Our first Texas home Project

We were not loving the huge box that was built under the fireplace.

So out with the old...

... and in with the new.

 We even signed our work under the new floor tiles.

Now, what is my next project???

Everything IS Bigger in Texas

A cantaloupe as big as your head--and as big as a watermelon.

The Move 2011

There were over 500 items on the movers' inventory list.

How long will it take to find a place for everything 

and the big question:

Do we really need all this STUFF!

Pictures from June 2011

Philmont

What a great experience to attend LDS training week at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch!

We were there July 2nd through 9th and enjoyed lots of great activities and people. 

Quinn had a great time with his group of 8 year old scouts.  

His favorite things were pony rides, archery,and hiking.  
He also enjoyed throwing hatchets with his dad.  

Quinn earned a bunch of scout patches and belt loops and got a great start on scouting.

Emma spent the week on the mountain.  Her cousin Sophie went with her.  

It was hard and DIRTY. The highlight was climbing the highest peak

(Mt. Baldy) with their packs.  It was an empowering experience for these great fourteen year old girls.    It was a really fun welcoming party that met all the mountaineering groups as they marched into camp. This picture is with General YM President David Beck and General Primary President Rosemary Wixsom. 

Kip and I especially enjoyed the sunrise hike to Lover's Leap.
We all have great memories from our week at Philmont and are
very grateful for the experience.

Emma's Color Guard

The band has a beautiful
Paris themed show.

It has been a good experience for Emma
and has challenged her
in a lot of ways.

Quinn & his Dad

He's a sweet boy

and he loves to be with his dad.

New Home

Spring Break was spent looking for a new house.

Emma & Quinn were troopers while we had long

hours and looked at dozens of houses.

They gave us great input and had lots of good opinions.

Here our a few pictures of the house we decided to buy.

Our Home

We have been talking through the idea of moving for several months. Because of the economy and the dismal housing market we knew it would be tough to sell our home. We spent a lot of time on the pictures for the listing using our Nikon SLR with a wide angle lens. We are very happy with the results.

To our surprise the home sold before it was listed. So, we didn't even use the pictures. I'm posting them here so that we can feel like they are being used in some way. We will miss this home. It is a home we have really loved.

Emma's Accident

On March 9, 2011 (three days before my 14 birthday) I was in gym. When the teacher told us to get dressed my friend and I raced away. As we were rounding the corner, she ran in front of me and I stepped on the back of her shoe. I fell headlong into the corner of the wall. Next, I woke up in the nurses office and couldn't remember what had happened during that day. The Nurse was nervous and called the EMT's to come in an ambulance and take me to the ER. I spent four hours there, and after they gave me a CAT scan determined I had a minor concussion. It was kind of scary and it took me several days to feel better. It was sure an eventful day but I got out of gym class for two weeks!

-Emma

Massive Snow

It began on February 1st with some snow and high winds. It included

lightning flashes and huge gusts of wind. By the morning of

February 2nd we had about 18" of new snow and massive snowdrifts.

After shoveling we had great mounds of snow:

But this is what greeted us when we opened the garage doors: