Halloween 2009

Halloween was great fun this year. Our ward holds a great trunk-or-treat. This year the Elder's Quorum did a donut eating contest. Our kids had lots of fun. Ethan really enjoys pretending to be spider man. I am his superpowers as he flails around pretending like he's jumping up walls, landing on top of couches, dangling from his feet from the ceiling, etc. It's a good work-out for me! Annie was adorable as Snow White. She even got the oh-so-sweet princess voice down.

Our good friends, Spencer and Laura (and kids), came as H1N1: very creative!

"E" always wants to look like Daddy. If Daddy is wearing a hat, he wants his hat. If Daddy has ankle socks, he wants his ankle socks. They are lookin' good in this photo I must say!

Master Shawn

After many hours of hard work, Shawn earned his Masters degree. I joke with him and call him "Master Shawn." He rolls his eyes at me and tells me I can call him "Dr. Honey" after he earns his Ph. D. Congratulations Shawn! We're proud of you and know you will continue to be an outstanding student as you start your Ph.D. this fall.

Maple Tree

Sitting in the big maple tree in our front yard. We couldn't resist taking a picture of these cute little faces framed by the big green leaves.

Cutie in the rain

"I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain"

E's Birthday shared with Mother's Day

This mothers day was unique in that we were not only celebrating Mothers, but the life of our adorable son "E". In the morning we enjoyed the traditional crepes in bed, and in the evening we had a car cake with icecream. A day to remember for sure!

Cruise

In February Cami and I went on a cruise that I earned working last summer for PPC. It was much needed, especially for Cami; she had not been away from our children for longer than 6 hours since Annie was born. To say the least, she loved it! Nana, Papa, and Aunt Tami watched Annie and Ethan for the 7 day cruise, God bless them!
We sailed down the Pacific along the CA and Mexican coasts. We stopped at Los Cabos, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. We spent lots of time on the beach, saw some beautiful scenery, got our fill of relaxation, ate wonderful food until we almost burst (obviously, its a cruise!), and enjoyed spending time together.

McIlnay Cousins

Annie had a blast this Christmas break hanging-out with her McIlnday cousins.

At the Grossology Exhibit in CO

Here we are at the Colorado Wildlife Adventure Grossology exhibit. Yes, you heard right, "Grossology." The exhibit features several educational modules like, for example, an explanation of how beetles roll dung balls 10 times their size and how to distinguish fox poop from elephant poop--yes, obvious I know. We had a great time! But the best part was the cute faces.

Ethan Sings Superman

Ethan Playing Ball with Papa

Trip to Rexburg, ID

After Christmas we took a trip up to Idaho to visit Shawn's grandparents Ted and May Adamson and to see some sites and friends in Idaho. The Rexburg temple was impressive. The last time we were on that ground was for the groundbreaking back in 2005. At that time Cami was carrying Annie in her womb and almost ready to pop. We also saw the newly renovated Snow building where Cami and I spent countless hours as students. After the tour of campus we saw a few old friends: Ted Ashton (Cami's violin teacher) and Andrea Radke (Shawn's history professor) with her new baby boy.

Christmas in Utah

We spent this Christmas in UT with Cami's family. It was a rare occosion to have all of Cami's siblings present. We had a blast.

The top picture shows Cami with her brother Randen holding a violin that he himself made. It's looks beautiful and sounds wonderful too. Good work Ray!

Sledding Fun

Around Christmas time, Annie and some of her cousins went sledding in UT. I was doubtful that Annie would enjoy it, but as you can see she had a blast! After a few small trial runs, she asked me if we could sled down from the "tipity top." Then she insisted that we go down from the "tipity, tipity top!" I was impressed at her enthsiasm since this was the steepest and tallest hill I've seen at a public park!

We spent the New Years in Colorado with Nana and Papa Austin. After a nice snowstorm we had a little fun with the sled and the ATV. I finally was able to convince Papa to give it a try! Take a look. I couldn't stop laughing!

Bach Double Mini-Style

Cami and her brother Randen playing the Bach Double on violins made for a 4 year-old.