Ali - Dec 1997 - Dec. 10, 2009

Today, we parted with our dear, sweet, loyal and loving baby girl, Ali. She slipped away quietly after two days of seizures that we could neither arrest or find answers for. She was surrounded by "Dad" and "Mom" and as much love as we could show and possess. Ali has brought us much joy over the years.
She joined our family 6 months after we were married, June 16, 1999, when Christinna insisted on a pet. She was so lonely without one, having had one all her life. Since we had differing opinions on the way cats should be housed and trained, we decided on a dog. However,Joe was very adamant that it be a "real" dog, as he likes to put it. So it was a choice of a Boxer or an Akita, again at Joe's insistance, lol. After a little research at the library we decided that a Boxer would fit our family best and would be a good companion as our family grew since they are reported to be wonderful with children. We rescued her from someone that worked at an animal shelter and couldn't bare to see her put down. She had been found wandering Richmond, Utah and was practically starved to death. When we first arrived to meet her, Joe said "if her name is Ali, she's meant to be our dog". He'd always wanted a boxer named Ali, like Muhammad Ali. Well, after we spent a few moments with her we asked the lady what they called her, and I guess you can figure out the rest :).
Time passed and Ali went with us everywhere, shopping trips, vacation, family's homes, camping, 4-wheeling . . . everywhere, just like our child. And since it took us 7 years to have a our son, she truly became like our child in so many ways.
When Christinna did finally get pregnant, Ali took to following her everywhere. In fact now looking back, we should have known just from Ali's behavior and protectiveness that she knew there was a special bundle on the way. Ali never left Christinna's side and after Cooper was born, just like before, Ali would plant herself between "Mom" and Cooper, and any stranger that entered the house. She has been a wonderful protector and has loved us unconditionally. "Dad" has always called her his "Big Baby Girl" and at no time in this life was she ever disposed from that position.
We are so grateful to have had her in our lives. She has been a blessing to our family and we will miss her with all our hearts! Thank you Ali, for your love and devotion. We miss you already!

O.C.D. Moment

If you have seen the detective show, "Monk" you will get a giggle out of this. While in Utah we spent some time at Joe's mom's home. She had just put up her small lighted Christmas trees in her yard. They were nicely lined up in a row along the front walk. Each and every time we would leave grandma's home Cooper would slowly walk by and touch the same light near the top of each and every tree he passed! I just had to stop and laugh, I wish I had a picture of that one to share.

"Double Dose"

The day after we returned from Utah we were privileged to attend the baptism of a recent friend, P.J. She is a wonderful lady and it has been so exciting to see her make the necessary changes to join the church. Everything seemed to go along without a hitch until after the baptism itself. I had to ask the missionaries, "Didn't she have a middle name?" She sure did, so, we had to bring her back and do it again! After she was dried, dressed and ready to rejoin us she said to me, "I always figured I'd need a double dose!" It was so funny, this will definitely be a day she won't soon forget, for more than one reason!

Our Christmas/New Year in Utah, 2009

Well, this blog could be as long or short as I want it to be, depending on how many details I feel are necessary. Unfortunately, for you, I have a lot to say. . .On December 18th we celebrated Christmas as a family. Cooper opened his gifts and it was so enjoyable to watch. This is the first time in his short 2 1/2 years that he understood what to do with a wrapped gift! However, he is very detailed oriented like his father and insisted on removing and handing each ripped piece of paper to us before he would move on to the next piece, so funny! Here Cooper is in his new shirt and Daddy opening up his AquaDoodle so they can draw together. On Friday we started what should have been a 10 hour drive that turned into 14 hours! Due to snow in a place where they never get snow, we were held up on the road for over 3 hours!! Oh well, by the time we reached Logan we were ready to enjoy the swimming pool, hot tub, T.V. and bed in our hotel room.
Saturday morning we joined my little brother Erin and his Bride in the Logan Temple for their wedding. It was beautiful and FREEZING COLD!

I really enjoyed taking many, many pictures and we enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the bride's grandparents home along with all the family that could attend. During this weekend we also had the opportunity to see an old friend, Julia. We took her to dinner and attended her single's ward with her.
This was a first for Joe and he had such a hard time understanding how you could get so many good looking single people so close together and not have all of them married! We had lunch at Julia's apt and it was lovely to relax and spend time with her.
Come Monday we had a family Christmas party at Joe's mom's home and it was great to have so many of our family together. The only ones we were missing were Joe's sister and family in Michigan. Pretty good turn out for the terrible weather Utah was having at Christmas!
On Christmas we had Joe's mom come to my parents home and we shared a quiet lunch and visit, again more presents for Cooper since Santa visited. He is such a lucky boy. We have had 5 different occassions to open presents!! It was really enjoyable after the craziness of our first days, to just sit and relax. The rest of our visit went by without a hitch. We shared our time between our two families, our best friend Chris M. and running errands. We did lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Jarvis, bought a Durango, built a snowman, saw all our brother's and sister's new homes (the ones that have moved since we last saw them, anyway) and had lunch with an old mission friend of Joe's, went to dinner with Chris and his parents, and watched movies. All in all it was a great trip, even it I did come home with a sore throat. We traveled safely and are happy to be home. Happy 2009 Everyone!!