Jen and Lowell's Family

Jen and Lowell have had a year packed with adventure.  Something is always happening at their house.  They moved last year into their new home.  Jen says never again...this is the home they want to stay in forever.  They have moved to the City and they love it.  The girls have three different schools between them.  Piper is a sophomore in high school, Julia in 8th grade, and Chloe (4th) and Hazel (1st) are both at the same elementary school.  Fortunately the elementary school is just minutes away.  Not so close for the bigger girls.  So you can well imagine what mom does a good part of each school day.  She always plans fun and creative excursions for the family.

They have a wonderful older home with a large Craftsman style porch in the front.  They have done a lot of fixing up this past year and it is looking fantastic.  They remodeled their bathroom and it has a regular sink and an adorable little ADA sink for Hazel.  Jen has such a flair for decorating and she has outdone herself on this house.  The house is very dramatic and striking.  I love how she does her shelves.

We enjoyed time with them and Laura's family at Jen and Lowell's this past summer.  The house accommodated us all very well and we all had fun.  There is a lot to do in and around Salt Lake. Both Jen and Lowell are quite the gourmet cooks so it is always fun to try new recipes there.  Lowell traveled a lot this year for his company going to Scotland several times. Jen had hoped to go over but Hazel had some surgeries this year that prevented that from happening.

Piper continues with her great interests and talents for art and writing.  She loves music and plays the guitar for her own enjoyment.  She does not like performing but she plays well and sing with Julia sometimes.  They honored me with a couple of performances while I was there...after I begged!  They are so sweet to me and to Grampa too.  She's a great student, a girl who likes her solitude, and a wonderful person to talk with on many subjects.  She is wise beyond her years and has a funny streak that is so cute.  I love to follow her Pinterest boards.  She's amazing.  The last we talked about her writing she had started her second novel.  She is a phenomenal young woman and we love and adore her.  She looks cute as a redhead these days.  She has great hair it just does so many cool things!

Julia is 14.  She is such a fun one.  She is so zany and funny and sweet and hyper about certain things.  For one she loves a band called Beyond 5.  This is something that she and Piper share. They are "fandom girls" they tell me.  Julia started an Instagram page called Beyond Infinity this past year and gained lots of followers and more importantly new friends by doing it.  This was very important to her this year being in a brand new city and new school.  Julia and Piper went to several live concerts by this band and they met a lot of their online friends doing so.  And all the Band members!  Transitioning into new school at their age is always tough and I feel like this fandom helped them find new friends but unfortunately they don't live in the same town.  The quest is still on in the City. Julia loves all aspects of music and sings like an angel and plays several instruments.  She made me some video recordings that I enjoy quite often of some of my favorite songs and some of hers.   She is still into pampering her Gramma with the best foot massages in the west!  These big sisters light up our lives.  They are going to be exceptional adults one day. (All too soon!)  We love our Julia very much!

Chloe is 9 and in 4th grade this year.  Chloe enjoys doing so many things.  She got a dog for her birthday.  Her name is Lucy.  That is something she has wanted more than anything in the world.  Chloe is a big fan of the computer.  She also reads constantly.  She is naturally athletic and funny and can sing we discovered this past year.  She is not taking any music lessons right now but her Mom says she can touch almost any instrument and make it play something that sounds like music! She loves to cook and she is Grampa's right hand girl when he's up there doing Grampa Camp as he was when Hazel had her big back surgery last month.  Chloe seemed to have made a very smooth transition into a new town and school.  The girls all have such wide interests and they have the perfect parents for them.  They always have something cooking.   Not only is their mom super creative with  activities but their Dad is a computer guru and very talented in the music department.  I think he and the girls should start a group!  Daddy in in charge of bedtime so spends quality time with the girls and they love watching movies and cooking shows together and reading.  Chloe loves to be outside playing.  She is one great kid and we love her to pieces.  We miss this sweet girl and all the rest of them so much!

Hazel...what can we say about her?  Hazie is an angel.  Truly an absolute angel.  She loves everyone and everyone loves her.  She has a way of dancing through her life with a great attitude.  She is enthusiastic about going to school and she more than loves the gigantic park right across the street from where they live.  Jen says she wants to be in the park everyday rain or shine, sleet or snow...she wants to go.  She and Mom are best friends and she is always getting the big kids to hold her as she inches her way towards her mom.  She really likes school and is doing very well academically.  Her school and her teachers actually get what she needs at this school.  Her reading is excellent but she is not too crazy about math. There are three boys that "like" her but Jen says she only likes one of them back...a lot. So sweet. Hazel had eye surgery on both eyes in the fall to straighten out her strabismus.  Look at those gorgeous eyes she has. So beautiful and straight and most importantly, so full of love.  She had a major back surgery in November and is going back soon to repair a part that didn't go quite right the first time.  She is such a little trooper...just goes with the flow, and happily carries on.  She is a blessing that is hard to describe.  If you have a physical problem and you know Hazel, you think twice before whining.  We love this little one with all of our hearts.

December 23...update.  Hazel had emergency surgery last night.  One of the bar attachments that was put in to keep her back straight came unfastened.  The scheduled repair was for December 29th.  Due to a lack of proper healing of the surgery sites and the breakdown of her skin they did the surgery last night. So far she is doing just fine.  Get better soon, precious little one!

 Aw, she doesn't let anything get the best of her!  This photo just in from the hospital this morning.

Hazel the Red Nosed Rudolph!

She's going home in a few minutes!