A Growing Boy

Caleb continues to grow... and grow... and grow. He is quite a strong little man and frequently injures his mama by accident. His completely adorable personality and happy disposition make up for the injuries though.

He learned how to go down slides all by himself and seems to love balls more than anything else. His favorite toy is a red spiky ball that he received from Grandma Lewis for Christmas.

I'm consistently amazed at Caleb's ability to bring laughter and smiles to us all. We are so glad that Caleb is part of our family.

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Last week we celebrated the 6th birthday of this special little lady...




We enjoyed a family celebration and a fun rock climbing date (Audrey's choice).

What a light Audrey is to our family. She is compassionate, calm, cheerful, athletic, helpful, graceful, intelligent, nurturing, cuddly, and oh so beautiful. We love you Audrey and we are so excited that you're finally 6 years old!

Blogland Hiatus

I took a much needed break from my computer for the past few weeks to enjoy some quality time with my amazing children and experience exhilarating Houston weather. Warm sunny days and chilly evenings are so much fun! What tender feelings I have for each of my children - I love to spend time with them and enjoy their unique personalities. Here are some shots from a walk around the lake in our neighborhood:

Christmas away from home

We just returned from an adventurous two week trip visiting family in Utah and Idaho for Christmas. What a blessing for our children to be able to see the beautiful sights of the areas we visited! They were such troopers and handled the trip so well. Despite disrupted routines, living out of suitcases, and sleeping in varied homes, we so enjoyed spending time with family and the many playdates with cousins.

A visit to BYU to see professors and the renovated campus:

The lights at Temple Square were breathtaking...

Riding the TRAX to our downtown destinations:

Outside the Conference Center:

Playing in the plentiful snow:

Could it be?

Last Friday delivered a special, unfamiliar surprise to our doorstep... SNOW! We spent a festive, wintry afternoon playing in the snow after school was let out early. How fun to drink hot chocolate and wear thick warm socks with chilly wind howling outside; a true rarity for these here parts.

First few flakes flutter down:

Direct hit:

Houston... we have a superstar!

Brendan specifically requested the above title in honor of his soccer season coming to a close, and to match Caleb's similar post heading below. Here are some highlights from another great season:

Brendan also wanted to be sure that I posted this clip of his fancy footwork (it took me many tries to find a moment when he was actually running with the ball)...

Go Steelers! Great job Big B. We love you.

Warm Holiday Wishes

This year's family photo shoot was a success thanks to our friend Jim (www.jimboud.com). Here are some of our favorites. Wishing you a happy holiday season...