Monday, August 25, 2008

Summer vacation is over and the kids went back to school today.


Where did it go? Oh yeah, June was full of ball camps, Ryan and Kory working in Alamosa and getting things ready for Ry's mission. July...was there a July in this last summer? I'm pretty sure that July didn't have all 31 days in it this year. August has been busy getting wood for the winter and school clothes for the school year.

The sun is bright in the San Luis Valley,














Austin is pretty excited to go to school. He was a little nervous walking in to class, but when he found his seat and saw McKay it pretty well faded.

Austin sitting at his desk, waiting for the day to begin


Devyn, well it's just not cool to be excited when you're an old hat at it, but she couldn't hide it when she found out that she got the teacher she wanted.


Devyn with her usual smile, at the door of her classroom. She is in your 1st grade classroom, Ry.


Jo, well you can see, she is on the go as always. She doesn't have Ryan here to prod her off to seminary each morning, but the keys are feeling pretty good in her hands this year, even if they do belong to a '92 Aerostar.



Jo doesn't have time to stand still and wouldn't let Lane out of the car for a before school photo so.....we got him after.....

Huh....already looking smarter.
Lane...what can I say about Lane. He has noticed girls. We're just praying the social doesn't interfere with the academic part of school, 'cause he doesn't know that we control the shut off valve to the social.

This is the first time is 25 years (except for the 2 1/2 months before Devyn was born) that I (Kris) have had no little ones at home during the school day. Wow, what will I do?

Let's see:

I don't have to watch Spongebob or Hanna Montana (I think I'll watch Lifetime);

I can have an entire Mountain Dew to myself (I can feel the pants getting tight);

The house might get clean (might not);

I can run to Alamosa at will (no fights over Happy Meals).

I don't know, I think I feel a tear welling up in my eye.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Hey there! The family went to the mountains last week to cut some wood and while dad was busy cuttin'...the rest of the family did other things to "help".


Now this could be considered helpful...



...and so could this...

...uh and this too...


...kory's idea of "help" turned into keeping the kids entertained...

Lane...what are you doing??













Devyn and Austin takin' a Gator Break...



Can you spell DIVA?

...everyone's showin' off the muscles...

All in all we had a great time and even brought home a good load of wood.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Got Ryan's Address

We received an Email from Ryan and got his address:

Elder Ryan Glenn Williams
55A Locust Ave 5F
New Rochelle, NY 10801

His Email is:

ElderRGlenn08@myldsmail.net

Friday, August 8, 2008

Ryan's Address

Ryan said that he wants us to give out his address because he wants to hear from everyone and so that he can write also. We don't have his direct address right now but here is the address to the mission home...which by the way happens to be the same exact mission home that his grandma Thomas went to when she served in the Eastern States Mission in the 1949/1950.

Elder Ryan Glenn Williams
New New York North Mission
700 White Plains Rd Ste 315
Scarsdale, NY 10583

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Ryan's Off!!

Well with the addition of one to the family we were running out of room. So we had to get rid of one...we chose Ryan. Yep we shipped him off! As of today he has been gone for three weeks! Just kidding...yesterday--August 5--he landed in New York for the first official day in the mission field. This small town boy seemed to be a little shell shocked!! He called us from the airport in Salt Lake before he flew out and was very excited! A few hours later he called from New York with a little bit of a different tone. "Mom it's really big. There are a lot of people here. I can taste the air...and I don't like the taste." Ha ha! It's going to be good for him.

Since it's been so long since we've updated everyone here are the pictures from our trip to take him out to the MTC.

The last time we saw him! Well Jo Anna and Kory anyway...

Group Hug!!!

The proud parents...missionary mom and "stud"


All the kids after Ryan went through the Salt Lake Temple with mom and dad