My Andie

My Dearest Andrea,

Thank you for being my daughter. You are the funniest kid, you are very bold with others but get away with it because you are too cute! You are daring, and with a little coercion are willing to try a lot of new things.

You are so happy and make others happy.
You can get things done,

and are very dedicated to what you like and people you love.

You are my Princess, Andrea.

You know how to have a good time!

You can make the funniest facial expressions,

and you are too cool!

You are a great big sister and love your family. You always say loving Heavenly Father, Jesus and family is more important.

You are an excellent actress and are very smart!

You like swimming and are getting better each time you go.

You love fancy things.

You love Reeses cereal, and regleer (yes I spelled it how you say it) oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar. You always ask for mac and cheese for dinner and love your hair in a side ponytail. You are always on the go, whether it's dancing skipping, twirling, or running. I just discovered about a week ago you talk in your sleep. I love you Tum tum. I'm so very very happy you are mine and I get to watch you discover the world!

Happy Birthday, Beautiful!

Love, mom

10 years already???

“The trick, my brethren and sisters, is to enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand, in sunshine and storm, as companions who love one another." ~~~President Gordon B Hinckley

It's funny how things are in life. Today is Jeremy's and my anniversary. Number 10 to be exact and if I take it day by day it seems slow going but thinking back by years, it seems like it's just flown by. I still remember going on our first date, (we went to go see Titanic, I made him take me) and I told him for our anniversary I wanted to watch Titanic again. Luckily he knew I was kidding and got us both massages at a spa down in South Ogden. It was a surprise. He planned everything in advance. Got a sitter for the boys (Thank you Barbie!) and asked my mom to pick up the girls from school. Golly gee, I love that man!!!

I look back on our life and what we have accomplished, what we've been through, all our trials and blessings. Everything that has made our life what it is now. Sometimes Jeremy and I daydream of what it would be like to have the knowledge we have now and put it in our 20-year-old bodies. We could invest money in stocks, real estate and other such things and be millionaires by now. We could write books on our experiences, we could talk ourselves OUT of buying the huge suburban that turned out to be a lemon. We would still have rockin' bodies! No baby belly pooch for me, Yay! But alas, that is only wishful thinking. In 10 more years we will be wishing that we knew what we do when we were our age now. So life goes....

The kids and I watched some home movies while Jeremy had to work today and it brought back a flood of memories. Our first apartment we spent more then 3 months in, our trips, our house when we first moved into it. Looking at how much we've changed physically. 19 years old is just way to young to get married, I seriously looked like I was 15 years old. (Kids of mine you are not allowed to even date until you are 35!) I could have watched those videos for hours but the growling stomachs of my girls and "peese" Jonas was saying over and over forced me to turn it off and go make dinner.

Thanks, Jeremy, for loving me through thick and thin. For being the most amazing dad to 4 of the luckiest kids in the world. Thanks for putting up with all my nerdy weirdness. For dealing with, helping out, and loving my side of the family. For bringing me in to and letting me love yours. Thank you Jeremy for being a shoulder for me to cry on and a best friend to laugh with. You have made me the happiest wife in the whole world and I love your guts!

Here's to the next 10 years, love.

A Naming and Blessing

James Atticus Hunsaker

We named and blessed James this past Sunday. I was planning on the 6th of February but some people told me not to. Something about a big football game going on that day??? That wasn't the real reason why we changed it. It just worked out better for most people to do it on the 30th. Also it worked out better to do it after church. Those traveling wouldn't have to get up super early to drive - 9am church. And plus right after the blessing we had an extremely yummy lunch that my brother Daniel made. Everyone pitched in and brought something but he stayed up all night smoking pork roasts and a beef brisket to make southern BBQ. So good.

Jeremy performed the blessing which made me so happy. He did a fantastic job. It makes me feel honored to be his wife and mother of his children. I borrowed a pattern and fabric from the RS President in my ward and made his little suit. I accidentally sewed different parts at different times inside out. (That fabric was hard to tell the wrong side from right.) But after much unpicking and sewing, I had it done. Before I had kids my mother's mom, my Nanna who lives in Australia, made me the blanket that James is laying on. All 4 of my kids have been blessed in that, it's such a treasure to me. We had so many people there and had such a good time. James was such a good baby. He needed a bit of entertainment while we ate, but overall was fantastic. I'm so glad so many people could come. I think we were only missing 2 of Jeremy's siblings and their families. Thanks everyone for coming.

I feel so blessed to have the knowledge of the gospel. To have my eternal family if I but endure. I am so grateful for my family, for both the fleeting happiness and eternal joy they give me. I am grateful for what I learn during my trials as a mother. I'm so grateful for the trust Heavenly Father has in me to raise my children. I'm so glad I have them, no one could love any 4 kids more than I do mine.

Edith Bowen Forsgren

Together Again

Frank & Edith Forsgren's Posterity

October 17th, 1918 - January 18th, 2011.

We had the funeral of a sweet sassy, lady that I love. She was such a talented woman. She was an amazing cook and always wanted to feed you something when you came to visit. She loved chocolate (especially Reeses), Pepsi, watching baseball but most of all she loved her family. She would always cut out anything about her family from the newspapers. Her house was littered with pictures of her kids, their kids, and their kids.

Most of the time when we went to visit she would tell me how handsome Jeremy was. "I was going to marry a tall, dark, and handsome man, but then I ended up with this guy" she'd say, gesturing to grandpa. Then she told me how she and my grandfather met. They were both working at the Remmington Arms factory and she saw him. She got a strong feeling she would marry him and asked her friend about him. To her dismay she found out he was married with a baby on the way. But she could not disregard her strong feeling. Well a few years later my grandpa's wife passed away and he was left heartbroken and with a little boy. When he returned from WW2 they courted and married and had 2 more boys. And to wrap up her story she'd tell me how handsome Jeremy was.

When we were kids we would spend the night at her house and we would dress up in her clothes she never wore (think fur coats, and big purses) her high heels, wear her jewelry and if we were lucky she would let us wear her lipstick. If we were cold she would put a lovely bright green towel over us like it was a blanket, even though she had plenty of blankets. What a sense of humor she had! She said the funniest things and was bold about it, and she got away with it because she was old. She called breaking wind, bluejays, I never understood why!?

She loved roses and poems. She loved to travel and went to so many places with 2 other couples that were good friends of hers and grandpas. I'm honored to be her granddaughter.

Her Casket

Say "Hi" to grandpa for me, please.

I love you Grandma.

7-Year-Old

Ally is now 7 years old. I remember when she was 7 minutes old. Where does the time go? Her birthday was on Sunday this year. She starts talking about her birthday as soon as Christmas day is over.

This year she wanted to have a pinata. It's supposed to be a ladybug. I learned for the next time I make a pinata to make the top extra thick and sturdy. It ended up falling off the string before it broke open.

I love her face!

She wanted an Oreo cake. She also got to pick a breakfast cereal (Cookie Crips) and what was for dinner that day. She chose Chinese chicken. We ended up making orange chicken, fried rice, egg rolls, and won tons.

Good pick Ally!

She got lots of presents, including a new haircut!

I decided to do a year of Ally. So this is Allyson Hunsaker 2010, in no specific order.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLYSON! THANKS FOR BEING IN OUR FAMILY.

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Christmas Time is Here Again

I love Christmas! I'm happy when it's over because sometimes I wonder if it's worth the worry and energy and money all for one day. But it's the look on my children's faces, the season that makes me happy and the reason for the season. Everyone seems to be just a bit nicer, I love the decorations, and I love teaching my children about the birth of Christ.
Mugs!

Ally's beloved Twinkies, she can't get enough.

Ally's new coat!

She asked Santa for a wooden acoustic guitar. She even pointed it out at the store. It was a bit more than Santa was willing to cough up, but thanks to Santa's helper Tiffany she got a pink acoustic plastic guitar featuring Rapunzel. She was happy and has spend lots of time learning how to play it.

Andie opening presents.

Andie's new coat!

Andrea asked for Barbie with a mermaid tail. She also got the movie Barbie and her Mermaid Tail. She loves playing with her Barbie while watching the movie. Making her Barbie do Barbie in the movie does.

This was after he opened his present of Smarties and we wouldn't let him have any. I gave in.

He got Thomas the Tank Engine from Santa.

He got loads of cars.

Eating breakfast!

As a kid we would get little boxes of cereal in our stocking to eat while we waited for my grandparents to arrive.

James just relaxed all day in his cute little outfit.

The girls helped James open his Santa present.

I made this for the boys. It's a playmat of our version of Brigham. Some things are iron-ons, some are painted. Each kid has a house, there is the police station, fire station, school, courthouse, temple, tabernacle, post office, grocery store, hospital, library, church, pond, playground, grandparents and parents houses. Along with some little decorations. Jonas loves it and I'm hoping James will too.

We performed a nativity skit at my parents, here's that cast.

We also did one at Jeremy's sister's house but the pics didn't turn out so well.

And after each of the kids got to visit with Santa.

Hope your family had a good holiday season too!

Seeing Santa

Ally asked for an acustic guitar.

Andrea asked for a Barbie with a mermaid tail.

Jonas didn't ask for anything, but at least he didn't cry.

Ally's Award

Ally got an award for her "Wonderful Words". Her teacher, Mrs. Ulsh, said that she's always excited to read what Ally has written in her journal they do at school.

Ally is LOVES to read books and is so creative when she write stories. She is very inventive and comes up with some interesting scenarios when you play with her.

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Good job Ally!