The TP Crew

MEMORY WALK 2009

2009-11-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Every year my family does the Alzheimer's Memory Walk to raise money for research and awareness. This disease is something very personal to us because we watched our sweet Grandma Bird battle this for years and years. We also watched Grandpa and the amazing way he cared for her the last couple years. He was so completely unselfish! He had dedicated his whole life to her...and in those final years, that dedication required 24 hr. care. Feeding, bathing, changing, etc...he did it all and NEVER complained. His love and devotion to her was one of the greatest lessons I have ever seen. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to live with them for 6 months the year before she died. That time with her, and the opportunity to serve her is something I will always cherish!! We miss them dearly!!!! We were short about 15 people this year. It was really hard to do this without Grandpa Bird and without Mom and Dad this year. We miss Mom and Dad sooooo much!! A few tears were shed...
Rachael was at the State Marching Band Competition and
Michael had a scout hike so they both missed the fun!

Nicole was the oldest grandchild there and was such a GREAT helper.

I couldn't believe how far she carried her cousin Jameson!

I love my nephews!!!

Alex was literally trying to crawl out by the end...Corinne got a workout!

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

I told my parents when they left on their mission to the Congo in Africa that I would post more often so they could see pictures of the kids. As you can see...I have failed miserably! In my defense, I have been A LITTLE busy lately! (But that story is for another blog entry!) So this is for Grammy and Papa...we miss you guys sooooooo much! Darth Maul
Twister...one of our favorite games!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Rafael)

Missing Rachael...she was at the NAU Band Competition.

Biker Chick!

Pirate!

Don't we look mean???

Summer Fun

2009-09-06T13:00:00.001-07:00

BROADWAY KIDS!!

The Phoenix Zoo

Bowling...one of our favorite activities!

Touring the Krispy Kreme store. We got hats and a free doughnut!

A tour of the Fire Station in our neighborhood.

It wasn't our best summer ever (that's an understatement!) but we did get to do some fun things before my surgeries. We just loved getting to spend time together!

MORE FAMILY PICTURES

2009-07-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

FAMILY PICTURES!!!!

2009-05-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

http://amyfraughtonphotography.blogspot.com/

These pictures were taken by my friend Amy Fraughton. She is an AMAZING photographer!! She was so great to work with and I'm so grateful for her generosity! This photo shoot was offered to me as part of a Christmas promo she did. My dear friend Angel submitted our family and we were chosen for this great opportunity. Thanks ladies!!!!

MICHAEL, YOU ROCK!!!!!

2009-02-25T14:24:00.001-08:00

Michael got his Arrow of Light award at the Blue and Gold Banquet last night! He has worked really hard on his scouting and got his Weblos and his Faith in God last month. He loves the scouting program and has had a great leader, Bryan Mortensen. He has really encouraged Michael and helped him so much! I am so grateful for his help too!! :)

They gave him an amazing arrow that he can hang in his room. It's something he's very proud of and I'm proud of him too!

Michael's b-day party was last week. When he found out he couldn't take 10 friends to the movies ($$$$) he decided to do a Rock Band party. All the kids took turns trying each instrument and each soon picked their favorite one. Except for Miles Christensen (guitar). He plays the piano, drums and guitar...the REAL ones! So he couldn't choose a favorite and pretty much kicked everybody elses booty! You rock Miles!!! They had a great time!! Even little Dylan loved it! :) He thought he was one of the big boys playing "Wock Band!"

We love you Michael! And in every way...YOU ROCK!!!

WHO'S KID IS THAT ANYWAY?????

2009-01-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

If you want to feel better about your day just go to my sister's blog (The Webb Family) and read her "Laundry Issues" entry.

WE LOVE GRANDPA!

2009-01-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa passed away on January 10th, his 90th birthday. He was such a wonderful man, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my feelings about him. I was so blessed to have grandparents that were so involved in my life. When I was young they lived in Salt Lake City. We would go stay with them every summer and sometimes Christmas too. I absolutely loved going to their house. In the summer we would play outside for hours. We'd go to a nearby field and shoot off rockets. We'd ride the bus downtown (which as a child was a treat!) and go shopping and eat out (which was also a treat!) When I was in Jr. High they moved about a mile from us and it was one of the greatest blessings in my life. They were at every important thing in my life except for the 2 yrs. they were on their mission. They were there for my MANY concerts. There were my loudest fans at the Jr. Miss pagaent and my high school graduation. I loved having them there.

Later I had the opportunity to live with them while our first house was being built. I thoroughly enjoyed spending that time with them. We would stay up late talking, or watching "Steinfeld", or the Suns game. Grandma would get so worked up over the games and Grandpa would have to calm her down. They were so gracious and always acted like they were thrilled to have us there. 5 years later when we were building another house Grandpa generously invited us to live with him again. This time was different. Grandma's Alzheimer's was advanced at that point and she didn't even know who I was. The 6 months we lived there were some of the most challenging, but most rewarding of my life. I had a 6 week old baby that cried all the time, 2 older children to care for and a desire to help my Grandpa as he cared for Grandma. She needed constant supervision and constant care. I helped bathe her, dress her, feed her, etc. I loved having the opportunity to serve her and to help Grandpa. He was so incredibly dedicated to her. I have never seen greater devotion and sacrifice in my life. He cared for her every need, at great personal sacrifice. He was such an amazing example to me!

After Grandma passed away Grandpa took the opportunity to travel which was something he and Grandma had enjoyed, but he hadn't been able to do in the years he was caring for her. He traveled to many places but the opportunity to spend 10 days in France and Switzerland with him were a treasure to me. Grandpa was so good to me on that trip. He and I were the only ones without spouses so he said that he would be my date. He was so amazed by everything we saw and kept saying that he never thought he'd see these things in his lifetime. The best part of that trip was Grandpa's hike to the top of a monestary called Mont St. Michel. He didn't think there was any way he would make it to the top. But with Dad on one side and Ryan on the other he made his way to the top. What a tremendous example he was to me. He was always so positive and always showed so much gratitude for his blessings...even through the physical trials. He is such an inspiration to me!

WE'RE BACK!!

2009-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

At the encouragement of my family and friends (mostly Angel) I'm going to try to get back to posting regularly. I can't make any promises about how often "regularly" will be, but I'll do my best. Here's what we've been up to since I last wrote...

Rachael turned 14 on November 15th. I can't believe that she is that old (because that makes me old too!). She is such a good girl. She keeps busy with cheer, piano lessons, playing the flute in band, her YW duties, and of course...texting! She was so excited to turn 14 so she could go to the stake dances. She went to her first one Sat. night and had a great time. She is quite the social butterfly (I wonder where she gets that!)

We had a great Thanksgiving with all my family at my sister, Emily's house. It was so fun to have everyone there. The cousins all have such a great time when they're together. And my siblings and I all enjoy each other's company so much. We just don't get to spend enough time all together like that.

Black Friday is quite a big tradition in my family. Sandwiched in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we try hard to make sure it doesn't get overlooked! :) My mom and sisters and I go through the ads on Thanksgiving and make our plan of attack! We're in line at 4am and don't go home until the Christmas shopping is completed. Then we went to Paradise Bakery and I met up with my girlfriends and we shopped a couple more hours. No such thing as too much shopping, right?!

December is always a crazy month for everyone, but especially for me. I am still singing with the group Notations (14 yrs. now!) and we perform a lot in December. We sang at the Mesa Temple on Dec. 1. It's one of my favorite places to sing. We also perform other places around the valley and it always makes me feel so good to bring such happiness to those we perform for. Most of them are Snowbirds and don't have any family here so it makes us feel great to bring them joy. And it is such an opportunity for us to share our testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ. The spirit can always touch hearts through music and I love to be a part of that.

Dec 5th was a great day for me. All my closest girlfriends were in town for 1 day. Stacey and Becky and I still live here, but Angel came from Show Low, Kristi from Snowflake, Dorea from St. George, and Rhonda from Hawaii. And Amy surprised us from...Suprise:) We had a big slumber party at Stacey's gorgeous house. We stayed up late and giggled like we were in High School again. It was so fun to get to spend that time all together. I love those girls...I don't know what I would do without them.

My kids left for Utah on the 21st to spend 2 weeks with their Dad and his family. His family is wonderful and my kids really enjoy spending time with them. I sent them off with a flood of tears, not knowing what I would do with myself for 2 whole weeks. I made a list of things I was going to do around the house to keep myself busy...clean out closets, reorganize the pantry, etc. But, I didn't actually do any of that stuff! I slept in every day! One day I slept in until 10 (I haven't done that since I became a mother 14 yrs. ago!) I spent the first couple days finishing up Christmas stuff, going to lunch with the girls, and hanging out with Don. Then I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. I missed my kids so much I could hardly stand it. I cried, but I was actually proud of myself that I didn't have a total meltdown. I enjoyed being with my nieces and nephews. It was especially fun to have Ryan and Linsey and their 5 kids here from UT. I miss them so much and thoroughly enjoyed the time I got to spend with them.

The day after Christmas Don and I went to a party with my high school friends. We only get together once a year, but we always have such a great time. I was so blessed to have such amazing friends in high school. We laughed about how our peer pressure was exactly the opposite of most. If we had wanted to get into stuff we shouldn't, there would have been a whole group of people to set us straight. Every guy in our group of friends went on a mission, and everyone got married in the temple and are active in the church. I think I had a truly rare group of friends and I will always be grateful for the influence those people had, and continue to have in my life.

I spent the next few days just hanging out with family, girlfriends, and Don...not accomplishing anything on my list, but having a great time. Then my Grandpa Bird went in the hospital. After a couple of days he was transferred to ICU and I spent the last 4 days of my vacation there. It sounds like a nightmare, but it was actually a great experience. My parents and all my siblings were all there too. We spent a lot of time reflecting on the kind of person my Grandpa was. We talked about the great things he had done in his life and the impact that he had on each of us. It was really a bonding experience for all of us. Grandpa continued to get worse and knowing that he wouldn't get better, he made the decision to take off all the tubes and monitors and go home. He was home for nearly a week before passing away on Saturday, his 90th b-day. I will miss him terribly, but I was so excited for his reunion with my Grandma who he missed dearly. They had a great love affair and I know they are so happy to be together again. My Grandpa also had a brother that was mentally challenged, and I'm excited for him to know his brother well and whole. What a beautiful reunion that will be. The viewing for Grandpa is Wed. night and the funeral is Thursday.

I am so happy to have my kiddos back home, they are my everything! They had a great time playing with cousins, and playing in the snow, lots and lots of snow. I'm not thrilled to be back to my crazy busy life, but what can you do...vacations always have to come to an end. So now you know what we've been up to. You deserve an award if you read this clear through to the end! (Are you happy Angel? :)

THANK YOU!

2008-11-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like being the recipient of amazing service to put things into perspective. I had hernia surgery on the 10th. Not fun, but necessary. I walked like a little old granny...bent over and very slow! I am getting faster but I won't be running any marathons anytime soon. And it will be 6 weeks before I can lift anything over 15 lbs. (which includes Dylan!)

So...how do the kiddos get fed and the clothes get washed and the house get clean and Dylan babysat???? That 's where wonderful family and friends and ward members come in. My ward scheduled meals that have been delicious. My family (especially Mom and Dad) have spent hours doing laundry, cleaning my house, watching Dylan, driving kids places, picking up prescriptions, etc. They are the most unselfish people I know. I have great friends as well that have helped watch Dylan, brought groceries, etc. And friends that have come and watched movies with me and just hung out with me so I don't go crazy just sitting here.

I much prefer being the one who is bringing in the meal, or babysitting kiddos, or cleaning someone's house for them. But I am grateful for those who have done those things for me. It is humbling, and definitely a reminder of how the little services we render mean so much to those on the receiving end in their time of need. I am truly blessed. Thank you!

HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-11-04T23:39:00.001-08:00

The Jones' Halloween party! We missed you Angel, Dorea, Rhonda, and Kristi!

We had a great time trying to find just the right pumpkin at the patch. But every pumpkin was HUGE! We bought the smallest one and I still had to have Michael and Rachael carry it. I can't wait until after the surgery and I can lift things again...I hate being on the injured reserve!

All the cousins (minus the Jamesons in Utah) at Grammy and Papa's Halloween party. They love this tradition because parents are NOT invited. After the pictures are taken they love to shove us out the door...and we love to go out to dinner together with NO KIDS!!

My friend Alene and I went out on Halloween night and had a great time (despite the lame party!) She looked amazing! "Lucy, I'm home!"

NICOLE'S BAPTISM!

2008-10-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day!!! Nicole got baptized on Saturday by Papa (my dad). We are so grateful that he could perform this ordinance for her. Gary and Velyn and Emily and Vili and Jesse and Grandma and Grandpa Frandsen came from Utah. And Alan and Carolyn came from Texas. All of my siblings were there but Ryan and Linsey(we miss you guys!!) We also had great friends and ward members that came to support Nicole in her decision to be baptized. So many people love Nicole!!! :)

It was a special treat to be baptized with her friend Sammy Johnson. He was our next door neighbor and is one of Nicole's best friends. We were so happy to share this great day with the Johnson family, they are dear friends!

CHOCOLATE PARTY!

2008-10-14T21:02:00.001-07:00

Nicole is addicted to chocolate! She comes by it honestly...her Mom's addicted to chocolate too. It is a special bond we share! For her 8th birthday party she wanted to have a chocolate party. She wanted to have the chocolate fountain and all the yummy stuff that goes with it-strawberries, bananas, pineapple, marshmallows, and graham crackers. They had a great time smothering everything in chocolate! Their faces were covered with the proof!

A NEW COUSIN!!!!!

2008-09-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about our new cousin! My sister-in-law and her husband have been waiting 9 years to become parents and they just adopted a beautiful baby boy. We are so excited for them, they will be wonderful parents! Check out her blog (Lisa and Anthony) for pictures of sweet little Lawerance!

SCOTT ROCKS!!!!!

2008-09-07T18:50:00.001-07:00

My youngest brother Scott is in a band called White Mammoth. They are really good (of course I'm not prejudiced at all!) They are really fun to listen to and we love to watch Scotty rock out. He is an amazingly talented musician...he plays the guitar and piano, and sings and writes music too. White Mammoth played on Saturday at Tempe Marketplace and it was the first time that my kids were able to see Uncle Scotty play. They thought he was cool before but now they think he is "the bomb!" We're proud of you Scott...you rock!

TOOL BELT DIVAS!!!

2008-08-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Tanisha threw a great birthday party for a friend in our ward. The theme was, "Tool Belt Divas." She went all out...decorations, hats, fondant cake, etc. We felt very "manly" as we tried to identify tools and build things. My friend Alene and I were partners in the birdhouse building contest and we won! (I had some major aggression to get out that night!) We won a Diva tool belt, pink safety goggles, a pink hammer and gloves and a screwdriver. We all had a blast! Thanks girls!

I Bet You Didn't Know We Were Expecting!!!!

2008-08-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

We didn't know we were expecting either! But Sunday night this beautiful baby appeared on our doorstep. The note read...Please take care of my baby, Billy Bob Two-Teeth, etc., etc, etc. We thought it was hilarious! It came from our great friends the Gardners. They grew this watermelon in their garden...pretty impressive, huh?! And it was delicious! Thanks guys!

Dylan Turns 3!!!

2008-08-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Since this was the first birthday that Dylan was actually aware was occuring, I let him pick out his own cake. He chose this "catapilla" cake made of cupcakes. He loved it and kept going to the counter to look at it ALL DAY! I told him we were going to put 3 candles on it because he was going to be 3 yrs. old. He said, "I'm 8, I'm goin' to get baptized!" (We've attended 2 cousins baptizms lately) He told everyone he came in contact with that day that he was 8 and he was getting baptized. He even told my parents that when they returned from Canada a week after his birthday. They said, "How old are you Dylan?" And he said "I'm 8, I'm goin' to get baptized."

Back to School!

2008-08-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

So, the first day back to school is always so full of excitement...new clothes, new backpacks, new lunchboxes, new teachers, and new friends. That's all great for the kiddos, but for Mom it means being away from my kids all day, everyday! This is very hard for me because I miss not being with them. I just don't get to spend as much time as I'd like with them during the school year! So, I'm happy for their first day back, and sad for me! I keep telling them to stop growing up but you know how kids are...they just don't listen!!!!

I took the cutest individual pictures of them but for some reason I kept getting an error message! I love technology...but not as much as you, you see! (Thanks, Napoleon Dynamite) Rachael is in 8th grade and is the big man on campus. Michael is in 5th grade, and Nicole is in 2nd grade. They are such great kids...I couldn't be more proud!

UTAH!

2008-07-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new camera and have been taking pictures again. These are some of the best from our trip to UT. We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and cousins. One of the highlights of the trip was Hogle Zoo where we got some fantastic pictures.

No Pictures!!!!!!

2008-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are loving summer vacation! It is so nice to not have to be ready and out of the house by 7:30 every morning. We have had time to just relax and hang out, and time to do some fun things. Last week we went swimming a few times at Garin's house. I took a lot of great pictures of the kids and some of their friends all playing in the pool. HOWEVER... my sweet, innocent, darling 2 yr. old Dylan decided that the camera wanted to go swimming with us so he chucked it into the water. I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped in after it but it was too late. The camera was gone.
There is a reason that Heavenly Father makes 2 yr. olds so stinkin' cute, and that reason is because if they weren't so stinkin' cute...we would wring their little necks! It's a good thing that Dylan is adorable, because it saved his life this time! So it may be a little while before you see pictures again on this blog. Not because my kids aren't doing anything cute or fun...but because my darling little Dylan was having TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!

Boys Will Be... Transformers?

2008-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry this video is a little bouncy, but I think it's so funny how they play Transformers. Dylan cracks me up when he transforms himself to standing, and then back down to a car. However, at the end he apparently turns into a puppy because Transformers do NOT say Ruff!

School's Out...Scream and Shout!

2008-05-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

That is how we feel around here about the end of the school year! I survived my first year teaching full time and the kids got wonderful report cards. Michael even got straight A's! We all had a great year, but now it's time to PARTY! We are so excited to get to spend some time together as a family!

(I'm experimenting...if you got an email notification about this post, please email me back and let me know. Thanks!)

My Teenager!

2008-05-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Rachael has been gone for 4 days now! She went with her friend Marja's family to their houseboat on Lake Powell. I know that she is a teenager, and that sometimes she is moody, hormonal and the world revolves around her...but I miss her like CRAZY!!! About 5% of the time we call her "The Beast" but the other 95% of the time she is a joy to have around. She is such a good girl! I'm so proud of her and the choices she makes in her life. She is talented (this picture was at her band concert) and funny, and smart, and beautiful, and such a great help to me. I know this sounds a little like a "brag" not a "blog", but oh well!

Here she is with her best friends Marja and Scarlett. They are great girls!!!

Our French Anniversary!

2008-05-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

So...I always blog about my kids because I think they are wonderful and my whole world revolves around them. However, this one is just about me. Exactly 1 year ago my family embarked on an amazing journey to France and Switzerland. My dad served his mission there and has been a French professor for 35 yrs. He has always dreamed of taking his children back the place he loves so dearly. Last May that dream became a reality. 12 of us packed up and headed for Paris. After a chaotic journey there, (that's another whole story) we finally arrived in Paris and began the trip of a lifetime. We saw all the tourist attractions...the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumphe, the Louvre, Versaille, etc. Then we headed north for some out of the way places and drove through some beautiful country to the Normandy Beaches and Mont St. Michel and many more. After an exciting ride on the high speed train to Geneva, we visited the mission home where my dad had served. We got to see where he lived and where he tracted, and where they sang in the park to attract investigators. It was a wonderful opportunity to share those places that had meant so much to him. Of course this is only a handful of places we went to and things we saw. The 10-day trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I will forever be grateful to my parents for taking us on that journey!

Now, to explain the picture above...to celebrate the one year anniversary of our glorious trip to France and Switzerland, we went out to a new french resteraunt in Suprise called Amuse Bouche (is that spelled right dad?) Anyway, we ate great french food and talked all night about our incredible memories of that trip. Truly, the trip of a lifetime!

My Little Star!

2008-05-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Nicole performs with a showchoir called Sunshine Generation. They had their awards ceremony on Thurs. and she received her 2 yr. trophy. She has been anxiously awaiting that trophy for...2 whole, long, years. She is very proud of it and shows it to everyone! She has great teachers-Miss Cami and Miss Wendy. They had the opportunity to perform Saturday for the Peach Festival at Schnepf Farms. They did a great job! She has really enjoyed having her girlfriends, Jessica and Jenna, perform with her this year. Then we took advantage of all the fun things to do at the festival...great food, shopping booths, the petting zoo. We had a really fun day, but we missed Michael too. (He was at the Father's and Son's with his friends.)

P.S. Notice that Nicole is missing her front tooth. She pulled it out HERSELF this week. I was so proud of her because she usually makes somebody else pull them out for her! EEWWWW!

Dylan is Sooooo 2!!!!

2008-05-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

I was asked to play the piano in our stake conference last week and I needed a few minutes to practice. With a 2 yr. old around, I knew I needed to contain him in one place while I practiced so I put him in the high chair with a chocolate pudding cup. He absolutely loves chocolate anything so I expected him to lick the little plastic cup clean, allowing me some great practice time. However, about 5 minutes into my playing I realized it was super quiet. (As a mother of 4 children, I know that super quiet means somewhere, someone is up to something!) As I walked over to the kitchen he must have see me coming because he said, "dat so naughty, huh Mommy!" I laughed so hard for so long. Since I was the only one around I had to grab the camera so I could document the "naughtiness" of it all. He is so stinkin' cute!

Our Zoo Trip!

2008-04-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the zoo for the last time before summer. (You can't see any animals in the summer because they are hiding from the heat!) We had such a great time! We went to the Sting Ray Bay exhibit and got to play with the rays and baby sharks. The kids had a blast touching them and even got splashed by them a couple of times.

The second best part of the zoo trip was Harmony Farm where you can see the animals and pet the goats. Dylan loved the goats!!! He kept chasing them all over. Then when they'd stop he'd say, "what his name?" I'd have to look on the collar and tell him the name of the goat. Then he'd chase the next one and say, "what his name?" It was so darling!
We invited my sisters, Corinne and Stacy, to the zoo with us. Stacy was a trooper because she is 9 months pregnant! Their boys, Jameson, Alex, and Isaac are Dylan's best buddies. It was so funny to watch them talking to each other each time we'd get to a new animal. They would say something to each other and then laugh and laugh. What a blessing to live so close to cousins, and I love spending time with my sisters!

Michael is the Man!!!

2008-04-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

I bought a lawnmower and trimmer a couple of weeks ago. I have a huge yard that my kiddos absolutely love, but the upkeep takes a lot of time. So I enlisted the help of my 10 yr. old, Michael. Papa put the lawnmower together and came over to help us get started and give us a few pointers. (His yard is always immaculate!) Michael was amazing! He had the best attitude! When Papa arrived Michael answered the door and said, "Michael Gary Tassainer reporting for duty!" He listened and followed every direction. He didn't complain once. I was so proud of him! We do the lawn together and it is so fun to spend that time with him. He is such a great young man!

Finally!!!

2008-04-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

At the encouragement of my sister-in-laws and sisters, I am attempting to break into the world of blogging. I (like Corinne) make no promises to how often I will post anything new, or anything even worthwhile of your precious time. But with so many family and friends living so far away, this seems like a good way to share our life with them. I warn you that anything posted on this blog may be a shameless brag about my 4 wonderful, amazing children. They are my EVERYTHING!!