagle Scout Award, and #3 Preparing to Become a Missionary. In the parable, I could have stated that the first farm worker was distracted enough that he had failed to even complete the task of harvesting all 3 ears of corn, however, I would like to make the challenge that each young man in the 16th Ward will earn their Duty to God, Eagle Scout, and begin preparing now for a mission. The differences in each young man will be determined by their preparation and work during the harvest and not by just completing the harvest. Furthermore, once your time as a young man has passed, you will not be able to return and complete these goals.

In September of 2001, the First Presidency of the Church sent a letter to priesthood leaders stating “We desire all young men to strive to earn the Duty to God and Eagle Scout awards. As youth work on these goals, they will develop skills and attributes that will lead them to the temple and prepare them for a lifetime of service to their families and the Lord.” (September 28, 2001, the First Presidency sent a letter to priesthood leaders)

As you mature through your teenage years and begin preparing to serve the Lord, Elder David A. Bednar, in his 2005 talk on Becoming a Missionary counseled the young men and stated “my earnest hope for each of you young men is that you will not simply go on a mission—but that you will become missionaries long before you submit your mission papers, long before you receive a call to serve, long before you are set apart by your stake president, and long before you enter the MTC.” (2005, General Conference talk on Becoming a Missionary).
The Duty to God and Eagle Scout Awards will help you in becoming a missionary. The path will not be easy, it is and should be hard.

In closing let me share a message from President Ezra Taft Benson "Give me a young man who has kept himself morally clean and has faithfully attended his Church meetings. Give me a young man who has magnified his priesthood and has earned the Duty to God Award and is an Eagle Scout. Give me a young man who is a seminary graduate and has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me such a young man, and I will give you a young man who can perform miracles for the Lord in the mission field and throughout his life" (Ensign, May 1986, 44–45).

Still dreaming of summer

2008-04-14T16:45:00.001-06:00

This photo was taken last summer in Kennewick, WA at the splash park. It is (left to right) Jake, Gunnar, Robbie, Hanna, and Gavin.

We had a great day yesterday in Ward Conference followed by a youth fireside with the Stake President. I was asked to speak during Ward Conference and so I had to sit on the stand for two hours. Needless to say, poor Tasha had a heck of a time getting the kids to cooperate. But she managed to survive.

I left for work pretty early this morning and I called home to see if her day was going any better...she was headed to the Dr's office because Gracie had shoved a plastic ball of some sort up her nose!

Gavin's Birthday Cake

2008-04-09T10:16:00.000-06:00

Tasha lets the kids pick any type of cake they want. Gavin wanted a "Jungle Cake" so here is what he got. Tasha can be pretty creative with the cakes!

Gavin's Birthday

2008-04-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

We went bowling for Gavin's birthday. He turned 6 years old and the bowling alley gave him an old bowling pin which was pretty cool at the time but now that we have it home, what exactly do we do with it?

Winter Sledding

2008-04-04T10:03:00.000-06:00

We are sooo ready for winter to be over. Most of our snow has melted although we still have a few snow drifts in our yard. The pile in front of our house where I shoveled snow off the roof is still four feet tall.

Easter Sunday

2008-04-03T10:19:00.001-06:00

Latest photo of all the kids on Easter morning. Hanna (10), Gunnar (7), Gavin (6), Grace (3), and Lily Sue (7 months)

OK, weak April Fool's Day attempt

2008-04-02T13:57:00.000-06:00

Both Dad and Kathy called me out on the weak April Fool's Day attempt. No Tasha and I are NOT expecting another child...whew. It actually freaked me out just messing around with the photo.

Quote of the day "Ideas are like children, your own always seem to be the best"

The Griffith 8

2008-04-01T09:52:00.003-06:00

We'll see who actually reads this blog! Send all surprise responses to griffithjd@byui.edu

Gracie

2008-03-31T08:58:00.000-06:00

Gracie is so funny. You never really know what she will do next. She loves to dress up and sing. She sits in the back of the Suburban and just sings random songs as we drive. The other kids generally get sick of it and tell her to stop singing but Tasha and I just laugh. IF she is ever quiet, you need to be afraid, because she is up to something.

Hello

2008-03-28T10:46:00.000-06:00

OK, it's about time we get a little serious about the "family" stuff. Needless to say, Rob's passing had a great effect on my thoughts over the past few weeks. I always appreciate getting together as family. As a matter of fact, I still carry around with me 20 goals I created for myself on August 14, 1993. I just happened to be serving my mission in Ireland at the time I created these goals. Goal number 5 on my list is "always visit or call relatives whenever you can". I remember when I created this goal I had been in Ireland and away from my family for 18 months. I missed everyone so badly. The thought of being able to call family and visit family whenever I wanted to happiness to my ears.

That being said, times go on, life changes, kids are born, and life gets crazy. I have created this blog to help keep tabs on the Griffith 7 (J.D., Tasha, Hanna, Gunnar, Gavin, Grance, and Lily Sue). If you'd like to check in from time to time, please do. If you want to create your own blog, please do!

We'll try and keep it light and we'll try to update it as best we can.