2009.

Mike continues to be the spiritual head of our family as

well as a wonderful provider, husband, and great dad!!

We are so thankful for Mike and his devotion to our family!!

I have been super busy pursing my Master's Degree

in Early Childhood Education from Capella University.

I have one more class left . . . yippeee!!!!

Doctorate studies begin April 12, 2010.

Between ALL of our family activities, I squeeeeeze in some spare

time for quilting.

We are super, super, super excited about our new lot

that we purchased in Hidden Springs, Idaho.

We are praying that the Lord sells our home in 2010 and

we are able to start our new building project!!!

Laguna Beach continues to be one of our very favorite getaway spots!!!

Luke continues to be a joy to our family! He keeps us on

our toes alright! He has had a wonderful year of golf, fun, and scouting

experiences. We are sooo proud of and love Luke so much!!! A true

believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Luke has a heart of gold.

Sam continues to love the game of golf and has had many

successes on the middle school golf team. He is looking

forward to trying out for the high school golf team.

Sam earned his Eagle Scout this year!! We are so proud of Sam

and are so thankful that he is a member of our family. He loves

the Lord and works hard to please Him in all that he does.

It is so hard to believe, but Mike and I celebrated our 25th wedding

anniversary this year. Where did all of that time go??

Tim graduated from UNR with High Honors. He was on

the Dean's List every semester and was a stellar student.

Tim's devotion to family and his passions is truly admirable.

Tim obtained the first job of his career, playing jazz guitar on

Liberty of the Seas for Royal Caribbean. We are so proud of Tim and

thankful that he loves the Lord and his family.

After praying hard, Zach made big decisions this year in

his academic career. We are proud of Zach for all that he

does to please the Lord and his family. Zach is a special

member of our family and we do not know what we would

do without him. We are so thankful for his love for us.

Gram went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this year.

I.miss.Gram.

It has been difficult for us as we miss her so, but realize that the

Lord spent 93 years preparing a very special place for her.

She is an awesome servant. The Lord sure has a special one.

Looking back over the past year, I once again realize that I am

blessed beyond measure.

Praise.the.Lord.

Legos Investment, Priceless.

How do two boys spell fun?? L.e.g.o.s.

My goodness! Luke has his friend Tyler played with

Lego City for 6 1/2 hours today!!!

It was even difficult to distract them with homemade

chocolate chip cookies.

Let me tell you . . . These boys made every sound effect possible

and solved every world issue with these little blocks.

Amazing.

Fun Week of Memories.

Our family certainly has shared many wonderful moments over

the past week . . . We have shared much laughter . . .

and excitement as the gifts and treasures we have chosen for

one another were exchanged.

The very best investment that I could have ever made

were these pair of boots for Luke. He has always loved

mine because they are so cozy and soft inside. He truly

has not taken them off since he opened them.

It is pretty hard to surprise Sam, but I was so tickled when

he mentioned that he wanted a new pair of converse and I

had already purchased them for him.

We have had a busy, busy, busy week enjoying each other's

company and the many festivities that this time of year

brings . . . this picture symbolizes the overwhelming feelings

we all had.

I do not think that our Zach has ever had a mean thought.

I know for certain that he does not have a mean bone in his

body. It has been so fun having him home to share in this

special time of year with us.

We are truly blessed.

After CHRISTmas Fun.

Whew! Now that the CHRISTmas rush has passed, the boys enjoy

hanging around the house and having some down time.

Everyone was in the mood for homemade spaghetti sauce . . . so I whipped

up a batch for our catch up day at home.

I had to PRY the controllers from Zach and Luke in order

for them to have contact of any kind with other humans.

Sam was busy installing my new software and making

certain that my computer was up to snuff.

Luke spent quite a bit of time tinkering with his new RC car.

Lego City now has a whole new meaning . . .

. . . they are everywhere.

Up to Speed.

I am sooooo excited!!! My family spoiled me for CHRISTmas and purchased

this a.m.a.z.i.n.g program for my computer that I desperately need for my

upcoming doctorate studies. What a blessing my boys are to me . . . they are always

thinking about me!!!!

As a totally added bonus, my boys purchased Windows 7 for my computer as well.

Sam, our resident computer genius installed it and revamped my computer

for me!!! It is amazingly fast and fun!!!! I am sooo excited!!!

Thank you so much!!!

Whew! After CHRISTmas Celebration!!

What an AWESOME CHRISTmas weekend spent with

my favorite people at the fabulous Red Rock Hotel!!!

After checking out of the hotel, we had to catch up on the

bargains at the Town Square Mall . . . our favorite shopping spot.

. . . any shopping trip would not be complete without peeking

into Abercrombie and Fitch and scoring two new pair of "trousers".

Hollister is a favorite of all of us!! Grandy found two scarves to add to her

collection.

A wonderful movie . . . a MUST see . . . a truly

great movie to end our CHRISTmas celebration weekend!!

Everyone made a little list and checked it twice. We made

a quick pit stop at Target to pick up essential items.

Capping off our weekend, we jumped in bed with a

yummy blueberry pie!!!

I am so grateful for such wonderful people in my family to share

my holidays with. I do not know what I would do without them.

An added bonus: Just as we were stepping out of the movie, Tim

called from the ship!!! We were so excited to talk to him and hear

his experiences of the week and to share ours with him.

CHRISTmas 2009 . . . a complete success!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Tim!!!

Happy, Happy 23rd BIRTHDAY to one of my very favorite people!!!!

23 Reasons Why Tim Is So Special:

1. Amazing musician!

2. Wonderful son.

3. Terrific brother . . . there is none better. All of the boys

love you sooo much!!!

4. Great grandson.

5. Always has an opinion . . . not afraid to voice it!

6. Helpful.

7. Handsome!!!!

8. Likes to help cook in the kitchen.

9. Good listener.

10. Fun to talk to and always takes an interest in others.

11. Excellent student.

12. Hard worker.

13. Loves the LORD.

14. Has many friends.

15. Wants to please others.

16. Takes time for family.

17. Knows what is truly important!!!

18. Loves to sleep.

19. Will eat all of mom's cooking and baking . . . no matter what.

20. Is successful in most anything he tries.

21. Loves his family unconditionally.

22. Keeps mom's silly rules.

23. Has a wonderful sense of humor!!!

We are so thankful that you are ours!!! We could not be more proud of you Tim!!!

Happy.Birthday.

We.love.you.

Merry, Merry CHRISTmas.

Merry CHRISTmas Celebration . . . Red Rock Style.

Merry CHRISTmas live from the Red Rock Hotel!!!

We started the fun with a fiesta in the Mexican Cantina!!!

Way too many chips, dips, and good food!!!

We came back up to our room . . . everyone chose a comfy

spot and we started opening gifts!!!!

We were really excited for the Grampa, Grandy, and the

boys to open their gifts!!!

Oh yeah . . . MJ!!!

We have just started getting Zach hooked on "The Big Bang Theory".

Which one should I choose first???

Merry.Merry.CHRISTmas!!!