2 and already driving

We stopped in Mississippi last week for a few days on our move east and Neal got his first driving lesson, on a tractor.


We showed him were the "gas" peddle was and he was off and running. Although he never really learned how to turn the wheel he had a great time driving in circles all over the yard. I don't think he got off that tractor the whole time we were there.



We are going to have to keep a close watch on our car keys as he grows older 'cause he loves driving, and driving fast.

Visiting the Slaymakers

Our good friends from AK, the Slaymakers, moved to TX last October. We have missed them greatly since they have been gone. So, as we drove cross country, we stopped by their new place to spend a few days. As always we had a great time together, the boys played outside and Natalie and I sat on the porch talking in the sun.



Kyle and Tyler got to hit some golf balls, play basketball and ride around on 4-wheelers.



They even took us all out together for a fun family ride.



Neal seemed to fit right into the TX look quickly. Less then 24 hours and he was already sporting this look...


It was fun to all be together again. We watched some movies, played some card games, ate some delicious BBQ and just enjoyed catching up in person. Kyle, Natalie and Kaleb have found a perfect fit for their family in TX and we are so happy that the move for them has been so good. However, we can't help but wish that we were all living in the same town again.


At least we are close enough that we can meet half way for a trip to Disney World all together some time in the future...

A Party in Texas

A little over a week ago we got to spend a few days with some good friends in Midland Texas. Now, I do have to say Midland really doesn't have much to offer visitors, but we had a great time with our good friends there that we hardly noticed the dust and wind.


Neal and Luke were born about 10 days appart and so while we were visiting, Becky, put together a double birthday party for the boys to celebrate their second birthdays. Now, this may sound simple but you should know that Becky just had their second son, Joshua, 1 week before this party and was up baking cupcakes and throwing together a great party. I don't know how she did it with a newborn and all but she did and it was great.



Neal and Luke had a fun time together, playing, eating cake and opening gifts. It is always fun to see old friends again and we had a nice visit. It has been fun to visit with lots of friends along our trip to NC. This stop in Minland with the Elders was no exception.

Sunny California

We made it down to California the end of last week and have spent the last few days visiting with family and friends and soaking up the sun.

Tyler and I have loved being back where we went to school. It has been a little strange 'cause everything looks familiar but at the same time very different then when we were here (7 years ago). It was strange to walk around The Master's College and see how much the school has changed. Also, seeing Neal walk around with us on our old stomping grounds was fun and weird at the same time. A lot of our friends down here have kids right around Neal's age and so Neal has made lots of new friends.


We got to spend an afternoon with Aunt Bud, who is currently in her second year at Master's College, and we got to spend some time with Uncle Zach who lives close to the school.



When we weren't visiting with people Neal was outside running around and soaking up all the sun. He loves running in the grass and playing outside on all the playgrounds. We have had a great visit here so far and are glad that we were able to take some time to relax and just hangout.

Baking Mishap

Neal was helping me bake some cookies the other day and then this happened....




He slipped off the chair and as he was falling grabbed the bowl of powdered sugar and was covered under a cloud of dust. He was startled by the whole experience but once the initial shock passed he decided the sugar wasn't so bad and actually tasted rather good.

Our time in Seattle

We just spent a few days in Seattle at my parents house visiting family along the way to NC. We had a nice visit and Neal really enjoyed being at Grandma and Papa's house and getting to play with his cousins.




It has been nice to be out of the cold and snow and be able to enjoy the outdoors, even in the rain.

Our Big 2 Year Old

I know I am going to say what every parent says but here it goes, I can't believe where the time has gone. Neal turned 2 today and I can hardly believe that 2 years have come and gone. We were in Seattle this year for his birthday and got to celebrate with my family.


Neal loves lots and lots of different things so choosing a theme for his party was a hard choice but we settled on a Cookie Monster theme. We had dinner with the family followed by cake and presents so it was a low key family focused party (the perfect kind).


It was fun to watch Neal devour his cupcake and them get excited about all his presents.





Tyler and I got him his Woody Doll and he loved it. He walked around the house talking to him and giving him lots of hugs.


Happy Birthday Neal! Your Dad and I love you so much. You are such a sweet little boy, always polite and making sure everyone around you is happy. You love to give hugs, kisses, and licks. You always want someone to play with you and are always trying to came up with funny words and phrases to make us laugh. We are so blessed to have you in our lives and be able to call you our son. We love you tons, our big 2 year old!