Our 2009 End of Year Blog

What has our family been up to this year?

Here we tell it in our own words.








Dad: Texas felt a little more like home this year as I started having a better idea what to expect with work, school, holidays, and local traditions. I’ve been working at Overwatch since April 2008 and got involved in a review of company processes for CMMI and worked experienced my first “Rush” as the company called for everyone on my project to work 60 hour weeks during August, September, and part of October. I also participated in a company Habitat For Humanity volunteer day repairing an old house. Getting our house sold was a major undertaking and a huge relief. We were finally able to turn our sights towards our future and saving for our next house. I played way more than my share of Wii games, beating Star Wars Force Unleashed, Zelda Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Kart. I also got to join Colin on a night of Scout Camp during the summer. I also went to a Dave Ramsey live event and read over 10 books this year (some we own and some from the library). As you’ll read below, it is amazing how much each of the children has grown this year. I am constantly amazed at how blessed I am with the loving wife and children that make up my family. Whether I am home early or late, or seeing my children on Saturday for the first time this week, they always shower me with love through hugs, kisses, and stories about the adventures they had that day. I live for those Homecoming celebrations.

Mom: This year I spent a lot of time working and preparing to sell our house in Colorado. We are so thankful to all those who helped us, especially my sister Allison and her husband Aaron. It was such a blessing to have it sold. As my good friend said, “We stopped the bleeding.” I got the chance to meet new friends and strengthen older friendships. It is such a blessing to have wonderful women around me.

We had the privilege of attending our friend Lyssa's missionary discussions and then baptism. We rescued a turtle from the grips of our dog and then released it into the wild. We took a local vacation to Brenham, TX where we visited The Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory, played at the park, swam at the pool, visited the local shops, ate at a local (Must Be Heaven) Sandwich/ice cream shop, and visited a Monastery where nuns raise miniature horses. My sweet husband supported me through all the new ideas and projects that I tried this year. The biggest being the many craft shows I participated in and all the prep work that went into them. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have the modern conveniences of email, Facebook, blogs, Skype and cell phones. It makes being away from so many of you a little easier. You are all in our hearts.
Colin: The coolest thing I did this past year was participating in the science fair. I did an awesome exhibit about mice taste buds, trying to find the best mouse bait. My mom let me have three mice to run my experiments with and my dad and I built a large track for the mice to run through. Next came the end of fifth grade and the end of my elementary school. After that I signed up for Swim Team and had the coolest time of my life. I even learned the Butterfly stroke. This fall I started sixth grade at Hudson Bend Middle School, with my two

best friends Loren Christiansen and Kassandra Pulsifer. Next came Christmas where I got two laser tag guns and the movie Arthur Spiderwick Chronicles.
Caitlyn: This year I decided I didn’t want to write anything. I didn’t want to write about my friends Amelia and Talia, who have made Texas a better place to live, or about how I learned to swim the length of the swimming pool and then even won some of my heats by the end of Swim Team or about my trip to Brenham, TX to see how BlueBell Ice Cream is made. I didn’t want to write about how annoying my mother is, but sometimes you just have to tell the truth. I got an American Girl Doll for Christmas.

Austin: This past year I was a Lake Travis Cheerleader. I learned some really cool dances and cheers and was able to perform them at Football games and a cheer competition. Caitlyn and I also discovered Zelda: Twilight Princess. We had fun dressing up as the characters and for Halloween I was Link. We went to Barton Springs for a swim with our friends Robert and Mariah Case. The water was very cold. We heard that there are some endangered Salamanders in Barton Springs. Caitlyn brought her water camera so we could find them, but we didn’t find any. For Christmas I got an American Girl Doll named Felicity.

Reagan: This year I started preschool. I’ve gotten to go on three field trips, one to the Zoo, one to the Park and one to the Pumpkin Patch. We got swim passes this year and got to go to the pool a lot. I liked the frog slide and a squishy frog I could lay on. My dad is teaching me how to ride a bike. He made it easier by putting training wheels on. I got makeup and a jewelry box for Christmas.

Hallie(in her own words): This year I turned three. I am bigger now because I am three. I get to go to Sunbeams now that I am three. I will miss my John and Julie in Nursery. I just want some crackers and some animal crackers, and some fishy crackers. No dad not cookies, WAIT yes cookies! I am a POTTY PRINCESS and I have a squishy potty. I don’t like to POOP, but I like potty candy and I get to go to treasure chest.