Thanksgiving 2005

Here are some pictures we took in Fallon. We're clearly not the photographers of the family, but we thought you might like them anyway. :)

Proven Methods

We just wanted to say hello and give a quick update. There isn’t much going on in our lives and yet it always seems out of control. I don’t know why this is always the case but ‘stuff’ is consuming our time. I have been doing a lot pictures this fall for the Christmas season. That and my weekly trips to the dentist take up all spare moments. That’s right-6 cavities, 2 crowns and a root canal (with a pretty sure bet my jaw that is bothering me still means another in the coming weeks). It’s been really depressing for one who religiously brushes and flosses. The dental bills after my pregnancies are way more than the doctor and hospital bills we pay to have the baby. Oh well.

Josh was finally released as nursery leader. I got so many compliments from the ward on how good he was at it. I don’t think it’s necessarily nursery that he’s good at-but being in charge. He is always coming up with some way to make things better or run smoother. Anyway he’s the elders quorum secretary and I'm going to miss him having a ‘Sunday only’ calling. Oh well, at least now he might learn the names of some people in the ward instead of referring to them as “Bostons’ Dad” and “Carolines’ mom etc.

James is not making Christmas easy for us. He can’t think of what he wants. I’m sure he would be happy with anything but I want him to be SO happy when he opens his present. He is always asking me things that I don’t know how to answer. “Why is it sit up AND sit down?” A more recent conversation with Josh went, “Dad, is Santa Clause a real person?” Josh wasn’t ready for this. “What do you think?” Although James was deep in thought, he didn’t respond. I think they were both scared of getting their question answered.

Sam is just a crazy man looking for some attention between his demanding old brother and the all consuming baby. He is finding winter very hard. He doesn’t like to wear clothes you see “they bug me.” As soon as he get in off come the pants, off comes the shirt, and in his unders he lives. It’s really hard to tell him no he’s so dang cute.

Josh and I have been trying some new parenting techniques. We decided on trying to freeze him into clothes. We have had the thermostat a good 5 below normal for days and he still refuses. He just jumps around the house to stay warm. “I like cold.” He has also been very hard to put down for bedtime. The other night after the tenth time of him opening his door and tip-toeing out we tried to think of something to do without resorting to spanking. The inspiration came. Josh waited by the door until it slowly opened by a trying to be sneaky 2 years old. “Roarrrrrrrrrrrr!” Josh yelled as he jumped right into the unsuspecting face. “AAAHHHHHHHHH!” The two boys yelled in sincere fright. Sam ran back to his bed and didn’t make a sound the rest of the night. I don’t know if this is in any parenting books yet-but it’s a proven method.

"The Barn"

Well, Ashkii made the mistake of telling Trevor that the house looks like a barn turned sideways. So he is now telling everyone "Mom and Dad bought a house that looks like a barn, but I really like barns." Anyway, you really can't judge a book by it's cover, can you?

A HOUSE AT LAST!!!!

Wow! What a day. Savannah and I flew in last night. This morning we met our real estate agent, Jan, at her office. She is a great lady and really a blessing in all of this with her 35 years experience in the area. Anyway, she and Ashkii took us all over to the 4 houses he had narrowed it down to (he's only looked at like 50!), plus we looked at 4 others. Well, we were eating lunch and debating on what to do, since our 2 favorites were really more than we wanted to spend. Jan began to return some phone calls during lunch, and had 2 calls from a secretary at her office who knew the price range we were looking in and was entering a new listing in the computer so she wanted to let us know about it. It was in an area Ashkii hadn't really been excited about because of jet noise and the commute, but we all decided to go check this house out because it was more in our price range. We pulled up to the house and it was, well, interesting on the outside (forgot to take a picture - post later) , but GREAT on the inside. Jan and I both loved it. Ashkii loved it but was frustrated that he has worked so hard to find a house and we find this great house the day I come out!!! Anyway, we made an offer, they counteroffered, and we decided to go with it. The schools are great, it's a younger neighborhood, and it's only 5-10 min. from the beach, so visitors will enjoy (hint hint). We are exhausted but relieved and excited!

From the Frozen Tundra

It will definitely be a white Christmas here in Idaho. It's about time I post an update for us (at least that's the lecture I got from Ashkii), so here goes. Jonathan and I will be done with this semester on December 16th. We will then be moving to Idaho Falls to live with Jonathan's parents. We will spend Christmas here in Idaho and then we will drive down to Utah on the 26th and be there until sometime the first week of January.
School starts again for us on January 9th. I will be doing my student teaching at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls. I will be teaching World History and American Government. Jonathan will still be in school so he will commute to Rexburg. He will be doing an intership during the summer, so if you have any ideas for Chemistry internships let us know. (He has to work for a company that actually has chemsists on their payroll). That's about all the news from the Windy City of Rexburg.
Much love,
Daija

Four Point

If you look close you will see a four point buck that was in our yard the other night. Sorry the image is blurry. I am still learning about my new camera. But this lovely animal has stripped all the leaves off of one of my roses. So he's on my list. But it is fun to see wildlife in our yard.

Halloween

Hello everyone. We wanted to get some of our Halloween pictures out finally! James decided last minute that he ‘wouldn’t mind’ being a race car driver since we couldn’t find a train conductor hat. I think he was holding a lot in so I wouldn’t say no because he was in love with the idea (not that moms ever do that). He was so excited! Sam kept reminding everyone that “I not really Dumbo. I just Sam.” They got lots of candy from our little neighborhood and we have finally gotten rid of it. One day this week they asked what were having for lunch. “Candy” I said matter-of –fact like. “Candy?” “Yup-you get fifteen minutes to eat as much as you can, then I get the rest.” I was hoping for the belly aches you read about in books that come after such a meal. I thought I could cure them of wanting the rest. It didn’t happen like this however, and James has been scheming ways to get just one more. I have to admit sometimes they work because he can be so convincing. Well luckily we made cookies today with all the chocolate and we are about out of suckers.

Overheard from the kitchen while James and Josh were playing chess: Josh-“Well if you capture me there I will use my guy to capture yours.” James (quickly and happily)-“That sounds fair.”

Overheard many times when Sam is acting up or not obeying James-“Sam! Do you want to live with our family forever?!” Sam (emphatically) “No!”

Overheard in last nights prayer: James “Bless those who did AND didn’t die in the hurricane.” Or as Sam calls them in his prayers “the campout people.”

Requested during Sacrament meeting: Sam, pleading “I want to go home. It’s so fun at my house.”

Stated at the end of the day after I had thanked James for being such a good boy: James, (sincerely) “Well, I just try to be the best I can be…Everyday.” Sometimes I think he really does.

Now that I’ve broken every law of punctuation Ill be off. We are looking forward to the holidays and being with you all.

Alisa

FL Trunk or Treat

Well, today we participated in a few different events. I started out by driving 30 miles just to get dry ice becaus of the shortage that still exists from all the hurricanes.

We started in the neighborhood party and had a great time bobbing for apples, eating suspended donuts and enjoying our neighbors. Our next door neighbor is a retired army O6 and recently was remaried he is the chef.



















Tinkerbell and Buzz Light year were close runners up for the best costume but due to some spilled apple juice and some fruit stained liatard we will have to try again next year. Mom was the cute scarecrow and dad was the fireman with big ears. We had a great time.



















After the neiborhood party we went to the Ward building for a Trunk or Treat and chili cookoff. My chili did well despite the kick. Trevor took pictures with all the ladies and Savannah enjoyed the suckers her brother kept collecting. The best was seeing all the other kids and friends dressed up. Trevor alsofinally realized what trick or treating is all about (sharing your haul wth Mom and Dad. Enjoy

Yard update

I finally figured how to get my pictures from my new digital camera to this blog.

This is the view from my soon to be tennis watching patio.














The large stones are now steps and they are very hard to move.













This is a different view. The wall is starting to take shape. Today we took down the fence that is on the left hand side of this picturel.












This is Mike working in the garden. I cashed in one of my coupons and he happily worked for a few hours











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FL Update

Hello all - I am trying this out with Ashkii's help. It is fun to read everyone's postings. We are doing well. We had a great time with Grandma & Grandpa here. It was such a beautiful day at the beach. Soccer is going well, at least I think it is. Ashkii is a little frustrated with Trevor's lack of competitive spirit on the field. I am just glad he is having fun. What he lacks in soccer he makes up for in Candy Land- that is serious business! He absolutely LOVES preschool, which he is attending three days a week now. He is also learning sign language, so I am sure we will get a few laughs as he and James try to communicate. He is learning Spanish, too, which has been fun for Ashkii. We went on his field trip to Baskin Robbins (thank goodness for sorbet!), and we will go to the park and on a hayride with his school on Friday. Savannah misses him when he is gone, but also enjoys playing with whatever she wants to without the constant instruction from her director-personality brother. She is speaking very well now, and Trevor helps her by telling her what to say to him all day long. Thankfully, she does hold her own with him. For the most part they play very well together, their favorite game being hide and seek. Savannah goes in a corner, counts to three, yells "Come!" and finds him. Trevor has master his two-wheel bike, but refuses to let Ashkii take the training wheels off even though they are bent up so far that he rarely uses them. Ashkii is busy with school, work, and trying to work out the logistics of our hectic life. I have been busy with callings, planning with neighbors for our neighborhood Halloween party, helping with scrapbooks for the preschool kids, and trying to fit some CPE in so I can keep my CPA license. The kids are very excited to see everyone in November, as are Ashkii and I. We have a lot going on with this really being our last few weeks in Pensacola (when we come back in Jan. we will pack up and move). I have mixed feelings and will miss so many wonderful friends, but I really look forward to having our own place and really living there for awhile. For FHE tonight we carved a pumpkin - Trev drew the face & Ashkii carved it. Isn't it lovely! See you all soon - Florida Mom

Just a few summer pictures

Rich and Trevor are up at Strawberrry cleaning things up after girls camp.















The cousins are in the back yard playing during one of the days that Trevor was here this summer.

















Savannah is keeping cool with her hat on at girls camp.

Florida

Rich and I returned from our Florida trip on Saturday night. Our flight was on time and uneventful which was NOT the case for Rich flying in. Rich was scheduled to land at Pensacola at 6:05. He called and said he would be late. When Ashkii, the kids, and I got to the airport we could see lots of people standing around -- not a good sign. Rich called us and said that his plane had started to land at Pensacola - landing gear down and approaching runway -- then they aborted the landing and flew to Fort Walton Beach and landed there. They waited to see what the outcome was going to be and to make a long story short -- Rich shared a rental car with the lady that he was sitting next to on the plane and she drove to Navare and Ashkii drove to Navare to pick him up. Rich finally arrived at the house around 11:00 p.m, which was alot earlier than if he had waited for the busses that Delta was going to rent to bring them to Pensacola. To emphasize what a smalll world we live in the lady that he sat next to was a daughter of one the military people he had briefed on one of his guard trips to Fort Leonardwood.

We walked down to story time and sang about all the animals on Old McDonalds farm.
Trevor is not too fond of cats and when we were playing soccer in the back yard and the neighbors cat was trying to play soccer also we had to convince Trevor that the cat wasn't going to get him. He was still a little leary, but at least stayed out and played with us - one eye on the cat and one eye on the soccer ball.

We went to the beach -- saw dolphins swimming in the ocean. We tried to catch minnows but were very unsuccessful. Rich saw a stingray and was trying to catch it also. Savannah loves the beach and when she would fall down in the water, she would pop up shake off and want to play again. Very amazing for we non water types. Trevor and Rich played football. We also went to Trevor's soccer game. He was afraid of the other coach ( the coaches get to be on the field) and stayed as close to the sideline as he could. Kind of reminded us of our days watching soccer. The under 5 crowd has their own style of "bunch ball" Brooke returned from girls camp in one piece. Their house is very cute and we had a greattttttttt time. I even had a chance to go to a garage sale and was able to pick up some very important items. They are probably going to be in Norfolk for their next job and we look forward to visiting them there.

I just read the website and noticed Josh has been feeding you incorrect statistics. Luke is maybe almost 20 lbs, but certainly not over that number. He isnt fat like his brother Sam was, just very long. Josh may get a basketball player after all. He is growing up way too fast, it seems like with this baby instead of pushing him to do things and wanting him to move on-I just want him to stay where he is. Quiet and immobile. The other day Josh had Luke, James, and Sam all laughing at the dinner table. We got a glimpse into what trouble we are in for and I felt like crying. James and Sam have enough to talk, cry, and laugh about-we arent looking forward to another boy to add to all the caous.

He really has been fun and has such a good nature. The boys just adore him and James is always reminding us that hi is the "cutest baby in the world", and everyday "this is the best Luke has ever been" (although he has never been bad). James started preschool and is loving it. Sam is trying to figure out how to fill up those 2 hours without James. He lasts playing on his own maybe 15 minutes. Luckily he has "my friend Will" we call in James' absence. He had a computer game he loves, and there is always throwing tantrums that take up time. James is learning some sign language in preschool and knows alittle from a dvd we have and has started to sign things (mostly demands) to me when Im not really paying attention to him. I just laugh when he gets mad that Im not giving him what he wants when hes been asking in sign language and I havent even been looking at him. He is reading simple words now, but mostly enjoys spelling outloud. You give him a word, he figures a way to spell it. Its pretty funny, but if phonics works I guess hes doing pretty good.

We have been working on our family eating disorders lately. We make them take a bite of something new if they want a dessert. It is quite the event. Sam is always the brave first and he puts it in his mouth with a grimace and by the time he swallows it he has a sort of suprised smile and says 'it didnt hurt me.' James on the other hand, crys about it for 3 minutes trying again and again to put it in his mouth, then we say do it now or we are taking it away. He cries even before it enters his mouth and during the chew, and especially after and then sobs 'I dont like it.' We are proud of him for trying.

I guess I better roll Josh over to his side of the bed and get some sleep myself. We are hoping Mike moves into our neighborhood! He has been looking at some up for sale in our ward. Any way, hope to see you all soon.

Florida and Arizona

It has been an interesting week for the Lintons in FL. I flew out of Pensacola last Saturday and came to Arizona. I am here for a week long school seminar. Brooke stayed behind to keep the troops in line. They went to the beach today and it was beautiful. It was 85-90 degrees and slight breeze. The kids had to be dragged home for naps. Brooke is going to girls camp next week because none of the YW leaders could go so they asked Brooke. We are looking forward to a visit from G & G Linton next week. We too are looking forward to General Conference. It looks like Virginia will be the place we will call home very shortly. I am in the final phases of the HR red-tape process to get transfered to a new job. We will know everything by the middle of October or Nov 1st. Please keep us updated on how life is going for all of you. Love the Floridians.

The Hills are Alive with Color

We went to Strawberry this weekend to get it ready to be the Honeymoon Suite for Scott Goddard and Sadie. It is beautiful up there -- NO BUGS -- my favorite. I attended my fire meeting.
Steve Patton(service tech at Valcom) and his family spent Labor Day at the cabin. As clean as it was I'm not sure they played much that weekend. On the way up to Strawberry I stopped off at the Relief Society Retreat. It was at Bill and Cindy Adams "cabin" in Park City. I only had an hour, but had a very short fly fishing lesson. I now know that I need lessons from Don so I can actually fish on the river.
The leaves are turning beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. The mountains seem to be alive with color and glow. They are beautiful every year -- but this year seems extraordinary. I reflected how I used to love to take the kids up the canyon on Conference weekend to see the beautiful leaves while Richard was at guard.
I am looking forward to my Florida trip.
I would like to report that I am in Alma and am enjoying reading the Book of Mormon "on the fast track" program.
Love to all - Mama Bear

Hello again

Just watned to give you all an update on the family. Alisa has started to do pictures again and is really busy. I told her she needed to start pulling her own weight around here and so she has stepped up. j/k Anyway, the boys are getting bigger and luke weighs like 23 lbs, but sleeps like a champ. Infact he sleeps better than sam. Last night he went to bed at 10:30 and didn't wake up until 6:50 this morning.
Today in church they were seeing a song in Primary and when they were finished the singing leader said she felt the spirit during the song and asked if any of the kids had felt it, James, in his normal shy manner, pipes up and says, "I didn't feel anything". At least he is honest.
I am getting excited for General Conference this week and for those that might be at Priesthood session you might know someone that will be speaking.

Anyway have a great week and we love you all.

Heaton Update

Hi everyone! I am just trying this thing out.
Jonathan and I are still in Rexburg :)
Jonathan took the DAT on September 2nd and got a 20. We are almost finished with his application so we're hoping that he gets accepted somewhere for next fall. His first choice would be to do the ISU - Creighton program where he would do his first year in Pocatello and the last three years in Nebraska. It is a sort of scholarship program so he would pay less than in-state tuition. He is also applying to the University of Minnesota, UNLV, Ohio State, and some school in Washington.
I will be doing my student teaching starting in January and then we will both be done in April and that's about all that is happening in the Windy City.

A school asignment

Dear Family
In one of my school classes I have been asked to explain my operative paradigm for conducting research. The catch is that you all need to understand what I am doing. The following should explain.
I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Organization and Management. I have studied many different topics in the last year helping me gain a better understanding of the theoretical and practical sides of business. Most recently I have been enrolled in a management theory creation course. As part of this course I have been challenged with doing research, discovering new knowledge, and then explaining in basic terms what the research means so that anyone who reads the information will understand.
As a first step in that process I wanted to let all of you know what specific topic I am studying and how I will research and present the findings. First, the big picture topic is a multigenerational workforce. In other words, Daija and Mike are Generation Y, Josh and I are in between Generation X and Y depending on which dates are chosen, Mom and Dad are the Baby Boomer generation and Grandpa Lattin is part of the Forgotten/Greatest generation.
All of us remember being harassed by Grandpa Lattin in Nevada working on the farm. He thought we were all lazy. The same paradigm is/was held by Dad and Mom on many occasions. We view ourselves as hard working with different priorities. Part of my research will focus on these different paradigms of work inherent in each generation. Most of the paradigm information will be gathered from historical data and other research. Also, raw data will be gathered via live surveys and census reports. All of this data will be compiled and reported using various statistical techniques like comparative analysis.
The second part of my research will focus on leadership. Different events in history have influenced each generation and how they lead and how they are led. I plan to contribute to the business organization and management field the knowledge that: for a leader to lead effectively in an organization they must use generation specific leadership techniques. This presents a major challenge based on our current societal demographic mix. Take Valcom for example: you have all three generations represented and you had four until Rich G left. One of my beliefs is that failure to recognize and specifically lead based on the generation category disenfranchises young and old workers and will make a predicted shortage in human capital a reality in the near future.
I hope to prove or disprove this theory through research and analysis. I hope this makes sense. Please post questions here on the blog and I will answer/clarify as needed. Thanks

I am practicing my blogging -- can't figure out what that really means. But here is a picture of the Goldy girls being followed by frosty lobster during the river run at girls camp. Love you all Mama Bear

Pics from MS part 1

Draper Linton Fam

Here are the Pics from MS. The first is the parking lot of the Stk Center in Pascagoula MS its on Martin ST if you want to Google the location. We had sacrament in the parking lot and then started cleaning. The next are pictures of the stuff we pulled out and the debris piled in front. Next ar the members homes. The picture with the boat and the downed power line is about 1000 yards from the water. It was a humbling experience. This is post one of two because of the picture limit, also I may get more pics next weekend. Keep Checking back.

Give it a try

I'm not sure I understand what is going on -- but I will try to be part of this new stuff.

I'm in

Hey Fam,

I'm signed up and ready to Blog you guys. Works great, I like my bosses and I like most of my colleagues. Anyway I'll let you all know when something interesting in my life happens. Keep it real. Thanks.

Mike

Katrina Update from Mississippi

All,

I just got back from Pascagoula MS over the Labor Day Weekend and wanted to update all of you on the conditions. Almost the entire coastline of MS sustained water damage. If you look on a map anything south of I-10 had approximatly 4+ feet of water. This included all the members in the Pascagoula Stake and the church building. We removed 3-4 inches of mud from the church building and then went around to different member homes as well as non-member homes and helped remove water logged mattresses, carpet, clothes, bookshelves, piano's and dressers. Mold was growing on everything that was touched by water. I picked up a computer and water just drained out like it was a strainer.

The people were very grateful for our help and the Church always has people and supplies on the ground quickly. All the members in the area appeared in good spirits considering. We held sacrament meeting in the parking lot of the stake center in 100 degree temperature and then proceeded to gut the building and move all the contents to the curb for pick up in a month or two.

I will attach pictures of some of the damage when I get a chance in the next few days.

Ashkii Linton and Family in Pensacola FL

Our newest edition

Just thought I would show you all a picture of Luke. He has been sleeping well and is really a great baby. WE blessed him today and it was really great to have the whole family there. Thanks to all of you.

Linton Family

This is a place where we can post our thought and also where we can share pictures as well.

Please enjoy