Stonewall Jackson High School Marching Band Competition at Patriot High School

On Saturday, October 20, Darien participated in SJHS Marching Band's last competition at Patriot High School (Sami's school). They scored an "Excellent" rating overall. This was Darien's first year with the marching band but the fourth year he's played the Trombone. He also plays the cello, piano, and guitar. Way to go Darien!!

Cody's Black Belt Test

On Saturday, 27 October 2012, Cody took his black belt test for Tae Kwon Do. Needless to say, after four years of hard work and training (3 years with Tang Soo Do and 1 with Tae Kwon Do), Cody reached a significant goal and did a fine job! His black belt ceremony is on Saturday, 1 December. We are soooo proud of him!!

Music Therapy

Spirituality Chant (Heather wrote this song for class and her professor liked it so much that she had her teach the class it)


If I Had Courage (They were divided up into groups and had 10 mins to wrote a song demonstrating a concept from the therapy theory they learned about in class)

The Trevor Nelson Family!!!

 Trevor and Heather took Ashlynn to have her pcitures taken.  Never would have thought of that when I had kids but there had been 4 other newborns in that day.  Isn't she cute?  I love the hair.
Grandma Rowbotham

Ashlynn Brooke Nelson

She is here and all are doing well.  We started the induction at 9:30 pm last night becuase Heather's blood pressure was staying up and she was spilling protein in urin and brisk reflexes (pre-eclampsia). Ashlynn Brooke Nelson arrived at 1148 today.  She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches.  She had to spend some time in the transition nursery because she inhaled some meconium amniotic fluid.  She needed a little help until she could get of the fluid.  She was a the perfect baby all night long and her fetal monitoring was almost perfect.  But she was a little slow to pink up and her oxygen levels dropped.  But all is well and she is resting well with mom and dad.  I finally got to hold her!! and she has strawberry blond hair!!!  What a miraclous process.  I love it everytime I help and this one was even more special!!

Melodie (Grandma! really!)

From the 19-21 June 2012, Darien and Sami participated in a youth conference for titled Arise Stand Shine. It was for seven stakes, including ours, Centreville Stake. President Hilton, Centreville stake president, sponsored and was the MC for the event. As part of the youth conference or youth celebration the youth presented three sessions of dancing performances for people, nonmember and member alike at Patriot High School's football stadium (which, by the way is also Sami's school, so that was convenient for us). Anyhow, below we've got the Facebook link to the event and a couple of photod of Darien and Sami as they participated in the celebration. Hundreds of people watch the event throughout the three days it was presented. We had hoped to post a couple of videos to this but I could not find how to do it. The videos are on Debbie's Facebook page. The celebration FB page link: www.facebook.com/2012YC It was outstanding and Darien and Sami did fabulous in their parts!!

Joshua's Eagle Presentation June 16, 2012

Not trying to follow in their footsteps but . . .

after almost 9 years in Minnesota, we will be moving to Phoenix, AZ.  Mom and Dad were here for 10 years so technically we aren't doing the same thing.  :)

Russ will be working for Mercer Consulting as a Client Leader over government programs.  He will go in as a partner/principal.  It is an awesome opportunity and he is very excited about it.  He will work from the Minneapolis office until the end of the school year.  We will make the move mid to late June, if all goes well with selling the house.

We are all excited!