Sam Turns One!

Sam turned one this week. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! We moved into our new home just one week before he was born and it has flown by. So much has happened this year - too much to fit into one post - but I thought I would at least post a few pictures from the past year.

Our new garage and our first snow! Doug's new job is located in the double doors out back. He started his own business doing environmental consulting in August. We love the commute!

Oliver and Sam last summer. Love the blue eyes all our kids have from Doug!

Sam was Darth Vader for Halloween and we just happened to have a mini-light saber that he loves to carry around. It made the outfit perfect. 

Sam is a very happy baby. And very social. 

Lily, Sam and Gabe on our new front lawn. It's great to have a yard!

Doug, Gabe and Sam when he was only 1 month old. 

Doug and Oliver at the Park City Roller Coaster. Man that was fun! The boys were so excited after the ride that the ride worker gave us an extra pass to go again. The second time was just as fun. 

Sam only a few months old. You can see his personality coming through already. 

Sam in his blessing outfit. He is 2 months old here. 

Gabe, Sam and Oliver hanging out on our bed. 

This is a very common sight. Lily is always hugging Sam and carrying him around. She loves him with abundant passion. 

Lily isn't the only one who like to carry Sam around. Gabe loves it also. 

Gabe, Sam, Oliver and Lily. A rare moment when they are all together and no one is fighting or screaming. Glad the camera was handy!

Sam is a daddy's boy through-and-through. He uses me for food, then looks for Doug. Doug is already wrapped around his finger, sneaking him candy when I'm not looking. 

Lily policing our home with her homemade "chew gun" (because is says "chew, chew" when it shoots) and police man glasses. 

A hike we took last summer up Millcreek canyon. After two hours of intense uphill and walking, the boys wanted to keep going but we still had to make the return trip. It was super fun. 

Again, Sam's true personality showing through. 

Gabe and Lily. They have a love-hate relationship. He loves her by teasing her and seeing how often he can get her to scream. And she can dish it out to him also. 

Gabe and Oliver first day of kindergarten. 

Lily spinning. She loves spinning and the camera...and dancing...and food...and stickers...and Sam...and sneaking anything...and eating chapstick...and gives us a run for our money. What would we do if we had 2 girls! 

More Recent Family Photo

We finally got around to taking a family photo (professionally, that is) this last Spring. I don't know how long our pictures will be available online, but I thought I would share the link with anyone who might still check this blog - especially considering our lack of regular or even yearly postings. :)

Other news, I am due Jan 13th with our 4th child. We are waiting to find out what gender it will be. I am excited for that fun surprise! We are also in the final stages of moving to a new house. We've been remodeling it for some time now and are waiting our final inspection to move in. We're hoping it will happen before the baby comes, but that all depends on the baby! Personally, I'm not sure which end I looking forward to more - the end of pregnancy or the end of remodeling and moving! Either way, big changes are coming our way and in true deluge style. We'll post photos of the new place once it is finished. I think we will be very happy there and our kids will love the back yard and enjoy riding their new "two-wheeled bicycles with helmets" around the park and local roads.

Love to all.

The Sure Cure for the Winter Blues

Doug's work schedule has been so hectic both before and since Lily has been born that we felt we needed a big vacation so we could spend some good time together as a family. The best time for him was January and where else do you go in January when you live in Utah than somewhere WARM! We've always wanted to go to Hawaii and so we decided this would be a great time. Doug's parents stayed with us (or rather, us with them) which added an extra level of fun for both us and the kids. Ironically, despite being at a beautiful beach, the boys were only interested in swimming in the pool. So after a few days of trying to offer them variety, we opted to spend the rest of the week at the pool. And what a pool it was.

My parents always tell the story that, as a kid, when we were traveling on vacation I could smell water 100 miles away . One time I even woke up from a dead sleep as we were driving by a body of water and yelled, "Water! Stop!!". When my parents would tell me it was time to get out of the pool (any pool), I would hold my breath for as long as possible and stay under water so I couldn't hear them.

Well, it's been some time since I loved being in a pool that much. But I found that while in Hawaii, I was able to tap into that young love and couldn't get enough of the pool by the end of the week. I was the one begging Gabe for "just a few more minutes" in the pool.

Here are some of the photos from our trip.