Ryan's grandpa came down to help me pack stuff, then accompanied us to Page for the weekend. Grandpa let us work on him to move down here with us. He really likes Page, and the lake and golf course help a lot! Ryan took us discovering! We had a ton of fun, and are sad to be separated again.
4/19/09
Visiting Daddy!!
Ryan's grandpa came down to help me pack stuff, then accompanied us to Page for the weekend. Grandpa let us work on him to move down here with us. He really likes Page, and the lake and golf course help a lot! Ryan took us discovering! We had a ton of fun, and are sad to be separated again.
4/12/09
Happy Easter everyone!!
We wanted to bear testimony that Christ is our Savior, and that He did, in fact die for us so that we can live again! We've been pretty excited to talk about the resurrection today, because we look forward to it some day! How wonderful to know that we can be together as a family forever! We watched the movie Testaments tonight, and Taylor (in reference to the story of Jesus) said "I believe it." Wow! What an awesome boy! He's an example to me!
I got this really cool book, A Christ Centered Easter, from Deseret Book last week. It's got lots of ideas and activities for making Easter more about Christ and the resurrection. We tried a few things, and really enjoyed it! I highly recommend the book!
CUTIES!!!
We were so excited to have Daddy here for the weekend to spend the holiday with us. We just sent him back to Page, and we miss him already! We love you sweetheart!
I got this really cool book, A Christ Centered Easter, from Deseret Book last week. It's got lots of ideas and activities for making Easter more about Christ and the resurrection. We tried a few things, and really enjoyed it! I highly recommend the book!
This year was Janey's first "fun" Easter, so it was exciting. She (ok, the rest of us, too) munched on candy and edible grass all day, played with plastic eggs and tried hard boiled eggs. They didn't go over very well...
We have some dang cute Easter chicks and bunnies, and the proof is in the photos!
...busted, Jane!
FOR RYAN:
Dear Dad, I hope you have a good day. I love you so much and I miss you. I want to see you soon. Love, Taylor
jh bnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrrrrv h Love, Janey
I love you Daddy! I hope you have a good day. love you, love, Callie
4/3/09
Separated...
Well, Ryan moved out! The kids are already missing Daddy. He has officially started his new job in Page, and I get the pleasant job of packing and cleaning all by myself! I'm so excited! No, I've got parents coming in a couple of weeks to help us out, and I have really great friends and neighbors around who'll entertain the kiddos so I can focus! I know everyone says this, but you really don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all up and move it! Anyway, the kids and I will be here until Taylor is done with this term at school. We'll be out of Cedar City the first weekend in May. Page, here we come!
3/25/09
Paisley is coming home!!!
Our friends, Luke and Clover Dunn, had a baby 3 months early...like Janey! The baby has been in the University Hospital NICU for 3 months now, and she 's finally coming home! HURRAY!!! It's been a long road for the Dunn family, but they've been very faithful-and loving for that sweet Paisley! And what a feisty little girl she is! She started out at 1 pound 10 ounces, and is now about 5 pounds, and doing fantastic! What an amazing miracle baby! And what a blessing that little angel is to her adoring family! This is an example of those sweet tender mercies that our loving Heavenly Father bestows upon us. I want to testify that our Heavenly Father knows and loves each and every one of us! And through our trials, He blesses us immeasurably!
Congratulations Clover, Luke and Blake; you made it!
And welcome home Paisley!
3/22/09
LAKE POWELL!!!
Ryan got an awesome new job!!! He's going to be managing a full service Marriott Courtyard in Page, Arizona! WE ARE SOOOO EXCITED!!! We went down to Page this last weekend to check out the town and start looking for a place to live. It's a nice little place- much nicer than I thought! We will be minutes from Lake Powell, and within 2 hours of 4 other national parks/monuments. The kids are excited to live by the beach, and mom and dad are just excited for "new." Now you all have even more incentive to come visit us!
3/19/09
Vacation!!!
We've been California dreamin' for a while now, and we finally made it happen!!!
Last week we got back from our trip to San Diego! It was awesome! We LOVE the beach! We got to spend lots of time with Gramma Shell (Mel's mom), went to Seaworld and did some surfing! What a trip!
On Sunday we got to recupe from a day in the van, and we got to visit with Uncle Brett and Jonathan and Gramma Shell. We walked the Oceanside pier that night, and Taylor said "This is so cool! I can't believe we're walking on water!" Then Callie got to feel the sand in her toes for the first time!
We spent Monday and Wednesday at the beach, catching some sun, surfing, feeding and chasing birds, making friends and sandcastles, playing in the cold water, collecting seashells (including an intact sand dollar!), and totally enjoying the experience! Callie proved to be a true beach girl at heart-she loved the water, and was pretty excited to be able to surf with Dad! Ryan and I had renewed our love for the ocean, and starting thinking we'd like to live near one someday.(My Mom will be pretty thrilled at that confession!) I could sit and watch and listen all day! Even Janey got really excited when we took her down by the waves!
Tuesday we went to SeaWorld, and were thoroughly entertained! Taylor and Callie loved Shamu the best, and both said they'd like to be trainers when they grow up. The show does say anything is possible if you just believe... Anyway, we sat in the soak zone and really did get very soaked! The show was great-we'd highly recommend it! We saw all the different creatures, including turtles and sharks and rays, which we got to pet, and we saw the Clyde and Seamore sea lion show, which was a favorite of the kids.
Tuesday night Ryan took me on a date to restaurant at Oceanside Harbor. We met friends Jeff and Kristy there, and I ate fish! Thats a big step for me, because I don't like fish, but that fresh stuff was really good!
A few more highlights: we got to see Grandpa Eric, watch dolphins surf the waves with the surfers, and stay at a really awesome hotel!
Visit www.moblyng.com to make your own!
We drove down to see the temple before we left Thursday morning, and the kids said goodbye to the ocean several times. Gramma Shell, you've won us all over! We had such an awesome time we can't wait to go back!
BEAUTIFUL!
3/2/09
Happy Dr Seuss Day!
We celebrated Dr Seuss' birthday today, by eating green eggs and ham for dinner along with some other "different" green foods. The kids tried everything, and Taylor even said he liked the asparagus! We had fun making other crafts, too! (Including making Janey into the cat's hat.)
A really cool site to find games and stuff is www.seussville.com
2/28/09
Catching up...
JANEY IS ONE YEAR OLD! 
We celebrated her first year of life on January 28th. Of course, she had no idea what was going on, but we were sure excited for her and oh-so-proud of her!
She wasn't into eating her cake, but she loved the frozen yogurt, and she soon made a grand mess with the whole dessert!
We went to see some of her old and current doctors, and had a party just for her!
Janey, we are SO proud of you, and so glad you are part of our family!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Some of you have asked for pictures and/or details about certain events, so I decided to finally catch you up! Here is a little update with a lot of pictures!
At the end of July we took the kiddos to Wingers for their combined birthday dinner. Steve, Jessika and Jenna met us there, and we had a great time! Taylor and Callie especially loved their dessert!
August was a very exciting month! Taylor started kindergarten at a charter school called Gateway Preparatory Academy. (It has the same guidelines as traditional public schools, but uses the Montessori philosophy for teaching, which is more individualized and child directed.) The first couple of days were kinda crazy, because something went wrong with the water at the school, so “classes” were held at SUU. Taylor loved it, but had a bit of a hard time adjusting to being off on his own. He now absolutely loves school, though, and is learning at an amazing rate! We’re so proud of him!
August was a very exciting month! Taylor started kindergarten at a charter school called Gateway Preparatory Academy. (It has the same guidelines as traditional public schools, but uses the Montessori philosophy for teaching, which is more individualized and child directed.) The first couple of days were kinda crazy, because something went wrong with the water at the school, so “classes” were held at SUU. Taylor loved it, but had a bit of a hard time adjusting to being off on his own. He now absolutely loves school, though, and is learning at an amazing rate! We’re so proud of him!
Then Tay turned five and had a Ninja Turtles birthday party-very cool! He got all of their special weapons, so he’s now a pro ninja!
We did, in fact, bless Janey back in September. It was a wonderful event- we had tons of family in town, and we enjoyed them being here! It was the first time that some of them met her, so it was great. However, Janey obviously knew it was her party, because she opted for “cry if I want to.” She got overwhelmed super quick with all of the people and commotion, and we had to let her go to sleep…so we didn’t get many cute pictures. But it’s ok, Jane!
I just had to add this pic too: we had a major downpour in July one Sunday afternoon, and we were soaked by the time we got to the van after church! So we decided to stay out and play a while! Note the river road behind us.
Finally, here's a couple of pictures from Christmas!
...And our family pictures...
THE END!!!
12/23/08
Merry Christmas!!
2008 has been a very big year for the Sorensen family!! We started out with Melanie having a crazy delivery with Janey being born 3 months early at 1 pound, 15 ounces. (For those of you who don’t know the details, Melanie had a placental abruption, which put both mom’s and baby’s lives in danger. An emergency c-section was performed, and Janey had complications from prematurity. She had a hemorrhage in her brain, causing hydrocephalus and a need for a shunt that runs from the ventricles in her brain to her abdomen.) After a very rocky start, 4 months in the NICU, and 3 head surgeries, Janey is now almost a year old and doing great! She is a Life Flight veteran and graduate of 2 NICUs! (Dixie Regional and Primary Children’s) Despite her problems, she is almost ALWAYS happy and smiling! She is our little angel baby! She eats well, sleeps well, and is finally growing well! She weighs about 15 pounds now! Janey has a physical therapist who comes to our home twice a month to work with her, and she’s doing great with it! She is so patient, and such a good little hard worker! Janey makes new friends everywhere she goes with that sweet smile of hers!
Taylor and Callie love their baby sister! These two little big kids have grown up a lot this year! For starters, Callie is now a big sister, and a great one at that! Both are ver familiar with “Janey’s hospitals,” especially the cafeterias! They are also very good at staying in hotels! They are now accomplished explorers!
*Callie is 3 years old, and the mini mom at home. She helps entertain and feed Janey, and is very good at telling Taylor what he needs to be doing! She loves doing “school work” in her preschool workbook, and she’s learning to write her letters (she’s already a pro at her name). She loves to play with dollies and has a great imagination! She is a very talented singer and loves to dance, especially with the 12 dancing princesses! She is definitely our little princess!
*Taylor has grown like crazy this year, and he has the leg pains and flood pants to prove it! He is a big 5 year old, and started kindergarten at a charter school in August. He loves his school and his teacher. He loves to show us his lessons and school work at home and when we visit his classroom. He’s made lots of friends and is a very social little guy. He’s a jokester, and loves to play ninjas and superheroes. We are amazed at how quickly he’s learning and maturing! He shares his testimony of Jesus and gospel principles with us and we are just amazed! What a great example he is! He’s a fantastic big brother! Oh, and most recently, he got to be Joseph in a live nativity, which was very cool!
Ryan and Melanie are much older and wiser this year, as well! (Or maybe just more experienced). We’ve become more knowledgable with medical terminology, and much more grateful for medical technology!
*After Janey’s birth, we found out that Melanie has a blood disorder called Factor V (5). It is a clotting disorder that required medication for a while. It can cause lots of other health problems, so I’ll have to be much more careful with my body from now on. I’ve gotten lots of experience in decision making, and lots of opportunities to work on my goal of becoming more patient! I’ve realized that answers to prayer often don’t come the way we want. With 3 children, I’ve learned to juggle and schedule better.
I love being a mom! Connie, Ryan’s mom, once told me that I’m giving my children the best gift by staying home with them. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to do that!
*Ryan is still managing the Marriott, and enjoying his job. He’s a proud daddy, and loves to play with his children! He’s very excited now, too, because Janey is saying “da-da-da!” He’s taken up golfing, and has had some really rare, good moments! He is thrilled that winter is finally here, and that the snow is coming!
We’ve traveled a lot as a family this year! And though long car rides are boring, we’ve gotten to visit relatives a lot, and go to many fun places, including the zoo, a dinosaur museum, an awesome aquarium, and lots of parks. Tons of new experiences and many new friends have made for a very exciting year!
We’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with Melanie’s sister, Kim, since she’s been attending SUU in Cedar. She’s been invaluable with helping out, and we’ve loved having her over at our home so much! She’s a very fun aunt, and we love her so much!!
We’ve gotten to see Ryan’s brother, Steve, and his wife, Jessica, a lot, too! They live in St. George, and helped out a ton while Janey was in the hospital. It’s been nice having family so close to us this year- we love them! And Ryan’s sister, Stacie, and her family just moved to St. George as well! Maybe we’ll get the rest of the fam down here, too!
Our family has learned a lot about love this year. Even though the world revolved around our family and trials for the first half of the year, we know our comfort and support came from all of you. There is NO WAY we could have gotten through all of that without the prayers and fasting and help from all of you! We’ve learned a lot about how much our Heavenly Father loves us, and how he shows it so many different ways, and through so many people. Thank you all for your love and support- it really has been truly appreciated!
Our family has also learned patience and faith and trust and friendship this year. We’ve really learned to appreciate and love our Savior so much more for his atonement and wonderful way of succoring us. The Holy Ghost has become a very dear friend as well. We are so very grateful for the gospel and the plan of salvation! We love our Heavenly Father and are grateful for His priesthood power, and for the many miracles we’ve been blessed with! We are so grateful for temples and for our forever family!
You know, we are so grateful that the Christmas season is here! This is our favorite time of year! Despite the crazy things that are going on in the world, so many people remember to love and to serve. I think it gives us a chance to remember all of our blessings, and the abundance that we have to be grateful for! This is a great time to think about our lives, and re-prioritize. We’d like to challenge all of you to take a few minutes to really think: What are your blessings? Your talents? Count your many blessings, name them one by one! Think about how you can re-focus your life, whether it be to rededicate to God and family, or to start working on your goals again. Remember the recent counsel to simplify our lives! Put the most important things first, and let go of all the other “stuff!” Make it a priority to tell people that you love them! Smile! Serve others! Be happy!
We love you all, and are so grateful for all of you! Thank you again for all the love and support! Have a very Merry Christmas, celebrating that Jesus Christ who made it possible for all of us to have such wonderful lives!
Love,
Ryan, Melanie, Taylor, Callie and Janey
Taylor and Callie love their baby sister! These two little big kids have grown up a lot this year! For starters, Callie is now a big sister, and a great one at that! Both are ver familiar with “Janey’s hospitals,” especially the cafeterias! They are also very good at staying in hotels! They are now accomplished explorers!
*Callie is 3 years old, and the mini mom at home. She helps entertain and feed Janey, and is very good at telling Taylor what he needs to be doing! She loves doing “school work” in her preschool workbook, and she’s learning to write her letters (she’s already a pro at her name). She loves to play with dollies and has a great imagination! She is a very talented singer and loves to dance, especially with the 12 dancing princesses! She is definitely our little princess!
*Taylor has grown like crazy this year, and he has the leg pains and flood pants to prove it! He is a big 5 year old, and started kindergarten at a charter school in August. He loves his school and his teacher. He loves to show us his lessons and school work at home and when we visit his classroom. He’s made lots of friends and is a very social little guy. He’s a jokester, and loves to play ninjas and superheroes. We are amazed at how quickly he’s learning and maturing! He shares his testimony of Jesus and gospel principles with us and we are just amazed! What a great example he is! He’s a fantastic big brother! Oh, and most recently, he got to be Joseph in a live nativity, which was very cool!
Ryan and Melanie are much older and wiser this year, as well! (Or maybe just more experienced). We’ve become more knowledgable with medical terminology, and much more grateful for medical technology!
*After Janey’s birth, we found out that Melanie has a blood disorder called Factor V (5). It is a clotting disorder that required medication for a while. It can cause lots of other health problems, so I’ll have to be much more careful with my body from now on. I’ve gotten lots of experience in decision making, and lots of opportunities to work on my goal of becoming more patient! I’ve realized that answers to prayer often don’t come the way we want. With 3 children, I’ve learned to juggle and schedule better.
I love being a mom! Connie, Ryan’s mom, once told me that I’m giving my children the best gift by staying home with them. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to do that!
*Ryan is still managing the Marriott, and enjoying his job. He’s a proud daddy, and loves to play with his children! He’s very excited now, too, because Janey is saying “da-da-da!” He’s taken up golfing, and has had some really rare, good moments! He is thrilled that winter is finally here, and that the snow is coming!
We’ve traveled a lot as a family this year! And though long car rides are boring, we’ve gotten to visit relatives a lot, and go to many fun places, including the zoo, a dinosaur museum, an awesome aquarium, and lots of parks. Tons of new experiences and many new friends have made for a very exciting year!
We’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with Melanie’s sister, Kim, since she’s been attending SUU in Cedar. She’s been invaluable with helping out, and we’ve loved having her over at our home so much! She’s a very fun aunt, and we love her so much!!
We’ve gotten to see Ryan’s brother, Steve, and his wife, Jessica, a lot, too! They live in St. George, and helped out a ton while Janey was in the hospital. It’s been nice having family so close to us this year- we love them! And Ryan’s sister, Stacie, and her family just moved to St. George as well! Maybe we’ll get the rest of the fam down here, too!
Our family has learned a lot about love this year. Even though the world revolved around our family and trials for the first half of the year, we know our comfort and support came from all of you. There is NO WAY we could have gotten through all of that without the prayers and fasting and help from all of you! We’ve learned a lot about how much our Heavenly Father loves us, and how he shows it so many different ways, and through so many people. Thank you all for your love and support- it really has been truly appreciated!
Our family has also learned patience and faith and trust and friendship this year. We’ve really learned to appreciate and love our Savior so much more for his atonement and wonderful way of succoring us. The Holy Ghost has become a very dear friend as well. We are so very grateful for the gospel and the plan of salvation! We love our Heavenly Father and are grateful for His priesthood power, and for the many miracles we’ve been blessed with! We are so grateful for temples and for our forever family!
You know, we are so grateful that the Christmas season is here! This is our favorite time of year! Despite the crazy things that are going on in the world, so many people remember to love and to serve. I think it gives us a chance to remember all of our blessings, and the abundance that we have to be grateful for! This is a great time to think about our lives, and re-prioritize. We’d like to challenge all of you to take a few minutes to really think: What are your blessings? Your talents? Count your many blessings, name them one by one! Think about how you can re-focus your life, whether it be to rededicate to God and family, or to start working on your goals again. Remember the recent counsel to simplify our lives! Put the most important things first, and let go of all the other “stuff!” Make it a priority to tell people that you love them! Smile! Serve others! Be happy!
We love you all, and are so grateful for all of you! Thank you again for all the love and support! Have a very Merry Christmas, celebrating that Jesus Christ who made it possible for all of us to have such wonderful lives!
Love,
Ryan, Melanie, Taylor, Callie and Janey
12/8/08
Ok, ok, ok! I know we haven't updated anything for a long time, but I have a good excuse..sort of. Good excuse: we've been having problems with internet connection on our computer, so I haven't been able to blog during the day because I have children! Bad excuse: I haven't taken the time to blog elsewhere after Ryan gets home at night. Sorry! I'm now working on an extensive report with lots of pictures, so it'll be up soon!
9/17/08
Who are you voting for?
As you all know, elections are coming up.
If you are anything like us, you've had a harder time figuring out which candidate to fully support this time 'round. Well, there is a website that you can visit to help you see who your views most allign with. There are also links to learning more about certain issues and topics so that you can become more educated. If you are interested, go to www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com. Hope this will be of some help!
If you are anything like us, you've had a harder time figuring out which candidate to fully support this time 'round. Well, there is a website that you can visit to help you see who your views most allign with. There are also links to learning more about certain issues and topics so that you can become more educated. If you are interested, go to www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com. Hope this will be of some help!
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