Thanksgiving

I've done it again. I've put off blogging for so long that now I feel overwhelmed by the task of getting up to date. So, bear with me as I try my best to get caught up with all that we have done over the past 5-6 weeks!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends. It is so nice to know that even when you are away from family holidays can still be special. We are blessed with great friends in Colorado!

(The kids were having so much fun that we could never get them to sit still for a picture!)

Barnes and Noble Performance

Jacob, Ryan and their good sport dad performed on their guitars at Barnes and Noble on Saturday. I wish I had known what was going to happen because Jacob had written a whole routine and I missed recording most of it. I guess, maybe, I should let them out of the bedroom when they are practicing, but I just don't think I can handle the noise! Jacob introduced each of them (He was the lead guitarist, of course!) and then started in on challenging Kelly to play different scales on his guitar. Here is what I did record:

Ryan loves to play his bongos. He hasn't quite gotten the idea of a steady beat down, but that doesn't stop him from playing his little heart out! Even though he gets nervous, Ryan told me that the key to performing in front of an audience is to just keep your head down and pretend like no one is watching. I am so impressed that both Jacob and Ryan will perform in front of an audience, I could NEVER do that!

Ryan had a bongo solo in this song (notice their hair- they did their own hair "rocker" style for the performance!):

Laynie is 18 months old!

Laynie's newest talent, winking!

Laynie is 18 months old. She now weighs 21 pounds, a big accomplishment for her considering her diet consists mostly of milk and Goldfish crackers! The most exciting part about Laynie turning 18 months old is that she can now go to the Nursery while we are at church. And, she has gone to Nursery two weeks in a row! I asked one of the Nursery Leaders how she was doing and he said she is fine as long as someone gives her a little attention. Oh really? Welcome to our life! Laynie follows me around with her step stool in hand so that she doesn't have to miss a moment of what I am up to. Cooking, teaching preschool, reading a book, or helping with homework, she is right there! She is a really smart, funny girl and we love having her in our home.

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?!