Friday, July 17, 2009

Abby Takes Control

Hey this is Abby my mom gave up so I have to take over on this blog. Our summer is going so fast because we are having so much fun with Mandi and Kempton here!! Mandi is making me learn how to Blog, teaching me piano lessons, making up our job charts, and much, much more. We have been very faithful on Write-Alex-Wednesday. Ashlyn and I go to the gym four times a week. We will be competing level seven so we are in the gym a lot more. Here are some pictures of our summer fun!!
Princess Party
Happy Kempton
Ash and Kemp haved a leminad stande

One of our fav game
Dad had a golf turnament
We rode horses
Kempton LOVES pudding
Kempton is mad at the baloons
We ate some strawberrys
We made freezer jam
Jackson Hole swimming!!
Nature Park playtime!
Feeding the ducks!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

FYI I have lost my camera attachment that allows me to get pictures off my camera that is part of the delay and why I'm not showing anything new! I will fix this problem soon.
Alex checks the blogs every Monday and noticed I am a slacker with mine. Here is a little update on our missionary.

Alex has been in Louisiana for 6 months now. He is doing great. He was bit by a Brown Recluse spider and had a little set back. After IV antibiotics, CT scans and blood tests, he is back to work with a brown scare to remember it all by. He is driving a new car in a nice area call Durham Springs. He is really enjoying everything about the mission. They made him a district leader. His Mission Pres. reports that Alex is a great missionary and trooper. We are so happy he is doing well and he seems to be very happy in his pictures.

As for the rest of the Zollilngers we are all doing well. Life is just a whirl wind with school, piano lessons, gymnastics, working, keeping the house up, finishing school projects and getting Addison ready to graduate from high school. Life goes on....

We had a great time with everyone in SLC over Easter weekend. We look forward to seeing all family members this June for the Clean-up and fun times here in Rexburg June 19-21.

Missionary Life Update

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Where has the time gone?

I am so lame at blogging. I apologize!! I have lost my camera cord and can't seem to down load any new pictures. I thought I would give a little update however!
All is well in Rexburg. The girls came in 5th and 6th place at the State Gymnastic Meet. And their little team of 4 girls came in 2nd place. They take the top best 3 scores from the team gymnasts and add them together. Most teams have 10 - 20 girls to draw from. So Go Madison, not to shabby!

Alex seems to be doing great on his mission. He was made Senior Companion after 3 months out. We received lots of picturs and he looks great and happy. It is so fun to hear him so excited about Zone Conferences and articles from the Ensign every month. We can tell how much he as grown and is doing good things in Louisiana. He loves the people and missionary life.

Addison is getting ready to graduate, Wow. He is planning on working at the Golf course full time this summer - (Caddy Shack 3 coming out soon!!)

I promise to get some updated pictures soon.

Cari

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

2 MTC Weeks Down, 1 To Go!

With limited email time, Alex sends us one all-encompassing email.

Dad- That's good advice about my bike, and im glad you guys took the time to break it down, even though it sound like it was rough. I'm sure you did well and perfectly appropriate at Charles funeral service. how is grandpa doing? OH if it makes you feel any better i tried to pull my phone out for the first few days i was here, and i never had it in my pocket, just my planner. The advice you gave me on the e-mails is great, it's the same advise they give you here, and it really does save my time well.
Family- How is everything? that sounds like Add had a fun date, and i'm sure it was fun. I have received everything that has been sent my way im pretty sure. Thank you for the addresses and the patriarchal blessing, that mini version fits in my scriptures perfectly. That's too bad about the flu bug going through the house, but I'm not too sorry that I have missed it. Everything here is still good, every day is better than the last, we have great firesides every sunday night, followed by a church film from the legacy theatre played on the screens. The firesides are done by presidents of the MTC and people like that with their wife. and then every Tuesday night is a devotional, and those are the talks from a general authority. Last week was Elder Busche and his wife. They are from Germany and very interesting to listen to. his conversion story was amazing. My branch president Pres. Smith is a sweet guy. He was trained as an orthopedic surgeon in the Army, and has a lot of cool stories from that. The first counselor Bro. Meyers was also trained as a physician and surgeon in the Army, and i talked to him about that for a few minutes after he interviewed me on Sunday. They are both interesting and inspiring to talk to. Elder Richins and I are still getting along. He is From Orem if I didn't tell you, and he leaves the same day i do for Baton Rouge. that's the same for Half of our district, and then the other half leave next monday for Tallahasee, FL. we all get along pretty well, but everyone gets annoyed with that one sister missionary who is overly confident. Oh well though. on my P-days, like today, we go to the temple right after breakfast, and then the rest of the day we just write letters, have an hour of personal study, and then an hour of companion study, and then we just hang out until dinner, we have to be in our suits to go into the cafeteria, and after dinner we have a class for a couple hours. Oh and we do our laundry at 1:45 and that takes about an hour. Everything is going good though, I love getting mail, it keeps me smiling.
Mandi- Yeah I actually have that conference ensign sitting on my desk in my residence hall right now. So I can read all the same things you do. I'm not 100% sure where i will be for Thanksgiving, I'll be in Louisiana, but that's about all I can tell you. we leave either monday or tuesday. Yes I have received all 4 of your letters. I actually liked the puzzle letter, and I love all your letters, they are all so exciting and colorful. That's fun about your movie extravaganza. I am a little jealous, mostly because i just can't watch any movies, other than the church movies. The Church movies are pretty good though. they are the ones they play at the legacy theatre in Salt Lake. we watched "Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration" last night it was pretty good, and very inspiring. but my timer is about to run out so...I love you all and miss you.
Love,
Elder Zollinger

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Summer Turns to Fall Slide Show

Summer Turns to Fall

Summer went way too fast for us. Alex spent the summer/fall working for Glenn helping with their new house. Addison finished up working for Gordon in Island Park. Mandi, Jake & Kempton went back to Carbondale. Stephen and I were a Ma & Pa on the Martin's Cove Trek and had a fun week in Las Vegas. Add, Abby & Ash went back to school; I can't believe we are down to three kids. Alex turned 19 & Abby 11 this month. Abby got a new puppy "Miley" for her birthday. Alex is still preparing for his mission to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mandi & Kempton came back to Rexburg for Alex's farewell & the boys' Eagle Court of Honor. We had a fun Halloween just hanging out together. As you see with the slide show I'm trying to do a little catch up since it's been so long, so here you are!!!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Our August Rush

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What's been happening this summer

We have had a lot of family fun this summer. We had a great time in Steamboat, CO at Hilary & Johnny's wedding. We had a great 4th of July. The parade was fun, Abby and Ashlyn were of course looking good tumbling down the street. The family picnic at Charles & Nell's was the best ever, Thanks!! We ended the day in Menan for fireworks and of course our own in the backyard. Zack stayed with us for a few weeks and we spent some time looking for fun. We had some great times, the girls loved having him around. He may have a different story to tell! Funland was a little white trash but we laughed so hard you would have thought we were in Disneyland. Having all the cousins around with their babies just confirms that family is what its all about!

What's been going on this summer!!

What's been going on this summer!!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

WE HAVE HAD A FUN MONTH WATCHING ALEX GRADUATE FROM MADISON HIGH SCHOOL. THE REAL FUN CAME THE DAY AFTER GRADUATION WHEN HE INFORMED STEPHEN THAT INSTEAD OF PACKING FOR THEIR CROSS COUNTRY TRIP TO FLORIDA FOR HIS SUMMER EMPLOYMENT, HE HAD DECIDED TO STAY HOME AND WORK ODD JOBS. WE WERE ALL GLAD HE WAS STAYING (INCLUDING STEPHEN), BUT STEPHEN DID THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BETTER DECISION BEFORE HE BOUGHT HIS PLANE TICKET FOR THE RETURN TRIP. HIS LUCK AT GETTING JOBS HAS BEEN GOOD SO FAR, WITH MOUNTS, GRANDMA & GRANDPA Z. OFFERING ANYTIME EMPLOYMENT AND WHAT EVER POPS UP FILLING IN QUITE FREQUENTLY. HE IS GETTING ALL HIS PAPERS READY TO HAND IN FOR HIS MISSION. HE CAN SENT THEM IN JULY 1ST.

ADDISON HAS GONE UP TO ISLAND PARK FOR ANOTHER FUN FILLED SUMMER WITH GORDON Z.

THE GIRLS WILL STAY BUSY WORKING OUT AT THE GYM 11 HOURS A WEEK AND PIANO ONCE A WEEK. THEY ALSO HAVE A MOVIE PASS FOR ONE MOVIE A WEEK AT "THE REX CENTER" AND CAN BOWL EVERYDAY IF THEY WANT FOR $1.00. SO THEY HAVE PLENTY TO KEEP THEM BUSY IF OUR WEATHER STAYS SO WINDY AND COLD LIKE IT HAS BEEN SO FAR.

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO HAVE JAKE, MANDI AND KEMPTON BACK IN REXBURG FOR THE SUMMER. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! (BOARD GAMES FOR THE GIRLS -- GOLF FOR THE BOYS)

WE ARE GOING TO HILARY'S WEDDING THIS NEXT WEEK IN COLORADO. WE ARE ALL EXCITED FOR THE ROAD TRIP AND TO MEET JOHNNY AND HIS FAMILY CONGRATS HILLY, HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOING SMOOTHLY SO FAR. SEE YOU SOON!!!

I WILL GO TO GIRLS CAMP THE WEEK AFTER WE GET BACK. AND THEN STEPHEN AND I ARE GETTING READY FOR A FUN FILLED TRIP AS A MA & PA FOR THE MARTIN'S COVE TREK. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO LIZ ZOLLINGER AND HER FINANCEE RYAN'S WEEK LATER THIS SUMMER.

EVERY YEAR WE START OUT THE SUMMER THINKING THAT WE ARE GOING TO PLAN BETTER FOR OUR ADVENTURES, AND EVERY SUMMER WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE GOING TO SPEND MOST OF THE SUMMER TRAVELING, DRIVING THE KIDS AROUND, OR TRYING TO CATCH UP FROM THE THINGS WE MISSED WHILE WE WERE GONE ON ONE OF OUR TRIPS.

Check out my Slide Show!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

April Fun

April has been a fun month for the Zollinger family!!! I went on my annual girls get away with my sister Barbie and 3 friends. We went to LA and saw Wicked and it was so Wicked!!! The next day we took a 3 day Carnival Cruise to Ensenada Mexico and back again. We laughed and played games, read books, and ate. Is there anything better than that? Did I say April was great for the whole family?...Well it was great for Me!!! Stephen and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary can you believe it?! Life with that Stud Muffin has been the best 25 years of my life.

The weather is finally changing, the snow has melted, for the most part, and we have enjoyed getting outside, cleaning up the yard, and playing games.

Abby had her big debut last week as Betsy Ross for the Night of the Noteables. She gave a great speech and played her role very well.

Alex went to New York for two days last week for an Apex meeting, but the times got mixed up so he just did a little sight seeing with Jake's brother Mike and four other Apex guys. They went to Times Square, Hyde Park, The Empire State Building and saw the Statue of Liberty. He had a great time. All his friends were jealous, as you can imagine.

Addison spent the weekend in Island Park getting ready for a fun filled summer with Gordon!

Well that's the news from the Rexburg Z's

Saturday, April 5, 2008

My Stars

Ashlyn was our little star of the month. She came in 1st place overall in her age division and level 5 . She was amazing. She took first on the beam and first on the floor, 3rd on the bars and 6th on the vault. Way to go Ashlyn!!

I've included a few 'memory lane' photos of Alex- where did the time go and what happened to that little cute boy that would snuggle on the couch with his family? To all you young moms out there, hold tight to your little kids, they grow up so fast. I can't believe Alex is getting ready to graduate from High School. I have to admit he has turned out to be such a good guy. He has given us only good times and happy memories- another star in the Zollinger family!

Of course all our children are stars in our eyes but we are just focusing on these two this month!

Grandma and Grandpa Z. are hanging in there. Grandma is planning on back surgery in the near future to correct a nerve that has been in a lot of pain. Gramps is eating a little better, because Grams is holding out with the Root Beer until he eats his veggies.

Stephen, Tom, Alex & Glenn dug the big hole to start building Mounts new house!

Abby is back in full swing at the Gym and is hoping to compete this summer so she can catch up from the lost season after breaking her arm. She is also preparing for her role as Betsy Ross in the "Night of the Notables".

Addison has done well at school and over spring break while his friends are gone you can find him in the basement playing Oblivion while remaining oblivious to the rest of the household!!

I have just been doing the usual- cleaning house, working 2 days a week, going on my 4th year as the YW President and I'm in charge of the food one a month for the Women's Civic Club. Oh yes, and I pray for world peace every night!!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter Weekend

This weekend we finally got around to letting Ashlyn get baptized. She hasn't been too easy to get along with for the past several weeks; although it was her idea to postpone to attend the baby blessings, she immediately became anxious about getting the job done. It all went very well, and as those of you who know how things go in the Zollinger house, everything was over planned and overdone.

The Green's arrived late Friday night and got the festivities started by keeping everyone up until well past midnight. The next morning Stephen left early to get everything ready at the Stake Center. (There is a lot of water necessary to get a 45 pound girl completely immersed.) Cari began early planning the baptism dinner, and as you can see, she also insisted on everyone having an outfit for the day. Attendance was mandatory for everyone in the vicinity, and the program went well. (Addison took two attempts getting Ashlyn under, but did remember her name.) Tom Mounts offered a musical number and Rhyan Green shared a great message. Ashlyn was then confirmed by Stephen.

The day proceeded without any problems until evening, when Grandma called to say she needed a ride to the Hospital because of some pain in her back and legs. Stephen went to act as driver, but as they were loading Grandma into the car, Glenn and Mary Ann arrived and so Glenn and Stephen took Grandma. After checking her into the emergency room, Glenn started acting suspicious, and within 30 minutes of getting to the hospital, Stephen had checked Glenn into the ER as well. Before the night was over, Glenn was at least an overnight guest of the facility, and Grandma was on her way home with a bit of a buzz on.

Easter came with Glenn at the hospital and Mary Ann choosing to skip Easter Dinner to be with her husband. Grandma Z was still under the weather some, so she had Easter dinner delivered so she could share it with her husband, and Tom, Kricket and Annie deciding to take their Easter meal on the go as well. As you might guess, this left us with lots of food and empty chairs, but Cari persevered and managed to finally talk Liz Zollinger into coming for dinner along with a friend named Ryan, as well as the regulars for Sunday dinner.

It's easy to think things are bad, but here at the Rexburg Zollinger's home, we have decided to take the 1/2 full approach and laugh at how things happen. Hope you all had a good Easter, and that none of you checked multiple family members into the hospital.