A Year in Pictures

So, I am finally doing what I have been meaning to do for a long time - update my blog! It's been a VERY long time, so I am not going to try very hard to catch up. I am just going to share pictures from the last 17 months.

Enjoy!
APRIL 2010

Our first tea party

 Autism Awareness walk

 Talking to Daddy on Skype

MAY 2010
 Spence-the-Fence turns 3

Libby "graduated" from Kindergaten

 

 Madison "graduated" from pre-school

 We took a trip to Kansas over Memorial Day weekend and it was SO hot!

 Spencer had a birthday party in Kansas

The reason we went to Kansas was to work on Lee and Kathy's house

JUNE 2010

Libby had her first dance recital

 

 There were a few hundred people in the auditorium for their number, and only 2 six year old girls! Libby didn't look nervous at all!

 We had a lot of fun in the backyard!

 Spencer FINALLY potty trained!

 At the end of June, Aunt Brandi and Link and Heners came to drive with us to Iowa.

 We went exploring at Garden of the Gods

 We stopped in Ogallala on the way to Iowa to see Henry's birthmom.

We were at a park, but it was SO HOT (113 without the humidity)

that the kids mostly just layed in the shade!

JULY 2010

We went the the Farmers and Merchants picnic in Iowa, and family tradition!

My brother was kind enough to play surroget father to miss Libby

I thought that Maddy would love this ride

because it spins around and around.

I was wrong.

She did not love it.

We took some Family pictures (w/o Brett)

This is a good illistration of how it felt to have Brett in Iraq

My brothers conjuring up the dark mark.

It is a tradition for us to have our family picture on July 4th. Of course, Brett wasn't there and I have NEVER seen so many misquitos in my life! The kids hated it! But, we got the picture. Mission accomplished.

We went up to Eau Claire to visit Grandma Dode and Grandpa George for a few days and went to this super fun water fountain. 

We came home halfway through July.

Near the end of July, Liberty was in her first play. The Aristocats.

She did awesome! 

AUGUST 2010

The 7th member of our family came to help me for a few weeks.

She's super cool. 

We drove up Pikes Peak on a photography adventure.

We thought this was a very fat squirll. Turns out it is a yellow bellied marmot. I still prefer to think that it is just a

VERY

fat

squirll. 

The boys got bunk beds.

This is Jack's first night out of a crib. 

Why do my kids keep growing up!? 

Grandma came and we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Spencer LOVED feeding the giraffes.

My favorite part of the zoo is the sky ride. It goes straight up the side of Cheyenne Mountain.

Awesome!

After 5 months away, Brett got back on August 12th so he could be here for my brain surgery.

A great big blessing in a not so big disquise.

We really missed him.

A lot. 

This is a picture of Brett's wall in Iraq.

I think he may have missed us a lot, too.

At 18 months old, Jack got his first haircut.

It seemed like a sin to cut those golden curls!

I have since learned that they grow back

really fast! 

More to come!