Day 03...

Our Parents.

My mom and dad were married in 1974. After a few years they decided they wanted to start a family. They tried for years and years. They saw doctors, fertility specialists, surgeons - anyone who could help them find a way to help them bring a child into the world. It just wasn't happening. For them, it was devastating. My mom cried for days on end, and would actually go to her sisters' homes just so she could be around their children and feel that kind of love.
Finally, they started to consider adoption. I'm not sure how long after they approached LDS Family Services it was that they found out about a girl who was expecting, but I was born into this world on April 3rd, 1986. Five days later, Mom and Dad's lawyer brought me to their home. Twelve years after they had been married, they were finally parents.
Three and a half years later in November of 1989, they adopted my little brother Kyle who's mother was a Romanian woman who had flown to New York to give birth and place her baby for adoption in the US.
My parents are some of the most amazing people I have ever known. They are incredibly patient. They are very conservative - in values, traditions, with their finances, and pretty much every other way you could think of. I was raised in one of the most loving homes I have ever seen. My brother and I were given everything we could have wanted, not because we were spoiled, but because my parents had waited so long to have their own children to dote on.

My Mom
Is an amazing flute player.
Loves to laugh.
Enjoys serving others.
Is an incredible cook!
Keeps her house spotless.
(something I appreciate a lot more now that I have kids!)
Is dedicated to the Gospel.
Is very organized.
Is a wonderful quilter and seamstress.
Stayed at home with us until we were in high school.
Believes in her children.
Will drop everything to help us. Literally.
I call her at least twice a day for advice, support, and just to talk to.
Has endless patience.
Is admired by more people than I can count, and way more than she realizes.
Is the best Grandma in the world!


My Dad
Works for the LDS church.
Is one of the most intelligent people I have met in my life.
Plays the oboe and the english horn in the Orchestra at Temple Square.
Is a convert to the church.
Is hilarious when he's in the right mood.
Is the perfect example of what a husband and father should be.
Believes in doing the right thing; no matter what.
Used to be "The Tickle Monster."
Loves to go boating.
Would golf more if he had the time.
Is so very considerate.
Opens doors and pulls out chairs. As well as helping ladies with their coats, etc;
Loves to play with his grandkids!


Trevor's parents were married in August of 1981 (I'm pretty sure. I may have to check my facts!) Trevor was born on August 13th 1982 in Provo, Utah. He was the first child - with eight more to follow over the next 20 years! That's right, nine kids. That right there says so much about what kind of people these wonderful parents are. They are dedicated to family, laughter, fun, and to the gospel.
Their children range in age from 8 (the youngest) to 28 (Trev!) Over the years they have moved all over; Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington State, Hong Kong.... several more places I'm not remembering right now.
This family is absolutely the most awesome family I have ever known, and I could not be more privileged to be a part of it. They all love to laugh. They love to dance and play games. They are talented and genuinely caring for all those around them. When the Peterson's are in the house, you have a full fledged party on your hands! All their children are raised to be smart, wise, fun-loving, considerate of others, to develop their personal talents, and to love Heavenly Father. I could go on and on about this family, but I just don't have the room!

Trevor's Dad
Is far and beyond the most spiritually in tuned man in my life.
Is the number one person in this world I would go to for advice.
Is a brilliant business man.
Knows a little bit of everything.
Is truly my other dad.
Is a good artist, which many people don't know.
Served a mission in Taiwan and speaks mandarin chinese.
Does a great impression of Elvis in chinese :)
Loves to play with all the kids.
Is a goof when he wants to be.
Makes me laugh!
Is just plain Mr. Incredible.


Trevor's Mom
Is beautiful.
Plays the piano like nobody's business.
Is very fashionable.
I hope I look as good as she does in 20 years!
Is very insightful.
As Trev puts it; She has "Mommy Powers."
(wonderful mother's intuition.)
Loves to be a Grammie.
Has the best and most contagious laugh in the universe.
I am not kidding.
Seems to have endless energy.
(I guess you'd have to to be able to keep up with that many kids!)
Is extremely patient.
Is the most caring woman you'll ever meet.
Raised the most incredible son ever.
IS my other mother. I have to ask her so many questions that my own mother can't answer.
I look up to this woman more than I think anyone else realizes.
She is my inspiration.

How lucky are we??
Best. Parents. Ever.

Honestly.

Day 02...

My First Love.

When I was two years old, my mom could not get me to stop moving and dancing around. Even when there was no music. I would walk around on the very tippy-tips of my toes and twirl around tirelessly.

Shortly after, my mother put me into a dance class. And there was no turning back.

My heart, mind, soul, and body fell in love with this art. I started dancing and I never stopped.
I even wrote a poem once in school for Valentine's Day.
We were instructed to write a love poem for English, and mine was dedicated not to a boy, a lost love, or a broken heart,
But to Dance.

I moved around to different studios all over the valley, learning all that I could. Taking it all in, like air. Loving every minute of it.

I performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics nearly 30 times, with the Utah Symphony, in parades, as a weekly booking in vaudeville shows, as a lead in The Nutcracker, in musicals, on tours, on competitive teams. I competed with dozens of solos, winning first place everywhere I went.

I branched out and started teaching some neighbor children in my parents' basement. What began as 9 little girls coming over once a week to take basic dance lessons, quickly became a full-fledged business. Over the next 8 years, in that tiny little basement studio, I taught over 150 boys and girls the art and principles of dance.

Then, I had children.
And what do they naturally want to do all the time, day and night?
To Dance.

And I love that.
We are a family of dancers.
We break out into dance parties at the most randoms times, our little family.
Trevor loves hip hop.
Kenzi's a little ballerina.
Ashlin loves anything with a beat.
Jamison likes to do whatever Daddy does.
And I am so happy
That I can share my first love with my children.

Day 01...

An introduction of us through pictures and words.

We are the Peterson Family.

This family was brought together by a miracle.
It consists of
A father.
A mother.
A beautiful, talented daughter.
A smart, charming, and witty little girl.
A flirtatious, happy, and very loving little boy.
Also an unborn baby boy, who is already loved beyond measure.

The father of this family became so unexpectedly.
He had searched for love and someone to start a family with
unsuccessfully.
For years.
He was frustrated.
Then he stopped looking.
And found The One.
He gained a wife.
A daughter.
And an unborn baby, ready to be claimed as his own.
He is our sole provider.
He gives us the life we love.
He holds the priesthood, and presides over our family with love and pride.

The mother of this family is simple.
Just wanting to be the best mother she can be
By learning through the example of her own mother,
and mother in law.
She works to make
The house a home
The dinners nutritious
The family close
The children teachable
And the gospel a part of their lives.

The children in this family
Are precious.
They bring joy
Life
Laughter
Music
and pure happiness.

Kenzi Makae
is
Beautiful
An amazing singer
A dancer
A helper to her mother
A wonderful big sister
And the sweetness in our lives.

Ashlin Saige
is
Adorable
Clever
Full of pure happiness
And a thirst for life that cannot be equaled.
She keeps this family
Laughing
And always clear on her view of the world.

Kyle Jamison
is
So very smart
A gentleman
Strong
But loving
He wants to be with his mother and father
All the time.
One on each side of him.
He loves to give hugs
And kisses
To everyone.

Our family is not complete. There is another sweet spirit on his way. And there are more. Watching and waiting.
For their time to join our family.

We are the Peterson Family.

Something New to Say....

My dear sister Mallory posted on her blog this list of things to write about. Since I've not been the best blogger lately, I decided I'd steal this from her and do it too. Though, since this is a blog about a family, I'm going to apply each topic to our whole little family unit. Here we go!

Day 01 – Introduce yourself with pictures and words
Day 02 – Your first love

Day 03 – Your parents

Day 04 – What you ate today 

Day 05 – Your definition of love

Day 06 – Your day
Day 07 – Your best friend

Day 08 – A moment

Day 09 – Your beliefs
Day 10 – What you wore today 

Day 11 – Your siblings

Day 12 – What’s in your bag

Day 13 – This week
Day 14 – What you wore today
Day 15 – Your dreams
Day 16 – Your first kiss
Day 17 – Your favorite memory

Day 18 – Your favorite birthday
Day 19 – Something you regret

Day 20 – This month

Day 21 – Another moment

Day 22 – Something that upsets you
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better

Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Day 25 – A first
Day 26 – Your fears
Day 27 – Your favorite place

Day 28 – Something that you miss

Day 29 – Your aspirations

Day 30 – One last moment

Our St. Patrick's Day!

Oh how we love this day! I know we don't celebrate it in the traditional way.... drinking and partying all night.... but we make it fun in our own way! The girls woke up to find that the milk in the fridge had turned green! Those sneaky leprechauns did it, and also left the girls new shamrock bows for their hair and a pretty little live shamrock plant for me!

Ashlin had preschool and enjoyed the festivities there. When she got home it was lunch time. After they ate, Mommy surprised them with a special St. Patty's Day cupcake with shamrock rings on them.

Here are a couple of the cute St. Patrick's Day projects the girls made.

Our cute green kids!

This boy is such a goof!

And these two are so cute!

My pretty little plant =)

Later, we set the table for our Green Dinner, and I got things cookin' in the kitchen! We invited Chelsea and Dave over with the boys.

On the menu:
Green spinach salad (made by Chels and Dave)
Green Jello with bananas in it
Green dinner rolls
Green cheese tortellini with creamy alfredo sauce

Yum yum!

A little while after dinner, the kids were playing out in the yard and noticed a green package sitting on the front porch. They rushed in with it and a note that had been left by some mysterious visitors.

It was white "magic powder" and when we mixed in the white milk, it turned GREEN! It was a delicious drink for dessert!

The kids had fun! And so did Mommy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Miracle of the Week.....

Okay, so shortly after Jamison was born, the laptop computer that we had been using as our main computer completely crashed. It wouldn't turn on or anything and that was the end of that. Luckily we got our tax refund soon after and were able to purchase a brand new computer - which we still use and love.

The biggest problem??
All of our pictures from the first year of our marriage were on that laptop. I tried to get it to work long enough for me to get on there and transfer all the photos off, but it just wouldn't stay on long enough. It kept going to what computer techs refer to as "the blue screen of death." Fabulous.

We went along with life and just kept the laptop, hoping that one day we could take it somewhere and have it fixed. After we moved to Cache Valley, we took it to a place and had them look at it. They told us that the hard drive was completely burned out and there was probably no saving the computer, but that they'd try to get the pictures off. That was all I really cared about anyway. When they called us back a month later to tell us to come pick up the computer, they said it would be around $150, which we definitely didn't have. We left it there for over a year because we didn't have the money to go bail it out.

Then, a few weeks ago when we got this years' tax refund, we finally went to pick it up. The verdict? They never fixed it. They didn't have the ability to extract the files and we would have to take it to a more advanced computer lab. Now pay us please. Stupid people.

We brought it home and Trev tried to turn it on a few times, to no avail. He removed the hard drive and put it back on. A few days later, he tried again. Only this time, no Blue Screen of Death. It was working. He hurriedly got to work transferring all the pictures from the laptop to an online photo storage. After almost a full days work, every last picture was saved.

Our Engagement

Our Wedding

Ashlin's Birth

Jamison's Birth

Some of the most important events in our own family history have been saved and preserved! I can hardly express how happy I am! I had come to terms with the fact that it was all gone, never to be seen again. And yet, here it all is!

The best part??
The computer still works. In fact, I'm sitting in my living room right now, blogging and facebooking with a computer that had met it's demise years ago. Don't consider it a miracle? Well, whatever you call it, it's definitely the best part of my week!

The moral of the story?
BACK UP YOUR HARD DRIVES, PEOPLE!