Allen News October 2007

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,is the true measure of our thanksgiving." W.T. Purkiser

Sid and Jeanne Stephenson
Another wonderful month of good health and happiness for us!!! How blessed we are to have our lives filled with mobility, the gospel and family. In early October I spent some time with Stephanie, Dave, and family…they run a ‘tight ship’ with fun, schedules, and activities. It was good to get close to our grandchildren and I must have read Blake a hundred books. Their home is filled with learning. Susan joined us for some fun times as well…always bringing sparkle into others’ lives. Then….as if we “didn’t get our fill of Texas” we headed back again the end of October to spend some time with Susan and Scott’s family. It was a privilege to attend football games, baseball games and a special drum line performance of Marshall’s which was incredible. Marc is a pro in athletics and Tony Romo might need to worry a bit about competition in the coming years. I was able to spend a few days alone with Marc while Susan flew to Ohio to Marshall’s national drum line competition…and I understand they took FIRST PLACE. Congratulations!! An added plus while I was in Texas was that I got to spend some time with Emily and Linda. They are both so delightful to be around.
Sid’s last living brother, Charles, passed away in Boise, Idaho the 22nd of October. His health had been poor for quite some time so it was expected. Sid’s consolation is that now his brother can be taught the gospel in the spirit world and hopefully accept it. Charles didn’t want to hear about it here. Thanks to those of you who phoned and sent cards…it was surely appreciated. We are hoping in the next few months that some of you will be able to visit us…remember, the weather is perfect now and if you want a reprieve of wintry weather “This is the place”. Our love to all of you,
Mom and Sid

Sandie and Neil Taft

We have had a very busy month. Neil and I found out that we will be staying at Camp LoMia – at least for a while longer.. We are in the middle of a huge construction project – all the power lines on camp are being buried. In the process, the roads a larger and now being grated. It is looking great. Gone are the narrow, bumpy dirt roads.
We are anxiously waiting for this project to be completed – so we can get ready for our family when they come down for Thanksgiving.

Meela is engaged! I am including a picture of her ring Hopefully, while she and Ben are down here – they will fill us in on a date. We are excited to have him be part of our family. We already love him.

Kris and Allie and the children are doing great - They get together often with Meela and Ben. W can’t wait for our grandchildren to come down – they have all grown so much. We can’t wait to catch up on all that they have been doing lately.

Kari and Jeremy are moving again in the middle of November. It is a busy time for them, packing, and both working hard. Curtis is walking all over the place and feeling like such a big boy now that he can feed himself.

We are so grateful for such a wonderful family and know that we have been blessed.
Love you all, Sandie

Stacy and Greg Hansen

Our family has many blessings to be grateful for. A week ago we got the news that Emma is healed. Truly it is a miracle. She has 20/25 vision now. Thank you for the prayers, putting her name in the temple & for your love and concern. It really gives us strength to know you are praying for us. I know the Savior knows us personally & that He blesses us. I am grateful for the Savior's tender mercies & I see them often in our lives. General Conference was so great & I feel grateful for the messages that were given. I feel renewed strength to work on my weaknesses like journal writing & a few others. Koby had a great month . He won 1st in debate 3 times last month, as presiding officer & speaker of the House. He is working extremely hard & loves it! Koby also went to Sadie Hawkins last night with a cute girl named Courtney. They had so much fun. Madelyn & now Emma are preparing for the Nutcracker ballet next month. Emma is thrilled to go back to dance. Greg & I were supposed to take a trip to San Diego with about 10 couples from our ward to see the BYU game, but because of the fires we cancelled & instead Madelyn & I (Stacy) went to the Hannah Montana concert in SLC. This is her first concert & she did ask if she & Hannah could have their picture together. I told her that she would only see her on stage. In spite of the little disappointment Madelyn said it was a dream come true! We had a great time & took lots of pictures. We also went with a friend & her daughter. Greg & I decided to have a Halloween party last minute & had a great time. We had 18 come & join us in our festivities. We all had a blast. The children all had fun on Halloween. Madelyn dressed up like a cheerleader, Emma dressed up like a pirate. Koby went out on a date & went to his first Haunted House. He said that he thought he was the most scared out of the entire group because he had never been to one before. Greg also went hunting this past month with Koby & unfortunatly they got a 4 point buck. I wasn't too thrilled because I don't care for the meat. We love you all & hope that things are well with all of you.

Greg, Stacy, Koby, Madelyn & Emma

Sherri and Spencer Plummer

We have had a great month in October. Spencer got a job, and I am becoming more organized. We had another fun trip to Hawaii and met Dave and Steph and Chad and Dawn in Las Vegas for the weekend. It was so much fun, but the best part was seeing how amazed Stephie was at such horrible magic (sorry Steph, I couldn't resist) Spencer started working for Buffalo Ranch. He is enjoying working around the horses again, but I sure do miss him at home. He is a Sunday School teacher for the 14-15 year olds. They love learning from him, and even came as a class trick-or-treating to our house looking for him. It was fun to see. I have been working on organizing my home more, and got through a lot of boxes this month. We had a big Halloween Party to get ready for, so I guess I had some motivation. For our Party, we had about 65 people here. It was so much fun that we didn't get people out of here until 1:00 in the morning. I still teach Sabrina's Primary class, and love each of those 13 kids! Spencer IV has been outstanding at gymnastics. He is so fun to watch, but it still scares me at times as well. He had his first gymnastics competition this month, and got two 9s and an 8 out of 10. He competed doing 6 back-handsprings into a tuck. He is such a brain at school, and loves to read more than anything. Sabrina is doing fantastic at gymnastics as well. She has qualified for a "team," but is waiting on a list to get on. She is now able to do a whip on the ground by herself, and also 10 back-handsprings in a row! She loves it, and laughs every time she does a pass because she is so proud of herself. She also loves to read and is such a joy to have around. Samantha is just as cute as can be. She is always making people laugh. She just is so obedient and kind to everyone, that she is always making everyone around her happy. She loves to say her prayers by herself and always thanks him for bubbles. Sydney is such a good baby. She just smiles and laughs all the time. She is teething, but has not been crying that bad. My kids love to help me take care of her, and she loves the attention from her siblings. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family, and am so grateful for the time and effort Stephie puts into these newsletters. We enjoy hearing what is going on in everyone's lives. Love, Spencer and Sherri Plummer

Dave and Stephanie Farnsworth

October was a fun filled month for our family. We enjoyed a great conference week end. The kids did remarkably well with a little activity sheet, conference bingo and some treats. Although we didn’t get to take in as much as we would have like to (with all the boys bouncing off couches and tables) we know our efforts will be recognized. We always have a big conference breakfast with a few close families. It is a nice tradition the kids look forward to.

We spent some fun nights at the pumpkin patch this month. The kids always enjoy the petting zoo, bounce houses, hay mazes & rides. We drove up to Oklahoma last week end to our friend’s “Haunted Cabin”. It was such an amazing day. The kids rode horses, painted pumpkin, got SO dirty, fished, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and went on a haunted hay ride. It was such a great time. The Fall is so fun and offers so many opportunities to do things together as a family.

We also went to a Blue Angels air show this month in Fort Worth. The kids were in heaven (so was Dave). The boys got to explore an Apache Helicopter and sit inside it along with a bunch of other helicopters and planes. They loved the Blue Angel’s and have since been found playing “US Navy” outside in the backyard.

Halloween was great. The kids dressed up as Star Wars characters. Austy was Jengo Fett, Chase was Darth Vader and Blake was Yoda. Between light saber battles the kids were able to trick or treat and get lots of candy. Grandma Stephenson and aunt Sue were the first to be trick or treated to. The kids got sick on candy the day after Halloween and then traded their candy to the Great Pumpkin for a toy. They were pleased with their choice as the Great Pumpkin left some star wars figurines. How did he know?

Dave had a great month. He had NO conferences this month!!! It was great to have him on Saturdays after work. He is finalizing his new research project (yes his last project after much time, thought and revamping still didn’t work out). He has a positive “back to the drawing board” attitude. He is amazing and hopefully this next project will be better it entails analyzing and comparing specific orthodontic cases. For more info in this area you need to just give him a call. Dave also had a birthday this month (32). I surprised him by having two friends come to Texas (Nate Flake and Dave MacArthur). They had such a great time together. They were great company and I know it was a good birthday for him. Dave is still the best dad in the world. He is so playful with the kids and never gives up and opportunity to teach them something valuable. Blake runs from the other side of the house or yard straight into Dave’s arms whenever he comes home. It is sweet. There is no doubt…Dave is loved. Dave whisked me away to Vegas at the beginning of the month for a few days. We had a wonderful time with our family (Dawn & Chad Howey and Sherri & Spencer Plummer). We had very little sleep and a lot of fun.

I had a good month too. I still love my Old Testament Institute class. I realize each week how little I really know about the Bible and am enjoying the weekly enlightenment. For primary it was a busy month. We had our primary program last week. It turned out wonderful. The kids really did a great job and the spirit was very strong. I made a movie for the primary kids that captured our entire year in primary (scouting, primary activities, sharing times, etc). They LOVED it! We watched it for the sharing time after our program and fed them licorice and string cheese. Anyway, it was so fun to do. Book Club took the backseat again this month… I need to get motivated. My next book to tackle is “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. I spent a few days this month volunteering at Austin’s and Chase’s schools. It is always nice to feel a part of things. I read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to Chase’s class and used a life sock puppet and props. The kids loved it! Chase, Blake and I were able to eat lunch with Austin at school a few times too. It is funny because I get the worst looks ever toting around Chase and Blake with me into the elementary school. They think I am insane to bring my entire rambunctious but cute family, but the trade off of having lunch with Austy is worth it.
I experience my first parent teacher conference this month too. The teacher giggled as I pulled out my notebook with prewritten questions. I was pleased with the report of how great Austin is doing. I am still trying to find the place for mom’s in the public school system. I am finding there is a delicate balance between been too involved and not involved enough. Also, I enjoyed having my mom and dad here this month. They were able to have lunch with Austin and attend some of the kid’s activities. The kids always feel extra special to have Grandma and Grandpa at their activities and they seem to try extra hard and be extra good. I love having my mom & dad here too. It seems like we always get some fun (and some not so fun) projects completed.

Austin was busy this month with baseball practice and games. He was so happy to earn the game ball and took it as his “most special” item for a school project. He had his baseball party at Peter Piper Pizza and got another trophy. Austin is doing great in school and is still so self motivated with projects, homework and responsibilities. It is like he has an internal palm pilot. Sometimes I have to show him my calendar to let him know he can stop stressing about deadlines and that I have them taken care of. Could my OCD be genetic? Austin is still doing well at the piano. Some days he is more motivated than others for sure. He has made some great friends at school and has enjoyed some fun play dates. Some great missionary opportunities have been presented as I have become close with many of the families of his new friends. Austin is a good little missionary.

Chase is so cute. He is loving his little preschool class and every time I ask him about his friends in his class he only tells me about the boys and says how he doesn’t like the girls. It is so funny how different his little personality is from Austin’s. His art projects he brings home are really good. He is super creative and loves to draw (including on some things that aren’t paper). Chase is really funny and loves to make up jokes and funny songs. He is loving books about sharks right now. Every trip we make to the library consists of another fun obsession (i.e. volcanoes, star wars, etc). Chase is becoming such good friends with Blake. It is fun to see them interact and pretend play.

Blake is seriously so cute. He is the most lovable, playful, flirtatious toddler in the world. He loves attention and people. He is full of loves, smiles, giggles and hugs. He loves animals and when he sees pictures of them he says each animal’s sounds. He carries around his animal book and opens the pages to try to name them. Most of them are still “dog”. He loves to sing and really just sings around the house while he plays. He is finding a little sense of humor too and tries to make his brothers laugh. He really is a sweet little boy.

Allen Family News October 2007

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home."

Johann con Goethe

Sid & Jeanne Stephenson

September was another wonderful month full of ‘the good life’. We count our blessings if we can still jump out of bed…rather than crawl out of bed…each morning.

It’s nice to say that our days aren’t full of doctor appointments, but rather time we are able to spend with some of our children. We feel so blessed to have Shauna and Ron close by. Ron came to the rescue recently and helped out with some electrical problems we were having, and Shauna and Troy stop by regularly just to check on their ‘senior parents’. We always enjoy their company.

Early in the month I had a wonderful week in Texas with Stephanie and Dave and of course I got to be with Susan too. Their children are so precious and are doing the ‘right’ things to bring about achievement and success. Choices are what it’s all about…making the right ones on the little things as well as the big ones. (And…a sneak preview of next month will tell you I’ll be back in Texas again.)

With a few relaxing weeks at home I have started to index my music books. It’s long overdue, but even if it takes me a year or so, the indexing will be worth it. My greatest fear though, is that I might lose my master copy of the indexing. Anyone have a safety deposit box?

The last week in September I spent at Stacy’s home, and what a delight that was. Too bad she had to have surgery in order to have such a memorable week, but while she recuperated we read part of a book together, chatted, cried, laughed, and shared secrets. Just like being “young” again…only with an older body.???? The children were so helpful and polite. Little Emma and I must have read a hundred books together. It was so enjoyable getting reacquainted again. While I was at Stacy’s, Sid was visiting his children and grandchildren. His son, Scott, drove to Idaho Falls with Sid to keep him company while he visited his brother and sisters. Then they picked me up on their way back to SLC and we took our flight back to Mesa. We are so grateful for family… wherever they are. We love your visits here, welcome phone calls, and appreciate any communication we may receive from you. The Family Newsletter brings us all together… Thank you for all who participate in sharing their family experiences. We love you,

Mom and Sid

P.S. Jeff Flake, our home teacher, was visiting us last week and brought us this picture. He said when he was on Air Force One with President Bush last May 18th, and Jeff called Sid to see how he was doing 3 days after Sid's heart attack, President Bush walked into the room and asked if he could speak to Sid also. Jeff said he remembered the press on board the plane had taken a picture while Pres. Bush was talking to Sid (and Jeff is on the phone also). So Jeff asked if he could have a copy of the picture of Pres. Bush speaking to Sid, which Jeff received from the press recently. Jeff was kind enough to share the picture with us. It was a very thoughtful gesture and we truly appreciate it.

Shelly & Dave Senior

Senior Family Newsletter

September was a landmark month as Dave and I celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary! We were lucky enough to spend it in Martha’s Vineyard, a beautiful place. The provincial Edgartown is beautiful in the fall with lighthouses, beaches, beautiful sunsets, darling cottages and shops with awesome restaurants. Highly recommended to anyone for a romantic getaway.

Scott and Derek are now at BYU and are enjoying being there together. They are embracing the college life complete with football games, acclimating to roommates, associating with old friends and meeting new ones. It is not unusual to have 10-15 kids show up for Sunday dinner at our house. We are lucky to live close enough to share these experiences.

Jeff has enrolled in independent college study and has started working toward an associate degree. This has been a long time coming, but better late than never. With his enrollment we have three enrolled in college coursework.

Ryan is deep into drum line season. He loves playing the tenors, and has had to learn some difficult music but has really enjoyed it. He will be heading to Washington D.C. in a couple of weeks for a National Competition. Late last night a stuffed dummy was left on our doorstep with an invitation for Ryan to the next school dance. He seems to keep on top of his social life despite how busy school and drum line is.

Hope all is well with each of you.

Love,

Dave, Shelly and boys

Stacy & Greg Hansen
This past month we had a few challenges as you all know. We would like to thank all of you for the prayers & fasting for me & Emma. It is a comforting feeling, that often brings me to tears, knowing that so many are praying for us. It makes me feel so close to you all. We truly have felt an abundance of love & a peaceful feeling from the prayers said in our behalf. Emma got shot in the eye with an air soft & has had some major problems with her eye. The doctor has said she cannot attend preschool, dance or nursery for 6 weeks. In the beginning she couldn't see at all out of her eye. After a week of eye drops & many, many prayers her vision has improved considerably. She still cannot see up close to read a book out of her bad eye, but can see things far away. It is a miracle! We will not fully know the extent of the damage for another 4 weeks. Please keep praying for her. I know that miracles happen & I know the prayers have helped her. I had surgery a little over a week ago. Everything went well with the hysterectomy & I am feeling better every day. Mother came & stayed with our family. She is a miracle worker! She ran my carpools, fixed meals, took care of my children (including all of Emma's ailments), read the book Pope Joan to me, did my mending & laundry, & pretty much everything that needed to be done! She truly blessed our family & I know how blessed we are to have her as our mom. Sid & his son Scott came & saw us for a day too. We sure enjoyed their company & cherish the moments we can spend with family. Koby went to his first prom, Homecoming last weekend. He really had a great time, inspite of the difficulties he faced beforehand. He looked so handsome in his Tux! We had over 20 teenagers hang out at our home that night. We truly enjoy having people hang out at our home. Madelyn is busy with her dance team, ballet & gymnastics. She is really enjoying the business of her schedule. She is also working hard on her piano skills. Emma is still struggling, having little to no interaction with her friends, but she is still so good natured. I have started teaching her piano lessons & she really loves it. Greg has taken great care of me, Emma & all the other children in addition to work & church. He has really helped so much! I have been pampered by him, mom, many family members, extended family members, so many friends, people in my ward & people in my previous ward. Thanks for the prayers, fasting, the visits, phone calls, cards, care packages, flowers & more for both Emma & I. They have meant more than you know. It is great to be surrounded by those who care about you & love you when you feel the challenges come. It makes those difficulties much easier to face. I have the best family in the whole world! Keep praying for my little Emma, the prayers are really needed & appreciated! I love you all. Stacy








Shauna Allen

Well, needless to say, it has been a fun but crazy month. Troy and I have sure worked hard to play hard. We started the month at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and went to Zions National Park. What a pretty part of Utah. We went with another couple, and really roughed it. As we were driving home, Sherri called and invited us to Hawaii, but we only had 3 days in preparation.

What a blast we had. Sherri and Spencer and their family are so much fun to be around. I felt like we could have stayed another two weeks. Sherri and I played cards like mad women, and watched the boys roll their eyes at us. We did get them to play a few games, but after they lost to us world champions, they quickly found other things to play with.

We made it to the Polynesian Cultural Center, thanks to Craig and Linda, and we also had the privilege to see Pearl Harbor. This was Troy’s first time to Hawaii, so I think he seriously fell in love.

We missed our flight, and got to spend our last day with Craig and Linda and Steph (A.K.A. Phenee) We got to see a junior pro surf competition, and little Steph took us to every beach on the North Shore. It was AWESOME.

Troy and I are heading to Mexico this weekend. He has to finalize some architectural plans for his upcoming build there. He is heading to Playa De Carmen for a month to be submerged in a Spanish course that all you do is eat, drink, and sleep Spanish. Of course it doesn’t hurt that it is on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. His Dad is going with him, and it should be fun for both of them.

We have been playing softball for my office. Last game I thought I was a Yankee, and slid into third. Though I made it safely, my ankle didn’t, and now I am in what feels like a 90 lb cast. First bone ever broken. I feel like a complete idiot.

Work is going great. I feel like I am learning so much and that I am constantly being challenged. Isn’t there supposed to be a day when you know it all?

I send my love…

Shauna

Sherri & Spencer Plummer

Well, I will have to write for the last two months, since I forgot to
send it in last month. August was a great month for us. We had
just as much fun at the reunion as everyone else did, and am looking
forward to the next one! The hardest part was seeing everyone
leave. The kids enjoyed their last few weeks of summer before we
started them hitting the books. We travelled up to our cabin and
enjoyed a relaxing couple of days. Samantha and I were able to
celebrate our birthday with Shelly as we met for lunch and icecream.

September was a lot of fun! Spencer and I celebrated our 11 year
anniversary. I can't believe it has been that long! We are so lucky
to have each other. We enjoyed a trip to Hawaii with the kids, and
Shauna and Troy were our nanny for that trip. We went with our
friends Justin and Stacy, and then we had an employee Andy and his
wife Brandy go as well. It was so much fun. The kids could not get
enough of the water. It was so much fun to see. After we returned
home, it was hard for the kids to wake up early and go to school
again. They managed and are back on track for a great year of
learning. When we returned home, I was able to take a day and make
Jalapeno Jelly.

Spencer and I had to plan a big event at the Miller Motor Sports
Park, and it turned out great! Everyone had such a great time, and
99% of it went smoothly. There was one accident on the go carts, but
everyone was okay. All the many hours of preparation paid off. It
was a lot of fun.

Spencer and I are back in Hawaii now without the kids, and are
completely relaxed. We went snorkeling yesterday, and finished the
day off with eating at Mama's Fish House (The most incredible fish in
the world). We are with our good friends, Steve and Chelby, and are
enjoying every minute of being with them, even though we miss our
kids immencely. Since we have been gone (two days), Spencer has
become the star of soccer with his new team (scoring 6 of the 8 goals
at his game),
and we heard that it was snowing.

These are the only pictures I have on my computer, we did take some
normal ones.



Stephanie & Dave Farnsworth

This month was a great one. We spent most of it getting into new routines for new schools, new sports and new responsibilities.

Dave spent most of the week ends this month working on his research project or working at the dental office in Plano. He has really enjoyed his job and seeing how a dental practice is run and operated. He enjoys his staff and the patients he gets to work on. Dave has been working hard to insure that his thesis project (involving rabbits and mini screws) will work. Keep your fingers crossed Dave also spent the month updating his CV and writing personal letters to all (yes all) of the Orthodontists in the Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek, Scottsdale area. We put packets together and mailed them out. We hope to find a lead or two to work with. Anyway, Dave took the kids and I along with him to the Southwest Dental Conference in San Antonio a week ago. We had a wonderful time together. Family vacations are great pick me ups & we especially love the drive where we get to chat, sing songs and just spend time together. On the days Dave got home early this month (which are rare but cherished) he took the kids to the pool, the park and practiced baseball with the boys. He is a great dad (& hubby too)!

I had a crazy month. For primary we planned & executed our primary activity, "Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice". I think the primary kids really enjoyed it as Austin assured me "It was really cool, Mom". As a presidency we are now hustling and bustling to get the finishing touches on the primary program. We are anxious to have the primary kids perform. I am the co-room at Austin's school and have enjoyed the few times I have been able to witness the Texas school system in action. I especially love going to lunch with Austin (when I am invited) at his school. It has been sad to have him gone all day every day...I miss him. Chase, Blake & I have enjoyed our time together. We have spent some time at the Fort Worth Zoo, going to story time at the library, and most frequently going to the park. They are funny, funny boys. I spent a nice little chunk of time this month down & out. I had a severe kidney infection that seriously stopped me in my tracks. What? I never get sick...really. I went through the nice cycle of chills, fever, sweat for about 4 days reaching the 104 range several times. Mom's can't get sick!! But luckily my sister Sue was here and she honestly helped me so much with the boys. I was literally helpless. With a couple doctors (& one emergency center visit) I recovered and all is back to normal and well. I also started an Institute class this month. We are studying the Old Testament. I LOVE IT! I honestly look forward to it every week and feel so blessed to learn from the great people that surround me. It is my BIG spiritual upliftment for the week since Sacrament is usually spent juggling kids and I am in Primary for the last two hours of church (not that primary isn't spiritual it is just short intervals of feeling the spirit- very short- rather than one big). My mom came and visited this month too. It is always great to have her here. We love all visitors We had lots of good laughs and good talks. The kids loved having her here too.

Austin is such a big boy. Honestly sky is the limit for this kid. He has more confidence than any other 5 year old I know (or 20 year old for that matter). For the first week of September his goal every morning was to make a new friend at school. By the end of the week when he would follow up at dinner time he informed us "everyone in his class was his best friend" so the following week he moved on to the other kindergarten classes that had recess with him. By the end of the month "everyone in the school was his best friend except some of the 5th graders he hasn't met yet and their teachers". What a riot! I love that he loves people so much. He is doing great in school too. He is so responsible with his morning routine (make bed, pray, get dressed, brush teeth, do chores, practice piano, hug mom). He needs little reminding. Also, he has been amazing at doing his homework without any coaching. I just check it, but he is one self motivated little boy. He is loving piano and is still not minding that mom is his teacher. He LOVES baseball. I think it was wise to switch him from soccer. He is doing great and was so proud to get "game ball" a week ago. He also gave a talk this month in church. He helped write his talk on service. He is doing so well and getting up and talking in front of people. Hopefully this will hold true for the primary program as well!

Chasey is such a cutie. He is so happy to be going to real preschool. He is so obedient to his teachers (which I am kinda surprised about cause sometimes he is a teensy bit ornery). He has lots of friends and is really starting to feel (& act) like a big boy. His new thing is he wants to live every place we go. "Mom I want to live at that book store", "Mom I want to live in that car", "Mom I want to live at the park", you get the idea. He loves our weekly trips to the library and enjoys helping Austin "read" at night. He still has his one true love...star wars. Chase loves to sing. He picks up songs every where and will be caught singing them often. He looks forward to Austy getting home every day & is learning to try to share with his baby brother.

Blake is growing up ever so fast. He is running every where and beginning to speak clearly. He says "Dad, Mom, More (still signing this too), down, uh oh, dog, & that". This is a great stage and we are enjoying every minute of it. Blake honestly has surprised Dave and I to no end. Believe us or not but Blake truly truly will sing tunes to songs. He sings the words "Da, da, da" to the tune of Star Wars, ring around the rosey, and basically will mimic almost anything sung repeatedly to him. We have video proof for all of you doubters:) I am amazed, but he always makes me smile when he breaks out in song in his car seat unsolicited.

We are no doubt doing well. We are anxious to start finalizing our plans to move to Arizona next year. It is a bitter sweet thought for us, but we are certainly ready to start a new chapter in our life. We look forward to being close to lots of family and lots of friends. We hope all of you are well.

Lots of love,

The Dave Farnsworth Family

Allen Family News September 2007

We should never permit ourselves to do anything that we are not willing to see our children do.
Brigham Young

Jeanne & Sid Stephenson

So glad we can share a few thoughts with each other through our newsletters each month….thanks Stephanie, for making it possible. One of the fun things that occurred in our lives happened just this week as Sherri sent out a little quiz for several of us to take. As I have received copies of the quiz and the answers from my children, I feel like I know them just a little better than before…. not to mention I have had a few laughs as well. If some of you haven’t shared them with me yet, please pass them on.

We were lucky enough to have Stephanie and Dave come and visit when Dave’s brother got married August 11^th. We always enjoy their company and anyone else who will come. The boys were adorable as usual.

I can’t say thanks enough for the wonderful reunion we had at the Plummer’s home in early August. Weren’t they the greatest hosts??? All of the activities were so well thought out and assignments were done ‘par excellence’. Thanks to each of you for your role in making it so successful and enjoyable. I know that many made great sacrifices to be there and I appreciate all the effort you put forth. It was especially nice that Derek’s homecoming and Sydney’s blessing could be included in the week’s activities. How blessed we are to have the family we have…and potential members as well. We love them all! Sid and I don’t have lots of activity in our lives, so we really have to ‘bellow’ when we do. We’ll be talking about the reunion for as long as anybody will listen.

We’re looking forward to a visit from Sandie and Neil next weekend now that summer camp is over. They always bring sunshine into our lives. We have a quick trip planned to Texas to see the Farnsworth’s and Oelkers… some more of out favorite people. We also have a trip planned to Idaho in September and are looking forward to being with Stacy, Greg and family. We surely enjoy being around them. Hope life is beautiful for all of you.

Love, MOM and SID

Sandie & Neil Taft

It was so great being around all of you at the reunion. It is fun to see how the children grow up even though the parents don't seem to grow any older??!!! Sherri and Spencer were very good sports to have all of us in the beautiful home.

Neil and I are still waiting to find out if we are moving to Utah. Hopefully when we find out the news, they will give us a little notice. Maybe it will be after all the electrical is installed underground this winter. Should make the camp a little easier to manage. Every wind or storm branches seem to break and knock out power or phone lines. Thank goodness for good surge protectors!!!

Neil and I are also very busy with our Church callings also. We love our Ward and Stake and feel like we work with the most amazing talented people. I am still with Dr Gordon and learning more each day. He is brilliant and it is like going back to college to be with him.

Meela and Ben are hard workers and both stay very busy with their jobs. They are happiest when they are around each other. Kris and Allison and their family are going great. They have just spent a few days fishing and just being together. The children are excited to be back in school. Kari and Jeremy work hard and both enjoy every minute they spend with Curtis. He weighs 18 lbs now is walking all over the place.

We thank the Lord everyday for such a wonderful family

Sue & Scott Oelkers

This has been the summer of repair. New walls, new ceilings, new carpet, new paint, new plants outside and now sprinklers that work! We are so happy with all our new beginnings just in time for our new beginnings of football, baseball, marching band and school.

We spent a couple of weeks in Minnesota for the boys to complete a wrestling camp at the University of Minnesota. Of course we had just completed a wrestling camp at UNT. Marc also had baseball camp, scout camp. Marshall spent most of his summer at High Adventure (which they refer to as low adventure) and Philmont Scout Camp for two weeks of hiking and backpacking. He also had band camp, drum line camp, drum line sectionals, a correspondence Spanish class (still working on) and yet was able to save a few days before school to complete his summer projects due the first day of school. Me? Well, I was busy running the boys everywhere they needed to be, several times a day!

Marc and I enjoyed our unexpected trip to Utah for the family reunion. I am so happy that it was able to work out for us. It was so much fun being able to be with everyone and laughing, playing and just spending time! I really loved being with my family. Thanks!

Scott, Megan and Myles just worked the summer away. Megan was able to work with Scott this summer. I think she liked it better when her dad was in town. Scott traveled to Asia several times this summer. He was able to fit in a bit of golf with his brothers and he went to the US Open this year with a friend for father’s day! He says it’s the best father’s day gift he ever gave to himself! Megan and Myles took a summer school class together. They both said it was the most worthless class, but hey, they got their humanities credits for it. Not all bad.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ve got my next Taxi run to make! Love ya!

Stacy & Greg Hansen

August was a really fun month for our family. We started off August with
the reunion. It was incredible to see all of you. Thanks for making the
effort to keep our family close even though we live far away frrom each
other. My children loved it & really had a good chance to get to know
everyone better. That is really important to me. After the reunion we got
the chance to stay home for awhile (YEA!). Greg & I had the opportunity to
go to the parade of homes in SLC with people from his work. It was a lot of
fun even though we were kind of dissapointed in most of the homes. Madelyn
took a little ballet in August & tried out for the Dance Depot dance team &
made it! She is really excited for this great opportunity. Lucky for her,
most of her friends that tried out made it also. This will be a great
experience for her even if it means a little more carpooling for me. I love
to do it though. Koby turned 16 on August 14th. I asked him if he wanted
to have a party & he said he would rather go on a date. So a few days after
his birthday he took out a really cute from our old ward. They had a
lot of fun! It is weird having a child that old. Koby & Maddie started
school last week & have really enjoyed it. Maddie is in 4th grade & Koby is
starting his junior year. Koby is taking some tough classes like honors
pre-calculus (something that I can't help him with if he gets lost), debate,
US history, English, Drama (YEA!), Debate , Seminary & robotics. Koby has
already been practicing his debate skills. I think he will have a great
year. Koby's drama teacher actually took Drama with Greg at Woodscross High
School so his teacher already loves him. That class should actually help
him with debate too. I took a mini vacation to Las Vegas with one of my
friends from college (Christine). We went over the weekend to the Celine
Dion concert. It really was fun! We got to eat at fun places like the
Venetian right on the canal & the Paris buffet. We even went to church with
a friend of mine that lives in Vegas at these two darling missionaries
spoke. I love missionaries! It was a great trip! To top off all the
excitement, Greg & I met Shelly & Dave for dinner in SLC and we all went to
the Josh Groban concert together. It was incredible. He really puts on a
great concert! Thanks to Shelly & Dave, we were really close to the stage
(they switched us tickets). Sherri thoughtfully watched Emma so we could
go. Emma can't wait to start her preschool & dance class next week. I
really am lucky to stay home with her! She makes me happy. I love being a
mom & have to say I have great children. I am thankful for that. I hope
all of you are doing well & staying happy. I love you all & feel so
grateful that I have the best family in the world!

Love, Greg, Stacy, Koby, Madelyn, & Emma


Dave & Stephanie Farnsworth

Well August was a busy month for our family. We spent most of it on vacation and enjoyed it so much! We started the month in Utah. We played with cousins, went to Lagoon, and enjoyed an amazing family reunion in Fruit Heights. It was so much for for adults and kids alike and we stayed up way too late, ate too much, and laughed until we cried! We played a family baseball game, rode horses, had water fights, & relaxed (just a little). As a family we feel so strongly about building family relationships and appreciate so much the effort that went into making it a wonderful time.

Right after our two week vacation to Utah the kids and I went to Arizona & met Dave for Steve & Amanda's wedding (thanks to Kathy for getting us there). It was wonderful to be together with everyone. Austin, Chase & Blake enjoyed so much being with all of their cousins too. We look forward to a day when those get-togethers aren't so rare. We are so happy for Steve & Amanda and were so happy to be a part of that wonderful day.

After returning home from our incredibly long trip we had laundry & endless tasks to accomplish. After some hard work we got the kids ready to start school & for a new semester to begin.

Dave has been working hard to finish his thesis research on the use of mini screws. He has been working on rabbits and has put many long hours to make the project work & had failed a few times and has head back to the drawing board. He thinks he has finally ironed out all of the problems and is headed for a successful research project. He is enjoying a years worth of straightening teeth and has taken off some of his first patients braces. He loves what he does and works so hard to be the best at what he does.

I am still trying to get into a groove with the kids school schedules. This means new charts, new lists & new routines. I was so sad to send Austin off to all day kindergarten & was even more sad to know that he was not only capable of being independent all day long but he liked being it too!!!! I have been working hard in primary for an upcoming primary activity "Come listen to a prophets voice" to teach the children about some ancient prophets and help them get excited to watch our living prophet at conference time. It is SO much work, but I have had so much fun working with the kids. I also finished this month writing the Sacrament meeting presentation. Hopefully most of the busy work for primary is done for a few months! Now that school is officially in and meet the teacher & parent orientations are finished I have been able to get so much more done! Book club, scrapbooking, & other hobbies took a back seat and I am ready to dive in. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the swing of things soon!

Austin started all day kindergarten this month and feels so big. He has already made a new friend everyday he has been at school (this has been his goal he makes every morning at breakfast) I miss having his sweet personality around the house all day long and have tried so hard to make the few hours he is home at night really count. He is so good about getting up and practicing his piano & doing his chores & homework when he gets home. I have no idea how he grew up so fast. Austin also started baseball this month. He is loving coach pitch and is such a natural.

Chase started preschool this month as well and feels "big like Austy". He has the teacher Austin had last year so she knows and loves Chase already. Chase is such a sweet boy and loves "Bwakey" so much and helps take care of him when he is home. We always laugh at the things Chase says. His latest items are "I want to live in.... (that car, the gym, that pool, that tree, those shoes, that church, etc)". When Chasey gets mad now at anything he says "I hate...(our car, the gym, our house, etc)". You can see how Chase teeters back and forth from loving something so much he wants to live in or on it and hating it. He is one funny little boy!

Blake is SO big. He runs everywhere. He LOVES to sing and is found often just singing "Da, da, da, da, da" and we can almost make out the tune he is singing to. He is so happy all of the time and enjoys playing and wrestling with his brothers. He is already (at 1) proficient with a light saber and will occasionally use the force when necessary. He says some fun words now and still uses sign language for things like "more, down, & drink". He has added so much to our family and we love him so much.

We hope this finds all of you well and happy!

The Dave Farnsworth Family

Allen Family News July 2007

Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart, blushing, whispered the first word of love; it is the home that God has given you that by striving to perfect yourselves therein you may prepare to ascend to him. ~Giuseppe Mazzini


Jeanne & Sid Stephenson

The beginning of June we were honored to have Shelly and Dave here for a couple of days. We surely enjoyed their company and help. Seems like we lean on our children more and more to help us do things we aren’t able to do. Dave spent a few prime hours setting up my new computer which has been “hair-raising” for me to even attempt. Many thanks!!!

Sid had his last eye cataract surgery in early June. He is glad to have the procedures behind him. Now he is waiting for new glasses so he can really be back to normal.

The latter part of June found us in SLC again…attending a wedding reception of the Barr’s daughter and a missionary who served in Latvia. We were able to see so many old friends from our missionary days. Wonderful!

Stephanie, Dave and their boys arrived the last of June to spend a few days here with us. We enjoyed them so much and we were able to get better acquainted with the kids. They are adorable…just like all our grandchildren are. The time went by much too fast. While they were here, we had a dinner party and Ron and Dawn, Shauna and Troy joined with us. Sandie just ‘happened to be here too…it was so nice to have family around.

We are still doing the Stake Baptisms and enjoy that calling very much. Sid carries the majority of the work and I just ‘assist’. Just want to close by telling ALL my children and grandchildren how much we love each of you and we are proud of the choices you are making with your lives.

Sandie & Neil Taft

June has been a wonderful month for our family. So many blessings – we are so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father. Meela went to a new doctor to have her cancer checked again. He cut more out and had another biopsy. It came back cancer free!!! We know that our many prayers have been answered. She is doing great and working hard and enjoying all of her spare hours with Ben Tippets.

Kris is still working long and hard hours. He is the evening supervisor of Cottonwood Youth Academy and is really making a difference with the youth. His family is doing great. The children went to Tayler horseback riding camp and Brenton went scout camp and earned 6 merit badges, he also starts foot ball. Weslie is taking fencing lessons. Clayton is just busy being cute and getting ready for preschool. Everyone is growing so quickly – wish we could have been there to see their big recital. All four Brenton, Tayler, Weslie and Clayton were in Peter Pan. I heard from reliable sources (Meela and Kari) that they each did fantastic. Allison stays busy with classes, teaching preschool and also ballet.

Kari and Jeremy are doing great. Jeremy is working at Discovery and Kari is working at Express. They juggle their schedules to care for little Curtis. He is going so quickly and will soon be walking all over. Kari and Curtis were able to come and visit us the last week of June. We loved every minute although their visit went by too fast!!

Neil and I are still working hard at our jobs and our Church assignments. On the side, we garden, help in the community, visiting teach and home teach 8 families (we are companions), go to the Temple and just plain have fun together.

It was great to be able to seem Mom and Sid, Stephanie and Dave and their boys and Shauna and Troy when we went to the valley last weekend.

Can’t wait to see all of you at the reunion!!!!

Shelly & Dave Senior

The long awaited summer finally dawned and the well earned rest never materialized as each Senior departed in his or her own summer travel marathon. Among the highlights include Ryan's travels to Sonora, Mexico where he learned first hand the blessings of humanitarian service. His basketball team is unique in that it uses basketball as a sort of good-will ambassodor with a team in Mexico. Once a year the team travels to Hermosillo and the surrounding areas and works in orphanages and elderly homes. Language barriers are broken down with smiles, friendship, service and open hearts. He worked all day and then played basketball into the late hours of the night. He returned home exhausted but a better man.

Scott became an official High School graduate!! This was a day that Scott (and at times his parents) thought would never come but it is a significant milestone. Before Scott is off to BYU with his brother in the fall, he was lucky enough to enjoy a trip to the Bahamas at the Atlantis resort. He returned home in time to spend a week in Santa Barbara at EFY. He had a marvelous experience and a strengthening of testimony which is a refesher of the soul. He had a great time and I had to tell him all my stories of being at UCSB with Dad while he was working on his PHD. Dad would drop me at the beach, go to class, and pick me up when he was done. It is one of the many good memories I have of Dad!

Dave and I made our semi-annual pilgrimage to Hawaii for the Student Appreciation Dinner at BYUH. We were able to meet the new BYUH President, Steven Wheelwright. But the most enjoyable part of the trip was, as always, spending time with Craig and Linda. It was a special treat this time because Dawn and Emily and their kids were there, and even Steph made some cameo appearances. They are always so much fun to be with and it was so fun to be there. We always leave feeling grateful for Craig and Linda and their family and the association we enjoy with them. We have spent time with them in Hawaii and London and regardless of the exotic locations, just being with them seems to be the highlight of our travels.

In other news, we leave in two days (on Tuesday, July 10, but whose counting!!) to pick up Derek in Spain!. We are so looking forward to seeing where he served his mission, but mostly are excited to see HIM! He has had a marvelous experience serving as a missionary and I'm certain his live will be altered for good. He sent a letter home this week that he fractured his radius so we will take care of that when we return. More to follow when we have had a chance to get the download from Derek. FYI, he will be speaking in Sacrament Meeting in our Ward in Highland on July 29th at 9:30a. If any of you are in town, we would love to have you and will even provide a lunch afterwards!

Other than that, the boys and Dave just really sit around like slugs and play Guitar Hero. The only time they move is when they hear the garage door open when I come home. At least they get some exercise with that! It has been hot in Utah this summer but we jump in the pool and try not to think about it. Can't wait to catch up with everyone next month when we are all together. I am so excited to see everyone at the reunion. It will be here before we know it. Sorry this is short, but we are alive and sometimes well.

Love you all,

Shelly

Stacy & Greg Hansen

June was a fun month for our family. Towards the beginning of June Emma
had her end of year dance performance & Madelyn performed in the ballet
Copellia. Madelyn also had a fun month of softball. She is a great player
& her team loved her because she was the only one who hit a home run!
Madelyn & Emma are both taking swimming lessons & ballet during the summer.
Koby is busy with his new job at Rockwell on the cleanup crew. He loves
working with the Mexican's because he is learning more Spanish. He got to
take off a couple weeks for our family vacation & EFY. We went on a fun
family vacation last month. We started at Shelly & Dave's & had a fun day
of swimming & a BBQ. We also got to attend my high school dinner group
because we were in town. It was so much fun seeing my friends from high
school. It had been years. On Father's Day we headed down to Saint George
to surprize Greg's dad (they are on their mission there). We had a slight
delay because our car broke down. We did make it, but it wasn't a surprize.
We spent a couple extra days in St. George waiting to find out about our
car & ended up buying a new one because it was $8,000 to fix the Durango.
We were able to make the last couple days of our vacation & we went to
Rosarito beach in Mexico. It was a lot of fun. The children were good
sports because we didn't make it to Disneyland. It is interesting how
even when you have a major change of plans how you can still enjoy yourself
in different ways. The guy who sold us our car in St. George is taking the
missionary discussions because of Greg. His parents are working with him.
Also, as we were sitting along the freeway with our car broken down & it was
95 outside and we had been there several hours, kids fighting, some of us
not having the best attitude, I had been thinking we are stuck out here in
the middle of nowhere & noboby even knows where we are! Almost immediately
I had a strong impression come over me that the Lord always knows where we
are. It helped to know that the Lord really knows all of us & that He is
always there for all of us & always knows where we are. The church is true
& at least that can be a constant in our lives! I love you all! Greg,
Stacy, Koby, Madelyn, & Emma

Shauna & Troy

Well, it sure has been a fun June, since we were gone for most of it, diving in the waters of Cozumel and Cancun. Troy and I went with

2 other couples from my ward and spent 8 days diving and exploring the ruins of Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum. This was our first dive, out of getting certified. We were so excited to go to one of the top dive sites in the world to do our first dive. The visibility was about 150 ft. We saw stingrays, eagle rays, puffer fish, toad fish, a SHARK (it was a nurse shark…not real interested in swimming with anything that considers me a snack). We did a ship wreck, and a bunch of coral reefs down to ab

out 90 ft in the water.

We were able to bring back a leather copy of the “Tree of Life” or Lehi’s dream for Mom and Sid. Pretty awesome.

Work is going really well. I am working on a pu

blication on one of the procedures we do here in the office from a marketing standpoint, so needless to say, I may be famous one

day…Ha ha…a legend in my own mind.

Sure has been fun hanging out with everyone who comes and visits Mom and Sid. They surely love it…

I miss my sisters and brothers dearly, and wish I could see your lives instead of just hearing about them…Love

you all to pieces…

Sherri & Spencer Plummer

This has been a great month for our family. We have had a clean bill of health for everyone in our family! Who could ask for anything more? The kids have been making new friends, and getting to be better swimmers all the time. Spencer and I went on a trip to Boston and Chicago. We went to Wrigley Field, and to Fennway Park. What an experience that was. It was so much fun. We took Sydney on the trip and she did fabulous! Spencer and I are getting ready for Africa and the family reunion. We are so excited to see everyone! Sydney's Baby Blessing will be on August 5, 2007 at 10:30 in the morning, for all those that want to leave after that, we would love to have you there!! Spencer is just getting better at Gymnastics, doing 6 backhandsrpings into a back flip. Pretty scarry to watch, but he is really good. Sabrina is now riding her bike again without training wheels, and had her first major crash, with major road rash on her knee and face. She is now proud of her "trophies." Sammy is making new friends and getting ready for school in September. She is such a great babysitter for Sydney. Sydney is sleeping between 5-7 hours per night. I love it. We are all doing wonderful and can't wait to see all of you next month. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers during our struggling times! You are all the best!

Love,

Spencer, Sherri, Spencer IV, Sabrina, Sammantha and Sydney (i guess that I could include Max too)

Stephanie & Dave Farnsworth

June was a busy and wonderful month for our family. Our Summer has been full. In Texas is started raining the first week of June and literally has not stopped since!

Dave spent the 1rst week end of June in Austin at a conference. He had a wonderful time (and doesn't mind too much being wined and dined by the reps). He spent most of the other Saturdays working at the dental office in Plano. He has really enjoyed his time there and has made some good new friends. He loves letting the kids know he is "the boss" at work. They think it is pretty cool. We had a great Father's Day this month and are so grateful for Dave. We cooked up his favorite meal and the boys made him a gigantic paper tie that he wore to church. He really is an amazing father. Dave took me to the play "Chicago" this month. It was somewhat entertaining. Although it was basically a bunch of scantily clad women walking around the stage singing. Dave is always so good to make sure we get our date nights in. We were so happy to have him during his break and are sad to see him return to school Monday!

I have stayed busy this month with mommy school, dentist & doctor appointments, summer movies, camps, primary, book club, play dates, swim lessons, you get the idea. We certainly have had full days. The boys are still LOVING mommy school and I have enjoyed interacting with them so much. I feel like we have all learned a little something. Planet Earth week, Detective week, Information and Communication week, and Money week were all huge successes. Crafts, lessons, activities, you name it have filled our rainy days. It has been great to have the kids to myself all day. We have had some great snuggle time and have built some of the biggest forts you have ever seen out of all of the pillow and cushions in our house! I really love being a mommy and playing with the kids. Book club was at my house this month and we read "Persuasion" by Jane Austen. It was a great book and a fun discussion. I had a couple of mindless reads this month as well "Twilight" and "New Moon". They were great for a light, pleasure read! I was able to almost catch completely up on scrapbooking this month while Dave was out of town. There is nothing like staying up late and finishing a project. I really do love to scrapbook....I just wish there were more time in the day to do it more often. For primary I am getting ready for our upcoming Pioneer Day activity that I am in charge of. We will have breakfast, a short program and a parade. It has been fun to coordinate and should turn out great. I was able to take my sister Sue to "Spamelot" this month too. It was such a fun time and I really laughed hard. It was great to hear other adults laugh out loud and just relax. I still am loving having my blog and connecting with friends near and far. I have been able to write a "Grateful Sunday" post each Sunday to help express gratitude for the many blessings in my life. There are so many. We flew to Arizona the 28th of June. The boys were great on the flight and we were so happy to not have to drive. It was so great to be there (but I will write about our AZ trip for July's update). We already miss everyone there!

Austin had a busy month. Besides doing mommy school with me and Chase, he does his reading lesson, math lesson and practices his piano songs everyday. He has such an innate desire to learn. I love that about him. He spent the first week of June in Soccer camp that was coached by professional soccer players from all over Europe. He loved his camp and told me he definitely wants to go back next year. He has enjoyed lots of play dates. He loves his friends.

Chase turned 3 this month! He feels really big now and says "I'm big now" all of the time. He had a pirate cake and a small little party with his two closest friends. Chase has had fun with mommy school too. I am so surprised at what he can pick up on as such a young age. Chase has also enjoyed lots of play dates this Summer. Chase took his first swimming lessons the second week of June. He did so well and can swim without a life jacket in the deep end. We are really proud of him. Although he can be a little stinker he is so sweet.

Blakey turned 1 this month! He is the smiliest and sweetest little boy. He is walking everywhere and enjoys being the shadow of his two older brothers. He is always content and is always willing to give up a hug and a kiss. He really is a little sunshine. We can't wait to watch his personality unfold even more during these next two months.

Love and miss you,

Dave, Steph, Austin, Chase & Blake Farnsworth

Happy Birthday Chase!





Happy Birthday Blake (balloon birthday hat & muffin birthday stars)


At the park...

Austin's soccer camp


Guitar Hero date night...we are rock stars!