Grandpa Yamamoto

Today is Grandpa "Moto's" Birthday. He recently passed on Oct. 20th at the age of 85. It is hard to believe he is no longer with us. He is Cris' grandfather on his mother's side. He was such a wonderful caring man. The first time I met Grandpa was when Cris and I were dating. I flew down to San Diego to meet up with Cris who was visiting family. It was the first time I was going to be meeting any of his family... thus I was a little nervous. Cris and Grandpa met me at luggage and I was welcomed with a big hug and kiss on the lips from this Japanese man whom I had never met. Needless to say it was love at first sight. I loved how Grandpa became a friend to all regardless of your age, race, income, etc. He was a wonderful storyteller and we loved to hearing his life's experiences. Alex's middle name, Henry, is named after Grandmpa Moto. Although one would never hear Grandpa call him Alex. He was referred to as, My boy A. Henry. They had a very special relationship.

There are many times I go to the computer and am greeted by a photo of Grandpa and my boys which rotates on my screen saver. It seems to be the time when I need a smile. I know he is still watching over each of us. Happy Birthday Grandpa! We love and miss you.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

We are experiencing some very chilly weather in Boise this week. Low teens in the morning with highs in the upper 20's. Burrr! But it doesn't seem to stop the kids from wanting to play outside in the snow. Zach asks why all of the houses have sparkles on them in the morning. My explantion that Jack Frost visited wasn't what he was looking for.

Last Saturday, the boys rushed outside to take advantage of the fresh snow and build a snowman. Okay, so Frosty forgot to take his vitamins and was a little small, but the kids were proud of their creation. Hopefully, the next snowfall will allow Frosty to rise to his potential. We are hoping Santa brings some snow pants and boots for the kids to keep them warm. Off to make some hot chocolate -my new favorite drink of choice.

Made in China

My boys are fascinated with China. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. But it seems to keep coming up. Alex has noticed that their are many things that state, "Made in China." The other day Cris was driving in the Van with them and listened to their China conversation.

Alex: Yeah, Zach everything is made in China. Like houses, cars, toys, clothes you know everything.

Zach: But I thought God made everything.

Alex: Yes, Zach God did make everything. First He created China and now they make everything.

And with that response, Zach was content to know where all material goods come from.

It gave us a good laugh and hopefully gives you one as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Burley at my parent's. My brother Erick, his wife Audra, cute baby Myelle, grandparents, Uncle Steve, Aunt Peggy, my fav cousin Steph, her husband Jake and their too cute baby Mason were in attendance. It was nice to be amongst family for this holiday. While we have loved spending Thanksgiving with friends, there is something about being with your family. The food was delicious and of course we ate way to much. The boys loved hanging out at Grandma's and being spoiled. Alex created his own Turkey bowl and thus his day was complete -- thank you Uncle Steve for hanging in there. Zach in all his craftiness mad place cards for everyone. He made turkeys and glued "red and blue fedders" on the back of each turkey and wrote everyones name. He already has big plans for Christmas. I have no idea where this Martha Stewart personality is coming from!!!

I couldn't decide which pictures to post so I made a couple of collages. The contraption Alex is blowing into is a Marshmallow shooter -- Aunt Peggy things of everything. Grandpa Wood enjoyed the Packers game along with his fellow cheese heads. Syd made everyone smile with her cute pigtails. Cris and I? We are thankful to have the move complete and to be for the most part settled. We are also very thankful to be blessed with family and friends whom we love dearly and for the knowledge of the gospel.

SNOW!!

We had our first snow fall in Boise on Tuesday. Needless to say the boys were thrilled. Syd didn't quite know what to think so she was running around outside barefoot touching her now damp hair. The snow definitely set the tone for the upcoming holiday season. True to what we had heard, the snow quickly melted away. We are off to Grandma and Grandpa Wood's to celebrate Thanksgiving. We haven't had Thanksgiving with the family in a long time so it will be nice. We hope everyone has a fantastic day.

Hello Hello

We have joined the Blogging world. We love reading others and decided to join in the fun. Also, we thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with all of our fabulous friends and family in Arizona. Special thanks to Kennedy Coley who helped us set up a blog. Click the link on the side to check out her creation.

We arrived in Boise Tues, Nov 6th. After a few long nights we pretty much have our home settled (special thanks to Grandma Wood for helping unpack). It is a cute home in Southwest Boise and the boys said it would do. We are living here temporarily until we find the "perfect" home to purchase.

Alex started school at Desert Sage. Desert Sage my AZ friends may ask? Yep! Same name as his AZ school just different mascot. He is now a coyote. Funny coincidence! He is enjoying his class and finally enjoyed recess today.

Zach started preschool with Ms. Brandi and is happy to be the only boy on campus. He loves is class and wants to go everyday, but only gets to go on Tues and Thurs. He was a little disappointed that there wasn't a large purple dinosaur on the wall like he had a Ms. Carrie's preschool. He finally decided it is okay to wear a jacket. It has been a little chilly with a high of 50 and a few days with rain.

Syd is doing well although she is definitely heading for the terrible... I mean terrific twos! She has climbed out of her crib a couple of times and refuses to sit in the shopping cart which makes grocery shopping even that much more enjoyable. She still works hard to keep up with her brothers and loves to be in the middle of everything.

Cris is off on his weekly road trip to Idaho Falls. Since he is now doing sales he travels once a week to eastern Idaho to drum up some new business. This new position is quite a change from the corporate days in Phoenix and we are all adjusting to his new schedule. But overall it will work just fine.

Me! Well I have been busy organizing the home and realizing have way to much stuff. Well I am certainly not a hoarder but it is amazing how much you accumulate after 11 years of marriage. It has also been great to reconnect with old friends and family who live in the Boise area. Oh, and I run the twice daily taxi to Alex's school. No bus service for him. But too far and cold to allow him to go off on his own. I don't mind, but Syd vs car seat vs Mom is getting old. I am also navigating my way around this city. Haven't gotten lost yet, but stay tuned. Here are some recent pics of the family and our home. Drop us a note and if you are in town drop by!

Home is where you hang your hat

Here are some pics of our home in southwest Boise. It is a cute home in a quiet neighborhood. It has 4 bedrooms. Three upstairs along with a bonus/play room. Downstairs has the open kitchen and family room with master, half bath and laundry room. It feels good to finally have everything somewhat in place. And to think we get to do it all again in six months!