Molly's newest Talent

Molly started a new business dealing with Vinyl Lettering. It all started with Molly going to an Enrichment activity where they made quote boards. We thought, "hey, this looks simple enough. Let's try it out!" Well, we got a smokin' deal on a cutter and after getting the right programs and some vinyl products, we started cutting vinyl. We're both amazed at how easy it is and what a difference it makes for interior home decor. There was a sharp learning curve learning about the cutter, the software, and how to correlate everything, but Molly spent hours learning. She's quite a natural and really has developed a great sense of detail and and eye for color and design. Above is a picture of one of Molly's first big projects.



This is a board that she did with a neat "Wise men still seek Him," quote. Rylan enjoys going to the Home Depot to buy wood. Projects like these give him a good excuse or a rational reason to buy more tools! He cuts the wood, routes it and sands it down. Molly then paints, cuts, and applies the vinyl. Sometimes, it's quite a tedious process, but the finished product is definitely worth it. It's been a really enjoyable activity for our family. Stressful at times, but enjoyable nonetheless.




The Family Home Evening board and the wall quote were also done by Molly. Rylan helped route the wood pieces and put in the nails. Molly cut the vinyl and applied it to the pieces and added the ribbons. Quite a nice touch, I think. Her sister-in-law loved it!

Molly really enjoys talking to people about her projects and loves to get together with her friends to plan projects or ideas. These work great for kids rooms, home decor, and especially small gifts. We do sell them on the side - so if you're interested, please let Molly know!

A Year in Review

What a year! 2007 was definitely an eventful year...

January - We found out that Aubrey was going to be a big sister to a new little girl.

February - Decided to build in Shamrock Estates in Gilbert - just a mere 2 miles from our previous home.

March - Life threw us some curveballs. We are blessed to have such a wonderful support system to lean on.

April - Still learning to hit those curveballs...

May - Went to Hawaii with the Martineau's, Teresa, and Amy. Had such a fun time. Aubrey is definitely a little "beach princess."

June - Decided not to move to Shamrock Estates, instead started to build house #2 in another community.

July - Leased our home out, and moved in with Molly's parents.

August - Addie (Addy - as Molly spells it) was born on the 8th.

September - Adjusting to having 2 kids. Aubrey loves her little sister.

October - Builders can't follow plot plan. House #2 built wrong. House #3 breaks ground (sigh...)

November - Christmas is coming way too soon! Started our own Vinyl lettering business that has just taken off! Molly has discovered a hidden talent.

December - Christmas went way too fast! We enjoyed every minute of it. It was so fun to watch the little ones discover the magic of Christmas. Actually - she was more interested in chocolate than opening presents (please view Christmas slideshow for visual effect).

All in all, we feel extremely blessed. We've experienced and learned a lot this year. We're excited for the new year and all the excitement, challenges, and new adventures that it may bring.

Happy New Year to you all. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and best wishes!

Baby pictures of Addison

Our good friend Taffee Eager took some of these pics for us when Addison was a newborn.

She is soooo talented. We're trying to learn how to take pictures like she does. It really does require a good eye, plus, she is a natural talent.

This is a picture of Rylan and his 3rd love of his life - his 2nd baby girl - Addison.

Aubrey sure loves her sister. In fact, one time she kissed on her so much that she actually bit Addison on the head! Now that's love!



This is a picture of Rylan and Molly holding
Addison. She is almost sleeping through
the night. If we can only get both Aubrey and
Addison to sleep through the night on the
SAME night...then maybe we could get some sleep!
Molly is a real trooper! She wakes up all the time to feed or put the girls back down. She lets Rylan sleep in all the time, but Rylan really does try to

return the favor and help out as much as possible.

Fort Collins - future home of the Chan Clan?

We recently returned from Fort Collins, CO. We loved it! What a beautiful city.

It's known for it's mild 4 seasons and as a superb city for raising families. We loved it so much that we were sad to leave. Old Town Fort Collins is what Disneyland's Mainstreet is designed after! It has so much character and there is green grass and trees everywhere!

The people were sooo friendly. The public parks are amazing and there is so much to do outside. Molly loved the amount of openess and space. We both loved the size of the lots - especially those that opened to open spaces and greenbelts. They have trails, miles of bike paths, many lakes, parks, and shopping. It had all the amenities of a big city, but with the small city feel. It only took us about 10 minutes to get across town - in rush hour!!! What a change.

Main street has lights decorating all of the trees. It's beautiful at night time. The restaurants seemed quite good - very casual. The shops were unique and definitely have a home-town feel. The weather was perfect mid-70s. The breezes were clear and dust-free. Fort Collins is a short drive from the rockies, 6 hours to SLC, and 12 hrs to Canada. We loved the weather! Even though it was cooler, it still felt quite warm because of the altitude. It even snowed the day we left after the entire day was about mid-70!

At this time - I think we're going to stay put in Arizona. Pay off as much as possible in student loans. Save as much as possible. Hopefully the vinyl business will take off as well and generate some extra income. The market in Colorado seems to be a little more stable than in Arizona, so we're sure we can probably find a great deal even in a couple of years.

Introducing our newest blessing

Here is our little Addison May Chan in her blessing dress. (Heather Monk masterfully made it) She was born August 8 at 9:15 pm, she weighed 7 lbs 11.5 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. She is such a delight!!!! Aubrey just adores her and gives her lots of hugs and kisses, sometimes too many.

A Dinglehopper

The pictures really do speak for themselves. Here is Aubrey enjoying a nutritious breakfast of pure sugar. Rylan caught this tasty scene on film. By the way, I think she has seen the Little Mermaid too many times.