McDowell Family

Christmas Birthday?

2007-12-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

Could it really be a Wii?
Finally, her own phone! (Sigh.)
Future Tiger? Who can tell.

The calm before the storm."I've been wanting an ipod my whole life!"
Dora, from Kyle. (The best present ever!)
Grandma and Grandpa McDowell
Meg and the gorgeous Shumway girls

December 25th is a crazy day in our house. Not only do we get to celebrate Christmas, but we also are lucky enough to have Meg's birthday fall on the 25th. While it complicates things a little, we still love that Meg shares a birthday with the day we celebrate our Savior's birth. It was a sweet coincidence and we'll always try to make sure that it's special on both accounts!

As for the presents, I think that the kids got a lot of great stuff and maybe even everything that they had their hearts set on. We even managed to come up with the elusory Wii (lucky timing at Costco), even though they spent their day playing guitar hero on their old PS2 and downloading tunes on their ipods.

For her birthday, Meg finally got a phone. (Did I say finally? I mean, she's only 12!) She was thrilled. We are anxious. I think we set a precedent with Josh last year, but having done it we also acknowledge that every child is different. Oh, I hope that we are wrong!

But really, the best part of Christmas is family. We spent last night with the McDowells and I think that I called home at least twice before nine a.m. this morning. I love being in Oregon for the Holidays, but sometimes it's just too hard to move the entire operation up there. I miss my Grandmas most of all. Talking on the phone isn't really the same, but it's a close second. I hope that everyone else had as fantastic of a Christmas as we did. We are so blessed in so many ways. My heart goes out to all those who couldn't be with those they love, especially our cute Kerbee who is serving in Iraq. I'm sure that there is nothing she would want more than to be home holding her sweet little Aroura and watching her rip through her Christmas treasures. I'm so grateful for Kerbee and all the rest of the soldiers out there protecting and serving us.

Lastly, I am so in debt to our Saviour. How do you express gratitude for the best present of all? I am a lucky girl, a very blessed girl who knows that I can never do everything myself. I know that my making it anywhere will require a great measure of grace on His part and that He was willing to do that for not only me, but my family and everyone else, too. I hope that this Christmas we all reflect on our good fortune and on the birth of a single baby who changed the course of all of our lives by what He did with His! Merry Christmas!

Cards for Christmas!

2007-12-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

This was our Christmas Card winner!

The elusive "perfect" Christmas card photo is so hard to get. The kids were great sports though, and we managed to pull off a few cute ones. Of course, I am biased being their mother and all. All I know is that when your kids are old enough to cooperate, picture time is an entirely different experience. (Minus the times when your kids go through crazy smile phases!) Anyway, these are a few of my favorites!

Thanksgiving McDowell Style!

2007-11-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

The McDowell Family Turkey Bowl.

Ty and Kate: Grateful for their sweet cousins!

The entire McDowell crew.
Brady, Ashlyn, Jeana, Ashley and Alyse.
Russ's bum big toe, courtesy of a sprinkler head.
The "girls only" club. Poor little Ty!

Well, talk about the perfect Thanksgiving! We ate, laughed, chatted, played football and even managed to get everyone together for a group shot (no easy task)! Mike and I hosted the event this year and enjoyed every minute of watching the family hang-out and enjoy each other's company. You'd think that with most of us living right here in the valley that we'd see each other more, but it takes a holiday to pull us all to one spot. Luckily, Russ and Denise and their kids were all there with the exception of Garrett, who we missed. Ashlyn came from Idaho, where she is going to college and playing Volleyball (at 6' 1" she's a natural talent), so it was great to see her with her cousins. We were also lucky to have our cousin, Jeanette, come all the way from Arkansas, too. We were pulling them in from all over! We missed Rick and Becky's family and also John, but we understand that you've got to split loyalties sometimes. Thank goodness Cheri and Steve just brought Jack with them, so we gained one instead of losing 6. Regardless, we had a fantastic time with only a few football casualties to report. It was a great day to celebrate and think over the many, many things that we have to be grateful for: our family, our freedom, our good health and of course, the blessing of the gospel in our lives.

Life with Kate

2007-11-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

Once in a while you snap a picture that just captures your child's personality. I had a night like that with Kate. She came in with her favorite blue shoes (hand-me-downs from Meg), her favorite red silky nightie (a hand-me-down from Aunt Jill) and loads of jewelry purloined from Meg's treasures (she's a real gem for going through Meg's goods). Add the glasses on top of an always dirty face to a little background music and you have the recipe for quite a show. Kate couldn't help but get down. She was twirling and spinning all over the place. I grabbed my camera just for one shot and couldn't help but take a few more than that. If I had to pick one word to describe Kate it would have to be SPUNKY! She definitely makes me crazy with all of her antics, but I'll take that if it comes with a good laugh once in awhile. She fills our house with fun and love. I mean, how can you not love a face like that?

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-06T17:38:00.001-08:00

One of these things is not like the others!

2007-11-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post a cute picture from the Clarkson Halloween bash. This is pretty much our book club, with an imposter posing in the back. Can you guess who? Oh, and I was wearing a costume. . .cat ears and a tail!

Rocky Point Reunion

2007-11-05T19:28:00.000-08:00

Sand Rays from the reef. It's amazing what lives in the ocean!

Ashlyn, Lynette, Brandon, Kelly and Emma Pam, Corey, London, Jay and Tyler
Meg, me, Kyle, Josh, Mike and Kate

All the Wettstein girls! London, Ashlyn, Meg, Kate and Emma (who was thrilled, by the way!)

My only brothers, Kelly and Jay. I can't remember the last picture of just the two of them together!
Yep, that's all of us. The timer on the camera is a pretty cool invention! Thank goodness Kelly was there to show me how to use it.
Looking at the Sand Rays that the kids found snorkeling. We put them in a little tide-pool so that everyone could get a good look!
Kate and Brandon loved every minute of being on the beach.
Traditionally, we spend a weekend every fall with my brother, Jay, and his family. Usually we meet them at Disneyland, but this year we decided to go to Rocky Point, Mexico, to enjoy a little get-away. Since Kelly lives here now too, it just made sense to all drive down, rent a place on the beach and spend a few days reconnecting. So Jay and Pam flew in from Oregon and we headed to Puerto Penasco for a little Mexican Vacation. Our kids all love each other so much and look forward to time spent together, so it just seemed appropriate to hang out on the beach and let them play. We didn't do much but tan, skim-board, find shells, snorkel and tell the locals "no thank-you, we don't need any cigars, amigo!" It was so relaxing and fun for everyone because there isn't a whole lot else to do there but play on the beach. No pressure to shop or go to Sea World or anything like that. It's just the perfect place to just spend time together.

Once we got back to AZ, we enjoyed a little rivalry by watching the Oregon/Arizona game. Nothing like watching the Ducks beat the Devils down. I'd have loved for ASU to have pulled it off, but hopefully Oregon can make a showing for the Pac-10. Jay and Kyle had a whole dollar riding on the game along with a lot of smack talk from a seven year old. We found out after the fact that the dollar that he bet was actually pilfered from Josh's cash box. Typical Kyle to bet someone else's hard earned money!

The last fun thing we did was celebrate Kelly's birthday. We went to Lonestar Steakhouse where Kelly ordered the porterhouse with the warning that he still had lunch's quarter-pounder stuck to his ribs. He said he was only going to eat a few bites, then take the rest home. Ha Ha. He ate the entire thing, no joke and then still saved room for a milk-shake from Chik-fil-A. I keep telling him that it's all going to catch up with him someday, but so far he's kept the love-handles at bay. Go figure! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY!

Disneyland with the Masses!

2007-10-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Check out this crowd. Go home will you!

Riding the Tower of Terror! Yes, even Kate rode it. For Kyle and Isabell, everything was a competition, even pulling the "Sword from the Stone."
You can't go to Disneyland without riding the Matterhorn.

I'm not sure, but I think that everybody in Gilbert, Chandler and Utah at large were at Disneyland for Fall Break. I've never seen this many people there, not even on Fourth of July week. Seriously. We kept waiting for everyone to go home, but I think that everyone else was holding out for the same thing. Crazy! We went with our friends, the Moyers, and were glad to have good company as we were standing in line for quite a bit of the trip. Oh well, live and learn. Luckily we know the fastpass ropes which helped out a lot and we stopped and got lots of treats! Thank goodness for churros, popcorn and Mickey head ice-cream bars! Lifesavers, everyone.

September Student-of-the-Month

2007-10-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Meg and Mrs. Boyer
Meg was selected as September's student-of-the-month for her 6th grade class. She is loving her teacher and really enjoys being in Mrs. Boyer's class. Here is what she said about Meg: "She (Meg) has proven how responsible she is. She comes to school ready to learn and her assignments are completed. I know I can count on her to participate in class, as well as to help others who might be having difficulties. She is a great role model for those in her class, as well as the younger children who see her around campus. I am so glad she is in my class!" Thanks Mrs Boyer!

Happy 13th Birthday Josh!

2007-10-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

Uncle Kelly and Aunt Lynette carving up the brownies!

Mitch, Randall, Brandon, Skyler, Brady, Josh, Caleb, Kyle, Zack and Spencer.
Nice personalization on the birthday brownies.
That's the chocolate cake from Johnny and Debbi. Looks good, huh?
Grandma and Grandpa McDowell with Josh.

Wow! Who can believe that I've entered into the ranks of having a teenager! Josh turned 13 on Sunday and I think he had a pretty decent birthday. On Saturday night after a dissapointing day of football, Josh's friends came over to swim and play "capture the flag." What's that you're asking? No! We didn't get a pool, but luckily we were granted access to the "Patton Party Palace" next door and the boys had a great time eating B-B-Qed burgers and swimming. The boys sort of milled about from one thing to the next, but overall I think they had a pretty fun time just hanging out.

Sunday, Kelly and Lynette came over with brownies which Kelly placed 13 candles in after carving "Happy Birthday Josh" in the top with a knife. Pretty clever, I think. Then Johnny and Debbi Haggard dropped by with the most perfect chocolate cake! Josh promptly hid that in the laundry room so that he could be in charge of doling it out himself. Seriously. My most unselfish kid becomes extremely selfish with his birthday cake from the Haggards. (I have to admit that I don't really blame him.) Lastly, the evening was rounded out with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa McDowell and Jeana and the kids. Happy Birthday Josh!

San Francisco Get Away

2007-09-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mike and I in Candlestick Park. I know it's named something else now,

but I hate that commercial junk!

Anthony and Lori Graves, Jim and Christie Adcox, Mike and I, John Paul and Kathy Jones

Tracy in her cute bug!

Our shuttle driver to and from the airport. He did a pretty decent Napolean Dynamite impression and I don't even think that he was trying to.

Early in September we took a little trip to San Francisco to watch a 49ers and Cardinals game. Yeah, we're huge Cardinal fans. . .not really. Our friend Antonio is actually a faithful Cards fan (yes, there are a few of those out there) and so we all jumped in at the chance to hang out with old friends and watch Matt Leinart try to make something happen for Arizona. If you saw the Monday night football game then you know that it almost did, then in classic Cardinal fashion the 49ers came storming down the field in the last minute to win by a field goal. All I know is that I'd rather have left Candlestick stadium as a loser amongst those fans then a winner. The best part about the night was our free ride back downtown on the bus after we paid over a hundred bucks for a van service to the game. Not only was the bus ride home twice as fast, but it also seemed a whole lot safer than the crazy drivers that we had every time we took a shuttle. The moral of this tale: Never knock public transportation!
Luckily, the game was not the only thing we did on our trip. I had a great visit with my childhood friend, Tracy Astle. She lives in San Fran and works at Pottery Barn as a textile buyer. She was a great tour guide and knew every in and out of public transportation. She also took Mike and I around town in her cute VW bug, which she and I always said we'd own one day. At least one of us got one. We had a blast catching up and it was great fun to see Tracy in "her city" as I call it. She really loves San Fran and after all the great places she showed us, I can see why. Other than that, I think that we girls hit every H&M in the city. Who knew you could shop at the same place twelve different times. That's what happens when something is inaccessible back home.
Lastly, I think that the most memorable event of the trip actually happened on the plane ride out to San Fran, but you'll have to ask me about that. I refuse to write about it. Ugh! Or maybe you could ask Lori Graves as she sat right next to the foul-smelling perpetrator. Ha Ha!

There's a first time for everything!

2007-09-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone! I am out here in the wide world of blogging so everyone can quit asking me when I'm going to start posting on my previously blank site! I'm sure this will be like my scrapbooking days, where much later on I look back at my earlier attempts and shudder in embarassment at the pages that I was once so proud of. Whatever. I'm at least going to give this a shot. So just bear with this because it is definitely a work in progress.

Football trumps all! (and soccer is a close second)

2007-09-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, here is what our lives revolve around right now. Sports, baby! If we don't have a practice, game or scrimmage going on, we're not sure what to do with ourselves.

Meg is playing soccer on a club soccer team called the Arsenal. She has loved it and is getting better and more aggressive with every game. Who knew that she could shove a girl out of the way to fight for the ball? Of course, she usually apologizes to the girl later, but we're seeing some definite improvement out there. She is loving playing with her buddy, Emily Graves and is so glad that some other girls from the ward are on the team. It's given them all a great chance to get to know one another better! (Not to mention the immense perks of a four parent carpool. . .lucky us.)

Josh is playing football with the Horsemen again this year. He loves his team and coaches and so far they are 3 and 0. That's a nice way to start. He plays tailback and some defensive something or other that isn't on the line. (I can hear my husband groaning from here!) I do know that he loves to tackle and hits hard, hard, hard and I would'nt want to be on the other end of his helmet! This is the first year that he has played with the kids that he goes to school with and he really loves being able to talk "ball" at school with his buddies. Josh also lucked out to get on the same team with his friend, Brandon and his Mom lucked out because she has someone to explain all the penalties to her as Brandon's Mom, Janae is the Football guru.

Kyle is playing flag football and has also jumped out to a 3 and 0 start. Yeah! So far, Kyle has played almost all of every game and is usually in the QB spot. If you want to know how he's doing, just ask him. He doesn't mind telling you that his team would just die if he couldn't make it to a game. There's more where that came from, but that is all that I feel comfortable letting out of the bag. Thank goodness our good friend Justin Jobe is the coach and understands the intensity bottled up in that little body! Kyle just really loves the game and enjoys creating his own football memories after watching Josh play for the last five years!

Luckily Kate has not joined the ranks of those who need to be run around from one activity to the next. She is going to Aunt Jeana's preschool and enjoys getting to do her own thing a few times a week. Every day she wants to go to "her" school and every time she goes, I am grateful to enjoy a few hours to myself. Hallelujah! That's all I need, just a little down time.