The First 2 1/2 Months of 2011

This post is a long time coming. So without any further delay here we go...

We started the year out with lots of snow. We enjoyed sledding with friends and even testing the kids' dare devil enthusiasm by making several jumps along the slippery track. Here we are with the Gott family.

Church now starts at 1:00pm. That means Kris has a few hours to spend with the family before he is off to meetings at the church. His new tradition with the kids is eating breakfast with them, playing the game of their choice and reading scriptures before he gets ready for the day. What a good daddy! These are several pictures from my attempted photo shoot with Ellary. Alyson and Kourtney have school pictures, obviously in the fall, and Keegan's birthday is at the end of October when we get his yearly pictures taken, which leaves Ellary's annual birthday picture in April on the opposite side of the calendar year. I realize Ellary and Keegan are close in age (18 months) but the gap at which the kids look different ages in the individual pictures we have of them on our basement wall is severely decreasing. Now several months later, and Ellary's birthday just one week away, a new picture will shortly adorn the wall making all right on the wall.

Ellary was very patient. She also loved dressing up.

Ellary, Keegan and I took two weeks in February to visit Nana and Papa in their home in Colorado. Kris had to teach and Aly and Koco both had to go to school so they were unable to make it. My mom had a total knee replacement two weeks before our arrival, so we were on several missions. The first was to physically help them, and the second was to give them an emotional uplift. We all benefited greatly from the experience.

Keegan loved Nana and Papa's two dogs, Mataya and Honey.

Unfortunately several thousands of miles separated Kris and I on Valentine's Day.

This is a purse that I made mom. She has a friend who is very crafty with a sewing machine who came over to the house and showed us how to make them. Mom put me to work on the sewing machine. We used sample material from books she bought at a yard sale and had ourselves a good time. I think I made about 10 purses while I was there.

These are the beautiful roses Kris had delivered to me several days before Valentine's Day so I could enjoy them (I was scheduled to return to Michigan on the 16th). I shared them with someone we both dearly love.

Here they are on Eleonore's gravestone. There was about 2 inches of snow that blanketed the cemetery hillside. Ellary slid down with me and we used our hands to clear the snow away so we could find Eleonore's grave before a workman saw us slipping and falling on our backsides every time we stepped onto a head stone.

I am glad we could share the roses with Mutti.

These pictures were taken the night before we were scheduled to leave. Keegan was already in bed. Turns out our flights were cancelled and we returned home one day later than scheduled. It made leaving that much more bitter sweet.

So, while Ellary, Keegan and I were away, Kris had his hands full. However, he took full advantage of his time with the girlies and did special things with them, like grilling in shorts when it's freezing cold outside!

And baking cookies that they could share with their classmates on Valentine's Day. Can you say "Father of the Year Award"? He also watched Koco perform in a school play all documented on the video camera and he took the girls to a school dance. What fun!

I returned home just in time to see Alyson read a poem in her class. They have been studying the pioneer era and writing fictional journal entries about the lives of pioneer children.

Then later that week we watched her perform in a class play called "Anasi and the Rock". She was the narrator and had most of her lines memorized. She is a definite go getter! (Alyson is dressed up to look like a frog I think.)

This is Alyson's friend Elise encouraging Alyson to relax and play a little.

This year Kris had the opportunity to serve in a fundraiser for Special Olympics at BD Mongolian Grill for the second year running. Here he is grilling away. I'm sure most of the tips were collected when he encouraged the crowd to support a great cause...He's a go getter like his daughter! Ellary insisted on wearing her crown to the restaurant. I wonder what that says about her!

And finally last but not least, Alyson, Kris and I attended a baptism preview night for Alyson and her 7-turning-8 year old friends in church. Woo-hoo! She will be 8 in 2 weeks and 1 day. She is so excited to be baptized. We love you, girl!