Highlights of 2008

As we look back on 2008, it's hard to believe another year has passed. We preserved as many memories in picture as we could but more memories we cherish in our thoughts (because a camera wasn't around!!). We are once again in awe of God's goodness to our family and know that with all the uncertainty of jobs, health, finances, etc. we serve a God who is faithful and unchanging.

As soon as the year we began, we were in high gear with soccer all stars. Scott was coaching Brandon's team and Tyler was playing for the U-12 team. In January we had our first tournament in Tucson and continued tournaments through the spring. Here are just a few pictures...

Brandon is a fantastic goal keeper. He makes great saves and of course I'm a nervous wreck on the sidelines!

Tyler's team counted on him to play nearly every minute of every game. He played left defense and between his height and aggressiveness he was an asset on defense.

In May, Tyler graduated from elementary school and looked forward to a great summer and bigger and better things to come in Jr. High!

Tyler's graduation present was a surprise road trip with Scott to San Diego. They got to spend the weekend just the two of them at a Christian Rock Festival.

SUMMER!! Scott didn't teach summer school so that we could take a family vacation to Washington, DC and New York. I earned the trip to DC with Pampered Chef and we added on 3 fun filled days in New York.

Our tour of the Nation's Capital was definitely a highlight!

Arlington Cemetary was a solemn and memorable experience. We were able to witness the laying of the wreath ceremony done at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We went to a Yankees game during the last season at the stadium. Brandon got a ball during batting practice. Mariano Rivera threw it into the stands for him! (We still don't like the Yankees but that was pretty cool.)

We picked a clear day to go to the top of the Empire State Building. The view was gorgeous.

No trip to New York would be complete without visiting Lady Liberty!

We took an audio tour on Ellis Island. It was fascinating to hear the stories of the immigrants coming to America.


August - We continued with our traditional morning routine for the first day of school. Chocolate milk and donuts make it not seem so bad to end summer!

Brandon is beginning his final year at elementary school and will enjoy his status as a 6th grader! It's hard to imagine Tyler entering Jr. High.






October - Brandon asked for braces for 2 years. This was the day he had been waiting for and now he was nervous!

Now when Brandon smiles there is a gleam in his eye and his teeth! He chose blue bands to match his MSC soccer colors. He is dedicated!


December - Christmas morning found us opening presents at the Carvers. It has been said, "It's better to give than to receive...." But I say... it's pretty nice to get too!! :O)

I hope you have enjoyed this sampling of our year in review. We know that God is good and will be with us in '09.

One Semester of Spanish

So when the boys were little Scott and I could talk freely about presents or plans and not have to worry about being overheard because the boys were just babies. As they got older of course we had to start spelling things. Should we go to the P-A-R-K? Then as the boys started reading and became good spellers we switched to our high school and college days and pulled out our spanish knowledge. We have been able to communicate pretty good in code by using spanish. Well guess who just got an "A" in Spanish??! TYLER! He can now speak and understand nearly everything I say. (Is nothing sacred???) Ahh...

One of his first assignments was to memorize and sing a hilarious song called, "One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song." For anyone who has ever taken a semester or two of spanish you will find this song funny. It's a great reminder of the odd phrases we learned that really didn't accomplish a whole lot!

Enjoy.. now Scott and I may have to revert to pig latin to talk in code!

Thanksgiving Highlights & Pictures

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday in my family. Since being very young, it has always been a big celebration with family coming in from out of state. We then have 3 or 4 days of crazy fun. This year our group was much smaller. Even though we really missed our extended family we couldn't help but feel festive. What's there to not love about having NO school, eating a ton of food, shopping and going to the movies!!

Before we started our eating frenzy, we kept with our tradition and gathered in a circle and each shared what we were most thankful for. There were many tears and just a deep sense of gratitude from everyone. We were thankful for our faith, jobs, good health, marriages, etc.

Here are just a few more things I am thankful for that I didn't get to share on Thanksgiving...


I am THANKFUL for my boys who will still wear collared shirts when I ask them to dress "handsome" for Thanksgiving.

I am THANKFUL for the internet where I was able to google, "How to scald milk." I had no idea how to scald milk and had plans to try to blacken it. Instead I followed the directions from the internet and made yummy sweet bread dough for homemade cinnamon rolls to be enjoyed Thanksgiving morning. I even kneeded the dough. (Never mind that some said they were burned!! Ahhh!!)

I am THANKFUL for Scott who jumped in and helped me make 6 dozen homemade rolls for our feast. (I'm not sure why we made so many rolls. There were only 12 of us so we ended up having a half dozen rolls each. I think we were secretly hoping our CA relatives would still drive in to town.)

I am THANKFUL for my sweet sister who is an incredible hostess of almost every special occasion. She has an incredible heart of service and willingly opens her home to anyone who will come. (She also makes a yummy homemade apple pie!!)

I am THANKFUL for my brother in law, Kent, who once again made Louisianna Gumbo for Thanksgiving. This is his 13th year in a row of doing this labor of love that draws neighbors and friends to the door with their bowls in hand. YUM!

I am THANKFUL for the moments I get to see the "little boy" still in Brandon. When I explained to him that we were making homemade cranberry sauce, he looked puzzled and said, "OK, are you going to cook and smash the cranberries and then put them in a can!!" Eh gads.. clearly we had never served homemade cranberry sauce! It was delicious and will be on the menu each year.

I am THANKFUL that we have more than enough food to go around! (Yes the diabetic is having dessert!)

Thanksgiving '08 is in the books! I'm excited for next year and will look forward to the whole gang gathering again.

Family Pictures Gone Bad!

So the catalyst for starting a blog was our latest attempt at a round of family pictures.
The four of us went out with my sister, Jamie, as our photographer. We went to a couple of different sights to capture just the right shot. Things went very well at the first two photo spots and let's just say we ended our session rather promptly at a FOUNTAIN!!Scott thought it would be fun to hold me in his arms and to use the fountain as a nice backdrop. What he didn't know was when he took a step back to get a little closer to the fountain that there was a drop off!! My sister did not miss a beat and snapped pictures through our entire wet ordeal!! ENJOY...

We've joined the world of blogging!

I have enjoyed reading so many people's blogs and finally decided to start one for our family. I hope to preserve some memories of our fleeting days and stay in better touch with our friends and family both in and out of town!

So, what's going on exactly with us?? Here a few highlights to get you up to speed with our lives.

We started the school year in August with lots of changes. Scott had his previous position of 6 years eliminated due to budget cuts and has found himself back in the classroom. He is a 4th grade teacher and although it's been quite an adjustment, he has an incredible group of students he has the privilege of working with everyday. At night Scott juggles his evenings with coaching Brandon's club soccer team and teaching 1 night a week at ASU.
I continue to love doing Pampered Chef. I have a fabulous group of consultants that I train and gain inspiration from and many loyal hosts and customers that keep my business going even in the midst of our crazy economic times. (Thanks to God for his provision each and every month!) I find myself being a crazy soccer mom on Saturday mornings, escaping with a good book whenever I get a chance and sometimes sitting amazed at how fast the days are passing.
Tyler has entered Junior High School. He went to a new school (Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies) without any friends that he knew. He has now made many friends and is having a great year. When he's not studying, he's playing soccer for Mesa Soccer Club.

Brandon loves 6th grade. He is the President at school, enjoys playing the Bass in the orchestra and gives a great sports report each week on the school broadcasting news. He has lots of special events to look forward to during his last year at elementary school.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. " Joshua 24:15