The Rose Family

Here it is, 9:00PM on November 18th. Six years ago, Rebekah and I were getting back from chaperoning a youth scavenger hunt at South Coast Plaza. Rebekah had a terrible cough that night, and was getting really tired. Lo and behold, we were up in a matter of hours and on our way to Hoag Hospital at 3AM. Our little Matthew came into the world 9 hours later.

The time seems to have passed quickly. He's been perfect since the day he arrived. So here are a few pictures from six years ago and a few from now. Happy Birthday, Matt! We love you!

We've been keeping busy these last few months, trying to stay cool (the pool has been well-used). Matthew has been enjoying and doing well in school. Joshy started preschool and loves it. Little Jake started walking, loves his PB&J sandwiches and is very good at saying "hot! hot!" and "no! no!". He's fun to listen to. Both Matt and Josh are on the same soccer team this year with our neighbor Bryce. They are on the Hornets. Derek is coaching the team again this year and has a lot of fun with the kids. They get to chase him around the field during practice, trying to hit him by kicking the soccer balls at him. Rebekah started teaching her classes just before Labor Day and loves all the kids in her classes. For the first time in over ten years of teaching, she has a class of all girls. I guess that's her way of making up for the over-abundance of boys in this house.

We've had some fun pool parties, football parties (go cougs!) and our regular Settlers game nights. It's been a fun start of the fall!

We spent a quick weekend in Utah for Amy's wedding. It's hard to believe that Amy is old enough for it. Yes, even with hundreds of pictures, hours of video and months of planning proving that she is, we are still wondering how quickly time flies. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Rose for holding down the fort while we escaped the heat. We missed the boys, but it sure was fun to go.

I (Derek) was the designated cameraman, so I spent most of the day holding the video camera in my right hand and digital camera in my left. Rebekah sported her hot pink bridesmaid dress. She spent a lot of time doing Amy's hair just right and prepping her for the big day. It was a lot of hard work. Especially the part where she sat in a nice comfy chair and got her nails done. That was probably the roughest (rolleyes). Thanks for letting us be a part of your day, Amy & Brent! We love you guys.

The night before Kindergarten we made lunch, picked out his clothes and packed his backpack

This 4th was a lot of fun! Thanks to the families who sacrificed their perfect Southern California weather for Arizona heat. We had a blast with you here. There wasn't enough sun block for the many hours spent in the pool. By the end of the day, we had several waterlogged lobsters who wanted to go right back in. While the children swam, we spent our hours playing Settlers of Catan. I think we must have played at least seven games, with Greg "Tall Man" Moon taking most of them. We also managed to get Grandma and Grandpa addicted to Jericho. By the time they left, they were already halfway through season one. More people that need to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting. And Kudos goes out to the Dunns for providing about 10 gallons of home-made root beer and a very tasty berry flag cake.

All fun aside, Rebekah and I have lived in many countries and know how blessed we are here in the United States. We are so very lucky to be able to express patriotism and take advantage of the liberties that thousands of people purchased with their sacrifices. We are grateful to our own family members who have sacrificed of themselves for these freedoms.

David Atkinson - Colonel - US Air Force - Vietnam
Douglas Rose - Sergeant - US Air Force - Vietnam
Florin Rose - US Army - 2nd Infantry - WW2
Garr Rose - US Army - WW2
Douglas Hansen - US Army - WW2

Little Jacob love is 1 today! We had a fun day today. We woke him up with a birthday balloon before I went to work today. Mom made him a birthday breakfast. Grandma and Grandpa Rose sent him a package and he had fun opening the fun presents. His birthday wish (that he told Mom, apparently) was to have Mom read him Wheels on the Bus, twice. That's his absolute favorite book. Happy Birthday, little guy! We all love you!



  
  

Right after we got home from Utah, we decided to go camping that next weekend... the first of many trips we will make this summer. We went up to the Mogollon Rim with a few friends and had a great time. It was really nice to have a fire too! The boys got their first crack at a gun (BB) and decided it was cool enough to get one for dad for Father's Day. This week, we'll be prepping for another run to the rim!

While we were in Utah, Derek went up with the kids and his parents to visit his Grandparents. We were able to get a four generation picture of all the boys. The boys really enjoyed playing with Great Papa Rose. They were so excited that daddy has a grandpa!

So the first month of this summer has been packed with lots of fun. It's about time we sit down together and share some experiences.

Our nephew was being blessed in Utah the first week of June, so we decided to turn it into a full vacation. We spent the first two nights of the week in a beautiful lodge called Flanigan's at Zion's National Park. It was absolutely gorgeous there. The weather was perfectly clear and just the right temperature. We spent our days there hiking up the canyons and counting all the squirrils, stinkbugs and lizards. We counted 9 lizards, 4 squirrils and 2 stinkbugs. The boys had such a blast hiking up the trails. We even hiked a 5 mile moderate level hike, and they didn't want to stop! Jacob even enjoyed all his views from dad's back. He had it easiest.

When we got up to northern Utah, we spent a lot of time with family. We took the kids up to the Discovery Children's Museum and to the Salt Lake Zoo. I was so excited to give a bridal shower to my niece, Amy. I can't believe she is getting married in a few weeks!

We had a wonderful time and we are already planning our next trip (Lake Powell).

One nice thing about living out here in the sticks is the proximity to farms. (Yes, they do have things out here besides sagebrush...) We decided to take advantage of the Peach Festival over at Schnepf Farms and have some fun with the Coombs. We got to ride some rides, eat some good food and pick our own peaches from the trees. Derek made some to-die-for-homemade peach ice cream (I need to brag a little), and Mom made some awesome peach cobbler.

We were greatful that the Moons came to visit us (my older sister). We told them that they were going to come down for a BBQ and swimming, but little did they know they had to work to earn the priviledge to do so. We did some spring cleaning and completely redesigned the preschool room upstairs.

Thanks for the manual labor! The room looks great!

So now that Jacob has figured out how to move around, he's decided to use his naptime to practice his newfound skills. On more than one occasion, I've caught him standing up in his crib, holding on for dear life. He's figured out how to get up, but he hasn't quite figured out how to get back down. So much so, that he's typically found fast asleep in an upright position, leaning his head against the crib. I've made it a habit to check on him a few minutes after he lays down.

This morning, we found him standing up, talking to the ducks on the quilt that Grandma Atkinson made for him. See mom? All that work has finally paid off. He's always been my Jacob love, and it just keeps getting better. He's even managed to master the word "mama". Oh how I love him.

Funny story about the big brothers: Matt and Josh were upstairs playing Star Wars with their legos (like usual), building this ship with "shooters" and getting this bad guy, etc. Then out of nowhere, Josh busts out with "How Firm a Foundation", repeating the words "for unto the Savior" over and over again. And them Matt jumps in and corrects him by stating, "No, Josh, it goes 'who unto the Savior uniminenen head'." The real word is omnipotent, by the way. So note to all parents out there; as much as Derek and I feel our efforts are for naught while trying to get the kids to sit for five minutes for family night, they apparently do listen.

What should Grandma have for her birthday? (according to the boys)

Party: Star Wars Princess Leia
Cake: A beautiful cake with all of the princesses on it
Presents: A Batgirl, a Spidergirl, balloons, a pink robot, primary singing book

So... after spending 4 days in southern Utah on the slopes, we felt we needed a vacation. We found out that the Thompson family (Derek's older sister) were down visiting Disneyland... so we decided to join in on the fun. We drove out after work on Friday and had a great time having a bonfire at the beach on Saturday with everyone, including the Moon family (Rebekah's older sister). Good times!