Happy Birthday Nick! 14 wow

How times have changed, our chubby little shaved head boy has become a tall, skinny, hairy boy! But he still loves his sister ashley!

Merry Christmas from Texas

Ashley's Disco Inferno

For Ashley's 16th Birthday we had a disco party! all the kids came in their best 70's clothes, danced to disco music, ate alot of junk food including kenny's homemade donuts, played twister and had a hula hoop contest! everyone had a great time! the only bummer was that kelsi was suppose to be home for the party but because of bad weather in salt lake got stuck in the airport all day and finally her flight got cancelled! we missed you kelsi!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY! THE BIG 16! SHE NOW HAS HER DRIVERS LICENSE AND HER FIRST DATE TONIGHT!

(katie check out emma's shoes, does that bring back memories!)

The Family

The party

A Day At Cowboy's Stadium

who is the man in the tux?

yes this is nicholas, he had a choir performance at the high school, it was fabulous!

1st Grade Christmas Play

Yes, we live in Texas so it is still called a Christmas Play! Emma had the role of Comet the Reindeer in her 1st grade play, "Santa's Stuck in the 50's!" She got to dance and sing and had one line she had to memorize! she was so excited and was the star of the show, at least in the eyes of her family! Great job Emma!

And whatever emma has or does lily has to have or do as well! Great job Lily!

Thanksgiving 2008

It is hard to be so far away from family on the holidays so we were so excited to have a our good friends the salways to come and spend the day and pig out on turkey with us, especially since kelsi was so far away! (we missed you kels)

the day started with the annual football game where kenny gets to strut his stuff and nick and jack try to keep up with their old man.

emma loved the macys day parade!

of course we watched the cowboy's game and ashley was a freak over the jonas brothers halftime show! she is going to marry joe, of course.

jack sat around holding the Salway's new baby girl Brooklyn who was very stylin'

jane and kenny cooked and all had a great time!

thanks juliana and todd it was a lot of fun!

Cinq Positions des Pieds,

There are five basic positions of the feet in classical ballet, première position, seconde position, troisième position, quatrième position, and cinquième position. Every step or movement is begun and ended in one or another of these positions. And so it is with emma! It is great to find a ballet school who instructs in the same school of thought in ballet that i was taught, black leo, pink tights, french terms and a strict ballet mistress. of course no one could replace or be as strict as mistress swayze with her cane striking the floor everytime we made a mistake. i think emma's teacher is much more sweet and she loves ballet.

Happy Halloween

An Olympic Gymnast!A Scary Bear

An Old Lady

A Groovy Man all about Love and Peace

school pictures 2008

Kelsi somewhere on BYU Campus

Emma 1st Grade

Jackson 4th Grade

Nick 8th Grade

Ashley 10th Grade

YES ON PROP 8

this brought tears to my eyes watching all our moorpark friends! even though we are not there with you physically we are supporting you all the way! It is really hard not to be able to vote or take action even though in our hearts we are Californians! YES ON PROP 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3CrG7Dt7eo

Lily at the pumpkin patch!

Future Marquette

Emma won the chance this summer to be a part of the pre-game festivities for the Marcus High School Football Game with the Marquette Dancers! She has been so excited for this all year and finally the night was here. She got to cheer as the football team ran out on the field through a big blown up football helmet! It was all quite exciting. (yes katie that is your cheerleading skirt from Moorpark!)

Vote November 4th

Life, Family, Marriage, Faith
We must be willing to take a stand and protect the sancity of life, family, marriage and our faith!
One way we can do that is to vote, so get out and vote november 4th.

http://www.valuevotersusa.com/

BYU vs TCU

We were so excited for the game and really excited for the fireside before! it was an awesome spiritual experience to hear the players sing and bear testimony about being disciples of Christ. Coach Mendenhal talked very directly to the youth and to always remember their true identity, sons and daughters of God. that through their dress, speech and actions they should always remember who they are and not try to be someone they are not or what the world tells them they should be. We got to talk to Denny( Dennis) Pitta afterwards which was really cool for the boys! and then the game, we dressed up with our blue gear and was ready for a victory but we were pounced on by TCU who played an awesome game. We had fun though screaming our heads off and the funnel cake and nachos helped with every touchdown that TCU scored! We still are and forever will be cougar fans!!

Happy Birthday Jackson

the big 10!

Feast of Trumpets

Most of us know and recognize that the early harvest which occurs in the springtime along with Passover represents the Lord’s first coming, his death, crucifixion and resurrection. But a good friend of mine this week pointed out something significant about the fall harvest to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ancient Israel and those of the Jewish faith today celebrate three holy days or “holidays” in the fall, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Together they are called by Jews the “High Holy Days.” These holy days have an important relationship to the Lord’s spiritual gathering in the latter days. “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not” (D&C 4:4).

Many Jewish scholars believe that the final spiritual gathering of Israel would begin with the Feast of Trumpets also known as the Day of Remembrance. The Lord commanded Israel to blow trumpets on this day so Israel would remember that their God delivered them out of bondage from Egypt, and ultimately that their God the Great Jehovah would deliver them from the bondage of sin and for God to remember his ancient covenants with Israel. The sound of the “shofar, ”or ram’s horn calls for Israel to repent and prepare for the King’s coming, for new revelation and for the beginning of Israel’s final harvest.

It is not by coincidence that the golden plates were delivered to Joseph Smith early in the morning of 22 September 1827 the same day as the Jewish people celebrated The Feast of Trumpets. Israel’s trumpets sounded throughout the world with prayers pleading for God to remember his people, a call for new revelation and the beginning of the gathering of Israel.

“Unknown to Judah, all that those horns represented was now to be fulfilled. For on that day, God remembered His people and set in motion His plan to regather them. On that day, God’s final harvest began. On that day, new revelation was granted which would bring a return to renewed covenants. From that day onward, Israel would be called to repentance in preparation for Christ’s return and reign. The Book of Mormon exists to serve these ends. Today, Moroni’s image trumpets from temple spires around the world a final call to awaken, repent, and prepare. For Latter-day Saints, knowing this is the final harvest with an ever-shortening time to labor should further motivate us to thrust in our sickles with our might. In that spirit, as we feel joy in that harvest we should make known the marvelous work that the Lord has brought forth in these latter days (see D&C 65:4).” Lenet Hadley Read, “The Golden Plates and the Feast of Trumpets,” Ensign, Jan 2000, 25
(picture of angel moroni on dallas temple)

Just another reason to love the fall!! here are some other reasons why the follett's love the fall!

Blessings of a Fall Harvest

1. A busy house becomes quiet for at least a few hours of the day while the children are at school

2. Watching jackson play soccer!

3. Reaping the blessing of your daughter studying the scriptures every morning at seminary.

4. Emma's Enormous Energy being channeled into reading, writing, and math!

5. Nicholas' excitment over playing football

6. Kenny having the time to play on a softball league (emma did ask, "I thought softball was for
girls?")

7. General Conference

8. snuggle naps with lily, she loves to lay next to me and rub my arm! nothing sweeter!

9. A little chill in the air after a long hot summer!

10. the pumpkin patch

11. MLB games that are so fun we forget about bedtime!

12. the leaves changing color, we look for that every day!

13. BYU Football Games (Go Cougars)

14. Beef Stew and Cornbread

BYU!!!

I can't believe i just dropped my daughter off at the Y to start her freshmen year! We had a great time together preparing for the school year and it was really fun for it to be just kelsi and I. We went to the bookstore and bought her books, OK we went twice, i don't think you are able to get everything your first try, we interviewed for a job, OK i did a lot of encouraging and pleading for her to get a job, we ate in the cougar eat, shopped for BYU memorabilia for the family at home, got her checked in and moved in the Chipman Hall, 3rd floor, corner room, we finalized her schedule and got her checked in to the freshman orientation, walked around campus looking for her classes, all in all it was very fun and we were exhausted. Kelsi of course was not sad, i on the other hand gave her a hug goodbye and cried all the way home! what a blessing she has been for kenny and I and what a blessing it is for her to be there at the greatest school ever!
I have begged her for some pictures and she is just too busy to send some, she says to check her facebook out! i think i need to think about getting a facebook!

so here is a slide show of the first day of school, that will give you a feel for what she is experiencing. (just copy the link and paste it) http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=General&cat3=2008&cat4=First%20Day%20of%20Class

here are some highlights!
the roomate- heidi is a darling strawberry blonde who has a great sense of style and kelsi just adores her, they have lots of fun! kelsi has a lot of fun with all the girls on her floor!

the job-kelsi got a job as a ticket taker for all the home football games! when she showed up for orientation they asked what she wanted to do and she told them she would do anything so they put her in the president's box. this means she stands in the hallway where the President of BYU or his guests or the general authorities watch the game. apparently President Uchtdorf is a big fan and comes to the games. At the last home game he smiled and said hi to kelsi and then at half time he came out and told kelsi that he didn't think it was fair for her to be out in the hallway without anyway to watch the game, and he was going to write a letter and get her a TV! kelsi just smiled and was in complete ahhhh! (good thing she listened to her mom and got a job!)

BYU Culture- kelsi is enjoying the BYU culture, she has already witnessed a marriage proposal in front of thousands, tunnel singing on Sunday nights, devotionals on Tuesdays, joined the swing club, loves her family home evening group, was called to serve as the relief society music director, calls her book of Mormon class, seminary on steroids, i don't think she has hiked the Y yet, i think a really cute boy will have to talk her into that one! she told us yesterday her and her friends went over to Helaman Fields and they had covered the entire field in blue foam and they slid around and had a great time!

Boys-every time we talk to kelsi there is another boy in the background. i call them boys because she has promised me to only date freshmen her freshmen year! she is having lots of fun going on dates and was just asked to homecoming by a boy throwing a rock at her window and then reading a poem asking her to the dance. kelsi, ashley and i all wonder why boys wait till they are at byu to be so cute, poor ashley she has three more years to wait for such fun!

Favorite Class- intro to film is kelsi's favorite class and his held in the Varsity Theatre. she loves it, most of her homework is watching old movies and writing papers on it. she is definitely in her element.

Lake Powell 2008 "the vacation"

Lake Powell 2008 "the follett edition"

Top Twenty Highlights of Lake Powell

20. Stopping at the Flintstone Diner in Valle, Arizona on the way home.
19. Quickest tour of the South rim of the Grand Canyon.
18. Watching "Nacho Libre" over and over again
17. Bren and Emma's talent show song and dance!
16. Lisa, Jane, and Elnora's Deep Gospel Discussions
15. Yummy Dinners on the top Deck every night!
14. Chilling with Aaron and Seth in the back room with their Nintendo DSL!
13. Richard and Brad's hilarious stories of their childhood
12. Lily learning to say "Shoo Fly"
11. Andrew, Ty and Stephen wake surfing!
10. Ashley and Emerson's wake jumping on the sea doo!
9. Jack following Richard around like his little "mini-me"
8. Nick and mason jumping off a cliff that was about 40 feet high!
7. Watching Anna, Ashley, Krista and Julie fight it out in a Tube war!
6. Kelsi getting wacked by a water balloon launcher during Lake Powell Olympics!
5. Rekindling of the bromance between Nick and Mason!
4. Emma and Jack wakeboarding behind the boat and jack getting outside the wake!
3. Emma getting stuck in the mud on our hike and saying "i'm never going to lake
powell again!"
2. One last trip with Andrew before he leaves for a mission
1. Beautiful water, stunning canyons, gorgeous sunsets and great memories
shared with family and friends!

Favorite Quotes
"new joisey"
"can we just have a salad or something"
"it's the beeessst"
"Don't be a Larry"
"Poptart Nazi"

New Doo Review

New Hair cut! Emma was very excited to go short!

Celebrating the Music Video

According to USA TODAY, the music video is approaching 85 years old! Musical short films were made by Lee De Forest in 1923-24, followed by thousands of Vitaphone shorts (1926-30), many featuring bands, vocalists and dancers. In the 1920s, the animated films of Oskar Fischinger (aptly labelled "visual music") were supplied with orchestral scores. To celebrate this milestone birthday, the Follett's could not wait any longer to unveil their first musical montage in the form of a music video. Click to enjoy!

Cub Scout Day Camp Storm

More TEXAS WEATHER update!! I was a volunteer at Jackson's Cub Scout Day Camp this week and we had quite the adventure!

The theme of Troop 242 Cub Scout Day Camp was "Pirates Cove" but we were unaware of the pirate adventure that awaited us that day. Our first station was "Hangman's Challenge," or water dodge ball. We were having fun playing and getting wet, which felt great because it was 91 degrees outside. In our next station, "Ghost Ship" we made a small boat to race in water and were looking forward to lunch. While we were in our third station, "Knowing the Ropes," all of a sudden the sky in the distance looked very dark and we heard the air horns go off, so we stopped what we were doing and gathered our 19 cub scouts together. We were told to go to our cars immediately that the storm was going to come and it would only last about 15 minutes.
We started for our cars pulling our wagons with our coolers, but by that time the storm had moved in really quickly. The sky was really dark, we had 60 mile hour winds, and a little rain. Imagine 250 cub scouts all dressed in light blue t-shirts moving in the same direction. We were very scared we were going to lose one of our scouts because we could hardly see anything. The wind started blowing hats and name tags off, bark from the park area was pelting us, and the cubs had to hold on to each other so they would not blow over. Some of the boys were very scared thinking a tornado was coming!
As we got closer to our cars the rain came! If you have never been in a rainstorm in Texas before, it literally feels like the heavens open and buckets of water are poured down on you. All three cars in our group had all the scouts they were in charge of which was great because many other troops were scattered in cars just to get shelter. We ate lunch in the car, the rain was so heavy we could not see anything. It was a little like the scene in "Jurassic Park" when the little kids were in the jeep and the rain was so heavy they could not see the other jeep that was right behind them. As the rain let up we got word that the camp was destroyed and they would have to break camp. All of the canopies were blown down, all of the set up was gone, blown away from the storm, we even saw a tree blown down.
I don't know how they could recover, everything was gone! But troop 242 was safe and sound and I couldn't help but think of the prayer Bro. Law gave in the parking lot that morning before we left and the sweet prayer offered by his son Beaumont Law in our car during the storm where he asked his Father in Heaven that all the scouts would be safe, that no one would get lost or hurt and that no scouts would be scared. It was Quite the PIRATE ADVENTURE!

NO MORE HIGH SCHOOL!!

Kelsi graduated from Edward S. Marcus High School June 9th 2008. Her graduation was held at University of North Texas and yes she did have the loudest family cheering for her! We are very proud of Kelsi! We love you!!!

Seminary Graduation

kelsi was a bit surprised when i told her i was more proud of her graduating from seminary then from high school! Someday she will realize that her study of the scriptures will be far more valuable then anything they can teach you at school!
I know kenny was proud of her because of the number of pictures he took. i think he took at least 2000 pictures that night and i am spending my morning deleting pictures that look exactly the same!