For "Evans" Sake

2011-02-24T08:47:00.002-08:00

2009 Update

2009-12-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Below is a summary of our 2009 (all the way down to the house remodel & family stuff) .... All things I should have been putting onto the blog all year. Sorry! You can skip to posts that might interest you by clicking on the link in the blog archive in the top right - all listed under December.

I turned FIFTY!!! HOW IN THE WORLD can I be as OLD as I thought my mom was when she was this age??? Funny how that happens!

In honor of my advanced age, I got two new things: a new "do" which I love, but which is WAY too much effort to fix, so hardly gets done and I go back to my standard "wash, mousse, scrunch up and go" :(, and "granny glasses". Yes - I take a considerable amount of flak from everyone in this house because of them. This picture was taken at our family Christmas party so mom could see four of her kids looking like old bokkies.

Nadia made a sad comment on the state of my aging mind: "Mom - you're losing your mind and you're NOT EVEN A GRANDMA yet! Rich better hurry up and get married soon before you don't know who he is!!"

Rich graduated and moved on....

2009-12-16T12:21:00.001-08:00

Rich graduated from BYU with his Masters in Public Health (MPH). He worked for MonaVie as the Health & Wellness Coordinator for about 8 months, but decided to change his focus in the fall.

He moved to Seattle and took a job with North American Health Care as an AIT (Administrator in Training) in a Skilled Nursing and Rehab Facility. He has another few months of that, after which he says, “I will become the administrator of my own Rehab Facility. This company specializes in sub-acute care, meaning they like to take patients from the hospital who have undergone some type of surgery such as a hip or knee replacement but still require 24-hour care and are not yet ready to be discharged home and so consequently come to a facility like mine anywhere from 2 weeks-2 months where they receive proper 24-hour care and rehab.

What makes North American Health Care so unique is the amount of autonomy they give their administrators to run their facility. They essentially give you full rein to do as you please as if you were running your own business (which is both a great opportunity and very stressful)!”

At a graduation celebratory dinner, Nadia was given a balloon bunny hat, and was NOT impressed when Rich appropriated it.

Apart from that, he continues to lead a fun, active life, for instance, taking a weekend trip up to Whistler, British Columbia, to ski with a bunch of friends. You can catch up with him and Tanya on facebook.

James Discovers Responsibility is not all it's cracked up to be!

2009-12-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

James will be headed to the MTC in Rio de Janeiro in March.... WE'RE SO EXCITED!!! He's excited he's going to some place warm (he was NOT a fan of the cold water in Bear Lake, but is ALWAYS a fan of the hot tub!). We all had him terrified with thoughts of a mission call to Iceland - or almost as bad - Salt Lake City ;). He has worked super hard to save a bunch of money for his mission - And we're impressed.
In the process, he has progressed at being a great computer guru who finds hacking entirely too much fun. He just hacked his Wii - just because he loves to be able to figure it all out!! This past year he got 2 monitors on his desk at work, which he loves. He's still working as the head Q&A tester at his company. He also helps out with all their IT, does all their web design and documentation. They're going to miss him big time!

He's been volunteering at the ISC (Stake Center next to the Oakland Temple) for the last 4-plus years. He runs their sound board for all church and non-church productions. This past month or so he spent 4-6 nights every week (5-6 hours each night) and all day Saturday. During the rest of the year he is there at least one night a week and once a weekend. He's also there many Sundays to do firesides, stake conferences and other special events. He's trying to get someone else to learn the sound board so that when he goes on his mission, they won't be left in the lurch. So far, no one's wanting the responsibility. They're going to miss him too!

He also enjoys arguing politics, and loves this particular website: http://www.glennbeck.com/.

He continues to take piano theory and performance and enjoys that. He plays some mean Mannheim Steamroller and John Tesh arrangements. He's good!

Tanya's Tango through the Year....

2009-12-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Tanya is always a big hit with the kids - and Nadia generally won't let Tanya out of her sight. We are grateful Tanya is very good natured about it. Sadly, we don't get to see James and Tanya NEARLY enough. We wish they lived closer.

This past year Tanya has continued to blossom into an exceptional young lady. She has spent the last year tackling the maths and sciences in hopes of becoming a radiation therapist. In fall of 2010, she will be beginning the program for her radiological sciences diploma.

Although school has become an important part of Tanya's life, she refuses to give up her love and passion for dancing. This past fall, she became an apprentice for CoDa, a dance company in Oakland. Tanya has also started auditioning down in LA for various dance positions.

Along with dance and school, Tanya has stayed a very active member of her YSA ward, becoming the first ever YYSA president in the history of the church. (YYSA stands for young young single adults and is a group designed for people ages 18-22. Don't laugh. It was very exciting for me :P ) All in all, 2009 was a fun, thrilling and exciting year for Tanya.

Daniel in living color...

2009-12-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Daniel continues to be the biggest Jekyll and Hyde - on one hand he can be FABULOUS: Kind, loving, sensitive, generous and a hard worker and on the other, so out of control it's unreal. I know that I would *NEVER* have comprehended it without experiencing it. We love him, but he makes a large portion of our lives pretty hellish. I wish we had some hope of a solution, but I have come to the conclusion that he has serious physiological & psychological issues that will never be resolved in this life. You can get more details if you want them at our adoption blog (see the link in the upper right corner of this blog). Of course, he does behave pretty well for most people he interacts with on a limited basis. Which also contributes to my STILL not understanding WHY and HOW it all works?! And means that as kind and caring as people are, few *really* UNDERSTAND what we're dealing with - which I don't begrudge because unless I had lived it, that would have been me. But it doesn't make it easier. All I *know* for sure is that we tried EVERYTHING *consistently* for seven years with absolutely NO improvement in his behavior. So now we're to the point of backing off, and just SURVIVING with the least amount of flak.

He loves animals and is very good with all kinds. He spends more time with Rascal than anyone else, and Rascal now sleeps on his bed - an arrangement that makes them both happy. At the zoo, Nadia and Daniel had face painting (Ben didn't want it). They were painted *beautifully*, but for some reason, just did HALF their faces?! Daniel chose a dog, and Nadia a cheetah- you can sort of see their faces in this picture. And yes, with Rich graduated and just working, we got to spend a LOT more time with him. The kids loved it and everyone misses him now he's in Seattle.

Daniel decided he didn't want to swim, play tennis or do track this year. (Last year he *said* he wanted to, but refused to participate in any of them - just stood and watched.) He did want to do basketball, soccer, Skiing with W.A.S. (see Nadia's entry), and did quite well with them. He *loves* to draw, and is very good, so we hope we can capitalize on that. He spends a huge amount of his time pottering around the yard - invariably taking apart and destroying things we don't want taken apart, but we've come to the conclusion that it's a small price to pay for relative peace. We just try to watch him that he doesn't get into BIG things. And we try to keep him pretty close to home so he's not getting into others' stuff. His kleptomania is unchanged despite consequencing him up the wazoo on that. "Keeping him close to home" gets harder and harder to do as he gets older - for instance - When he's "on one" he just won't get on the bus at school. And then he'll wander around, sometimes for HOURS, before he comes home. We've given up trying to search for him - as it just means 4 or 5 hours of wasted time. He eventually comes home. We've also gotten to the point where we just don't try to "make" him do anything - because it's a sure fire way to bring on a mega-meltdown. If we could come through the meltdowns and avert them in the future because he doesn't like the consequences, we'd continue to deal with them. But he doesn't learn or change anything the next time around, so it's a fruitless exercise. He does still lose privileges, etc., but it's hard.

He was OVER THE MOON when he got to ride with his cousin on PJ's motorbike. He would love nothing as much as a dirt bike and a 4-wheeler. Of course, if we had them, I'm quite sure they'd just go the way of all the other stuff we've ever given him (the scooter, the bike, the cd player, the night vision goggles, the remote controlled car, etc., etc... all in a million pieces, never able to be put back together). We continue to have to lock up as much as we can. As far as Daniel's concerned, ANYTHING he WANTS is fair game. And if we ever leave our keys out, or a door unlocked by accident, he's on it in a HEARTBEAT. For instance, I just retrieved a whole TON of stuff from his room that he got from our closet - among them a camera that's completely destroyed. We make him pay back enough that it hurts (he doesn't have a lot of money), but it never makes any difference the next time around.

Our neighbors, the Reids, took Daniel for a lot of the summer. He "helped" them at their rentals and such. They are *fantastic* and we owe them more than we could ever repay in an eternity. They have helped us keep our sanity and have an incredible attitude about "we're here to help others". Sadly (for us) they moved 15 minutes south of us. They are still willing to help, but it's just not practical as much anymore.

Daniel was excited to graduate from 6th grade but found Junior High pretty difficult. With some help from the counselors and teachers there, he seems to be settling, but they are also adjusting by not *requiring* him to tow the line - again - for the above reasons. Although he will never excel, we'd just like to "get him through"! He decided he wants to do percussion in the school band, and he does very well at that. Mmmmmm... Can't figure out why... He gets to make a bunch of noise and it's ENCOURAGED. Ben has been lamenting that he didn't choose percussion.

Daniel is also scheduled for some more surgeries next year, but I'm loathe to do too much. I really don't want to do braces. Because of the cleft palate issues, the braces are a LOT more expensive, and we can't make him brush his teeth. He routinely appropriates all sorts for late-night snacks and eats it in his bed. So I don't want to pay for braces for him. I reckon he'll be lucky to have any teeth by the time he's 25. We even had him contribute to the cost of his fillings - having the dentist explain to him how he's having more problems because he doesn't take care of his teeth. But nothing changes. It makes things at home really, really tough many days.

Benjamin: Comic or Crazy?

2009-12-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Benjamin is actually the comic in the house as most of these pictures will show. He has a *great* sense of humor - but does still need to learn to use it more wisely. He has discovered girls and that has made a difference in how he takes care of clothes, his appearance, etc., so that's one great part of it. (Not looking forward to the other parts...!)

It's funny because we thought Daniel would be the athlete, but it's turned out the other way round. Benjamin loves all sports, and does very, very well at most of them. He took basketball, track, tennis, swimming and soccer, skiing (twice only with W.A.S - see Nadia's blurb) and would love to do more stuff if we could afford it.

He mowed for a neighbor during the summer in exchange for a small canoe. He's loved the canoe, and even convinced Nadia to do a little of the paddling. Not that they got very far with her efforts! You may ask where Daniel is in so many of these pictures. The answer is that he is off somewhere "doing his own thing". On *so* many family excursions - he's just off wandering around on his own. He's much happier that way. I try to snap pictures of him, but he resists most of the time. Usually I mostly get pics of him if I snatch them unawares.

Benjamin is a HUGE tease and drives me to distraction because he's always on Nadia, and she rises to it so easily. When he's not driving her crazy, he plays wonderfully with her. He also knows how to push his mother's buttons with incredible efficiency and RELISHES doing it, and I am not smart enough to *not* let it get to me sometimes.... Still working on that!

Ben got braces in the fall and is finally getting used to them. He does *really* well at managing himself and not eating contraband foods. He'll have some more surgeries next year. His speech is still abysmal, and I'm afraid he won't improve until he decides it's important to him. He honestly doesn't comprehend that people don't understand him, despite most everyone going, "WHAT did you say??" and our best efforts to show him otherwise (taping him, etc.). He's impossible about practicing and working on it.

My biggest challenge with Benjamin is that he is INCREDIBLY disrespectful - but as far as I can tell, only to me - and he does not CONCEIVE that it's a problem. He's been this way since we got him, but it just gets worse as he gets older. I honestly think it's a response to the orphanage - because he just had female orphanage workers, and no regular male influence, and so I've come to believe it's a rebellion against the female authority.

I've tried everything from A - Z, and honestly - I don't "get" why he doesn't want to stop the behavior in order to not get the negative consequences. Unlike Daniel, he usually shapes up pretty quickly if he wants something. But not with the disrespectful issue. I have learned that I can *NOT* try to deal with it or talk to him about it in the moment, because he just spirals down completely if I do, and he gets CRAZY mouthy. I *can* get him to go to his room or go outside to cool off (something you can't make Daniel do), and then consequence him later. He only *occasionally* does it in front of Mark - and Mark does NOT let him get away with it - but it doesn't change anything. It's really hard to deal with.

He decided he wanted to take trombone at school, which has proved rather challenging for him (considering he can't carry a tune in a bucket). He's actually making progress though, and the great side benefit is that it is helping his singing. We have learned that he is not totally without musical abilities - he *can* learn - but it takes hours and hours and hours of going over and over and OVER it for him to "hear" a note and then hit it. We just had a school band concert, and by the cacophonous sound of things, this is not so rare!!

Madam Nadia

2009-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Yes - Nadia has EVERYONE twisted firmly around her little finger. Mark declares that he is moving out when the estrogen hits. But we *do* try to reign her in and hopefully we're not creating a monster teenager!!

She has the most expressive face imaginable and uses it shamelessly. We had her in a basketball league for children with disabilities - so each child was paired with a buddy. She had fun - including the dramatic interludes (she COULDN'T play anymore - she was EXHAUSTED!).

Nadia skied again with Wasatch Adaptive this year. She and the boys get to do it twice each winter and are on scholarship, which is fantastic. They get everything, including a buddy. The boys are doing fabulously and love it. Nadia's not been so keen, but this year she finally managed a "pizza pie" (snow plowing) on her own and so is feeling better about it. She also does physical therapy horseback riding once a month with the same group. They're awesome. When we don't have a gazillion medical bills, we will have to start sending them money to help other kids - after all they do for ours.

She was also in a little community children's theatre play ... princesses and dragons and lots of fun songs. She was one of the maids, and loved it. She also decided she needed to be the cheerleader for her brothers' soccer games.

Of course a big highlight was her baptism this year. I found the most adorable dress at a clearance store. It was sleeveless and long, so a friend helped me to cut it off at the knees and make sleeves with what we cut off. I had to have her show you the back of the dress too. SO CUTE!!

BEAR LAKE summer break

2009-12-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

We booked our condo at Bear Lake this summer and had a great week. We were able to get all 6 kids there for a couple of days so that was a major accomplishment! Hauling up the canoe we bought this summer was great fun, and renting a seadoo for a few hours was enough for mom and dad, but not enough for the kids.

We ended up stuck in the sand one day (clear up to the axle), and of course it was a day before Rich, James & Tanya were with us. Mark, me and the boys had to unhitch the trailer & canoe, haul it over to "harder ground" by hand, then dig, used (and destroyed) our car mats, a quilt and towels before we got out. A few people watched our plight, but not a soul came to help. We didn't have our camera that day, but a couple of days later, the evidence was still mostly there in the sand. That's Daniel trying out the hole for size!

We were able to go to Raymond, Utah, and see the old home where dad Evans grew up and farmed with his parents. And where there's even a street named after the family :).

We enjoyed the Oregon/Calif Trail Center in Montpelier (up the road from Bear Lake). There was a great little Olde Tyme photo place next door (really fun old couple running it). We all had fun getting into character for the picture - and James looked rather too "at home" in his get-up!!

House Remodel

2009-12-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Our major project this year was a house remodel, and this is our "calm before the storm" picture - we'll get you some "finished" pictures a little later! The object was in part to have a place for Benjamin to bring him up from the basement (he HATES with a passion being two floors removed from everyone else, and I don’t blame him. But with the “Daniel” dynamics, it’s not an option to share rooms) and in part to hopefully accommodate Mark’s dad who is almost 90 and needed to not be living alone anymore. We hoped we could have him half time and Diane (Mark's sister) have him half time. In the mean time, he moved in with Diane, and it was pretty traumatic, so now we're thinking it won't work AT ALL to shift him back and forth.

The house project has taken longer than we planned because we were trying to do bits and pieces ourselves to save money. Secondly, we’ve been hiring friends etc., because they’re less expensive, but then we also have to wait for them longer. And finally, we were so buried in other stuff … kids, church, etc., that we were a little slow in decisions that needed to be made, so we’d have to wait for something to come in and such.

Basically we opened up the whole side of the house and added a family room, bake center (large walk in pantry with counter space so I can have my appliances on there), master bedroom with big bathroom and closet (the old master closet & bathroom were TEENY and obnoxious), and then the basement (unfinished for now) will be the “game room” and eventually a bathroom and kitchenette down there. In the process, we also had to remodel the kids bathroom and parts of Daniel’s bedroom (cause we cut through them to get to the new bedroom), and remodel the kitchen (we took away one whole wall so re-did basically everything and got a new island &
cabinets). We got a great clearance porcelain tile, so did a LOT in tile – family room, kitchen, laundry, main floor bathroom, kids’ bathroom, our bathroom! With the collapse of the ceiling in the laundry room and part of the main floor bathroom, we also had to have that fixed, and we painted and replaced the cruddy linoleum. THEN, since everything else on the main floor was going to be fixed and beautiful, we had to throw a couple of coats of paint on the living room walls and replaced the carpet in there at the same time they put the carpet in the master bedroom. (We still had the cruddy cat & dog pee-soaked carpet in there from when we moved in 5 years ago, so we’re THRILLED to have new carpet.)

Apart from taking over the second part of the project and being the contractor, I spent the last ten months running around either in front of or just behind workers – prepping stuff – cleaning up after them, etc., etc. Things happen like this: I went down into my scrap room the other day, and I did not realize they’d had to cut ANOTHER couple of holes in the ceiling there to accommodate for the electricity in the island. So there is MESSY drywall mush all OVER scrap papers, photos, EVERYTHING. I don’t know where the water came from, but it soaked some pictures and stuff. I just couldn’t even face it. So I turned around, shut the door, and will deal with it later. Now WHY couldn’t he have asked me for something to cover things up??? This type of thing happens ALL the time if you’re not watching constantly. And unfortunately, I can NOT be there to watch constantly. Another “for example”: I keep a supply of rags handy for the workers, and I try to take them regularly and clean them out. But the other day, I saw the tile guys had picked up two of my GOOD dish towels and were using them to wipe up grout. That was the end of the towels!

We got the kitchen and family room pretty much together (after no kitchen for a month) and I’ve moved my Africa things down here (used to have it in our bedroom). I *LOVE* having it here – it looks great. But messy things keep happening, like yesterday they were putting down flooring in the side room (using the laminate we took up from the kitchen), and after starting cutting in the garage, they brought the saw INTO the room, and I came through to see sawdust flying everywhere! I nicely asked them to keep the door closed, and put a rag along the bottom, but not before I got a good supply of sawdust out here. I’ve literally just given up on cleaning up in many places, because I have cleaned things SO many times, and they just end up all mucked up again. There’s SO MUCH I can’t put away because there are so many little things that have to be sorted out. It’s a hassle. But it will be awesome when it’s done.

House Remodel & Family Stuff

2009-12-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

Mark and I spent the year chasing kids, chasing around for our jobs (Mark’s working hard at Natures Sunshine as an international business analyst and moonlighting as a demolition expert, shed builder, data system installer, etc., on the house project,

and I was chasing around subcontractors on top of the usual “mom” stuff), chasing around with our church work Mark’s the second counselor in the Bishopric, and I’m a counselor in the Relief Society), and then dropping from exhaustion inbetween.

The kids love new “mountain” to the side of our project. We are saving the money it will take to haul it off and just putting a sign out for “u-haul dirt”!

When Mark was called into the Bishopric and had to shave off his beard, it was ALMOST a deal breaker for me. I really LOVE him with his beard. WAAAAAAH!!!

December 2008 Wrap....

2008-12-27T15:01:00.000-08:00

In lieu of a Christmas letter - here's a little more about everyone and a few pics we took yesterday while sledding just a half mile from our home (James was the only one who wasn't able to come for Christmas, due to work). In this first pic, Benjamin was only supposed to PUSH Mark, me, Tanya and Nadia, but ended up dragging behind us down the hill - it was quite the ride! We wanted Daniel to join us, but he was off doing his own thing - which is a "normal" theme for him.

Mark's working hard at Nature's Sunshine as an International Business Analyst. Since he is over many countries in Central & South America, and is helping another guy who is struggling with his own countries, he has to travel more than we'd like (for example Mexico in October, Ecuador in November, and Brazil in December). However, we remind ourselves to be grateful for a good job. When he’s at home he spends quite a lot of time with the Boy Scouts. When he’s not helping Daniel and Benjamin with their Scouting work or going on their campouts, he serves as a Varsity Scout Assistant Coach. He enjoys getting out in the garden in the summer, and was thrilled when the first seed catalog arrived a few weeks ago!

Nadine continues to run from one doc to the next with one or more of the kids in tow. As a way to help with medical bills, she started a new home business (much to everyone's shock - as this type of business was NEVER her thing!) and is selling lia sophia - quality lifetime warrantied jewelry. See more at www.liasophia.com/sites/nadinesbling and call me if you'd like to get lots of great stuff free and/or REALLY reduced. And yes - I will travel.... When she’s not doing that, and helping out at school, and doing “home stuff” (the usual & taxi cab driver, etc.), and fighting insurance companies RE messed up medical bills, she’s a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and involved in some other projects for Africa and such things.

Rich has finished all but one elective class for his Master's of Public Health. Because he got a jump start on things and finished his thesis and field work last summer, he is able to do this class independent study and will be getting a full time job working as a Wellness Coordinator. He's actually been doing that part time, now will do it full time until he graduates in April. To see some of his thoughts, see Rich's Blog or to see more of him - look him up on Facebook - Rich Millar - the tool of the modern generation!

James continues to excel at all things computer...! He's working in Oakland, California at a firm that does software for investment firms. While his official job is Quality Assurance and Testing, he manages the company's network, advises the developers, built the company website, and consults with clients on custom work. When he's not working, James works a lot on computers and indulges in the occasional computer game (he recently beat the last World of Warcraft version in just two weekends). He also volunteers at the stake building on the Oakland Temple grounds as a lighting and sound technician for the many productions that use those facilities.

Tanya graduated this last summer from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, CA. We all went down to witness the happy event. She just finished her first semester of college in Calif, where she's working to complete her GE. She is currently planning to get certified as a radiation therapist. Dance is still a large part of her life, which is how she's stayed so much more fit than her father and mother. Nadia idolizes her big sister and is Tanya's constant companion when Tanya is with us. You can also find her on facebook :).

Daniel had extensive surgery in October (and still has a mouth splint with night brace - hence the wires you see sticking out) and things are up and down with him. He loves drawing, taking things apart, and being outside and digging, playing with wood, building forts, etc. He also enjoys sports to a degree, but is not so interested in those any more. For instance, in his tennis classes this summer, he chose to be "ball boy" - going around and gathering all the tennis balls - rather than taking the opportunity to play?! He made similar decisions in swimming, track, etc.

To see more detailed info on the kids, go here...Adoption Blog

Benjamin had less invasive surgery the same day as Daniel (he had the surgery Daniel just had two years ago). He is following in dad's footsteps in terms of loving cerebral things. He loves books and absorbs all the information in short order - and he mostly thinks he is WAY smarter than his mother! He has pretty much flip-flopped with Daniel and now is the sporty one - Loving soccer, basketball, football, skiing, swimming, tennis, track, basically any sport...

Nadia is a real character - advanced beyond her years. She gives us plenty of enjoyment when we aren't being frustrated with her precociousness! She loves playing with her dolls and has quite an imagination. She'll keep herself occupied for hours and it's fun to hear the conversations that go on! It's thrilling to see her walk/run around the house singing songs she's either memorized or made up herself. She's extremely feisty and holds her own against her brothers.

If you'd like to see pictures from our various adventures this year (lots of pics and only *little* blurbs by me) - scroll further down in the blog (and click on "older posts" in the bottom right hand corner to see any that are missing) or click on these links:

Rich's Ultimate Frisbee

Big Bear, California

Monterey Bay, California

Whale Watching

Fun in the Payson Pool

Evans Family Reunion

Tanya's Graduation

Dan & Ben's Sports

Mark and Nadine on the Coast Guard cutter

Ultimate!

2008-09-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Rich is an Ultimate Frisbee Fanatic!! He plays on many teams pretty much year round. His team is regularly the winner or runner up for the intramural competitions at BYU.

As you probably noticed, Rich wears bright blue socks and cleats for Ultimate frisbee (he says because those particular cleats were the only ones at the store that fit him at the time!). We were visiting with him after one of his games and Nadia asked, "Why do you always wear these blue socks?" Rich told her, "Because I look cool in them. I wear them everywhere: To school, work, church... I ALWAYS wear them!" She said, "They're VERY weird and they're TOO bright!" So Rich asked her what she would do if he showed up to her school wearing the blue socks - would she talk to him or think he was too weird? She said, "Well first, I'd sing you a lullaby and make you fall asleep. Then, I'd take off your blue socks and put some other ones on!" She cracks us up!

In this picture, Rich is making the winning catch (while sandwiched between 2 other players). For a photographer - those bright blue socks prove very useful :).

Big Bear (Calif) with Cousins

2008-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

We spent 2 days at Big Bear with my niece Tracey (Alderson) James and her family. Tracey's boys Pete & Jon play really well with Dan & Ben, and Nadia *loves* to spend time with Sydney, Sam & Emma. Here Nadia (on the left) is at the pool with Sam.

One of the boys' favorite activities was catching lizards in the woods just behind the condo.

Summer fun in Northern California

2008-08-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a week in Monterey Bay (unfortunately without Rich - who has reached the stage where work preempts family outings. Bummer!).

The ocean is COLD and not great for playing in, but we did find lots of great sand dollars, build good sand castles, enjoy tide-pooling, have great fun in the pool, visit an interesting Spanish mission, and experience awesome whale and dolphin watching.

More pics from Northern Calif...

2008-08-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Mission San Juan Bautista, then whale watching with a marine biologist as a guide. Incredible despite a little sea sickness! We saw LOTS and a few of them were coming RIGHT under the boat - back and forth. We could smell their breath - UGH - talk about halitosis!!

July 24th Fun in the Pool

2008-07-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

Our 15' above-ground pool has been great (except for the set-up in the summer & take-down in fall which is a PAIN!). It's deliciously warm since Mark hooked up the pump to a couple of solar panels ... I love it! Rich came over on the 24th July holiday and we had fun with him here.

Then a couple of fun SHORT video clips - Rich making an unorthodox entrance into the pool, then horsing around with the 3 kids (they love it when their big brother visits!):

Evans Family Reunion

2008-07-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Great fun was had with extended family at the Evans family reunion in July), including great water time at Pineview Reservoir (up Ogden, UT, canyon).

Tanya's High School Graduation

2008-06-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

In June Tanya graduated from Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California. Oh Happy Day!! Benjamin was especially happy to be there :).

Dan & Ben's Sports

2008-06-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

This year, the boys participated in basketball, track, swimming, tennis and soccer before their surgeries put a kaibosh on sports. Although Daniel still does quite well at soccer & basketball, he's not enjoying sports as much as Benjamin these days. In case you can't tell - the first 3 pics are Dan, and the next 3 Ben. Sorry - I haven't perfected "action shots" yet :(.

THE HEALY Coast Guard Cutter - May 08

2008-05-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Our trip on board the HEALY was Mark & my first "real" break TOGETHER since the adoption - almost 6 yrs ago. We were invited by Mike (Mark's best friend since they met as freshmen at BYU) who has been the medical officer on board the Healy for the last few years. Mike was a GREAT "tour guide" and it was a very relaxing time for us - but with Mike along as the 3rd wheel, and separate sleeping berths, it was hardly our "romantic cruise" we were planning on for our 10th Anniversary!

The Healy is the US's newest and most technologically advanced polar icebreaker. It helps to keep shipping passages open, can break through 4 1/2 feet of ice and is designed to conduct a wide range of research activities. It has more than 4,200 square feet of scientific lab space, numerous electronic sensor systems, oceanographic winches, and accommodations for up to 50 scientists. (The scientists left the ship in Dutch Harbor, and we took their spots in Juneau, Alaska.)

This 2nd picture gives you *some* idea how HUGE the Healy is.

The doors going in to the living quarters of the ship are all water tight ... the 8 "dogs" around the door cinch it down, and it is VORBOTEN to leave one of these doors open. There are eight levels in the interior of the ship, with mighty steep stairs which we climbed MANY times every day.

2008-05-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Standing in front of Mendenall Glacier in Juneau, AK. (Apparenntly it is the only glacier within city limits).
Most times it was extremely windy and cold on deck, so Mike loaned me his big, pouffy polar coat. It was VERY comfortable and toasty in there!

See my hair to tell how windy it was....

Inside....

2008-05-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

I had the bottom bunk. I did like the curtains which helped block out the light from my roommate who kept much different hours! The second pic shows Mark in my "padded cell". The facilities are very functional but basic - nothing fancy, as evidenced by our shower - shared by 6 of us.

One of the 3 "straight up" ladders we had to climb to get to the Aloft Conn (which is in the mast). The ship can be steered from up here.

Bridge, etc.

2008-05-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

That's the Aloft Conn you see up on top. The second pic was taken in the bridge - a very large, busy station when the ship is docking or leaving port. You can get a small sense of the "functionality rather than beauty" issue here too - see the way all of the wires are showing in the ceiling area. It was like this in ALL areas of the shp, including bedrooms.
We were not allowed to sit in the Captain's chair on the right, but the XO's chair on the left was up for grabs (there's no other seating on the bridge). Mike says he's positive I am the only person ever to crochet on the bridge! I go crazy just sitting or standing around for hours on end, so I took extracurricular materials :). There are windows around the whole bridge, so many times we hung around up there and visited and watched the views. We were hoping for some great views of wildlife, but were disappointed. Mark saw a school of porpoises one time, but they were gone by the time I got out there.

Mike was promoted to Lieutenant while we were on board. He asked us to be a part of his little ceremony, so we got to pin some of his bars on.

Thursday we had a big roasted pig party on the flight deck (this is where the helo's land and are housed). We had great weather (not much wind and no rain) so it was perfect!

Tracey's Arm...

2008-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

A misty, windy, rainy "inside passage" .... Turned beautifully clear & we got blue skies down "Tracey's Arm"

You can see the glacier down in the distance... and then an up-close view thanks to our zoom camera. We were anticipating that this great ice breaker, Healy, would be able to get us all the way up to the glacier, but apparently the cruise ships get upset because that causes big chunks of ice to float downstream and the cruise ships get upset about that. So we had to keep our distance.

2008-05-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

We had sunny clear skies coming into Seattle - in fact it was exceptionally bright, which didn't lend itself to great pictures. After we docked and disembarked (it takes about 2 hours to tie up, etc.), Mike took us up the Space Needle.

We had fantastic clear weather and could even see Mr. Rainier to the south.

James & Tanya - Oakland Temple Pageant July 07

2008-05-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

I finally found out how to post big videos... These are from James & Tanya's performance at the Oakland Temple Pageant last summer. The first clip is "arriving in the SL Valley". Tanya is the first person on stage (upper right corner) and she's in a dark green shirt and dark brownish-floral skirt. James comes on later - he has a brown vest and pants and a white shirt, and his partner is all in white.

In the Hoedown (2nd video), James is the fiddler at the beginning of the clip.

Arriving in the Salt Lake Valley

2008-05-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hoedown

2008-05-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Nadia in "The Truth About Cinderella"

2008-03-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Nadia in some scenes from the play - THANKS Aunty Brenda for making the dress - it was AWESOME). This first picture was after the last performance with the rose we bought her. The bottom pic is a cute one with Benjamin and Daniel.

In the video at the bottom, she's doing "ring-a-rosies" in the front corner. It's so amazing to think this is the little girl who was supposed to be in a wheelchair for life! She has her challenges - but she's doing SO fantastically!

Nadine's Surgery

2008-03-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

Pics of the cast on my left leg - see Mark's comment on it! Nadia had a blast putting hearts and Valentine sayings all over - "Be Myn" (mine)!!

If your stomach isn't feeling too good - don't look at the bottom picture. It's yukky. It's amazing how gross your foot gets when wrapped up for 5 weeks. You can SORTA see 4 of the 6 incisions (3 on the side & middle toe - the other 2 are on each side of the heel). Doesn't really show them too well. I hope this helps with all the problems! I talked to some other people who have had foot surgery, and they say it's the best thing they ever did, BUT it takes up to a year for the foot to feel great. I'm going to wait at least a little while before I tackle the right foot (also because there are more hassles - I won't be able to drive, etc).

Rich "It's Your Love"

2007-12-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Quite a few people have asked for more video of Rich singing. So this is a song Mom *LOVES* to have him sing. And she sang backup for it :).

Rich - In top 5 at BYU-Idol

2007-12-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

At the finals for BYU-Idol, after they all performed, they called out the top 5 (out of 15 finalists), and Rich was there in the TOP FIVE with 3 girls and one other guy!!! Then they called the top 3, and he didn't make it. But we were THRILLED anyway. Mostly he was competing against people who have had a lot of vocal training and are studying the performing arts, etc. Rich does none of that and just sings for fun, and we think he is *AWESOME*!! He definitely did NOT have a large family entourage like a lot of the other kids. PLUS, he is so "low key", he didn't want to beg people to come and cheer for him. He also had a roommate, Tyler, in the finals. Tyler has a GREAT voice too, and had a huge family group supporting him, but he did NOT make it to the top 5. So that shows that a lot of "other people not attached to Rich" cheered for him.

I think he would have done a LOT better with a different song selection. I did not know the song he chose at all, but he tells me it's a really popular song at dances, etc. It seemed a little "monotonous" to me, but what does an old mother know?! The biggest problem (that he did not anticipate) was that in his nervousness, the song was a little low for him. So that was a bit of a struggle. But even with the song selection, he was GREAT! They asked the top-5 to give their thoughts and Rich said something like, "I don't deserve to be up here - one of these other people behind me does. But (waving to the audience) Thanks a lot!"

This video is actually from his qualifying round and I love it!

We had to entertain a young woman from Venezuela who was here to work with Mark for a week, and she was there with us. I said I wished I could clone Rich, and she said, "When you figure that out, send three to Venezuela - One for me, one for my sister, and one for my best friend :)."

2007-11-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

All of us with "the mouse".....

Dad rode the carousel with Nadia while the rest of us
braved Screamin' (See us on the 3rd & 4th cars
below). Dad had NO desire to try the ride. Mom
decided he was very smart & she's getting too old
for such frivolity! Everyone else LOVED this ride.

Cruella DeVil on the phone with Rich. He called the
cell, she commandeered the phone from mom, and
informed him he was interrupting her photo shoot,
and he would have to call back!

Riding "Autopia" more times than we care to count.
The three little ones LOVED this ride.

2007-11-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Why are eyes always closed on the BEST shots?!

The "dancing picture" is great except I took it off
a video, so the resolution is NOT too great.

We regularly tell Nadia that "puppy dog eyes" do NOT work on us.
It doesn't keep her from trying though! (The light was reflecting in
a weird way all around her mouth.)

Tanya perfecting her "Hollywood pose" with
Rich, Daniel & James as backdrop :).

The girls showing genuine emotion on Splash Mountain...
The men "acting cool"!

2007-11-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Rich with the kids

The problem with the Tower of Terror "official picture" is that

they snap it right BEFORE you drop... so you have plenty of time

to look "unbothered!" See James, Mark, Daniel, Tanya and Rich

on the back row (on the right) acting cool.

Saying "EEEEW" to mom and dad kissing!

2007-11-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Great action shot with Daniel, Benjamin & Rich
(behind mom and Nadia) on Big Thunder Mtn.

SOAKED at Grizzly River Run
Having fun at Tarzan's treehouse (although mom and dad
still think it's a great travesty of justice that's it's not
Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse anymore!

I love this picture of Benjamin taking care of his little sister :).

The Year of Disney

2007-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last year we let James choose our vacation destination (since it was the last family vacation before he'll be leaving on his mission). He chose Disneyland!! Dad and the kids were thrilled. Mom was "ecstatic" in the Jafar (Aladdin) sense! Every Disney trip in the past has been the "we-have-16-hours-jam-in-everything-you-can-exhausting-day". So we decided to get the 5-day pass. After researching, we realized that it would not be much more to get an annual pass, so we decided to get those and "DO DISNEY" in a major way for a year, then not do it for a while after that. We figured we could go to Ontario to visit my mom more often, and to Escondido to visit Mark's brother, Howard and family, and justify a side-day to Disneyland more often :). Unfortunately Rich's school and work schedule, and James and Tanya's being in Northern California, and their work, dance, school schedules & the prohibitive costs of flying them down, meant they wouldn't be able to come for the side-trips very often, so we didn't do the annual passes for them - just a 5-day pass for the summer.

We also had been using a Disney rewards Visa card for several years and had about $1000 "Disney Dollars" we could use for things that we don't normally do in the park: Face Painting, a souvenir for everyone, The Princess lunch at Ariel's grotto for mom, Tanya & Nadia, breakfast at "Goofy's kitchen" for mom, dad and the 3 little ones, and dinner at "The Blue Bayou (Mark's favorite) for mom, dad, Rich, James & Tanya.

Thus began our "Year of Disney". We got our condo in Anaheim and had all six kids there in August 06. This is a GREAT way to do it as we could go early in the morning, come back to the condo for lunch, swimming, naps, dinner, and then go back to the park when it wasn't so hot in the evening. Mom, dad and the three little ones went in January and May 07 for a few days. Mom and kids went to stay with my mom for a week in July while Mark was out of country on a business trip. Richard joined us in Disneyland for one day, and then Mark got off the plane in Los Angeles on his way home from Guatemala, and we did one last hurrah at the park. Everyone really enjoyed it. Dad and kids are trying to figure out which bank to rob so they can go again - soon - and this time they want to stay in a hotel on-site. Mom is Disneyed out for at least a few years!

FAVORITES - at Disneyland and California Adventure Park: We *LOVED* fast passes and made excellent use of them.
Dad - Just likes ALL of Disneyland... "The feeling as you walk in is exciting and uplifting. The theme "You leave the world of today, and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy" captures the feeling that you are entering a different place. Most amusement parks feel transitory and almost run down. Disneyland has a feeling of substance."
Mom - SOARIN' Over California (I could ride this and listen to the music ALL day!). Splash Mountain, and The live "Aladdin" production. My days of loving roller coasters have come to an end - they make me nauseous. I never thought that would happen - so it's a bit depressing!
Rich - Screamin', Tower of Terror and Space Mountain
James - Tower of Terror and Screamin'
The next 3 kids all want to put those two rides down as their favorites, but we told them to go for the "next favorite!"
Tanya - Splash Mountain, It's a Small World and Peter Pan
Daniel - Autopia and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (although on repeat trips - mom and dad *did* beat him!)
Benjamin - Innoventions - the Technology Center. (Mom MISSES "America Sings")
Nadia - Ariel's Grotto where we had lunch and visited with FIVE princesses, and the Grizzly River Run, until (after riding it about six times) one employee decided she was a TEENY bit too short and wouldn't let her on the last time. THAT did not go over too well!! Oh, and "PUSH", the talking, moving garbage can, who spoke to Nadia, called her by name, asked her to "feed him", and thanked her for the garbage she put in. She spent the rest of the YEAR checking every garbage can to see if it was "PUSH"!

LEAST Favorites:
Toon Town
The Sun Wheel if you're in the moving cages. When we had all 8 of us in one cage - it really moves, and KEEPS swinging back and forth. Mom and Dad think it's quite amusing that the 5 oldest kids all love Screamin' and Tower of Terror, but are FREAKED out by the swinging cages on the Sun Wheel (especially James & Daniel).
Crowds and lines. We swore we would never go in the summer again.

FRUSTRATIONS:
THE NEW NEMO RIDE: We ran over there as soon as the park opened, and it already had a TWO hour line. And there were no fast passes. So we didn't go on it. I never rode the submarines before, so I'm looking forward to this one in the future.
THE PRINCESS FAIRE: Mom waited in line (for Nadia to meet three princesses) for one and a half hours while dad took the kids into the storytelling festival inside. Once they came out of the storytelling, and dad and the boys went elsewhere, mom and Nadia stood for ANOTHER hour (so 2.5 hours total). Nadia had seen Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) go in, and that was who she wanted to see, so she was very excited about that. Once we "turned the corner", our 3 princesses were Mulan, Pocahantas and Cinderella (Aurora had left). We took pictures with the first two, then Cinderella was a little slow, and an "inside line" had formed waiting for her. So we were standing behind about 7 people, when Belle came in and replaced Mulan. We were in the back part WAITING for Cinderella, so we scuttled back and tried to get a picture with Belle, but were told, "Sorry, you can't go BACK. You've already been to the "1st Princess station". Then the Fairy Godmother breezed in, and Cinderella LEFT ("she has to get to the ball"). Nadia was SOOOO upset we didn't get a picture with her - she just cried. The NEXT time we went to Disneyland, we stood in line here AGAIN, but again did not get Aurora. This time it was Belle, Jasmine & Prince Philip (No matter how I tried to hype it, Nadia wasn't interested in him!) I wrote to Disneyland and told them I felt if they were going to merchandise the princesses in such a blatant fashion, that they ought to make it a little more "kid friendly" because the current way was really harsh on little kids. I suggested "appointments" for specific princesses, and/or fast passes. I mean, they MAKE the princesses, why can't they have more of the popular ones, and less Mulans, Jasmines, etc?!! And if they are going to trade princesses regularly, IMHO, they should CLOSE off the back part, trade all 3 princesses, and then let a new group in for pictures with the new princesses. How can they make you stand in line for two and a half hours, and then whisk Cinderella away while a 5-year old is standing there WAITING to meet her? That's just cruel. They were rather blase about the whole thing and sent Nadia an autographed black and white picture of the princesses together to make up for it. Good joke!