LeCheminant Family

Happy Birthday Derek

2012-02-02T20:08:00.001-08:00

It was a rare occasion but Derek actually got to go golfing

the day before his birthday! As you can see by Mt. Timpanogos

in the background we have had a very mild winter with hardly

any snow so the guys just had to take advantage of that

and headed to the "Cascade Country Club" !!

With the help of social networking, Nic planned a

surprise party for Derek Saturday night and boy

was he surprised!! (Good job Nic)

Derek with just a few of his friends that came to the party

15 Candles !!

All ready to go to the Lakeridge

Winter Dance . . . our little boy

is growing up . . . can you say

"Learners Permit"? YIKES!!!

The Photo Shoot

2011-12-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

Really, all I wanted was a nice family picture that

we could use on our Christmas card. Since Peter is

too busy with work and school to make it home, the

rest of us took a road trip to Logan for the "Photo Shoot"

Not really what I had in mind . . .

Nic looking a little too "suavae" for the rest of us

(is that even a word?)

Yes, Peter you are related as painful as that seems!

A little too "Forrest Gumpish"

Too many shadows and then there's Nic the "Robot"

Yep, at this point . . . just shoot me in the head !

At last a family that at least LOOKS normal

Merry Christmas!!

(And thanks to Steve for taking the pictures in the freezing cold)

Diesel "In the Shop"

2011-11-25T17:20:00.001-08:00

Derek's football season was cut short this year

after he made a tackle and got hit from the side

resulting in a tear of his right ACL

After looking at the MRI, the surgeon said

it looked like the ACL had exploded

(just what every parent wants to hear)

Thank goodness for the skill of Dr Cooley who

fashioned a new ACL out of a piece of Derek's

hamstring. The surgery went well and with

some physical therapy he should be good as new

Having a little fun in Walmart---haven't we all

secretly wanted to drive one of these around?

All was not lost however, at the football banquet

he was awarded the "Hammer" and named

defensive player of the year

The BIG question that remains is---will Diesel be seen

playing in the Bruin Bowl next year?! Stay tuned . . .

Good Luck Peter !!

2011-08-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

Peter took off today, headed for his new

adventures at Utah State University. He is

really excited to continue his education in

Logan and to be out on "his own" !!

We have no idea what Cellular Molecular Biology

is but we're pretty sure he can handle it . . .

No doubt Peter will "Meet the Challenge"

and have a great time as an "Aggie".

Good Luck Peter---we love you!!

The First "Gary LeChem" Family Reunion

2011-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

The LeChem's gathered for our first family reunion

June 22-25th in Park City. We rented a

beautiful home in Bear Hollow Village which

is at the base of the Utah Olympic Park

The kids loved the pool and the hot tub

The little girls had fun together and yes,

they are royalty in our family!

The little boys (and big boys) had fun playing

baseball and basketball at the Bear Hollow Park

Gary and the boys golfed at

Wasatch State Park in Midway

To even the playing field, (is that even possible?)

we "non-golfers"decided we deserved a little time

without kids too and what better way to spend it

than getting pedicures and manicures!!

(Yes, Peter came and says---don't knock it until you've tried it)

We had a blast at the Aerial ski show

at the Utah Olympic Park

One of the best parts was watching

the excitement on the kids faces

These brave men did the zip line and

lived to tell about it!

Of course no trip to Park City is complete

without a ride on the Alpine Slide!

Of course the little boys wanted to go again,

thank goodness it was closed by the time they got down

We ended by attending Church in Provo at the Grandview 10th Ward.

We are so blessed to have such a great family---we love you all!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2011-07-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

It's been another fun summer spent at the ball park

watching Diesel play. He started out on the Provo

Dawgs team and then for summer league is playing

on a Mt. View team

Pitching . . .

Hitting . . .

At first base . . .

And football is just around the corner . . .

Spring Break in San Diego

2011-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break this year we decided to head south to

San Diego where the weather is warm and sunny--

which has not been the case here in Utah!!

(I would like to add windy to that warm and sunny as well)

Our adventure started in Old Town with a tour of the

Mormon Battalion Monument. It was great, really the

Church just knows how to do things right!

A night out at Petco Park where the Padres

played the Reds but lost in extra innings

One day we toured the USS Midway aircraft carrier

It was really interesting and fun to do

This is a typical classroom where the "Top Gun"

pilots might train and get their assignments

With Derek standing next to this plane you get

an idea of how large this ship really is

Loved Coronodo island and seeing the famous

Hotel del Coronado. (Seeing this picture made

me realize that my little boy is almost a whole

head taller than me!!)

This is about as close to the beach as we got, the water

was pretty chilly and add in that wind I was talking about

and no one wanted to go surfing this time around

You know when it comes to our family vacations it's really

all about the golf and this one was no exception.

Gary and Derek loved the course on Coronodo Island

and then they golfed at Kokopelli in St George

on the way home.

No trip to San Diego is complete without a visit to the

beautiful San Diego Temple. We loved it!!

Happy Birthday Derek

2011-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

Wow--hard to believe our "little" boy just turned 14 !!

He got a sweet "Diesel" watch

It's not a real birthday without something "Red Sox"

Spent the day skiing at Snowbird with Peter

(Gotta LOVE the Sports Authority perks!!)

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse . . .

Was it worth the 2 hour wait? He thought so.

Newly ordained to the Teachers Quorum

Happy Birthday Diesel----We love you !

TIme Out For Women 2010

2010-11-21T21:20:00.001-08:00

This week-end I along with my Mom

and sisters Sandra and Sharon, enjoyed

"Time Out For Women" in Salt Lake City

The theme this year was Infinite Hope, meaning we all

have one thing in common----we can "hope all things."

When life is rough, Hope makes things good.

When life is good, Hope makes things even better.

Before the event started on Friday afternoon

we visited some of our favorite places

like The Porch in Springville and The

Gardner Village in Midvale. Here we're

headed for our room at the Marriott

Waiting in line to get in and a BIG thanks to

Sharon who was able to sprint to the

front of the hall to assure us a good seat.

This is us with Brad Wilcox, who is an amazing speaker

and a friend of our family as we used to live in the same ward.

This is us with Mariama Kallon who told the most

amazing story of survival and hope when she escaped

from war-torn Sierra Leone. She eventually joined

the church and served a mission on Temple Square.

What a fun and uplifting time we had . . . thanks Sandra

for arranging everything! I love my Mom and sisters!!!

A Week on the Riviera Maya. . .

2010-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

To make this trip possible, I had 2 things going for me--

a friend named Monica who found a deal to the Riviera Maya

that was way too good to pass up and an amazing husband

who said. . ."Go and have a great time with your friends"!!

The Carribbean sea is so beautiful AND warm!!

Our home away from home---The Grand Palladium

My roomie for the week was Annette, we had a

great time AND we're still friends!!

It was fun to experience some Mexican culture on

5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen

Loved the pool . . .

Loved the beach . . .

OK, I loved it all!!!

We took a tour to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza

with Helamen Tours. Helamen is an LDS tour

guide and so it was fun to learn about the culture

from an LDS point of view.

After Chichen Itza we stopped for a swim in this

Cenote. It was quite a treat.

On Sunday we attended church in Playa del Carmen.

I couldn't understand a word they were saying

but did feel the spirit as testimonies were born.

Ready to go snorkeling in Aku Mal

Off on our 3 hour tour!! OK-- it was only a 2 hour

tour and we made it back safely Gilligan . . .

8 Mermaids all in a row. . .

The day before we were to head for home

"Hurricane Paula" was headed for us!!

But really it was nothing more than a few

clouds and a little bit of rain as it turned

and headed toward Cuba instead.

In spite of that when we got to the airport, we found

that all of the flights that day had been cancelled

or delayed except for ours and one to New York.

All because of the Hurricane that wasn't!!

What an awesome week I had with my friends.

Yep---I am VERY lucky!!

Diesel the "Mighty Bruin"

2010-11-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ever since he was little boy Derek has looked

forward to the day when he could be a

Mt View Bruin like his brothers Jeff & Nic.

This year he finally got his chance!!

He started out playing running back and was the first

LeChem to score a touchdown in a game. (seriously, he can run)

Later he ended up as the quarterback and just as his Grandpa

always said-----he seemed to be a natural in that position.

Way to go Derek, it was a fun season and we

are looking forward to more "Bruin" Football!!

A Denver Week-end

2010-08-23T20:51:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of a long week-end recently

and headed to Denver to visit Jeff & Julie.

The drive was beautiful going over the

Rocky Mountains near Vail.

On Saturday we headed down to Colorado Springs.

The guys allowed Julie & I a short visit to the Current

Factory Outlet before we headed over to the

Air Force Academy where we had a picnic lunch

and then walked around the campus.

We were really impressed with the

Red Rock Amphitheatre just outside

of Denver where they have alot of

concerts. It is simply a huge seating

area built right between these

2 massive red rocks.

We decided we need to come to a

concert here some day!

Trey doing his best Micheal Jackson move on stage.

Thanks for a fun week-end Jeff & Julie!!

Park City Week-end

2010-07-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

Between baseball, work and knee surgery there

is no time for a summer vacation for us this

year and so we decided to "get-away" to one of

our favorite places over the 4th of July week-end.

We started up at the Utah Olympic Park where

we enjoyed the Flying Ace Aerial Ski Show.

You've got to be crazy to do this but it sure

is alot of fun to watch!!!

Derek "endured" a night out at Deer Valley where we

listened to a Patriotic performance by the Utah Symphony

No trip to Park City is complete unless you ride

the Alpine Slide (and I beat him down the mountain!!)

Really the best part of a Park City week-end is that while

the guys enjoy a day on the golf course, I take my

"green fees"and do a little "putting around" at the outlets.

Aaahhh . . . everyone comes home happy.

Summer Celebrations

2010-07-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Our summer started off with a trip over Memorial Day

week-end to the Bay Area to attend Jeff's graduation

from Podiatry school. It was held in Oakland at the

historic Paramount Theatre

Congratulations Dr Jeff!! We are very proud of him

and realize how much hard work and sacrifice went

into this accomplishment, really we congratulate

Julie and the kids too as it was a family effort!

After graduation we headed up north to Windsor for a

LeChem family reunion and to celebrate the soon to be

80th Birthday of Grandma Chem

A fun packed few days and alot of miles covered in order

for everyone to make it but it was well worth it.

Our new Granddaughter

2010-04-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just returned from spending a week in Albuquerque with

Jeff, Julie, the boys AND our new granddaughter Avrey J

We had a fun week . . .

At the park. . .

And at the Zoo. . .

But the best part of the whole week was holding this

sweet little girl!!

Isn't she the cutest??!!

Conference Doughnuts

2010-04-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

It is a LeCheminant family tradition to make doughnuts

every Conference Sunday. Today we were trying to

remember how long we have been doing it, probably

for over 20 years since it began when we still lived at

Willowbrook. Over the years we've made alot of

deliveries to friends, neighbors, home teaching

families, scout leaders, coaches, etc.

We have had people bribe and beg us so they

can be included on our special delivery list!

Dad gets up early to get the dough started and then

the rest of us show up to do the glazing and the tasting!!

The grandkids love Papa Chem's doughnuts

and the chocolate milk that goes with them

Nic and Derek enjoying their doughnuts after

making the deliveries for yet another year

Diesel turns 13!!

2010-01-21T11:50:00.001-08:00

We had a Surprise Party for Derek's 13th Birthday.

It was so much fun and I'm impressed that his friends

actually kept it a secret because he really was surprised!!

Best gift----a bat from the Louisville Slugger Museum engraved

with his name and his favorite baseball team---The Red Sox

(Thanks to Nic for taking care of that for us)

The boys had fun eating pizza, playing ping-pong, pool and Wii

but the best part was a surprise visit from BYU football player

Andrew George!! Here he is telling them how it felt to make

the winning touchdown in the BYU-vs-Utah game this year.

Mo helping Derek blow out his "Happy Birthday to You"

candles. Happy Birthday Dies---we love you!!

Merry Christmas

2010-01-02T19:13:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas and it was nice to

have Jeff & Julie and the boys with us this year.

Nic & Derek modeling their new clothes

The "Gram Band" giving a concert with the keyboards,

drums and guitars they got. I'm sure their parents are

going to thank me for those gifts later!!

The best part of our Christmas was getting to

talk to Elder LeChem in the Philippines via

Skype. It was so fun to actually see his skinny

face and hear his voice!!

Another WICKED Week-end

2010-01-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

The first week-end in December my sisters, Sharon and Sandra

and my niece Britney and I went to San Francisco to see WICKED !!

Third time seeing it but NEVER get tired of going to the Land of Oz !!!

Cable cars. . .

Cheesecake Factory. . .

and Fisherman's Wharf. . .Oh My!!

We had such a great time and decided we are so lucky

to be sisters AND friends !!

Happy 30th Anniversary

2009-10-25T14:06:00.001-07:00

On October 11th Gary and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary. There was really no question about where to go to celebrate since Maui is our favorite place on earth. Our friends, Liz and Ross Schofield also came along and we really had THE best time!!
On Sunday we attended church in the Kihea ward and then took a drive around the island to check out the beautiful sights.

While the guys went golfing Liz and I would head to the beach or the pool, of course Gary was in golf heaven at Kapalua!

The day we went snorkeling at Molokini was perfect, the water was crsytal clear and we saw lots of cool fish and turtles. It was probably a good thing that we didn't hear about the guy getting attacked by a shark in nearby Kihea though UNTIL after we got home!
Well as the "sun sets" on 30 years together, here's to many more good years and many more trips to Maui!!!

Southwest Adventure

2009-08-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed a fun trip to the American Southwest when we visited Jeff & Julie in Albuquerque. One morning we walked around "Old Town" and the boys had fun trying on all sorts of cowboy hats.
On Saturday we drove to the other side of the Sandia Mountains and took the chair lift up to the top. It was a beautiful view of Albuquerque but the best part was the fact that it was 20 degrees cooler up there!!

Sunday evening we headed to Sante Fe just because we had never been there before!! It is famous for a lot of really old churches, a lot of art galleries, Native Americans who come to the downtown Plaza to sell their beautiful jewelry and HUGE Breakfast burritoes!!

We decided we "WOOD" love to visit here again some day!! Thanks Jeff, Julie & boys for a really fun time.

Grand Canyon Trip

2009-08-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Gary just spent 2 weeks in July rafting down the Colorado in the Grand Canyon. It was his fifth time down the river but the first time that Grandpa Chem and all four of the brothers were on the same trip.

The trip is the equivalent of rowing from Provo to Idaho Falls (240 miles) Needless to say Gary came home pretty tired but other than having to swim through Lava it was a great trip. (If you don't know what swim the rapid means, don't ask!!)
The tired rafters at the end of the trip. Way to go Blaine--at 80 years of age, it was his 30th time down the Grand Canyon, yep----that's why we call him Grand Canyon Grandpa!!!

Orem All Stars

2009-07-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

After a great season with the Padres, Derek was excited to be chosen to play on the All Star team. Orem won their first 2 games and then lost 2 and were eliminated but Derek had alot of fun and we had fun watching them play.

AAH. . .Warm Summer Nights and Baseball

2009-06-21T19:39:00.001-07:00

Well not exactly----it's been more like cold, rainy nights and baseball this year!! Seems like every game so far has found us wrapped in a blanket to keep warm with our umbrella handy but we are die hard fans and wouldn't miss a game because of bad weather !!
Derek is playing on the Padres again and has really improved on his pitching and hitting this year, in fact in one game he had 16 Strike-outs and last week he hit a home run.

Mo loves to come to the ball park and watch "Uncle Dies" play baseball, the only problem is he doesn't want to stay on the side lines, he wants to run out onto the field where Derek is.

Congratulations Derek!!

2009-06-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Last week was Derek's 6th Grade Graduation at Lakeview Elementary. At the program he received the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, the National Physical Fitness Award, an Award for Fantastic Attendance ( He only missed 2 days of school ) and he is a graduate of the DARE program. Way to go Derek !!! He is excited to be moving on to Jr. High but his Dad is going to miss seeing him at school every day.

Spring Break

2009-04-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break we decided to head to California one last time before Jeff and Julie move to New Mexico. We have loved being able to visit them several times while they have lived there and will miss our visits to the Bay Area!!

We came across this peace sign just a block away from the "Haight-Ashbury" area of San Francisco which was famous in the 60's

Jeff and Julie have a friend that works at Pixar and so he arranged for us to take a tour of their studio. It was really fun and amazing to learn about what goes into making an animated movie. One movie takes about 5 years to complete!!

The fact that the Red Sox were in town to play the Oakland A's was also a factor in our decision to come to California. The night we went however just happened to be one of the coldest games in A's history! It was still fun to be there though and Gary, the die hard A's fan, came home the winner!!

We spent the last 2 days of our trip at Grandma and Grandpa Chem's in Windsor. Our visit there is never complete until we make a visit to Powells Candy Shoppe!

Returned With Honor

2009-03-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

March 18th was a red letter day for our family as Nic returned home from his service in the Kentucky Louisville Mission!

Waiting anxiously were 2 nephews Nic had never seen before and Trey who was beginning to wonder if Nic was ever going to come down the escalator.

As every parent who has ever sent a child on a mission knows---this day is one of the best days of your life!!!

One "Wicked" Week-end

2009-02-18T19:39:00.001-08:00

Not everyone would be thrilled to have their Mother-in-law call and say "I'm coming for a visit and by the way, I'm bringing a friend", especially when your husband (her son) wasn't even going to be in town!! But Julie was VERY sweet to not only let me and my friend Liz come and stay but she chauffeured us all around the Bay Area as well.

The highlight of the trip (besides getting to see my grandsons) was getting to see Wicked at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco. It was amazing and every bit as good as the New York Production.

On Saturday we got a break from the "heavy misting" that the Bay Area is known for and took Liz into see the sights in San Francisco. We enjoyed some famous Sour Dough Bread on Fisherman's Wharf and some chocolate at Ghiradelli Square.

Thanks to my friend Liz for a fun week-end and to Julie for putting up with us!!

An Early Christmas

2008-12-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Since Jeff, Julie and the boys aren't able to come for Christmas this year, Gram just had to fly to California and "hand deliver" the presents!! We let Trey and Kaden open the "big one" from Gram & Grandpa, mainly because it was taking up too much room in the apartment.

Kaden is THE cutest 16 month old!!

Trey loved this Polar Express display at the mall. Merry Christmas you guys, we love you so much!!

Cougars go Undefeated!!

2008-11-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Derek's football team, the Cougars made it through the season undefeated. They finished off by winning the Superbowl last Saturday. Derek was again selected to play in the Pro Bowl and his team won that game as well. Way to go Cougars !!

Survived the MTC---AGAIN !!

2008-10-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well we survived the MTC for the 4th time today!! Was it easier than the first time? Not at all, saying good-bye for 2 years is still extremely hard. I decided that MTC should really stand for "Mothers Torture Chamber" !! Peter did great though and is looking forward to his new journey.

Our Summer Vacation

2008-09-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Before Peter takes off for the MTC and the Philippines, our family took off for a great summer vacation. We went on a Royal Carribbean Cruise!! We left from LA, went to SanDiego, Catalina Island, Ensenada Mexico and then back to LA. Cruises really are a great way to travel. . . lots of food, fun, entertainment. . . and more food!!

At "Old Town" in San Diego

Peter and Derek were trying all sorts of new things to eat, here Peter is sampling "Escargo. . .also know as snails" I guess he needs to get used to eating strange things right?!

Formal night. . .we cleaned up nicely !!

Derek and Peter couldn't wait to get back to the rooms at night to see what kind of creature the room attendant had made from the towels. This monkey hanging from the ceiling was their favorite.

Snorkeling on Catalina Island

Shopping in Ensenada was an adventure in and of itself!

Derek making it to the top of the rock wall which was on the ship

What jobs? What responsibilities?? It was nice to forget about them for a few days anyway !!

After the cruise we headed to Six Flags--Magic Mountain so that Peter (The Rollercoaster Maniac) could ride them to his hearts content, and that is exactly what he did!

Called to Serve

2008-08-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

Peter has been called to serve in the Philippines Bacolod Mission !! He enters the MTC on October 22nd where he will learn Tagalog. He is very excited because he wanted to go foreign and he wanted to go somewhere tropical. Bacolod (pronounced Baa-cole-ode) is located on the southern Philippine island of Negros. It is know as the "City of Smiles." Hopefully that is a good sign!!

Derek's Summer Sports Adventures

2008-06-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Derek's had another great summer in Sports. His baseball team, the Padres, won the City Championship on Friday, ending their season undefeated !! He made a great hit in the top of the 6th inning which earned him the "game ball" so he was pretty excited about that !!

Today Derek took second place in the Provo Freedom Festival Jr. Golf tournament. Now he has a few weeks to rest, football starts in August !!

Yampa River Trip

2008-06-23T19:58:00.001-07:00

Last week we spent 5 days rafting the Yampa river in Northern Colorado and Utah. It was a great trip with good weather, good company and good rapids. It was fun having the 4 brothers there along with their "lovely" brides !

Grandpa Chem still going strong at 79 !! The below picture really doesn't do this Class 4 rapid called Warm Springs justice, just take my word for it----it was huge !!

It was weird for us to just have one boy to look out for on this trip, Derek had a great time though and even got a few lessons in rowing from Grandpa and Dad.

Brand New Bloggers !!

2008-04-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

We have so much fun looking at our married kids blogs we decided to get in on the action too! Although our lives are really not that exciting, hopefully we'll be able to come up with a few things to post in the coming months so stay tuned !!

Grandsons Are Great !!!

2008-04-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

Who needs girls anyways? We LOVE our 3 Grandsons !!!

Trey just turned 3 and loves Thomas the Train and riding his scooter.

Kaden. . . alias "Kaden Kong" is 7 months old and will be the football player of the bunch for sure. Jeff and Julie are living in California while Jeff attends Podiatry school. They are doing great and are enjoying the "Bay Area."

Morris Owen LeCheminant, also known as "Baby Mo" is 2 months old. He is starting to give us big smiles now which of course makes us smile! It's great having Jason and Ari close by. Jason continues to work at Western Community Bank and attends UVSC. We look forward to their Sunday visits.

Elder LeChem

2008-04-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's been a year since Nic left for the Kentucky Louisville Spanish Speaking mission. He is doing great and having many wonderful experiences. Currently serving right in Louisville, he was really excited about this transfer because he has been hoping to go to the "Louisville Slugger" museum. (On a P-Day of course).