A Snow Day and A Karaoke Queen

Last week we had our first official snow day! On Thursday school was cancelled due to an unbelievable amount of snow. This is what it looked like out our front door in the morning:

The boys couldn't stand the thought of being shut inside all day with that much snow on the ground so they braved the weather to play outside and enjoy the snow. They really are amazing when it comes to being outside. They would truly play outdoors in the rain, snow, sleet or shine! But . . . Who has to ask their child not to put their head in the snow? Well, we did. Many times!

They also earned some money shoveling the driveways of our neighbors:

And guess how Laynie spent her snow day? Karaoke-ing, of course!

Monster Mash

Each year our elementary school does a Monster Mash to celebrate Halloween. The kids look forward to it for months! There is lots of loud (really loud!) music, food and games. The boys love having the opportunity to see all of their friends and of course, getting dressed up in their costumes. This year Jacob went as a Punk Rocker:

Ryan went as a Pirate:

And Laynie started the night as a princess fairy,

and ended it as one tired, grumpy girl!

Primary Program

The boys participated in our ward's Primary Program a few weeks ago. Jacob gave a talk about why he loves his dad. He wrote the talk himself and did a great job. We thought we had better record it so that when he forgets we can remind him that he really does love us.

First, Ryan:

Now, Jacob:

Jacob for Secretary!

Jacob is running for Secretary of his school's Student Council. He made the following posters to display at school:

I told him not to worry about winning or losing. After all, every student at his school will vote. Even the kindergartners circle a name, and with 800 students at his school it is hard to know how things will go. He is very excited about the whole thing and has had a fun time campaigning.

Today he passed out stickers with this picture on them:

His slogan was, "If you want a wild ride, vote Jake Stohl for Secretary!"

Pretty clever, don't you think?!

Our Track Off

We had a fun and busy Track Off. Here are a few of the highlights:

We went on a great hike. The weather was perfect. We saw the ruins of a pioneer home and a small waterfall. Jacob takes hiking very seriously. We had to take many breaks so that he could add to his list of sights and sounds on our hike.

We went to the park many, many times.

The boys helped at preschool. The kids absolutely loved them, although there were moments when I could have done without the extra "help"!

Kelly took the boys to a Rockies day game. Laynie and I were uninvited. Apparently we are not much fun!

Ryan got new glasses. Super cute!

We also went to Utah for a week. It was a very short trip, but we managed to fill it with lots of fun!

We went to Jump On It. The kids had the best time. I didn't think Jacob was nervous on the Bungee Jump, but his face tells a different story. Laynie thought it was the funniest thing ever!

We went to one of our favorite places, my parent's cabin. It is always so beautiful there and the boys especially love the 4-wheelers.

All in all, a very fun Track Off!

Laynie is 16 months old!

I promise she didn't wear the high tops to church, she just wanted them on as soon as we got home!

Laynie is now 16 months old and full of life (Kelly said it would be mean of me to call her a holy terror). She loves to be outside and is always bringing us her shoes and then running to the door. She stands by the window and watches for her brothers to come home from school. When she sees them she gets so excited! She does well at preschool, most of the time. She does have her moments of pretend choking and standing on her head in the middle of all the kids, but I guess that is to be expected from a one year old!

Ryan's cousin had wanted to see a picture of his cast and I forgot to post it. He had the cast removed last week and was so brave. He didn't even react to the saw. He is so glad to be able to ride his scooter and bath himself again and so are we!

Cammi's Transplant

I know I have been a horrible blogger lately, but this news is definitely blog worthy! Kelly's sister Cammi is in surgery today for her double lung transplant! She has been in Pittsburgh with her family since last October just waiting and waiting! We couldn't be more happy/nervous/scared/thrilled for her! So far all has gone well. She has a long recovery ahead of her and we just wanted her to know that she is in our thoughts and prayers. We hope she will be in your as well! We can't wait for her to be well enough to come visit us in Denver. After all, she has only spent 3 days with her name sake. Not nearly enough time if you ask me!