Step aside Mandy...TJ's taking over!

You're never going to believe it, but T.J. actually baked and decorated this Barbie cake! He did it all by himself! First time ever! He even braided Barbie's hair and added on some jewelry. I thought it was pretty cute how he kept her top on. :) T.J. made this cake for 14 year old Brandi - his lady friend Jessica's little sister. Way to impress the ladies Teege.

Mandy leaves for the MTC

The night before Mandy left, we had a yummy Asian dinner at at the Mandarin in Bountiful, Utah. Dad and Sean were back in Washington and had to miss out on all the fun.

Sister Nicholes!

TJ and his cute lady friend Jess

Mom and Mandy hauling the luggage into the MTC

The traditional MTC picture

Mandy and her BFF Leanna who came to say her goodbyes with a cute little gift

Its official! Mom is doing the honors.

Sisters!
Mom and Jamie celebrated Mandy's departure with a bowl of Roasted Nut Fudge ice cream from the BYU Creamery. We were actually just reaching for the comfort food after our loss of Mandy being gone.
Jamie and a picture of her Great Grandfather at the Nicholes Building on BYU campus. Do you see the resemblance?

Mandy's mission farewell

Mandy sure has lots of friends! This picture was taken after her talk in church.

Here is a picture of Mandy and her primary class that she team taught with mom. They all LOVED Mandy.

Sister Browning, our former Young Women's president, was so nice to throw Mandy a farewell dinner. She is one of the kindest women in the world!

One last hug! She will sure miss the boys!

The family right before Mandy's setting apart.

Born and raised Mandy Sue at the airport ready to head off to SLC.

What a surprise! Dallan H. Oaks was on Mandy's flight! He was so proud of his newest sister missionary.

TJ over for Sunday dinner

TJ recently moved up to Sandy, Utah for his summer internship. Now that he lives so close to Jamie, he can come over for Sunday dinner!




Jamie bought a turkey with her free Thanksgiving turkey voucher that was about to expire.

Dinner preparations were very last minute, but she happened to have all the fixings...

asparagus and Parmesan cheese...

rolls...

and spinach and strawberries for a yummy salad.

TJ's telling Jess, how cool his sister is!

After dinner, TJ serenaded us with a tune in the piano.



What a meal!

Mandy and Jamie's date

Before the end of the school year, Mandy got tickets for both her and Jamie to see BYU's Ballroom Dance concert.




Here's Mandy sporting her new cute haircut.





After the concert, we ran over to the BYU Creamery and bought some ice cream to share with TJ.



She looks confused!
TJ must have said something.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!

Today is Mother's Day!! I wish that I was home for mom's special day. If I were home, I would make mom dinner so my dad could have a break from the Sunday meal. That way, he'd be able to have the time to give her a nice long foot rub. After dinner, I would get my family to do a special program of honor of mom. Sean would play the piano, followed by TJ, and Mandy and I would dance to a Chatelaine routine. We would then each tell mom what we like most about her. After the program, we would spend the rest of the evening playing games; Chinese checkers, Skip-Bo and Rummycub. (We would also cheat to make sure mom always won!) - I guess there is always next year!

The ABC's of what makes mom so special...

A - She is APPRECIATIVE when others do nice things for her.
B - She is BEAUTIFUL inside and out!
C - She is very CREATIVE when it comes to entertaining children.
D - She is DILIGENT in keeping her family centered in the gospel.
E - She is always ENCOURAGING her children to do their best.
F - She is FUN to have around. A party's not a party without mom!
G - She is GENEROUS when it comes to giving gifts to others.
H - She is HARDWORKING, puts 100% towards everything she does.
I - She is actively INVOLVED with her children's activities.
J - She is JITTERY when teaching her children to drive!
K - She is always KIND to share her cheese jello with friends!
L - She is LOVING towards everyone she comes in contact with.
M - She is a MOVER AND A SHAKER when things need to get done.
N - She is NEWSWORTHY when people ask about mom.
O - She is an OPPORTUNITY SEEKER when experiencing joys in life.
P - She is PRAYERFUL when others are in need of help.
Q - She is a QUALITY children's educator.
R - She is a good ROLE MODEL for others to look up to!
S - She is STALWART in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
T - She is always TALKATIVE. Enough said! :)
U - She is UNDERSTANDING of peoples needs.
V - She is VOCAL when it comes to sharing the gospel with others.
W - She is WISE when it comes to making good choices.
X - She is a great X-AMPLE of what a wonderful mother should be.
Y - She is a YEARNER when it comes to being with family and friends.
Z - She is ZANY! Webster's definition - whimsically comical!

"THESE ARE A FEW OF HER FAVORITE THINGS" (musical note)

Playing games with friends and family.

Foot rubs from dad while watching T.V.

Reading books. Right after Christmas, she'll spend days
reading her new 300 page book.


Bobby

Making crafts for people. She doesn't do it a lot,
but what she makes always turns out really nice.

Listening to her children play the piano.
Oddly, it's her boys that really got into the piano.

Touch By An Angel. She worked hard to keep the Sabbath Day in our home by watching Touch By An Angel instead of Simpson's with the rest of our family.

The Utah dollar theaters. When she comes to visit, she manages
to squeeze in at least two dollar movies.

Taking a nice hot bath after a stressful day!

Trix!! It was one of the first things she ate off
her mission from the Philippines.
But this is the real bowl of Trix she likes!
The fall in Mountain Green, Utah.

Any type of Asian food! Especially if it's
made by the Yans or Millers.


Traveling. She has seen the entire world!! I'm almost
positive she's landed foot on every continent.

Going to the temple with dad or her friends,
and grabbing a bite to eat in the cafeteria downstairs.

Ballroom dancing.
She knew how to cut a rug back in her day!

Catching rain drops with her tongue on the first day of spring.
Hahaha!! Brandon added that one in.
Not true, but I thought it was hilarious!!

Laughing. When you think of mom,
you always think of laughter!

Mom,

I hope you enjoyed reading this little tribute to you! I love you much and miss you all the time! I look forward to our weekly visits over the phone and bi-yearly visits in person. You have been such a great mom. You may not feel like you've been very loved when TJ's with us sharing funny stories, but its all in fun. Sorry if we have ever made you feel bad. We really do love you. You've added spice to our life!

I'm glad that I have had you to look up to. You have influenced many of the decisions that I have made thus far in my life. I always wanted to be as outgoing and involved as you were while in school. Growing up, I wasn't the most confident and outgrowing person in the world, but years of modeling you has helped me out quite a bit. Unfortunately, I just wasn't able to catch onto the spelling and grammar thing. I guess that's why I got Brandon.

I remember how exciting it was to see you finally come home from a church meeting or date with dad when we were little. You were probably so grateful to have a break from us, but we sure loved to have you back. You were always able to brighten up our little home. I had such a great childhood. Thank you!!

Loves,

Jamie