Eagles?!?

Well, it's been a while since we updated this blog. Things have been a little exciting, but not too bad. on the 8th of february, we had Eagles in our backyard for the first time we can remember. For those of you who don't know our backyard is very scenic. We have several ponds bordering our yard, and beyond. As a result of this we have always had ducks and other small birds eating in our yard. Occasionally we have a hawk pluck a little bird from our bird feeder or hunt in the vicinity but we've never seen Eagles other than at the nearby golf course. Well on this particular Friday, Dad and Michael were both home, and Mom was still at work. Dad got looking out in the backyard and noticed a large bird next to one of the farther ponds eating something. (Warning: this gets a little morbid...) He grabbed his binoculars and saw that it was a golden eagle. It had plucked a duck off of the bank of the pond and was having a feast. He called Michael to come and see it. Michael grabbed his video camera, and came running. That is where we get these great pictures (thank you Michael). As they were watching the Eagle eat, Mom came home from work and was immediately updated on the situation. So now they are all watching as this eagle snacks away. Then they notice another large bird flying in to check out the scene. First they think it's a hawk, but it's too big. Then they think it's another golden eagle until they notice the white tail and head. So this Bald Eagle floats along the breeze over the other eagle, surveys the yard, and then floats right past the window where they are all standing, watching it all. And Michael had his camera rolling the entire time. As the Eagle ate there were several magpies and hawks hovering in the surrounding trees. But he ate for so long they got tired of waiting and flew off (except for the hawk that The eagle chased off). He came back a couple days later to check on his leftovers, and they haven't seen any eagles in the yard since. It was a really cool adventure though.
As for the rest of us, things are going well. Dad is still working for Westates Construction. they are still sending him between Rexburg and Saratoga Springs. Not so fun, but it's work. Mom is Still at Thermofisher (formerly Hyclone). Michael is thinking of going back to school next semester. Brian is in a city called El Centro, right near the border of California and Mexico. He loves being out in the Desert and is expecting ot be there until he comes home. He comes home in just under TWO MONTHS!!! But we're not excited or anything. He has really enjoyed his mission and has done a lot of good work. We are really proud of him. Melissa is still living in Logan (until mid July) and Steven is starting to talk. We have a lot of fun with him. We are excited for him to meet Uncle Brian.

The Big 2-9!!!!

Twenty nine years ago two friends fell in love and got married. There have been hard times and lots of good times but they are still in love and as happy as ever. As they look back they have lots of fond memories of raising three children and all that comes with that. As they look to the future, they can look forward to a new chapter in their lives, GRANDPARENTS! This new chapter should bring a lot more memories and good times to come! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Holiday Fun- In Retrospect...

Well the Holiday season is over and we all survived. It was a lot of fun, as always. We had our regular Christmas Eve Dinner. Grandma and Grandpa came to eat with us. This year we also had Michael's friend Marty come and hang out. We had the traditional French Dip, macaroni salad, Jello, little smokies, and , most important of all, SHRIMP! After dinner we played Scotland yard, a game of Michael's. It's a lot like Clue, but harder. We had a lot of fun. Then Matt and Melissa decided to stay the night because it had snowed and they didn't want to take Steven out in the snow. On Christmas morning Michael actually got up at 7:30 am!!! I know, we were all shocked too. It was okay though because we were calling Brian at 9 am so we got to open some presents before we called him. We didn't talk to him for as long this year, only about two hours. He is coming home in April so we will be able to talk to him then. He talked to my mom the longest. I think the two of them have the most to say to each other. It's great that they are so close. His Christmas cards were a lot of fun this year. He sent the kind with a picture on them. He is doing well and really loves his new area. He is almost on the border to Mexico, in the desert. After all the excitement at our house, we went out to Grandma's for the second phase of our Christmas bash. There is always a ton of food out there. We always have Ham and funeral potatoes for dinner, and of course there are always a ton of munchies. (what can I say, we are a munching family) At least Grandma has finally given up on trying to keep us away from the relish trays and dips before dinner. It was always a losing battle. Melissa gave a great collage of pictures to our friends Nancy and Nathan. It was a lot of fun to look at it and share memories from past holidays and camping trips. Man, we have some good times. It is always great to get together with Family and friends and share the holiday spirit. But it is also good to get back to a normal everyday pace. The not so good part is having to go back to work...

Finally! Some Snow!

We finally got some good snow for the year! It rained for about a day before nonstop then it finally started to snow! The flakes were big and beautiful. It was so exciting to finally get some snow and to be able to have a White Christmas. We still only got about 4 or 5 inches but it was fun to have a little snow.

Ready For Christmas!!

Well we are ready for Christmas here in our little world. Mom and Dad have put up the lights on the house. It brings a festive look to the whole block! They always put up a lot of lights and they always use the really big bulbs so they have a really classic look. It's really special.
We have our tree all set up and decorated. It is the usual real tree. We no longer traipse into the woods to cut it down ourselves, but we still make sure we have a real tree. We really like the smell and the look of a real tree. Dad went a little crazy with the lights on it this year, but it actually made it look really great. Nice and bright. Just the way we like it. Just look at the house.
Mom has all the nativity's out. She has quite a few now. This has become a fun tradition and she really enjoys collecting them. She has a lot of really cute ones. The one in the picture is the one that started it all. The original. It was painted by mom and has been through so much over the years. It has all kinds of battle scars. I don't think any of the pieces have escaped untouched. It still looks great though thanks to the wonders of super glue. We hope you all are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Thanksgiving!!

We had a great thanksgiving out at Grandma's house. We all love to do it there but I think we are almost getting too big to all fit around a table in Grandma's living room (as seen below). Everyone was there except Brian (I guess a mission is a good enough reason to miss Thanksgiving with the fam...). Terri and Dave were only there for a while but they still got to stop by. It was Bobby's first Thanksgiving with us. Steven had a great time eating his first Thanksgiving dinner (Last year he was only a couple of weeks old). We had all his favorites: sweet tatoes, green beans, stuffing, and rolls. He also liked the Pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake roll. The picture above is of Steven having a yam with his Grandma. We played games, ate dinner, and visited with everyone. It was great to have everyone together.

Steven is One!

Our little Steven turned one year old and we had a little get together at the house to celebrate! He was a little cranky and didn't want anything to do with opening presents. He did want to play with them once they were open though! When we gave him his cake, he didn't want to eat it with his hands, So he used a spoon instead.