TJ and Michelle

Conference Weekend

2010-04-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah for Conference weekend with the Brandon, Mason, and Puppy. We had a great time visiting with some of TJ’s siblings and my family and relatives. We had tickets to the Saturday afternoon session and TJ took Brandon to his first Priesthood session.

TJ and Bethany

Maddie, Jessica, Baby Shane, Rebecca, Me, Bethany

Cousins

Cute family

Skyler, Shane, Jessica, Brandon, TJ, Mason, Me

My parents

Me with my cousins, Amber and Hillary

Arizona

2010-04-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

TJ and I went to Arizona for a visit and to get away from the snow. We stayed with our friends, Nick and Jen in their brand new gorgeous house. We went to a Spring Training game and watched the Cubs play the A’s. We had a UFC party and ate out at yummy restaurants. Jen and I shopped for décor for their house, and the boys went shooting. I was able to meet up with my friends, Amber and Tiffany for lunch. I miss all my AZ friends! We went to visit TJ’s brother, Mark, and sister-in-law, Tracy. It was fun seeing them. We don’t get to see them often enough! We had a blast and it made us miss Arizona so much!

TJ and Me at the spring training game

Jen and Me

TJ and Me at the field

Nick and Jen

At Waldo's BBQ in Mesa. So good!

Me, Jen, and Scarlett

Mark and TJ

Mark, Tracy, and Family

Mark, Tracy, Me, TJ

No visit with Mark would be complete without a muscle contest between brothers!

All Things TJ

2010-02-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

TJ celebrated his 35th birthday on January 26th. He took the day off work and we went snowboarding at Copper Mountain. It was a nice resort and it was great to get out and snowboard. This was our first time snowboarding in Denver since we moved here, almost a year and a half ago. That night, we went to Pappadeaux for TJ's birthday dinner and celebrated with some Cajun food.

Snowboarding at Copper Mountian

TJ enjoying some birthday pecan pie at Pappadeaux

The Saints won the Super Bowl!!! TJ is excited, nay, ecstatic over their victory. So ecstatic, he now has a Saints hat commemorating their NFC win and 3 Saints t-shirts celebrating their Super Bowl victory. He definitely now looks like their biggest fan! WHO DAT!

December Happenings

2010-02-15T22:58:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of December, we went to Utah for TJ's Dad's 65th birthday and TJ's nephew's baptism. It was really fun spending time with TJ's family. Seven of his nine siblings were able to make it to the festivities.

Michelle with 3 of TJ's sisters, Bethany, Rosalia, Jessica, and Baby Shane

At Hunter's Baptism

TJ and his brother, Mark

Brandon celebrated his 12th birthday on December 17 by having a sleepover with some of his friends and a spaghetti dinner with family. He is now a Deacon and attends Young Men's. Can you believe TJ has a 12-year-old?!

For Christmas, we went to California to spend the holiday with my family. Puppy had been visiting my parents in California since Thanksgiving, so she was there too. We had a fun and relaxing time. We saw Avatar in 3D and rode motorcycles around town to see all the Christmas lights. There were some amazing Christmas Tree Lanes, and it was fun to see them from a motorcycle. We stayed in CA for a week and then drove with my parents, brother, and dog to Salt Lake City. We stayed in their condo and brought in the New Year. Our dog was out playing in the snow on one of the days in SLC, and injured herself. She came up limping pretty badly. We've taken her to the vet and they say she tore a ligament and will need surgery. We're trying to give her a chance to hopefully heal without surgery because we don't want to put her through surgery or pay $3,000 for the surgery. She seems to be getting better slowly, but she still has a limp. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

New Year's in Salt Lake. You can kind of see the fireworks and the lights of Temple Square in the background.

Halloween and Thanksgiving 2009

2010-02-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year, we went to Brandon and Mason's grandmother's house and watched the boys Trick-or-Treat. Puppy was a jail dog. I can't tell you how much she hates being dressed up, but she puts up with it. Brandon dressed up as his Uncle David Jones. He pretty much looked like a cowboy. Mason was a Sumo Wrestler. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, so I don't have any pictures of them in their costumes. I really need to be better about taking more pictures. I've been slacking.

Jail Dog

The Denver Zoo puts lights up everywhere around the holidays. We braved the cold and went to see the lights.

We went to Scottsdale for Thanksgiving with the boys and my family. We were able to see our friends, Nick and Jen, and TJ's brother, Mark and sister-in-law, Tracy while we were in town. Again, I'm terrible with the lack of pictures right now. We went miniature golfing, swimming, and did some Black Friday shopping. We scored the last Dyson Animal vacuum at Kohl's. Brandon came with TJ and I and thank goodness he did. He ran to the back of the store and got one of the two vacuums they had in stock. How I love the anticipation of Black Friday! Not knowing if you'll get what you came for... It's fun when you do score that item! We LOVE our new vacuum. If you have a pet that sheds, it's amazing. We were disgusted/amazed to see all the stuff the Dyson picks up that our old vacuum didn't. The boys also stayed over at the Williams' house and played with their kids. On our drive to AZ and back home, we listened to Twilight on CD. We really enjoyed it and it was a great way to pass the long hours in the car.

Lake Powell - August 2009

2010-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

We went to Lake Powell in August 2009 with Brandon, my family, Nick and Jen, and the Cannons. Mason was feeling sick the day before we left, so he didn't come with us. We stayed on my parent's houseboat and had a great time wakeboarding, playing in the water, playing games, eating good food, and visiting Rainbow Bridge.
We cut our trip short by a few days because Mason was admitted into the hospital for an infection in his pulmonary valve caused by a rare strain of Strep. If you didn't know, Mason had to have his pulmonary valve replaced when he was a baby and now has a bovine (cow) valve. Because it is foreign to his body, the valve can't fight off an infection. The doctors think he may have gotten the infection from a mosquito bite or a cut, but they don't know for sure. He had a PIC line put into his arm. It lead to the valve and delivered a heavy duty anti-biotic that was administered every day for 6 weeks. Luckily, the infection is gone and Mason is back to his athletic, fun-loving, goofy self.

TJ, Michelle, and Brandon at Rainbow Bridge
Brandon

TJ, Michelle, Jen, Nick

Brandon attempting to catch some large Carp

Mason in his hospital bed with his little sister

Mason's 9th Birthday - July 31

2010-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

For Mason's 9th Birthday, he and a group of his friends went to a water park in Golden, CO. They had a couple hours of fun on the slides before we got rained out. That's Colorado weather for you! Sunshine one hour, downpour the next. He got a lot of fun presents. He's really into wrestling and his favorite wrestlers right now are John Cena and Ray Mysterio. He's going to a new elementary school now and is doing well in school.

Birthday Boy

Zoo Time

2010-02-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

I took Brandon, Mason, and their cousins, Jake and Parks, to the Denver Zoo. It's a pretty neat zoo. They have lots of animals and it takes about 2 to 3 hours to see everything.

Brandon, Mason, Parks, and Jake

Can you see the brotherly love?

I love Mason's attitude in this picture. I think he was trying to be John Cena.

Lake Mead Summer 2009

2010-02-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

We've been neglecting our blog for over six months now, so I'll be posting some updates on what's been going on in our lives. In July of 2009, we went with the boys to Lake Mead. The boys had a great time, and Puppy even got to go. Our friends, Jen and Nick, and my family met us there. Brandon and Mason both got up on the wakeboard. It was a fast trip and a very long drive from Colorado, but we had fun in the sun.

Mason getting ready for the trip

TJ and Mason
Brandon and Puppy

Brandon and The Terminator

Michelle and Puppy

The Lake is exhausting!

Mason up on the wakeboard with instructor TJ in the background

Brandon riding the wake

Sheryll Lynne Photography

2009-07-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

We had professional pictures taken by our friend Sheryll on our anniversary while we were in Salt Lake. We LOVE them! She did a great job and we can't wait to visit her again when Brandon and Mason are with us!

{www.sheryll-lynne.com}

One year Anniversary (1 down eternity to go!)

2009-07-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well as most of you know we hit our 1 year anniversary and I wanted everyone to know how much I love My Michelle! She is truly wonderful, seldom complains, and is probably the only one that can quickly put me in place. I truly appreciate her easy going attitude and want everyone to know how much she has blessed my life. Here is a list of a few attributes of why I love My Michelle:

1) Her beautiful Smile
2) Her funny comments "Are you picking up what I'm putting down?"
3) Her Loyalty
4) The way she drives me crazy
5) How much she loves My Dog!
6) She is a great teacher (Thanks for the help with the boys and their homework)
7) The way she makes me smile
8) I could go on and on but most people know she is My Everything.

I Love My Michelle!

Take a look at our friend’s blog for some professional pics we took while out in Utah for our Anniversary.

http://sheryll-lynne.com/blog/

One Year Anniversary

2009-07-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

TJ and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on July 6th. We're in Utah for the week, so TJ took me to The Garden Room Restaurant at the Joseph Smith Building for dinner. It was nice to spend a nice night out on the town together.
I'm so glad to have my TJ in my life. He's a wonderful husband and a great father to Brandon and Mason {and Puppy}. Some of my favorite things about TJ:

-He's a lot of fun and makes me laugh. We have a great time together.

-He's always willing to help out around the house.

-He could strike up a conversation with a brick wall and become "buddies" within 10 minutes.

-He's a big deal.

-He works very hard to support our family.

-Beneath the tough exterior, he's a softy.

-He loves me and I love my TJ.

Happy anniversary!

Fun with Nick and Jen

2009-06-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Nick and Jen, our good friends from AZ, came to visit us. We were so excited to see them, and we had a great, fun-filled, packed weekend with them. Jen flew in on Wednesday. Brandon and I picked her up from the airport and we went to Pearl Street Mall in Boulder to eat lunch and do a little shopping.

On Thursday, Jen and I played basketball at the park with Brandon and Mason and then did some more shopping. Nick arrived that night, and we met Nick and Paul at a tasty Italian restaurant in Denver called Pasquini’s.

On Friday, Nick, Jen, Mason, and I went to the pool. Jen and I enjoyed some sun while we watched Nick entertain Mason in the water. We then went to Red Rocks Amphitheater to show the Styer’s a great view of Denver. Later, we met up with Paul and walked around 16th Street Mall {great people watching}. We finished the night by eating yummy homemade ice cream from Bonnie Brae’s.

Saturday was packed with activities. We drove to Estes Park and hiked to Alberta Falls. It was breathtaking! After the hike, we drove over the Continental Divide to Grand Lake and then on to Winter Park. We had dinner and spent the night there. The next morning, we rented bikes and rode on a trail up to the ski lifts. TJ decided to buy a ticket to the top and mountain-biked down, only sustaining minor injuries. We drove back to Denver and our friends had to go home. We had the best time and can’t wait for them to come back again!

TJ, Jen, and I at Red Rocks Amphitheater

Nick and Jen at Red Rocks
16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall
TJ busting a little move

Trying to be a Desperado

Nick and Paul enjoying their ice cream

So good!

Loving some Blueberry Pancakes

Estes Park

The boys

Alberta Falls

Brothers don't shake hands, brother's gotta hug!

Alberta Falls

TJ and the Falls

On the trail

We spotted these elk while crossing the Continental Divide

Big Horn Sheep

Grand Lake

Our bikes at Winter Park

Taking a water break

Frazier River Trail

TJ about to get on the lift. Luckily, he only sustained a small hand injury.

Father's Day!

2009-06-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well I decided that I needed to publically tell people how I feel about my father. Here is a man that has been there to support me through the good times and the bad. I often wonder what he thinks of the kid he decided to name Theodore Jenkins Badger III. Now that I'm 34 approaching 35 I have seen a lot and done a lot. I have made good decisions and bad ones. My father has always been there to lift me up, listened to me when the world has become unbearable and picked me up when I have fallen down. He is my hero, the one I look up to, and the one I wish I could be more like. He has truly been successful in raising a large family with a few of us with special needs. (Not that we are special ed) He has balanced a successful career along with a high commitment to his Heavenly Father and his church. I can remember how often we went and looked at cars and test drove them. I always love to spend time with My Dad. I hope as I continue to develop as a father that I can be more like my dad. Luckily I have a great wife who I love that will make sure that I'm doing what is right. I truly love her and I love you! Happy father's day :)

Harley Trip - Southern Utah

2009-06-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

Phew! This post was a very tedious one to create. We took a ton of pictures and they took FOREVER to load! We went on a Harley trip and toured the amazing sights of Southern Utah and Arizona. TJ said this is the best vacation he’s ever been on, so you KNOW it was a good time. TJ rented a Harley in Salt Lake on Thursday and we drove to St George {TJ on the bike, me in the car with Puppy}. We spent Thursday evening hanging out at my cousin, Kristen’s lovely house in St George with my family, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. On Friday morning, the trip officially started. We had 20 motorcycles and 38 people plus 1 chase vehicle and trailer {puppy rode in the truck. I still haven’t figured out how to safely fashion her to a Harley}. We went to Zion’s National Park and Moqui Cave and stayed in Kanab Friday night. We ate dinner at this restaurant in Kanab called the Rocking V Cafe. It is sooo delicious and unique. I’d highly recommend it if you’re ever in the area.
Saturday, we went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Lee’s Ferry and stayed the night in Page, AZ. We did a Poker Run each day of the trip, so that made it really fun.
Sunday, we visited this really cool slot canyon called Antelope Canyon. It’s on the Navajo Reservation just outside of Page. We went to Bryce Canyon and Kodochrome Park and stayed in Escalante, UT that night.
Monday, we saw Capitol Reef Park and stayed in Panguitch, UT. At dinner on Monday night, awards were given out for best dressed biker, etc. TJ won the award for BIGGEST BIKER WHANNA-BE! I thought it was the perfect award for TJ!
On Tuesday, our trip came to a end. On our way back to St George, we saw Cedar Breaks National Monument and Snow Canyon. We were so sad that the trip had to end because we had such a fantastic time! TJ is VERY tempted to get himself a motorcycle now, but that will have to wait until we have a place to put it. We’re ready to start planning a Colorado Harley Trip!

California Dreamin'

2009-06-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Puppy and I drove with my brother, Mark to California to see my parents. What was supposed to be a week long visit turned into a 3-week long vacation with TJ flying in for the last week. We had so much fun visiting my family and enjoying the awesome Cali weather. We celebrated Mother's Day, shopped, went to the movies, the beach, and rode the scooters to name a few things. Puppy, who is stuck in our apartment most of the time, had the time of her life getting lost in my parents house and playing in the yard. My parents are re-landscaping and replacing their concrete driveway with pavers. They have a beautiful new front gate too. The grass wasn't in yet, but that didn't stop Puppy from finding a nice dirt pile to lounge in. We went on walks every night and really enjoyed each other's company. When TJ arrived, we spent a day in San Diego with Stephen and Desirae. They fed us a delicious lunch of homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza and took us to a beach by their house with some cool walking trails. We love California!!!

Mom on Mother's Day

Mom and Me

Mom and Mark

Puppy lounging on the new driveway. It looks soo nice!

Beautiful new gate. It's going to look awesome when it's all finished!

Puppy and Mark wrestling. Not sure how happy Puppy is about this situation...

TJ and I at Stephen and Desirae's. We decided to take their Volvo to the beach. This is us trying out the back-facing seat in the rear. TJ decided it wasn't for him.

Brooklyn and I hanging out in the rear back seat. My favorite part of this picture is Brooklyn's upside down shades. Lookin' good!

We hiked down to this lookout above the beach.

Stephen, Desirae, Brooklyn, and sleeping Ian

On the beach! Stephen and Desirae really do live in paradise.

Baby Ian {look at those big blue eyes}

A typical scene: Dad and Puppy taking a nap together on the couch. Looks like a spoiled dog if you ask me!

Riding the scooters around the neighborhood

My Mom bought Puppy a new Frisbee. It used to look round and smooth {about 3 days prior to this picture}. Puppy started putting her head through the hole and we thought it was pretty funny looking. Check out the video clip:

On the ride home

She found her "spot" and looked like this for most of the 15 hour drive home

Wedding & Graduation - Our Crazy, Fun, Hectic Trip to Utah

2009-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a re-cap of our fabulous trip to Utah...

Wednesday: TJ, the boys, and I drove to Provo. We had Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites on CD for the boys to listen to. I finished reading The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It was a great read. We arrived in Provo around dinner time and had dinner with TJ's family. We stayed at my parent's condo in SLC that night.

Thursday: We drove back to Provo for Mark and Tracy's baby blessing. Little Ella is adorable and is was nice to have all the family there for the occasion. All the girls in the Badger family went to Jessica's baby shower that night. We played some fun games, ate, and watched Jessica open all her cute baby gifts.

Friday: TJ and the boys went to the rehearsal luncheon for his sister, Rebecca's wedding while I went with my parents to my brother's BYU graduation. Mark graduated in biology and plans to go to USC for dental school this fall. We had a celebratory dipped cone from Dairy Queen afterwards with Steve and Andra Duke. That night, we had a dinner party for Mark at the Spaghetti Factory. TJ hung out with his brothers while the Badger girls had Rebecca's bridal shower. After Mark's dinner, we had dessert at the condo.

Saturday: Rebecca and Tabor got married at 10:00 in the Salt Lake temple! The sealing was beautiful. It was rainy weather, but luckily it stopped while we were taking pictures. Their reception was that afternoon in the Joseph Smith Building. Rebecca looked beautiful and everything was just perfect. That night, my family went out to dinner at this delicious rib restaurant called Goodwood in Draper. I'm usually not a big fan of ribs because they're just more mess than they're worth, but these ribs were DELICIOUS! So worth having bbq sauce all over my face and hands. I'd highly recommend it. At dinner were the Dukes and my Uncle Ralph and his family. TJ and the boys spent time with the Badger family and celebrated TJ's brother, Mark's birthday.

We had so much fun seeing everyone. We don't get to see all the Badgers that often, so it was fun to spend time with everyone. Until the next wedding!!!

Easter

2009-04-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend has been fun. The Easter Bunny made it to our house! Mason had a soccer game on Saturday, and his team won 3-0. Yay! Mason played defense. TJ and the boys went to see Monsters vs Aliens 3D on Saturday afternoon while I put together their Easter baskets. That night, we dyed eggs. I was worried about dye getting on the carpet. Unfortunately, our table is on carpet (you'd think the people who design apartments would realize the danger to their carpet when they put it in the dining area). The boys were very careful though. While we were dying the eggs, I had some clothes in the laundry. Our washer and dryer are stacked on top of each other in a little closet, and we keep the huge container of liquid detergent on top of the unit. Every once in a while, our washer becomes unbalanced and starts to shake and make a lot of noise. This started happening, so I opened the laundry closet door to investigate and the brand new bottle of BLUE detergent fell to the floor and exploded EVERYWHERE. When I say everywhere, I mean all over the carpet, splattered across the room, dripping down the walls. I have no idea how it projected so far. I wish I had had the forethought to take a picture right after the disaster (for blogging purposes), but I was too worried about all the soap everywhere. Needless to say, our carpet is a pretty blue speckled color these days and we will be buying a carpet cleaner tomorrow. Hopefully the color comes out! Let's just say that I would rather the boys spill egg dye on the carpet than deal with the sudsy blue mess that was my Saturday night. Life is an adventure!

Brandon and Mason woke up Sunday morning to a scavenger hunt for their Easter baskets. Someone was sure good to them this year! Among all the candy was some silly putty and bubble blowers. Who would have thought that the bubbles would be the highlight of the day with our crazy dog chasing them around and trying to bite the bubbles mid-air (see video below).

We hope everyone has a great Easter!

Dying Easter Eggs

Pretty eggs

My Easter present

SLC - Conference Weekend

2009-04-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

TJ and I went to Salt Lake to spend conference weekend with my family. My Mom and I spent a lot of the weekend shopping for things to decorate my parent's condo. We returned a lot of things too (that's how my Mom rolls). Their condo is in a great location, and below are some pictures of the view from their balcony. TJ got tickets to the Priesthood Session and took my Dad and Mark. We also visited with my grandparents and Aunt Debra and Uncle Lyle. On Sunday, we made lunch and had my grandparents, Jessica, Skyler, and Rosalia over to watch the afternoon session and play games. Good times all around!

TJ and Me

TJ and Rosalia

Mark and Me

Conference Center, Temple Square, and Downtown

Church Office Building and Mountains

McCune Mansion

Capitol Building

Girls Weekend in AZ

2009-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I've been in Arizona visiting Jen and Nick. It was sooo nice to visit. I miss Arizona! The weather was great, and I was able to see a couple of my friends. I also hit up some Grimaldi's Pizza and Yogurberry. I'm addicted to both and they're not available in Colorado. On Thursday, I met up with my cousin Tiffany for lunch. She's always a riot! I love hearing about her crazy dating life. Friday, Jen and I got foot massages. I had a gift certificate, and it felt fantastic! Friday night, Jen and I went to dinner with our friend Laura and ate at Maria Maria at the Tempe Marketplace. They have some amazing guacamole there. On Saturday, we went to lunch and the flea market with Caitlin and dinner that night at Texas Roadhouse with Nick and Jen. Sunday was a rather unfortunate day because Louisville lost. My bracket isn't looking so hot now. Sad day. We went to a game night on Sunday night and saw some friends from our old singles ward. On Monday, I saw my good friend Amber and visited the Bendixen's and their cute baby. It was nice to have a little vacation and hang out with the Styers!

Jen and Me

Laura and Me

Nick and Jen

Amber and Me

Everyone was disappointed TJ didn't come, but he stayed home with Puppy and Brandon and Mason and had a boys weekend at home. The day after I left, Denver got 18 inches of snow. I left just in time! The boys had snow days on Thursday and Friday. TJ treated them to a couple matinees and a new wrestling video game, which was the hit of the weekend. They saw Hotel for Dogs and 12 Rounds with John Cena (Mason's favorite wrestler). Puppy got to experience some serious snow. TJ took her out to the little field by our house to let her run around in the powdery goodness, and it was almost up to her shoulders. She got stuck a few times. Pretty funny!

Popcorn Popping

2009-03-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's here! It's finally here! Spring has arrived in Denver. Since spring is my favorite season, I had to take some pictures of the pretty blossoms we've been seeing. I wish they would stick around all year!

Pearl Street Mall and Estes Park

2009-03-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

TJ and I went to Pearl Street Mall in Boulder with our friend Paul. Pearl Street Mall is an outdoor mall with a bunch of unique shops and places to eat. There's tons of great people watching too! We had lunch, looked in a bunch of shops, and tried to find Paul a date. JK! Paul moved here from Mesa about a month ago and it's been fun having one of our Arizona friends to hang out with. After lunch and browsing, we decided to make a little trip to Estes park. It's about 30 minutes from Boulder and sits against beautiful mountains. We saw some Elk and great scenery. It was such a beautiful day and it was nice to get outside and do some exploring around our area.

TJ and I at Pearl Street Mall

The Courthouse at Pearl Street

TJ wishing and hoping for a pair of Ed Hardy sunglasses

Estes Park

Elk off the side of the road in Estes Park

Paul posing for the ladies

An Unfortunate Game of H-O-R-S-E... for TJ!

2009-03-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

TJ, Brandon, Mason, Puppy, and I went to the park to shoot some hoops. The weather has been great lately, so we decided to make the most of it. We played a few games of HORSE and I must admit; I've got some skill. I beat TJ! I don't mean to brag, but there aren't many areas where I outshine TJ. It was really fun playing with the boys. The trees are starting to bud (just barely). Can't wait for spring!!!

TJ making his move past Brandon

Puppy having a little fun at the playground

Me attempting the Reverse Granny

Mason's Baptism

2009-03-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Mason was baptised on February 28. We were so excited to have Ted, Eric, Cindy, Jessica, and Rosalia come out and support Mason. All the Provo people arrived late Friday night, and Ted flew in Saturday morning. We went to Brandon's basketball game (which he won) and then Mason's baptism was Saturday afternoon. Ted gave a great talk on baptism and Mason was baptised and confirmed by TJ. After the baptism, Mason's Grandma Jones had a little celebration at her house with all Mason's relatives. After the party, Ted took us out to eat Chinese food at this excellent little restaurant called Chop Stix. The rest of the evening was spent playing Wii, watching movies, and spending time together. We're so glad Mason has made the decision to be baptised, and we're very grateful to have such supportive Badger relatives. Thanks to all who made the trip!

TJ and Mason

Eric, Cindy, and Mason

Jessica and Mason

Rosalia and Mason

Brandon and Baby Cora

Ted, TJ, and Mason

Mason's Baptism Celebration

The Badger Group

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

Brandon and Mason came to our house for Valentine's Day and we decided to decorate sugar cookies with them. They did a great job! TJ was sick and declined to be in any of the pictures, so here are pics of me and the boys making our cookies.

Happy Birthday to TJ and TJ's Big News

2009-01-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday! TJ turned 34 on January 26th. We were talking about his birthday and I started to say, "Wow, you're 34. That's old. Next year you're going to be..." TJ promptly cut me off and said, "Don't even say it!" I think TJ is still 25 at heart :) We celebrated by going out to dinner and to a movie. Hopefully 34 will be a great year!

TJ also got a pleasant surprise on his Birthday. He received a promotion to Assistant Vice President. We're so happy that his hard work has been recognized. Good job TJ!

It's been a while...

2009-01-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we posted an update, so here's a bunch for your reading pleasure.

We went to Scottsdale, AZ for Thanksgiving. My's parents have a timeshare there. The weather was great. We were able to see our friends, Jen and Nick and also Amber and Mike. Good times!

TJ has been trying to persuade me to hop on board with the idea of him shaving his head. I've resisted for awhile for fear that his head without hair may not be as smooth as one would like. Well, I finally caved and he shaved it off. It actually didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would.

We went to Louisiana to spend Christmas with TJ's family. We had a great time. Since there were quite a few of us there (22 adults and 16 children), TJ's parents planned some really fun activities. They rented out the local bowling alley one day and the skating rink another day. TJ even got to ride in the giant skate!

If you thought it was odd that TJ and all his brothers were sporting a little something extra on their faces, that's because they had their mustache contest!

It was so fun seeing everyone. Thanks Ted and Evelyn for everything!

On our way home, we stopped in Dallas to visit my friend Natasha and her husband Jacob. It's been a couple years since I've seen her so it was great to visit with them. I wish we lived closer! We drove back to Colorado and then on to Utah to visit my family for New Years. We visited with my relatives, watched the Utah game, and went to a couple of movies. The holidays were a great time for us!

Our Place

2008-11-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

By the request of a few, we've finally gotten around to posting some pictures of our new place. We like our new apartment!

Kitchen

Dining Room

Living Room

Our Bedroom

Our Bedroom

Our Bathroom

Brandon and Mason's Bedroom

Guest Bathroom

TJ's Office/Corner

Halloween

2008-11-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year, Brandon decided to be a 'Chick Magnet' and Mason was a WWE wrestler (I don't remember the name of the guy he dressed as; I'm not as up-to-date on my wrestling characters these days). Puppy was a pretty balerina! This was of course against her own will, but she was a good sport. She didn't really have a choice! My favorite is the second picture with Mason giving the camera the fist. Funny boys! They trick-or-treated in their grandma's neighborhood with their cousins. We brought Puppy and walked with Mason, but Brandon opted to go without us. I think he's getting to the age where going trick-or-treating with dad isn't cool anymore.
We also went to our ward's Halloween party. It was actually a combined ward activity with 3 wards. Maybe I grew up in a ward where every activity was a major event and the ward activities committee were probably over-acheivers, but TJ and I both agree that it was just okay. It was good to go out and support though! I think if they had had a costume contest, Brandon would have won for sure. He had a pretty good costume!

Goodbye Arizona, Hello Colorado!

2008-10-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

We've moved! We're now residents of Arvada, CO. Although we really miss Arizona, we're excited to live closer to Brandon and Mason. For our first adventure in CO, we took a day trip with the boys and Puppy to see the leaves changing. We went through Estes Park and along Trail Ridge Road. We ended up in Grand Lake where we ate lunch and hiked to Adam's Falls. The weather was beautiful and we had a fantastic time! If you're ever in the Denver area, please come see us!

TJ's New Look - a.k.a The Badger Christmas Challenge

2008-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

To all the Badger brothers and brother-in-laws:
Sport your best beard/stache for Christmas in Louisianna this year. Below are a few pictures of what TJ can grow after 10 days. You think you can beat this???

Lake Powell

2008-09-19T14:49:00.002-07:00

TJ and Puppy got to experience Lake Powell this year. We had a blast with my family. Incase you were wondering, Puppy has shoes, sunglasses, a life vest, and a hat. She's a spoiled girl! She was a little terrified of the water at first, but by the end of the trip, she was comfortable enough to be in the water if she was on the floaty raft.

Louisville

2008-09-19T14:49:00.001-07:00

We went to Louisville in August. Our friends Nick and Jen got married! I don't know how it happened, but I have zero pictures of their wedding. I guess I figured the photographer would cover all that. We do have some pictures of the fun stuff we did while we were there. We visited the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Muhammad Ali Museum, and Churchill Downs. Even though we were there in mid-August, the weather was great. No humidity! We really lucked out there. Kentucky is beautiful!!!

We're married!!!

2008-07-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

We got married on the beach in Hawaii on July 6, 2008. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the Princeville Hotel. We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous setting or perfect day! Michelle's family, the Wolfgramm's, the Allen's, and the Whitmore's were able to join us for our special day. We're so excited to start our new life together and we couldn't be happier!

Hawaii

2008-07-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

TJ and I went to Hawaii with my family. We had a great time! We golfed, snorkeled, zip-lined, swam, tanned, relaxed, and oh yeah... got married! You can see our wedding pictures in the next post.