Ben-- bio part 1

When and where were you born?

I was born in Provo, Utah on July 4 at 7:09 am.  I weighed 7 lbs and 9 ounces. 

Did your parents tell you any interesting stories regarding your birth?

My mom was supposed to go to the airport to see her brother, David, leave for his mission to Russia.  But instead, she had to go to the hospital and have a baby instead.  She got to talk to him on the phone. 

The nurses kept calling me “Harry” before my mom and dad announced my real name because they all loved my thick head of black hair. 

They watched fireworks outside the hospital room at the BYU stadium.  Also, my mom told me there were lots of hot air balloons in the air that morning and weekend.

Were there other children already in the family?  How old were they?

Nope.  I am the oldest!  But I got to welcome in each of my siblings.  I was 19 months when my brother Luke was born.  I was 4.5 when Zack was born.  I am 8 years older than Simon and TEN years older than my sister, Roma.  My mom is about to have another girl and I will be 12 years older than her.  We think we might name her Eden, but I am not sure.

How did your parents choose your name?

When my mom was pregnant with me, they were reading the Book of Mormon together and felt impressed after reading the words of King Benjamin that my name should be BENJAMIN.  But they also really liked the name Jackson too.  When I was born, my parents kind of fought over which one to do for my first name.  My mom wanted Benjamin Clawson.  And my Dad wanted Jackson Clawson.  They settled on Benjamin Jackson.  None of my brothers have the middle name Clawson.  I like my name a lot.  My nicknames are Ben, Benny and BJ.

What are some of your earliest memories?

I think my earliest memories are from Spokane, WA.  I remember picking the bark off the trees out in the yard of our apartment. We had big deck in our back yard and got to watch the trains pass by every day.  I remember playing at the park and having one of the train conductors wave and honk at us. I remember playing in the snow, but not wanting to be outside very long because it was so cold!

I remember when Zack was born.  We were getting babysat by a girl in a wheelchair in our ward.  My dad came to pick us up in his green car and took us back to the hospital.  I remember going up in the elevator and feeling really excited. I was there at his birth.  He was really small and pale.  I remember his umbilical cord.

Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

Definitely my Dad.  He’s just everything that I want to be when I grow up.  He’s way funny and always plays with us.  He works hard to pay for things for our family.  He’s not mean, but he’s kind of strict, which helps me and my siblings be better. 

My mom too.  I want to spend a lot of time with my kids like my Mom does.  I like all the traditions that she starts.  She always takes us fun places and lets us choose what we want to do on the weekends. 

How would you describe your personality now? 

I am a little shy with strangers, but once I get to know someone I am not shy at all.  I like to laugh and have fun.  I am pretty responsible.  I am nice to my siblings and I am good with kids.  I get a lot of babysitting jobs.  I think I am most like myself around my brothers and my cousins.  I just feel comfortable around them and like to make them laugh by telling funny stories and jokes.  

Luke- bio part 1

When and where were you born?

I was born in Provo, UT on February 3. at 2:28 am.  I weighed 6 lbs and 1 oz.   

Did your parents tell you any interesting stories regarding your birth?

My mom told me that I was born sleeping.  And I had to stay at the hospital longer than my mom and sleep under a light bed.  My mom was really sad about that.  When Ben came to visit me at the hospital, he was more interested in playing with the buttons on the bed than he was in holding me.  My mom always says that I was a really easy baby and I was her easiest delivery.

Were there other children already in the family?  How old were they?

Ben was one and a half.  I am the second child.  I have two younger brothers.  I was almost 3 when Zack was born.  I was 7 when Simon was born.  Roma was born when I was 8, almost 9.  My mom is going to have a new baby and I will be 11.  That will total 2 sisters and 3 brothers. 

How did your parents choose your name?

They thought they would name me Isaac, but decided Luke instead.  I think it was from the bible, Luke telling about when Jesus was born.  Aaron is my middle name, and that’s my Dad’s name.

Do you like your name?  Have you ever wished to change your name to anything else?

I like my name.  But if I had to change it, I would change it to

What are some of your earliest memories?

I remember being at San Diego Zoo with Grandmother and Grandfather.  I started running on a bridge and tripped and scraped my knee. 

I remember living in Washington and there was a lot of snow.  I remember my mom telling us it was snowing and we went outside to play in it. 

I remember being in our town house in Las Vegas.  Ben would bring in legos in our room and dumped them out and my mom told me that I had to clean them up.

I remember we went swimming and we were in our swimsuits still and we had a dance party downstairs and we were acting like Transformers.

I remember when we got Sunny for Christmas.  She was wrapped up in a blanket and Grandpa brought her in.  She was being so shy and quiet.  It was funny because the night before I was joking and said, “what if Santa brings us a DOG?” but I didn’t really think it would happen.

I remember having a sleepover with the Jeffery’s and Singletons (cousins) and the kids were downstairs and the adults were upstairs.  And the adults changed the clocks on us and told us it was way later than it was.  Cade had a watch and said it was only 7o'clock but all of the clocks in the house said it was 11o'clock.  Aunt Cindy and Lori kept trying to tell me that it was later, but I never fell for it, but all of the other kids were confused. 

My mom and Ben took me to Target and we ate at the café and they told me that Santa wasn’t real.  But I already knew and wondered why they were telling me.  I never thought Santa could fly all around the world in one night.  I figured it out way before that.  I wanted to believe he was real when I was 5 or 6, but always thought that he wasn’t.   

I remember getting baptized and having an interview with Bishop Buck.  He asked me if I was excited about being baptized and I said, “um yeah.” And he gave me a bookmark and a pencil and a toy.  I remember a girl name Sophie in our ward got baptized right before me.  I remember my cousins, the Singletons, came down from Utah to be there for it.  We went hiking later that day at Red Rock to the waterfall hike and everything was frozen.  It's never been frozen except for that day.

Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

Probably my mom and my dad.  My mom helps me figure out a lot of things for school and always helps me with my homework.  She makes yummy food for me to eat and taught me how to make lasagna all by myself.  And she buys me new socks when I need them.  My Dad will take us to Café Rio to eat.  And when we’re out, he’ll buy us slurpies.  He’s way awesome and funny.  He plays tennis and soccer with us. 

What was your personality like?  How would you describe your personality now?  Is it the same or different than when you were a child?

I’m awesome and awesome looking.  I’m nice.  I’m a little bit funny.  I like to trick and tease my brothers.  Sometimes I will set traps on them.  Like, I will tape a shoe to the ceiling and then take a baby toy so I can pull the shoe up and down.  And then I hide under the covers and when someone comes in, I will let go and the shoe will drop on their head.  I don’t really tease Roma, though.  She’s my buddy and probably likes me the best out of all the boys, but not more than mom or dad.  I guess I’m a little shy.  I don’t really talk unless I need to.  I get kind of crazy with my cousins and stay up all night playing with them.  

Zack- bio part 1

When and where were you born?

I was born in Spokane, Washington on January 17 at 5pm.  I weighed 5 lbs 15 ounces.  My dad was going to law school at Gonzaga and I was a surprise to my mom and dad!  They didn't plan on having any kids while he was in school, but I wanted to come anyway!  My mom really wanted to have a girl, but when they found out I was a boy, Ben and Luke kept screaming, "Yay!  We get another brother!  We get another brother!" and that made everyone excited. 

Did your parents tell you any interesting stories regarding your birth?

My older brothers were there to see me when I was born!  My mom told me they went to Olive Garden when I was a few days old.  I think that was my first and last time ever at Olive Garden.  And I never got to eat there. 

Were there other children already in the family?  How old were they?

Ben was 4.5 and Luke was almost 3.

How did your parents choose your name?

My mom wanted to name me Thomas or Tyson.  My dad wanted to name me Simon.  When I was born, none of those names seemed to fit.  My parents were surprised by my white hair and eyebrows.  They told me I looked like an old man!  It took them two days to name me.  They thought about Jack, but finally decided on Zack.  

Burnham is my middle name.  It's my dad’s middle name and my Grandmother's maiden name.  On the day my mom found out she was pregnant with me, my family went to the St George LDS visitor’s center.  While my mom was there, she felt that Duke Burnham and Lee Burnham (my dad's grandparents) were watching over them and that they were really excited to send a new baby to their family.  She also felt that they were proud of them and were bragging about them to all of their friends in heaven.  My mom really wanted my middle name to be Burnham from that first day!

Do you like your name?  Have you ever wished to change your name to anything else?

I LOVE my name ZACK !!!!!  Lots of people think my name is Zachary, but it's just Zack!  I am glad my parents didn't name me Thomas or Tyson or Simon. 

Did you have any nicknames growing up?

Zackaroni, Wacky Zacky, Ziggy, Zack-Attack, Smiley boy,

What are some of your earliest memories?

I remember getting Sunny for Christmas.  She was in a blanket and it was moving.  And I felt exactly like it was a new baby coming into our family. 

I remember getting snakes for Christmas.  They were under the lights and I couldn’t believe our mom and dad got them for us.

I remember the first time I saw an axolotl.  I did a report on how cool they were and then we went to the shark reef and I saw one and I was so excited. 

I remember when Simon was born.  We were in the loft coloring and my mom was on the bed and we came in and they were just laying there and it was so cool that he was born just like that. 

I remember my mom had a big blue pool tub in her room and when Roma was born she had barely any hair.

I remember finding out that my mom was going to have another sister.  We to the ultrasound and the lady in charge knew it was a girl, but no one else did.  And she told me to come in another room and I got to find out before anyone else that we were having another girl.  She showed me two pieces of paper.  One was pink and one was blue.  She lifted up the pink paper and she asked me if I knew what that meant, and I said yes.  Then we went back into the room with the rest of the family and she said, “one two three” and then I raised my hands up and screamed, “IT’s A GIRL!”

Who is the most influential person to you?

My Mom and my Dad.  My Dad is so funny.  I really love to go running with him at night because it makes me feel good and happy.  My mom because she is really nice and does fun stuff with us.  I like to give her back scratches and foot rubs.    

What was your personality like?  How would you describe your personality now?  Is it the same or different than when you were a child?

I’m kind of crazy and funny.  I am nice and awesome.  I am really reverent in primary.  I am kind of shy when I meet someone at first.  If someone was being mean to someone else, I would stick up for them.  

Janet-- bio part 1

When and where were you born?

I was born on September 24 in Salt Lake City, UT.   I need to ask my mom what time and how much I weighed.  I think I was over 9 lbs.

Were there other children already in the family?

I am the 6^th of 10 children.  My oldest brother, Greg, was 8 when I was born.  Lori was 7.  Kristy was 5 1/2.  Debbie was 4.  And Scott was 2. 

How did your parents choose your name?

I was named Janet Lee Clawson. My mom loved the Lennon sisters who performed on the Laurence Welk Show.  Janet was the youngest sister and that’s where they got the name.  I think Lee just sounded good with Janet.  My Grandma Roma told me that she went to the hospital and told my parents to name me Celeste, kind of named after my dad Leslie.  I remember as a little girl wishing my name was Celeste instead of Janet.  I always felt like my name was old fashioned.  The only other Janets I knew were older women.  Still, even as an adult, I am not sure Janet fits me, but I do love the middle name Lee and think it’s significant, especially now being married.  Lee is a special name on the Shumway side.  (Brandy Lee, Bronmin Lee.  My husband’s grandmother was Lee Burnham.)  So that’s special to me now.

Do you recall any interesting stories regarding your birth?

My mom tells me she was overdue three weeks.  This was baby #6 for her and she was laid back about the birth and figured I would come when I was ready.  She missed her doctor’s appointment two weeks after my due date and when she went in three weeks after my due date, the doctor scolded her for not coming in.  He sent her straight to the hospital and induced delivery.  She didn’t have any drugs and they thought she would need a C-section because labor wasn’t progressing.  But my Dad gave her a priesthood blessings and soon after I was born.  She was grateful to not have to recover from surgery, especially with 5 other children to take care of.  I am amazed that she had 6 children 8 years and younger!

What are some of your earliest memories?

One of my earliest memories is making mud pies out on my drive way on Calico Way.  We had tin pans and were mixing dirt and water together and smashing it in the pans and getting really dirty.  I must have been around 3 years old.  I also remember sitting on the lawn of my neighbor’s yard, just across the street from my house.  I remember pulling the grass out of the ground and eating the white end of the root.  I have no idea why these memories have stuck with me over the years, but they are some of my first childhood memories.

My parents moved to Millerberg Way just before my 6^th birthday and I only have a handful of memories before the move.  I remember one Sunday night sitting on the fireplace of the basement in Calico Way eating a bowl of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream with my sister Debbie (and probably my other siblings as well, but I only remember Debbie.)  I remember thinking that we were SO RICH to be able to afford ice cream.  To this day, Mint Chip is still my favorite flavor. 

I remember trying to have a sleep over at my neighbor’s house, probably around age 5.  But in the middle of the night, I was too scared and wanted to come home.  They had to call my parents and have them pick me up.  I remember feeling disappointed that I couldn’t eat Fruit Loops in the morning with my friend at her house.  We hardly ever had cold cereal and it was one of the reasons I wanted to sleep over so badly, but I just wasn’t brave enough to stick it out.  I felt much better about going home with my parents and having something less appealing for breakfast J

I remember my mom babysitting several other children in the home.  I liked having friends to play with.  But there was one particular baby boy that I didn’t care for.  When no one was looking, I would pinch him and make him cry.  I still feel bad about that today..  I wasn’t very nice to him and his mommy wasn’t around to protect him!

This memory is embarrassing, but it’s pretty vivid.  One of the girls that my mom babysat was a good friend of mine and we spent a lot of time playing house.  I remember switching the parenting roles and playing “mom and dad” with her.  One day, we decided to kiss and must have gotten pretty into our roles as “husband and wife” we were rolling around on the piles of laundry kissing and my sister Kristy walked in on us and asked us WHAT we were doing.  I remember telling her that we were having SEX.  She immediately went upstairs and told my mom.  My mom came downstairs and pulled me aside and asked me if I knew what sex was.  I told her yes.  It’s when a mom and a dad took off their clothes and rolled around together, kissing.  I don’t remember my mom’s response, but I remember feeling grateful that my friend and I had kept on our clothes.  If I had to guess my age, I would say around 5.

I have a faint memory of my sisters making Mark Pugh and I get in a closet and kiss.. they promised us if we kissed on the lips, we would each get $1.  After we went in the closet, we did kiss, but my sisters just giggled about it and never paid us any money.

I remember playing at my friend, Jori’s house.  She was an only child and was kind of a spoiled brat.  She would never share any of her toys, and she had a lot of cool things.  Often I would sit on the curb on her driveway and watch her drive around in her powered pink jeep.  She wouldn’t let me drive or even ride next to her.  I remember watching her and feeling bad for her that she was such a brat and never learned to share.  I remember thinking how lucky I was to have brothers and sisters that would share with me.  My mom told me years later that Jori’s mom would come over and ask me to play with her, but I didn’t  like to go over to her house.  My mom said I matter-of-factly said I wouldn’t go over any more because Jori didn’t share and I didn’t like to play with her.  Her mom felt bad and said that she would make her share, but I said, “No.  You don’t ever make her share, and I won’t go.”  My mom said I was probably about 4 years old and had no problem speaking my mind.  This reminds me a lot of my son, Simon.  He has no problem telling other people off.  I like to think I was the same way!  

I remember my Dad’s garden at the old house.  And amazing peach trees in the summer!  I remember one year we planted a watermelon and watched it grow.  One day, while my dad was at work, I thought the watermelon was big enough to pick and eat.  I brought it into the kitchen and cut it open, it was probably no bigger than the size of a softball.  My dad got home and was disappointed that I had picked it so early.  He didn’t get mad at me but told me I needed to ask permission to pick anything from his garden.  If I had to guess my age, I would say 3-4.

Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

My mother was.  She was very busy with young children, but she was always sweet and loving.  I felt safe at home and wanted to be around her.  I remember her reading stories to me at night and falling asleep while reading.  Now, after having children of my own, I understand why she was so tired. 

My Dad’s mom, Roma Henrietta, was a very important person in my life.  I don’t have a lot of memories with her as a young child, but I know I spent lots of time with her and developed a strong, loving relationship with her.  I loved spending time with her in her trailer home in Provo.  I remember sleeping in her bed and wearing her clip-on earrings and smelling my Grandpa’s suits in their closet.  I loved the trains that would pass in the middle of the night.  I learned to swim in her clubhouse pool.  I loved going to the Hostess Bakery by her house and feeding the ducks at the duck pond.  Most of my memories are playing games with her, playing on her piano, riding her exercise bike, swinging on her front porch, eating raspberries out of her garden.  I loved being in her home and I am so grateful for her influence in my life as a child. 

Did you have any pets as a child?  What kind?

I remember having lots of pets growing up, but never caring for them like my siblings did.  We had a big sheep dog named Chumbly.  We had a cat named Sugar that had lots of litters of kittens.  I remember Sugar getting hit by a car while we were camping at Cherry Hill and Greg crying about it.  I don’t remember feeling sad.  Chumbly was eventually given to a farmer or rancher when we moved..  When I was about 11 or 12, my sister Lori and I were out driving and saw a sign for free puppies.  We picked out a cute small male puppy and named him Peanut.  We took him home (without even asking our parents) and surprised my sister Cindy, who was only 1 or 2 years old.  Cindy LOVED Peanut and he grew so much bigger than his little mama.  He really was a good dog, but I never cared for him and always made him go outside, especially when he was sitting on the couch or asking for food.  My parents always had cats and gerbils and birds, but honestly, I didn’t care for them very much.  I never was much of an animal lover.  When I was a teenager, my aunt Sandra told me I couldn’t go to Heaven if I didn’t like animals.  This never concerned me much.  I do remember LOVING the baby kittens and puppies!!  

What did you do during the summertime?

I spent a lot of time staying at my Grandma’s house in Provo and swimming with my cousins.  Sometimes, I got to invite a friend and we would play there together.  I also remember jumping on my trampoline with the sprinklers under and playing with the neighborhood friends on the street.  We played a capture-the-flag type of game called Treasure in my backyard with all of the kids.  I also have a few memories of playing Nintendo at Melanie Witt’s home next door.

What was your favorite game?

I love games and have lots of memories playing cards with my siblings.  Often we would play a game and rotate players, those who weren’t playing had to clean up the house.  We had lots of board games and cards… I remember our game closet always being unorganized and it took hours to get the cards in the right piles.  I loved playing games with my Grandma Roma and have memories playing Skipbo, Rumikub and Kings in the Corner with her.  I always loved playing Rook and Mormon Bridge with my siblings and parents (and cousins at family reunions and holidays.)

Did you have any nicknames?

My family called me Jannie growing up, which turned into Jannie Pannie, which got shortened into Pannie.  My siblings still call me this and I think it fits me.  My husband calls me JP for short.  I also go by Jan.

What was your personality like?  How would you describe your personality now?  Is it the same or different than when you were a child?

I was definitely shy as a child.  I am not sure when I broke out of my shell, I don’t think it was until 6^th grade, or maybe even later.  I always remember feeling confident, but I don’t ever really remember being overly outgoing.  Over the years, I have really have grown comfortable in my own skin.  I am an extreme extrovert.  I don’t remember being this way when I was younger, but I guess I will have to ask my mom.  I would describe my personality as outgoing, optimistic, very direct, confrontational, kind, energetic, and feisty.  I definitely get my optimism from my mom, but she is so much sweeter than I am.  I like to think I got my feisty-ness from my Grandma Roma.  She said it like it was and never worried about what people thought of her.  I hope I am becoming more mature over the years, but I am not sure if that’s true.  

happy 2014

oh boy.  we've had a rough couple of weeks.  the flu came to visit the week before Christmas and then a terrible cough and cold followed.  By Christmas Eve, I thought I might die.  For real.  I wasn't sleeping, couldn't eat or drink anything and basically felt like a useless piece of garbage.  The kids were all coughing and miserable too, but I was not even able to function.  I went into urgent care and tested positive for strep and bronchitis... and got some meds that put me to sleep for the past week.  I really haven't slept so hard or so much in my life.

she had a double ear infection this week.  let's hope the worst is over..

Last night for NYE we stayed in our pjs all day.  We met up with some friends at the church for an hour or two of dodge ball (the kids played, the moms sat on the sidelines and talked).  It was a pretty good group of 15 or so boys.  Aaron got off work a bit early and we went to dinner at Cafe Rio.  and then we came home and went to sleep.  I think I was out by 7:45pm.  Aaron and the boys stayed up to watch World War Z (no thank you) and then watched fireworks on our street and on the strip.  I think I might have heard something at midnight, but I'm not sure.  Not exactly exciting, but also much less disappointing than one would expect.

This morning we all slept in until about 9am.  Eventually all the kids ended up in our bed and we tried to make a plan for today... because absolutely nothing was on the schedule.  We had some crayons close to the bed and Luke passed out paper and we made goals for 2014, which turned out to be really cute and inspiring.  I will be hanging our lists in the house so we can see them often.  Our goals are simple and realistic and good.  But in reality, we have big plans for 2014, we're just too afraid to write them down... outrageous goals like a new baby, new dog, new house, new job, new car... new state or country wouldn't be bad either to add to the list.  We're kind of waiting for a few things to fall in line first, but then we are going to be makers of our own destiny.

Truth is, everyone would be okay exactly how life is.  Our life is good and our family is happy.  We did nothing today... warmed up pizza for lunch and had ghetto nachos for dinner.  Aaron fixed a list of things around the house (my vacuum isn't working!) and I took a long nap and woke up to a big puddle of drool (that's how hard I'm sleeping lately, it's ridiculous.)  The kids played with their Legos and jumped on the tramp for a few hours.  We folded laundry while watching Dan In Real Life and everyone had a shower at some point.  And we were just happy to be together.  We didn't go anywhere and or do anything and that was perfectly okay with everyone, which makes me so proud of my cute, well adjusted kids.  While we were all on my bed this morning, we told the kids we'd take them to Frozen if they wanted, and they all wanted.  But then not one of them asked to go later in the day or even questioned whether or not we were going to do something "fun", we just had "fun" in our own way.  I love those kind of days.

Right now there are a few games going on.  Luke's waiting for me to play Mastermind, but I'm not that excited because I can never win.  He's a smart one, that Luke.  We're going to start tomorrow like usual... breakfast, piano practice and maybe the park if we feel up to it.  And as soon as we're 100% we're going to kick this January out of the ball park... or not.  But we'll be okay no matter what.

ps.  my husband is my favorite.  he walks around the house in nice, silky, thick tennis clothes pretending not to care about his looks, but he's super handsome.  He's always clean and trimmed and smells delicious.  And he's so helpful.... fixing things, playing with the kids, making food and putting away our Christmas boxes like I asked him to do it, but I didn't even have to say a word.  He just knows exactly how to be helpful and handsome and the BEST dad without even trying.  Today as he put Roma down for a nap he cuddled her and danced and sang in her ear for a good 5 minutes before he put her in her crib.  I watched from a far thinking that she's the luckiest girl in the world.  but really, I'm pretty sure I am.