college gameday with michael...

this early morning bit of national television drama played out in provo while michael and i enjoyed every minute. in fact, it was certainly more emotionally satisfying than the game later that evening.

i worked until 2 am the night before the game and had to arise at 5:40am to get michael and myself dressed and fed. when my alarm went off i definitely thought 3 or 4 times about possibly staying home in the warmth of my bed and watching the show on TV. but michael's enthusiasm played in my mind as i dragged myself upstairs to help him into the clothing he'd laid out the night before.

i painted our faces with the paint i'd purchased at smith's the day before and after some cereal we had called mom out to take our pictures with our posters before heading out.


unfortunately, the drive down was not filled with the sweetness of byu pre-game announcements on ksl. it was filled with the depressing sounds of ksl's outdoors talk and gardening talk at 6 am. i opted for some top 40 tunes to keep myself awake and functioning for the drive down. michael dozed a bit during the 40 minute drive, but was wide awake and excited when we arrived.

we parked in the flag football lot and jumped the fence to the parking lot just west of the stadium where the game-day setup was already in full swing.

the first hint that we weren't going to get super-close to the stage was when we had to park way out on the grass at the parking lot.

the next sign was the 25+ tents setup in the parking lot next to the 'gameday bus'.

we found our place in a line (45 minutes before the start of the telecast) greater than a football field in length and waited. the wait didn't hinder michael's wonder and enthusiasm however. he is seen below beaming as he did throughout our time in the line. he would scan the crowd and the newest arrivals to the line and say stuff like, "uh oh, boise state fan" or "uh oh, utah fan", or "dad, that sign says..."

here you can see two of the more inventive signs. it was pretty fun to read the many different signs people made for the event. there were a fair number of signs poking fun at obama, but unfortunately they had to be taken down for the broadcast as they would not allow political signs at the show.

so a word to AJ, if you're going and planning on taking a sign tomorrow. don't make it political. there were also quite a few negative BCS signs, and those were taken down as well.


partway through the telecast (michael had been on my shoulders for the better part of two hours at this point) michael said he was getting bored. we discussed possibly leaving, but he re-energized with a rootbeer and chocolate (from the leftover deer hunt supply in my backpack.) and was ready for more. here we are below after the show ended.

while we didn't get our faces on the telecast (however, we were interviewed by ksl tv--the footage of which seems to have been archived without seeing the light of the internet...) but we did get our sign on TV 3 or 4 times.





all in all, it was a great time with my boy. it made for a long day, but the memories will stick.

go cougars!

calling all cougar fans...

as you may have heard, espn college gameday is coming to provo.

michael and i are planning to be there well before 8 am mountain time for the live taping of the show. however, we are struggling with the right balance for our posters and we need your help.

here are the penciled ideas we have so far.

michael's favorite (of course) has the most numbers on it.

there is the obligatory ESPN poster to assure camera time.

we plan on having our faces painted (i purchased the paint and spray earlier) and i plan on having michael on my shoulders so we can each hold up a poster for double the effect.

we can therefore make 4 posters (double sided)

i'm thinking the other two should be TCU themed posters (and there should be mention of 'horned toads'...)

as you will notice, the posters are a bit rough which is why we need your help!

Girls' Trip... Pittsburgh Style

Oooo... I have been a spoiled mamma during the last few months. I was feeling pretty lucky after July's trip to New York City... and thought it would be a while until I was flying solo again. But Melinda (sister-in-law) came up with an offer I just couldn't refuse! Buddy passes on Jetblue (compliments of her cousin who works for them--thanks Kara!!!) to Pittsburgh to see Libby (sister-in-law) and her cute little family. Yipee!! Fun!!!

So after going back and forth with delimas about responsibility to our children and studying husbands... with massive amounts of help from a wonderful mother-in-law and encouraging husbands... and with tears in our eyes and worries in our hearts about the kiddos (Melinda's Aaron crawled out of his crib for the first time minutes before she left!)... we left on a red-eye to Pittsburgh.


I love spending time with Melinda. She sees situations in a positive and meaningful way, is encouraging to and interested in everyone around her, and just so fun to talk to. She is such a good mommy and we had lots of good mommy talks. She was a perfect traveling partner, and was good enough to take care of all the details of our travel.

This is Pittsburgh...


And this is Libby's fun little family...


Libby and DJ are almost finished with dental school in Pittsburgh. Little Mack (now 1 year old) joined them about 1/2 way through their time there. They love living there, but it is much too far away!! I was so happy to finally get out there to see where they have been living and to explore the city they have come to love so much.

I love Libby. She is creative, motivated, and talented in so many ways... it is energizing being around her. DJ is calmly thoughtful, and was such a good sport to oblige our girl talks and aid our girl trips. It was so fun to get to know him better. Mr. Mackers got the full attention of two mothers missing their children... so the visiting aunts ooed and awed over his cute bum-scoots, beginning waddles, eating habits, and constant adorability.


And Libby sure showed us a good time. Most of our time was spent perusing unique shops and beautiful things/places... just admiring things and enjoying being around each other. When we weren't out on the town, we were staying up way too late talking about life, dreams, and practical aspects of our roles as mothers. They took us to some great places to eat, and we made some pretty good food, too! Oh, and there was that one time we did an extreme yoga video... youch!

Some of my favorite memories from this trip: Melinda being attacked by a runaway ferret, bartering with Indians, SLEEPING IN!!!, seeing DJ's quirky side during a board game, introducing Melinda to H&M, eating way too much Thai food, watching Mack's bum-scoots and styling his hair, apple stuffed french toast, meeting the people who love Libby and DJ at church, a picturesque photo shoot overlooking Pittsburgh, researching antler decor, watching a photoshop genius as she created a birthday party invitation masterpiece, conceptualizing custom cabnitry, and talking talking talking until waaaay too late...

Once our time in Pittsburgh was finished, we boarded our airplane... simply hoping that we would get home that day (when you ride standby with buddy passes, you are at the mercy of whether the planes have extra seats or not). We had an extra long layover in NYC... so we took advantage by going into the city where we caught up with Stephen to have lunch and did some hurried shopping in SoHo before heading back to the airport.

Perhaps the biggest drama of the trip was played out as we nervously waited to see if there was room for us on the plane to get home from NYC. If we didn't make the flight, we would either fly to Las Vegas and rent a car to drive home, or wait another 1 1/2 days in NYC before going home on another flight (which... we told ourselves... wouldn't be SUCH a bad thing, since we would get to spend more time with Stephen and the NYC shopping...). But the truth was, we were really anxious to get home to our little ones and husbands. Melinda was litterally jumping for joy when we found out we would make it on the flight. The perfect end to our little adventure.

So thank you, Libby and DJ, for showing us your wonderful city. Thank you, Libby and Melinda, for being sisters I never had. (We just needed Hannah there to be complete!) Thank you, Mom Frandsen and Paul (and everyone else who aided them...), for doing my jobs for me while I was gone--you are so good to me! Thank you, Melinda, for following through with our idea, making all the arrangements, and being such wonderful company.

We decided to make the girl's trip an annual event... a tradition I'll look forward to!

Some fun parts of October...

We loved going to Gardener Village to see the witches. Grandpatty, Melinda and Aaron, Paul's Aunt Shauna and his cousin Jill and her 5 kids all joined us.



Ella loved this baseball witch...


Or maybe she just loved the glove (whoops...)



Bekah sat on this bench with this witch contentedly for the longest time. I wondered what she was thinking. I asked her later and she said that "that witch is my friend."


Michael and Zach have so much fun together whenever they are around each other. This day was no exception.


And we only lost a couple of girls a couple of times! Ella loved roaming around and tried not to get lost...


After it all we sat down to an enjoyable, albeit windy and cold, picnic.


I love that we can make this an October tradition now that we are living in Utah again. Such a fun place to go.


In other news, we have been watching the building of a playground behind our house. Fun fun fun!!!


This was from the end of September, but this was a little impromptu birthday party we had for Hannah... with all the time she spends with the kids (which we appreciate so much!!) she is such a part of our family and we love her so much!! We never tire of her company around here, and enjoy all of the talks we have been having lately...



And a picture from a BYU home game when we took the kids to a pre-game party at the Alumni house. They all got their faces painted and had a blast basking in the Cougar spirit.


Fun times all around.

Let the Temple Touch Their Hearts...

Some of my most treasured memories of the summer involve the LDS temples in Utah Valley. When we first moved, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple had been built, but was not yet dedicated. (Temples are dedicated for official work and worship by temple-worthy members of the LDS church. Before temples are dedicated, it is open to the general public to walk through and see during an open house.) This meant we could take the kiddos to walk through and see a temple. It was really meaningful, because they hear about how sacred and special temples are to us, but never really get to see why.


They absolutely loved it. The girls were captivated by the sparkly chandeliers and thrilled with the bride's room for girls preparing for their sealing (wedding) ordinance. Abby counted every stair she climbed, and Bekah declared "I will come here to get ready to get married." Michael intuitively felt the reverent nature of the temple, asked many mature questions, and loved the feeling of the celestial room--which represents eternal life with Heavenly Father. He said later that "I want our family to be together forever, just like in the celestial room."

(this picture was taken in the visitor's center after the tour of the temple)

It was so good to have my family there together. It strengthened even more my desire to have us all gather in the temple's celestial room and in the eternities. It is worth all my effort and energy as a mother.

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple in situated on the southwest side of Salt Lake County. The site of the temple overlooks Utah Valley, and from the eastern side you can readily spot the Draper, Jodan River, and Salt Lake Temples. My first thought was... 4 temples within eyesight of each other is crazy!! Then I thought... I need to take the kids to see them all.


Several weeks later, we spent a Sunday afternoon on a "Tour of Temples." We were going to family dinner in Spanish Fork that evening, and I figured that if we started at the Salt Lake City Temple, we could drive south and hit the Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain, Draper, Mount Timponogos, and Provo temples. That would be 6 temples in the course of a couple of hours. Unbelievable.

Unfortunately, our "Tour of Temples" had to be cut down in the interest of time... but we still got to three:

The Draper Temple

The Mount Timponogos Temple

The Provo Temple

When I attended the temple dedication for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, I was so touched with how much the prophet and other speakers talked about bringing your children to the temples and allowing them to feel the special spirit that is there. They encouraged us to talk about the temples, let them know when we attend the temple and how we felt there, and express testimony about the truth of eternal marriage and families.

My mind and heart affectionately recall a phrase said by our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. He said that as we take our children to the temple and let them touch their walls, we also let the temple touch their hearts. What a special opportunity I have as a mother, surrounded in this Valley with such beautiful temples, to allow the hearts of my children to be touched by such an eternally important goal.

I love the temples of the Lord. I love how serving in the temple allows me to put life into perspective... remembering the things that are eternally important allows me to put the less-important parts of life where they belong. I love my family more, I want to love others more, and I love myself more. The unnecessary fades into the background and I can focus on what is truly meaningful.

I am grateful that my parents' love for the temple was so apparent. It is a legacy to pass on to their grandchildren. I hope to have many more temple-touching trips and visits so that the temples will be intertwined with fond family memories.

First Performances...

Last weekend, Uncle Lafe (Paul's little brother) had a recital. Lafe did a great job, and the kiddos were so excited to see him play the bass and piano.


Recitals have always been one of my favorite Frandsen family traditions/gatherings where we celebrate another's accomplishments and show love and support. We loved supporting Lafe.

And Lafe was supportive of his nephew and neices, and had them perform some numbers for his recital. Thanks Lafe! They had so much fun "performing" in front of family and friends.



Here is Michael playing "Blackberry Twinkle Express" on his cello, accompanied by his teacher, Miss Willey (who is fabulous!!!)...



Then Michael accompanied (...played a few chords...) Bekah and Abby as they sang a Halloween song they learned in their music class...



I love how Aaron (Jonny and Melinda's son) wants to be up there with his cousins! We should have taught him the song to join in!!

At the end, Lafe was joined by his bass teacher (left), sister Hannah (back left), brother Jonny (back right), and Michael's cello teacher Elizabeth Willey (on piano bench) for a beautiful rendition of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." It was wonderful.


I love that I married into a family that loves good music and works hard to learn and share it. It is so fun to see this side of my children growing. I love that they love music. I love to see their confidence grow. I love that they are learning to be loved and supported by people who love them. Thanks again, Lafe, for sharing your day with us.

Biking Brothers...

Paul and his brother Jonny are similar in many ways. Both intelligent, musical, athletic, kind, yadda, yadda, yadda. Both pursued(-ing) medical careers... at the same medical school. Both married to stellar women (*wink, wink*).


This summer, there is another similarity to add to the books... now they are both roadies. Since Jonny got his new road bike, they have been out a few times to share this new similar hobby.



Even though these pictures are from a mountain ride they did in August... I just thought I'd document this significant event in the bond between two brothers. We are so happy to be close to Jonny and Mel and little Aaron. Thank you for making us a part of your lives!

Random Notables from The Summer...

Here are some memories from this summer that I don't want to forget!

Late in July Bekah got a small break in her elbow. A casualty to the Wipeout (a TV show filled with crazy obstacle courses) Craze that ran its course through our house this summer. Yup... you guessed it. She wiped out on the obstacle course the kiddos created in our very own living room. Tumbled from the arm of the couch. But it didn't slow her down a bit during the 6 weeks that she wore the cast.


She loved random people, "I falled off the couch and broke my elbow." Abby even had a few moments of empathy pains with a pretend broken elbow, too. :)

July 24th... Pioneer Day in Utah... is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Frandsen Family. Unfortunately, this holiday came right at the time I was really sick, so there weren't many pictures of the festivities. I did, however, make it to part of the rodeo where I got a few pictures.

The Rowleys, our California friends, joined in for most of the festivities that day. Michael was soooo happy to see his best buds, Caleb and Emily.


Abby and her Daddy...


Grandpappy held Bekah, who fell asleep on him...

After which she joined her sister on daddy's lap...


Paul and Michael joined the Rowleys at Seven Peaks the next day, which I hear was fun.

During the summer, we had many trips to Thanksgiving Point, where we got a pass... we consider it our new Disneyland. Still missing that about California... :(


Matt and Angela and their kiddos (all the cousins on my side of the family!!!) came to see us, and we spent an afternoon at the Discovery Garden at Thanksgiving Point.


Their children are beautiful, aren't they?? The kids' ages align perfectly... within three months of each other... and we love, love, love getting together with them. We even got a few hours of purely adult discussion/hanging out time... which was so fun. We can't wait until our next get together with them!

Cute Will

Michael and Brinlee

Max and Abby

Paul and Ella

Bekah-Boo

Michael and Uncle Matt

We LOVE our new neighborhood, and had many fun walks through the neighborhood, complete with rolling on the steep hills.


We're thinking this is going to be a pretty rad place to sled in the wintertime!

Ella became quite the walker, and loves toddling all over the place, trying to keep up with the constant action of her older siblings...


The Tour of Utah was a fun time, as we spectated a few of the stages. Paul and I watched the end of a stage on our anniversary where Paul met up with Dave Zibriski, which made his day! (Paul's, that is...)


Paul toted the kids along with him on another day of the Tour, where they got loud cowbells to ring and enjoyed cheering on the riders. They love cheering things like: "Good job biking!" "Good luck on the climb!" and "Go, go, go!!!"

And speaking of biking, Paul and his brother Jonny snuck in rides here and there. Jonny is now a roadie, and got his first road bike at the end of summer. Paul is looking forward to lots of biking bonds with his brother.


And then there is Michael's massive amounts of bike riding. His love of biking required us to pack the bike along almost everywhere we went this summer. He loved making new challenges, keeping track of his time, and breaking his own records again and again and again.


And at the end of August, we enjoyed a weekend in St. George with Paul's family... the first official "reunion" we have had. Libby took these fun pictures...




There was biking, plays, lots of good food, good conversation, competitive games that were really... competitive, swimming, Footloose, and my favorite part... a women's conference--just the girls--where we each taught a "class." It was completely uplifting and I really enjoyed having some real time with these women I love so much! We'll be doing that again!

So that catches up some of my favorite parts of the summer that somehow fell through the cracks of business and didn't get documented. Now I just need to catch up on September and I'll be current in this here month!

Phew.