Blessing Day!

Everyone was hot and tired and hungry, so this is what we got out of it. What a special day!

Grandpa comes to town....

I knew when my parents left for Alaska that I would miss my Mom, but nothing could have prepared me for how much I miss my Dad!
I think the kiddos missed him, too. Trey still talks about how they only got to see him for one day. Grandpa came on Saturday morning and left Monday. It was a quick trip, but so worth it to me! Thanks, Dad!

Kyler "graduates" from Domino Preschool

Our dear Kyler always a serious face....

He did not like to wear the hat.

"Cheese!"

We love you, Miss Shira!

Even though Kyler has another year before he goes to Kindergarten, we decided that driving to Cheney everyday for 2 hours of preschool just wasn't in the budget for us. So, we like to think of this step is not dropping out but rather graduating early. They did a fantastic job of teaching him all he needs to know to be ready for Kindergarten. Now all I have to do is maintain and add little bits here and there. He loves learning and is as quick as his brother!

Kissin' Cousins

Vincent and Donise came to visit all the way from Georgia in July and we were stoked to see them!

Rowan just couldn't get enough of Lucas!

"Baby"

I am gonna hold him and love him and squeeze him and kiss him...

Thanks to Skype, the boys' seemed like it had only been days since they were together and not two years!

Graduation Day!

Trey graduates from Kindergarten!!

Catching up....again.

I was so totally on a roll with getting back in to blogging and then this happened.....But it's gonna be okay. We are going to rebuild and it's going to be great. All of our tenants made it out okay and none of our stuff that we had stored in the basement was really ruined. Tiny wonders....

Welcome to our Crazy Home, Lucas Maximus!!!

Lucas Maximus (though of course we didn't know his name at the time) was scheduled to be born at Noon on June 4th, but just to keep things interesting at 6:00 that morning we got a call from the hospital saying the 7:00 slot had opened up and we could have it if we could be there in 30 minutes! In classic 'Annika' style, I hadn't packed my bag yet. So, I had to wake LeRoy up and pack in order to get there, but it was so worth it!!

He weighed in at 7lbs 12ounces and 20 inches.

Not bad considering he was technically two weeks early!

Rachel could not have been more excited!!

Kyler thinks he is soooo cute!

Trey just might be the best big brother around!!

I wonder if he knows just what it is that he signed up for....

We love our sweet baby Skywalker....

Princess Rachel

Painting her fingernails....
Her brother's still humor her by doing her girl things. It makes me smile!!

Playing in Mama's Shoes. Lucky for her, I don't wear that heels much anymore!

Peanut Butter on a spoon, her new favorite thing! Notice the crossed ankles...

She really is a Princess!!

Kyler tries his hand at soccer...

Kyler loved his first season of soccer! He had such a great time running and playing. He seems to be a little more coordinated with his feet than his brother was at this age. We all find it humorous that he's right handed, but dominantly left footed. In fact, we have to remind him to use both feet when he is dribbling the ball. It's hard to believe that it's already time to start another season. These games seemed like just yesterday.....

Mother's Day Tea

The best thing about moving so far has got to be Trey's Kindergarten experience! He struggled in Cheney with following directions and doing his best. Something amazing happened when he go to Mrs. Stone's class. He just seemed to fall in love with school all over again!! Maybe it had to do with the fact that her name was Sunny. If we were to have to move again tomorrow, the whole thing would have been worth it for his two months in her class. I was so sad to hear that she was retiring last year. I wish all my kids could have had her! These pictures are mostly from the Mother's Day Tea. The kids did a great job with their singing and reciting. Trey had such a good time. The picture of his class is the only class picture he will get. His Cheney class picture was taken right after he left and the Spokane class picture was taken right before we got here. What are the chances! Oh well....

Moving to Spokane

In April we left our beloved Cheney and moved to Spokane. My Dad took a job in Fairbanks, Alaska to be closer to my brother. When they left it looked like my brother was going to have to deploy to Afghanistan in November. Fortunately, it's now looking like he won't have to so his kids will hopefully be able to stay with him even without my parents. But either way, my parents are there and we are here. The kids really enjoy being here and having a place to place and kids to play with. That makes it worth it to me so I don't cry everyday anymore. I miss my wonderful Cheney life and the friends with whom we lived that life, but things were changing there, too. Rosa and Blaine moved to Canada so Blaine could continue his doctorate work. I am so excited for them, but sad that they are so far away. Marissa and Jared moved to Seattle to be closer to family, so that's good for them, too. Life is all about change I suppose, but sometimes I'm not a big fan. So, I am finally settling in to life here. I have resolved myself to making new friends and embracing a new life. It's gonna be hard. But if there is one thing in life I know, it's the fact that I Can Do Hard Things!