Snow Trip

Every year growing up my family made candy trains. Now we continue the tradition with all of us older people and our little ones.

Ron chose to have a Sunday nap instead.

Chistmas tree hunting and snow trip in the mountains.

Some of the guys.

Paige was crazy on that board.

Paige loved Smokey the Bear(she was the only kid that would even get close without screaming).

She asked him if he was a boy or girl. I'm not sure she ever found out.

Stylist Paige and Some Art

This is my latest drawing. This is of 11 siblings and their parents with the temple that they were married in. The photo is not very good, but you get the idea.

On Thanksgiving, Paige decided to give Grandpa Gibby some style. She was so proud of herself and this is how it turned out:

Halloween and Michael's BOO-BOO

Happy Halloween!

The first set of Michael's pictures were on Thursday, Trunk or Treat at the church.

Michael had fallen down the stairs earlier that day and was not happy even hours later.

Below you can see how unhappy he was.
Ben was a ninja and Paige was a fairy princess.

This set of pictures was taken Saturday. He was feeling much better and he had a great Halloween. Good thing thursday was just the trial run.

I took him to the urgent care clinic and it turned out that the fall down the stairs was not that forgiving. Funny thing, two days before I had told my mom that I was amazed my kids have no broken bones so far considering how active they are. I don't believe in jinxes, but if I didn't believe in a higher power, it would make me wonder.

He goes in tomorrow for a real cast.

Our New House!!!

Please, keep in mind as you view these pictures that we just moved in yesterday. So, things are still a bit of a shambles, but you get the idea of the lay out. We really like it. We feel very blessed. This is a huge step up from just over a year ago.
This is the back. It's all fenced in with a sidewalk down the other side. The back yard is a bit smaller, but has quite a large front yard, which is not yet landscaped, so I didn't photograph it.

This is the side.

This is the living room. I set the rock for that fireplace myself, for the first time. It's sort of like Tetris, the way it goes together.

Dining room.

Kitchen.

Entrance

Living room #2 or artsy room.

Stairs.

Master room, the messiest room of house at this point. I haven't put it together yet, I wanted to get the kids' done first.

The fireplace in the master bedroom.

Paige's room.

The boys' room.

Kids' bathroom.

Master bath. Jet tub! Haven't tried it yet, can't wait.

There is another half bath downstairs, but not in the pictures. Bathrooms Gallore!

New House

We just signed our purchase agreement for our new home. That means it will be ours in 30 days or less. We're real excited. A lot has happened in the last year. I'll be sure to post some pictures soon if I can just remember to take my camera next time I'm there. Oh, thank you for all of those who have lent a hand in shaping the place up. You've helped make our dream come true.

Benjamin's 7th and Michael's 3rd birthday

Benjamin with Sponge Bob Square Pants Lego set and birthday present over load.

Benjamin really knows how to open presents, like a wild animal(we got to work on that). Thanks everyone including Aunt Laura, who never forgets anyones birthday even though she lives far away.

Michael with his awsome tool set from Grandpa and Grandma Sperry. Paige and Michael hammering and sawing everything they can find in and outside the house.

Benjamin in his pre-pro years. Look at the follow through.

Michael refused to hit the pinata because he didn't want to hurt it. He's more of a softy than the other two. They have little regard for anything. It's kind of refreshing to have him this way.

Michael's so proud that he can ride his new big boy bike. Happy birthday Michael!

Here's one of Paige just for fun. She swiped my sister's sleep mask and is putting it to good use.

Just a Few Pictures to Catch Up

We had Paige's pictures and family pictures done recently. For us, family pictures went better than expected. No one's crying! Paige is making a bit of a nutty face, but it was the best one of all of us together.

This one of Ron is a little old, but we haven't updated things in a while.

Michael, getting ready for church. Oh, and Michael is doing great potty training. I was worried because he's so afraid of the toilet. He's pretty much done it over night. He hasn't even wet the bed in two weeks and he holds it all of the way through church. He's still afraid of other potties that aren't his and ones that don't have his ducky insert for the lid.

Benjamin, striking a pose.

Paige, all prettied up for church.

Update On My Brother

Thank you for all of your prayers. My brother had a biopsy on Monday and the results came back today. For those of you who did not yet know, the first doctor's assumption that the tumor was Lymphoma was incorrect. The tumor was actually in his left lung. Anyway, today, the results showed that he has a Lung Carcinoid, which is cancer. It is quite rare and accounts for no more than one percent of cancers. This one that he has is fortunately Typical, meaning he is likely to be cured once he has the half of his left lung which has the tumor surgically removed Vs. Atypical which is whole other story. This is a great thing when it comes to cancer, that is, if it all plays out in the best scenario. So, please continue to pray for that. In reading, this Typical Lung Carcinoid can be removed leaving Steve a 90%-100% 5 year survival rate (meaning they live anywhere beyond 5 years). This is fantastic news Vs. just lung cancer, which we feared, having only a 15% 5 year survival rate. We were all pretty afraid. So, after surgery he should be just about normal again in about 3-4 months, although he will be able to start moving around just days after the surgery, in fact, it is expected for proper healing. Please, continue to pray for him through his surgery. The date is not yet set. I'll keep you posted. Thank you.

Pray For My Brother

Today I found out that my brother, Steven, had been admitted to the hospital. I don't know all of the details. I know that last night he was walking at Graffiti Night with his family, when his heart started racing out of control and he could barely breath. He was admitted in the hospital right away. His heart rate was higher than most of the doctors had ever seen. They could not slow it down, so they had to stop his heart temperarily. It seemed to work. They did other tests and sent him home 6 hours later. Today, the hospital called for him to come back to be scanned because something was seen on his prior x-rays. After the scan results, he called and told me that the doctors found a golf ball sized growth above one of his lungs. The heart problem was most likely caused by the growth getting so big that it pressed against his heart. That may have been a blessing in disguise, otherwise, the growth wouldn't have been found until it was too late. The doctors think that the growth is Lymphoma. He is due for more testing as soon as possible. He is only 27 in two days, too young for this kind of thing. So, please, include him and his family in your prayers and ask others to do the same. Thank you.

Coast Trip

Our family took our first mini-vacation since Ron graduated. We're trying to figure out what normal life is like and it's been looking up. We had a real fun time staying at Grandpa Gibby's coast house with Grandpa, Jesse and Taylor the dog. We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, a couple of beaches and just hung out. Overall, I rate it a success.
(Click on the picture of Ron being covered by the wave. His expression is priceless.)