Mormon Battalion Trail

This past weekend our ward took the Young Women and Young Men on a combined campout. We set up camp in the same spot that the Mormon Battalion did on Christmas night 1846. So, Cole had his mom on his first campout as a deacon. I tried not to mother him, but I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of the tent, backpack, eating dinner, sitting by the fire.....yeah I know, a bit much.
I love that Rock is with him in scouts. Those two, were the first to get camp set-up and then taken down and packed the next morning. Very effecient!


Saturday morning we took a 5 mile hike, on the Mormon Battallion (Butterfly Stagecoach) trail.

Well Done!

3 years ago, our brother-in-law Fred Ashby was called to be the mission president in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is married to Tom's sister, Julie, and they have eight children. After they received their call, but before Fred and Julie reported to the MTC, their fifth child Ben received his mission call. Ironically, but inspired, Ben was called to the same exact mission. So his dad was his mission president. I remember when Ben opened his call, I happened to be in Utah with some of Tom's sisters for a girls trip. Ben was going to BYU so he met us in SLC and opened his call at the old food court at Crossroads Mall.
Right after the exciting news of Ben serving in the same mission with his parents, guess who comes walking through the mall? Elder Thomas S. Monson. He just happened to be coming through and so we got to visit with him and take a few pictures. What a great experience that was. Well, Ben just got home from his mission today. Fred and Julie still have about 18 months left, so we did our best to welcome this orphaned elder.

Anyone who can make it, goes to the airport with yellow balloons and signs. Later that night we hold a well done dinner in honor of the missionary. Ben is the 12th grandchild to return from a mission. I love the great examples these cousins have been to my children.


Isaac didn't really remember Ben, but he felt the excitement in the air.


Ben was a good sport to put up with all the hoopla. He probably had had enough with all the family tradition after this "cheetah tunnel."


This is Purple man. For the past 10+ years, this ugly figurine has mysteriously appeared all over the world. He gets secretly smuggled into unsuspecting missionary or honeymooners' suitcases. He has even made surprise appearances on wedding cakes, the Amazon river in South America, and Mt.View State Basketball champion pictures. He is a family joke that has stayed very much alive. Now it is Ben's responsibility to send purple man on his next big adventure. He's probably headed on another mission to NYC with Mikey Tingey.


Well Done and Welcome Home Ben!

A Red Banner Day

Cole was ordained a deacon, by his dad, this afternoon. His Mama and Papa, Nana and Jack, and cousins Rock and Luke, joined our family for this special event.
A lot of tears were shed today. I love witnessing these milestones, but I also want a little more time in between them. The older I get, the more I respect time. It is starting to sink in how little time we have. I don't have any control over the speed of each moment, phase, challenge, or celebration. I guess all I can do is make a record so I can revisit these memories whenever nostalgia sets in.

These three have been a part of eachother's growing up. They are more like brothers, than cousins. Cole fits nicely right in the middle of these two. Rock is about a year older than Cole and Luke is 6 months younger. They love living so close and being in the same ward.
Getting some words of wisdom. Each granparent took Cole aside to share a few thoughts and to express how proud they were of the choices he has made.


Cole is blessed to have such wonderful grandparents. They all play a very important role in his life.

HAPPY VALENTINES

What a great excuse to express our love to family and friends today. This morning we got started off with our Valentine messages decorating the staircase. This is a simple tradition that never gets old. Everybody writes a short message about each person in the family and then I print them up on hearts. It is always fun to see what they come up with. Bonus points are awarded to something more creative than "I love you."


The kids were happy to get a ride to school instead of the 7:10 a.m. bus. They always love to avoid the 40 minute bus ride. We had time to enjoy a yummy whole wheat pancake breakfast, (thanks to a new recipe from Shari Goodman). During breakfast they got to read their home-made cards from Dad. Last night I found Tom on the couch with red construction paper, scissors, glue stick, and markers. Bonus points awarded to Dad for the personal touch!

Right before we loaded up in the car, for school, Cole pulled me aside and tried to nonchalantly ask for help printing a small picture of himself. Back in the fourth grade, he got a picture, for Valentines Day, from his friend Carly. In fifth grade, she gave him a another picture and asked him if he would give one to her. This sixth grade year, he was going to be prepared for the possible exchange. No reminders needed. When it comes to girls he usually just rolls his eyes and shrugs them off, but with Carly, he'll go as far to say "She's a really nice girl."
When Summer and Meg found out they wanted to print a picture also. I said who are you going to give it to? They didn't have anyone specific in mind, so I told them no. We don't randomly hand out a picture of ourself. They will thank me later.

Let's not forget about our obsessive holiday celebrator--Isaac. First words out of his mouth "Does everybody know what day it is!" It was more of an enthusiastic declaration than a question. He started out the morning prefacing everything with "I love you." " I love you, will get me a drink of milk?" It soon was too exhausting, so his valentine cheer evolved into spontaneous declarations of "Happy Valentines, I love you, or Your in my Heart." This little guy takes holiday celebrating serious. He has already asked if it is ok to start talking about Easter tomorrow. Help! I cannot take anymore holiday talk.

New Calling

"Why Did They Fire You?" was Meg's teary response to my being released from primary pianist last week. The whole primary presidency was released and my niece Robyn was put in as the new president and my sister-in-law, Bonnie, is a counselor. The kids are going to be in great hands. It is worth taking years of piano lessons, just to have that calling. I'll miss the cute kids, the primary songs, and the fact I had no real responsibility. I am sure Isaac won't miss the stink eye peering over the top of the piano at him. I've hit a few sour notes when paying more attention to his wayward behavior, than I would to the piano keys.
I am now off to young womens, as the secretary. This will be a first for me. I haven't been in young women's since I was a Laurel. I've got to improve upon my organizational and computer skills.

Drop Baby!

I told the boys I would post the first song they learned on the ukulele. They are in the process of learning half a dozen songs right now. Thanks Adam and Ben for the great job teaching these eager boys. This was their third lesson and I think they are picking it up nicely.



Rock Shill, Cole, Paxton Pothier, Luke Shill, Smith Pothier, Max Lesuer, Jack Lesuer, and Jeremy

Sick Days

Last night Isaac crawled in bed with me with a high fever. He didn't feel any better in the morning. When I asked how he felt he said, "I feel like a Grandpa." So after the others left for school and work, we made him his little sick nest and turned on good ole "Tom & Jerry". It was a nice, quiet day just being by him. He loves to have me just sit with him and so I did today. He had a craving for peanut butter cookies, so he sat on the counter and helped me. Even with his head hurting, he didn't want to lay down until we were finished and he got to taste our work.
The next day, Isaac's fever was gone but a mysterious swollen eye appeared. It wasn't pink eye. So, we paid a visit to our favorite Doc, Dr. Wallace. It is most likely something called Periorbital cellulitis. Nothing contagious or serious unless it happens to get worse.

Later that night we got a "hope you get better visit" by Nana and Grandpa Jack. Thanks for the bedtime stories and TLC. Sorry for all the high energy spazz and continual nose honking on Jack. Ike was a bit excited for a new face.

You know when one gets sick, another is soon to follow. Cole came down with some kind of virus that affects his body temperature. He keeps going from chills to a high fever all day long. The only one happy about this was Isaac. It was a treat to have Cole home all day with him.

Meggie wrote this sweet note and left it on Cole's bed. Meg loves to give TLC.

Change in the Weather

We love the Rain! In Arizona, we soak up any change from a sunny, cloudless sky. These colorful suits were purchased four years ago after a very wet Disneyland trip. We loved that the rain scared off the crowds, but we hated being cold and wet, so we came prepared the next year. The above picture was taken four years ago


Sadly Cole has outgrown his (by choice) and so we made some color reassignments. Meg had to keep orange, she said it just suits her the best. One thing was certain, today wasn't one of our warm monsoon rains. It was like taking a cold shower. About 5-10 minutes they came sloshing, shivering back into the house.

Ukulele Class

Our nephew, Adam, is teaching ukulele to this cute bunch. Adam just moved back from Uruguay where his dad is serving as the mission president. He wanted to finish his last semester of his senior year and play volleyball for Mesa High. He thought this would be a fun way to earn some money for his mission. He has done a great job organizing and running this class.
This is the second lesson and the boys are hooked. Cole said on the way to the lesson, "Mom, it feels like it has been over a month since our lesson last week--I can't wait!" Tom was a little hesitant to have Cole start ukulele when he just started guitar lessons. The ukulele will be a lot easier to pick up and he may find the guitar a little frustrating in comparison. But after that first lesson, his excitement was contagious. Tom took him the next morning to buy a ukulele. Now we all want to learn it. The boys are working on a song and when they learn it, I promised to debut it on the blog.

The Happiest Place On Earth

We just got back from Disneyland. The past five years we have been treated to a first rate Disneyland trip by Ross and Anita. There are now 130 members included in the Farnsworth family. Over 100 of them made it on this trip.


On Sunday afternoon, most of us climbed aboard one of the two chartered buses. This makes for a fun and always interesting trip. The atmosphere took a somber turn when we found out that our beloved prophet Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away. When Isaac felt the change in the air, he grabbed my face and looked in my eyes and said," Mom, he is with Heavenly Father and Jesus now." I put a cheery face back on.




Isaac and James enjoying the freedom of no seat belts. After snapping this photo, I decided this may be a little too much freedom and turned into "no fun Mom" and made them take a seat. I am sure Dennis, our bus driver, was glad to have these two little birds stop chirping at him.



That first night it was hard to fall asleep with all the excitement bouncing off the walls. I peeked in on them around 9:30 and they were laying there playing Q & A. This is where they ask one person all sorts of questions and he/she gives their answers. "What do you think your wife/husband's name will be? How many kids will you have? Where would you live? What job will you or your husband have?" I lay down next to them and enjoyed listening to them each take a turn. You always learn something new from these exchanges. Who knew Meg wants to run a horse ranch with her cowboy/rancher husband in upstate New York. I asked her why New York and she said so she can go into the big city when she needs stuff. Of course!


Breakfast with Chip and Dale. Isaac was ok with the chipmunks but that Racoon from Pocahontas better not try and say hello again.





Fun to be with cousins Parker and Molly! They were good sports to hang with us as much as they did. The first part of every trip it seems that we (our little family) have to get through a few "rough patches" consisting of tears that fall too easily, whines that shouldn't be heard, complaints about wearing tennis shoes and rain gear (Meg), and parents that can be a bit too impatient with anything less than happy grateful kids. We got into our groove soon and everyone was grateful to be with eachother at the happiest place on earth.


Oh and the beloved churro is Cole's favorite treat. He was wishing he brought his own money, so he could buy more. He is very particular about food. When Cole likes something, he really likes it.



Every year we have to make our trek to the spirit cave to receive our "totems." This is a highlight every year. You place your hand on the cave and it sparks and rumbles like thunder and then a picture of your totem appears on the wall. They take it quite serious.



Isaac was a little "bugged" after the first day. He was a good sport as we convinced him that he would love all the faster rides. He didn't. By the end of the day he announced that too many rides were "Not my age," and "I'm not riding anything with a mountain in it anymore!" So, the next day, we broke off from the faster group and took Isaac at a slower pace. This didn't soothe his rattled nerves. He kept asking "Is this really for my age?" He started to trust us again and warmed up after he realized he wasn't getting soaked, dropped, or spun too fast. He loved the new Nemo ride. Thanks to Uncle Terry for saving us a spot in the longest line of the day.


The last thing we did before we left the park was watch people get soaked by the geyser on the Grizzly Bear Run. It was hard to pull away, you just kept wanting to see "just one more" raft get soaked! We did this chant as they came up...GO GO GO, the poor people didn't know how to take us. When they wouldn't get soaked we would boo and they really didn't know how to take that. I loved hearing Tom's infectious laugh, he really has the best laugh!

Thanks to Mama and Papa for the great trip and the memories we made. We try to not take anything for granted and to always be grateful for such a great trip with a lot of great people.

Friendly Fire

These are some of my favorite boys. I enjoy having them around. Cole likes to get the group together for air soft wars (that explains the firearm on my dinner table). Air soft guns are the modern version of the BB gun, just with hallow plastic pellets. They can probably shoot your eye out, but still a better alternative to the BB. I use to have BB gun wars with my brother Clint, Jason and Richard Bagley vs. the MCain boys. There was no mercy shown, but it sure was exhilirating.
I am so thankful for Cole and the good choices he makes in his life and the friends he has. My heart kind of aches when I drive by the junior high, that he will be entering in a few months, and think "why would any parent send their child here?" I just have to remember that Cole has a great sense of who he is and where he is going. I hope he always stays golden.

Isaac's Day

All of my children had their little routines, but not quite as set as Isaac. The following are usually included in a typical day. He usually starts out the day by informing us what day it is and then asking for his "brefkist" breakfast. I am a little forlorn when the kids correct the words that they had messed up so cute.
Anticipation. Isaac loves to look forward to something. We couldn't talk enough about Christmas and squeeze any more enjoyment out of that holiday. However, when it was over, that chapter was closed and it was onto the next holiday or event. He didn't want to see any Christmas lingering around. It bugs him that we still don't have our outside Christmas lights down. Our current focus and conversations involve our upcoming Disneyland trip. He really could discuss what ride we will take first, how many more sleeps until we leave, and which characters we may see all day, if I indulged him. Just ask him and he'll tell you what holiday, birthday, vacation comes next and in what order they follow.


Drawing.This easle was a Christmas gift for Meg, immediately confiscated by Isaac. He draws on it throughout the day. He is constantly asking "What do you want me to draw?" He also loves to get into his stash of paper, sharpen his pencil and sit down to write his handful of 3-4 letter words. Tom and I get a lot of love letters placed by our bedside. He loves to draw hearts.


Tigers Milk. There is always one or two consumed in a day. Nobody likes them, so he has his own little stash in the cupboard. I am sure I will miss the sound of the cupboard shutting and the crinkle of the wrapper, one day.


Ice Water. He drinks like a fish, but it must have ice in it or he'll think "its old" and not drink it.


In Character. He is in character for most of the day. He prefers the black spiderman to the red one because it's bad. Should I be concerned? It all started with wanting to be his cousin Bret and then onto several others: Jack Sparrow, a Wizard, Santa Clause, Handyman. He begged me to find him a miniature Santa costume at Christmas. He just wanted to go ho hoing and ask everyone what they wanted for Christmas.


Loves to work. I hope this one lasts and he doesn't burn out too early in life. He loves to have jobs. When he was 3 he would take the laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer and start it all on his own. I tried not to be too grumpy when he would dry the dirty clothes. He loves to get our little floor sweeper out and take it all over the house. And yes, I know where he gets it. I was a pretty obsessive clean freak child. There is one chore that Ike will try to get out of and that is picking up rotting grapefruit. He is supposed to help pick up pine cones and grapefruit, but he negotiates out of the grapefruit everytime.


Time with Cole Isaac needs his "Cole-fix." He absolutely adores and wants to be just like his brother. He wants ice in his milk, to go shirtless to bed, join in the daily push-ups and sit-ups. All to be just like Cole. You can get him to do anything if you preface it with "Cole does this or likes this or would do this." You can't blame him, Cole is incredibly good to him.

Bedtime Stories. If we don't get a story told, then we will "talk about" something. He always holds out both hands with all ten fingers and says "lets talk about 10 things." I negotiate it down to about 1-2 things. The subject is usually the upcoming holiday or event. Right now it is Disneyland. I really am about to pull my hair out with all this Disney talk, but I usually consent to just a minute more of it before I can push the off button on this energetic guy. After the talk or story, then we say prayers and then do "waves" with his blanket. He always thanks me for a "good tuck in and I hope you sleep good Mom." That is why I keep it up. I'll do about anything if appreciation is thrown my way.