Soccer Season

It is soccer season, and both Annie & Jacob are playing this year. Jacob's games are much more organized, with rules, positions and a referee. Jacob doesn't usually play goalie, it was just the only good picture I got from his game. He seems to be enjoying it this year more than last, so let's hope it keeps up. Annie spent most of her game doing somersaults in the grass. We'll see if she shows any more interest as the games progress.

A posting, finally!

Many apologies for the lapse in postings. We've been a bit busy, but not with anything worth posting. This weekend was Labor Day, and Brian headed back to Kansas for his 20-year high school reunion. I couldn't take the time off with the school schedule, so the kids and I stayed behind. We did go with Maria and Landon to the Coconino County fair, which was the epitome of a county fair. We saw lots of animals (14 different types, as we counted on the bus ride), ate cotton candy and did some rides. Annie chose the pony ride. The boys were too big, so they did a trampoline jumpy-thing. We steered clear of the larger rides and just kept it simple. In hind sight, that was perfect. That was pretty much the highlight of the weekend, but it was nice to have an extra day.

Happy Birthday Annie

It has been quite a week. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures to show for it. Jacob started Kindergarten, which he seems to like just fine. Annie went back to pre-school. We also celebrated Annie's 4th birthday. She had her first friends-only birthday party, which was a lot of fun for her. Lots of girls, doing lots of "girly" things. Hopefully I'll get back on track with taking more pictures soon.

Montana Vacation

We took a second vacation this summer (what a great thing!). The family headed up to Montana to enjoy the scenery, cooler temperatures and all the activites that the state has to offer. We mostly stayed in Missoula, where Brian and I lived while he was getting his master's degree. It was a fun trip back, and we realized that we like the city as much as we did 10 years ago. Brian fished the Clark Fork River, which runs right through Missoula, and we spent time walking the park along the river and through the downtown. We did take a jaunt up to Whitefish and the Glacier National Park. While in Glacier, Brian fished the Flathead River & Lake MacDonald. The kids and I did a hike and took the shuttle up "Going-to-the-Sun" road to Logan's Pass. While in the park, we saw a moose, big-horn sheep, a marmont and lots of deer. All around, another great vacation.

The Sweatland Clan

Aunt Sandy

Grandma, Papa, Annie, Jacob

Papa and Jacob

Papa & Annie

Grandma, Papa, Jacob & Annie on the Porch

Cousins Erik & Elisabeth along with Annie & Jacob

We've finished the visit with family - this time with the Sweatlands of Abilene, Kansas. We mostly went to the pool and hung around visiting. We did take one very neat excursion to the Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve & Z Bar Ranch. The grasslands were strikingly beautiful, and one could imagine buffalo herds by the thousands there (before Americans settled it). Anyway, we wrapped up a very nice vacation with family. Thanks to everyone!

The McVay Clan

Grandpa John, Grandma Linda, Carrie, Jake & Annie

Grandpa John & Jake & Annie

Aunt Annie & Annie

Johnnie & Jake

Uncle Mike, Johnnie, Jake & Annie

We've had some good time with the McVay family over the past week. First, my dad and Linda came up to Page. We stopped by the Grand Canyon and Sedona on our way down to meet up with Aunt Annie. After a rendez-vous in Phoenix, the kids and I flew to Kansas City to see Uncle Mike, Aunt Kathy & cousins, Kelli and Johnnie. It's been a whirlwind of family, which is a nice change of pace for us. We're still out of town, visiting the Sweatland side of the family, but I'll post those pictures later.

Happy 4th

We had a nice holiday weekend with lots of swimming & sun. On the 4th, we went to the parade (the pictures), had a small BBQ at our house, and watched the fireworks go off. The pictures are from the parade. The top is Jacob & Adam, the middle is Eve & Annie, and the Kirchner family plus Jacob & Annie in the bottom picture. Jacob and Annie's reaction to having "bunny ears" is typical of their personalities.