SUPERIOR CIVILIAN SERVICE AWARD

Dan received a special award yesterday and I wanted to brag a little:)  The paragraph on the award says:

Daniel D. Blodgett is presented the SUPERIOR CIVILIAN SERVICE AWARD for outstanding achievement while serving as an Operations Research Analyst, Data Science Division, United States Army Dugway Proving Ground, from September 2010 to December 2011.  Mr. Blodgett instituted a new analytical methodology for the Department of Homeland Security biological detector test conducted at the West Desert Test Center, Dugway, Utah.  This method utilized a Bayesian framework saving the customer hundreds of thousands of dollars by implementing efficient test methodologies, incorporating stopping points during testing so as to not test more than what was necessary, and providing same day analysis for making quick decisions.  His efforts resulted in a $3M follow-on test for the Center.  Mr. Blodgett's outstanding contributions and professionalism reflect great credit upon him, the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command, and the Department of the Army.

Genaro J. Dellarocco

Major General, USA

Commander

US Army Test and Evaluation Command

Glasses

One day I asked myself, "Could my boy be any cuter?"  Then he got glasses!!  And he was cuter:)

Halloween Fun!

 Michael Jackson

 Batman (w/ Thor's hammer)

 Cody Hoffman, BYU wide receiver

 Rugby Zombie

 Napoleon Dynamite

 Graceful Ballerina

 Hawkeye

 Harry Potter vs. Gangster

 Baseball Player

 Ugly Stepsister, Gypsy, Happy Nerd

 I think Elmo ate my baby.

Notorious Dictator/Pilot

UEA

For our little October vacation we went on a trip to Boise to visit Grandpa Blodgett, Aunt RaeAnn and fam, and Aunt Ashley and fam.  On the way up we stopped at Ashley's and enjoyed life on the farm.  The kids love playing at their house because of all their fun toys and all of the neighborhood cats that hang out in the yard!  It was cat heaven.  The kids spent most of their time outside and thankfully Dan took a few pictures.

At Grandpa's we went to the Boise Temple open house which was really wonderful.  Unfortunately it was cold and cloudy and when we finally got back in the van we didn't feel like getting back out and taking pictures.  It was a great experience and the Boise Temple is so beautiful.  Jared loved how the Celestial Room echoed so as soon as we got in their he yelled, "HELLOOOO, ANYBODY HOME?"  It was so funny.  On Saturday Dan and Grandpa took the kids bowling.  Jared and I stayed home because I figured it was better to chase him around at Grandpa's house then around the bowling alley.  The kids had a blast bowling.  After that we sang Happy Birthday to Thomas.  I felt lucky to celebrate a little with Thomas.  He's so fun.

Deja Vu

The last time I posted was to say that Adrian got a hole in one!  Well the next news worthy event in the Blodgett household is along the same lines.  It was a cold rainy day on Friday but since we didn't have any plans Dan invited our brothers-in-law, Monty and Scott, out for a round of golf at Oquirrh Hills.  I was a little jealous but had fun hanging out with my sisters:)

The story goes that Dan was on the 13th hole and he used his 8 iron to hit it 159 yards over the water, and it bounced and rolled right into the hole!!  I am so sad I  missed it but so impressed, and anyways, I knew it was going to happen for him soon.  He's been having quite the season:)  Perhaps his new irons and driver are paying off.  Unfortunately there wasn't a camera to document the event but I'm sure Dan will hold it forever in his heart.

Golf Lessons Graduation

Today Adrian finished a week of golf lessons so Dan and I thought it'd be fun to take him out and golf 18 holes to see what he learned.  We got off to kind of a slow start because we were behind a group of 5 plus it was really hot so by the time we got to the back 9 I was worn out.  When we got to the 15th hole I stayed in the cart while Adrian tee'd up his ball and got ready to hit with his 7 iron.  He had 80 yards to the pin and just took one little practice swing and then hit a beautiful shot right to the green.  Dan said, "That could be a hole in one and I looked up and watched it roll right into the hole!!  

I'm guessing all the other players out there today were a little annoyed right at that moment because I screamed, "YOU JUST GOT A HOLE IN ONE!!!"  There were lots of cheers and high fives and Adrian had the biggest smile on his face.  Our first order of business was to call Grandpa Blodgett and tell him:)  We knew he'd be as excited for Adrian as we were.  Man when we walked up to the hole I half expected not to see the ball in there I just couldn't believe he'd done it.  It's only his second time golfing 18 holes.  It was so awesome.  He quit playing with that ball so he could sign it and save it.  That hole will never be the same for any of us again.  What a thrill. 

When we got done with all 18 holes we went in and told the Golf Pro, Christian Scott, and he gave Adrian a high five and took down all the information.  He even wrote down Dan and me as witnesses.  He says that our newspaper, the Tooele Transcript, will publish a little blurb about Adrian's hole-in-one.  Then he gave Adrian a plaque that says, "Oquirrh Hills Golf" and Hole in One and we can have it personalized for him.  It was so great that Chris made a big deal out of it and even gave him a plaque.

Now maybe his dad and grandpa can catch up to him and get a hole in one too. 

Our Happy 4th!

For our Happy 4th of July we planned a trip to Boise to visit Grandpa.  First we planned on watching our girls march in the Tooele Parade with the Tooele Junior High Band.  However, on Wednesday morning Donald was sick and I realized if we were going to attempt a trip I'd better find out what was going on.  Instead of taking everyone to the parade Dan stayed home and I took Donald to urgent care.  We were the first patients there and we found out that Donald had strep.  Yuck.  Thankfully the Walgreens was open so I headed over there right away.  

I was so sad about missing the girls in the parade.  As we pulled into Walgreens I opened my windows just to see if I could hear a band and sure enough right as I got to a spot where I could see the parade Rebecca and Shari's band marched by!  I couldn't believe it.  It was such a great blessing.  All morning I had just been praying that Donald would be ok and get the medicine he needed and on top of that Heavenly Father blessed me to see Rebecca and Shari marching by at the exact moment I pulled into Walgreens.  It was so great to be able to tell them I got to see them even though they didn't see me.  

Since Donald had good medicine and the Dr. said he seemed like he was in good enough shape to travel we headed up to Boise.  Every time Donald gets strep no one else gets it so I figured we were doing alright.  We went swimming Wednesday night after putting Donald and Jared to bed, and then we went swimming again Thursday morning.  Thursday afternoon Shari and Adrian got sick and then Friday night Jared got sick.  We were able to get medicine because our Dr's office was kind enough to call it in to a pharmacy in Boise.   I owe a big Thank You to our Dr'as office!!  Everyone was on antibiotics except for Rebecca and Charlie. It was amazing how quickly the antibiotics would help the kids feel better.  

On Saturday me and the girls went to the mall with Aunt RaeAnn.  It's fun for us Tooele girls to go to a fancy mall.  I probably over-did it because by that evening the girls were really worn out.  Saturday night we took everyone to Garbanzo's, a pizza place by Aunt RaeAnns.  It was so yummy and then it was back to RaeAnn and Paul's for fireworks and s'mores.  This was the only time during our trip that I remembered to get out the camera.  So this is where the pictures come in:)

Sunday morning we were packing up to leave and Rebecca could hardly move.  Yup, she got sick too.  Thankfully I already had the right dose of Amoxicillin for her from Shari and Adrian's medicine because they're all pretty close in size.  We started her right away so she would feel a little better for the drive.
Dan managed all the driving and when we got home we were all pretty tired.  It sounds like our whole trip was about being sick but really the kids had fun just hanging out at Grandpa's and watching Avatar: Airbender on Amazon TV.  They even got to eat their favorite food, Ramen.
We love staying at Grandpa's!

Charlie's Baptism

Charlie's baptism was a wonderful experience.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of everyone there but once the fun got started I forgot to get the camera out again.  Charlie was super excited and nervous.  It's kind of weird to see him nervous because he's so confident.  Shari and Adrian gave the talks, so that was really great.  I love hearing their testimonies and I'm sure Charlie watches and learns from their good examples.  Rebecca did a great job leading the music.  I was really proud of her.
Thank you to everyone who came and supported him and we missed all of you who couldn't be there.  I can't believe we have 4 kids baptized now!

Easter 2012

We had so much fun this year for Easter. I wish I had pictures of everyone eating dinner at our house, but I was soaking it all in and never thought to get my camera out. We had my Dad, my brothers Donald and John, Molly and her fiance, the Skabelund's, the Kurtz's, the Hunter's, Ane (all the way from Chicago!) and Kimberly! I kept having to pinch myself Easter Sunday because I couldn't believe we had so many people we love over to celebrate! The day after Easter I was sitting in my living room staring at all the places in my house where all the people I love had been just a few hours before and it made me appreciate the gift of eternal families. I am so thankful for mine. I missed you so much Mom, Gough's, Noonan's, and Snow's that weren't here. Melinda, Donald occasionally reminds me that you took pictures of him doing his dunks and he'd like to see them:)

Sacrament meeting was a little lonely today without you all sitting on my row:)

Here are a few pictures of coloring Easter eggs on Saturday. We boiled 55 eggs Saturday morning and they were eaten in only 4 days. My kids love boiled eggs!

In case you're wondering, this is one of Donald's cool faces and Adrian has decided this cheesy smiley face is his funniest.
Here Donald is making a peace sign because that is what Easter is really all about.We wanted Jared to have an Easter egg dying experience so we plunked an egg in the red dye and gave it to him to stir around. He thought it was a delicious Easter punch so he tasted it!! Yuck! He decided it wasn't for him after the second sip.

Visit With Cy

We had cousin Cy visit this weekend and it was so much fun to meet him! I just loved watching all the cute things he does and seeing how calm and easy going he is.

In this picture I suggested Jared take a picture with his cool calm cousin Cy and he thought it would be the perfect time to throw himself on the floor and have a tantrum. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why he was mad. He sure is cute when he's mad though. Let's hope Cy wasn't taking notes or anything.

Here's my boys hangin' with their Uncle Craig with Kimberly diligently studying in the background.
Here we got Cy in the picture too. He's such a doll! (Apparently Donald's cool face makes him look upset. He's really just cool.)

Thanks again for visiting Craig, Rebekah, and Cy. I hope you guys have an awesome trip!

CTR

On Sunday Charlie found this article in the Friend during Sacrament Meeting. He was so excited to come home and make them for our evening snack.

Remember to ask an adult for help when you make a Kitchen Crafts recipe!

This year in Primary you will be learning about the importance of choosing the right. As you make these pretzels, think about how you can choose the right every day.

CTR Pretzels

By Heather Brinkerhoff

1 teaspoon salt

2½–3 cups flour

1 tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

melted butter

1. 1.

   Mix the first five ingredients until they form a ball. Then knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

2. 2.

   Pull off sections of the dough and roll into long ropes. Form the ropes into the letters “CTR” or make the shape of the CTR shield.

3. 3.

   Put the pretzels on a greased cookie sheet and bake 8–10 minutes at 450°F (232°C). Brush pretzels with melted butter.

4. 
   

I wish I knew what he learned about Choosing the Right. He's already blamed several bad choices on having lost his CTR ring. Maybe if he eats CTR he'll figure it out:)!!

We LOVE Katie!!

This is a big THANK YOU to RaeAnn and Paul for having Katie! She's so beautiful and wonderful and I'm just so glad she's part of the family. We had so much fun coming up to Boise and being part of the Katie celebration!

I tried to hold her as much as I could but with her cousins, Grandpa's, and other Aunts there I had to give her up once in a while.

Here's Shari with Jenna. They are such cute cousins. I think this is the night we had Aunt Mae's delicious spaghetti so that's why Jenna's lips are orange.
Here's Thomas avoiding my camera. He doesn't want us all to die from his cuteness so really, he's just thinking of us.
Here's gorgeous Gracie and her gorgeous Mama! Ashley, I can't wait to celebrate your baby too:)
It was so much fun to hang out with Aunt Mae, RaeAnn, and Ashley. I am never ready to say good-bye to these awesome women when we have to part so I'm thankful it's always "see you later." Also, I love Katie's face in this picture. She's so cute!

I kept sneaking in on the picture taking so everyone is looking at the other photographer except Katie! She knew I was taking a picture of her so she posed perfectly. What a little model.

Here's the whole gang. RaeAnn and Paul, you are awesome for letting us come be part of the fun. I hope it wasn't too much of a good thing:)

How gorgeous is this baby? I mean really! She's so sweet.

The Good Life

This is a song Shari has been working on out of her band book. I love watching her play. Last night she almost had Open Arms and I Can't Get No Satisfaction perfected! Maybe I'll have her record those too:)

New Year New Bathroom

Here is the before and after of our newly remodeled master bathroom.

Here's our before shower. There was water leaking out from under it into our fancy mint green carpet so we thought it was time to make a change.

This is our giant tub that could fit our entire family, however we could only fill it up about 6 inches because our water heater just doesn't heat enough water to fill a swimming pool. I wasn't sad to get rid of it, although the kids got some use out of it we never did. Plus, if I ever did put Jared in the tub I'd have to jump in after him to get him out because he would just high-tail it for the corner where I couldn't reach him.
Here's a wider shot so you can fully enjoy the green and moldy carpet.
We decided to put a tub where the big shower was and put a bigger shower where the huge tub was. It's worked out pretty well. Here's the new tub.
This is our lovely new set up. Our plumber/friend who did most of the work for us built a wall to frame in a new shower and then we had some cultured marble put in. We opted out of a door and so far I really like it because I hate cleaning shower doors and I think shower curtains can be so pretty.
Also, notice the lovely new floor. It's vinyl so I don't have to worry about grout or cracked tile and also its much warmer to walk on.

And this is the giant shower with 2 heads. The little boys love it. The downside to not having a door on the shower is that now when I can't find Jared I have to check the shower as well as the toilet room.
Dan and Scott did a brilliant job painting the bathroom a soothing beige color. I love it. Dan also put in a new light fixture which is way better then the old one.
It all worked out so well I am so relieved it's done. Our hall bathroom is in the finishing stages we just need to paint a little and get it all cleaned up. I forgot to take before pictures of that one but it's basically the same idea. Horrible old carpet in the bathroom! and gross old plastic tub surround. Now it's much better.