In Memory of Grandpa Bosen..

Each person has to deal with death sometime in their life. Whether that be a friend, spouse, parent, sibling, pet, grandparent, or great grandparent. I have personally been very blessed in this matter because I have not really had to deal with the death of a loved one before; but On October 24, 2013 my sweet Grandpa, Wendell Ray Bosen, passed away, and this was first time someone very close to me has passed.

I love my Grandpa Bosen and I really miss him, and I had a harder time with his death than I thought I would.

 I miss going to my Grandparents' house and seeing him in his chair and having him ask "How are you?" 

and me replying "I'm good"

 and, without fail, 

his response, "well, good for what?" (EVERYTIME!) ;)

I miss when I was younger and walking up to him and he would always stick out his fist and say "POW". 

We (my cousins and siblings) always thought it was funny when he did that.

 I miss seeing him give Sophie a hug when she came in.

I miss giving him haircuts and pedicures and talking to him. 
For those of you have met my Grandpa before know that he wasn't much of a talker and so these are probably the times I miss most, because I was able to just sit and talk to him while I did his hair. I was able to learn so much from him, and about him, on those visits. 

I feel like there are so many great things I can say about him and my grandma as well. They are literally two of the best people in the entire world. They have always been a huge part of my life and have supported me and been there for me always in everything I do. I am so thankful for them.

On October 28th we had the funeral services in Pocatello.

All of the older girl cousins... (from left to right) Nicole, Missy, Me, Janell, and Tina

My Grandma with my mom (in the middle) and all of the Bosen siblings after the funeral

On the back of the funeral program there was a poem  it was one my Grandpa always loved. I really like it, as well, and wanted to put it in here. 

So here it is:

Abou Ben Adhem

By James Henry Leigh Hunt 1784-1859

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still, and said "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

My grandpa's death was not unexpected, he was suffering, and although it was still so sad to hear that he had died, I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have that we will see him again. I know he is in a much better place and that he is not suffering any longer. I know that because of our savior, Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice for each one of us that we can be together forever as families. I know that that is true, and how grateful I am to have that knowledge especially in a time like the passing of loved ones.
 My grandpa was such a great man! I hope that as he looks down on me I can make him proud always. I am grateful for the example he was, and still is, to me. 

Thank you Grandpa! We love you, and we miss you, until we meet again. 

Here are a few pictures I have of him with us. 

Christmas 2011

Christmas last year (2012)

With Cru, right after he was born

I wish I could get the pictures I have from when I was younger with him, I have SOO many more,  but they are all at my moms house. 

Halloween! 2013

Our Halloween was SO fun this year! We all dressed up and went to our ward trunk-or-treat. The kids got WAY too much candy and I think Sophie is already looking forward to next year. Here are some pictures of us.  

Here is a little background on each of the costumes

Cru- He is the little old man from the Disney movie "UP". I am usually one that likes to come up with my own idea for costumes but I saw this on pinterst last year and I HAD to do it for Cru... it was too perfect!

Sophie- She is Cinderella (of course!) I was really hoping to do something else for her costume, something that didn't involve princesses, but alas this is what she wanted to be so, yep... here she is, and I will admit she looked very cute, I mean "beautiful" as she would have me say. :)

Me and Nick- So I really wanted to do a "couples costume" but we didn't. So I decided to be a rag doll, mainly because I wanted to make this wig, and Nick is something... cowboy maybe? He came up with this costume himself. But don't let him fool you, because he has definitely wore this tassel jacket in real life, as in, not for Halloween.  

And now its time for picture overload:

Ayla -minnie mouse, Sophie-cinderella, and Kyler-the football player

Grandpa Scott, and the chili dogs :)

Grandma Sue with the kids

Jono- the vampire

For real though, is he not the cutest?!!!
And he actually kept the glasses on most of the time... its a Halloween miracle!

Barker- Walker weekend

Last week was a big/ busy week for us, and one of the big highlights would have to be having our good friends, Cory and Megan Walker and their two adorable kids Brig and Ellie, come visit us for a couple days. 

We LOVE the Walkers! 

They came from Emmett, ID (which is about 2 hours from our house) and stayed with us Friday and Saturday. Nick and Cory were mission companions in Latvia together and have been friends ever since. 

We had so much fun with them here and loved catching up, and hanging out. Thanks Megan and Cory, you guys are the BEST!

Here are a couple pictures of some of the things we did:

Cory and Nick attempting the ladder

burying the Daddies 

Are these kids not the cutest in the world? We are pretty sure we need to have an arranged marriage of Sophie and Brig ;)

Hiking behind the Waterfall

Summer 2013 with the Barkers

So now that it's October, I guess I have to come to grips with the fact that summer is definitely over now. 

 I am always a little sad for it to end but I do absolutely LOVE fall! (except for the fact that it means winter is coming as well... yuck!) 

Anyways... due to the end of summer, I guess it has come time to do a post dedicated to our 

summer time fun!

So here ya go... mostly through pictures...

 Summer 2013 with the Barker family. 

1. We finished our yard this summer... and did it ALL ourselves,  this was just the beginning of a VERY long project!
2. Yeah, that's right, we make our 3 year old help with the yard too :)
3. Fun at the lake
4. Cousins
5. Our fun camping trip with Chad and Shantae's  family
6.  Sophie started dance this summer and LOVED every second of it.
7.. Along with finishing the yard (see that grass! ) we also built a deck, this was before it was done though.
8. Bike rides!

 At the end of July this year, my youngest brother, Bryson, left on his mission to Arcadia, California. This was right before we dropped him off at the MTC. He is doing great, and we are all SOO proud of him!

Also in August my sister, mandy, my brother Brady and his wife Elisa and I all did the Color Run 5k in Salt Lake City. It was SO fun! We definitely want to do it again next year!

1. My birthday date!
2. More fun at the lake with the paddle boards (this was just before Bryson left on the Mish)
3. Sophie also did swimming lessons this year, and as much as I would like to say she loved it, she didn't. In fact I had to bribe her almost every single time to go. But she did end up doing better at the end of the summer when Kyler, her cousin, did it with her. And  she has gotten much better at swimming so I guess it was worth it.
4. Boating, of course!. We love going to visit Nick's parents in Burley, and taking the boat out. It's one of the best things about summer!

So I realize that these pictures really don't do it justice but we had a great summer and had so much fun! Summer is the best! We just love to be able to be outside in the sunshine and do things together as a family!
I am already looking forward to next year. :) 

Sophie turns 3!

Wow! Is August seriously almost over?! Where did it go? 

August is always a busy month for us but this month has really been crazy! 

However... I will write a post about our summer soon (hopefully!) 

Today is going to be about this little girl!

Yep that's right, she had a birthday and is now a big grown up 3 year old! 

I cannot believe that she is already 3. I know people say the time goes by fast but really though, it does!

Sophie really got a great birthday celebration this year. It was really more of a birthday week for her, and let me tell ya, she LOVED every minute of it.

She has been waiting for months, literally, for it and has been very excited, so we knew we wanted to make it special.

For Her actual birthday we were at the Barker Family reunion but that didn't stop us from having a little cake and ice cream for her (and presents too).  It also included an awesome fashion show, by all of the girls.

Then later that week my parents came bearing gifts for both of our kids (they weren't able to be here for either of their actual birthdays) 

Then later that same day we had a little party with Sophie's friends and a few cousins who were also able to come. It was so fun! We had a little water party and I think all the kids really enjoyed it.

 I wish I had pictures of it, but my camera was out of batteries for it, and I am still kicking myself for not getting some.

ANYWAYS.... I gave Sophie a little birthday Interview and it was pretty funny. So here it is, and by the way I am putting exactly what she said for the answer I just wish i had it on video because the way she says some of it is what makes it hilarious:

1. What is your favorite color? Pink

2. What is your favorite toy? The dolphin, you know mom, the one in the tub (i didn't even know she liked that toy)

3. What is your favorite show or movie? I love MULAN, Oh ya, and Old McStuffins (really called Doc McStuffins its a show on the Disney channel)

4. What is your favorite food? Chicken Nuggets

5. What is your favorite outfit? The black one ( its a black skirt and a zebra striped top, she DOES love it)

6. What is your favorite game? Angry Birds

7. What is something you love to do? Painting

8. What is your favorite animal? umm.. Teddy Bear

9. What is your favorite song? The Tangled Song (from the Movie Tangled)

10. Who is your best friend? Aunt Mandy

I couldn't find a picture of her with Mandy, but I know for a fact that these two are two of her most
favorite people in the entire world.

11. What is your favorite thing to play outside? Play soccer

12. What is your favorite drink? Water

13. What is your favorite Holiday? Easter (so random! I first had to explain to her what a holiday was and then name them all, and that is the one she said)

14. What do you take to bed with you? My blankie and a Teddy bear

15. What do you want to be when you grow up? A painter

16. What is your favorite thing about your little brother? he whines all the time! (haha, not only was this answer really funny but that's actually not even true)

17. What is your favorite thing about yourself? I'm a big sister (awww)

I thought this was a funny picture... She doesn't usually lay down to drink her milk but she wanted to be with Cru.

18. What do you pray for? Pray that Cru will go to sleep and I be a good sister.

19. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Wrestle!

20. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play soccer and painting

21. What is your favorite book? Golden Grinder!

22. Where do you want to go on vacation? To see Grandma Sherri

23. What makes you happy? Cru

24. What makes you sad? Monsters

25. What is something you are good at? Playing basketball and playing with book (haha)

26. If you could fly, where would you fly? Joy school!

We love Sophie! She is so full of personality, and brings so much happiness to our family!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE!

Look Who Turned 1 Years Old!

That's right! This little cutie turned 1 on August 2.

I cannot believe how fast this year had gone by, and although I love this stage, it still makes me a little sad that he is no longer considered a baby. For his birthday we had a little party for him with some of Nick's family ( my family couldn't make it) and had pizza, cake and ice cream and it was fun! 

Cru is such a fun little guy, and we just love him. 

 Here is a cute video of him eating his cake.
He was struggling a bit at first, oh and don't mind my annoying voice I tend to talk a lot when I record these videos.

In celebration of his birthday I thought I would do 20 fun facts about Cru,
here ya go: 

1. Cru is always happy, even when he isn't feeling great 

(he has had a little cold, and is getting teeth right now)

2. He still isn't walking, that doesn't mean he can't, though, he just isn't. 

3. He LOVES cars and balls

4. He is ALL boy! 

5. He loves Sophie and thinks she is hilarious

6. He is starting to talk and I love it, he can say

"mama, dada, uh-oh, and apple"  

these are the only ones we can understand at the moment

7. He likes to wave hi and bye

8. He smiles all the time, and his smile is the BEST!

9. He is very easy going

10. He only has 2 teeth right now, but that doesn't stop him from eating just about anything.

11. He is FINALLY sleeping in his crib, although he still has a hard time falling asleep.

12. He loves to GO... literally never stops moving!

13. He still loves stuffed animals and still likes to squeeze them.

14. He likes to head butt (thanks alot Grandpa Scott) ;) 

15. He loves to pretend wrestle with  Nick and Sophie, like I said, ALL boy!

16. He loves bath time

17. He is kind of small for his age, but you would never know it looking at him.

18. He is smart, seriously! He figures stuff out that took Sophie forever to figure out.

19. He is a cuddler ( I love it!)

20. He is the cutest little 1 year old boy I know! We love him and are so happy that he is part of our family!

Another Video 
He LOVES this new little car her got! He would push it around all day if I would let him.

Here are some more pictures of his party! 

This cake was supposed to be a wheel... can you tell?

l

You can't really tell from this picture, but he really did like the cake... I made him his own little one.

Sophie decided to "help" Cru with his cake by licking all the frosting off of his chair. How thoughtful of her huh! :)