Thanksgiving

It has been a few months since the last posting. Time goes so fast anymore. We had a wonderful opportunity to go to Utah for Thanksgiving. Kevin saved all his vacation so we could spend 9 days with his family. My sister and her family also live close by so we were able to spend some time with them as well. It was a very eventful week and we were able to have some late nights playing games and visiting. Thanksgiving day was spent with family and eating (lots!) of yummy food. We ended the day with the boys writing their Christmas wish list to Santa Clause. We assured them that Ernie (our families personal elf) would know we were at Grandma's and Grandpa's house and would get their letter to Santa. He was kind enough to get their letters and leave them a little gift. All three of them got their new ornament for the tree and Eli and Owen got new ear phones for the ipod and zune. They were pretty excited. Of course the next morning we had to venture out and do some early morning shopping. We didn't buy a lot, we both just enjoy being out in the crowds. Kevin's parents were very kind and volunteered to keep the kids for us. That made things a lot easier and enjoyable. We finished the week off just being with family and then headed home on Sunday. Vacations are fun, but it is always nice to be home and back on schedule.

Halloween 2009

We had a wonderful Halloween this year. There is something magical when you look at your kids and witness such happiness going door to door. Almost every door, Mandy and I looked at each other and laughed as our kids were so excited. This year we all dressed up. We have never done this in the past, but we felt like it would be fun to do so. We also got invited to a Halloween party at our friends The Carrolls. Mandy went as a nurse. I went as Fred Flintstone. Eli as a Astronaut, Owen as a Monkey, and Isabelle as a Kitty Cat. We had a fun time at this party. We had dinner, raced goldfishes (yes, real goldfish) and played with the kids. After, we all went Trick-or-Treating in which the kids got enough candy to last them till next year. I almost forgot to note that Mandy made my entire costume. She did a wonderful job. I couldn't ask for a better friend. The costume was made so well, that it won first place in the costume contest this year. Thanks Honey!!

This is Eli's preschool teacher, Miss Redmond. He attends BitterRoot Elementary here in Billings. He absolutely loves school. He looks forward everyday in attending. His favorite part is PE at the end of the week. He looks forward to that everyweek. Miss Redmond is wonderful. Eli is so lucky to have her as a teacher this year.

This is Owen, fishin' at the school fishing pond at the Harvest Party.

Eli went through many costume choices this year. We wanted to be an Army guy, until we found him this Astronaut Suit. To be completely honest, I'm not even sure if it is an Astronaut suit. We found it at MRM. We told him it was and he was overjoyed. He wore this costume for the remainder of the month, everyday. He has such an imagination. He found masks, ski googles, winter hats, and gloves to use as his equipment.

Fourth of July Celebration

So the blog thing works sometimes, and other times just doesn't work at all. Just about everyday I check my brother's blog. I am excited when he posts because I don't get to see him or his family very much. He has some of the cutest kids (next to mine of course). We have had a busy summer. This park that we are at was at the start of our summer. We went for the Fourth of July celebration. Every year a church in our city puts on this celebration for the city. They bring in a ton of vendors, playground equipment, games, rides, and one of the biggest firework shows in the state. The best part of it, is that it is all free. Unfortunately, towards the end of the night it started to rain. I kind of felt like Noah and the Ark because it was coming down like cats and dogs. The worst of it was that it was starting to lightning. BIG OPEN FIELD + LIGHTNING = DISASTER. We ducked underneath this pavillion with no walls, got down under a picnic table, and covered up with a blanket. We were still getting drenched. We could see the lightning stiking all around us. It was very scary.I think by far, Owen can making the quirkiest faces. He is always coming up with a new one. I caught this face just as a lightning strike hit. What a goof ball!!!

Wait a second, Isabelle just might have him beat with this face.

After the storm, everyone came out of hiding and show went on. I think the kids rode this slide 15 times. Up and down, laughing and giggling. One of my most favorite sounds in the world is hearing my kids laugh.

If you can't tell by now, I am a pretty proud daddy. I think I have some of the cutest kids ever. They are my world. I love being their dad.

Eli had a blast on the climbing wall. He was so excited to climb up hit. Luckily, he had his "climbing" shoes on. He made it about 3/4 of the way up. He loves to do these kinds of things.

Eli and Owen - Best Buddies!!!

Eli and Owen are truly best friends. They love each other and fight with each other, but either way, they are inseperatable. They love doing everything the other one is doing all the time. I hope that it will stay this way the rest of their lives!

This picture was taken on the 4th of July. We were huddled underneath a blanket, underneath a pavilion, trying to stay warm and dry. All of a sudden, lightning came from the sky and was hitting everywhere around us. I hurry and snapped this picture of the boys, literally scared to funny faces!!

This is Mandy's most favorite picture of the boys. They are watching a movie together!

Shyla's Wedding - Logan Temple

Shyla, Mandy's younger sister, was just got married in the Logan Temple. We went down to Utah and was able to see the ceremony and meet Jeremy's family. He is a wonderful person and will be good for Shyla and Aiden.

I know I might be biased, my I think these 3 kids are the cutest kids in the whole wide world.

Eli's Preschool Graduation

Eli finally graduated from Preschool. His teacher, Miss Robin was the most kind and loving teacher Eli could ever have. Eli has a great passion for learning. At the end of the year, he is already telling time, reading stories, and writing letters and numbers. We are so very proud of him.

This is a picture of Eli and one of his best friends from school and church. Her name is Emma. They are the same age. One day, Emma told her mom that she didn't like going to preschool if Eli wasn't going to be there. Around that same time, Eli wanted to start wearing his glasses. After much questioning we finally got it out of him that Emma got glasses. He wanted to be just like her.

Father and Son Hike - East Rosebud Waterfall

We had a lot of fun at our Father and Sons campout. This year we went toEast Rosebud Resevoir. We made it early in evening, setup camp, ate dinner, and had a riot cooking marshmellows and playing in the dark. We went to sleep and froze the entire night, although, once the sun came up, we warmed right up. We went on this really cool hike. Eli and Owen did really well. It was really pretty!!