Family Update

OK - We've gone a long time (again) without an update. So here goes covering a lot of ground in a brief time...

Last summer was a lot of fun with the addition of a dog to the family swim times...


In September, Hudson turned nine and we had a fun party to celebrate.


In October, Rick and Kathryn attended a Family Matters event at Lake Tahoe and we had a great time and got away to hike to a small lake in the mountains.


Keaton started Pre-K this fall and started off with a western day with his mommy.


For Halloween we went trick-or-treating in the neighborhoods in our area, including one house that set up their own haunted house. We also went to a three church harvest festivals and had a lot of fun and a lot of candy.


We enjoyed the great fall weather around home and took some pictures in our Sunday best.




Christmas was great. The boys loved all their presents. Cody (our dog) seemed to like their new trampoline best as he likes to chase them around from under it and jump up at their feet as they bounce and run.


Between Christmas and New Year, we traveled to visit Kathryn's sister and her family. The boys enjoyed having fun with their cousins and exploring Houston.



Hudson and Landon both played basketball this winter. Rick coached both of their teams. They both did a great job and had plenty of fun.

February brought the Mayo Department of Surgery Black Tie Dinner and a chance for Rick and Kathryn to dress up and go out.


Valentine's day is also Landon's birthday - number 7. He had a great party, got lots of gifts, and enjoyed his Green Bay Packer's-themed birthday cookie cake.


Later in February, Kathryn joined Rick on a business trip to Las Vegas. They were able to take in a show and see the sights while there. Here's a photo in the amazing lobby of the Wynn hotel.


We also took the boys to their first Hockey game - a Phoenix Coyotes home win!


Keaton had another western day at Pre-K in February.


Keaton turned 5 at the end of the month. He had a fun party also with a train theme.


In March, we had a day of pretty heavy hail that turned our backyard lawn white


For spring break, the whole clan went to Orlando for a wild time at Disney. We hit the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Wild Animal Park, and Disney Hollywood Studios parks over four days. After a day at the hotel pool, we also hit Kennedy Space Center. It was a great time and the two older boys loved the rides - the bigger the better. They even went on things like Space Mountain and Expedition Everest by themselves. It was a great experience.







Now, this spring Hudson and Landon started on a baseball team. It's a machine-pitch league and they've enjoyed being on the same team. They shared the game-ball award for the first game of the season when they teamed up for a great defensive 5-3 out, and Hudson got the game ball in their most recent game after going 2 for 3 with a double and a diving defensive out.


So that's a whirlwind update on our goings on. We're still very blessed and thankful to God, as the recent Easter holiday reminds us of the important perspective of where we would be without God's grace.

Summer Update

We have had an adventure-filled Spring and Summer.

Hudson played basketball this winter and Rick was his coach. They only went 2-6 for the season but they had a lot of fun and did a great job.



School finished up in May. Here is Landon with his well-loved kindergarten teachers Mrs. Paul (l) and Mrs. Hugley (r). Special bonus that Mrs. Hugley will be moving up to first grade this year and again be Landon's teacher.



Just a shot of Kathryn and her boys
Kathryn and the boys tried to have a good adventure at least weekly this summer. Here they are at the zoo up in a "treehouse" at girrafe height and at the children's museum.



Kathryn accompanied Rick to a meeting on Oahu this April while Grandma watched the boys back home. Here's a shot at dinner overlooking the lagoon.


Landon turned 6 in February and had fun party with his brothers and friends at an adventure park in Scottsdale.


And Keaton turned 4 a little later in the month and had a fun party at the railroad park (his favorite place). Here he is blowing out the candles on his train birthday cake made by Grandma Gray.


Landon played baseball this spring and took to it very well (he's a natural). It was a coach-pitch league. They went undefeated (we think - no one kept score) and did well enough that the coach tried to line them up to play the 7-8 year-old age group teams but had no takers. Here he is enjoying a beverage after a game...
And with many of his teammates (Landon is third from the left) and his coaches (head coach on right, assistant on the left)

Rick and Kathryn got dressed up for a Mayo Clinic black tie event this spring.

In July, the whole family spent a week in the San Diego area, mostly going to Legoland California. Hudson spent the weekend before at a church camp for 3rd and 4th graders and had a great time. We picked him up from the bus and loaded him for the drive to San Diego! We spent a day each at Legoland, their waterpark, and their aquarium. We also spent a day at the ocean and on the final day sampled our favorites.

Here are some pics at Legoland...



And at the water park...

Lunch for the stair-step boys...

The whole family in 3-D glasses before a movie...

Riding one of the favorite roller-coasters (Technic)...

Our boys built an incredibly cool castle out of legos: OK, actually it was 99% built and glued together and they just let kids add on to it.


At Legoland


A day at the beach for Landon...


And for all of us...

At "Mini-land" where they've built several cities out of Legos including New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and more.



In August we went to Michigan to visit Grandma and more family. Here are the boys with second-cousin Madison and Marti and Mark's dog Gunner:


Keaton at Hardwood lake on the ranch in grass about as tall as him.


Landon threw a tennis ball for Gunner to fetch about 100 times and exhausted both of them.

Grandma read a lot to them, especially at night.

With the Harmons: Ed, Cathy, Hannah, Faith, Eddie, and Donnie.

Lunch on a chilly day with cousin Callie and Grandma

Hudson liked going with cousin Caleb shooting targets

With cousins Callie and Caleb

We built a fort in the woods tucked behind some trees. All was done with Landon and Hudson pounding many nails (and no fingers).

And we spent a day swimming at heart lake




We've been very blessed. Best quote from these seasons:

Landon after Rick heated up the hot tub on a chilly spring day, lying back in the warm water with his head back and eyes closed: "This is my life...and I LOVE my life."