HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! From the Hacker!

Hello Everyone....
Let me tell you a story. This beautiful story began over 29 years ago. I thought Shaila would have blogged it. But Shaila is busy with work ... so it is left to me. The hacker.....

Pull up a chair. Are you comfy? Got a bag of chips?

Lets see... it all began over 30 years ago. Perhaps thats before many of you were even born! There was a little place in Provo called the brick oven., perhaps have you heard of it? It was there that the magic began, There was a cute oh wait, shaila would rather I use the word DARLING, there was this darling young girl named shaila. She was a freshman and well.. lets be honest a little giggley. (things havent changed much) She went to the Brick oven with friends. As she went there to be seated they asked for how many. She said 3 (or 4 I forget) anyway, as soon as these words left her mouth, a deep sexy voice from behind her said. "Make that a table for 6 (or 8)" Brad was quite the manly man. Shaila says he had Popeye arms from installing pavers all summer... sigh.


Sadly that was the last date for a while.....

Brad stalked her .. oh I mean watched her from a distance, while she matured. This stalking.. or intent watching, lasted many, many, many years.. just kidding Brad didnt have that much time to spare! Shaila was a hottie and boys were circling, He had to make his move. He waited 2 years..

It was a dark night (as most nights are) and Shaila got ready to go dancing at the Star Palace. (it wasnt a seedy joint back then) As she was dancing, she was approached. The popeye armed man was back. He had watched her grow up and knew at that moment he wanted to be her man forever.

That is how it all began...

This I know (other than Shaila doesnt change her password EVER..) Brad is Shaila knight in shining armor. Shaila is Brads queen. They make such a cute couple.... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (I know a few days late, but hey, whats an anniversary without me hacking your blog?? I would post pictures of the roses from the anniversary but I dont have any....

LOVE YOU signed ...Your Friend (??) I hope that is true after you read it!

Family Group Pictures!

I am really late posting this but so much was happening at the time... anyway, I really want to document the pictures taking so here goes!

Thanksgiving weekend was Dallin's farewell and we had the whole family in town. We decided to do a family group picture since Dallin would be gone for the next two years. The guys do not enjoy taking pictures as much as girls do... and so when we finished the ones I HAD to have the girls and I decided to stick around and do some fun ones of them! They are quite the models! Kaitlin is a close friend to the family and she was so willing to these for us, THANK YOU KAITLIN!!!
This first one was just for fun, one of me and my girls!

Diana is such a tiny little thing, I thought this was so cute of her!



I like this one of Brittany, it should be on the cover of a country music CD!



My darling daughters in law, I just love them!

I LOVE this pic of the boys! It totally shows their personalities, always goofing off! It just makes me happy to look at!

Derek and Brittany!

Devin and Diana!

This is the family picture that we decided on... it hangs on a wall in the family room... even though my hair is blonde again and Devin has shaved his beard!

This is also on one of the walls in my family room. Blake had to leave early that day to go to a funeral, so we didn't get a pic of him. I really need to get one of him SOON!!

As the boys were taking all the props back to the car, I looked up to see Dallin carrying the suitcases, I quickly got Kaitlin's attention... it was so symbolic of why we were doing family pictures at this time... so symbolic of Dallin leaving to go to serve the Lord for two years... love this pic!

Elder Bergquist

Dallin reported to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo on Dec. 8, 2010. He was supposed to go directly to the MTC in Sao Paulo Brasil but his visa didn't come in time. There are about 400 missionaries currently waiting for their visas. You can read an article about it HERE. Dallin finished his 9 weeks in the MTC in Provo and is now currently serving in the Billings Montana mission waiting for his visa. He and his companion are in serving in Powell Wyoming right now. He is living in a garage that he says has a sink, bathroom, and a washer and dryer. He doesn't mention any kind of stove or fridge! I will ask him about that in his next email on Monday! If you are interested I am doing a blog for him HERE. OR in the future you can always click on his picture on the side bar, that too will take you to his blog.

He was told yesterday to fill out some visa paperwork on line and we were to send in 2 more passport size picture for his visa, I hope that means it will be coming soon! We keep praying and fasting...

I'm gonna be a grandma!!!

We went up for Brittany's graduation from BYUI on Dec. 17th. We were just sitting in their cute little apartment when Derek said to Brittany, "Should we give the mom's part of their Christmas now?" I remember thinking, "You don't need to do that now, you are coming to our house for Christmas, just wait till then" Boy, am I glad they didn't!!! Derek got up and went to their bedroom and came out with 2 scrolls of paper tied up in a pretty red bow and he handed on to me and one to Brittany's mom. I opened it and it looked like a "graduation certificate", very fitting since that is why we were all there! Brittany was graduating! BUT, as I looked closer I saw a picture of a fetus!!! WAIT. NO. WAY. Is that our gift??? WHAT? I couldn't even read the words on the paper, I tried to calm down and read it but I was so excited I couldn't!!! Finally I looked up and yep, I could tell by the expression on Derek's face!!! He is going to be a daddy and I am going to be a grandma!!!!

Here is what our exciting news looked like!!!

And, here is the 1st picture of my grand baby!!!

Brittany was 8 weeks at the time and she wanted to make it to 12 weeks before she told everyone. She told us (mom's 1st).... well, actually, they were very kind and they told Dallin 1st! All of my boys LOVE babies and Dallin, having 2 of his brothers married was very excited to be an uncle!!! BUT, he left for his mission before becoming one! So, they told him 1st... they told him at Thanksgiving! And, he was a good uncle and kept a secret! THEN, they told us moms... and then they told the rest of the family. I had to be a good grandma for 4 weeks! It about killed me! I wanted to stand on the rooftops and tell it for the whole world to know! But, I was a good granny! My lips were sealed.

Anyway....

Guess what??!!!

♥♥ I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!♥♥

For all my friends out there... do you go by Grandma? Granny? G-ma? WHAT??!!!

Christmas!

It was nice to have all the kids home for Christmas! I hate having them live so far away!!! I found this saying the other day and I love it, I am going to have a friend make it out of vinyl to put above our kitchen table, "Time spent together makes our home a house"! LOVE IT, it is so true! the only bummer for the kids that came from Utah and Idaho was all the rain we got! It is usually sunny and warm and we always take a trip down to the beach... but not this year! Look at all the rain we got! This is our back yard!

The lemon tree probably loved it though...

Here are pics from a couple of our family traditions...

Dipping pretzels for our friends...

And, making tamales WITH our friends...

Then we come home and mess around...

We always open our ONE Christmas Eve gift, the girls got pajama bottoms and the boys got "Lakers" pillow cases. We always read Luke 2 before going to bed... We DO have to remember WHY we celebrate Christmas! How grateful we are to our elder brother, Jesus Christ, that came to earth to be an example and to atone for our sins!

Christmas Breakfast!

And opening gifts...
Mom (Grandma Measles) went to the Holy Land this year (2010) with a tour group and she brought back all the boys (including Brad) oil from the olive trees in Gethsemane.

Stockings!

The girls got rolling pins from Anthropologie!

Derek's new scarf...

Blake in his new Lakers hat

Hummmm... wonder what Chad got Devin? °Ü°

It seemed to be the year for shoes!

or boots! °Ü°

Chad got a new cell phone!

My mom got Brad and I this beautiful picture!

This is where I hung it... okay, fine, this is where I had it hung! °Ü°

And, our sweet children went in together and got Brad and I this fire pit! I love it! I have wanted one for a long time!

So, Derek built a fire in it for us!

And we got in the jacuzzi!

We had a a wonderful Christmas... (although we did miss Dallin.... a. lot.!)