Bye Bye 2011!

2011, like the last several years, was highlighted by change.

The biggest change was welcoming Owen to the family.

The next biggest change was Ella starting school.

Ella's class Christmas party

We are truly grateful for all of the blessings, relationships, experiences, and family that we have.  Though not always a walk in the park, life is good.

2012 is certain to bring more change for us...we'll take it as it comes!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Fun!

One of our traditions is to bake and decorate cookies.  We had a great time putting them together and using more than enough sprinkles!

We made a trip to Disneyland for a retreat.  Tony and Erin met us there and weathered the gale-force winds with us.  We had a perfect time and enjoyed the happiest place on earth.

We journeyed down to San Diego for a night then headed home.  Olivia got pretty upset at all of us and proclaimed, "I'm mad at you!  I'm going to eat you all up.  YUM!  YUM!" in a rather angry voice.  Fortunately, we were able to avoid her appetite and live to laugh about her statement.

Christmas morning was a great time to reflect on why we celebrate Christmas.  Happy Birthday Jesus!

Mom and Chuck made a visit out to AZ for the week just after Christmas to close out the year!  We were so thankful for their visit as Heidi and I got to sneak away several times.  What a blessing.

Too much fun...it's never dull at our house!

A family of 5!  Yes, we're on the move changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, coloring, playing, singing, dancing, running, and laughing.

Ella blew our mind by offering to do the dishes one night...Heidi and I had an infarction.

Thanks!

We are fast approaching the traditional season of giving thanks.  Routinely we forget how blessed we are.  Since we forget to remember, we also forget thankfulness.  Our family has received countless blessings, in every thing, "good" or "bad".  We work to remember.  Thank you!

Ella's First School Picture

Sugatas and Tuckers Prior to Trick-or-Treating

Baseball, Baseball Pacifier, Baseball Pacifier Strap-thingy

Heidi's Photography

The Next Generation of Mr. Universe

Have a great Thanksgiving!

So Much Fun!

We celebrated my birthday last week with a little sushi and Heidi's homemade German Chocolate Cake.  It's been a favorite of mine since I was a little guy.  My Grandma Denise used to make it every year for birthdays.

Last weekend we went to Jackpot Ranch in Verde Valley.  Heidi rode the mechanical bull.  She was an awesome rodeo chick!  We posed for a photo and got some pumpkins, too.  After we finished up at the ranch we headed to Munds Park with our friends and nearly capped off a perfect Saturday, dance party included...but Olivia drove us to the brink of insanity without her mimi (pacifier).  She would not wind down so we bailed out at 1:19 a.m. and headed for home nearly 2.5 hours away.

The girls painted their pumpkins from Jackpot Ranch.  Ella and Olivia love to color and paint.  Art is huge for them.

October: One of Our Favorite Months

Incredibly enough, October is nearly half over!  We very much enjoy October whether we're in Michigan, California, or Arizona.  Warm days and cool nights are the right mix for outdoor activity and great memories...

Owen and I have been enjoying playoff baseball!  We are so excited that the Tigers are still fighting for MLB supremacy.

Grandma Dede and Grandpa Chuck came out for a week.  The kids had a great time with them.  Heidi and I got to sneak away a couple of times, too.  While they were here we celebrated Grandma Dede's birthday, explored the Botanical Garden, visited the Science Center, and played at the splash pad.  We also did our day to day that included school, work, eye appointments, small group, BSF, exercise, eating, church, and sleep...Heidi and I just got a new bed!  So far so good!

We were happy to have them come and visit.  Now it's back to business as usual.

Family of Five

We seem to be getting into the groove of our life.  Heidi has been focused on taking care of the family and the home.  She's been mastering the art of managing the schedules of the kids and doing it well!

Ella has been excelling at school.  She hasn't been disciplined once...that we know of!  We had a birthday party for her a couple of weeks ago.  She had fun but had a melt down that has been documented with video footage - she'll appreciate it when she matures, I'm certain.

Olivia misses her sister, but is coping.  Heidi says that the days are pretty quiet with just Olivia and Owen home.  They spend their days reading, playing with dolls, going to the splash pad, going the Bible Study Fellowship, and working out at the gym.

Owen is still growing.  His hands and feet are very generous.  He's easily wearing 6-9 month clothes and loves to stand in our laps.  He's really a happy baby but most definitely loves to be held or with the crowd.

We start a small group next week.  It's been too long since our last group.  Both Heidi and I are excited to do life with our peers.

Mom and Chuck are coming out next week.  We can't wait to have them visit.  I am sure they are very excited to see the kids and spend some time in the sun.