Claire Lucille
5 Months old

Claire is 5 months old! I can't believe how fast she is growing! She is doing so many new things. She is pushing up on her hands and has even pushed up onto all fours a couple of times. She loves to play with her feet and toys that make noise. She makes lots of cute noises, but the cutest is when she "growls/purrs"...it is so funny...her whole body vibrates when she does it. She started eating rice cereal last week and even had some squash this week. She loves it all. She eats every bite! She is sleeping through the night...if you don't consider 5 a.m. night (I kind of do). She loves her mom (blushing) and when she hears my voice, she will scan the room until she finds me and then when she does, she breaks into a huge smile. When she is tired, she only wants me to hold her (which I LOVE) and if her dad tries to comfort her when she is tired or hungry, she won't have it...she won't even look him in the eye. She has the sweetest disposition and hardly ever fusses. She loves her sister and brothers and they can always get a smile out of her. I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the blessing of having another healthy baby and that he sent us such a sweet, beautiful, happy baby girl. We are truly blessed. I think we needed this sweet girl to soften us all up a bit. We love her so much and we are so happy to have her in our family!!!

TRUSSES!!!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Kyle and his friend, Greg spent 2 days setting the trusses and sheeting the roof. It was very hard, tedious, back-breaking work. And to top it all off, it was BLAZING HOT (around 110 degrees)! It has been my job to keep them hydrated and feed them. I also had to help them set the gable truss (for those who don't know...I didn't know until 5 days ago...that is the front truss) because they covered it in plywood before setting it and it was incredibly HEAVY! I probably wasn't much help, but it was hard and my arm muscles are still screaming! It took us a total of an hour and a half to get the gable truss in place and nail it in place. After that, I was done with construction and Kyle and Greg spent the remainder of the day setting the rest of the trusses. I don't know what we would have done without Greg's help. He actually knows what he is doing and has been here almost everyday he has been off of work. He also excepts payment in the form of sandwiches and Gatorade! We are blessed to have such a good friend!








All the trusses set after a very hard day's work!!

"You've Got A Friend In Me."

Eli is a HUGE fan of the movie, "Toy Story". A few days ago, he found this leisure suit (that's what we call it, anyway) that I bought at the D.I. for $2 a couple of years ago. He put it on and said they were his "Woody clothes". He wears the suit and hat constantly now and while he is wearing it, he insists that you call him "Woody". It is hilarious! What a cute kid!

*High School Musical 2*

After months of anticipation, "High School Musical 2", premiered on Friday night. A lot of girls in our neighborhood were getting together for HSM2 Premier Parties and so our house became the party place for the boys who wanted to watch, but didn't want to do so with the girls. Nate invited his two friends, Bo and J.R. and Josh invited his friend, Jerrick. They had a good time watching, eating dinner and treats on the family room floor and then playing outside in the dark when it was over.

Josh and his best friend, Jerrick, enjoying the movie. This picture is deceitful because Josh and Jerrick spent 99% of the movie wrestling each other on the floor (their favorite past time...luckily, no injuries this time).

The Work Continues...

The work on the garage continues at a very rapid rate. I was getting ready to go to Nate's Pack Meeting on Thursday when I heard the truck that was delivering the trusses pull up. Kyle was at work, so I had to get pictures of the delivery for Kyle. Hopefully, this week Kyle and his friend, Greg will get the trusses set and the roof sheeted. Then they will be ready to start the electrical work next week. It should be another scorching, hot week...poor guys.

My Five.

We took some pictures of the kids while we were in Castle Dale. They do clean up nicely, if I do say so myself. It would have been the perfect picture if Claire had been looking at the camera, but 4 out of 5 ain't bad!

President James E. Faust

1920-2007

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints passed away yesterday at the age of 87. He was a great leader and teacher. I loved his last conference talk in April when he spoke of forgiveness. It was a wonderful talk and a lesson we all needed. He will be missed.

"May we dedicate our lives to serving the Lord, and not worry about offending the devil." - James E. Faust

IT'S AS IF...HE*double hockey sticks* HAS FROZEN OVER!


It is almost too hard to believe...but after 2 years of "planning", construction on the new garage has begun!! Hallelujah!!!

Kyle and his friends Greg and Kaluna ("Tuna") were able to get all the walls framed and sheeted in 3 days. It was blazing hot and they were all horribly sunburned, but they did it. Next week, the trusses will be delivered and they will be able to finish up the framing. I can't believe it! And to think...this could have been done a year ago...but I am NOT complaining. Love ya, Kyle!


It actually looks like a garage and it also looks a lot bigger than I thought it would. When finished, the garage will be 300 square feet smaller then our first house. Pretty ridiculous. You can kind of gauge the size when you see Eli standing in front of the ladder right inside the front of the building. (you can click on the picture to view it in a larger size) Thank goodness we don't have to pay for labor!!!

Remembering Grandma-Great Lake

While we were in Utah, Kyle's Grandma Lake passed away. She had fallen out of bed and broken her hip about a week before she passed away. She had surgery, but died several days later from complications. She was a great lady. She always stood up for what was right and was quite a firecracker. I really enjoyed getting to know her and I wish we had been able to spend more time with her the past couple of years. She and Kyle had quite a relationship...Kyle loved to tease her and she loved to bust his chops for it. Her funeral was in Castle Dale last Saturday. The service was very nice. Kyle and 2 of his cousins read memories of Grandma that the grandkids had written. She will be missed. I only hope that I will live half the life she lived. What a legacy!

Here is her obituary:

Geneva Mazie Marshall Lake Castle Dale, UT Geneva Mazie Marshall Lake, age 86, passed away July 29, 2007 in Ferron, Utah. Born March 31, 1921 in Mohrland, Utah to John W. and Martha Ellen Marshall. She married George Berdell Lake, October 7, 1938; later solemnized in the Manti Temple December 9, 1954. She is survived by her children, Billie Jean (Vern) Jorgensen; Keith (Genevieve) Lake; Randall (Lynne') Lake; Rhonda (Steven) Cox; Derrell (Teresa) Lake; Kerry (Elaine) Lake; Sheila (Roy) Sharp; Carma (Reed) Fehlberg; Lorene Lake; and Loraine (Perry) Cloward; Sister, Leah Jones; Sisters-in-law, Mae Lake, and Beverly Marshall; Daughter-in-law, Shirley Lake; 62 grandchildren, 100 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great -grandchildren. Preceded in death by husband; and Sons: Jimmie Berdell, Johnny Ray, and Marlin (stillborn). Funeral Services, Saturday, August 4, 2007 at 2:00 p.m., Castle Dale Stake Center, viewing 12:00 - 1:45 prior to service. Interment, Castle Dale City Cemetery.

UTAH TRIP...CONTINUED!!!

For Ansley's birthday (aka Pioneer Day in Utah)we had a bbq at Kyle's parents. Everyone that could come was there, including a family from Mexico that was staying with Dave and LaNeace while waiting to drop their son off at the MTC.


Grandpa and Eli enjoying the homemade ice cream. They couldn't wait for a bowl!


Ansley got some great presents, including this MP3 player. Now she can listen to Hannah Montana all she wants (and we don't have to listen too!).


Since we missed Elle's birthday in June, we brought her gift with us and she opened it at the dinner. It was a Dora the Explorer doll that had some plastic bracelets with it. Elle wanted to wear them and Eli wanted to put them on her. It was so cute. Elle usually don't want Eli bugging her, so this was a rare moment. Cute!


While at grandma and grandpa's, Eli sometimes had a hard time staying out of trouble, but one of the days, he spent quite some time entertaining himself in his "house" aka overturned lawn chairs.


We spent one day taking a hike up to Donut Falls which is in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Janna came with us and thank goodness she did! I had Claire in the baby carrier and Kyle was chasing the big kids. Janna kept track of Eli for us, which is quite a chore. Thanks Janna! Everyone had a great time and the kids felt like they were on a great adventure.








Ansley and Eli enjoying the water along the trail. They don't see a lot of this kind of nature at home in the desert, so they were thrilled to see all the trees, water and critters!




Kyle takes after his dad when it comes to photographing plants, insects, etc. He took some great shots.




Claire really enjoyed the hike, too! She was a happy baby all the way up to the falls. Then she ate and took a little nap before waking up to enjoy the hike back down. What a good baby girl!


Kyle and the "big" kids.



Kyle and Janna took Ans, Nate and Josh on the treacherous hike all the way up to the top of the falls. The kids loved it...mom, not so thrilled.



Kyle conviced the boys that they should run under the freezing cold falls. They agreed, but when they got close, Josh pushed Nate under and then ran for it. You can see Josh pushing Nate with his forearm. Josh is no dummy!

Cute, brave kids on their way down from the falls.

On the way back down, Josh starting getting tired and faked a cramp to be able to rest. Nice Aunt Janna fell for it and spent a few minutes "stretching it out". Thanks again Janna!

While in Utah, Kyle was able to golf a couple of times with Janna's husband, Andy. One of the time, he took Nate and Josh with them. They had a blast! Ever since then, they have been bugging Kyle to take them golfing again. Thanks for all the fun, Uncle Andy!!!

ANNUAL SUMMER TRIP TO UTAH!

We always spend time in Utah with family and friends during the summer. We were planning on staying a week, but we stayed 2. We had a lot of fun. The kids were in heaven...with kids and family galore. We had a great time with everyone and wish we could see everyone more often. Thanks to Kyle's parents for housing and feeding our tribe for 2 weeks!!

On our trip to Utah, we spent one day up in Bountiful. We went and visited with my good friend Lisa and her family. Between our 2 families, we now have 10 kids. CRAZY. First picture: all 10 kids!! 2nd picture: The babies of the bunch, Angus and Claire...looking adorable.

While in Bountiful, we had a big bbq with our extended Lowell family. We had quite a turn- out!! Those in attendance: Grandma-Great Lowell. Uncle Kevin, Aunt Carol and their kids: Jacob and wife Jen with their 2 girls, Hannah and Sasha. Joseph. Sarah (her husband was at work) and her 2 kids, Jared and baby Katie. Jonathan and his fiancee, Jennifer. Benjamin (his wife was working). David (he is leaving for his mission to Chile in August) and Michael. Kathy and Alan with their kids: Jared, Jen, Jill and Joni. Kyle and I and our kids, and Kris (Tina was working) and Kody. We ate great food, the kids played games, we watched the trains go by and spent time catching up with each other. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again soon!

My Uncle Kevin and Claire. I guess that makes him Claire's great-uncle.












Ansley, Eli and Jill. So cute. I love this picture.

Grandma-Great talking to her namesake, Claire Lucille.

Below: Kathy, Sasha, Hannah, Kris, Kody,
Joni and Eli enjoying one of the trains going by.
This was Eli's and Kody's favorite part of the picnic.






Cute Eli. He was in awe of the trains.





Lots of kids!
bottom row: Sasha, Jared, Hannah, Jill holding Eli, Joshua
top row: Joni, Jen holding Kody, Nate holding Katie, Ansley holding Claire.















Eli (with a very dirty face) and Kody. I took another
picture of these 2 where Kody was smiling, but it was
blurry. Too bad...he has an adorable smile.

SUCCESS...AT LAST!!

This may be offensive to some, but I had to share. Eli has been very stubborn when it comes to potty-training. I wanted to have him potty-trained before Claire was born and that did not happen. Here it is 4 months later and finally he is coming around. I had to take a picture of his first *poop* in the toilet because Kyle was asleep (after working all night) and he insisted that we show daddy. I tried to save some of his dignity with the use of the toilet paper to hide his...well that goes without saying. Way to go Eli!! We are so proud and you are so big!!

P.S. I DESPISE potty-training!!