Michael Christopher Becomes a Deacon

Michael Christopher Atwood was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his father, Michael Andrew Atwood on May 2, 2010. Other priesthood holders assisting with the event: Bishop Tony Mohr; Grandfather, Michael Richard Atwood; and First Counselor, Mike Blaylock. Andy and Melanie belong to the Bellevue First Ward and live in Clyde Hill, Washington.
The other family members in attendance were back row: Grandmother Marilyn, Kambri, Melanie and Andy. Front row: McKayla, Michael and Milo. Not pictured was grandfather Mike Atwood taking the picture and getting Milo to smile after grammy's attempt had failed.Michael and mother, Melanie, both celebrated birthdays in the month of April. Their birthday dinner later that evening had a menu that everyone enjoyed. Andy prepared salmon three different ways and Melanie made Oriental Green Beans, homemade French bread and Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake. (Find the recipe on myhappinessishomemade.blogspot.com)

GO COUGARS!

Last Christmas, I gave my grandchildren BYU shirts hoping to make them cougar fans. Here are Rachel and Kirk's little ones wearing their shirts. Rachel told me it’s one of Noah's favorite shirts and he always wants to wear it. Whenever Halle has her shirt on, Noah has to wear his too. They are two cute little cougar fans.
Here is Noah, practicing his dribble. He looks pretty serious and that's what it takes to be a good player, right?
Noah just turned two years old in January and already knows how to shoot and make baskets. I guess he is taking after his "Papa Mike".

Baby Jake Cooper "Number Nineteen"

HAPPY DAY! Allison and Jared Cooper had their little boy 3 weeks early, and Jake was 21 inches and weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces. If he would have come on his due date (Feb 20th) he probably would have been over 10 pounds. I love the day he came: one day after great grandmother Darlene's birthday, Groundhog Day and February 2nd. The numbers are fun and should be easy to remember: 02/02/2010. They add up to be a 7. (If you're into numerology, that is his lucky number.)

Allison looks wonderful and is doing great. The labor was shorter than her first (29 hours) but the pushing was a lot harder than Makenna's birth. He was posterior (sunny side up) and it took a toll on the little guy. He was quite swollen and his head was a misshaped and bruised. He also had low blood sugar so he was fed formula and in an incubator for a while. Otherwise, he is a doing great and looks quite healthy. We are all celebrating that he is here. Mike and I now have 19 grandchildren: eleven boys and eight girls.

Pictured above: Allison, newborn Jake , Jared and Makenna (4 years old and not sharing her germs)

'Rocky's Smile' Teaches Children about Dental Health

February is National Children's Dental Health Month sponsored by the American Dental Association. Chair for Provo District’s Dental Health Committee, Sharon Wiest, has organized a puppet show. With the help of many volunteers, the show will be presented at 30 elementary schools in Utah valley during the month. “Rocky’s Smile” was also presented at the Spanish Fork library on February 8th where parents were able to bring their families and enjoy the show together.

"Rocky's Smile” was written by Lisa Arrington and is brought to life by marionette puppets designed and hand made by Ree Roper. This fun and educational puppet show is a great way to entertain children and at the same time teach them about the importance of taking care of their teeth. A demonstration of how to brush and floss is a new addition to the show this year. Children will learn that regular visits to the dentist can help keep their smiles bright and beautiful.

In the picture above from left to right: Sharon Wiest, Ree Roper, Cathy Bennett, Allison Atwood, Elisabeth Oldham and Marilyn Atwood are a few of the volunteers that helped with the puppet show this year.

Atwood, Darrington Wedding

Dr. and Mrs. Mike and Marilyn Atwood of Salem are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter, Rebecca, to Levi Jacob Darrington, son of Mr. Larry Darrington of Columbus, Ohio and Ms. Pamela Darrington of Springville. They will be married in the Salt Lake Temple on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Grandparents of the bride are Dick and Darlene Atwood, of Spanish Fork. Grandfather of the groom is Cleamon Hively of Rexburg, Idaho.

Rebecca graduated from Spanish Fork High School and has been attending Utah Valley University. She is working towards a degree in nursing. She served a mission for the LDS church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Levi graduated from Bellbrook High School in Ohio and Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He received a bachelor’s degree in aviation and is presently employed as an air traffic controller in the Washington D.C. area. He served a mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Following their marriage, the couple will make their first home in Leesvurg, Virginia.

Dr. and Mrs. Mike and Marilyn Atwood of Salem are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter, Rebecca, to Levi Jacob Darrington, son of Mr. Larry Darrington of Columbus, Ohio and Ms. Pamela Darrington of Springville. They will be married in the Salt Lake Temple on Saturday, July 25, 2009. Grandparents of the bride are Dick and Darlene Atwood, of Spanish Fork. Grandfather of the groom is Cleamon Hively of Rexburg, Idaho.

Rebecca graduated from Spanish Fork High School and has been attending Utah Valley University. She is working towards a degree in nursing. She served a mission for the LDS church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Levi graduated from Bellbrook High School in Ohio and Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He received a bachelor’s degree in aviation and is presently employed as an air traffic controller in the Washington D.C. area. He served a mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Following their marriage, the couple will make their first home in Leesvurg, Virginia.

Rachel and Kirk Move to New York

The Johnson family now reside in Tarrytown, New York. Kirk will be getting a degree in oral surgery and Rachel will be busy taking care of her cute little children, Halle and Noah. We will miss Kirk and Rachel who loved to go horseback riding and hanging out with Mike and I.
Here are the 2009 grand babies and their mothers. I call them "twin cousins" since they are only about three months apart. Maranda is holding Kamryn who was born January 16th and Rachel is holding Halle Virginia who was born April 6th, a day before my mother's birthday.
Kirk, Noah and Rachel are pictured here the day we celebrated her February birthday. She has always requested Angel Cake on her birthday served with raspberries and whipped cream. She was "number eight" my angel baby. I'm sure glad I talked Mike into having one more child.
I really miss little Noah who was the 13th grandchild. He loves music and horses so I made up new lyrics to his favorite song "Ghost Riders in the Sky". When we sing his special song to him, he responds by moving back and forth like he was riding a horse. He's our cute little cowboy.

Encore! Chamber Musicians Perform

The “Encore! Chamber Muscians” presented a spring concert on Wednesday, May 6th at the Salem Community Center. These very talented young musicians have been preparing for the concert by taking private lessons as well as orchestra rehearsals each week. The hard work of the students and their directors was worth the effort as they presented a wonderful concert with numbers that included classical music from some of the great composers such as Mozart and Mendelssohn. Other performances this year included concerts at elementary schools in the area and at the Covey Center in Provo. Many of these young children participated in the Utah Valley String Festival placing first or second in their age groups. Some were chosen to play in the Honors Recital and awarded scholarships to several different quality summer orchestra camps.

Junior Orchestra, front row left to right: Legend Carter, David Finley, Joshua Hatton, Madeline Stone, Andrew Hale, Bethany Graham, Johnathan Tanner, Anna Tanner, Isaac Oldham. Back row, left to right: Sven Jamsa, Darby Thomas, Elisabeth Oldham, Andrea Bailey, Callie Peterson, Denise Jamsa, Bethany Davis, Amber Bailey, Rebecca Thompson and Rachel Christensen.

The Junior Orchestra is made up of children ranging in age from 7 to 12. It is under the direction of Denise Jamsa, a free lance violinist and teacher who helped organize the orchestra two years ago. She wanted to help her children and students learn to play together in an orchestra and give them opportunities to share their talents by performing. Another ourstanding teacher and free lance violinist, Andrea Bailey, is her assistant.

Senior Orchestra, front row left to right: Jacob Searcy, Benjamin Hale, Johnathan Hale and June Curtis. Back row left to right: Jocelyn Baker, Maren Williams, Ambrynn Bowman, Marcel Bowman, Savannah Stone and Taylor Stilson.

Marcel Bowman is the conductor for the Senior Orchestra made up of students attending Junior High school. As a free lance violinist he has experience performing with many symphonies including the Utah Symphony and Ballet West. He has a bachelor's and master's degree in music and teaches orchestra at the American Leadership Academy where the weekly rehearsals are held during the school year. Marcel is assisted by his wife, Monika, a free-lance cellist and teacher.

Auditions for both orchestras will be held in August. If you are interested in your children performing with them, contact Melinda Oldham at 801-423-1976.