Fisher Family

Milestone Month

2012-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Sam has hit several milestones all in the month of January:

1. He became a TEENAGER on January 20!! (can't get the picture to download, will add later).

2. He got his first digital device, an i-pod. (But he just has some books and a bunch of ballroom music on it so far -- so I don't think he's sharing with his friends...)

3. He gave his first talk in Sacrament Meeting. He did a very good job!
Topic: Using our talents to serve others. He talked about the importance of working on developing our talents so they get to a point that we can use them to help others. Examples: leading the music in church, playing the hymns on the piano, practicing the trumpet to be part of the school band, dancing to be part of a team, working on sports so that when he's an adult he can help coach.

4. He got contacts!! We just skipped the glasses phase and went straight to the contacts. He's getting better at getting them in and out. It take a steady hand and nerves to poke yourself in the eye without flinching.

5. BRACES!! We think he likes them because he couldn't stop grinning for about three days. Unless it was when he looked at food that he was too sore to eat...
BEFORE

AFTER

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T14:34:00.001-08:00

Family, Food, Fun - What Could Be Better?

2011-11-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

Katie's Surgery

2011-11-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Katie's ankle has been hurting since June, at first just when landing a tumbling stunt, but later when she was dancing too. An MRI showed inflamed tissue impinging the joint. The orthopod said that it might heal on its own with a lot of rest (not really an option) or he could trim the tissue away in a surgical procedure. So, we waited to have it done until Dancing with the Stars was over, which was last Saturday.

All went well in the surgery, she'll be on crutches for a few days, and then limping for awhile! She'll probably miss the first 2 or 3 games of girls basketball, but should be ready to go by boys' basketball.

Fall with the Fishers

2011-09-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy fall so far... Here are a few sights from our corner of the world. Hopefully will add a few more -- Sam's football, 80's day, etc.

LAGOON-A-RIFIC!!

2011-05-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Super fun day at Lagoon! Anything is always more fun with cousins!

Rah! Rah! Rah!

2011-04-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Katie and the Madison High School cheerleaders won the district competition so they qualified to go to the state cheer tournament (we didn't even know this existed...). They did super great at state taking first place in these two entries:

1. Spirit Cheer - a combination of cheering, tumbling, stunting, and dancing. Their routine scored 20 points higher than the next closest team.

2. Small group stunt - a flyer with three bases (Katie is a base - the one with the lightest hair). The girls put this together on their own, and practiced after school on their own to perfect it. The flyer is just a sophomore. They are the only small group that had a flawless routine.

We are so proud of Katie and her team. They really worked hard and sacrificed a lot of leisure time to accomplish this. Katie really loved cheering - she's trying to decide about trying out or not for next year. Their main coach has taken a position at another school, and she has other concerns. She has one week left to make her decision. What do you think she'll do??

Dancing Dancing Dancing

2011-04-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

Daniel has been dancing up a storm this semester. He's on the Collegiate Ballroom team and the IBA Adult team and was asked to be in the BYU-I Dancing With the Stars.(He and his partner won 1st place.) Here are the links to the YouTube videos of his dances -- I hope this works, I haven't had good luck getting the videos to work on the blog.

He has also stayed busy in the ping pong league, bowling league, soccer league, and raquetball league. He is on the Activities planning board and has been in charge of putting on two campus dances. Oh -- and yes, he does have classes too!

Aimee and Daniel both danced on our "adult" IBA studio team. This is their Latin medley. It was fun to see Aimee dancing again.

This is Daniel and his partner in the Dancing with the Stars. His partner is a good friend, Heather Crossley. She has a twin sister, and Daniel hangs out with them a lot. She is a very talented singer.

SNOW MUCH FUN!

2011-01-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

New Year's Week couldn't have been anymore fun! Three days at Grand Targhee with the Brewers, and then celebrating the New Year with Grama and Grampa, John & Julie, Steve & Natalie, The Brewers, and the Fishers. Wahoo! 29 bodies in the house - loved it!

New Years 2011

And they're off...

2010-08-28T20:40:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe it's time for another school year to begin. But, here it is!

Michael, is in Mrs. Westwood's 2nd grade classroom. She is awesome! Ashley had her for 2nd grade and totally loved her.

Ashley is with Mrs. Chiddix for 4th grade. All of our children, starting with Daniel, have had Mrs. Chiddix. She is a great teacher! We asked her if she's is going to be around for 2 more years for Michael. She said, "Hmmm, maybe..." (Yes, she really is only a few inches taller than Ashley)

Yes - it is totally embarrassing when your mother walks right into the school to take a picture!! Oh well, "humiliation by parent" is family tradition on the first day!! Heidi will have one year at the "old Junior High" and then next year for 9th grade she'll be in the remodeled high school which will be the "new Junior High".

Can you believe that Sam's parents both went into the Middle School with him?? They had to talk to the V. Principal about the sound system - but still....

At least having to wear your cheer uniform takes away the stress of deciding what to wear on the first day of school. Much better to stress about that on the second day!

The new Madison High School was finished barely in time for the first day. Not everything is completely finished, but it's pretty impressive.

WEPR 2010

2010-06-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Jen --
Julie and I have our pics up. What's the hold-up? I think the fact that you arrived home 36 hours after we did, and had to put a trampoline back together piece by piece should have not caused any delay in the posting of the WEPR pics...

WEPR INFO

2010-06-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

HI EVERYONE!!

We are really excited to be getting together next week for the WEPR!! Shawn and I drove to the Alpine Camp this morning to get a better idea of what it is like. I think it's going to be great! It is quite pretty, lots of trees and green.

We wanted to make sure that you have correct directions to get there. We printed Mapquest directions -- and they were quite wrong! They took us 10 miles to the wrong side of the canyon. I've sent an e-mail with the map and directions.

Here is a reminder of the cost:
Adults (age 12+) $30/day
Children (age 7-11) $18/day
Young children (age 4-6) $12/day
age 3 & under no cost

We have paid the deposits, and then we need to pay the balance due when we check out. We will pay it in one check, and then we can settle up with everyone. We are planning on three meals on Friday and Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Their normal meal schedule is breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12 noon, dinner at 5pm. This can be slightly altered if we desire (we'll need to have a later dinner for the baptism schedule on Saturday). I don't know what the cost for just the breakfast is (forgot to ask that). Feel free to bring any snacks/treats, etc. that you would like. We can keep things in their refrigerator that need to be cold.

We (Fishers) are planning to arrive around 5:00 pm on Thursday evening. Shawn did have cell phone service while we are there, so you can call us if there is any problem.

I will send a schedule of events later. Thanks to everyone for your support and excitement!!

So, I've had better days...

2010-06-11T13:15:00.001-07:00

Not that I don't think a pink elastic head bandage is fairly stylish... but I found that a baseball cap almost covers it up.

The E.R. nurse asked what happened, because someone who comes in at 6:30 am with a major gash usually has a great story --

I started doing the P90X exercise program. Today's workout was legs and back. It entails a lot of chin-ups, but I didn't think I could really do them with a chin-up bar. Daniel suggested that I put an exercise band over an open door and pull back, which would work the same muscles as a chin-up. Sounded like a really good idea...

Well, we had new carpet put in last week (due to sewer back-up requiring new carpet and walls -- will post later). The doors had been taken off, then put back on, or so I thought. I opened the door half-way, put the exercise band over the door to the top hinge, and then backed up to test how far away I should stand to do the pull-backs. Well, on the first pull, the door came with the pull, straight to my forehead. I remember thinking... this could knock you out... that really hurts... I wonder if I have a big bump... Then feeling for a bump, got a handful of blood..

So, 7 stitches and 3 staples later, I am sporting the lovely pink head wrap. Daniel said I would look rather "gansta" if I turned the baseball cap sideways, hmmm.
Tip of the day: Always put all screws back into door hinges after removing them. Or tip of the day #2: Don't exercise!

SWIM, BIKE, FUN!!!

2010-06-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

Our Thanks to Uncle Steve and Aunt Natalie for putting on such a fun event. We didn't go to Burley for Memorial Day this year, so we decided to go to Utah and participate in the Kids Triathlon. Julie already posted some fun pictures, so here are a few more.

After the triathlon, we enjoyed a de-lish barbeque at Steve and Natalie's, and then had a fun time swimming (while Shawn took a nap getting ready for the drive back home.)

THANKS FOR SUCH A FUN DAY!!

THEY'RE BACK!!

2010-03-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back Grama and Grampa!!

A Very Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

Surely the best part of Christmas is the traditions. That's really what we are all looking forward to year after year. Our newest tradition is going to Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square. We didn't know if we would make it this year, our December was so full with choir concerts, the ballroom competition, the campus social dance formal, the Nutcracker, and wedding in Salt Lake, elementary school programs and so on, and on... But we made a last minute decision to go on Sunday afternoon, and off we went. We saw the lights on Sunday night, arriving at 9pm, then on Monday we fit in some shopping at the mall, a visit to Grama A. and caroling to the cousins, complete with banana bread delivery!

On Christmas morning, they waited until 5:20am to ask when they could get up! Then, they must have fallen back asleep or played a little wii, because there wasn't a sound again util 6:40! And then the magic began! Ashley really did get her Baby Achoo (now named Anna) and a Hannah Montana cd, which wasn't even on her list, but that she had been wanting for a long long time! (How does Santa know these things???) Michael got the awesome star wars clone commander blaster, and Sam got the nerf super blaster. Hmmm. Heidi got a very slick little video camera which also takes pictures, Katie got the ski outfit which she had fallen in love with at the mall (but she couldn't see it in the car, and was a little miffed), and Daniel finally got the P90X workout system. He's pretty sure that he is going to get into a totally ripped condition! (This is a 13 dvd workout program, using all different types of workouts).

The rest of the day was just cozy and nice being together playing games (Jen - we love Guesstures, it works great with mixed ages), putting together puzzles, watching movies, and eating a lot of candy!

The highlight was talking to Aimee!! That hour (or so...) goes unbelievably fast. After we hang up, we just sit there and nobody really says anything for a while. She sounds great and so happy. She used her "normal" accent with us, but when she talked to the family where she was, the mid-southern accent came out pretty thick. It was very amusing. We sent a 10-minute home dvd (to the family where she spent Christmas, so it was a surprise) and when we talked at noon, she had already watched it three times. Also she told us that they loved the "12 Days of Christmas" package that we sent, but then confessed that they had opened all 12 presents on the day that it arrived. She said they would open one, and then say, "okay, let's save the rest for later", but then they couldn't stand it, and would open another one... until they were all opened.

Today we went to visit Grampa and Grama Fisher, and got to see Aunt Shanna who was there too. We visited Great-Grama Robins for a while also.

What a wonderful Christmas!

Now You See Them...

2009-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Now You Don't...

And she hasn't stopped smiling all day!!

Isn't She Lovely

2009-11-09T09:40:00.001-08:00

Katie was again in the Mr. Madison pageant - this time with the captain of the football team, Lance Munns, who also happens to be one of our dancers. (He is great P.R. for ballroom!)He is a super nice young man, and has his name on the list of candidates for "Katie's first date!"

At the end when it looks like he almost drops her, yes, he almost dropped her. She just kept smiling though! By the way - Lance won the pageant!

The video doesn't show the faces very well, it's washed out. We have a "real" video camera now that I'm hoping will be better at filming things on stage than our regular camera that takes video clips.

ARGENTINA!

2009-10-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

WHAT A WONDERFUL TRIP!!

The best part was getting to be with Grama and Grampa for seven days! We did so many fun things, but what we enjoyed the most was just being together.

Here's a rundown of our days way down south: (you may want to get a snack and get comfy before you begin... pace yourself, this could take two or three sessions to get it all read)

Wednesday:
Grama and Grampa met us at the airport, Grama buys a quick breakfast for everyone at McDonald's -- including a few extra items just in case anyone is still hungry (we found out that some things never change -- thankfully!) Grama begins putting pesos in our pockets almost immediately -- she's been saving them up from her "allowance".

We went to their apartment to rest up. Daniel, Katie, and Heidi, were out cold for a few hours. I was too excited about being there to even think about sleeping. We unpacked all the "American" items that we brought -- peanut butter, powdered sugar, stovetop stuffing, chocolate chips, tomato soup, etc. It was like Christmas!

G&G took us to the South America South Area Office. It was really fun to meet everyone there -- the employees and the other Sr. missionaries. G&G are very well loved!!

We had a great dinner of stew and scones, felt just like old times!

We were all so tired we were almost asleep before 9:00, but then we revived with a second wind when we put in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". We laughed our way through it, Katie and Heidi thought that one of the bride's names - Dorcus - isn't one that would be high on their baby-names list.

Thursday
We were on our way to the area office, to catch the nearby subway, when Grampa got a call from one of the Sr. missionaries having some heart trouble. Grampa was torn, but really felt that he needed to go with this missionary to the hospital for the testing. We fully supported him doing this, but we were sad that he didn't get to spend the day with us.

We rode the subway (a first for Heidi) to the city center. We started the city bus tour on the double-decker tour buses. We got off midway through at La Boca - the colorful tango area of the city. We had fun watching the tango dancers, and Daniel and Katie even got to show off the three tango steps that they know!

After a yummy lunch of Argentine food (there's a great story here, that will have to told in person -- just note that if Grama ever asks for a certain flavor of soft drink, and you tell her that you don't have any, just be prepared...) , and some souvi shopping, we headed back to the bus to finish the tour.

Grampa had called to say that he was done at the hospital and was back at the office. On the tour map, it looked like we had at least another hour to go. It looked like to me that we could get off at the next stop and be a few blocks to a subway line that would intersect with the subway line that goes back to the office... (another story here involving asking soldiers for directions, deciding to take a taxi, no cash, an ATM out of cash, and a body to body subway ride). We made it back to the office after what Grama referred to as "more adventure than I bargained for!" (There is one more story which also must be told in person -- involving a Grama standing on the subway, and two business men who do not get up to offer her their seat when her grandson asks if they would trade ...)

That evening we took Daniel to the missionary's apartment to spend the next 24 hours with them. The elders were thrilled to have Sis. Petersen's grandson join them -- because it meant that in addition to this jr jr companion, they also got a whole panful of Sis. P's famous homemade cinnamon rolls! We found out that everything is relative -- in Argentina when you say something (like where someone lives) is close-by, it means that it's about 20 minutes away. In Rexburg when something is 20 minutes away, you say -- That's all the way past Rigby!

Our movie of the evening was first the mission-appropriate parts of "Evita" (we sang "don't cry for me Argentina" the rest of the trip), and then "Forever Strong", which G&G really enjoyed.

FRIDAY
We had a really sweet experience going to the Buenos Aires temple. Katie and Heidi got to do baptisms, and were confirmed by Grampa. Then G&G and I did an endowment session, and Grampa was the veil worker to take both Grama and I through the veil. It was a very special and emotional moment.

G&G introduced us to their favorite restaurant - Kansas. We all had delicious steaks and baked potatoes. Then we stopped for helado (ice cream). Mmmm, it was so good -- I love the dulce de leche flavor. We picked up Daniel and then watched "Chariots of Fire". Daniel was so worn out that I think he only saw the first 20 minutes, and then he was out cold. He had a good experience with the missionaries -- a very realistic glimpse of mission life. The companions weren't very fond of each other, and had a minor skirmish, two of their three appointments fell through, and they ate a very typical lunch with one of the members. It was really cool seeing Daniel in "mission mode".'

SATURDAY
We drove to the city center to tour the Casa Rosada (Pink House) which is similar to our white house. On the plaza in front of it, we had pigeon encounters of the too-close kind. The kids had a blast having the pigeons land on the hands, arm, and heads! I'm not so into that...

On the way back to Recoleta, the large cemetary/mausoleum and artisan fair, we drove down 9 de Julio -- the widest street in the world, with 20 lanes going each way. We had a McDonald's lunch that day -- Katie was thrilled!! Although with most of our meals being homemade by Grama, she/we ate very well on the trip! We then saw Evita's grave, and shopped at the artisan booth's.

Then it was time for Daniel and Grampa to leave for the big event -- the Argentina vs. Peru world cup qualifier soccer game!!! We were so thrilled that José from the area office completely arranged for the tickets, and then agreed to go with them to the game (so they wouldn't get lost!). Daniel was so stoked!! We were just having a cozy girl's night at the apartment when we noticed around 8:00 that is was pouring rain... They came home so soaked, even their socks were dripping water, Daniel's belt was even soaked through. They said that it just added to the overall awesomeness of the whole experience. Daniel was totally starstruck seeing players that he's watched on tv -- and truly amazed at how great they were.

SUNDAY
We attended the regular ward that G&G attend. Katie and Heidi sat very patiently through 3 hours of church without understanding anything, except for Grama's testimony (which she gave in English so they could understand it -- and Grampa tranlated it into Spanish). Grama told them that now they know how she feels every week in church. Daniel of course made several friends during the meetings, like father like son...

Then we headed to Santa Fe, where I lived for 8 months of my mission with the Castañeda family. G&G met them when they came to pick me up. I was not sure they would remember me, as they had dozens of missionaries live with them, and it had been 25 years since that time. But, it was a wonderful reunion! They got out their "missionary book" and it had my picture, and our wedding announcement in it, and a letter that I had written them. They asked if I had married "the one that sent the flowers". Rod had called and explained to them what daisies looked like, and asked them to get me something similar for valentine's day. They were really tickled to be in on that fun surprise.

It was really special to talk with them and hear all about their family. They had the same special spirit and love as before. They thought Katie and Heidi were just beautiful, and they were highly entertained by Daniel practicing his Spanish with them. We spent a couple hours there, and I will always treasure that time.

MONDAY
On the way back to Buenos Aires, we stopped at the Rosario mission home and office, which is the very same one as when I was there. It was extra fun, because it was p-day, so Daniel got to play a little hoop with the elders. They had an Idaho v. Utah game. One of the elders recognized Daniel, and vice versa -- and they figured out that they had played soccer against each other for three years. He had been on one of the I.F. soccer teams. Katie was also a little twitterpated at all the cute elders!! (Finally some cute guys...)

We took a picture of me, Mom and Dad in the same pose as when they picked me up from the mission home. We all look a little older...

We spent the afternoon at the Gaucho artisan fair in Buenos Aires. It was a very fun atmosphere with traditional music and dancing, gauchos doing great riding feats, and super shopping! Katie's shopping quota was full -- so she started making bargains like -- Heidi, you and I could share this... (Heidi still had a lot of pesos left to spend).

Monday night we at at "Siga la Vaca" (follow the cow). Daniel had been looking forward to this since Grampa told him about it the first day. It's a big Argentine grilled meet restaurant. The grills were about the size of our living room, full of meat! Katie went to the salad bar first, and came back in a few minutes with an empty plate... Nothing recognizable really. Daniel took a little of everything, and only had to spit out the raw beef mixed with lettuce.

The meat was delicious -- the girls had some chicken, and a little bit of beef. Daniel had three platefuls of meat, and would have gone back for more if the girls weren't insisting that it was time for dessert (more helado!)

TUESDAY
We couldn't believe that a week could pass so quickly -- it really did seem like we had just arrived, and it was time to pack to go home. We needed to do just a little more souvenir shopping. Unfortunately, this is when Dad got pick-pocketed. Mom told about that in an e-mail last week. So he headed back to the office to start taking care of the cancellations, and then we sent Mom back to the office in a taxi, and then we took a taxi (another first for Heidi) back to La Boca where we were able to get our last few things. Daniel got a soccer ball of course, and we got jerseys for Sam and Michael.

Then we had to say our farewells at the airport. It was sure hard to walk away!

We are really so grateful that we had this very special opportunity to spend a week with Grama and Grampa on their mission. They are so loved and admired by everyone there; we felt really proud to be part of their family!!

Thank you Grama and Grampa Mission for your great example of love and service!

GREAT SUMMER MEMORIES!!

2009-09-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

THE BREWERS CAME TO REXBURG!

From July 22 - Aug 1 the Brewers and the Fishers hung out in Idaho having a great time! We went to the Idaho Falls Zoo, the Ross Park swimming park in Pocatello, had movies in the garage (trying to catch Aunt Jen up on some chic flicks that she hadn't seen), sang camp songs and roasted marshmallows on the backyard firepit, made homemade ice cream - that was so delicious it left us speechless, ate frozen blueberries and cream, swam in the backyard pool, went to the temple, worked out at BYU-I, learned new recipes from each other, and went to Yellowstone! Jen and I also attended the BYU-I Education Week, where we learned a ton and got super motivated for the coming year!

Here we are at the zoo and the Ross park swimming complex

Our 1-day Yellowstone Adventure!

Then... THE PETERSONS GO CAMPING WITH US AT YELLOWSTONE
What a great ending for summer! Over Labor Day weekend we headed to Yellowstone and camped at the Madison Campground. It was ideal! (Could become a tradition...) Here are pictures - there are a lot because John and Julie didn't have their camera, so I put all my pictures in the slide show so that they can get the ones they want. We had the perfect campsite, the perfect weather, and the perfect companionship.

It just doesn't get much better than this! In the words of Jackson "That was totally awesome!"

Sister Fisher

2009-08-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that Aimee has sent us.

FIRST -- Her arrival in the mission field, and her first zone conference.

SPRINGFIELD -- her first area. She and Sister Lemmon were assigned to the campus of Missouri State University. When Sister Lemmon finished her mission after six weeks together, Aimee's new companion was Sis. Stiles. She really loved both these companions. She sent some more pictures of this area and companion, but I can't find them right now.

BROKEN ARROW -- her first transfer. Pres. Seal made the transfers a little early so that the new president coming in (Pres. Merkley from American Fork) wouldn't have to do any changes right away. Aimee's new companion is Sis. Merkley from Ririe (about 20 miles from Rexburg.)

So, if you don't see "Sister Fisher" right away, she's the brunette of the far right. And by the way, the purple dress (in the break-in pictures) is one of the "Jody" dresses that she didn't think she'd ever wear.

There is another set of pictures that she sent, the first set that had her new hair color. It was quite shocking to say the least. She promised the kids (after they wrote letters of protest) that she will be blonde again before she comes home. (Ashley told her that it didn't even feel like she was part of our family anymore...). When I find those pictures, I'll post them. I think they're hiding in someone's drawer somewhere.

As blonde or brunette, we think Sister Fisher is beautiful on the outside and the inside. She's really been an inspiration to us through her letters. We're so grateful that she shares so many of her experiences with us.

WEPR 2009

2009-07-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

The official 2009 WEPR was held in Draper Utah on July 17-18. We gathered at Galena Park on Friday afternoon for a fun picnic. Luckily, the park sprinklers provided some relief from the heat for the kids, and they got soaked running through them after the picnic. Then, a great discovery -- the volleyball sandpit had turned into a sand-mud pit from the sprinklers. This provided a whole evening of entertainment, and allowed the grown-ups to sit and visit almost uninterrupted! The only difficulty was figuring out how to get all the sand off before loading into the cars to go home!

Brian and his girls stayed at David and Julie's. Jen and Jerry and their family stayed with Steve and Natalie, and we stayed with John and Julie.

We met at the Classic Fun Center in Sandy for an afternoon of lots of fun. The girl cousins all had "soccer hair", and the boys had "tropical beach" swimsuits. First was a pizza/pop/popcorn lunch, then onto the bounce house - which even lured some of the grown-ups! Then some of the little cousins played in the jungle playroom. Brian and Avery made it around the skating rink once...

Then out to the waterslides and kiddie pool. It was a super hot day, so it was perfect for water play. They went down the slides alone, with a buddy, feet first, head first, and always with a big smile. There were some giant inflatable slides that the littler cousins had a lot of fun on.

We dried off and went to a nice cool movie theater to watch Monsters vs. Aliens, and the big cousins went to X-Men. Then back to David and Julie's for the barbeque, talent show and fireworks.

Steve picked up Grama A., and it was really nice to visit with her. She always seems so delighted to see her great grandchildren. She said that she is liking her apartment more now than when she first moved in. She said that the food is good, and she is making some friends.

The talent show went from the youngest up. I didn't get a picture of everyone. It was getting a bit dark, so they didn't all turn out. Here are the talents -- did I leave any out?
Samuel - Nacho Libre moves on his Dad
Isaac - singing "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission"
Avery - whistle, didn't actually whistle right then, but I think she did one later on
Jackson - singing "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
Jacob - Fighting a fire in the tree house
Jacee - gymnastics
Avery, Taylor, Emma - kung fu panda fighting with their dad
Anna - palm reading trick
Heidi and Ashley - dancing a routine they choreographed
Kimble and Carter - haka, then Kimble did karate
Sam - pogo stick
McKell - guitar and singing a song she wrote
Katie - cheerleading
Daniel and Katie - lifts

then inside:
Seth - violin
Sarah - violin
Josh - piano
Anna - piano
Abby - singing a song from Mulan
Taylor and Emma - singing a song from Suessical
Emma - singing "Allstar" with everyone joining in for the finalé

I'll add some of the video clips tomorrow.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR A GREAT REUNION!!

Whoops!

2009-07-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes all you can say is "Whoops"

He's Da Man!

2009-06-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

DANIEL RAY FISHER has graduated from Madison High School!!

He had a full, fun, and fruitful high school career. Here are some highlights.

Daniel as...

the student

the participator

the student body officer

the athlete

the date

the fan

the "Mr. Madison" contestant

the Scouter

the dancer

the big brother

the little brother

the son

We are really proud of Daniel and are so grateful that he is part of our family!!

Were they really in Russia?

2009-05-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Russia tour that we are actually in.

I've put our tour pictures on a separate blog for the dancers.
darussia09.blogspot.com

From Russia, With Love

2009-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Shpaseeba!

Actually - that means Thank You, but it's about the only word that I know. Hello is too hard. I can say Thank you, Good-bye, Excuse Me, and bathroom. I guess those are the essentials.

We are half-way through our great Russian adventure. We started in Moscow - the city of Red Square and power, then took an overnight train to St. Petersburg - city of the tzars, then flew to Kazan, ancient site of the Tartar (mongol) stonghold, and where Muslim and Christian co-exist (there is both an ancient mosque - the blue one in the picture above, and an orthodox cathedral within the fortress). We then took a 16-hour train ride to Saratov where we performed last night in the opera house. The members are astonished that we were able to get this venue because "no one" gets to perform there... (We are attending a Russian opera in the same place tonight.) Many small miracles... The mission president who attended last night (Samara mission) said that there are many great things happening for the church here due to our performances. Tonight we train again to Volgograd (Stalingrad during the Soviet years). From there we go on to Rostov in the south -- where we hope it will be warmer.

I've eaten more tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, and peppers in the last week than in the rest of my life combined. (There is occasionally lettuce in the salads). We have soup with every meal - broth with cabbage or beets. Our hotels have been both old and new, big and small. All clean and comfortable. We are quite chilly outside, the weather makes appreciate Rexburg!! (It has snowed a couple of times..)

The history is quite fascinating. The people deeply love their country, their "mother land". We are learning and experiencing so much. We've toured red square, the tzar's winter and summer palaces (more opulent than anything I've seen anywhere else in the world), and the ancient mongol fortress in Kazan. We've also been able to visit a disabled children's school which was the benefactor of one performance - very touching. Today we visit an orphanage, the benefactor of last night's performance.

The show has been very well received. Standing ovations everytime so far. We've been told that the response is quite unusual as the Russian people in general are reserved in their applause.

One of our dancers served his mission in this area. Last night there were many members here to see him. It was so touching. He sang a solo (in Russian) at the end of the show. We could not hold back the tears. He was mobbed at the end of the show. It was awesome!!

I'll post more photos when we get a bit more time.

Dasveedahnya! (Good-bye)

Sister Aimee Fisher

2009-03-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

This is Aimee's mission application picture. Katie took it in our living room. I think it's great!

Thanks to everyone who helped make her "Farewell Sunday" such a perfect day! Everything went just great. We really enjoyed having so many of you here, it means so much to us.

Aimee entered the MTC at noon on Wed, March 18, 2009. It was the most beautiful spring day, 64°, bright blue sky. She was happy, excited, and ready.

We drove to Utah on Tuesday afternoon and stopped at the Olive Garden in Layton for dinner. I had to let someone else answer the waitress' question, "Is this a special occasion?" because if I tried to say anything, tears would well up in my eyes. It was such a fun "last supper" for us. Michael would like to go back to the "grape" restaurant soon (It has clusters of grapes on the sign").

We went to an endowment session in the Salt Lake temple early Wed. morning. It had a fun twist because the missionaries from the SLC mission were there - about 100 of them. There were about 4 sets of sister missionaries, which Aimee looked over very thoroughly. The Salt Lake temple is so beautiful and historic, and full of color compared to the new neutral-colored temples. We really enjoyed being there. Aimee had attended the Rexburg temple several times, but this was the first time that she came through the veil without any help. She was really happy about that.

After a very special father's blessing, and the final packing, we headed for Provo. It was a rather quiet ride. As we neared the MTC, tears started running down Shawn's face when we were still several blocks away. I thought - don't start that now....

As soon as you come into view of the MTC and see the great hustle and bustle of the families and missionaries, you feel that you are part of something big and important. Aimee was so anxious to get checked-in, she was trying to be patient with all the picture taking. At the end of the orientation meeting, the MTC counselor who conducted said that we should take the band-aid approach for our farewell, it's going to hurt - so the quicker you do it the better.

After really tight hugs, and a few tears, she went to the right with the missionaries, and we went to the left with the families. It was like the trail of tears down the long hallway leading out of the MTC. Moms and Dads with red puffy eyes...

We can't wait to hear from her, she gets to set up her lds e-mail account on Sunday or Monday. She can e-mail her immediate family, and then we'll forward her messages to everyone. We're not sure who can send e-mail to her. Right now we're anxious to hear all the little details -- her companion, her district, how she's sleeping, how the food is, etc.

We are so happy for her. She has worked so hard to prepare herself. We know that she will be blessed and protected.

Dancing with the (little) Stars

2009-03-07T08:55:00.001-08:00

At the Gem State Classic ballroom competition, Jacee and Michael, and Ashley and Matthew (Katie's partner's little brother) entered the "Pee Wee" division in swing and cha cha. It was too cute!!

Jacee and Michael had about 5 minutes of coaching from Julie right before they danced - and then a little "sideline" coaching as you'll be able to hear.

The day before the competition, Ashley said, "I think we'll win an award." Well, sure enough, they won First Place in both swing and cha cha. (As an unbiased observer, I'd have to say that they deserved it!) She was pretty pleased with herself.

The big kids, Heidi, Katie, and Daniel all danced too. It was quite a family affair.

Extended Family Events: Birthday, Baptism, Blessing

2009-02-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Grama A's 89th Birthday Party was held on January 17 at her house in Gooding. Aunt Jan and Vickie planned it and we all really enjoyed getting together.

We gathered for Anna's Baptism and William's Blessing in Draper on January 31.

THE CALL

2009-02-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Shawn went early to the post office on Thurs, Jan 22, and picked up the packet addressed to Sister Aimee Lorene Fisher from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Office of the First Presidency. We then picked up everyone from school, because Aimee was already having trouble breathing and didn't think she could wait to open it until 3:30 when they would get home from school!

After taking pictures, she ripped the envelope open and started reading... Her eyes skipped down to the paragraph that said something about Utah -- "I'm going to Utah???" "Oh - that's the MTC ..." So then she went back and started at the beginning.

You are assigned to labor in the OKLAHOMA TALOOSA (Tulsa? I asked), Oh yeah, OKLAHOMA TULSA MISSION for a period of 18 months. "Is that in America" Katie asked. Sam, "Yes - it's right above Texas."

Then renditions of OOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes..... broke out.

Aimee's first response was, "I'm so relieved that I'm staying in the states, it's what I've been praying for." Then she asked "Are they Christian there?" Oh yeah -- and then some...

We looked up the weather - low in the winter in the 30's and highs in the 80's for summer. "It's perfect!!!" she kept saying.

Then we started reading through the booklet of information and guidelines. It outlined the mission boundaries - taking in portions of Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas.

The next stickler was the clothing guidelines for sisters: 4-5 outfits consisting of skirts, blouses, dresses, and fitted jumpers. 4-5??? That's not enought for a week!!
And then -- "Where are we shopping??" I replied "In your closet - remember all those things that you said would be 'perfect for a mission' so we bought them? - That's what you're taking!" Oh. (and 2 pr of shoes, and one dark coat? what's a girl to do??)

She has plenty of tops, but no sensible missionary type shoes - and she does need a few more skirts that are "mid-calf". So, a shopping we will go! (I think we'll have to stretch the 4-5 outfit guideline. As Aunt Julie pointed out - you are Eileen Petersen's granddaughter... so get as much as you can into your suitcases!)

She really is excited about her mission call. This is the area where her Fisher ancestors are from. Her great grandfather Fisher was born just outside of Tulsa. As far as we know, none of the family except for Shawn's father, are members of the church. I have a feeling that Grama Fisher had a hand in this call. She did a lot of genealogy on the Fisher line, and corresponded with some of these extended family members.

Aimee has been studying several hours a day in the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. She is really trying to prepare herself both spiritually and physically. She enters the MTC on March 18, her "opportunity to speak" in Sacrament Meeting will be on March 15. Our Sacrament Meeting begins at 9:00am.

Thanks to everyone for the support and encouragement you have given to Aimee!

The Dragon Girl

2009-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Ashley's 2nd grade class has been going on a "trip" around the world, using their passports to enter each country. They are in China right now, learning about Chinese New Year. They all discovered their Chinese zodiac "animal" according to the year they were born. Ashley came home and said, "Now I know why sometime I throw such a temperature when I am mad - it's because I am a dragon! Dragons blow fire when they are mad, so since I'm a dragon girl, that's why I throw such a temperature when I am mad."

So, if any of the other millennial girls throw a temperature when they are mad -- it's just because they are really dragon girls!!

REXBURG'S ROCKIN' NEW YEARS RENDEVOUS

2009-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of Pictures from the RRNYR:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2009-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

A fun time was had by all at the Rockin' Rexburg New Year's Rendezvous. We gathered on New Year's Eve and had stew, scones and cornbread -- and Uncle John's famous fudge! The grown-ups did the traditional sit-around-the-table-and-talk for quite a while. The kids warmed up with a rousing game of Mouse.

The teen gang went to the regional New Year's Eve dance/party at BYU-I. They all said that they had a lot of fun. There was dancing, games, soccer, volleyball, karaoke, and unlimited food.

The Newlywed Game ... (dun dun dun). Here is John's answer to the question "How would your wife complete this sentence: 'My ______________ has been outstanding lately'." The other husbands wrote things like -- cooking, leadership, scrapbooking, etc. John's answer: husband. (Yes, he's wearing a tiara in the picture below!) A good laugh was had by all. By the way -- the winners of the Newlywed Game were (are you sitting down?) ... SHAWN & JANIE!!! I just had to put that on record in case it never happens again.

New Year's morning we were treated to delicious "Daners" made by Steve and Natalie. They are crepes (or the David Melling version: creeps) filled with syrup, powdered sugar, etc. Kimball gave us a demo of how to roll them up.

We went sledding on the college hill. Those that really enjoy sliding down cold cement had a great time! With really warm weather on Monday and Tuesday, the top layer had melted, and then frozen again on Wed, so the hill was essentially ice. Sleds were optional because you would slide down with or without one. But everyone seems to have a good time - especially those of hardy stock! Steve and Shawn cut some steps into the ice so everyone could climb up the hill a little more easily.

After warming up with pizza and hot chocolate, we went to the movie "Bedtime Stories" and laughed most of the way through. It was a very fun family movie. Jacee's favorite line "Are those eyes or bowling balls" (said to the hamster Bugsy).

After dinner of ham and BBQ pork, we had a great game night. First was Signs -- Steve added the rule that the person to your right picked your sign. Of course with this twist, there were no "subtle" signs -- there was the disco point, the cheerleader jazz hand, the s.o.s. arms above the head, the double nose pick, the hand-to-nose taunt, the tiger paw growl, the guitar hero strum, and several others. We nearly laughed ourselves silly. (Oh Brian and Jen, I mean, we occasionally smiled in amusement - as it wasn't really that fun...).

Then a few other games: names, throw-water-in-the-face, and bullfrog. Steve then introduced a new game: BOOTCAMP. I'll let you just imagine the rules... (I'll include a few pictures so you can really get the idea.)

Here are some fun pics of our celebration:

Carter 'versing' Michael in guitar hero. Waiting for the ball to drop...
John's famous answer "husband" -- see explanation above.
The gathering discussion time.
Jacee goes for the kill in Mouse.

FISHER FAMILY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-25T21:05:00.001-08:00

Caroling. Banana Bread. Santa Hats. Candle Light Dinner. Christmas Eve Elf. Pajamas (again). Mr. Kruger's Christmas. Stocking placement. Painting of the toes. The 6am pounce. The line-up. The Magic Moment. Wow! Look! I love it! Thank You! Strawberry waffles. Pogo challenge (Sam 115, Heidi 40, Ashley 5, Katie 3, Aimee 1, Daniel -- too big). Snow removal. Stuck in snow. Snow forts.

Feliz Navidad!

Temple Square Lights

2008-12-25T20:32:00.001-08:00

Daniel suggested that we go to see the lights on Temple Square. We hadn't done that in a long time. The little kids don't remember ever going. So we left Sunday after church to drive down. We were really fortunate missing the storms both ways. The weather was just perfect, chilly but not frigid. On Monday morning, it was snowing the big fluffy flakes, which adds to the magic of any day.

The best part was a "coincidence". When we were about to go into the Tabernacle, Shawn said Hey -- look who that is... I was standing right next to Gary!! He told us that McKell and Abbey would be singing in the Assembly Hall in about 20 minutes. What a bonus! There were hundreds of people there -- I don't this chance encounter was by chance!

After watching McKell and Abbey's performance (which was wonderful) they all joined us to go surprise caroling to Jogus and family.

It was a perfect quick trip!!

2008 IN REVIEW

2008-12-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

We've had a wonderful year, one of both joy and sorrow. Our greatest sorrow was Grandma Fisher's death in January. Our greatest joy was the dedication of the Rexburg temple. We were both sad and glad about Grama and Grampa Petersen leaving on another mission -- sad to miss them for 18 months, but glad that they can go and do this great work (in Argentina as area medical advisors.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMA!!!

2008-12-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL 70th BIRTHDAY IN ARGENTINA!!
December 15, 2008

Thanksgiving Feats and Feast

2008-12-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

3,892.66
Here are some of our fun Thanksgiving moments (in slideshow to the left-- I think if you click on it that it will enlarge). We are having such an unusually mild fall -- that our activity was jumping on the tramp instead of tramping through the snow.

We had all the usual fixings -- and tried some new pie recipes (Lion House Banana Cream) and some family secret pie recipes (Grama Petersen's apple pie secret: double the spices!!) The ratio of pie/people was pretty high, so we'll be having pie for FHE treat for the next several weeks.

After dinner, Ashley taught Shawn how to play some of her Christmas songs on the piano and then we played an intense game of Clue. Daniel was using his deductive reasoning skills by taking notes -- which made Aimee really nervous "What's he writing down??" Then she said "I think my heart rate is elevated!!" She was the first one out because she believed Michael when he said "Daniel has the rope". (It was just wishful thinking.)

We got out our Christmas decorations on Friday, the earliest we've ever decorated, but it was fun to have the Christmas spirit for when Uncle Steve and Aunt Natalie's family were here for Saturday night and Sunday.

It was a great Thanksgiving Holiday being together with just our family, but sobering to think that next year both Aimee and Daniel might both be out on their missions!!

THE APPLESAUCE INCIDENT

2008-11-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Applesauce seems safe enough, and my friend -- who gave me two boxes of apples, and loaned me her Victorio strainer, told me that it was super easy to make. She said "You do this this this and this." Well, I couldn't quite remember the this or the this, so I went online and found lots of instructions, none of which included what to do if you almost start a fire under the pot of boiling apples...

INCIDENT #1:
I looked over at the pot on the stove, and noticed some pretty good smoke under it. I thought it a little strange, since it wasn't even boiling yet (and no sugar water had splashed out which usually causes smoke). It got thicker, and a distinct burn smell started filling the kitchen. Michael then asked what was burning, because it was pretty strong by then (he was wondering if he should stop drop and roll). I picked up the pot to look at the burner, and there was the potholder -- or the ashes of the potholder. Apparently when I put the pot on the counter, on the potholder, the potholder stuck to the bottom of the pot, and then I put it back onto the burner ... We quickly opened all windows and doors, turned on the vent, and I got a good idea of why a house fire burns your throat -- because the potholder fire was burning mine!!

I was a little worried that the applesauce that was sitting out in the bowls waiting to go into jars would take on a smoky flavor. I can go for smoked turkey, but smoked applesauce didn't seem too appealing. So, I had Shawn try it without telling him why. He said it tasted great, but then again, he eats things like squid and brussel sprouts.

INCIDENT #2
I decided to wait and finish the last batch after the kids were home from school so they could "experience" the making process. Ashley and Savanah were having a great time with the strainer, with Ashley turning the handle and Savanah plunging the apples down the hole. I went to pick up Michael, and when I got home they met me at the door and said, "We had a little problem."
They then explained that they were having so much fun turning the handle and singing to the Ally & AJ cd, that they forgot to look at the bowl to see when it was full. Well, they just kept turning and turning the handle, and the applesauce keep pouring out -- out of the bowl and all over the counter and floor. Major clean-up ensued.

INCIDENT #3
You'd think I'd stop while I was only two incidents behind...
Well, Sam was intrigued by the strainer, and so he was helping with the very last set of apples. The phone rang, so while I answered it, he decided to keep going by turning the handle and doing the plunger by himself. It may have started well, but I had to cut the phone call short when he got a little off balance and pulled the whole strainer off the counter. It was like a Dr. Suess moment -- apples here and apples there, apples apples everywhere.
After stripping his clothes off, (while he was saying "hot hot hot" because of the hot processed applesauce all over him), major clean-up #3 started.

Next time you're thinking "making applesauce is probably pretty easy", just remember they sell "homestyle" applesauce at the grocery store!

Part 2

2008-10-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hippie Shake (Mr. Mad Talent)

2008-10-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sure you were all dying to see the dance -- so here it is... (I had to do it in two parts, until I figure out how to load the whole thing without it being too big.)

"Mr. Fitness"

2008-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Mr. Madison
Daniel entered the Homecoming "Mr. Madison" pageant -- which is kind of a spoof that the boys put on during Homecoming week. The theme was Sesame Street, and they were each a character. Daniel was Fozzie Bear (waka waka waka). For his talent he danced with Katie. (There were five real talents out of 18 entries... piano, singing, guitar, and Daniel's dance. The others were things like lip sync, mock ballet, painting with feet, etc.)

For the introduction to his talent, he wrote, "Dancing in the Fisher Family is a lot like breathing, it's not optional." and then, "If anyone would like to give Daniel a hard time about dancing with his little sister, he's like to see them on the soccer field after the show."

They gave 5 awards -- Daniel got "Mr. Fitness". It was great fun. Daniel said most of the comments at school the next day were about his "tight white pants" (in the dance).

Catching Up

2008-10-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today was my bi-monthly "read the blogs" morning. I saw that I'd been tagged three times. Hmmm. I guess that means I should figure out how to do something besides read your blogs! This may be a slow process, so don't be holding your breath for the next exciting entry!!

In the Fisher Family this month:
Aimee has started filling out the missionary papers, which she can submit on Nov. 20. She is working at 3 jobs: bookkeeping for our neighbor's business (Dish Network), designing on the USA Dance magazine, and coaching one of our ballroom teams. In between she talks to David in Tennessee and writes to Jon in Zimbabwe every other week.
Daniel's soccer season has ended -- they finished #2 in the conference (which is pretty good considering he didn't know if they would even win one game given they only had three returning players), and they missed going to state by one goal (he scored the only goal for Madison in the "winner goes to state" game),
Katie has crossed over to the dark side (Shawn's description of becoming a teen-ager in attitude), and is totally annoyed at her parents rules - since all of her friends can do things she can't. She's pretty busy with a lot of activities, and she's still sweet when she forgets to be sour. (Cheer, piano, gymnastics, dance, ballroom... )
Heidi gets to dance up (in age) on a ballroom team because we needed one more girl (which is quite exciting for her after watching Katie dance up for several years), she doing all the same activities as Katie except for cheer.
Sam is almost finished with his Bear in Cub Scouts, and he's also doing piano and gymnastics
Ashley and her best friend Savanah are being "twitches" for Halloween, and is still dancing all the time - everywhere.
Michael is learning to suggest rules, since they do that in Kindergarten. Today he suggested the the kids say "thank you" to the parent if the parent says that they can go play at a friend's house. I agreed.

I do love reading your blogs to catch up with what is going on with you. Would love to see and talk to you all a lot more!