Happy 1st Birthday, Alyssa!

It is hard to believe that Alyssa has been with us for over one year! She is such a sweetheart, and we are all so glad that she belongs to us. Alyssa is a daddy's girl...Complete with the pouty face and all! She is incredibly intelligent...She is an excellent communicator (I am an advocate of teaching baby sign language.) Alyssa has these huge, georgous blue eyes and a smile that melts my heart. She loves to sing, to be outside in the mud, to push her baby doll Eva, and to wrestle with the boys! She is a joy and a pleasure! Happy Birthday, Lyssa. We love you!

ps. we are having technical difficulties...I will try to add more from her party.

Camping with Nanny and Poppy

This summer Nanny, Poppy, and their dog Koda came up with their trailer and my sister's dog Reese. We spent a couple of nights near Bruneau. We cooked dinner on the Cobb, went on walks, fished, and we even got to go 4-wheeling with Poppy! It was hot! But we all enjoyed a nice break from the everyday routine. Nanny made sure that every one had a camp shirt...The kids still ask for their camping shirts! Thanks Nanny and Poppy for a very relaxing, fun trip! We love you!

One match fire!

We brought our christmas tree to burn...It was awesome!

It's about time!

Catch of the Day

The official examination

Lissy had fun playing on the ramps...She would not climb on the rungs,

but climb over each one...It was so funny!

It took sooooo long to find this place and it was sooooo hot!

The ride was down a river bed, the breeze was perfect...The boys had a blast!

Alyssa was exhausted when we finally left!

Joy School Graduation

Garrett had his first year of Joy School this past year. It is so much fun for me to watch this little guy grow and develop. It always amazes me how quickly little ones learn. This year Garrett went to school with 5 other friends. We started the year with Sadie (the only girl), but she moved to Germany in February. Garrett still asks when Sadie will be home.

We spent the year learning about the ABC's and 123's. The kids went on a few field trips. The first one was to the Fire Station on base. This made a big impression on Garrett, he really enjoyed being able to climb on the firetruck.

The next trip was to Bro West's Greenhouse. He grows amazing tomatoes. Each of the kids got to pick their own seedling and replant it into a cup. Garrett's was looking really good until I decided to try to get it used to being outside...On the night that we had a late frost! Crap! It actually started to come back until we went on a trip to Washington!

The last trip was to Zoo Boise. Garrett loved the zoo! We heard about it for weeks. They had Macaws, a giraffe slide, lizards, monkeys.

Thanks to all of the Joy School Mamas who made this such a great year for the kids! Love you girls!

Graduation was in May...I know, I am really behind! We had a BBQ and a short ceremony. Each of the boys received a special hat that Miss Lisa helped me make, and a special certificate with an award...Something that I will remember about teaching them. Garrett got the "W" Award because it seemed like that is when he finally realized what we were doing learning about all of these numbers and letters. He started seeing "W" all over the place! It made me laugh! So, he got mad at me because he wanted the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Award given to Nathan...Sorry, guy!

Congratulations, Garrett! You worked so hard and learned so much! We love you!

Lissy's Bug

Alyssa is such a girl! She found this beetle outside with Travis. At first she didn't want to touch it, but then she started to get brave.

She would pick it up, squeal, and then throw it down, waving her arms in disgust!

Spring Soccer

Garrett was so excited to finish up his basketball class so that he could start playing soccer. He was going to be on a team coached by a guy in our ward with his best little friends Gage and Micah...But, his birthday was ONE day past the deadline! ONE DAY! Oh well...I never told him the part about his friends playing with him.

We were able to get him in another class, and he had a blast with soccer!! We did the Smart Start program which was perfect for this little guy! Moms and Dads get to teach their children the basics of the sport all in preparation for the BIG GAME...

The class started in April...COLD!!! And ended in May...HOT!!! Garrett learned about kicking, trapping, and throwing in and the most important rule of soccer...NO HANDS!!!

It took a few goals for the kids to realize that they had to kick the ball in the goal box to score! So much fun! Garrett is an awesome player because 1) He has a lot of aggression, 2) He is not afraid of much, and 3) He loves learning new skills! I think that he was a little sad after the last day. He really liked soccer and ended up having a lot of other friends!