Flock Of Peacocks

WELCOME MAYLI

2011-02-16T18:47:00.002-07:00

Mayli Taylor was born February 15th in Provo, Utah. She is the first child of proud parents Trevor and Sara (Markham) Taylor. Mayli weighed in at 6 lbs 3 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long. She is also the 11th grandchild of very excited Grandparents, Tim and Eden Taylor. Isn't she a doll?

Daddy

2010-08-30T19:01:00.005-06:00

It was 18 years ago today that Daddy died. That is significant. Those of you who are younger than 36 have spent more than half your life with Daddy gone. That includes Kale, Cody and Mari. Mom and Dad were married for 36 years in this life. That means Mom has spent half that again without Daddy. But in spite of these statistics. Daddy's influence continues to be felt.

I suppose it is apropos that all my kids' schools started today. It is like he left this life to start teaching in another classroom. It is impossible to count the number of lives affected for the good by our Dad. In his short 63 years, he left a huge influence. Just count his decendents, his students, church members, collegues and the list goes on.

Daddy stood for patriotism, education and the church. His excellent example is worthy of emulation.

So why do I mention this? Because I don't think we realize how far our influence is felt. The best way we can honor Dad is by standing by our standards of patriotism, education and the church, by setting our own excellent example.

I miss Daddy every day, but I feel is influence in most of the things I do. I hope we will all honor him by our lives.

Skyler in Brazil

2010-06-15T19:36:00.006-06:00

Here is Skyler's address:

Brazil Fortaleza Mission

District 24-A Mail Box #27

Brazil CTM

Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo, 121

Casa Verde, Sao Paulo 02516-040

Brazil

skyler.peacock@myldsmail.net

He will be there 8 more weeks.

He's Kind of a Big Deal

2010-06-14T15:16:00.002-06:00

As if you didn't know {and his t-shirt didn't show} my dad is kind of a big deal around Castle Dale. Last fall a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune came to Castle Dale to cover the unfortunate Sharp murders. Dad told him to come back under happier and better conditions to check out the San Rafael Swell. In mid-May the reporter and a camera crew took him up on his offer.

The Trib ran a story about the San Rafael Swell featuring their tour by dad and Brandt. You can read the full article here.

http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_15220199

Good Fun

2010-05-21T21:16:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm sooooo excited about this book I just have to share it with you. Many of you have probably already heard about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a new book by the author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What you may not know is that it is AWESOME!!! It exposes a side of our 16th president that none of us knew existed. Those of you with an inclination toward history will be impressed by the author's research those of you inclined towards vampires will love every gorey minute of it! It is quite violent so I wouldn't recommend it for children under like fifteen, but the rest of y'all will love it! You can see my full review on my blog, Skippythewonderllama.

Aristocats!

2010-05-02T16:31:00.019-06:00

The Emery High Drama Dept. recently put on Disney's Aristocats Kids. It was a really great production that the audiences loved! The actors made their own animal masks and sang and danced their hearts out. I think we've all been singing, "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat" since then. After the production they actors met and talked with the audience in the auditorium. I think the little kids in attendance were really excited about that.
Here are a few pictures from the performance:
The Aristocats
It was really cool how Neal did the staging for this one. He had the humans behind this screen so they appeared larger and the animals looked like the size of real animals in comparison to real people.
Here is Madame' and the Butler

Thomas O'Malley and the Alley Cats
The Mouse

The Dogs The Geese

Mom and Karen enjoying the meet 'n' greet Neal getting some love from Roma Powell

All invited...

2010-03-23T08:04:00.001-06:00

One Sweet Prize

2010-02-19T21:50:00.006-07:00

As mentioned in the post about Skyler's mission call, Kline won the mission guessing contest by picking Brazil. I went to Tucson for some great company and beautiful, warm sunshine. While it did rain on the first day I was there we were still able to do some cool things and Kline claimed one cool prize.
We went to the annual world-renowned Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Everyone in Tucson called it the "jim show". It took us a little while to figure out what they meant but when we did we all had a good time laughing at them.
Rock hounds and vendors came from literally every corner of the earth. Every bit of open space near the freeway was covered in white tents loaded with people selling everything rock and mineral you could ever imagine. Some hotels were also completely full with vendors laying out their wares on the beds and dressers in each room.
Kline spotted this sweet little thing in one of the tents and asked if it could be his prize. So I payed some and he payed some and he came home with one cool knife.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANE!

2010-02-11T10:24:00.003-07:00

I know this is late, but I thought about you on the 7th. I hope you had a great day. Dane always liked me to take his picture. This is when he graduated from Jr. High in May 1982. You're still looking good!

SKYLER GOT HIS MISSION CALL!

2010-02-05T16:17:00.004-07:00

If you haven't heard, SKYLER GOT HIS MISSION CALL! He is called to serve in the Brazil, Fortaleza mission. He reports to the MTC in Brazil on June 9th. He will learn Portuguese. He is very excited and of course so is his family!
Skyler got his call in the mail and they called Dane at work. Dane asked where he was going and they told him they were waiting for him (Dane) to get home from work. They set up a conference call with us and Yvette's mom and dad so we got to hear him read his call. It was really cool to hear his excitement! (Thanks guys, for letting us be a part of that!) After Skyler read the part about going to the MTC in Brazil Dane said, without skipping a beat, "That's going to be a long drive for us". Ha ha ha, a classic Dane moment!
As you can see in his picture Skyler has really prepared for his mission. It's been his goal for a long time and he's worked hard to get there. We're excited and know he will be a super missionary! Congratulations Skyler!
The winner of the contest is: KLINE! And it just so happens that I'm going to Tucson next week to visit so I'll get him a cool prize while I'm there. I also picked Brazil but I don't count for the prize, but yes, I'm going to get myself one anyway :)

MS Walk 2010

2010-01-28T10:23:00.003-07:00

Hey family! It's year number 2 for Team Tootsie Roll! It was total party last year, and thanks for all of you that donated/participated.
We invite you to join our team or donate to the cause. The walk is April 24th at the gateway in Salt Lake.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/tootsieroll

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WADE!!

2010-01-13T20:11:00.003-07:00

We love you!

Skyler's Mission Guess UPDATE AGAIN

2010-01-13T08:40:00.002-07:00

There have been so many guesses. Thanks everybody!
Here is the latest update, in alphabetical order by the state guesses.

Name	Domestic	Foreign	Date
Yvette	Alaska	Sweden	3-Jan
Kline	Arizona	Brazil	3-Jan
Emi	Arizona	Russia	5-Jan
Erin	Arizona	Australia	5-Jan
Josie	Arizona	Canada	5-Jan
Mari	California	Brazil	1-Jan
Jamin	California	Portugal	3-Jan
Trinda	Connecticut	Chile	3-Jan
Bethany P.	Florida	Philippines	2-Jan
Craig	Georgia	Mexico	3-Jan
David	Georgia	Spain	8-Jan
Zora	Hawaii	Ireland	2-Jan
Eden	Idaho	Canada	2-Jan
Cody	Iowa	Dominican Republic	2-Jan
Madilynn	jnkjnbigto	gvj fvjs;fovjin	3-Jan
Rocky	Kentucky	Canada	3-Jan
Judge	Louisiana	Australia	2-Jan
Taylor	Maine	Italy	3-Jan
Teancum	Maryland	Indonesia	12-Jan
Sharon	Massachusetts	Ghana	5-Jan
Joye	Michigan	Guam	3-Jan
Dane	Minnesota	France	3-Jan
Sharon M.	Missouri		2-Jan
Tori	Montana	China	3-Jan
Neal	New Hampshire	Scotland	10-Jan
Trevor	New Mexico	Taiwan	3-Jan
Raiden	New York	Nigeria	2-Jan
Kathy	New York	Japan	3-Jan
Ryan	New York	Korea	5-Jan
Nick	North Carolina	Honduras	3-Jan
Riker	North Dakota	Spain	3-Jan
Gwen	Oklahoma	South Africa	10-Jan
Taralynn	Oregon	Norway	2-Jan
Connor	Pennsylvania	Fiji	3-Jan
Grand	Rhode Island	Germany	3-Jan
Tim	South Carolina	Hong Kong	2-Jan
Hallie	South Dakota	Russia	2-Jan
Skyler	Tennessee	England	3-Jan
Xander	Texas	Puerto Rico	3-Jan
Tina	Washington	Denmark	3-Jan
Kale	West Virginia	New Zealand	3-Jan
Sara	Wisconsin	Mexico	3-Jan
Amberly		Haiti	13-Jan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!

2010-01-12T21:30:00.003-07:00

He may have some old man characteristics, but he's 54 years young to us.

Update: Skyler's Mission Guesses

2010-01-03T20:32:00.002-07:00

Alright, here's what we've got so far. I am on the list but remember my guesses don't count for the prize.

Name	Domestic	Foreign	Date
Mari	California	Brazil	1-Jan
Eden	Idaho	Canada	2-Jan
Zora	Hawaii	Ireland	2-Jan
Cody	Iowa	Dominican Republic	2-Jan
Bethany P.	Florida	Philippines	2-Jan
Sharon	Missouri		2-Jan
Hallie	South Dakota	Russia	2-Jan
Raiden	New York	Nigeria	2-Jan
Judge	Louisiana	Australia	2-Jan
Taralynn	Oregon	Norway	2-Jan
Tim	South Carolina	Hong Kong	2-Jan
Skyler	Tennessee	England	3-Jan
Yvette	Alaska	Sweden	3-Jan
Dane	Minnesota	France	3-Jan
Xander	Texas	Puerto Rico	3-Jan
Jamin	California	Portugal	3-Jan
Grand	Rhode Island	Germany	3-Jan
Joye	Michigan	Guam	3-Jan
Kline	Arizona	Brazil	3-Jan
Rocky	Kentucky	Canada	3-Jan
Trinda	Connecticut	Chile	3-Jan
Riker	North Dakota	Spain	3-Jan
Kale	West Virginia	New Zealand	3-Jan
Nick	North Carolina	Honduras	3-Jan
Kathy	New York	Japan	3-Jan

Thanks everyone who has made a guess so far!

Christmas

2010-01-03T20:01:00.004-07:00

I have been thinking about Christmas and remembering when I was young. I remember a couple of Christmas's when we as a family got something special. One year we got a girls bike, we already had a boys bike. We all shared these bikes and would ride double to town (2 miles). Also one year Daddy with the help of Uncle Tom bought a new used car. They hid it at George White's place until Christmas morning then Daddy sneaked down, drove it home and parked it outside. My sister Virginia was old enough to drive and almost got to the car with one leap she was so excited. My Mom and Dad were wonderful. I believed in Santa Claus for a long time even when I got old enough to look for and find some on the presents. Mama would get to 'mad' because I could always find things. We always had a wonderful Christmas and never felt that we went without anything even though we didn't have much money and maybe didn't get as much as our friends. Mama always sewed beautiful dresses for the girls which we loved. We had coal warm morning heaters, Daddy would get up and get the fire going so it would be warm for us. We would tell him to not look at what Santa brought. We lined up youngest first to go in the living room where the tree was. It was a happy time which I remember with fondness. I still love everything about Christmas

Christmas

2010-01-03T20:01:00.001-07:00

Skyler's Mission Guess

2010-01-01T21:04:00.005-07:00

It's that time again, another missionary guess contest! Skyler (and Yvette, c'mon we all know the moms do a lot of the work :) has submitted his mission papers to his bishop who will soon be sending them in to church headquarters. So we're having another guess contest like we did with Taft. There will be a prize for the winner. Repeat: THERE WILL BE A PRIZE FOR THE WINNER!
Here are the rules:
- Each person guesses 1 state and 1 country (you DO NOT need to list cities and/or specific missions)
-Post your guesses in the comments on here or email Mari (maripeacock at yahoo . com)
- If two people guess the same place the first person to submit their guesses will have claim on those locations.
-You may guess again if you realize too late that someone else has guessed the same place(s) BEFORE you.

I'm not eligible for the prize so I get to guess first. You may guess the same as me and still be eligible for the prize if you are the first person to guess these same locations after me.
California
Brazil

Have fun, pull out your globes or google earth and have fun guessing!

Blue Moon

2010-01-01T14:41:00.002-07:00

I have always been interested and fascinated with the sky and everything in it. When I lived on the farm we would go outside at night and look at the stars and moon etc. There were no street lights so it was darker and we could see the Milky Way really clearly. I still love looking at the sky. Last night there was a blue moon. This means there is a full moon two times in one month. The last one before last night was in 1990 so it doesn't happen very often. At midnight Mari and I went outside to see it and it was straight up in the sky. We took some pictures and they were pretty good. When I woke up this morning it was so light I thought the sun was coming up, looking out the window I saw that it was the moon. I don't ever remember it being so bright from the moon light. I got up and took some more pictures then a little later I drove to the top of a hill in Castle Dale and waited for the sun to come up to take pictures of it also. I was 6AM when I first woke and the sun didn't come up until about 8AM. The moon went down behind the mountains sometime after that. I just thought I would share this experience with you, it was really great for me and left me with such a good feeling. Love you all Zora

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARALYNN!!!

2009-12-30T21:53:00.002-07:00

Taralynn is 18 today. It seems like just yesterday she was my little baby girl! Happy Birthday, we're glad you came to our family.

'Tis the Season to Save Time...and Postage!

2009-12-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays everyone. Our family has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. I don't have the time or stamina to attempt mailing cards to everyone. So, consider this your Christmas card from us! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year too. We will be in Castle Dale on the 26th, we would love to see you if you're around there too!

Fantasy Football 2009

2009-12-15T14:06:00.001-07:00

This is an update for the Peacock fantasy football league. Playoffs start this week.

If you remember last year, Zora barely snuck into the playoffs with the last seed, but then rolled through the playoffs and won it all. Well, this year she picked right up where she left off and rolled through the 2009 season finishing with the top seed and the top fantasy score of the year!

Mari and Skyler finished 2nd and 3rd. They had the next two highest scores also. Last year, two teams did not make the playoffs, that’s right, Mari and Skyler. Incredibly, the three lowest seeded teams last year are the three highest seeded teams this year! I have never seen that before in a fantasy football keeper league.

We had four expansion teams this year. The league increased from eight to twelve teams. The expansion teams were at a bit of a disadvantage, but wouldn’t you know it, Joye finished 4th. She managed her team well this year.

Erin finished 5th. Who says a team loaded with 49ers can’t make it?

Xander, the other expansion team to make the playoffs, finished 6th. Unbelievably, Xander’s team was 1-7 at one point in the season. He went on a six game winning streak to finish 7-7. He needed them all. Had he lost one of them, he would have been out because of tiebreakers.

Dane finished 7th. This is a very weird and inexplicable result from one of the best teams ever to play fantasy football.

David (Erin’s brother) captured the 8th and final seed. It was not decided until the last game. It came down to a tiebreaker for the most total fantasy points scored for the year. David beat out Jamin by two points, 1526 to 1524. Two points after an entire season and over fifteen hundred points! Wow every score counts.

The teams that did not make the playoffs were Jamin, Yvette (three years ago 1st, two years ago 2nd, last year 3rd), Alan (expansion team), and Kira (expansion team).

Does this sound exciting? Well, it is. This league is so fun because everyone stays involved and active the entire year. We will open it up for expansions again next year.

Playoff pairings:
1 Zora vs. 8 David (Rematch from last year’s championship game)
4 Joye vs. 5 Erin
3 Skyler vs. 6 Xander
2 Mari vs. 7 Dane

Better Late Than Never...Right

2009-11-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

Check out our handsome little son!

Caleb Christian Pollastro joined our family three weeks ago today, November 3rd @ 1:51 p.m. He was 9 lbs 3.5 oz and 21.5 inches long. The doctors and nurses were all crazy about his hair, and I must admit, I've spent more time on his hair than my own over the past weeks. He is growing up too fast, and already weighs over 10 lbs.

If everything goes well, we will most likely bless him the first Sunday in January. I can provide more details as it gets closer. We are all doing fine, and am pretty sure that third babies are the best. Not that the other two weren't, but we are all going googoo gaga over this adorable little man!

New Family Member

2009-11-18T13:43:00.003-07:00

Meet Gus!
I know, I know, this may come as a total shock to most of you, but we got a dog. I think Rocky must be going through a mid-life crisis, but if this is all that comes of it, that's good.
Gus is a three years old rat terrier. We got him from the shelter. He is very calm and doesn't bark and he's house trained. He goes on walks with Rocky every morning and then hangs out with me during the day. Trinda really loves him (the other real reason we got a dog)! Grand likes him too. Kline and Riker tolerate him, but secretly I think they like him too. Taft thinks he's been replaced.
He's been a really good dog so far and we're having fun with him. Welcome to the family, GUS!

7 years and Many More To Go

2009-11-08T20:12:00.004-07:00

Today is our 7 year anniversary! We can't believe we have been married that long and yet so much has happened! The best part of it is that we have grown so much as a couple. We love and respect each other in a much deeper way now. I look forward to that fact growing and reaching new levels as the years go by. Nothing is better than being married to your best friend! I am also grateful that this wonderful family welcomed Taylor Anne and I in with open arms. We have loved being a part of your family and am grateful for the love and support you all share with us! Thanks for being such a wonderful family...it really is a great example to strive to follow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR ANNE!!!

2009-11-02T16:00:00.002-07:00

Taylor Anne came to our family as a package deal with Kathy. We have loved her ever since. She is so sweet and friendly. She has a lot of responsibility with her younger siblings. She is also very beautiful and growing into a lovely young lady. Today she is 11. We're so glad you came to our family!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT!

2009-10-28T14:59:00.003-06:00

Trent turned 15 on Monday, October 26th. For details of his birthday, go to taylortenacity.blogspot.com. If you can't get in, e-mail me at edenptaylor@hotmail.com and I'll invite you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT - WE LOVE YOU!!!

It's A(nother) Girl!!!

2009-09-25T22:38:00.002-06:00

Siale Xiji Peacock
Our new baby was born September 23, 2009 at 10:20 pm. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces (our smallest baby) and was 20.5 inches long. She's beautiful, gorgeous, and incredibly stunning, just like her father.

You pronounce her name See-All-Lay. The Xiji, of course, was because everybody talked about naming a baby that, but Kimberly was the only in-law brave enough to allow one of us to name her that. Vyken wanted a boy and has decided to call the baby Jazer, no matter what we say.

Kimberly and Siale are both doing fine. I, however, am a total wreck. I'm sore, tired, and overwhelmed. I think I may have a little post-partum depression, too. You see, Kimberly lost weight when the baby was born, I didn't.

It's a GIRL!

2009-09-24T12:38:00.003-06:00

Madilynn Zora Lyon

Monday, September 21, 2009

2:22 PM

7 lb. 15 oz.

19 in.

Welcome little princess!

2009-09-20T21:54:00.003-06:00

Tooele school offered us a free family photo and we couldn't pass that up. Even though our family will have one more person in three days I think it turned out good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

2009-09-14T16:30:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom! You're the best! We love you!!!

When I was growing up, my Mom was the most unselfish person in the world. She always looked nice because it was important to my Dad. She and my Dad had a great relationship and set a great example for me. My mom taught me to sew and kept putting in zippers for me long after I started sewing for myself. She gave me so many words of wisdom and didn't even realize she was doing it. I know I was a sassy kid and should have shown a lot more respect for my mom. She really deserved it. Now that I'm as old as she is, she is one of my best friends. I love spending time with her and Mari. Thanks for everything. Thanks for being a great mom!

2009-09-13T13:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was our 17th wedding anniversary. We went to the Salt Lake temple. We got asked to be the witness couple. It was a lot of fun but I think I made some people nervous going up and down the steps to the alter nine months pregnant. The midwife said that she will start me in ten days if I want. I haven't decided yet.

Yes this is our most recent picture and I only wish I was that skinny right now.

New Photos

2009-09-09T11:28:00.003-06:00

Here's the boys on their Escalator!

Just wanted to show off our most recent addition to the Peacock family...

Trevor is 22!

2009-09-01T17:18:00.002-06:00

My little boy that was born in North Carolina is 22 years old today. That means we've been in Baker City 20 years! Trevor is a blessing from Heaven to our family. He has brought a lot of joy to our home. We have loved watching all of his accomplishments and talents. We're very happy he has found such a good wife that continues to take very good care of him. Thanks for being such a good son, brother, uncle in our family, Trevor. And thanks Heavenly Father for sending him to us!

Senior in High School

Baby Cougar! Trevor was named after Trevor Mattich, the candy man lineman for BYU at the time. Trevor was handsome from the start!

Taty's 6 years old

2009-08-30T18:30:00.004-06:00

This is my little girl on the day we celebrated her birthday. She turned 6 on August 28, 2009. We went to Discovery Place (a science center) here and did lots of fun things like the hurricane simulator and watched rats play basketball. She wanted a cake with pink and yellow roses...so my good friend made one for her. We had a great time celebrating her special day. We love you Tatyana.

Lexi

2009-08-16T14:43:00.004-06:00

We watched Lexi last night. We had a fun night with her.
She showed off some of her skills while she was here.

Happy Birthday Faye

2009-08-15T23:39:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to mention how important Faye has been in our lives. I hope you had a happy birthday. I also wanted to remind everyone that Faye is STILL older than me!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-08-13T22:57:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Todd!!!! What a HUNK!!!

1st Day of School!!!

2009-08-07T13:42:00.003-06:00

My kids first day of school this year was Aug. 4th. Yes, we're already back in school. It was also Riker's first day of school ever. So far everything is going okay. Riker and Trinda are liking school and making new friends. Grand and Kline are hating school, but doing okay. Sounds about normal for their ages. Here's their first day of school pictures! I even coaxed smiles out of them.

Good luck to all the rest of you on your first days of school!!!!

Trinda's Baptism

2009-08-07T13:28:00.002-06:00

Trinda got baptized on Aug. 1, 2009. It was a very special day. First of all, the amazing Eden made this dress for Trinda. It is the greatest dress!! It made Trinda feel like a princess (or at least like she was getting married). The dress was so full and beautiful that she actually got baptized in a jumper and wore the dress for the confirmation and to church the next day. I really have to thank Eden. She went above and beyond for my little girl. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Because we were recently made into a new stake (The Sahuarita Stake), Trinda was the last baptism to be done by the family. From now on they will have stake baptisms. So we had to do the whole program. Trinda and Rocky did the baptism and confirmation. I played the piano and gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Kline lead the singing and gave a talk on baptism. Grand gave a prayer and Kline's girlfriend Natalie gave the other prayer. Only four other people came: a member of the bishopric and his wife (who's in the primary presidency), the primary president and one of our home teachers. It was a really nice meeting and a really nice day. Congratulations Trinda!!

Happy 5th Birthday Trey

2009-08-03T19:14:00.001-06:00

Trey Reese Taylor is 5 today. He is so sweet and we love having him in our family. He will be starting Kindergarten this year and is very excited about that. He loves Spider Man and so I attempted to make him a Spidey cake. Happy Birthday Buddy. We love you.

Alexis is here

2009-08-02T23:08:00.004-06:00

Amberly had her baby! She was born July 31st. She was 2 weeks early but she is healthy and doing well. They named her Alexis Campbell, she weighted 6lbs 14 oz., 20 inches, and perfect in every way. Amberly is doing great too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-07-27T15:45:00.002-06:00

I know it's a day late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MARI!!! She's been celebrating for a week, but hey, she's turning 30! I think you're allowed to do that. Actually I think you should celebrate for a week every birthday! Happy Birthday Mari! We love you and hope all your dreams come true!!

Movin' Out

2009-07-22T15:01:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone, I have recently found out that my living arrangements at academy square are not what I thought they were going to be. I am therefore attempting to sell my contract for the 2009/2010 school year. I know most of you who read this blog need an apartment, but I also know that you all have friends who may have friends who may have friends who may have young single relatives who need a place to live in Cedar. So seriously, if your friends have friends who have friends etc. etc. tell them I am trying to sell my contract, the apartment is very nice, it has central air, wifi and cable included in the rent, a washer and dryer in the apartment, and a sink in every bedroom. Rent is $1290 a semester or if you want to pay by the month it's about $400 a month. So if your friends of friends of friends are interested my number is (as most of you know) 435-749-1820.

Tori is 4!

2009-07-18T19:24:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Tori! and Happy Anniversary Tina and Craig. We really got a good deal when Tina and Craig got married!

Happy Birthday Nick and Cammie

2009-07-18T19:17:00.002-06:00

Nick and Cammie celebrated their birthdays last week. Just wanted them to know we were thinking of them and hope they had happy birthdays!

Gooding Swimmers

2009-06-29T20:58:00.006-06:00

Hey I thought I'd keep you up to date on how the kids are doing on the swim team this year.

At the first meet David got 50 seconds on back stroke, 57 sec. on breast stroke, 1:21 sec. on butterfly and 47 sec. on freestyle. At the second meet he cut 2 seconds off back stroke, 7 sec. off breast, 22 sec. off fly which is incredible and put him under a minute, and 6 sec. off his freestyle. Yea David!

Tynan got 1:02 on back stroke, 1:04 on breast, 1:18 on fly, and 43 on freestyle. At the second meet he cut 6 sec. off back stroke and 7 sec. off breast putting him under a minute in both of those. He cut 11 sec. off butterfly but added a sec. in freestyle but looks much better. Go Tynan!

Alailee got 58 sec. on back, 1:18 on breast, 1:15 on fly, and 1:00 on freestyle. At her second meet she cut 3 sec off back, 4 sec. off breast, 8 sec. off fly, and 8 sec. off free putting her freestyle under a minute. Yea Alailee!

At the first meet Myah swam 1:23 on her back and 1:27 on freestyle. At the second meet she got 1:13 on back stroke and 1:08 on freestyle. She also decided to try breast and got 1:55 and butterfly and got 52 seconds. Way to go Myah!

At the first meet Kitani did butterfly and got 46 sec. and freestyle and got 45 sec. At the second meet she tried back and got 45 sec. and breast and got 53 sec. She added 2 sec. to her fly and cut 3 sec. from freestyle. Yea Kitani!

Shadrach swam his first meet this saturday and got 1:38 on freestyle (with some help and alot of encouragement)

So I am so proud of all my swimmers. We are coming to Utah so we will miss our next meet but the one after that will be in Jackpot NV on July 18th. I'll let you know how they do but I am always impressed with how much they improve each week.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T20:32:00.003-06:00

We just wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to all of you dad's! Without out you around the mom's of this world would have pulled their hair out ages ago.

But, the boys would just like to say, they do have the best dad. Here is the gift they made for their dad to prove it.

2009-06-17T18:05:00.000-06:00

HUNTINGTON- Our loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend, Robert Douglas Swinburne, age 73, passed away June 12, 2009 at his home.
He was born June 16, 1935 in Scranton, Pa. to Bob and Pearl Henry Swinburne.
Married LuRene Tucker Feb. 14, 1953.
Bob was a teacher, mentor, councilman, mayor, school principal, community servant, and friend to many.
Survived by his wife, LuRene Swinburne; sons, Doug (Donna), Ted (Carolyn); six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; niece Pearl Macris.
Preceded to heaven by his daughter, Kim Swinburne Bowen, and sister Eleanor Rasmussen.
Funeral service, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 11 a.m. Price Chapel, 611 West Price River Drive, Bob's lifelong church home where he was a leader, teacher, and respected addition to so many families. Visitation, Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at the church. Interment, Cleveland City Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price. In lieu of flowers, family suggest donations to the CEU scholarship fund.

31st Anniversary

2009-06-16T18:35:00.002-06:00

After 31 years, 7 children, bachelors and masters degrees, living in 3 States, 4 high school graduates, 3 missions, 3 college graduates, 4 weddings, 2 son-in-laws and 2 daughter-in-laws, 8 1/2 grandchildren and 1 granddog, it's nice to know we're still in love!

Happy Birthday Teancum

2009-06-16T17:57:00.003-06:00

Teancum had his 11th birthday on Friday, June 12th. We were on our way to a wedding in Albany so I didn't have time to blog. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's in Portland and celebrated with Tina's and Tiffany's families. Teancum talked us into letting him stay at Tina's for a couple weeks. This week he and Taylor are at a basketball camp. We really appreciate Tina showing Teancum a good time.

You should know that Teancum long jumped over 13 feet this spring -- that's farther than the 7th graders (he was a 5th grader). We think he should throw the javelin, but jumping is good too. Teancum has finished his Webelos and Arrow of Light. He has a paper route and is very responsible.

We are so glad Teancum came to our family! We love you, Teancum!

Jenner's Blessing

2009-06-07T23:02:00.002-06:00

We want to thank you all for your thoughts for Jenner's special day. We know it is hard to travel and appreciate the thoughts and prayers for us since you couldn't be here in person. Todd was able to attend along with Christian, Sean and Melanie. It was great to have them here. Thanks for traveling the distance at such an early hour to attend you guys!!

Kitani's baptism

2009-06-07T12:43:00.003-06:00

Hey Eden I just got on to put up some pictures but you beat me to it. Thanks for putting those up and thanks again for making her such a beautiful dress. She wears it to church every week. It's her new favorite dress.
If you want to see some other pictures of our family I put some on my (Kimberly's) new facebook account but there are not a lot yet. We still have dial up and it takes forever to upload pictures.
Thanks again Eden. You're awesome at keeping everyone up to date and supporting us.

Kitani's Baptism

2009-05-31T18:52:00.002-06:00

I've been waiting for Ryan to blog about Kitani's baptism, but I'm impatient so I have to let you know how beautiful she was. Kitani just glowed from the inside out. I got to make her baptism dress, a special priviledge for me. It was fun to go and represent the family. Ryan's kids are always so sweet and we love to be around them. Chris did a great job on the baptism and Ryan gave her a great blessing. Rootbeer floats were delicious refreshments. Thanks Ryan for inviting us and letting us be part of Kitani's special day!

Current Events

2009-05-29T17:53:00.004-06:00

We have been terrible at keeping anyone up to date. So here goes...Ender turned two in May. He greatly enjoyed the attention, but more so he enjoyed his new scooter toy. Somehow in all the playing that the boys do his other scooter got destroyed. So ta-da. Introducing speedy his turtle scooter!

And I know it isn't as important as graduating from High School or College but Judge did graduate from his Pre-school today and we thought we would share just a very little bit of it.

Go Cowboys!

2009-05-22T16:16:00.002-06:00

Jamin played spring flag football again this year. He was on the Cowboy’s team.

I was disappointed in the way they set up the league this year. There were 11 kids on his team. A team is best with just seven or eight players. What’s worse, this year they clumped all the kids from 4th through 6th grades together. There is a huge difference between a 4th grader and a 12 year old, especially for Jamin, who is small for a 4th grader.

The coach separated the team into offense and defense. He took the five fastest kids for offense, and put the six slowest kids on defense. Jamin was the fastest kid on the team and earned a chance on offense with the 6th graders.

Just before the first game, the coach asked me to be the defense coach. We played the 49ers. They threw six deep passes for touchdowns. Obviously, yelling “Don’t let anyone behind you!!!” over and over again isn’t good coaching. We lost 46 to 42 on the last play of the game.

Jamin played well all season. He didn’t get to play on defense very much. On offense he was awesome. He had about 20 touchdowns in six regular season games (he missed one game due to strep throat). More importantly, he made several big plays at very important times.

We finished with a 3-4 record. That put us in 5th place. Our first playoff game was against the 4th place Saints. We won 52-48. That pretty much sums up my defensive coaching ability… Jamin played great. He scored four touchdowns, including a catch and length-of-the-field run with less than a minute to play. Whew, that was close!

Next up… the first place Broncos. We were down 20-18 at the half. Jamin scored three TD’s, including the last TD, a length-of-the-field run with just a few seconds left. We won 30-26. Whew, that was close too!

Next Saturday (May 30th) we play in the championship game against the hated 49ers. Our real coach is going out for surgery, so I will be coaching offense and defense.

Some of Jamin’s highlights are posted on the Dane and Yvette blog. http://daneyvette.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to see more.

We Have an Announcement to Make

2009-05-21T11:41:00.003-06:00

In case you haven't heard, Kimberly and I have an announcement to make! Our ninth baby is due September 30. Kimberly has had no serious problems with the pregnancy and is in good health. The baby kicks and is strong so everything is all right there.
In case you were wondering, NO! we are not trying to break Mom's record. We just felt like there was one more baby who was missing from our family. We're happy and excited about it and if everything goes right, I may convince Kimberly to call the new baby Xiji.

Blessing's

2009-05-18T17:20:00.003-06:00

We just thought we would invite any who would like to come to Jenner's blessing. It will be held June 7th at our church at a delightful 8 a.m. in the morning. Now that is NV time so that is actually 9 a.m. for you Utah folks. If you are or want to come feel free to call for directions. Kale will give those to you so you will be less likely to get lost... We are more than willing to accommodate any who need a place to stay overnight!!

Go Eagles!

2009-05-16T12:23:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Brandt on his graduation from CEU. Brandt got to walk in a kilt and Neal got to present Brandt with his diploma. Go Eagles!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

2009-05-09T20:08:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are You Smarter Than a 2nd and 4th Grader?

2009-05-06T11:13:00.005-06:00

At work, there are about 15-20 of us that play a trivia game. One person asks pop culture trivia questions (by email), five questions per day for one week. The player with the highest score at the end of the week gets to ask the questions for the next week. We have been doing this for about three years.

Last week, it was my turn. I did a Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader theme (but with pop culture trivia). I had Jamin and Xander come up with the questions each day. The questions were way too tough for the smarty pants grown-ups at work. So, all those that got below 10 points (about half) were officially named bad parents.

How good are you? If you are brave enough, post your scores.

1. "I'm not listening... I'm not listening..."
2. In the play Romeo and Juliet, how old is Juliet?
3. In the movie Spirited Away, the girl's parents turn into what?
4. What comic book hero's weapon is a hammer?
5. In NASCAR, who drives the M&M car?
6. What is Tiki Barber's twin brother's name? (Hint: He plays for the Buccaneers)
7. What team was the Superbowl champs last year (before the Steelers)?
8. Keenan and Kel were the stars of what very funny movie about hamburgers?
9. Who was the blind singer on American Idol this year?
10. It's not World of Yucky on the Wii. It's World of _______
11. Who has the nickname AK47?
12. Gulo Gulo is the scientific name for what animal?
13. Who is the player on top of the home run charts? Not Babe Ruth.
14. It's on a TV show. Woof! Woof! _______ for Dogs
15. In Wii Sports, how many points do you need to get pro?
16. In Curious George the Movie, he did what?
a. Flew with balloons
b. Jumped out of the spaceship
c. Went with the monkeys
17. Is Frodo good?
18. Soil is mostly made out of what?
a. Plants
b. Crunched up rock
c. Humans
d. Nutrients
19. What band sings Who Wants to Live Forever?
20. In the video game Left 4 Dead how many people are on a team?
21. Who is the star in the movie Caveman?
22. In The Sims, if the _______ power bar goes empty, you pee your pants.
23. In what game do you roll a plastic ball with magnets and if you hit the card the ball opens up into a creature?

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!

2009-05-04T16:06:00.002-06:00

I know we've missed a few things lately. I just wanted to wish Alan and Eden HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope both of you had great days and that all your birthday wishes came true! I also wanted to say CONGRATS to Trevor and Sara! I hope your wedding was everything you hoped it would be!
Now that that's over with: Everyone get ready for MY BIRTHDAY!! It's Saturday and I'm ready to party!! (Gifts are encouraged). Everyone is welcome to celebrate my birthday any way they wish. So LET'S CELEBRATE!!

There's A VIP In Our Family!

2009-05-01T15:31:00.003-06:00

Yesterday dad had the once in a lifetime opportunity of riding in a Black Hawk Helicopter. Even better, he didn't even have to join the Army or go to Iraq to do it. He was able to participate in a VIP {that's Very Important Person} tour of Utah. He drove to Salt Lake at 4:30am where the helicopter picked him up at Airport #2. Then they flew down the western side of the state where they stopped in St. George for lunch. In the afternoon they flew over Bryce Canyon, San Rafael Swell and up to Price; then through Spanish Fork Canyon and back to SLC. He had a wonderful time meeting new people and spending time with a favorite student. The helicopter pilot was Jeremy Tanahill, a student who Neal spent many hours mentoring and inspiring. Here are a couple of pictures from his grand adventure!

It doesn't get more VIP than this! We are so glad you had such a great time!

HE'S MY BROTHER!

2009-04-28T22:25:00.004-06:00

Raiden, Judge, and Ender would like to announce the arrival of THEIR baby brother!

Jenner Paul Peacock

Born 04/24/09

9 lbs 7 ozs

21 1/2 inches

Part II

2009-04-24T06:38:00.002-06:00

Well some of you may know we didn't have him on Wednesday. After eight hours of labor he decided to to an about face and go breech. Under the Dr's recommendation and our own decision we decided to give him till today to get back into position. So with all fingers crossed, and toes too if you can do it we will be having him today.

By the way. He is for sure a boy. In the ultrasound they did to check his position on Wednesday he was more than happy to reveal all!

Here we go...

2009-04-22T05:38:00.001-06:00

Well we just got a call from the hospital. We will be up there by 7 a.m. UT time. We will pass let y'all know when he get's here!

2009-04-15T10:26:00.002-06:00

Just thought we would let you all know..

We will be going in to the hospital on

Wednesday, April 22nd for

an induction.

So soon....

!Prizes!

2009-04-14T21:47:00.003-06:00

Here is Teancum's prize for winning Taft's mission guest.
He got:
Smarties for being so smart and guessing the closest.
Robin Eggs because Michigan's state bird is the robin.
Apple candy because the state flower is an apple blossom and
Dentyne Ice gum for the icy Detroit winters.

TRINDA WINS!

2009-04-08T12:57:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to say "in your face!" to all those huge college basketball fans out there. Dane ran a March madness tournament again this year for the college basketball and guess who won? NOT the basketball fans in the family. Trinda beat them all. I sat down with her and had her guess each game. She picked North Carolina to win because she has a friend at school named Carolina. She was so excited when I told her she won, even though she didn't understand the whole scoring thing. I didn't do very well in the picks again this year, but at least I can bask in the glory of my only daughter winning! So until next year - GO CAROLINA!

And The Winner Is....

2009-04-02T13:36:00.002-06:00

Teancum! He guessed Lansing, Michigan so his was the closest. I'm still putting the prize together and I will post pictures after he receives it so it stays a surprise. Some quick facts about Michigan and Detroit:
State Bird: Robin
State Flower: Apple Blossom
State Tree: White Pine
State Mammal: White-Tailed Deer
State Reptile: Painted Turtle
Detroit is the French word for strait. It was originally named e détroit du Lac Érie, meaning the Strait of Lake Erie but was later shortened to Detroit.
It is the only American city that looks south to Canada.
It was founded on July 24, 1701 so it looks like Taft will still be celebrating a pioneer day of sorts on that day.
Some of the city's nicknames are The Motor City, Motown , Rock City, Arsenal of Democracy (during World War II),The D, D-Town, Hockeytown, and The 3-1-3 (its telephone area code).

Taft's Mission

2009-03-28T20:33:00.002-06:00

Taft got his mission call to the Detroit, Michigan Mission. He reports to the MTC on May 27th. Yippeee!! Yahoo!! Thanks everyone for all your love and support!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!

2009-03-26T08:57:00.002-06:00

Happy birthday to Ryan today! Ryan is automatically in the cool club because his birthday is on the 26th. I will now sing you a song:
Happy birthday, it's your birthday, happy birthday, it's your birthday. It's your birthday, happy birthday Ry-an!

p.s. it's only four months until my birthday today and only 3 til Gwen's and 7 until Trent's.

Birthday Collage

2009-03-22T18:45:00.009-06:00

For the boys birthday we went down to Las Vegas. While there we went to the Lied's Children Museum, which I must say is really neat. Everything there is educational and also hands on learning for the kids. Then we went to Aliente Dinosaur Park, which because it has dinosaur bones and other Dino things the kids think it is really great to go to...so no more words..just pictures to show you the fun they had...

Presenting for your entertainment...Our very own BLUE BOY GROUP!

Playing with pulley's is so much fun...

Water tables to die for...we spent FOREVER at this station.

Can YOU survive a hurricane? Judge did best making it to over 70 mph.

Automotive...I wish it were this easy.

Dinos, dinos, dinos...

Congrats to the Taylor Family!

2009-03-20T09:17:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to the Taylor's. We hope you have a great time while adding another member to the growing family!

Happy 7th!

2009-03-20T09:15:00.002-06:00

May the force be with you! Who wouldn't love aliens on their cake while wearing their clone wars jammies?

Happy 5th

2009-03-19T14:27:00.004-06:00

I am now five years old.... Imagine that five years old and wanted in four states. Not a bad way to start off life.

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-19T10:01:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to Hallie and Raiden today! And to Judge on the 17th. It's fun to have a little leperachaun in our family!

80th Birthday

2009-03-14T18:12:00.012-06:00

Today is Lynn's/Dad's/Grandpa's 80th birthday so we had a party. First we bought new flowers and took up to the cemetery. Then, we put a little picnic together and went out on the desert. We rode down Buckhorn Wash to Swinging Bridge. We had lunch on a picnic table and enjoyed the warmer weather. The sun was shining and there was just a little breeze so it was a very nice day. We drove by Dino on the way home. We had a good time and it has been a good day. Did anyone else do anything special today?

Spirit Week @ Preschool

2009-03-13T21:52:00.006-06:00

Well we all have experienced Spirit Week at school, in the varying levels. Elementary, Middle, Junior and High School. Some of us still get the pleasure of experiencing it year after year. Well I for one have never experienced it from a Preschool level.

Yes, it doesn't quite reach the intensity that the High school kids get, but I think it is quite enjoyable as Judge shows you...

Hat Day

Showing off the hat he picked out all by himself, who could resist owning something celebrating your special day! (He told me they made it for him because it is a St. Patrick's Day hat and that is HIS day)

Crazy Hair Day
He was already oh so proud that he could make his hair into a mohawk. Well, TADA! Add some color in and he is more than happy to show it off!

Pajama Day

Not to forget one of the easiest days of all. Pajama Day. The day were you get up and go. What a great one for this grumpy gus. It was fun for him not to have to get out of his jammies and just slip on his shoes. Take that Joker!

The Scottish Play

2009-03-13T12:33:00.001-06:00

Hey family, this is Dory and this is a short post to tell you all that I have finally been cast! Yay! I'm playing witch number 2 in Macbeth! But don't say that in a theatre!

Photo Shoot

2009-03-10T15:51:00.009-06:00

Trevor and Sara came down last Saturday and we went all over Castle Dale and the desert taking pictures. I had a good time. I hope they did too. I didn't do a great job taking them but they were good models. It was really windy and got really cold so we battled that all day.

Countdown

2009-03-07T10:01:00.002-07:00

Little Kharybdis will be here probably sooner than expected. At my last visit we are measuring 34 weeks along. So instead of the first week of May we are looking at probably mid April.

This is exciting and nerve racking. That seems much closer than it was before and you wonder if you can do it. The boys are excited, until we ask about what we will name him. We get all sorts of weird responses from just Baby to Kale's middle name Bringer of blood and pain.

Looks like this little guy has his work cut out for him when it comes to what he is going to be called forever....

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2009-02-24T14:04:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I know that everyone is getting sick of the cold and the snow, etc., etc. So I just wanted to let you know that yesterday, February 23, 2009 we hit 91 degrees down here. It shattered the record of 87 degrees. People turned on their air conditioners because it was so hot. I thought that was a little hot for February. But luckily we're going to "cool" down to the lower 80's and upper 70's for the rest of the week with no rain in sight. Whew! So much better. :) So if you're sick of YOUR weather, come see us and enjoy a bit of "HOT, HOT, HOT!"

New Blogs

2009-02-24T09:20:00.003-07:00

Some of our family members have recently joined the wonderful world of blogging, by creating their own personal and family blogs. Their links are on the right hand side bar under the "Other cool blogs and sites" heading, check them out!

Mike and Jayna Miller: www.mikeandjaynamiller.blogspot.com
This blog is full of hilarity and commentary as only Mike and Jayna can deliver!

Dane and Yvette: http://daneyvette.blogspot.com
Check in with Dane, Yvette, and the happenings of the three most handsome boys west of the Oquirr mountains. Expect some updates about Kira and Amberly as well, and hopefully some pix of Emi in all her cuteness.

Jamin and Xander: These boys are getting an early jump start on the blogging world. Check them out Sgt. Jamin at http://jaminknight.blogspot.com and the X Files at http://xandervarce.blogspot.com

Nick and Kathy: Take a trip back east and check in with Nick and Kathy in Phillie www.taylordynamite.blogspot.com you may even get a glimpse of some historic sites!

You may also want to know that Mari's hilarious blog will soon be going private...I know we've been taught not to look at other people's privates, but in this case you can make an exception. Email Mari and she will send you an invitation to her blog...or call her... or send her a message on face book... or text her... or pick your favorite method for contacting people!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-18T22:25:00.003-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to KLINE!! It's his "sweet 16" birthday this year. He had a pretty good day with multiple girls giving him birthday treats at school (one made some brownies that were to die for). He's having a party this Saturday with a bunch of his friends. It should be fun! So, HAPPY SWEET 16 to KLINE!!!

Birthday/Valentines

2009-02-14T12:49:00.002-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kale and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to Everyone!!! Kale's is the only birth I remember really well. We went over to Price to give "Valentines" to Grandma and Grandpa Peacock and while we were there, lo and behold, Mom went to the hospital to have a baby. I remember Daddy teasing us when he came back. He wouldn't tell us what gender the baby was. He kept telling us details like how long it was and how much it weighed and when it was born and that Mom and the baby were okay. But we kept yelling, "Was it a boy or a girl!?" He finally told us it was a boy and we were all very happy. I have always loved that Kale had his birthday on Valentine's Day and normally I get more excited about his birthday than all that lovey dovey stuff. So I just wanted to throw a shout out to Kale AND a Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Interviews

2009-02-13T11:51:00.003-07:00

Okay, Rocky had his interviews. They both went really well. (Thanks for those prayers). Both places had some good and some bad about them, but most of it was good. They both seemed interested enough to offer him a job, but said it would take about a week for that to happen. So hopefully by the end of next week we'll have two offers to choose from. It will be an incredibly hard decision, because they both look really good. Thanks again for all your concern and prayers! We'll let you know more when we know more.

P.S. Happy Friday the 13th!!!!

Update

2009-02-10T16:15:00.002-07:00

Hi. I just wanted to let everyone know where our lives are at right now. Taft's papers are in to the Stake President and he's meeting with him this Sunday. He's also being sustained in a Stake General Priesthood Meeting as an Elder this Sunday. Then he will be able to be set apart as an Elder. They released him from his nursery calling so he can go to elder's quorum for a while to see what it's like. And he'll be starting the temple prep classes soon.
The other news is that Rocky has two interviews coming up. We got a call today from a place here in Tucson that wants to interview him tomorrow. Then he has another one on Thurs. that's been set up for a couple of weeks. We were really lucky to get this newer interview because it has calmed Rocky down and made it so we have a little leverage with both places. We have had many blessings through this whole crazy time and we really appreciate your prayers and concern for us. We would like to ask you to continue to pray for Rocky, especially these next two days while he's doing interviews. He gets really nervous (like tests in school) and these aren't simple 10 minute interviews. The one Wed. is for about 4 hours and one on Thur. is for about 8 hours. If you talk to anyone in the familiy that doesn't read the blog, you could mention it to them too. Again, we appreciate all your love and concern for us. This is one reason, it's great to have family, even if they are far away. Thanks again and we'll let you know how it goes.

Amazing Strides!

2009-02-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

(CBS) An estimated 400,000 Americans suffer from multiple sclerosis, but the findings of a new clinical trial shows promise in the fight to reverse symptoms of MS.

Researchers at Northwestern University conducted a trial using patients' own stem cells to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis, reports Early Show correspondent Debbye Turner Bell, and although the study group was small -- only 21 patients participated in it -- the findings are a huge breakthrough in the fight against MS.

Edwin McClure is strong and healthy now, but just four years ago, his life was very different.

"I would get fatigued. I couldn't deal with the heat," McClure said. "I had really bad balance."

In his senior year of high school, the star football player came down with what he thought was a cold. Then his vision changed.

"It was kind of like somebody turned down a dimmer switch 30 degrees," McClure said.

It was a neurologist who diagnosed what was happening to Edwin.

"He said, 'You have the signs of multiple sclerosis,'" McClure said.

"And what did you think?" Turner Bell asked.

"I remember hearing my mom say, 'Oh no.'" McClure said. "This is a disease 40-year-old white women get and I'm like 'I'm an 18-year-old black male. Somebody didn't get the memo somewhere.'"

For the next two years, Edwin received the conventional drugs used to manage MS, but his symptoms persisted. Then in 2005, he heard about a clinical trial being conducted at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"This therapy is designed to reset your immune system," said Dr. Richard Burt.

Burt led a study that looked at a completely new way to treat MS -- stem cell transplant. The patient's own stem cells are stimulated to grow more cells, then harvested. Next, chemotherapy is used to wipe out the immune system.

"It was rough," McClure said.

The treatment lasted nearly a month. Then Edwin's previously harvested stem cells were transplanted back.

"They call it your birthday when you get re-infused," McClure said. "So that birthday was January 21, 2006."

"When did you start thinking, 'This might have worked,'" asked Turner Bell.

"When my hair started growing back," McClure said.

"Well now for the first time in battling MS, I think you can say there's a study that's shown we've turned the tide against the disease," Burt said.

And today, Edwin's symptoms of MS have completely disappeared.

"I really don't feel like I have multiple sclerosis anymore," he said.

Happy Birthday Dane!!!!

2009-02-07T22:45:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday Dane!!! I've been thinking about you a lot and hoping that you'd have a great birthday. After all, you make all of our lives fun, so I hope you had fun today!! A Saturday birthday is a treat after all. We LOVE you!

Hello from Phillie

2009-02-06T16:56:00.002-07:00

Hello Family, Sorry we haven't become part of the blogging world sooner, but alas here we are. We are all doing well on the East side of the country. I got my associates degree while here, and Nick's work is taking off. The kids are all doing very well, but miss our family very much. Eden was just here visiting and we had a BLAST! My kids are still praying DAILY to see their Grandma in Oregon soon. We can't wait for the weddings this spring. What a great excuse to make an almost 6000 mile round trip journey! I can't think of a better one. Well, I started our own blog at http://www.taylordynamite.blogspot.com/ Check it out! I have no idea what I am doing, but doing it gladly just the same. Know that we love you all and think of you often. Grandma Peacock...You are truly amazing. Never missing any of our special days. You truly are an example for me. I love you all! Take care. Love, Kathy, Nick and Kids

We found Nature

2009-02-02T01:40:00.002-07:00

Instead of staying home all day last Sunday we told the boys we were going for a ride. They asked "To where?" So instead of saying to St. George or anything else we said , "To nature."

So when we finally pulled of the road and let them out to climb around it was no surprise when they told us, "We found Nature!"

It is nice to know that with all the games, TV, toys and other paraphernalia in their lives that good ol' nature still can be fun. Especially for our littlest mountain goat who packed his pockets with rocks and his mouth too, and when that failed he chewed on sticks instead.

Mission Guess UPDATE

2009-01-29T13:58:00.005-07:00

Alright, so far here are the guesses for Taft's mission. If you've guessed the same as someone else you might want to change your guess. Remember the first one to post gets the prize if more than one is right (remember my guesses don't count for the prize, just bragging rights). If you have listed a specific mission, your guess will count as that entire state or country.
These are listed in order of posts.

Name	Domestic	Foreign	Date
Javen	Alabama	Mexico	27-Jan
Taft	Alaska	Russia	26-Jan
Gwen	California	Estonia	25-Jan
Mari	California	Mexico	24-Jan
Melanie	Colorado	Belgium	15-Feb
Cody	Des Moines, IA	Capetown, South Africa	27-Jan
Tina Lyon	Florida	Japan	30-Jan
Christian	Georgia	Turkey	15-Feb
Joye	Hawaii	Australia	26-Jan
Todd	Idaho	Bulgaria	15-Feb
Dorothy	Illinois	Ukraine	15-Feb
Sharon	Independence, MO	England	25-Jan
Jacey	Indiana	Brazil	27-Jan
Taylor	Iowa	Finland	4-Feb
Kline	Kansas	Denmark	26-Jan
Teancum	Lansing, Michigan	Concepcion, Chile	28-Jan
Dane	Maine	Spain	25-Jan
Neal	Massachusets	Peru	25-Jan
Grand	Minnesota	Sweden	26-Jan
Yvette	Minnesota	Argentina	25-Jan
Bethany P.	Nashville, TN	Uraguay	27-Jan
Sean	Nebraska	Hong Kong	15-Feb
Rocky	New York	Germany	26-Jan
Taralynn	North Carolina	Djibouti	28-Jan
Zora	North Dakota	France	25-Jan
Tim	Oregon	Brazil	28-Jan
Jaxon	Pennsylvania	Ecuador	27-Jan
Eden	Philadelphia, PA	New Zealand	27-Jan
Trevor	Sacramento, CA	Fiji	2-Feb
Dory	San Jose, CA	Austria	25-Jan
Christine	South Dakota	Tonga	15-Feb
Bethany G.	Texas	Italy	25-Jan
Xander	Utah	France	27-Jan
Hannah	Virginia	Iceland	14-Feb
Trent	Washington	Southern Africa - Country?	28-Jan
Jamin	Washington D.C.	Australia	27-Jan
Jentz	Wisconsin	Philippines	27-Jan
Cammie	Wyoming	Canada	25-Jan

Happy "GREAT" Day!

2009-01-27T15:33:00.005-07:00

This is a little silly, but I was just thinking that this is the day that most of you became an official "GREAT" Grandma, Aunt, or Uncle! Taylor is 8 today--can you believe it? He's excited for his baptism, next Saturday.

Guess Where Taft is Going

2009-01-24T22:13:00.008-07:00

Alright everyone, it's time for the guessing game to begin. Before Taft gets his mission call we'd like to have a little fun. If you want to join in please make a guess here or you can email me and I'll post your guess on here for you. I might even have a neat-o prize for the winner.

Here are the rules:
-Make one domestic guess (out of the 50 states) AND one foreign guess.
-You only have to guess the state and country, not the exact mission (you can if want, but you don't have to)
-You can guess the same place as someone else but the first one to post gets the prize if they're correct.

I hope this if fun for everyone. I'm really getting excited for Taft! Let's show our support like we have for all of our missionaries in the past.

MS Walk 2009

2009-01-22T12:12:00.005-07:00

Dear Flock,
This year we have put together a team for the annual MS walk. As you know My Mom has been fighting MS for 15 years. She is a rock star! Think about how difficult it would be to raise us and keep up with my Dad! Anyway, our team has a goal is to raise $1,000.00 to help those in Utah with MS. This money isn't just used for research it's also used to support those who currently live with MS.
I know things can be tight right now, but even if everyone donated $5.00 we would be that much closer to our goal. Donating is very easy. Click on the link below and you will be taken to our teams personal page. Click the link that says donate and then fill in the information. The site is protected and safe. I have already donated myself! After you make your donation you will receive and email receipt that you can use for taxes.
Thank you all for your support! Please help support this worthy cause. If you have any questions let me know! Also, if any of you would like to join our team this link will take you there too. The password is calikins to join!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=5954772&fr_id=10742&pg=personal

Dinosaurs

2009-01-22T11:54:00.003-07:00

The boys just had to share their greatest experience yet with all of you. We took them to the Walking with Dinosaurs Live show over the weekend. It was so much fun. I have never seen them quite so mesmerized by anything. And yes that does include the TV. To quote Ender, "Wow!"

It was pretty cool when the long neck came out. He stretches his neck out over the audience, and at one point in time the boys swear he was looking RIGHT at them.

The mom t-rex is impressive and being life size, doesn't make you want to walk with real dinosaurs anytime soon. Her roar was enough that one time Kale grabbed Raiden and he jumped right out of his seat!

I think over all the kids liked this baby t-rex the best. He was quite a character. Walking around like he owned the arena. He had a pretty good sense of humor too. After his mom would roar he would walk up and mimic her and act like he was pretty hot stuff for scaring you.

Happy 100th Grandma!

2009-01-17T14:35:00.002-07:00

Today would be Grandma Eden's 100th birthday! She only missed it by 7 years. I still think she'll take a little break to celebrate heavenly style.

One of my favorite memories of her was when she was tending Kale and I while everyone else was at Faye's wedding. We were at her green house in Cleveland. I was 4 and kale was probably 7. She gave us some matches and told us to go burn stuff (I think it was some garbage). How cool is that! I wouldn't trust a 4 and 7 year old with matches. She was just cool like that.

Gas-Powered Snow Throwers

2009-01-15T15:18:00.003-07:00

It would be nice to have these guys around all of the time! Dane and Kale went out to do a quick clearing of mom's sidewalk at Christmas and got caught by The Emery County Review newspaper.

You can see it in the paper here: http://www.theemerycountyreview.com/index.html#Let

Also, A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO DANE who finished his Associate's Degree! He's been working full time and sometimes more and got a promotion and went to South Carolina to get specialized training all while taking night classes. If you don't already know, he's pretty much a genius and knows more than most engineers at Varian and I'm not even joking. It's high-tech stuff!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WADE!!!

2009-01-15T15:12:00.002-07:00

Alright so I'm two days late but it's been a little crazy lately. Wade's birthday is on January 13th and so is Sean's. I hope you guys had a super duper day! Sorry I don't have any pictures to post to go along with this but I just don't. HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!