Merry Christmas Everyone!

It has been quite the year for our family with many fun and interesting adventures, accomplishments, and projects! At the very end of 2011, we welcomed Eli into our world, and he has added so much joy to our home. Maximus keeps him laughing, and Eli looks up to his big brother so much! Maximus turned seven and Eli turned one and is walking! It is hard to believe how time certainly flies! Jason was able to give Eli his baby blessing this past April, and it was a very special moment for our family. I graduated with my Master's Degree from Grand Canyon University, and I am currently working on my PhD. Following my graduation, our family was sealed in the Mesa Temple, for time and all eternity on May 5th. It was a beautiful day, and we felt our sweet angels Isabella and Angel standing by....Such a great gift we have all been given for the potential of Eternal families. We have certainly felt Heavenly Father's love as we experience tender mercies every day. We are learning that there is always a lesson in the trial, and we are thankful for the blessings we have received because of our trials. We miss and love our girls everyday, but press forward because they are not far. In June, we moved to our home in Sandpoint, Idaho. I has been a whirlwind as we brave the interesting elements such as excessive rain, snow, and keeping wood on the fire to stay warm. The simple life is not so simple, but worth it. However, we are surrounded by beautiful mountains, lakes, and the City of Sandpoint is very charming. So far, we have had a moose, deer, skunks, a beaver, wild turkeys, coyotes, and Elk on our property. We even saw a bear run across the road right in front of our SUV one afternoon! Max has caught the fishing bug from his dad and caught a huge monster in the river when we first moved here. He can't wait to go fishing again! Charlie and Lucy (our dogs) have adjusted well. IT didn't take Charlie long to start running away....(his specialty). Charlie likes to take little walks up to the neighbor's house when they are outside, and eh will just stand there and bark at them....in their own yard! We are so blessed to have nice neighbors with a sense of humor! He even jumped in Max's school bus one afternoon! Lucy however, is much smarter and knows she gets treats if she listens, and she has a sweet demeanor. We now have seven goats and five peacocks. We only have one male goat, and we named him Gary Goaten. We are hoping Gary will make it possible for us to have little baby goats in the spring. We are hoping for baby peacocks as well. Jason built an awesome pen for the peacocks and worked hard to secure the barn for our little goats. The boys absolutely love the animals and it has been really fun to see them acclimate to our new home. Eli is now walking, saying little words, clasping his hands when we say the prayer(which is priceless), and likes to cause havoc for Maximus, (but Max secretly loves it). Maximus played soccer in the fall and is now going to Taekwondo classes and loves it. Both of our boys have contagious laughs, a great sense of humor, and their presence is never taken for granted....Love them so much! It has been a lot of work between our jobs, projects, home improvements and church callings, but will be worth it. Jason has done an awesome job fixing up our home-we finished the boys room for the most part, and it looks awesome. Like I said, the simple life is a lot of work, but I know this is where we are supposed to be despite our trials and adjustments. I hope this post finds all of you happy and healthy. We love you all and we feel so blessed to know so many wonderful people that we have met along our journey and those that have been there all along. We send our love and best wishes to all of you this Christmas season, and have high hopes for a wonderful New Year!