For Non-Mormons Only

If you are a Mormon, you're not allowed to view this video. I'm afraid you'll turn me in to the authorities. But for the rest of you, you might find it cute. Mercy is on the left in the front, frequently leaning over the rail. Gideon is standing just in front of Ezra, with only his head visible. Ezra is the one who raises his hand near the beginning of the song.

I wasn't planning to film this, but after the first verse it occurred to me that this was the cutest thing ever--and I did have a camera in my pocket. Don't tell President Monson.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

This weekend for a scout activity, Drake's troop went out to a ranch to help brand cattle, tag new calves, and castrate the males. We talked to Drake about what they would be doing before he went out so he wouldn't be caught off guard. (Although, Drake really liked doing the veternary badge a few months ago when he got to see a cat being neutered. Weird. I digress.)

Theo told Drake that the cowboys eat the "rocky mountain oysters" after they are done. When Theo proceeded to explain to Drake that the oysters weren't really oysters at all, Drake exclaimed, "There is NO WAY I am eating a cow's private parts!" All of our boys were wide-eyed and giggling as we were discussing this over dinner (I know, great dinner conversation. We have all boys; it is not always kosher in our dining room.) We told Drake, he should just try it. To our surprise, he said, "Ok, I guess I will just have to do what dad says and be a man about it." We tried not to laugh, and to just be encouraging about trying new things.

Drake spent most of the day Saturday working hard at the ranch. They ended up having so much to do that they didn't have time to fit in the much anticipated eating of the "oysters". Drake seemed relieved when he told us. I wonder if he really would have tried them. I am glad he seemed at least willing to "be a man about it". (=

Grandma Bertha's Headstone, Take II

It looks like we'll be ordering Grandma Bertha's headstone from a place called headstonesandmemorials.com, and here are some options. The stone is the basic "grey" granite, and, as seen above, any of these designs would cost the base price of $285. To get the stone set in the cemetery, we will have to pay one of the headstone places around here to place it (this will be around $250). So the price, right now, is around $535.

Which design do you like best? (Click on the collage to see the options up closer.) Vote below! (With the caveat that Eva and Grandma Peters get final say.)

Which headstone should we pick?
	A
	B
	C
	D
	E
	F
pollcode.com free polls

Yay for Piano Recitals

I loved watching those video clips from the piano recital. Way to go, guys! I reminded me of a great video from Benjamin Zander at a TED conference. He emphasized the importance of "one buttock playing."

Grandma Bertha's Headstone

Bradley had me call around to some gravestone places, and it seems we can get a "adult" 24"x 12" stone in a black and white granite (think the Salt Lake Temple, it's actually not granite but a quartz monzonite) (not that it matters) for about $675. (That's more expensive than I was thinking, but we can still do it, I imagine.) If we want to go to the "infant" or "child" sized stones, the price goes down moderately.

It takes about two months to make it and install it, so we'll want to get this rolling sometime in the next two weeks, just to be on the safe side. Let me know what you guys think! We're thinking WAY basic--no pretty flowers or fish or sunsets engraved into the stone; just her full name and birth and death dates. But give us your opinions, because this is from all of us.

Deadline to have your opinions considered: Let's say next Monday, May 3. That way we can order it next week on Monday or Tuesday or something like that.

Also, Kim had me call and reserve a very nice pavilion in Canyon View Park for Saturday, July 24, so we can have a picnic dinner with all the extended family after going to the cemetery to see the stone. Does anyone have a history of Grandma Bertha? She isn't in the DUP stuff, because she isn't considered a pioneer, having not come over until after 1869. But it would be way awesome to have a history or some kind of information about her to read and talk about at the cemetery.

Boys Spring Recital

Sam and Blake's Spring Recital from laurene ross on Vimeo.

This was Blake's first recital. He was up first and was on pins and needles. Sam was on auto mode, he just kept on going. I think he was pretty nervous. I was really happy that they didn't freak out under the pressure and kept their composure when things got a little rough. I was really proud of them.

Jack Ross Recital Spring 2010 from laurene ross on Vimeo

Jack has been on this song for months. This is the best he has played it. I am glad he did so well, but I am ready to move on to the next song and so is he:) All and all they all did great!

Reunion Crazy Thought

So here's a crazy thought. What if we had a little luncheon at or near the cemetery (or just somewhere in SF) and invited all of the descendants of this ancestor????? How cool would that be? We could do it on the day we all go to SF or something??? Just throwin it out there. I personally am very curious to meet our cousins and think a little ceremony at the new headstone would be an excellent excuse!!!

We Need a Headstone

After being inspired by Keryn's Daughters of the Utah Pioneers meeting this morning, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and visit the historic Spanish Fork Pioneer Cemetery. It was tricky to find since it is on a road that doesn't show up on Google Maps. (Here's a house next door that you can plot on Google Maps, even if they don't currently show the road.) We placed a couple of phone calls and got some good directions and we were off.

It was beautiful and fun. Part two of our adventure was to drop by the regular Spanish Fork Cemetery (a few blocks from our house) and try to find the grave of Bertha Ericksen Larsen. She is the great-grandmother of Grandma Peters. Michelle mentioned in a comment earlier that she was buried in Spanish, and we wanted to find her. We found her in the online cemetery records, but we were unable to find her plot in person.

We think we found the exact spot where she's supposed to be buried, but there are no headstones in that spot. We think she was buried without a headstone. This seems to be confirmed by the fact that they don't have a picture of her headstone in the online database either. We ought to remedy this! I don't actually know what a headstone costs, but I figure it is a couple of hundred dollars for a small one. Maybe we can do something before the family reunion and anyone can come visit it during the family reunion.

Keryn will double check with the cemetery officials to confirm our finding. Then we'll price out a small headstone. If anyone would like to chip in, I think it would be cool to do something for her.

LOT-O-BIRTHDAYS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THEO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY BRAD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW LAUREN! LOVE YOU ALL!

Let's Party

Here's a link to an article on the front page of our Sunday Paper...

Big Kid Easter

The week leading up to Easter we read the scriptures Michelle so generously posted for us. We had a wonderful day watching General Conference. Then after a few days of Spring snow, we finally had a nice night for the HUNT. I love Spring, and all the symbols of new life and a fresh start. (Atonement & resurrection...) Enter the egg hunt. When the kids were little this was a fun easy tradition. As they got older, they were a little too cool for some of the kiddie traditions I love.

I found a fun new idea... and we had SO much fun doing our big kid's Easter Egg Hunt. Here is what we did.

Wait until dark. Each hunter needs a flashlight and a basket. Everyone is assigned an egg color to hunt for. Then you assemble on the back porch until Mom says "GO!"














You look for your egg color and leave all other colors for their owner to find.















It's dark so eggs are a little harder to find.















To add an element of fun and competition, there are also hidden a few GOLDEN eggs. Inside the golden eggs are things like movie passes and iTunes cards. WOWZA!

But there is a twist. Take confetti eggs from Mexico and throw them in the mix. If you crack a confetti egg on someones back, then you can steal one of their golden eggs!















Now things get interesting. You have to run and hunt quickly. Try to avoid getting confettied. Try not to slip and fall, dropping a golden egg...















Eric managed the most golden eggs. But, because everyone had 8 of their own colored eggs to find, Mom got to put some fun treats and cash inside for everyone to find. We had so much fun, we are going to invite all our older cousins and friends to join in next year!

Happy Easter everyone!

Photo deadline

I need a head shot of everyone TODAY please. (Thanks for the reminder Laurene) Send the JPEGs to kimhannay@gmail.com

A Sacrifice

Today, we celebrated Easter in our ward. Keryn and I are on an every-other-year rotation with choir. One year she gets to participate, the next year I get to participate. It's my year.

I sat up on the stand for the entire sacrament meeting. I gave the opening prayer and then sang several songs with the choir with a couple of talks mixed in. It was a great meeting. The talks were great and holiday appropriate. The music was soul-lifting and spirit-feeding.

At least, that is how I saw it.

If you ask Keryn, I think you will get a very different report of the meeting. She spent much of the time wrestling different children and trying to keep everyone quiet. Heber really has a lot to say, even if he doesn't have many words to offer. The exasperation was evident on her face several times as children tested the extent of their free agency. It wasn't a very fun meeting, and probably not very inspiring. Even so, she smiled up at me at the right times and gave it her all.

Sometimes, having little kids at church isn't too uplifting. I think today, it was even less uplifting than normal for my wife. It was a sacrifice she made for me so that I could have a great experience. How cool to be part of a family that is willing to sacrifice for each other. I see that in my own little family, and in our broader family. Thanks to all of you for being so wonderful and setting such good examples of sincere love.

Blog Migration

Because of some changes in Blogger, we have had to move the family blogs to a new address.  The entire blog will move, with all the archives and pictures and all.  There shouldn't be any differences, just a new address to set your bookmark to.  This will take effect by tomorrow morning, March 18.



Instead of:


lavalane.org/ross


Set your bookmarks to:


ross.lavalane.org


Easy as pie.  Nothing else is changed, so you still go to Blogger.com to write a post, etc.

Happy Birthday, John!
We love ya!

Head Shots

Hello All,

I need a "head shot" of everyone for the reunion. Could you please email me a recent photo of each person in your family? kimhannay@gmail.com

If the photos are not received by 3/22 I will be forced to photoshop crop you out of a goofy family reunion picture. So, please... send me some great shots of each family member!

Thanks!

PS - Our family b-day list to the right of this post is missing... Blake, Jackson & Bo. When are their birthdays???

Reunion Evite

Personalize an invitation

Birth Order and Ross Granddaughters

Lauren is the oldest child in her family.
Mercy is the second child in her family.
Elise is the third child in her family.
Claire is the fourth child in her family.
Ralphette is the fifth child in her family.

And there you go.  That's some pretty precise placement on girls, there.

And don't worry about the name.  She won't be Ralphette forever, anymore than Ezra was Kronk, Mercy was Yzma, Gideon was Dule, and Heber was Baby Awesome.

What she WILL be named...now that's another story.  You know us and naming babies.  Everyone is welcome to give suggestions (remember:  unusual, spellable, and pronounceable), but don't expect to hear anything until after the birth!

Reunion 2010 #2

Here is the first draft of our schedule for this summer. Also attached are the costs. I need to get a count to see if we can qualify for group rates. Please let me know what you want tickets for ASAP.

COSTS

Lagoon Tickets(3yrs & older) $35
Family B-day Scrapbook $3
Kid's Pizza Night $2
Waterpark $20
Race $12
Banquet $8
Rodeo Tickets $12


SCHEDULE

Wed. July 21
9am-9pm Lagoon Day

Thur. July 22
9am Morning Kick-off - Breakfast and Theme Introduction
10am-4pm Head for the Hills- hiking, fishing, and dutch oven lunch
5pm Adult Night Out - Kids pizza night
7pm Ancestor Spotlight
8pm Craft Night - family scrapbook
10pm Cousin sleepover

Fri. July 23
8am Baptisms 12 & older
9am Breakfast
10am-2pm Head to the Waterpark
3:30pm Temple Session - nap time or Disney Movie for little ones
6pm Dinner at Grandma's Clubhouse
7pm Ancestor Spotlight
8pm Game Night

Sat. July 24 (all day in Spanish Fork)
7am Pioneer Day Race 10K & 1 mile Kid's Fun Run(12 & under)
9am Parade
11am-2pm Carnival
3pm Movies (Spanish Fork Theater)
5pm Dinner Out - banquet room reserved
6pm Ancestor Spotlight
7:30pm Rodeo

Ross Reunion 2010

Save the date for our "Pioneer" themed reunion. We will be honoring G. Peters and other of our fabulous ancestors. We will have various activities to please every age and interest. (Mom, this might be a good time to invite your bros. and their families to join us.)

July 21-25 in South Jordan!!!

More info to come.

Please RVSP here. (Yes, that means all of you! George Rosses, Skip Rosses, Gillelands, Martins, Brad Rosses, Deb, & Cantwells.)

Lauren's New Blog

Check out Lauren's cute blog HERE.

West Indies Mission No More?

I just read this on the LDS Church News Website:

To better align resources and adjust to the ever changing needs of the Church, 10 new missions will be organized in July, while 14 other missions will be combined with neighboring missions. The resulting number of missions will be 340.

Combine the Puerto Rico San Juan East Mission with the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission, Puerto Rico San Juan West Mission, and the West Indies Mission. The name of the Puerto Rico San Juan West Mission will be changed to the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission.

Not the clearest announcement I've ever read. What do you all think? Does this mean the West Indies Mission is no more?

Happy Birthday! Sunday, February 7, 2010.

Lots of pretty flowers!

Kim & Steve and kids, Brad & Keryn and kids, Lauren and Debbie came to dinner Monday night to celebrate Grandma Peters 92nd birthday. We had a fun time visiting and catching up.

Gandma loved receiving notes from the grandkids. She loves it when they come over.

Kim gave Grandma a clock to put by her chair so she can see the time. Her eyes are having trouble seeing the small clock she currently has there.

We did a four generation photo since we hadn't done one since Lauren was a toddler.

Reunion 2010

We were thinking a destination reunion would be fun this year. Nicole had the fab idea of a beach house. The prices on that are a little out of reach. But, we have some friends who stay here every summer and love the location in the San Diego area.

We could go to Sea World, Disneyland, and the beach! We are thinking any week in July. Please post the weeks that will/won't work for your family and if you are in or out. (Brad & Keryn are not traveling this summer due to baby cinco.)

Seth is now a Deacon

Thanks to the Martins for making the drive for Seth's ordination! He was so glad someone came for him (2nd child complex ya know). :) We are sad the Rosses couldn't make it too! We love all of you guys and are so glad Seth has so many terrific Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins to look up to!

Compare to Prepare

I have started an new weekly blog. See it HERE.

We are all gathering great ideas for preparedness in our home towns. I though we could share ideas and tips to help each other! Please leave a comment if you have any ideas on this weeks topic.... Year Supply.

Thank you!

Martin boys, Great Grandma Peters absolutely loved your thank you notes! She has commented on them 2-3 times each day. She said, "Isn't that wonderful that they could buy what they wanted". She is always thrilled to get mail.

Ezra, she told us all about your going into her room and talking to her on Monday. She thought is was so cute and she really enjoyed it.

We took her for a pedicure on Wednesday, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Friday we made a trip to the doctor for an eye infection. The medication seems to give her side effects like she had in the hospital so we have had to discontinue it, hopefully the infection can clear up on its own.

Grandma Peters birthday is Feb 7th. She turns 92, so if anyone is so inclined, she would love a card.

We'd love to have you

Seth is turning 12 at the end of the month (27th) and he will be ordained the next Sunday. We would like you all to know you are invited to come. :)

Keryn
Happy Birthday!
We love you!

Happy New Year, Everyone.

2010 will be a great year.
We love you!