Catch-up time!

 Phaelen started preschool this year and really likes learning his letters and numbers and how to write them. He also loves doing worksheets and playing with his new friends. And Halloween was easy this year, thank goodness! Sadly, we didn't have our puppy for long, he passed away October 6th, 2012. We will forever remember Gachet with nothing but sweet memories.

 Calder played on a real soccer team this year and had a good time, even though almost half of his games were cancelled due to smokey air from the wildfires this summer/fall.

 Christmas was really fun in our new house and the boys loved decorating everything and keeping secrets about presents they knew about.

 One of the surprise gifts this Christmas were ski poles and snowshoes for both boys, and Calder got ski's and boots plus money for lessons and lift ticket.

There has been plenty of snow at our house, but we can't resist going up to Lolo Pass to go sledding and skiing. These boys love having fun!

Summer to remember

 Canoeing

 Fishing

 Hiking

 Swimming

 Boating

 Parks

 Wildfires

 Fair

 Visiting family

Beach

  Forest

 Ocean

 Trails

 OMSI

 Cousins

We had a lot of fun this summer of 2012 and we were so grateful that Jeff had a job that was secure and flexible enough to allow us to do these fun things as a family. These are just a select few photos from our many adventures and we are positive the list will just keep growing.

Phaelen

Well, this is late but things have been truckin' along and Phaelen had his forth birthday so I thought I would post some photos before I get distracted again and forget to post anything for a month or two.

Ode to Calder

Calder is SEVEN years old now. It feels like I forget how little he once was and is now becoming a young boy. This both excites and scares me, which I expect to continue to feel throughout his life.
Let's see...Calder loves Legos, he has lost 8 teeth, has had 3 cavities, rides his bike almost as well as I do mountain biking, likes his hair a little longer than his dad would like, has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the water this year, can make his own PBJ sandwich, really likes soy sauce and pot stickers, likes to understand why and explanations for things but doesn't always like the answer and will sometimes make up his own answers which a lot of the time are funny and/or complex, he really likes Phineas and Ferb, Ninjago and Scooby-doo, doesn't love reading alone, has many intricate thoughts, is learning to debate and negotiate, still likes his back rubbed and hair played with, is learning to take pride in his appearances, loves to learn anything science related and can be very determined when he sets his mind to it.
Oh, and get this! One of his birthday presents was an itunes gift card and one of the songs he bought was "Mr. Roboto" by Styx - thank you Uncle Brian for the example you are.