Mark and Sheristian

San Francisco

2010-10-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

So Mark and I took our first couples trip since we have had our children. We decided to go to San Francisco. We went over the conference weekend. We left on Saturday October 2, 2010 and flew to Las Vegas. We had about a 45 minute layover. Then the next leg of our trip took us to Oakland. We got off the plane and headed out to the Air Bart, which then to us to the B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit). We took this from Oakland under the bay bridge into San Francisco. We got off the B.A.R.T at the Embarcadero exit. We then walked the Bay line from Pier 1 to Pier 45 1/2. We followed the bay around to Fisherman's Wharf. We stayed at the Raddison right on the wharf. It was so pretty. We got to the hotel at about noon. We got our bags checked in and then decided to head out and explore the city. We first went to the Cable Car lines. We rode the cable cars from Gharadelli square into China Town. While in China town we wondered around and looked in all the shops. While in China town we decided to stop and have lunch. We ate at a little restaurant. Mark wanted to try everything on the menu, he did and like almost everything that he ate. While in China Town we purchased some things for the kids. They all got an authentic chines outfin, they are using them for p.j.s. When walking through china town we just started heading back to the hotel and ended up walking back to fisherman's wharf. While walking we noticed all of the building. It was intresting to us that there was a firestation between two houses. They are all cramped together.

When we got back to the hotel we decided to go to the room and decide what we were going to do next. We left and walked the Wharf, we decided to get jackets and go on the Bay tour out to the Bridge and back. It was a very cool ride, the fog was rolling in and it was completly covering the Golden Gate Bridge. On our way back we walked and walked the Wharf. We wnet to a little Italian place for dinner. There Mark ate frog legs, he said that they were good I just took his work for it. I had soup and salad (I am not the advetures type.) We went back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

On Sunday we went on a tour of Alcatrez. On our way to pier 33 to catch the boat we stopped at Boden Bakery and ate breakfast. On Alcatrez we took the self guided tour it was so cool. I did not know how much history could be on one island. We did the tour and wandered the island for a couple of hours. After we got back from the tour we went to Gharidelli square and walked around. While out on the walk we went out to the middle of pier 45 and there were people fishing for crab off the side of the pier. Mark made friends with one of them and talked with him and tried to learn the secrets of the trade. He even got to help throw the ones back that were to little. All in all I think that he was in heaven. While he was making friends and fishing I was taking in the sights, and taking pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. On our way back to the hotel we did all of our shopping that we were going to bring home. It was a ton of walking in and out of every shop. I can say that I had a blast.

So here we are the last day of our trip. Today was a beatiful day, there were no clouds in the sky. We took the bus our to the bridge and walked out about 1/4 of the way. By then I needed to come back it was starting to bother me being up so high.( Since I do not do well with heights, I am suprised that I made it that far.) We got some awsome pictures and headed back to the bus stop. When back we headed our for lunch/dinner. We ate at the Crab Resteraunt. When done we took our bags and headed for the B.A.R.T Station. When we got to the station we bought our tickets and headed in to Oakland. We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We then found out that our flight had been delayed by about 20 min. Well by the time that we got to the gate our plane had been delayed by an hour. When we finally boarded we were headed for Salt Lake, I turned to Mark while on the plane and told him "You know when you spend to much time thinking about your kids when you take an empty bag on vacation with you, and you bring it home packed full of stuff for your kids. I have to say all and all we had a great time and think. I think that we may make it a tradition to do a couples long weekend every now and then.

Hope you could feel a little of our vacation even if you couldn't be with us.

Till next time. (Enjoy the photos.)

Fall is in the air

2010-09-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well school has been in for just about a month. The kids are loving it, I thought that Nykole would have had a harder time adjusting to kindergarten. She gets to walk to school with her brothers and some friends from the neighborhood. She doesn't even blink. I pick her up from school and we have mommy daughter time. She has made a new friend she lives just down the street. I was kind of shoked the other day. She was invited to go to lunch with them she freaked out a little when they were getting to leave. She decided to stay home with me and have her friend come over a little later. After a while she relaxed a little and decided it was okay to go to her house and play. They are now kind of connected at the hip.
On the home front. It is baking and canning season. We have made salsa already this year. We played with the recipie a little. The first batch that we made was a little mild and sweet. So we made the second batch and it was hot. It had a bite to it. We are going to make a couple more batches. Then I am going to make some jam. Everything is going fine with our family. Brycen is still keeping up with the music lessons. Mark is keeping very busy. He finished a 4-plex fire and is currently working on another one. The fire in Herriman has sent a little work their way also. We are sorry for thoes families and hate the fact that someones miss-fortune is a gain for us. I am going to try to be more faithful and put info about the whole family in this. I know that it is the way that some of our family is keeping up with our comings and goings from the other side of the world. We love you all, and talk to you soon.

End of Summer

2010-08-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well here we are again at the end of summer. I am happy to say that we got Spencer, Kassie, & Christopher off to Australia. My parents flew with them to California to put them on a plane to Australia, then spent a week just the two of them in California. While the parents were gone, Mark tiled the kitchen and bathroom. He also put in a new door from the kitchen to the backyard. It looks great. I can't believe how much it changed the look of the kitchen. I think that they love it. Along with the tile and the new door, Mark put up new thick base boards and we changed the case around the door. We have finished the kids school shopping with the exception of there supplies, (ie. Pencils, paper, & crayons etc.) We are just going to start getting the kids back into the bed time and morning routine. I hope that it will not take to long. Not much more to say. I will post pictures of the kitchen and the bathroom soon. TTFN.

Crazy Year !!

2010-07-12T15:56:00.001-07:00

It has been a crazy 6 1/2 months. We have had a ton of fun and exciting things going on. The kids finished school. In May we took a family vacation to Disneyland. It was the whole family My mom & Dad, Brother and his family, Sister and her family, & us. My parents thought that it would be way fun to spend one last big vacation together before Kassie, Spencer & Christopher left to Australia for a year (They are going for school.). We had a blast. We also took some family friends with us. In June school got out and summer began. It has been super crazy. We were in charge of my Great Grandma Nellie Wild's side of the family reunion. We did a teddy bear picnic theme. It was a ton of fun and we had an awsome turn out. We had a cake auction, and the cakes that were made a brought were incredible. July has been a full and busy month so far & it doesn't look to be slowing down any. We went and had family pictures taken on the 5th of July. We have Kassie and Spencer's going away party and the 24th of July and Christophers birthday party. It is going to be crazy up until the 1st of August when we put them on the plane and say our goodbye. I wish them the best and am truley happy for this adventure they are taking. I think that we are caught up to speed and will end for the time.

New Years

2010-01-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well it is finally a New Year I can not believe that another year has already come and gone. I am going to strive harder to keep my blog updated in a more timely manner. All in all we have had a great Holiday Season. The kids have had a great Winter Break they have played with the toys that they recieved for Christmas and their has not been too many fights. I am really looking forward to Monday I can not wait to get back on a scheduale and have the kids back in school I am okay with them being out for long periods of time when they can go outside and get some of the energy out but being cooped up in the house is just about enough to make me screem. I think that it is time for me to Sign off for the time being. I will try and update every couple of weeks on what is going on. Until then have a wonderful day.

Thanksgiving & Christmas

2010-01-02T16:22:00.001-08:00

Well We move on to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have to say that the pumpkin carving was a huge hit. So when Spencer suggested that we decorate gingerbread houses on Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was not the traditional Thursday meal. My brother had to be at the fire station on Thanksgiving Day. We had our dinner on Wednesday night instead, it was very fun we ate and then the kids decorated their houses. When the kids were all done then the adult kids took their turn. It was very intresting to see the different ways in which they were decorated. I think that their personalities and jobs came out in the way they decorated the houses. On Thanksgiving day we took our family to a movie I was shocked at how few people were out that afternoon.

For Christmas my mom and her brothers decided to give my grandma an entertainment center so that she will not have to worry about anyone breaking her tv. They could not find any that looked good enough for her to put it in her house. So Mark told my mom that he would build one and they could give it to her. So him and the kids took on the task of getting it done and put together and then we took it to Castle Dale to her family Christmas Party. I have attached pictures of the process and the completed project for you to look at. We also got a family picture taken for our Christmas Cards this year.

On Christmas Eve Santa came to the house. He had all of the kids sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted him to bring them for Christmas Eve. He then had them sit down in front of him and told them that if they didn't go to bed and do everything that their mom and dads told them to then he would fly right over they house.

Halloween

2010-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well I guess I need to catch up on my blog, so we will go back to October. We all had a great time on Halloween, my brother in law suggested that we all carve pumpkins so all came to moms house (all 15 of us) and we each had our own pumpkin. If you can picture it we had seven kids carving pumpkins (with some adult supervision.) When all the kids were done then the adults did theirs. We had such a great time. After we had all of the pumpkinscarved then we got dressed up for halloween and went to the annual Trunk or Treat at my mom and dads church hous. The kids made a haulling. To round off the night Mark, Myself and the kids went to some friends house to assist in the Haunted back Yard. The kids did a little trick or treating in the neighborhood and then home to bed. I have added some pictures to show you how much fun we had.

Here are some of the finished product.

Back to the Normal

2009-09-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

I guess I should take some time to update. We are doing well with school in session and all of the kids loving it. We have been busy just getting back into the normal routine. I guess it is as close to normal as you can get. Brycen and Skyler are back in school and loving every day. They are both doing well and learning tons. Nykole is in preschool three days a week and she thinks that she is as big as her brothers. I have had a ton of things going on this summer. Mark and I were ask to help on the food commitee in August for the wards Youth Confrence it was at Camp Williams and we had a blast. Since then we have been called as the Blazer leaders. Our ward is so small that they have us with all the boys from the ages of 9 to 12. Mark is still in Wyoming all week long and only coming home on the weekends. They are thinking of maybe opening up the business up their since the work is just flowing. I am not complaining since he actually has a job and can support our family. I am a little down since my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, neices and nephew are leaving for Disneyland in a week and our family was not able to go. I am getting over it really fast with the planning of our trip next year. I will have enough time to save the money and have a great time. I think that we have brought you up to speed on the happenings of our family and the things that are going on in our lives. Until next time.

Summer

2009-07-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well we are all settled in with the move and everything. I can not believe that summer is coming to an end. I have 3 weeks and the kids will be back in school. I can hardly wait for the school year to start since Brycen and Skyler will both be in full day school and Nykole will go to preschool 3 days a week. (What will I do with my time.)
An update on our lives. We have been just plugging along and not very many intresting things have happened this summer since we moved and Mark is working in Wyoming all week and is only home on the weekends it makes for hard vacation planning. But that is okay because we will take the work while we can get it and where ever we can get it. Brycen, Skyler and Nykole are adjusting just fine they love living at grandmas house and being able to see them everyday. As for me it has been a huge help with Mark being gone I actualy have some adult reinforcements when it comes to my kids and I am not alone all the time. I am looking forward to fall and the harvest season I love to make jam and bake for all the holidays in the fall. Well I only had a few minutes and the kids are coming up and want to play so I will update more later.

Getting Settled

2009-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have updated my blog. I am very sorry it has taken me so long, but a lot has been going on. We have moved out of our home and are living with my mom and dad for a little while. The economy has hit the construction business and Mark has had little to no work. Currently he is in Wyoming working. He goes up on Monday morning and comes home on Friday night. That makes living with the family a good thing for me so I am not alone all the time. The kids are loving the fact that they get to be at grandmas 24/7. It is a little rough to get them to settle down and go to bed at a regular time every night but it is still new so it will take a little getting used to. Brycen finished the 3rd grade and is going to be in the 4Th, and Skyler is going to be a big 1st grader I can not believe it. Nykole is going to start her second year of preschool in the fall and is so excited. We have no major plans for any summer vacations since Mark will be out of town most of the summer. But their is a lot to do around home so maybe we will get to show the kids some of Utah and a little more of the Salt Lake History. Not much more info from this end until later.

Crazy!!

2009-04-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time of year again. I can not believe that it is truly spring, since the weather has been so up and down. We have had snow and we have had 70's all within a two week period. Well all I can say is welcome to Spring in Utah.
We have had a lot going on and still have a ton more to com. From the end of March to the middle of April our lives are crazy. We have three birthdays, easter and lots of spring time fun.
Skyler had his sixth birthday on the 26th of March. He had a great time he got to take a poster to school that had pictures of him and our family on it. He also got to be the special helper the whole week and on his birthday he took treats to school he thought he was hot stuff. Since it was the first time he got to take for the whole class.
Nykole is getting ready to celebrate her 4th birthday, it is the 7th of April she is thinking that she is hot stuff also since she is in preschool and she got to be just like her big brother. She took a poster to school and on Wed she will get to take her treats for her class. We are going to celebrate her cousins birthday this Sunday so she gets to celebrate hers on Easter Sunday. A double whammie she will get the Easter Bunny and Birthday all in the same day.
I am looking forward to the middle of April when my life will slow down just a little and then it will speed up until school gets out. Well I only had a few min. so I will write more soon hopefuly sooner than later.

New Year a Fresh Start

2009-01-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well here we are a new year. I can't believe that life is going by so fast, the family is doing great. I have so very much to be thankful for. My family is just swinging along and we are just hoping that the rest of the year goes just as smooth. Well for the new year we are just getting back into the swing of a routine. Since school was out for two weeks we got to sleep in and play all day, their was no homework or appropriate bed times for little ones. It has been hard to get the boys back into the swing of going to bed and getting up. Nykole is just the opposite she will pretty much get up when ever she hears a noise. But to my upset she is only hit and miss on naps so on the days that I have to be to work early she doesn't like to lay down in the afternoon. That is when we put a movie in and let her curl up on the couch with me and hope that she will just sit still long enough. I am looking so forward to the next year. I hope that we will be able to keep all our families and friends in our thoughts and keep them safe. Till later

Finishing Touches

2008-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone. The New Year will be here very soon. I can't believe that life has gone by so fast. The kids had a wonderful time on Christmas morning they actually slept in until 7:00 am It has been very hard for me to get use to sleeping in. I was always the kid who got up several times in the night just to see if Santa had come.
Christmas day was a veg day at our house. We celebrated with my mom and dad on Christmas Eve. And Mark doesn't do anything with his family So we just hunkered down and watchhed it snow. Nobody had to be anywear until Sunday for church. We also have celebrated my grandmas 80th birthday this month I think that she was very excited to have us all there. I will post some pictures as soon as I pick out the cutest ones. Thank you for a great year, we will keep you up to date on all of our doings this next year.

Holiday Season

2008-12-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well here we are again, my favorite time of year. Not only are the lights beautiful but the spirit is so strong. You can feel service in the air, no matter how much we have or do not have we always want to help someone else. We have been so busy getting ready for the season, I can't believe that it is only 10 days away. We will be busy for the next few days we are getting ready for my grandma's Christmas party and we are also going to celebrate her 80th birthday. I will fill you in I just wanted to catch you all up on the new things

Disneyland

2008-11-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well we are back !!
I can not believe how fast vacation flies. It seems like we were just their.

It was so nice is southern Cal. The weather was so warm that it felt like June instead of November. We had so much fun.

We spent five days in Disneyland and California Adventures. And then we spent two days at Universal Studios.

The kids absolutely loved it and they were so excited to be their that they just wanted to do everything the first day.

Skyler was so excited that he could ride Grizzly Rapids in California Adventure that the boys rode it about fifteen time during the whole trip. They just kept going on it over and over they were so wet and their clothes were so heavy when they got off that the first day we had to go back to the hotel and change their clothes. The rest of the time I got smart and took extra clothes with us.

Bycen just liked the fact that he could ride almost every ride in Disneyland and he could ride Jurassic Park , the Mummy and the Simpson's ride at Universal Studios. He also likes the roller coasters at Disneyland. He is turning into his dad and his Idea of a good vacation is to eat at a different restaurant every meal.

Nykole was so excited to see all the characters and she absolutely had to love on all of them. She hugged them and loved on them and talked to them. She even waived at them on all the parades and every time one of them would pass us. Her next favorite part was that they have put Tinkerbell's home in Disneyland and she got her picture taken with two of the fairies and Tinkerbell.

We are glad to be home and have decided to not plan another trip unitl all of the additions to California Adventures have been completed in a couple of years.

Halloween

2008-11-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well it has come and gone again. I am a true fan of Halloween. It is really crazy, when you go to the store to get a costume. I had to stand in the costume isle for thirty min. just waiting for the boys to pick out what they wanted to be. I think that when I finaly said you have until I count to five then you will not go, they decided that they would hurry and choose.

Well last night Mark took the kids around the neighborhood and they got a huge loot. Then we went to grandmas and had pictures taken with the cousins. The kids are also getting way excited to leave for our trip. I will post pictures soon of halloween I just need to find the cutes ones that I have

Till later

Our Family

2008-10-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a little info on the family.

Mark: Mark is currently the owner of his own business and is loving it. He remodels homes and does some insurance work also. He is currently a primary teacher in our church. He also loves to just keep moving he never sits down.
Sheristian: I am currently working at Curves for women I guess you could call it work. Since I am only their about six hours a week and love what I do. I am also able to work our while I am on my shift. I am also spending two days a week at the elementary school with my boys.
Brycen: Brycen was baptized in August and he is full of spit and vigor. He is currently in the 3rd grade and loves it, he is doing well. He also loves to be outside no matter how cold it seems to be.
Skyler: Skler started kindergarten this year. He loves to ride the bus to and from school, it makes him feel bigger than he is. He is always asking to write or do math, he is also wanting to read everything in sight.
Nykole: Nykole started preschool this year. She goes one day a week and loves it. She will run around the house singing songs and saying the pledge of allegiance. The other thing that she does. Is when the boys get home from school, and start their homework. She thinks that she needs to be right their with them.

We are really getting along well and love the ward and neighborhood that we are in. We are also getting ready for our third trip in three years to Disneyland. The kids are excited to fly on the plane. The mom is excited to just be on vacation at the happiest place on earth. We will be leaving in 14 days and will be gone for a week. I will post more later