HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE!

It's not that I forgot it was his birthday today...we have actually been celebrating it since Saturday. We went to Steak on a Stone and then shopping for some clothes. Then on Sunday he got to pick the meal and yesterday I made a cake and we sang to him. Today, his actual birthday, was a bit of a whirl-wind. Not only did he have a mandatory work meeting, but then he had his MBA class and then he flew home, ate some dinner and was off to Scouts (for the last time!! New calling :)

So, anyway.....

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband Luke!! We are so thankful for you and the many things you sacrifice for us. You are a total rockstar and we couldn't have asked for a better husband, father, best friend and companion! LOVE YOU!

PS. Blogger + computer issues=no pictures..i'll try later!

2010

We sent out our Christmas cards this year and instead of writing a letter, we invited everyone to visit our blog for updates. Hmmm, I guess that would mean I would actually have to update the blog.  :)

I am not quite sure why everything has been on the backburner lately...but don't worry, I will be getting things up and going very soon.

Until then, here is a quick recap of our 2010:

*Luke’s year was full of MBA classes, Scout Master Duties, being a Soccer coach, and working full-time. He was fortunate enough to get two promotions this year, the latter one being a Supervisory position. This has been a nice change of pace for him and he is enjoying the challenge of a new department. In his free time he enjoys playing basketball, mowing the lawn and doing projects around the house.
*Katie has been enjoying the “mom” thing. She dislikes waking up at 6:40 every morning to get Livi ready for school and tries to catch a nap whenever possible. After a few health issues, we are happy to note that she is doing well. Among other things, she is seeing a chiropractor to fix her shoulder. Hopefully she’ll get full range of motion sometime soon. In her free time she has been known to do some family history, make cards, decorate the house (paint, make pillows, etc) and improve on her baking skills.

*Livi has had a year of firsts. She learned to ride her bike without training wheels, is in first grade and lost two teeth! She is doing great in school and loves to read. She is reading above average and will finish about two chapter books a week. (Sometimes more, if we let her!) She had a great time in swimming lessons this summer and by the end was swimming the length of the pool.

*Spencer is in Preschool as a typical peer. He is a role model to other students that have developmental delays or special needs. He has really enjoyed being in this class and learning to interact with the kids. His teacher is VERY good and he comes home happy each day. It has been so fun to see how much he enjoys learning. Many days he’ll go around the house spelling or saying, “5 + 5 = 10.” He can spell all of our names and Mississippi.  He had a great time playing soccer this fall and LOVED having daddy as “Coach”.

*Mac is Mac. What can we say about this sweet little sick boy? He has the best personality and is happy all the time. Unfortunately, he is sick about 2-3 weeks out of the month. Our year has been filled with doctor/specialists appointments, hospitalization threats, nebulizer/inhaler treatments, wheezing, coughing, ear infections and several different types of medication and steroids. The diagnosis? Maybe asthma. This MAY be the reason that Katie found gray hair. (Hmm, we didn’t mention the hair above? It may depress her a bit…) On a positive note, he is RUNNING everywhere, getting in to everything, drinks from a cup, eats with a fork, uses sign language and says several words, some only understood by the family.  He is getting tubes put in his ears next week.
At the end of July, we flew out to Utah and traveled to Seattle and Idaho. The first part of our trip was spent outside of Seattle. We had never been up to that part of the country and were blown away by its beauty. We went to Zion’s Camp and had a great time eating, hiking, swimming, canoeing, playing Frisbee golf, eating, building campfires, etc. We really “roughed it” in huge cabins with electricity, running water, toilets, showers, huge projection screen for movies and a decked out kitchen.
Next we traveled to our old stomping ground in good old Idaho. Wow! Rexburg has changed so much in the past few years. We were able to spend some quality time on the BYU-I campus, but even after 2 days, we still hadn’t seen everything that had changed! We were able to spend some great time with family and friends and miss living so close to family.
In the spirit of getting our homes and lives in order, we joined a gym. It is amazing how something so small can help lift our moods and raise our self-esteem. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt that the gym has babysitting AND a movie theater.
We also became Utilities Brokers.  It has been a great experience.  *If you are interested in saving money on your utilities or other expenses you use on a daily basis, let us know!  (TV, Internet, Cell phones, Home phones, Gas & Electricity, etc.)
We have truly been blessed this year and have seen the Lord’s hand in all things. It is always a comfort to know that when we allow Him in our lives, things fall in to place and we are blessed for it.
Our family is so grateful for this time of year and celebrating the birth of our Savior. We pray that this card finds you happy and healthy. God bless!

Christmas Part II

It was also nice to have my parents come. It was perfect. My mom made an AWESOME Christmas (German-esque) dinner (red cabbage, green beans w/bacon, spinach salad..with bacon :), prime rib, cheese covered cauliflower, aparagus w/hollaindaise sauce, and her ROLLS). It was so good!
 What would a holiday be like without Mac sick and using his nebulizer treatment, right?

 We let the kids open up a few presents (pjs and one other one) and then they hit the sack.
We stayed up pretty late. My mom and I had a blast together...helping Santa out, so he didn't have so much on his plate. It was fun being so sneaky, while the men watched a movie. They didn't notice anything.




Fun times with Grandpa!

Christmas Part I

The holidays were extremely good to us!  Christmas was amazing and we were lucky enough to have a conference call with my sister, Tori, who is serving in the Philippines.  It was so nice!
It was also nice to have my parents come!  We traveled to Kirtland and saw all the Nativities.  The last time we went, my sister had just come back from Africa, so most of our pictures were for the African Nativities.  Now that she is in the Philippines…
IsraelThis Nativity was amazing!  The guy bought it over in Jerusalem and had it shipped over.  (It cost around $15000 + $3000 to ship).  The man is in his 80’s and keeps it out year round.  It was gorgeous!Made of metal and other material:
I didn’t really think about this one, until the Elder reminded me that there aren’t many scenes depicting Mary, pregnant and on the donkey. 
This is the tree they had in the Visitor’s Center:
Wouldn’t it be fun to do an real, old-fashioned Christmas tree?  This one was decorated with things grown in Ohio (hydrangeas, apples, ects)

Dressing up:

Isn’t Kirtland beautiful?