Just One Event Out Of Many.......

Thanks a Million to our Greatly Missed Nebraska Friends. How much we appreciate your support with our Make A Difference Day. Thank you for gathering at Caleb's Corner, and sending off balloons with testimonies and positive messages attached to each balloon. Our hearts have been greatly touched by your wonderful act of service for Caleb's Day. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you ever so much. Much Love to you guys.
And once again THANK YOU to ALL our Friends and Family for supporting and helping with our 1st Annual Make A Difference Day.
Love, The Mathison Family

Our First Successful Make A Difference Day

10 Baskets full of goodies + 24 bunches of lollipops = A great time serving and making memories with Caleb.
The kids knocked on all the neighbor doors and delivered the 24 bunches of lollipops. Eric and I knocked on 10 more doors and delivered the baskets. Our thinking cap for next year is on, for the countdown has already begun. The kids are anxious to serve with Caleb again soon.
We wanted to take a moment in Thanking Everyone who took the time to Make A Difference with us and Caleb. Thank you for looking for ways to serve those around you, in sharing your time, talents, and means with others. Our hearts were greatly strengthen during these very difficult days by you all; from your many prayers, emails, phone calls, and letters. Thank you for sharing with us of how you and your families were supporting and standing by us, as you served others. I know in the long run that it is in the smaller things that make the biggest difference of all. Thank you again with all our hearts in Making A Difference with us. Much Love to you all, and may the Lord continue to bless you, as he continues to bless us by sending us such great family and friend like you all. -Love The Mathison Family

Make A Difference Day

To All Our Family And Friends,

We are requesting your help in our 1st Annual Make a Difference Day on Aug 24-25. Our Goal to is to get as many people as we can to help make this Tragic, unfun day; into a purpose and reason to be happy. By making a difference with us, as we make memories with Caleb on his Angel Date. With him serving and working hard on the other side of the veil, this is our chance to help in his great efforts to build and strengthen Zion here. We would love for you to share your accomplishments on how you were able to "Make a Difference," on Caleb's blog at calebmathison.blogspot.com Please email us your address and we will like to send you a little something from our family for Caleb to say, "Thank You." Or you can leave it with your post. In case you are thinking I would love to do something but I don't know what to do? Here are some ideas for you, to help do something to make this world a better place:

Give someone the benefit of the doubt,
Smile when you get cut off in traffic instead of cursing,
Let someone go in front of you in the line,
Pay for someones meal behind you in line,
Hold the door open for someone,
Send off special letters or packages anonymously to someone who needs a special cheer,
Visit a nursing home and sing them some songs,
Donate money or time to a special charity cause,
Sign up for a charity marathon or just go to help out,
Make a personal goal to work on something to be a better person,
Call up an old friend to see how they are doing,
Write that letter to that long lost friend or family member that you have been meaning to do for sometime now,
Call a children's hospital and see how you can help as a volunteer,
Slow down your pace in life and try to recognize those who you can help..... and reach out and help us "Make A Difference."

What we hope to accomplish as a family: To buy many BIG bags of lollipops and attach a piece of paper to each that say, "The Mathison Family and Friends Annual Make A Difference Day 2010." And knock on all of our neighbors doors to share love and kindness to others. Starting out with something simple but just as profound, since the kids are still little. Wanting to help them know that they too can help and serve and make a difference with Caleb too. And as they get older we hope to make it more elaborate and give more of our time.

Thank you for taking on this challenge with our family, it will give us much strength to bear such a difficult day knowing that we have many friends and family standing with us to help us Make A Difference with Caleb.
Much Love to you all, The Mathison Family

The NorthWest Difference

Crab anyone?? We were hunting for our Crab dinner the other day after a nice hike. We found baby crabs that we would pick up and hold.... to BIG crabs that we didn't dare touch, because they were very mean. Then again you can't blame them for being mean as people would touch, poke, and squish them throughout the day. Montey kept picking up rocks and attempting to pick up baby crabs... those guys are fast.






Have you ever been starfish hunting? There were so many starfish laying around on the shore from the low tide, that it was going to be too late for these starfish before high tide came in. So we searched, and gathered, and saved about 40 Starfish. We threw them back into the ocean, making a Starfish City.





And This is what we do when we are not hunting for crabs, and saving starfish, we are a family of leisure. Just laying around, getting in those extra snoozes, before Eric starts work officially next Monday. Much later then what we originally thought, but better then no job at all..... and so we wait. Hmmmm.... that seems to be our family's current status always, "And so we wait."

Our very hard and emotional 1st week in washington

We have moved from our GREAT home in Lincoln Nebraska, it was sold. A sign that was not so welcoming on our broken hearts. Made this move more real and painful then needed to have been.



We Celebrated Caleb's 9th birthday. We went out for breakfast together.

We went bowling with Caleb.

We went to the movies with Caleb, and watched Toy Story 3. It was a hard movie on our hearts, too many similar feelings.

Then we gave and left our special gifts.

This last Saturday on the 26th, Liahona was baptized. She was very nervous but did GREAT. We are very proud of her and her choices to be more like her Savior. Liahona says she remembers when Caleb was baptized, he said "That was so much fun that, I want to do that again." We all laughed and chuckled at that one.... such a Caleb thing to say.


Though it has only been a week, it has felt like much longer than that. It has definitely been a VERY HARD emotional week for us.

Newest Graduate

Here is Eric on his graduation day, looking so happy, though he still has yet to take the HUGE Certification Exam! Which is actually scheduled for this Wednesday, so any prayers in his behalf would be much appreciated. =)


Eric and Montey after the Graduation Ceremony.


Eric getting smooched by his girls.


Family congratulating Eric with a picture.


Before the Big Gown Graduation, there was a small CRNA class graduation with Breakfast. So here we are getting a picture taken afterwards. Eric has been blessed with such wonderful classmates, teachers, staff, CRNA and MD's to work with over these past 3 years. We could not have asked for a better place to be for Eric to continue with his education. They have all been so supportive and helpful during these very difficult 9 months for our family. They surprised us with the most special and amazing gift, they set up a Scholarship Fund in Honor of our son Caleb Mathison. We were overwhelmed with so much kindness, that it moved us to tears. So if our eyes look a little red and puffy, that is why. We have been spoiled with much love here in Nebraska, of which we have been very blessed to have received. THANK YOU EVERYONE!


In case you would like to donate to The Caleb Mathison Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is tax deductible, read up more about it on Caleb's blog. At calebmathison.blogspot.com

Easter with the Mathison's

Our Reenactment in Remembrance of the First Sacrament.


Our display on our front window. It was pretty tricky writing backwards to be readable from the outside. It sure comes in handy to be dyslexic.


Our 12 days of Easter Baskets, with the egg of the day inside telling the story of Christ's last week on earth. However, we only made 8 baskets this year, we will be finishing the other 4 next year. The girls got all burnt out with basket making.


Couple of fun pictures preparing for the Easter Weekend. It makes dying Easter eggs so much easier if you put the egg inside a whisk. I wish I would have done this years ago, it would have saved a lot of stress from cracking eggs, splashing and spilling the color dye. Definitely a must do with little children, the whisk is perfect. =)



Easter was a bitter sweet holiday. We are definitely grateful to understand the true meaning of Easter. In remembrance of the First sacrament, I washed every one's feet. Remembering that even Jesus, the creator of all, still served others. Liahona said that next year she would like to be like Jesus and wash every one's feet. We are blessed with these great memories of Jesus Christ, and doing these small and simple things to be more like him. How grateful we are to know whom our hearts belong too. And we are not afraid to serve the Lord whom we love. =)

Make A Special Easter Family Tradition!!

I cannot help but notice that there are not many special traditions that families do at this very very Special Easter time of year. For it is right there next to Christmas, and we need to, as Christians to reach higher than on the easter bunny level. We take so much time preparing and getting ready for Christmas, so why don't we do the same for Easter? I have been guilty of this myself. And for me I have realized that I cannot afford to be casual about this holiday anymore.... because it is more than just a Holiday, it is a blessed Miracle the gift of Resurrection and Eternal life through Jesus Christ.

As Easter is arriving, I ask you to PLEASE try to reach above the Easter Bunny Level and try to find that very special Easter Family tradition that will bless you and your family for years to come.

This is our first year doing this, but we are excited to make this our Special Easter Family Tradition.
We will do the 12 days of easter using a plastic egg with a scripture and a message for each day from the last week of the Savior's life. On Palm Sunday we will be having a special feast to remember Jesus' Last time with his apostles and how he taught them (and us) of the sacrament of how he broke the bread and blessed it to remember of his body, and to drink of the cup and remember of the blood which has been shed for all. We will use grape juice, because we do not drink wine. Then on Saturday, the day before easter, we will do a small easter bunny thing, and dye easter eggs. Something that I grew up with that I have learned to pull more and more back from, seeing that it can take away from the "real" reason of this glorious season 'Of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ'. Then on Sunday we will attend our church worship services, and open our last egg together, as this one will be "empty." Because the tomb that Jesus Christ was in was empty, for he was resurrected. And we will talk and discuss about what a wonderful thing he has done for us, that because he was resurrected we will be too. Then my little ones will watch a very well done child-friendly cartoon video made by the Nest Family Company, expanding on what we previously talked about of how Jesus Christ was risen from the tomb. Then to finish that great Easter day, we will have a nice family dinner, taking turns saying what we love about Easter time.

I Hope everyone has a Blessed Easter Season, May the Lord be merciful and bless you and your families at this great time of year. Please remember the "REAL" reason of this season. We are so blessed to have it, to remind us and our children. =)Tanya

Infinite-Power-of-Hope

Here is an uplifting message that we found to be of much strength. And for you that may be suffering with us, we hope that this too will bring you some comfort as well. Life is hard now, but we know that soon our days will be filled with much JOY. -Love The Mathison Family
Infinite-Power-of-Hope

Our Last Christmas in Nebraska

There are many mixed feelings in our family about leaving Nebraska and moving away from all the physical reminders of Caleb, and having finished our 3rd and last Christmas here in Nebraska was very hard!! A VERY HARD thing indeed. Something that I have longed to come to pass, since the day we arrived so long ago, until now..... And now that it is staring me in my face, I can't bear the thought to leave, however it is inevitable and must come.

Some of Caleb's Favorite Christmas decorations.





Helping Caleb open his gifts.

Caleb's Gifts from under his tree.