The best packages!

A few days before Christmas, I got the best package from my parents. I'm always getting packages for us from my parents and we love every one of them, but this year was the year of the best packages.

My mom has always had a wonderful tradition for us on Christmas, where each year she has bought us or made us an ornament to remind us of that year. When I got married, she gave me my ornaments. I love it! My tree has real meaning. I love putting the ornaments up and thinking about my life and the memories. Here are some of my favourites:

After I had finished school, I worked as a substitute teacher for a bit. My mom got me a teacher's mug that year.

Taz reminds me of an alarm clock that I had (still have). The alarm was Taz coming up out of a whirlpool and snorting, "wake up!" It used to scare my room mate every morning, when I was in college.

This one was for the year that I was chosen to model for a New York modeling agency when I was 14 years old.

My mom made me this one when I went to London for university. Little did I know then, that I would be here for so much longer than 3 months!

This was the year that I graduated from college. I always think it's funny how I tower over people in pictures. I'm a blondie, too!

This year, my mom got ornaments to remind us of the time that she spent here with us when Lucy was born. She, lovingly, wrote a little note to go with each one, telling us why she got us that ornament. We will cherish it forever. Thanks, mom, for all the lovely memories!! I love you!

James is mad about Thomas and kept my mom busy building tracks for him.

Chloe started her first year of school this year. This is a backpack with her school picture in it. Yia Yia (my mom) took her to school for me.

This is probably my favourite one this year because it is so perfect. This is Lucy's baby one and it's a baby in a pea pod. It reminded my mom of how Simon was planting peas with the children whilst she was here, awaiting Lucy's birth.

This one is perfect, too. It's Sophia's because she reminds my mom so much of me. She is so much like me. I've got a mouth to battle when she's a teenager! I sometimes have to laugh, though, because it's as if I can hear myself talking.


This reminded my mom of how I am, actually, a good cook. I do love to cook and bake, but I wish I didn't. It's not so kind to the hip area!

This was Simon's. He loves The Office and my mom was watching it with him. We really loved the UK one, but ended up throwing the dvd's away because we didn't think they suited the household standards, so we were thrilled when the US came up with a cleaner version of the show!

I wanted to mention another package that I got this year, too. I have a hard time getting on here, so I don't always get to post when I want to, but a few months ago my Grandma Petersen sent me a most cherished package, too. My grandpa (Pata) died this year, as you've probably seen in a previous post. We went out to see him last Thanksgiving and we're so grateful that we had that opportunity, but I really wish I could've been there for the funeral, too. Anyway, my grandma sent me the book that he was studying before he died. It is so precious to me. She had written a note for me in it and all through the book were notes that my grandfather had made. My grandfather spent his life studying the gospel and he was such a good teacher. I couldn't have had a better gift. Thank you, Grandma...I love you!

Autumn and so on...

My blog is all about keeping in touch with those across the pond, so I rarely (if ever) have anything inspirational or flabergasting to say, and this entry is no different! I'm hardly able to get on here much these days, so I have to cram our goings on and pictures into one entry, every so often! Here goes the last few months!

Some of you Americans may not have known that the London temple now has a statue of Moroni on it's spire, so I thought I'd include this pic from our last trip to the temple. We also have a visitors centre with a Christus statue. It's wonderful!

A few months ago, we had a new arrival in the Doggett family. Simon's brother, Paul, and his wife, Lisa, had their first baby...a girl, Isabella. They came to visit us and we got to meet her. She is beautiful! Although, have you ever seen 2, full blood siblings look more different than Simon and Paul? It is bizarre!

We've been filling up weekends with getting out and about. We visited Farleigh Hungerford castle, which has a lovely setting and the kids love running around the ruins!

Chloe is 5...Hooray! We went to stay with Granny and Grandad for her birthday and then she stayed on her own for a few days after. She got stuffed to the brim, as Simon's mum's answer to any of life's dilema's is food. Chloe loved it! We also too her to the Dartmoor Pony Centre, as Chloe loves horses. She was in her element!

The other kids loved it, too! Lucy just spent the time being cute, which is what she does best!

Simon was busy planting vegetables in the garden this year and telling the children off when they pulled them up. Sophia pulled up one of his pumpkin plants and planted it in the flower bed. The result was amazing!! Her plant went from the bottom left corner of the picture to the top right.


It had 3 pumpkins on it. One the kids ran over. One of the other ones was enourmous!

We decided she could carve it for Halloween!

This year, James was a ghost for Halloween...and he was the cutest ghost ever! Easiest costume ever, too! I just love this boy! He is the sweetest little man there ever was!

Chloe went as Tinkerbell, which couldn't have suited her more!

Sophia went as a witch again, with a nose addition on last years costume.

Primary had a Halloween party. James and Chloe just stood around being shy for musical statues. Which worked well as a strategy for winning.

Hope you're all well and happy!! xx

8 Years

Happy Anniversary to me and Simon! What a fantastic 8 years it has been! I never envisioned that I could be so happy in my life. Simon is the best husband and father I could ever have hoped for. I am so blessed!

Chloe's First Day

Chloe started school today. She was so excited to get her uniform on, she just kept staring at herself in the mirror and saying how she was a grown up girl now. I'm freaking out today, though, b/c she just seems too young to me. I think she'll really enjoy it and do well at it. It helps that most of the children she is in her class with were also in her preschool, and her teacher is the same one that Sophia had. I just don't want her to grow up so quickly!

Sophia started Year 2 and the thing she's most excited about is that she'll get to stand on the back row in the choir. She's scared that her teacher is a strict one this year, too.

Where does the time go??

St Tropez

We're back!! We had a lovely time, but it went all too fast! Our alternator belt broke on the journey (which took about 20 hours). We made it there, though, so that was a huge blessing! Poor Simon did all that driving and then he had to walk 10 miles from a Ford garage, twice. I would have volunteered, but I don't speak French, so I just sat around the pool with the children. I guess there are some benefits in my ignorance towards learning a foreign language!

St Tropez had a really lovely old harbour. I loved all the buildings with shutters on them. I have never seen so many yachts in my life, though. They were ginormous! The rich just go there to show off their wealth, and it works! People just crowd around and take pictures of them. I thought the people must be famous or something, but I didn't recognise them so I didn't waste any pictures on them. My children make far better subjects for pictures! I think they were just rich, anyway, not famous. I don't have enough time to write about the bazaar behaviour of the people in St Tropez, but it was interesting. I've just realised that there is not a single picture of me on our holiday. Not that you'd be missing much, but I can't believe I don't have at least one. I was there...really!

Anyway, we had a fab time and, most importantly, we had sunshine!! The weather report this morning said to get geared up for Autumn this week. What?!? We haven't even had summer yet! Don't get me wrong, I really love it here, but I don't know how I survive the weather. I must really love this Simon fella!