Girls in our House

The last couple of days have been very different. We've had the pitter patter of little GIRL feet in our home. It has been fun to have three of our neighbor's little girls visit our home. Somehow the TV has been a part of each visit (and it has been so cute to see all the little ones gathered around, together). Fortunately the TV has only been a small part of each visit. Mostly they just run around and have fun.

Anatomy Lab Final Looms!

Unlike most finals at UVU, the anatomy lab final cannot be offered in the CTC (testing center). I guess having cadavers in the testing center might affect the testing of the other students from the other disciplines across campus. In any case, the final is only being offered on one glorious day (strange that the mid-term had 2 days...). So, in order to beat the crowds a few of the die-hard anatomy students joined me for an early morning cram session starting at 7:00 am, just outside the anatomy lab doors.

Don't let the smiles fool you, we are not happy to be here and no real studying is going on. We are just so tired that we don't really know what we're doing. But our books are open and we reminisce about the glory days of the past semester and how much we won't miss the late-night open labs.
Darcy has been in line since around 6:30 am! Of course she was the only one with a really good reason for being early. Her friends were anxiously waiting for an early morning departure for Mexico! Just as soon as Darcy was out of her anatomy final...

The rest of us just want to get the test done so we can move on to other studies, other tests. I think there comes a point when enough is enough and you need a break. I know I have reach a certain point of exhaustion and just want to sleep.

Oh yes, joking at this early hour, just prior to this major exam, doesn't always go over well. I should just stick to subtle anatomy review.

Thanks everyone for studying with me through out this semester. It has been a long and hard bout with Shively anatomy tactics but we have survived to tell about it. And, more importantly, we have made some new friendships. I wish you the best in the rest of your endeavors.

Ward Campout

We went on the ward camp out this weekend. With things being so crazy we weren't sure if we wanted to try and stay the night or just head up for the evening activities. In the end we decided that it would be worth the extra effort to stay the night and let the boys have another camping experience. (It was good because daddy needs a little extra camping experience...especially setting up our tent! It took me at least twice as long as it should have taken.)
We all gathered around the campfire to listen to the bishop's (active participation) stories. The weather was threatening to rain but we only had some wind and a little cloud cover. By bedtime the stars were even coming out.

(Active Participation)

Matt was on official dutch oven dessert duty.

The wind got carried away (or should I say the tent got carried away?).

Breakfast on Saturday morning. The Bishopric did a fabulous job cooking pancakes, eggs, sausage, hash browns as well as providing fresh fruit, hot chocolate and juice.

An Evening With Friends

Michelle and I wanted to spend some time with some friends Friday night. We made a few phone calls and extended a few invitations. Not everyone was able to make it but we did have a few friends show up. The Bunker family, the Moss family and the Johnson family made it in time to enjoy the fire and watching the kids running around playing and having a grand old time. The Anderson family and the McCall family we also able to stop by later in the evening to say hi and have a marshmallow/s'more.

The Jones boys and the Bunker boys decided that sword fighting was the game of the day and Steve Bunker was the target.

But the boys were no match for the fury and ferocity of the counter-attack!

Meanwhile, Jeff Moss provided the horsepower for Corbin and Quintin to cruise around the yard.

It appears that Quintin is going to have to practice just a few more times before his driving test. He nearly ran over his mother Holly.

We had an absolutely wonderful time with our friends. The Mosses are new to our neighborhood and we were elated that they decided to join us for an evening of socializing.

Around 8:30 pm we directed the boys to clean up all the toys. Since we had 10 boys running around the yard we were able to gather everything up in just a few minutes. Then we herded our boys into the house to get ready for bed as the other boys headed for home (and their own beds).

The Johnsons and the Andersons stuck around a little longer and we started up a game of Canasta. I've never played that game before but it had a lot of similar rules to Hand and Foot which I have played previously (about 4 different versions now). Our game lasted until 11:00 pm when we decided that it was time to call it a night. We certainly had a lot of fun and are grateful that so many friends were able to join us for a few hours on a Friday evening.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler Back Yard Party

For some reason I didn't realize that Monday was Memorial Day, a national holiday, until just a few days ago. So we didn't plan any cool trips or vacations. As Michelle and I discussed some options for this weekend we decided to see if any of our friends would also be here for the holiday. As it turned out there were a few friends that would still be in town; so we invited them over for a fire, dutch oven peach cobbler and some time to visit.

As it turned out the Cates, Andersons, Bunkers, Gibbons and Simmons were able to stop by and visit with us and share the peach cobbler. Even though the day was over-cast the rain didn't come until after we had finished visiting and had cleared all of the chairs and tables from the patio.

As we anticipated the number of friends who would be there Michelle prepared 2 peach cobblers. As it turned out, the first cobbler was enough to give everyone their first serving. The second cobbler was there for everyone to have seconds. Not everyone was up to a second serving so I get to have more peach cobbler this week.

As we watched the kids play we realized that he had 10 little boys running around the yard, having a great time playing with each other. 10 boys and no little girls! There were 4 Joneses, 2 Bunkers, 2 Andersons, 1 Cates and 1 Gibbons.

(Aleky engages in mortal combat)(While Aleky is fighting the boys are scrambling all over the playset)(The boys go jeepin)

It was an enjoyable evening with good food and friends. Of course our boys were up way past their bedtimes. By the time the boys had their baths and were ready for bed it was shortly before 10 pm! But they had a blast! And we did too.

Dutch Oven Dinner

We had a fun little dinner last night. Richard Anderson has some culinary genius somewhere in his genes and he was willing to share that gift with us. So he came over and cooked us some dutch oven chili and cornbread. Michelle wanted to contribute to the taste bud bonanza and made a dutch oven peach cobbler. To make a complete meal we invited the Johnsons to bring a salad and drink. (Now we just need some good firewood that is more burn than smoke!)

The Andersons brought over some chips and salsa for an appetizer. My boys loved the chips but they just weren't into the salsa. However, little Eleanor loved the salsa but wasn't into the chips. These kids certainly complement each other.

It was a beautiful day, wonderful food, and great friends. What more could you ask for? The boys thought it was great to have a fire and to be able to play in the back yard while we were out there too. But when it comes to food, well they aren't the best eaters on the planet. None of the boys ate their dinner. So what do you do when it's time to serve dessert? We caved in to the peer pressure and let the boys have dessert too.

Spring Clean-Up Turns Into a Party

As Michelle walked out the door for Stake Women's Conference she blithely said, "Oh, and you could take care of the tree in the front yard. I wouldn't mind." I have learned that such suggestions and casual comments have much deeper significance than a simple off-the-wall comment. So I decided it would be a good idea to remove the splintered remains of our tree (that was run over this winter).


"Oh, and if you wanted to clean off the back patio that would be nice too," was another comment Michelle made as she finished her preparations to leave. What other reason could I have for cleaning the patio except to have a fire and invite some friends over? Besides, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! Of course the temperature wasn't exactly psaltery but why should that stop us? I couldn't think of a good reason. And so it began. What started out as a simple yard clean-up had sown the seeds of jubilation and rejoicing.

While the boys were distracted I slipped out the back door to begin extracting the sad remains of our once proud tree from the front yard. Once I had pulled the trunk free of the ground I dragged it to the backyard gate. But when I slipped into the house to get the key for the gate I couldn't get back outside unnoticed. Before I knew it all the boys were geared up for outside and wanted to help. And let me tell you, I have some big helpers.

The boys loved it. Chopping and sawing the wood kept them busy for hours! As they began to weary from the strain their interested changed to other fun outside activities. While I finished cleaning up the tree shrapnel and started sweeping off the patio the boys pulled out their toys that had been in storage for the winter.

Our patio was prepped for the fire and one thing lead to another. We ended up with 3 additional families joining us for dinner: the Johnsons, the Simmons, and the Andersons. We got the fire started and the grill hot but once the sun went down we definitely noticed that it was quite a bit cooler than we would have preferred.

In the end, the kids decided that inside the warm house was preferable to playing outside in the cold. It was so fun to see the little kids inside playing and having such a good time.

Eventually we would get all the kids to bed except for Eleanor who would stay up while the adults played games. We certainly had a great time. It wasn't until 11:00 pm that we finally had to call it a night. We are grateful to everyone who was able to participate with us in this family fun filled evening.

End of the Semester Game Night

We had a fun party to celebrate the end of the school semester. Obviously we are not in school so it was just an excuse to get together with my sister (Trista) and her boyfriend and with Michelle's brother (Kyle). Trista brought her friend Jean to even things out.

We played several games including Hookie 6, Scum and Uno. While I was heavily favored to win, somehow Trista seemed to dominate the Scum game as reigning President. I did edge out a marginal victory in Hookie 6 and I think everyone had a chance to win in Uno. It was a fun gaming night. We played games until past midnight. At that point we decided to let our friends go home as they were getting exceedingly tired and blamed their poor gaming on the time of night. We're hoping they can recover quickly and come back for a rematch or even a new set of games.

December Date

Michelle and I were so excited to have our first date...in a long time. Maybe it's just me but we don't seem to have people falling over themselves trying to babysit 4 young boys at the same time. It didn't seem quite as tough when we had one cute little cherub to watch, but alas, I digress...

We had planned a double date with Neil and Kelley Johnson, to go and play in Salt Lake City. Obviously there was some travel time to calculate into our day. And our babysitter was Grandma Petersen, out in Grantsville. We did the math and even added in some extra time just in case we ran into some delays along the way. It shouldn't have been too tough. Our first stop was the Salt Lake Temple for the 3:00 session.

It is amazing how quickly time flies when you're having fun. We had the kids all packed and loaded into the car ahead of schedule (a little bit). And then we started the "little errands" along the way. First we dropped some dishes off here and some ingredients off there. Next we had to swing by this store and pick up several things from that store. And all of a sudden we realized that we were behind schedule! It's still a mystery how we lost so much time but we found ourselves about 15 minutes behind schedule! It doesn't seem like a lot and normally I would have been pretty pleased with myself.

We made it to Grantsville and took the kids in along with all of the stuff. Grandma Petersen just looks at us and says, "you're not gonna make the 3:00 session." Well we run out the door anyway and call the Johnsons just to find out where they're at and let them know we're running just a little behind schedule. We made it to Salt Lake City, Temple Square in fact, at 2:45! If we could have found a place to park we still might have made it...but apparently everyone heard we were coming to Temple Square and were eager to see us make our grand entrance and they all forgot to leave us a special parking spot. So after several laps around the conference center parking garage we manage to find a lone spot that we could squeeze our vehicle into.

At this point there was no need to run or rush to get to anywhere since we had a full hour before the next session would begin. We wandered up to the conference center and admired the set-up for the Christmas devotional. It is simply amazing to see how large the conference center really is! We met up with the Johnsons at the conference center and headed over to Temple Square. Since it was cold we decided not to dilly-dally and headed straight inside where it was warm.

At this point it would have been helpful to know some of the local customs. In particular, we didn't know about bringing the parking ticket with you so that you can get a token, a get out of parking free pass. The nice temple worker just looked at me with one of those gazes that you don't want to endure for too long but reluctantly gave me a token anyway with a stern admonition to remember the ticket in the future and to tear up the ticket in the car. It might not have been so bad except I had already forgotten my tie! It was in the "stuff" we took into Grandma's house with the kids. Having now been sufficiently humbled we headed into the temple to change clothes for the 4:00 temple session.

I think it was good to have a little extra time in the chapel to get myself spiritually organized for the upcoming session. Having missed our planned 3:00 session, no tie, driving endlessly around the parking garage and not bring the ticket about had me at my wits end. Fortunately, I've had too much experience make silly situations so I think I handled it okay.

The temple session was great. I really enjoyed the beauty of the Salt Lake Temple. And I especially enjoyed moving from one room to the next, walking hand in hand with my sweetheart! You don't get to do that in just any temple. And since it's been a little while since we've been to the temple together is made for a special time.

Once the session was over we quickly changed clothes. Neil and I were waiting for Kelley and Michelle, who had managed to take a least one wrong turn and eventually came wandering out from one of the many other hallways in that temple. The claimed it was intentional but I wasn't convinced. We sent the ladies to The Garden restaurant to get a reservation while Neil and I headed back to the cars to put away some of the extraneous apparel. We quickly rejoined our spouses in the crowded lobby. On the way to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building we passed crowds of people enjoying the Christmas lights but one couple stood out of the crowd. It was the beautiful blushing bride trying to wedding pictures amidst the teaming masses and the frigid night air! What some people will do for a picture...


Our wait was supposed to be 30 minutes but when your hungry I think time slows down just a bit. In any case we soon had our table and quickly placed our orders. The meal was wonderful and we enjoyed a view of the Salt Lake Temple, all lit for the holidays (at least the grounds are decorated for the season, not so much the temple itself).

After dinner we had to make a difficult decision, do we walk around and enjoy the lights, get in line for the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy theater, or call it a night so we can get home at a decent hour. With this being our one chance for freedom we didn't feel that going home was the best decision so we choose to watch the movie.


The Johnsons had already seen the movie but they assured us that it was worth watching a second time. We have wanted to watch this movie for some time so we were excited to watch it. We didn't have to get tickets but the usher let us know that the previous 2 shows had been completely full and we should get in line immediately. So we headed to their antechamber to wait the 30 minutes until the show was to start. Neil opted for the power-nap to re-energize himself for the remainder of the night (we still have to count travel time back!). Finally our 9:00 show was ready to start and we headed in for some great seats right in the middle of the theater. Lucky for us, Kelley stopped and grabbed some extra Kleenex so that we could get through the movie.

It was truly an amazing depiction of the life of Joseph Smith Jr. It is one of those movies in which they did such a good job I'm almost afraid to let my kids watch it until they are older. Joseph went through some amazingly cruel trials (and that doesn't even mention all the things the other saints went through). It was a moving movie and certainly gives you a better appreciation for all the Joseph did to bring about the restoration of the gospel.

After the movie we had to take in some of the lights. So we walked briskly, took a few pictures and then headed for the cars. It was a fantastic evening. In spite of the drama we had a wonderful time, a spiritually uplifting and invigorating time. And it doesn't hurt to have a little break from 4 amazing, adorable, animated and spirited children.

Hopefully we'll be able to take the kids on a stroll through Temple Square while it is still decorated for the season. In the meantime, we had a wonderful evening with some wonderful friends. And now we have an endearing memory for a lifetime.

Wheels Powerd by kids

How many kids can you get in and around a power wheel?
















This power wheel lost it's battery power, but that didn't stop these kids from having fun. My boys became the engine and away they went.

We've Been Boo-ed for Halloween Fun!

About the only time in life when we've been excited to be "boo-ed" happend tonight. We returned home from visiting our friends, the Gossetts (in their new home), when we discovered a plate of goodies and a note on our doorstep. Upon further examination we discovered that the Halloween phantom and visited our home and we had been "boo-ed." We we're excited to see that took the effort to visit our home and deliver goodies.

Now that we've been "boo-ed" it is our turn to continue the "boo-ing" by delivering treats to 3 other households in our ward by tomorrow night! I guess we'll need to make some treats tomorrow so that we can do a little phantoming of our own!!! What a great halloween tradition.

Rhyme (as seen in the photo)
Ghost (not pictured)

A Perfect Evening for Roasting Marshmallows

What a perfect night to be outside! The temperature was perfect, the mosquitoes were gone, no wind, just perfect. We had our family home evening in our backyard. In fact, we had dinner there too! But before any of the fun stuff we had to clean the yard, make it presentable. We had invited a couple friends to join us for the campfire and marshmallows portion of the evening. The boys had to do their part to help clean up.

Mommy made some minor details corrections to the boy's finished product.

Everything was just so beautiful that we decided to have our dinner out on the patio. After all, you've just got to enjoy the beautiful weather while we have it. Our boys didn't think dinner was such a great idea (if we ignore it will it go away)?

One of our friends, Mark, made an immediate impression! No, he isn't trying to get David's dinner! They are just enjoying a friendly game of tag. Mark has the natural ability to entertain all our boys. For 2 hours we didn't hear a complaint out of our boys (now Donovan fell down a couple of times and wasn't too happy but he was back in the game in no time).

David and Mark worked together to start the campfire. Amazingly efficient, it only took 7 matches to start this tinderbox to blazing.

(Maybe it's just me but these flames seem just a little higher than 3 feet - the maximum flame height allowed by Provo City ordinance.)

And then I saw something that I never thought I would see in this lifetime! A Petersen who actually burnt a marshmallow! This has been one of my deep-seated fears joining the Petersen family. The expectation of marshmallow roasting perfection is just assumed and there is substantial, albeit unspoken, peer pressure to roast a perfect marshmallow that is golden brown and melted through the middle. But right there, in front of my own eyes, was a marshmallow flame! It only takes a second, a lapse in concentration, and the perfect marshmallow is no more!

Mark thought that burnt marshmallows are the only way to go and was thrilled to burn at least a half dozen which he consumed with delight.

But that started a craze with out boys. The thought of burning a marshmallow had never entered their minds, at least it hadn't before tonight. Now, it was a local pastime. (However, I think that Michael over-burnt this marshmallow by accident--it was ash with a gooey center.)

Donovan was still trying for marshmallow perfection.

Mommy had to step in with a little coaching.

It was a perfect night and we enjoyed the company of Carol Goldsberry, our long-time friend. We also had Greg Goldsberry and Leah Wood join us and the company of these three wonderful individuals made a perfect evening.