Braydn's Great Week

(I added Braydn's email in here because it is the only update on the Bartschi Family we have. So to any of you younger kids........ Write or send Pix and it will be posted. Thanx Braydn)

I've been doing good . I tried out for a volleyball team and made it. So last week we had our first tournament in Salt Lake and we got second place out of the whole tournament!!!! We were way excited! And today we had our first basketball game but we lost to this one team but we did pretty good. Well tell the family hi and that i love them!!

Braydn

Marlowe Family - January 4th ,2008

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season…the new year has begun and there are 346 days until next Christmas, but who’s counting? Christmas evening Mark told the kids that the next Christmas day was only 356 days away. The last couple of days Kellen has asked when Santa is coming again…to him it will seem forever a way, but the past year seemed to go pretty fast. …Thanks for the family cards/pictures and phone calls. Although we had a nice holiday there is something missing when you don’t spend some of the holiday with family. We missed you. …We had a nice New Year’s eve with a family from the ward (Greg and Jill Hauck…she is from IF and her sister used to be in the Hansen’s old ward…Jennifer Landeen). We played games, we ate food, we watched fireworks over the lake in the back yard. It was nice…and then Mikayli called Grandma Kunz on the way home and heard that they were having a big party with grandkids and riding the snowmachine in the backyard. You could tell she wasn’t too sure about that…perhaps she had missed out!…but, the kids have been understanding and know that our time will come.

I heard from dad that each of you toured the Rexburg temple on the 1st. What an amazing way to begin the new year. I think your all very lucky to have two temples so close…even if one is “more beautiful”. Haha

Over Christmas we were asked by the elders to help decorate an investigators Christmas tree…she is in a wheel chair. We went one evening thinking it would be a small, humble tree. It was huge and she had hundreds of fragile ornaments. Her house was not child proof as well (4 feet tall Lladros and glass vegetables and glass flowers on the tables and shelves). …it all worked out and we put her tree together (she hasn’t had it up for 5 years) and it was beautiful. She then had pizza delivered. The kids were hungry until the box was opened to see pizza covered with peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, … kind of funny. We have had the chance to drop by her house a couple of times. She is very kind and very alone. She is getting baptized on Sunday. She will be baptized at the mission home because it has a heated swim pool. She let me know this morning that she will be attending church with a different ward from know on because she has
found free transportation through Broward county that is not offered in Dade County. I talked to the other wards Bishop this morning and he said that several ward members will be in attendance at the Baptism on Sunday. The sister missionaries will meet her at the new
church building on Sunday…I hope she is loved. I told the Bishop that she would be a wonderful service project for the YW…visits, cleaning, etc. We have really come to love Katherine and admire her strength. Our family will be greatly blessed by continuing our friendship.

We have several neighbors that we enjoy as well. Nichole and Paul a family from Haiti with an 11 year old and 5 year old boys, Dee…a single and retired school teacher whose daughter lives in New York, Archie and Nita who take care of her 100 year old mom, Cliff and Evelyn who are in their mid 80’s, Gloria and Brock…he is a busy pilot, and Alice and Jon Johan (from Holland) whose daughters (Elina and Laura) are adored by Anna and Mikayli. We spent Christmas Eve at a family members (the Inza’s) house that cooked up a ton of Cuban food. It was very good…since several mormon families with lots of kids came the Inza’s rented a bounce house and
put it in the back yard. The kids jumped until they couldn’t move… and at about 9:00 it started to rain and Anna was drenched…it was a perfect time to get home and have a Christmas Eve “Devotional”. Mark read the Nativity Scriptures and then we watched Joy to the World. The kids opened their Christmas Eve present (p.j.’s) and went right to bed. They were all excited to leave oats and water out for the reindeer and cookies and milk out for Santa. Santa did find our kids here… He brought Mikayli rollerblades, and i-pod shuffle, and a Leap Frog Globe.
Anna got a Doll House/Book Case…she still loves her Barbies, she got a Princess Ceramic Tea Set, and a Leapster… He brought Kellen a pirate ship, some Llincoln Logs, and a Leapster
as well. And Max got an A-Z Fisher Price Zoo and a Geo Trax train set with the Conductors hat.
After a nice and relaxed Christmas morning we did make it to the beach…we only lasted an hour (Mark and Mikayli swam the whole time, while the rest of us hung out in the sand).

That is our Christmas run down…it comes and goes so quickly… Just wanted to write a few things down before I begin wondering what we did …


Hope you are all doing great.
We love all our family.
Mark, Michelle, Mikayli, Anna, Kellen and Max

Sunday November 18, 2007

Just wanted to drop a line and say hi to everyone. The weather has finally cooled off a little bit here in south Florida. Michelle and I were laughing the other day, the weather man said "You better get your blankets and sweaters out of the closet tonight because it's going to drop into the upper 50's!" He went on to say, "The expected high tomorrow (last Tuesday) is 72, and if it doesn't get above 72 degrees, it will be the coldest day on record since February 19th of this year." These Idahoans are really struggling through these "cold fronts". We went to the beach last Sunday afternoon to take some family pictures for Christmas cards and the water was still
very warm. The locals tell us that the weather will be heavenly until about the beginning of May when the heat will return. We have an extra bedroom and hope some of you will come visit. We can't wait to see Deidre in February!
It occurred to Michelle and I the other day that we live miles and miles from any pine trees or anything that would resemble a traditional Christmas tree. We asked one of the neighbors and were told that you can get one, but they are very, very expensive. After being snowed in during Christmas in Colorado last year, we are sure this Christmas will be quite unique.
Ann Romney (Mitt's wife) attended our sacrament meeting this morning. She sat in back with her brother who lived in Florida for several years. Her brother is helping to organize a lot of the
campaigning here and is good friends with our stake president who is in our ward. We had wonderful talks from two missionaries who are finishing their missions this week and returning home on Thanksgiving day. The elder is from Portland Oregon and the sister is from Guam,
Micronesia. The missionary work here is amazing, we have seen many families come into the ward since we've been here, and it seems like there are baptisms at least a couple times a month. Michelle and I find ourselves answering questions about the church every day. It's
amazing how much the church has been brought into the spotlight. For those not in the Kunz Klan, Michelle's youngest brother, Tyler, recently received his mission call to the Mexico, Mexico City East Mission. Our kids have already begun praying for you Tyler.
Hope you all have a great week. We love you all,
Mark, Michelle, Mikayli, Anna, Kellen, and Max.....The Miami Marlowe's

Where In the WORLD is TY-TY.

UPDATE: Dad is also up to Eric's challenge...the person guessing the exact mission will receive a crisp $100 and the one closest will receive a $50 bill. Oh, this kind of makes the mix interesting. Good Luck!
***********************************************************************************

Where in The WORLD is TY-TY going to on his Mission??? Well you can now GUESS where and you may WIN!!!

Alright you are not going to win anything unless Lana and Neil ante-up some $$$ (cuz I am poor).

How do you do it??? Email your guess, whether it is as an entire family or each individual person, to Eric at eric.kunz@gmail.com and I will enter them here to see who is closest.

If you want to enter give a country and actual mission. This link will show you all current missions. Click on the COUNTRY you like on the MAP and it will show the missions.

http://www.mission.net/cgi-bin/mission_index.cgi

Thanx for playing and good luck.

ENTRIES

Tyler Kunz:
"I think that im going to butt montana."
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Eric Kunz:
Guatemala. Cuz he looks like he speaks Spanish.......just not "Mexico" spanish. (I think he should go to Motherland Russia though.)

Penny Kunz:
"Australia, because he will be a little Hottie with the Accent, and they have big knives there."

Waklee Kunz:
"Wusssconsin, just because." (Guess Why)

Reese Kunz:
Arizona- (Sorry not more specific....she is not woman of many words... YET!)

**********************************************
Heidi Neville:
Cape Town, Africa. He will make a good "Clicker".

Jared Neville:
Jamaica

Jace:
Massachusetts (because he has a Massive Glute!! ha ha)

Rylie:
Thinks he will go to New York (that's were daddy went)

Kenzley:
Argentina

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Marlowe's:
Mark...
Germany

Michelle...
Holland

Mikayli...
Florida

Anna...
Texas

Kellen...
Africa

Max...
Colorado... (GO ROCKIES)
Boy, I'd have some happy kids if that happened!!!
(I had to limit the Marlowes to just the LIVING kids. Michelle took Mark upstairs to Get another Kid on the way. All for a $100 guess.)

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We now have all of the Bartschi family and there are some changes.

Bryan:
Australia

Jodi:
Hawaii

Britta:
Boston

Kade:
Brazil - (For being the Genius...he must have learned Geography from his Mom.)

Whitney:
Switzerland

Braydn:
Italy

Blake:
Boston - He saw this in a Dream after Boston won game 1 of the World Series?


So these Guesses are out.
Britta Bartschi:
Switzerland. (Brown noser.....just cuz Grandpa Neil and Rebecca went there.)
Jodi:
South America / Brazil (She doesn't realize that is a big country....with States. This is like someone guessing...the US or maybe Uhhh somewhere on Earth.)

**********************************************
Neil:
He going to go to the Czech Republic or Berlin, Germany. (Mom is hoping Dad's is WRONG!)

Lana:
He is going to the heartland of Mexico. (Monterrey Mexico.)

**********************************************
Brock:
guessing Helsinki Finland

Ashlee:
Washington DC or Ireland

Jaye:
Guesses Billings MT
Jared:
Guesses Sao Paolo Brazil South

**********************************************
Jonathan Egbert:
Portugal

Haley Egbert:
Italy, Rome

**********************************************
Greg Kunz:
Denmark possible Russia so you can get a cheap glock

Kassidy :
Puerto Rico cause you are soooo rico swava...

Cody Kunz:
Frakfurt, Germany (me and grandpa might fight over this but i am saying )

Amy Kunz:
Madrid, Spain

**********************************************
Kirk Hansen:
Brazil

Rebecca:
England

Jessica:
Hawaii, Honolulu - Aloha

Alexis:
Paris, France - Bonjour

Stockton:
Japan

Zachary:
New York - Go Yankees!!!

Joshua:
California

Logan:
Hungary, Budapest - (Because Tyler is always hungry.)

Rebecca wants to know What is up with DAD (Neil) and his 2 guesses???

**********************************************

Tyler and Todd's Trip to Oregon

I don't think I need to explain it.

Hansen Family - Sept. 2007

Hi Family,

How is everyone? I’m glad Eric & Penny are on the ball and trying to keep us doing a great thing. It’s so fun to see pictures of your families and hear about what’s going on in everyone’s lives.

This past summer has been a whirlwind of events, mostly good. We got our baby boy, Logan LaGrande here on June 18, 2007. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21 ½ inches long. He is an absolute angel baby, so patient and peaceful. We feel so blessed to have him in our family and are so grateful for the immediate bond each of the children felt for him. He is adored by us all. He rolled over when he was just 5 days old, he is starting to smile and coo and seems to make us all mushy inside. Six kids later, and everything is still so new and exciting.

We got the kids in school and everyone is doing well. Jessica is in the 8^th Grade this year. Her favorite subject is History. Alexis is in 7^th Grade. She loves her Reading Class and especially loves her Reading Teacher who has them do the “Friday Dance” (a little jig) before they can leave her class on Fridays. Stockton is in the 4^th Grade this year and is learning Idaho History. He is also playing Grid Kid Football and is enjoying that. Zach is in the 1^st Grade and thinks it’s awesome to eat lunch at the school and have not one, but THREE RECESSES a day. Life is good. Josh is home with mom and thinks that the boys are at school way too long. He watches the clock and loves to wait for the bus and then run and hug the boys. He also walks down to the girls’ bus stop down the street and walks home with them. He loves “his kids”.

(First Day of School)

We asked Josh what he wants to be when he grows up and he said, “Tyler.” Good answer. I think there are a lot of little boys in the Kunz Family that want to be like Tyler when they grow up. (You’ve got a fan club, Uncle Ty!)

(Hanging with Granny K)

The other day Zach wanted Stockton to hurry up and he said, “Stockton, pick up the paste!” He almost had it right.

One more—Josh got his finger slammed in the car door a few weeks ago and it has been so sore. The other day he was folding the step up on the trailer and of course got his sore finger smashed in the step. Well he cried and cried. When he finally got it together he looked at me with a big smile on his face and said, “I didn’t see that one comin’.”

What would we do without them? We were talking tonight about the brother of Jared and how he got to see the Savior. The kids were saying how neat that would be and they asked if they had seen Jesus before they came to earth. That took us to the veil and the fact that we can’t remember what happened up there. Well, they then asked how they got put in our family. I told them that they had chosen us to be their parents and so on days that they get mad at us, it’s their own fault, they chose us! It makes me want to be a better parent.

(Cousins learning new tricks)

I love my kids, adore my sweet husband and am so grateful for our entire family. We are so blessed to have each other and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our love to you all!

Kirk, Rebecca & Family*

Marlowe Family

August 21, 2007

Dear Family,
Thought we would take advantage of Eric and the new family blog. Thanks Eric!!!

It’s always good to hear from you all and we hope that everyone had a super first day of school. Summer went by very fast. Mikayli and Anna had a good first day of school. School orientation was Aug. 19… Sunday…during Stake Conference. So we went Monday morning and found their teachers names and where they needed to be. Their teachers, Mrs. Gordan and Mrs. King, seemed very nice. Mikayli is on the second floor and Anna was on the first floor. They wear uniforms
which will make mornings simple…as long as they have a clean uniform ready to wear. The girls rode the bus home the first day. They are the last pickup in the morning and the first drop off after school.
They are on the bus for a short time. This is a very good thing! They came home very excited the first day. Mikayli made a friend with Silva and Anna made a friend with Charlotte. I packed lunches
for them and Anna asked that I don’t send her with peaches next time because she spilt the juice on the floor and then slipped on the juice. I asked if anyone helped her or checked on her. She said
that only Charlotte and Trent saw her and Trent thought it was cool when she fell.
So know the boys and I get to spend some quality time together. Honestly, the morning go by pretty quick. The girls start school at 8 :00 a.m. and are home at 2:00 p.m. This is an exciting part of the
day. I’ll be excited to hear how Waklee and Jace’s first day goes. They will be very ready for kindergarten.

The summer past quickly and these are a few of the things we did… Moving (again) Getting kids in Bernadette Silva’s swim class at the Appletree Montessori It was only twice a week and the girls and Kellen loved it. The kids took off after one month. She is the R.S. president in
the Weston Ward. Went to a couple free movie’s at the theatre with Johnson’s and Ameigeiras Family
Swimming, swimming, and more swimming. Going to the beach Going to the Miramar Park (just a park with a large umbrella over the playground Corinne visiting and going to Orlando and to Biscayne Bay (Bill Baggs State Park) Mikayli emailing Blake and Stockton Watching Doris Day in “Calamity Jane” and Shirley Temple in “Little Rebel” KatchaKid net put on the pool

Fun quotes/happenings…
Met up with Mark in Sunday School and he said, “You’ll never guess what I just did. I saw Juana’s husband and greeted him by saying …Hello, President Lopez” He then took a few steps and turned around and said, “I mean President Sanchez.” He knew that this didn’t sound right as well…and
then it dawned on his that it was President Gonzales.

Max fell in love with the Spiderman costume and it’s muscles…had to put it on whenever he saw it and when it was on he went around acting like a tough guy and pushing everyone around. I had clothes cleaned, ironed and folded ready to put in a suitcase to go to Orlando. Before long Mikayli came running in to tell me that Max and Kellen were throwing clothes down the stairs. I went to go and check and it was every stitch of clothes or diapers that I had ready to pack. Unglued is the word that comes to mind.

When we sit down for Sunday dinner we usually ask the kids what they learned in their Primary class. One Sunday Kellen answered that he had talked about dinosaurs and fighting… obviously this was not part of the lesson but the discussion he had with another little Sunbeam. The next Sunday we
asked what he had learned and his immediate response was “Jesus”.

Kellen talked to Mark on the phone the other day. Mark asked how he was doing and he replied, “I am good and healthy Dad.” Two things that Kellen does not like collared shirts and bread. Sundays are a joy… Hopefully, he will learn to like collared shirts and bread by the time he is eight.

There is a house around our house that always has a limo out front (limo service) and the kids call it the limo house. The other night Anna layed down on her pillow that is extra long and starting calling
it her limousine pillow.

One evening I was going to take the kids to the park…Mikayli didn’t want to go and Mark was home so she stayed. While driving to the park I called Mikayli to say no TV and no computer…only a book. I
then told Anna she wanted to talk to her. Anna was thrilled and began talking to her like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. “Mikayli can we be friends until I make real friends.” she said.
“So what do you want to talk about?” “Will you read me your President paper?” … she felt so big being on the phone it was so fun to listen to. They really have had to be good friends and they do
pretty good most days.

The first day in Orlando we skipped breakfast because we wanted to get to the park and we weren’t sure where a McDonald’s was. We at lunch and didn’t eat until late that night. This wasn’t smart…I
know. The next evening Anna said the family prayer and in the prayer was sure to thank Heavenly Father for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After a long day at Magic Kingdom we raced to the train that would take us back to our car. We were standing in line and after the train doors open realized that there were open car further down. So we walked down a couple doors and got on and sat down. We waited and the doors closed and then the doors opened. We wondered if they were loading more people on. Suddenly one of the workers showed up at our door with Kellen at his side. Mark reached out and grabbed him and
all the people waiting out in the line began clapping and cheering. What a scary thing. What wonderful parents. Ugh!!!

We love you all and hope to hear what your all up to.
Michelle