Greetings from the very white and very cold state of Utah.
We have enjoyed a fun filled family Christmas here in Orem, Utah at the home of my parents. We were joined by my siblings and their spouses/families. We have enjoyed being together and spending the holiday with each other.
The kids have been thrilled with their first white Christmas. There has been lots of sledding, snowball fights, snow angels and snowmen making. I'm not sure we will be able to get some of the kids back in the car for the drive back to California.
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas today!
12.25.2008
12.11.2008
christmas letter
Miracles of miracles we sent a family Christmas card this year. We've tried to send cards out the last few years but we always get hung up on the family update letter - hung up meaning we never get around to writing an update and so we always decide to forgo the card for another year.
Hurray for the world of blogging. We no longer feel the stress of trying to come up with the yearly happenings of our family - we simply put our blog address on our Christmas cards and those that care can visit here to see what we have been up to. Oh the simpleness of it all - I love it!
To keep you from having to scroll through the mundane episodes in our life to see what has been happening in the Baker household this year I'll direct you to a few posts documenting happenings in our life that I would have included in a written letter. (click on the bold red to be taking directly to the post)
January brought the following...
Derek gets a new calling too - called to serve on the High Council
we demoed our kitchen - a big job and took it all the way to the walls
work began on our new kitchen
February...
kitchen countertops - yea! Can you tell that the first few months of the year were consumed with remodeling - I'm not sure we had much of a life.
March...
Emily's choir concert - she loves to sing and was a member of the 6th grade choir last year. This year she is in Madrigals and she enjoys every minute of it. She can be heard constantly singing around the house.
April...
Megan's first Youth Conference and some of what went on
The boys head off to a daddy/son adventure at Lake Powell while the girls and I venture off to San Francisco. More on SF here and here
June...
Disneyland - we enjoyed another year of Disneyland passes. It is always fun to head to the happiest place on earth and enjoy time as a family.
July...
August...
one of the highlights of our year - cliff jumping - a favorite shot - coba - tulum - cenotes - I want to be back there so badly - I miss it!
September...
Emily is 12 and beyond excited to be a part of Young Women's at church
October...
a serious blur - let's just say the election took up all our time
November...
Now we are into December - we are busy with the holidays and with planning a trip to Utah for Christmas. We have enjoyed a very busy, yet fulfilling year. It was filled with some heartache but also with lots of fun and laughter.
Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
12.08.2008
helloooooo, anyone there?
We're here, we're here. I sat at the computer today and realized how long it had been since I posted to the blog or caught up on other people's blogs/websites. It hadn't seemed that long but I guess I've been a bit MIA.
So I'm off to download some photos to see if there is anything blog worthy to post about.
11.23.2008
can't forget the other kids
Luke was not my only child dressed up for Halloween - it was all just a blur that went by quickly with not much picture taking. Bad mom or busy mom - you make the call, just be kind.
Emily got to go to her first dance at church - always an exciting event. This picture is of the girls right before the left to go and get their Halloween Dance groove on.
My kids were great about costumes this year. They all knew that I was probably not going to find time to sit at the sewing machine to make costumes but none of them got bent out of shape. All 4 kids have are so considerate and easy going when they sense I am on the verge of a mental breakdown - I love them for that.
Emily was a creepy doll - it was a costume I made Megan a couple years back. In fact Megan wore it to her first dance. She looked cute and she loved the new red shoes I bought her to go with the costume.
Megan said she would be whatever I could find at the costume store - this proved to be difficult. I'm now stepping up on my soapbox...what in the world are people thinking? Every female costume is so inappropriate it's unbelievable. I am not going to send my 14 year old out in a hoochi-fied costume. Think of any character - snow white, a baby, a butterfly, even frankenstein and they have that costume available completely skanked out for girls to wear with everything exposed. It was making me crazy. I ended up finding an almost decent witch costume - everything was good except the length - it was so so short. I found black fabric that matched the sleeves on the dress and so I made an underskirt for the costume to give it more length (so I guess I did get on the sewing machine for a few minutes) The costume turned out well and Megan stayed covered.
Nate was the easiest. We have a gorilla costume - doesn't everyone? and Nate said that was what he wanted to wear. Alright by me - how easy can that be?!?! He loved the costume so much I would occasionally find him wearing it before Halloween. The picture below was days before Halloween - he just put it on to watch tv. Not sure how that could be comfortable but you can't really mess with a gorilla so we let it go.
love note
"Mom, Mom come look. I made something for you." Luke yelled from outside Saturday afternoon. I went out front and found this sweet little note on the neighbors stepping stone...
I love you too Luke. You are such a sweet little guy!
11.20.2008
megan in line - me home blogging
felt like home
Our afternoon of shopping in Playa del Carmen was not my favorite day of the trip but it was still lots of fun. I have to be honest...it felt like any other trip to Tijuana, just a heck of a lot hotter and with no begging children selling Chicle (how do you spell that?)
There were plenty of the standard souvenir shops - you know the ones that sell the garbage that they think the tourists want. I would much rather by something handmade from the locals but the kids thought this was perfect. They all had their own money that they had earned before the trip and the freedom to buy whatever cheap little trinket they wanted.
It was so blasting hot & humid that whenever I would take my camera out the lens would fog so you'll notice lots of blur on my pictures.
The highlight of the day was this adorable little monkey - the furry one, not Luke. We all fell in love with him (except Derek) Derek got to listen to us for the next 20 minutes try to figure out how we could have a monkey as a pet - I don't think he was amused :)
The little guy is either giving Nate some kisses or looking for lunch.
This picture reminds me of pictures I have of myself from trips I took to Tijuana when I was little. I love Luke looking at the cart full of flags.
11.19.2008
mexico, i miss you
Oh, how I'm longing to be back on the Mexican beaches that I love.
Yes, it's been months since this trip but I desperately wish I was there right now and I have nothing else to do tonight but blog so your choices are...enjoy the pictures or go read a different blog.
One of the days of our trip we planned for a day on the island of Cozumel. Derek and I have been there a few times but Derek has never really seen the island because he has always been diving. I felt like a local tour guide since I knew my way around.
We started at Playa del Carmen where we enjoyed sunny skies as we got ready to board the ferry that would take us over to the island. I love that the water in the next few pictures is all different colors - it's not different lighting, the water really does change to all those colors depending on how far out to sea you are. The water is one of my favorite things about this part of Mexico.
No sooner had we docked in Cozumel it started to rain - a lot! I mean a lot, a lot! Some of us took cover in the rental car store while others (the boys of course) paraded around the streets enjoying every minute of the down pour. I'm sure it will be a great memory.
There was lots of splashing in puddles.
Our main reason for going to Cozumel was to visit this orphanage. We got to spend some time with the kids that live here (12 total) and the women that care for them (4-5 women) The kids were adorable and loved the lollipops that we gave them. We also took bathing suits, underwear and other clothes to them but I think the candy was the big hit. I'm glad we had this experience with our kids.
After the orphanage we hopped back into our rental car - this time with top down because the sun finally made an appearance. I love this car! If safety laws were not an issue and I wouldn't be pulled over for squeezing my family of 6 in this car I would so drive one of these. With Mexico's anything goes attitude our family fit in just fine (luckily my "safety mom" of a mother wasn't there - she would have freaked)
We found a great little restaurant right on the beach where we enjoyed some nachos and guacamole. I seriously think this could be heaven - sand, warm beautiful water AND guacamole - does anyone really need anything else?
Right below our table there were a bunch of hammocks where the kids ended up for a bit of a rest
After our meal we headed down to the beach to do some snorkeling and hunt for shells. So I have been on this beach 3 times and we always find the most amazing shells. I'm not talking little broken shells that you find at our California beaches - we're talking big mama conch type shells. The kids dug it!
Every beach we were at Luke always made time for some sand castle building - he loved it and would spend hours building.
It was a fun day on the island - it rated right up there with the day we visited the Coba and Tulum ruins. I loved every minute of family time we had on this little island - I'd go back in an instant.I've gotta end with this shot...
I want this blown up for my house. Not sure what it is about this photo but it's one of my favorites from the trip.
I want this blown up for my house. Not sure what it is about this photo but it's one of my favorites from the trip.get in the picture
Head on over to My Camera is Bigger Than Yours and check out this awesome casting call by Jay Reilly. He is looking for SD or OC families to photograph. Who wouldn't want some great lifestyle shots of their family? I'd give up one of my kids to have Jay take some family shots of us and I'd always have the photos to remember the kid I gave away so all is good. Now, who would I hand over?!?!?!
simple, easy, yummy
Life is busy so when I found this recipe yesterday I knew I had to try it - I love an easy recipe. I added some onion and corn to the meat mixture and threw in a taco side salad and was awarded with 5 sets of 2 thumbs up and a couple of "Mom, you're a great cooker" comments.
11.18.2008
I spy with my little eye something that is yellow
Can you find it? This is the contents of Luke's trick or treating bag. I have been meaning to post this for weeks because I think it is the strangest thing. It's not even really edible.
11.16.2008
out of the frying pan into the fire...
or is it the other way around?
Today I was sustained in church as the Primary President. I thought I'd escaped any demanding callings (for the rest of my life) because of Prop 8 but that seems to not be the case. The verdict is still out whether I am going from frying pan to fire or fire to frying pan - my guess, Prop 8 (fire) to Primary (frying pan)
I have amazing women serving with me in the Presidency and 112 great kids that we get to help grow in the gospel. I'm excited!
11.11.2008
do you see my problem?
and no, it's not my dirty floor.This was all I could find for shoes the other day - 5 right foot shoes and 1 left foot shoe that didn't even match any of the right foot shoes. Seriously, this is pathetic. We need a flip flop intervention program at our house.
The girls and I each have a pair of black and a pair of brown flips and they are all the same size. The boys have brown ones too and Nates are the same size - luckily Derek's gigantic shoes are out of the equation and so are Lukes for the time being. I have to come up with a coding system or else I must forbid my kids from wearing rainbows.
11.06.2008
from the mean streets of london, circa 1985
So much for my favorite holiday - it came and went without much fanfare. I managed to pull together costumes for four kids without much sewing. Luke's costume above was all Goodwill with pants from Target and a can of red hairspray from the costume store - not to bad.
I'll have to dig up some pictures of the other kids in their costumes - in addition to not being in the Halloween mood this year I obviously wasn't into a picture taking mood either.
11.01.2008
from the family
We are deeply saddened to report that our sister, daughter, wife, mother and friend, Susan Lynne Cummings Grover passed away today, Saturday, November 1, 2008 at approximately 1:00 am. Following a valiant seven year battle with breast, lung and finally brain cancer, Susan passed away peacefully at her home with her husband Doug and her siblings at her side.
Susan was 38 years old. She is survived by Doug, and their three daughters Sierra (9), Emily (7) and Rachel (3). Susan earned bachelor and master’s degrees in education at
Most that knew Susan well will always remember her as fiercely loyal and incredibly diligent. She was beloved by all who knew her and was a friend to countless individuals. To her family, Susan always did and will forever represent the ideal Christ-like woman. She was unwavering in her commitment to keeping the commandments and living a pure and righteous life. She profoundly loved her daughters and husband. Susan never failed in her love and support for her brothers and sisters.
At this moment of devastating sadness, we hope to honor Susan for a life of near-perfect goodness. We hope to replicate her deeds, words and actions in our own lives and in our own individual walk with Christ.
A funeral service for Susan Grover will be held Friday, November 7, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel located in
Funeral arrangements are being handled by All Faiths Funeral Services located at
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