There was a time that I was pretty good about keeping this thing up-to-date, but that time has come and gone. This post is just to let you all know that we are still alive and well, while giving you a very brief update on what has happened with us since the last post.
Alyssa and Ambrey got their ears pierced. I don't have a picture of Ambrey because she was with Janna when she had it done. From what I heard she did great with it. For Alyssa this was the second time that we've had her ears pierced, and just like last time she dealt with some swelling afterwards that prompted us to take the earrings out and let the ears heal.
Summer was horribly hot again, which was really no surprise. The biggest shock was when we got in the pool near the end of June and found that the water 95 degrees! That would be awesome during the wintertime, but when it's 115 degrees outside a 95 degree pool doesn't do a whole lot of good.
In part because of the heat, as well as some changes with my schedule at work we decided that it was again time to move our family elsewhere.
But since the move wasn't until December 14th, some within our family insisted that we had to have a Christmas tree up before the move. So we got a small one. But that's not even the most troubling part. Before we got this tree we had already put up two other Christmas trees. Yes, there may be some insanity within our family.
While dealing with about two weeks worth of delays on the close of our home in Arizona, Janna and the kids moved to our new place in New Mexico. Moving sucks.
This is a picture of my trip from Arizona on the 21st of December. Janna didn't take any pictures of her trip. When I asked her why she didn't take any pictures she said something about screaming kids, icy roads, a blizzard, and stress. I don't know what that has to do with a camera, but whatever.
We were supposed to leave for Utah the day after I arrived in New Mexico, but when I arrived I found a house full of sick invalids. After considering cancelling our trip to Utah for Christmas, which was to be our first Christmas there in about five years, we spontaneously decided to leave on the afternoon of the 23rd, equipped with trash cans to catch any overflowing sickness that might appear. We stopped in Moab after about six hours of continual screaming from Westley. In the morning we traveled the remaining three and a half hours with a little less screaming, but this time in dense snow that at times provided as little as 75 feet of visibility.
Though the trip was difficult, it was well worth it. The kids got to spend time with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and we got to see what Christmas would be like if we had never left. The picture shown above is of the girls receiving gifts that my mother asked my grandma to make. The girls were very excited to receive the handmade dolls.
Since returning we have settled in nicely here. The picture above is from something that came out of the bathroom sink in the master bath. We're not sure what it was, but I'm not ruling out the possibility that the Loch Ness Monster may have tried to escape down the drain.
The Two oldest have settled in with school. Alyssa is in Junior High, and Ambrey will soon be finishing third grade. Anna is excited about starting school after the summer.
This is my birthday gift from Janna. I confess it's pretty awesome. I'm spoiled.
And this is a picture of Westley eating second breakfast this morning. I think we may have a rather large hobbit on our hands.
Sorry, wrong ape. Happy birthday Apryl!!! 
Thanks for all of the wonderful memories! We hope that you have a wonderful birthday! Click on 
These three pictures are from the Hill Cummorah. The first was inside the visitors center, and the second two were from the top of the hill in front of the monument.
