September Celebrations

     School has now been in session for more than a month, and we're all settling in to a normal routine, complete with marching band, soccer, homework, and friends and family.

Becca's Birthday Sign

     September came with big parties and dates. Dad and Becca celebrated their birthdays. Dad is now 49 (almost 50!! What?), and our little Becca is now 10 years old! None of us can believe she's already that old. Time just keeps racing by!

Liz being asked to
Homecoming 

Liz and James

     Lizzy was asked to Homecoming by James. Even though they had to race against the clock after a marching band competition, Liz and James had a great time. Lizzy looked stunning in her dress! She is also teaching art lessons, and absolutely LOVES teaching others about one of her passions.

     The family was also able to go to the Brigham City Temple Open House. It was an amazing experience to walk through the temple and know that we're a forever family.

Brigham City Temple

No Braces

     Anna's biggest highlight of the past few months was getting her braces off. Look out, world! Here comes Anna--brilliant, gorgeous, and braces-free! Anna still loves music, especially 1 Direction. She just got the tickets for their concert next summer and can't wait to go!

Jellyfish Costume

     Becca is getting ready for Halloween. This year she has decided to be a jellyfish. She's really excited to go trick-or-treating this year and show off her great costume.

     Mom, Kirstie, and Pat are going to Ohio in a few weeks to visit the Burnham's. We all wish we could join them, but hope they enjoy themselves! Ella is growing up so fast (she's almost 1!), and we can't wait until we get to see them again.

     While the family keeps staying on top of a busy schedule in Farmington, I'm loving being down here at BYU and am enjoying being a college student.

     Mom and Dad are still just as supportive and encouraging, even with everyone going in a million different directions. We're so lucky to have them as parents!

Wedding, Trips, Trips, and even more Trips

Summer has been busy, busy, busy! The two major highlights for the family were Nikki, Darrin, and Ella coming and, of course, Pat and Kirstie's wedding!

The Bride and Groom

Pat and Kirstie went to Florida on their honeymoon and had a great time. They also went to Peru with Mom and Dad to see the people Pat met and taught on his mission. They loved meeting these amazing people and had a fun time sight-seeing. Pat and Kirstie then went to Canada with Kirstie's family. They had a great time visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins!

Happy Family! With Ella trying to figure out
what the tractor does

Nikki, Darrin, and Ella stayed here for a month to come to the wedding and go to Lake Powell with the Burnhams. We loved having them here and can't wait for them to move back permanently!

Mom and Dad took me (Em) to Europe for my senior trip. It was amazing and gorgeous! We had a lot of fun seeing the old cultures of Venice, Croatia, Athens, and Olympia.

Liz has been busy with marching band. She's in pit this year and loves learning her part on the vibraphone. We can't wait to see the show!

Anna's bass drum

Becca's violin

Becca, Nikki, and Ella
(Anna is behind the camera)

Anna and Becca visited Ohio for the month of July. They kept Ella happy and loved to spoil her with their attention. They had a lot of adventures (including a loss of power for several days and a trip to the hospital), and Nikki and Darrin appreciated their help.

Mom, Dad, and Camel

Becca and Liz took a turn

The family went to Cedar City and St. George to see Les Miserables and Aladdin. Tuacahn is always amazing, and this year was no exception. One adventure we had was riding a camel. We loved spending time as a family!



Anna and I got a ride

Aladdin and Hairspray

Liz and Shakespeare in a deep,
intellectual converstaion

Now we're all getting ready for school. Becca will be in fourth grade and is excited to follow in all the siblings' steps and have Mrs. Gundry as her teacher. Anna will be in 8th grade and is excited to continue band and be on yearbook staff. Liz will be a junior at Viewmont and is the section leader for pit in marching band. I am all moved in down in Provo and am excited to start college. Pat and Kirstie have started classes at the U and SLCC. Darrin, Nikki, and Ella are in Ohio, and we can't wait for Darrin to finish law school and hopefully move back here! Mom and Dad are trying to figure out everyone's schedules, and trying to get used to having half their kids out of the house.

Takin' Over the Blog :D

Since my mom is busy running the household, I (Em) figured I would take over the blog. :) Since October, we've had a lot of things happen. The newest, cutest addition to our family is Ella. As the first grandbaby on our side, she is SPOILED! But she's just so cute we can't help ourselves! Mom got to fly out in November to see her, and they came out for Christmas. She's growing up way too fast, though.


We're going to be getting another addition to the family. Pat's engaged to Kirstie Pepers!! We can't wait til they get married on June 15th. He proposed on December 31st and, luckily for all of us, she said yes! He's working for JetBlue as a customer support person (ok. So I'm not sure what his exact title is...).


I'm planning my graduation trip and my last summer without responsibility! I'm going down to BYU in the fall. And though I haven't fully 'converted' to being a cougar fan, I've decided I won't take my Utah paraphernalia down to Provo. Hopefully I'll get my CNA license so I can get a job down there.


Liz got to go to Europe for her 16-year-old trip. None of us thought it was really fair, but Mom and Dad took her anyway. She loved going to Paris and London, and even got a caricature of her and Mom from a "real-live French artist!" She is still living life to the fullest, and loves playing any instrument she can get her hands on.


Anna's excited to finish her 7th grade year. She just got accepted into the yearbook staff and can hardly wait! She LOVES band and is getting to be as good as Liz on percussion. She still loves photography and keeps amazing us with all her fantastic pictures.


Becca is still ruling our house. She's so smart that we keep thinking she's much older than she really is. She loves reading, and she has gotten to be quite the little bookworm. I'm so proud. ;) She loves learning and currently has mosquito eggs in a bowl upstairs so she can watch them hatch (don't worry, it's covered).


Mom and Dad? Well, when they're not busy going from one kid's event to another's, doing yardwork, attending meetings, or trying to figure out schedules, they love to spend time with us and each other. I don't think they've had a day all to themselves in years, so hopefully they get one or two by the time we all move out...But we're so grateful to them both for always being there to support us and cheer us on.

Liz the Artist

I found the pickle this year!!

Family Pics

Ella awake at 1 in the morning!
But isn't she adorable?

Dad, Becca, and Laila on the roof.

We got to go to Disneyland
with Dad's side for Christmas.

Becca did Darrin's hair
when they came out...

This is the only picture of Pat and Kirstie
that I can find... Aren't they cute?

Our life the last little while

Our life in the Welch home has been busy, exciting, and fun!

The girls all started another school year. Emily is in her Senior year at Viewmont High School and just celebrated her 18th birthday, Lizzy started her Sophmore year and is now enjoying the freedom of driving. Anna started 7th grade at Farmington Jr. High, and Becca has started 3rd grade at Farmington Elementary.

We welcomed Elder Welch home on August 24 from the Lima Peru Central Mission. We waited at the airport for hours (mom didn't want to be late). That wait seemed longer than his whole mission seemed! We were able to enjoy a lunch at Joy Luck and then we were able to have the sacred and spiritual experience of him being released as an honorable missionary. That night we celebrated with family and friends and listend to story after story from his mission. It has been wonderful to have him home. He left 3 days later for Utah State where he is going to school this semester.

Emily and Lizzy were both asked to the Homecoming dance this year. They looked very cute in their dresses and had a great time. They were both in the same group. They went to "The Garden" for dinner and went bowling the night before for their activity. It was Lizzy's first date and she was VERY nervous!!

Mom and Emily just got back from a short trip out to Ohio. They went to visit Nikki and Darrin and then spent the weekend in Cincinnati with Nikki, Grandma Despain, and two of moms sisters (Jaimee and Aleta). They went to Time Out for Women. It was great to spend time in Ohio and have a mini vacation!

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Welch home! We are always busy with some activity!

Our Summer!

We have had a very busy and exciting summer in the Welch home. We enjoyed a family vacation to Moab where we repelled 120 feet down Corona Arch. We were able to visit every temple in Utah and do baptisms with the girls. Becca sat outside with mom and drew pictures of every temple onto fabric and made a "temple quilt."
Emily, Lizzy, Anna, and Mom enjoyed a week of girls camp. Emily and Lizzy also enjoyed a week at AFY (Adventures for Youth) with several cousins.

We have enjoyed having Nikki and Darrin out for the summer while Darrin works for a law firm. They are expecting our first granddaughter! We are looking forward to welcoming her the end of November. Everyone is looking forward and counting down the days until Elder Patrick Welch gets home. He will be home on August 24 and quickly move up to Logan to start another year of school at Utah State.

We have had a fun and busy summer!

Looking for Tetsuko Hamada

Dear Family and Friends,
This blog post will be short and sweet until I have more time. We are praying for all those in Japan as the world there is in turmoil. We are looking for any information on Tetsuko Hamada. The reason I am posting this on our blog at this time is that we have not heard from her any other way and I know she keeps up on reading our blog. So, we are hoping as a family that she will read this soon and contact us. We are praying and hoping for the best for her and her family. If anyone might know a different way to contact people in Japan please let me know. We have even tried to call her. Thanks for your help and prayers. I will get back and add pictures and a better update soon.

Happy New Year (a few months late)

The Welch's have enjoyed many things since last update. The holiday season was wonderful. We enjoyed many family parties and the best was our phone call from Elder Welch. The call seemed to have him in great spirits. His spanish is wonderful but, his english is not so good. He loves serving the people in Peru and finding many oppurtunities to do so. After his call we packed up the girls and headed to Disneyland. We spent the week with aunts, uncles and cousins. It was great to enjoy some sunshine and relax a little. The it was back to the regular schedule of school, homework, church and everyday living. The girls are busy with school and learning so much more then mom and dad know. We have been very blessed with grat friends and family. Thank you to all of you. We have been busy with Lizzy lately with doctors, hospitals, and tests. She has been passing out in school and not doing to well. We finally had her tested for celiac. And guess what.... she has it. She is severely allergic to wheat, barley, oats, rye, and other grains. She has gone to a gluten free diet. It is wonderful seeing her feel better. She lost her "spunk" and "giggle". And she is getting back to feeling better. This has changed the way we all eat and look at food.
We have enjoyed snowshoeing, sledding, time together, and the sun for a little while. We are very blessed and enjoy everyday we have here as a family. Terry and Becca are making a trip to Ohio to visit Nikki and Darrin the end of the month. Becca is so excited to see Nikki and Darrin and spend sometime with them. She lis looking forward to travel with her dad.
Emily was elected to be mayor for Farmington Youth City Council. She will be involved with other youth and even with Lizzy on the council. They will be doing many activities for the city of Farmington. She is also, thinking about her future and what college to go to. (they are growing up to fast).
Anna is as beautiful as her other sisters. She hs turned 12 and enjoys the next phase in her life as a young women.
Terry and Cyrrena are still running around, working hard, loving every minute spent with family, and everything else life hasto give them.
Elder Welch has enjoyed getting a small refrigerator and first thing he bought was "fruit loops" and milk. He states that it was wonderful to have them.