Valentine's PX 2008

2/08
Hidee y'all
We were fixin on last years Christmas picture bein our last. But Tiana, serving in the West Virginia Charleston Mission, goes and gits her overalls in a bunch about endin the tradition of getting all the kin together for a pichur. So to honor her, and cause Bryce had been aimin to marry Marcinia since Sam was born, we did a “Shotgun Weddin”. Even though a bear et the preacher right after the “I do’s” we were able to take this pichur by feedin it the reception food; Vienna sausages, beef jerky, moon pies and nacho cheese Doritos. Plans for the honeymoon include tickets to the Monster Truck Show.
Mark is still doing Financial planin for rich folks. He started a new hobby of volunteerin at the aquarium so he can swim evrsoften (mountainism for “ever so often”) with the sharks in those newfangled breathing tanks they call scubee or some such. His lazy bone took over and he decided it was easier to spray weedkiller on the lawn than mow it. Couple of the trees died, but now we don’t have to rake the leaves.
Tracy finally found a hairdo that attracts bees. She is still teachin psychology at the community college, working on her PhD so she won’t be so ignert. For instance, juhere (Mountainism for “Did you hear”) that even if you're certain that you are included in the will, it's considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home?
Celeste is a stay at home mom in Illinois with her lil one Brooklyn (8 mo). She sashays around teaching daints and choreographing high school plays. It’s goin to be diffcult cawse cute lil Brooklyn is real real attached to her ma and persnickkity about who she’ll let hold her. Brad is getting his PhD so he won’t be so ignert in some kinda computer robotics. He will be a classic product of the superior Nawthun educational system,
Bryce is completing his MBA and is a project manager over flash programmers for a web design or some such. Bryce’s new rugrat will be born pert nigh Valentines. Shucky dern, Marcia will be excited to pop this one out. Samuel (age 3) is a very active and imaginative lil tyke and sometimes Bryce has to use the scope on his huntin rifle to locate him in the marsh by Utah Lake.

Nemmine (Never mind) that, Ah just can’t understand all this computer stuff my sons are doin. Ah thought DOWNLOAD was gettin the farwood ofn the truck, MICRO CHIP was whuts left in the munchie bag, and LAP TOP was whur the kitty sleeps and SOFTWEAR was them dang plastik forks and knives.
Danica is also stain’ at home with JJ (22 mo) and Lily (3 mo). Sumpins goin' on with her husband Dave. He might intern here in Denver after he gradjeates in April in geology and geological information systems and they’d live in our basement for a few months. OOOEEE!!!! I love holding Tiger Lily and runnin after Jensen. Course Jensen and Lily are always picken up things ofen the groun and putting them in their mouths and we have to yell “Warsh that squarsh, Bubba ... you don't know where its been!"
Tiana is servin in Lynnchberg VA. Oer yonner her Landlord called us to tell us what a great missionary she was. I cudnt unnerstand a wurd he sed ... must be from some farn (foreign) country. She asks folks all the time, “Jew want to read attair (that there) Book of Mormon, son, or just stand there and gawk at us sisters?" She always was purty as a speckled pup.
Don is serving Uncle Sam in Iraq. It’s a fur piece and it’s hotter than hades down thar. He’s been tryin to be a good example to his new LDS friend (Lewis) in his Marines unit because he knows if he doesn’t his mama’s gonna whup him fer sayin' cuss words and such. He only cum across one unexploded grenade so far, and that didn’t amount to doodly squat, at least that’s whut he tells us.
Austin is servin in Londun, Ontario Canada. It's phraisin (freezing) up thar. Lans-sake he is bold. He met a wild lookin motorcycle man on a Harley and said “Can Ah cyst you with the rest of your life, sir?” and that guy ended up joining the church along with his family. He met three young men at a bus stop and said, “Ah bleeve we ought to teach you the gospel.” Austin inhales any food he is brung. You should be there when he hits the dinner table, attair food flys everwhichaways and for long it’s all in his gullet.
Muchablige for readin our family news,
The Barrand Family

Mark accidently posted on my blog! Good thing!

This From Mark: We had a fantastic surprise early this morning around 1 am. Don called from Iraq and talked to us for awhile. He was in a place where he could use a satellite phone and gave us a call. I’m afraid I was a little groggy and not responsible for any silly thing I might have said, such as “watch out for the rocks on your driveway.” But I was awake enough to get the idea that Don is doing well by dodging the bullets fired his way and he said he has returned fire a few times. He is still patrolling with the Iraqis and filling sandbags and he really likes all his Christmas gifts, including the Bongo Drums and camera. He will be bringing home lots of pictures. He and Tiana have it scheduled perfectly – they will be here in April, just in time for Tiana’s homecoming talk. Don would like us all to pray for his friend Lewis whose wife is having some problems with the baby. She is due in a few weeks and they have pulled Lewis out of the field so he can help his wife. Don asked us to include her in our prayers.

Mom and I are on a quest to find a new house to move to. We think with prices low it would be a good time to get into something smaller and more updated with built in equity and rent out our current home. I want equity and mom wants a view of the mountains so we spent the afternoon looking around and had some fun.

We didn't make it to Costa Rica :(

Well, January 2nd came and we feverishly shopped for the stuff for our trip to Costa Rica. It was going to be so fun. We excitedly got to the airport for our red eye flight with 6 adults and 2 babies in flip flops and shorts and suntan lotion and high hopes. When we got to the counter they said we didn’t have a reservation. I have never felt such a sinking feeling. Unfortunately we had misread the itinerary and were supposed to be there at midnight the 1st. We were 24 hours late. TWe tried to get on another flight or Cancun or anything but it would have been 3 or 400 dollars per person extra and they were overbooked. It was so disheartening. I kept thinking about those poor people on "Amazing Race" and how horrible they feel when they miss their plane. Mark was especially sad to loose his chance of scuba. Luckily, trying to salvage the vacation, we got our timeshare at Breckenridge and went skiing and painted pottery. Guess we'll try again next Christmas when Bryce and Tiana and Don might come. Oh well, it was 2 degrees instead of 80 degrees. We still had fun on the water.....it's just that it was frozen.

Christmas 2007

Jensen loves to yell! He loves to eat! He loves to play! He really needs a bath by the end of the day!

Sammy is so imaginative! He gets under my sofa table and says he is in "Mac" who is the semi from his favorite movie "cars".

We went to the aquarium to see Dad for the New year. It's pretty exciting when the diver in the restaurant aquarium is your husband.

First Bryce Marcinia and Sam came to the house on the 22nd. We also had Christmas dinner with Nagham Mem and Wasana. They really took to the ornament making craft we were doing and we sat for hours and folded an pinned into Styrofoam balls. They called themselves the Asian factory.


We made the super dooper mother of all gingerbread houses with lights inside and Sammy sorted all the red and green skittles and Noga wrote "ho ho ho" in skittles and baked all the gingerbread reindeer.


Marcia really fooled Bryce. He thought this guitar hero was for Mark. When you invite 20 year olds to Christmas, you get technical stuff.

20 blissful days of holding at least one Grandchild each day.
Then Dave and Danica came with JJ and Lily. Lily is fatter and smiles more than ever. Then Celeste and Brad and Brooklyn rolled in on the 29th. They all played heroscapes with awesome sweet silver surfer. We took our Christmas px which evolved into a West Virginia gunshot wedding.