The Holidays are over!

The trip to Utah and Idaho was successful and we have arrived back home to our little bungalow in south central Texas. We enjoyed the time with family and the great get away from our daily work schedule. It seems that the get aways are never long enough. It is so hard to leave and say good bye to family and good times.

Here are our Nativity players for this year's nativity. Lily was the angel. McKay (David's sister Julie's boy) was Joseph. Amber (David's brother John's daughter) was Mary. The sheppard's were Kayla (David's brother John's daughter), MaKynzee and Brookelyn, our granddaughters (Ivy was suppose to be a sheppard but she wouldn't keep her sheppard hat on and kept running around). The wiseman were Lukas, Alex, Kira our grandchildren. Good Uncle Garrett was the donkey.

Kira received a workbench with tools for Christmas. We were opening presents and we looked over and Alex had put on the goggles and was playing construction man with the tools. He even knew what to do with the tools.

Melanie, Brandee and Garrett took some of the grandkids sledding by the church near Christina's house. There's a nice little hill there. Here they are ready to go. Melanie took the picture. The grandkids are Melanie's three, Alex, Lily, and Ivy and Brandee's two, Lukas and MaKynzee. Christina's two were sick with colds so they stayed home.

Here is Melanie on the sled with her three, Alex, Lily and Ivy.

Cute way to help little sister up the hill. Here is Lily trying to push Ivy up the hill with her head. It made me chuckle.

Here are the boys! Uncle Garrett with Lukas and Alex!

Five cute little angels or holy terrors (depending on the day and time) and Uncle Garrett making angels in the snow.

The snow wouldn't pack and since the San Antonioians don't get snow they made a snowman laying down. Here are Melanie, Lukas, MaKynzee and Lily laying next to their snowman.

We had a great time wish it could never end. We start back to the old grindmill tomorrow!

Halloween and Soccer Fun

OK so I'm finally getting around to posting Halloween pictures and some soccer party award pictures. Here they are....

Alex-Superman, Lily-Cinderella, and Ivy-Tinkerbell

Alex - Superman

Lily - Cinderella

We have to show off the Glass Slippers

Ivy - Tinkerbell

Garrett bought a Superman outfit to match Alex and a Superman wig too! We went to a Halloween Party that the twins' soccer team mates Marcus & Sammy who are also twins threw. David put on Garrett's costume to wear to it. It didn't last long it was too tight in the neck but, he lasted long enough for pictures before he took it off.

Grandpa and Alex

Uncle Garrett wore the Superman costume to the Ward Party.

Uncle Garrett and Alex

Our Halloween Pumpkins

We had the Wildcats Soccer Team Party. Alex and Lily received medals, awards, and certificates. It was fun.

Alex with Coach David and Asst. Coach Melanie. He was awarded Most Improved Soccer Player!

Lily with Coach David and Asst. Coach Melanie. She was awarded The Biggest Boot!

Last but not least just to let you know there are still miracles in the world! Garrett has this game for the computer. It is an airplane game and it has a controller that you grab and it moves the plane up and down and sideways. It also shoots if you push the trigger. Well all three of the kids sat in the big office chair and took turns and enjoyed playing together. See the proof below.

This n That

Well we are alive. I know it's been awhile but were back. Our biggest lack was in pictures but we finally took our camera with us to a soccer game. Yes soccer...we finally got Alex and Lily into a sport. Their mother of course wanted soccer. She even signed up both David and I as coaches...gee thanks. Though her and Garrett started as our asstistant coaches but now we have backups as team parents as Garrett living in Corpus misses practices and Melanie with work is usually late or leaving early. David coaches Alex and Lily's team, the Wildcats. While I coach a whole different team, the Eagles they are 3 and 4 year olds. It's very enjoyable though and very entertaining. We haven't been keeping scores but our first highlight is this last Saturday Alex scored his first goal! He was way into it for the first time finally. The green and white team pictures are from David's team, the Wildcats. The gray and black is my team, the Eagles.

Our Lily and why she hasn't scored yet lol...

Alex and his proud strut...

They do try though...GO WILDCATS!!!

Assistant Coach Garrett helping warm up the Eagles

Look at them Eagles go! All thanks to Coach Rosie as they call me.

Eagles cheering section. GO EAGLES!!!

Well that's about it for the U5 teams. Melanie was put on her college soccer team but come to find out they didn't register on time so they weren't part of a league. So no soccer there but she's loving school and playing with her kids that are growing as ever. Garrett is absolutely loving working in Corpus and living away from home for the week days. He's trying to get it to where he never comes home...he just likes his job that much.

Today we had the Primary program in sacrament thanks to yours truly the twins had their parts memerized. Lily even did her part and a little of Alex's. After the program though we got plenty of compliments and comments on Alex's wide variety of facial expressions. It was great. Now on one last closing note Melanie wanted some pictures of Ivy and since Ivy has picked up a new favorite habit we thought to included it. But we are all doing well and yes...we are still alive.

Her latest quirk or clothing...the hat! And it always has to be backwards.

A BIG HEADACHE

My loving son Garrett went swimming over at his Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mark's swimming pool. They have a slide that goes into the pool and is about 12 to 18 inches over the pool as you go off. Well Garrett was swimming under water and came up really fast and hit the top of his head on the end of the slide. He ended up needing stitches but, convinced his doctor to just glue the split together (he didn't want the needle to be stuck into his head to numb the area for the stitches). Here's some pictures of what he looked like when he came home before going to the emergency to have it glued. Aunt Kathy wrapped him up good to stop the bleeding. He has about a 3 to 4 inch scar on his head now.

Weight Watchers

Wanted to update on the Weight Watcher's Watch. I haven't lost another 10 lbs yet so I won't post a picture. I have now gone from a size 14 to size 5/6 and have lost 46 lbs. The weight is harder to lose the more I lose. I'm still hopeful I will be able to lose the 50 lbs by the reunion on August 1st. B-days do not help the diet. David on the 19th of May his 50th and Garrett on the 27th his 19th and then of course the 3 grandkids on the 19th and 20th of June.

Week Long B-day Celebration for Alex, Lily, & Ivy

OK so Ivy turned 2 on June 19th and Alex and Lily turned 4 on June 20th. We partied all week! On Saturday the 13th we went to the Zoo and road the train at the zoo. Then on the 15th Monday we did Mormon Night at the San Antonio Missions Baseball Game. We forgot to take the camera so there's no picture. Uncle Garrett and I then put together their swing set they received for their B-days on Wednesday. Saturday we had a big B-day party! After the party we went to Incredible Pizza!!

Florida Jacksonville Mission Spanish Speaking

Here's the Missionary Boy already to go!! Garrett opened his mission call tonight and he is going to the Florida Jacksonville Mission Spanish Speaking. He is to report to the Provo MTC August 12th. He is excited and he will get to go to the Bowen family reunion and his great grandma's 100th B-day celebration the first weekend in August.