Melody's VIsit from Missouri

We have had some special family time. The Eliason Family--Grant and James in the back, Kristilyn and Mark, and Amelia and Lillian.

Melody has been visiting us from Kansas City for the last ten days and has been such a blessing. We have enjoyed having her here. Here are some pictures from her visit.

Grant and James love to build houses or form letters with domino tiles on the treadmill, then destroy them with an earthquake caused by the conveyer belt. Our "twins" Melody and Julie holding Amelia and Lillian. Grant and James still get their aunts mixed up.

Cute Talisa has lost both of her top front teeth! Thanks for the photo, Kim.

With twins Julie and Melody don't have to accuse the other of being a "baby hog!"

Melody with Anna.

James, Grant, Talisa, and Kira studying the Lego "construction" book and catalog.

Julie holding Anna, Melody, Kim holding Amelia, Katrina holding Lillian, and Kristilyn.

My beautiful daughters--Melody, Kim, Julie, Katrina, and Krisitilyn. We were just missing precious Desi.

The handsome, helpful men--Brandon, Keith, John, and Mark. We missed Neal, Brandon, and Mike.

Talisa helped Kim make a fun Halloween cake.

Kira was excited to get the first tate of frosting.

Melody holding Amelia and Lillian.

Jason and Julie took Melody to the airport on Sunday night.

Talisa, Kim, Keith, and Kira are a darling family.

It was special to have Katrina and Anna with us. Anna had a doctor's appointment at Primary Children's Hospital on Monday.

Missionary Temple Experience

I have had a wonderful two weeks with my student. We were able to find a lot of information which hadn’t been entered into new.FamilySearch including nine other children for her great-grandfather complete with the family’s census information from 1850 to 1900. In new.FamilySearch she claimed her mother’s legacy contributions and several sealings that her mother had not completed before her death two years ago appeared on my student’s ordinance list. Using FamilyInsight she was able to add the children to new.FamilySearch including the census documentation, etc., without retyping in information using the synchronization tool.

Friday we went to the Salt Lake Temple as part of Go Forth day with the Training Zone and Mission Presidency. She had never attended a live endowment session and had not been inside the Salt Lake Temple since her parents received their endowments and they were sealed as a family when she was eight years old. She was impressed with the beauty and the peace. Following the endowment session we did five sealings for her family—a couple, two sons, and two daughters. The spirit was extremely strong! Afterward she told us that her mother was there with us. “It was special because my mother is the one who is providing the money through her will so that I can be on my mission. I hope this made her happy to finish the work that she had begun.”

Family Time

August and September have been very special family months for John and me. In September John returned to work at the Training Zone of the Church and Family History Headquarters Mission and I spent the month enjoying family. Today I returned to the Training Zone and it was like going to heaven to be greeted warmly by many, many friends. Though I have cherished the time with family, I have really missed spending my days with John in a consecrated effort. It is wonderful to be back on our mission together. We plan to generally work three weeks then take the fourth week for family or health needs.

It has been delightful to visit with my sisters and neices who have come to see Kristilyn and her new babies. We were so pleased to have Katrina, Daniel, and Anna come to visit from Idaho when Katrina brought Anna down for an appointment at Primary Children's Medical Center.

Katrina with Anna.

Kristilyn with Amelia and Lillian about one-month-old.

Keith and Kim went to Hawaii for a week so we had the opportunity of having Talisa and Kira with us from September 25 to September 30. It was fun to take Talisa to her swimming, dancing and piano lessons. She is in Kindergarten but was off-track.

We went to West Jordan Park twice and the girls really enjoyed it.

Kira and Talisa enjoyed the village and the wheel swing.

One morning we had a play date with Grant and James. Here they are using the tire pump to put gas into their vehicles.

We took the hike around Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon at Brighton. The girls loved posing on the rocks.

John and I took Grant and James on this hike when we were tending them when their twin sisters were born. Talisa was eager to do the same things they had done. She remembered being there a couple of years ago with Emily and her family.

The girls made the hike easily and begged to do more "mountain climbing" after we finished the hike around the lake. In the picture notice how Kira is running which was typical of the whole trip. The trip was wonderful because the mountains were filled with intense, beautiful fall colors.

Talisa wanted me to be sure to post this picture of her on the blog. Notice that she has lost one of her front teeth.

Kira was a delight.

Saturday, October 1, 2011, John and I drove Neal's car from West Jordan to Rexburg. The car arrived from New York a week ago. We left at 7:00 AM and were able to hear the first hour of General Conference on the radio. We listened to the rest of the morning session and the afternoon session on Carter's computer. Katrina prepared a delicious roast beef dinner for us and we drove out to see where they are considering building their new home.

Daniel was playing with chalk on the sidewalk between conference sessions.

Katrina is feeding Anna.

Watching General Conference. We returned in the evening to West Jordan.

We had the Eliasons and Buringhams here for the afternoon session of conference and lasagna dinner. John, Kristilyn holding Amelia, Mark holding Lillian, Julie, Jason, with Grant and James in the front.

Grant and James

Kristilyn and Mark

Amelia and Lillian

Mark with James and Grant. Julie holding one of the babies.

Lillian--6 weeks old

Amelia--6 weeks old