Memorial Day

Before the race

I have been wanting to run a 5K as a family - everyone is old enough to do it now, and I thought it would be a fun tradition to start.  I knew we needed to train with Caroline, but I knew she could do it.

Well, Eric found a race for this morning - the Race for the Pennant.  It started and ended at Minute Maid Stadium.  We figured this out about 1 week ago, so no training for Caroline - but I ran/walked with her and she was a total trooper.  Kelsey ran with Allie and Eric and Sophie ran together.

All pics from Eric's cell phone.  Not too bad for a cell.  This one was Kelsey's idea - Eric was too cool to put his chip on his shoe, he left it on his bib.  Nice Eric.

Everyone finished and had a good time. We do need to work up to it and train some more for next time, but I think it will be a fun tradition to do as a family. We just need to convince Ryan to run when he gets home....




After the race - it was hot and humid, but we did it!



It Made Me Smile



Elder Pearson and Elder Bohanan out tracting.

I got an email today from a stranger - someone who saw Ryan out tracting and took the picture and sent it.  She does not know him, but saw him out doing what he should be doing and was inspired to send these pictures along.



Elder Pearson and Elder Bohanan, May 25, 2011

 Ryan comes home in about four months.  I can't believe we have made it 20 months.....  The time is flying by.  I still miss him, but know he is serving the Lord and doing what he should.  It is so nice to see him smiling, walking on a beautiful day.  A glimpse into his day today.  Thank you Sister Smith from Logan, Utah.  You made me smile.

Our Weekend in Photos

Soccer.  President's Cup.  Needed to win final game to win and go on to regions in Alabama.  Went up 1-0 with 30 seconds to go.  Ref added 2 minutes for "wasted time" a la drama queen who rolled around on the ground to get calls - one of their players.  They scored with 10 seconds to spare.  Causing a tie.  A tie allowed them to move on and not us.  Tough weekend, but also good competition.  And Sophie got a yellow card.... (something she is proud of...)   Unfortunately no picture of that.

This is a physical game.



Yes, that is a push to the back - nothing called. 




It was hot - and hot =swimming.  Allie and Caroline messing around outside in the pool.



Allie jumping



Caroline jumping



Caroline, Mary Ellen, and Allie on a photo shoot




Brooklyn and Kelsey ready for work.

Kelsey got a job at Tombolini's.  It is close, she can walk, and it seems to be working out OK for now.  She worked Friday and Saturday. 
And Finally, Kelsey went to the band banquet with her new FBO, Face Book Official, boyfriend Aaron.  They went on their first "official" date on Friday night.  He seems to be a nice boy.

That is all.  This is the last week of school - at least as far as instruction is concerned.  Toward the end of the week it will be finals for the older girls.  Also, it is the last couple of weeks for me to have a child in the elementary school.  Allie and Caroline will be in the intermediate next year.  15 straight years of students in the elementary school will come to an end.  Kinda sad - and kinda exciting all at the same time.

Can I just say, for the 100th time, I HATE THE END OF SCHOOL!  There, now I feel a little better.  Off to face the week.

Easter 2011



Caroline at her Faith In God Activity

 We had a pretty low-key Easter this year. I had been traveling like a crazy woman – gone 17 out of 21 days straight, and it was just nice to all be in the same place at the same time.


A few pictures of our celebration which included an egg hunt at the church for Allie and Caroline’s church group (Allie is missing – she was at another friends house).



Yes, Sophie is taller than Kelsey



And yes Keasey and Caroline are almost the same height.

No Easter is complete without the puking bunny. When Eric and I were married, we were given this pitcher as a wedding present. Eric thought it was funny, and as the kids got older they have all enjoyed making puking sounds as we pour water from the pitcher into glasses. It is now part of our celebration – not sure why it is so enjoyable, but what can I say?

Next Easter Ryan will be home! Hard to believe, but it is true.



Ryan's lonely Easter Basket



Laura and Steven Linford

Steven and Laura

My youngest brother tied the knot on April 9, 2011. The wedding was in the San Diego Temple which required a trip to sunny CA. I went out the week before the wedding for work, and the Eric flew in for the wedding.


We were only missing two siblings, so a fun time was had by all. There was laughing, playing and of course the wedding. The wedding was beautiful, and the San Diego Temple is just gorgeous. It was a little cold, but hey, it is better than the heat of Houston!



Michelle, Melissa, Big Al, Carrie and Megan at the beach

 It is hard for me to believe Steven is married. We are 21 years apart – he was born after Eric and I were married, hence the joke Eric is more a part of the family than Steven is. He and Ryan are 16 months apart, and it many respects grew up more like brothers than uncle/nephew. Steven was going to live with Ryan when Ryan returned from his mission – I guess that won’t be happening…. I have always felt very maternal towards Steven – not really his mother, but more than just a sister. When he was younger he would come to our house and enjoy being the oldest not the baby. I think in many respects he still considers himself the girls older brother – and he watches out for them and tries like the rest of us to keep Kelsey in line…

Steven chose a wonderful mate in Laura. She is funny, easy to be with, and does not feel intimidated when she is in a room full of Linfords – and that is a feat. They seem to balance each other in a wonderful way.

I think what was hard is the realization that could be Ryan soon. My eldest son could, and most likely, will be married in the next few years. How crazy is that??? I am not sure I am ready for that. How are you supposed to stop thinking as your son as your baby, and allow him to go and fall in love with some other woman?? I guess I will have to find that out – lucky for me I have at least four more months with him safely tucked away on a mission.

Since the wedding was in California, Laurie and Richard brought all their kids. Matt and Julie also brought their kids, we were the only meanies who came alone, so the cousins had tons of fun. Notice how they spent the time after the wedding waiting around for pictures.




When you are bored you roll down the hill, duh.



Steven and Laura with the Linford Grandchildren who were there - everyone but the Pearsons.



I think Jonah liked the cake!

I am grateful to be a part of a large family. I am glad my children have the influence of so many wonderful aunts and uncles who help Eric and I as we try and raise them. I appreciate the insights they can give, and how they care about all those Pearson kids. When you go to a wedding, and see everyone together, it makes you realize family is truly what matters the most. We were missing Crazy Uncle Patrick who was being tortured at the time, special forces selection, and Rich Uncle Mark who was getting richer in NYC (could not get away from work). However, to get 8 of the 10 of us at the same place at the same time was pretty wonderful.


The Linfords and the Weeks (Laura's Family)

So, congratulations Laura and Steven. Who will get married next? We still have single Linfords, and the grandchildren are reaching marriage age… Only time will tell.

North Carolina



Challenge A and B Teams at Duke.

 The weekend before trek, Sophie and I went to North Carolina with her soccer team. When this was first presented, it was to play games. Well, as time went on, after tickets were purchased, it was billed as a chance to visit colleges – oh and play a few games.

At UNC Greensboro - Go Spartans.

Since Sophie has been sufficiently brainwashed into thinking her only higher education option is BYU, this was not really applicable to her. But, it was a good chance to get a glimpse into playing soccer on the collegiate level. We visited North Carolina State, Duke, Wake Forest, UNC, and UNC Greensboro. They played a few games, and spent time bonding with their team.   We both loved Duke - it is gorgeous.  Then we learned how much tuition is - and while it was still beautiful, well......



Sophie overlooking Duke football field.



Sophie with team-mates Maddie and Tori at Duke. 

Pioneer Trek

[Note: the next few posts are for our family history - since I have been AWOL for about 2 months...  feel free to ignore if you want]

Over spring break our stake did a handcart Trek.  This is a strange phenomenon which has otherwise normal and sane people dress like pioneers and reenact some of the experiences the Mormon Pioneers had crossing the plains.

This whole thing stared last summer and I thought it was great until we were asked to be a Ma and Pa.  Spending 4 days in the elements with kids who were not my kids did not sound all that exciting.  Yes I had a bad attitude (shocking I know).  And yes, that seemed to get worse the more time that passed.

The time came to leave - after months of preparation and ENDLESS number of meetings.  I was a little more excited, but to be honest, I had been crazy with work and other stuff and I was tired.  Eric and I crammed on our way up to our trek destination - Lampassas Texas.

Part of our preparation was to learn a pioneer story about a family member - or really anyone.  We got a bracelet and we wrote the name of the person we were walking for on it.  Since I had relatives in the Willie Handcart company, Eric and I "walked" for them - John and Maria Linford.

We had an amazing family.  I was shocked how well we all got along. 



Pearson Family - Cypress Trek 2011

 This picture was the first day - we were still relatively clean, and not sure what to think.



Pearson Family gathering for the first time.

   We were getting to know everyone, and getting ready to load the handcart and move out.  That was an experience in and of itself, but we did it. 




Pa Pearson helping out front




Pearson Family trekking.  Proof Ma did pull - at least once!

On the last day there were two interesting experiences.  One was crossing water, the other was the Women's Pull.

The water crossing was slow, but we managed to get everyone across.  Here is a picture of Sophie's family crossing.




The Armadillos crossing the river.

 The Women's pull surprised me.  There were many times when these pioneer women had to shoulder the burden alone - either because the men went off to war, or because of death.  The following is from a letter I wrote to Ryan right after - so it sums up my feelings when they were still fresh.


"One of the most spiritual parts for me came on what is known as the womans pull. They have all the men and boys walk off - sort of reenacting when the men and boys left to go to the Mormon battalion. It left the woman and children behind to keep the carts moving. You know me, I am not a "weak woman" I don't think I need anyone to help me do things. 

We were the first handcart - cause our family is as competitive as we are and we made sure we were number one that day. Anyway, we stood there as all the men and boys left and it took my breath away. It was so weird, and eerily silent. We then went and talked with Sister Bitter - the stake YW president. She talked about this is not to prove we are as tough as the boys, but to show us that we can do hard things - and sometimes Heavenly Father wants us to do hard things.




Sophie praying during Women's Pull meeting.

As she was talking I looked down at my wrist with my wrist band on. I see the name Maria Linford. She had to bury her husband on the banks of the Sweetwater River - and keep walking. She still had two sons to get to Zion. She did not have time to mourn - she had to be a strong woman and really had to do hard things. She was half starved, freezing to death, and had to keep going. Her husband died the day help arrived.  She did not waiver.  And on his deathbed, she asked her husband if he regretted coming - his answer was no.  The faith they both had is amazing.  It was as if she was right there with me teaching me.


Sophie on the Women's Pull.

 We then had to walk and pull the handcarts on our own. They pulled in some of the women who were there in other capacities to help. We only had three girls and me, so we had two people help us. Remember we were first. We did not have the experience of those who had gone before us.  I was on the back of the handcart - so I went in blind. We had to pull/push it up a a pretty steep slope, with rocks and things that caught up the cart along the way. Lining the hill were all the men and boys. They were singing Nearer my God to Thee. They were not able to help. They just had to be there to give us quiet "moral support" I can't explain why it was so moving to me. When we got the cart up, we went back down to help another group up. We did that a few times.  The spirit was so strong at that moment.




Kelsey on the Women's Pull.

 What it showed me is two things. I need to rely on others. Just because I can do it myself does not mean I should. It also reminded me of Christ. He is always there on the side - letting us go through hard stuff, but he is always there as our personal cheerleader. We just need to reach out to him. What did surprise me is how hard is was on the boys/men. All the boys in our group thought is was so hard to watch their "ma" and sisters struggle and push that cart up the hill. They wanted to jump in and help us - or save us. One of our sons said he thought it was really mean of them to make him watch that. He did not understand why that was productive."  Eric did not feel like he had to save us - but was grateful for the experience we had.


In the end I was so glad we were selected to be a Ma and Pa.  I was able to totally unplug - get away from everything and live in the moment.  The planning and execution of the event was flawless, and I was grateful for everyone from the equipment folks, to the food people - and the photographers for all their great pictures.

We had fun.  We learned some things.  And we are all better people in the end.  Some random pictures from the Trek.



Kelsey with her family.



Eric at a morning devotional - notice the "pioneer" diet coke?

Stick pull - Sophie vs Kelsey.  Guess who won?



Ma and Pa Pearson



The REAL Pearson Family.

Mother's Day

Some of my treats from Mother's Day, 2011.



Skyping with Ryan for the last time before he comes home

 We got to have our one hour call via Skype - thank you to the Huffman Family for opening their home on mother's day for two elders to call home...  It was a wonderful way to end Mother's Day.  (on a side note, we did get his release date - Ryan is coming home August 29, 2011)

Caroline made me this lovely bird at school....

Allie made me this card.... Now Allie is known for the tale she can tell.  She is full of it - and I think she really does believe the stuff she writes...

Not to be outdone by her younger sister, I received this from Kelsey

And Sophie built me a cake......

 It was a great day and I am grateful to be a mother to this whole tribe of people.