The Wyoming Garretts'

School Begins September 6

2011-08-26T11:57:00.001-07:00

Eleven days until school starts. I can't believe we have to wait so long. I am jealous of all you other parents whose kids are already in school.
Camryn will start 3rd grade at Sage Elementary...home of the sage fox. Ethan starts 8th grade at Rock Springs Junior High...home of the cougars. Melena will be a Junior at Rock Springs High School..home of the tigers. (I don't have the school colors figured out yet.)
We are going to Salt Lake this weekend for a family reunion and to shop for school clothes and school supplies. Yes we could shop in Rock Springs. They do have a Walmart and a JC Penney's but I want to go to the big city. I am hoping to have a never ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden. It is Ethan's favorite place to eat and since it is unlimited refills it is a win-win situation to keep a growing boy fed.

I Begin Anew To Post On My Blog

2011-08-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

It has been 3 weeks and 5 days since we joined Kyle in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Wow, I really hate moving. Nothing is worse than unpacking. Just ask my children.
We bought a house and are moved in as much as we can. Our house has a main floor and an unfinished basement. Kyle is working every night after work to finish the basement. Ethan and Melena are hoping he will hurry because they want to move into their bedrooms downstairs. At present, Melena is sharing a room with Camryn.

Melena is 14 today!

2009-06-04T15:40:00.001-07:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy MeLeNa!!!

I can't keep up!

2009-06-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

I try to post everyday but I can't seem to keep up with it. We finished up with school last week. I'm not used to having the kids home from school so soon. Ethan in in a football camp this week and next week the kids are starting a bunch of fun activities. Camryn is going to learn tumbling and cheer leading and swimming. Ethan will be doing swim team, soccer and basketball. Melena is just going to be chilling out. She is not much of a joiner. She has girls camp coming up soon. Oh yes she turns 14 tomorrow. It's hard to believe. Just a quick update.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

2009-05-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

On the drive we saw this mother antelope with her baby.

This monument represents the Native Americans who were present at Little Bighorn.

This is the area where General Custer

fell during the battle of Little Bighorn

Ethan listening to the story of the battle at

Little Bighorn. He really enjoys history.

Camryn was getting bored. She is not much of a history buff.

She would rather be out making history that listening to it.

The girl has got to move.

A herd of horses that were at the Little Bighorn Battlefield property. I thought that Pam Shofkom would enjoy them.

This tree was on the drive between the different sights of interest at Little Bighorn Battlefield. I thought that it created an interesting picture. I took it - not Melena. It was one of the times she let me handle the camera.

Kindergarten Promotion

2009-05-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Kindergartner has just become a big 1st Grader. Today was Kindergarten Promotion. Camryn's teacher, Miss Terret celebrated their promotion in their classroom. She had the class sing a bunch of songs that they had learned throughout the year and then she presented each of the children a certificate and a little scrapbook with a page dedicated to each child. It was really nice.

Miss Terret's Kindergarten class.

Camryn getting her certificate and scrapbook.

Camryn with Miss Terret

Ethan finished up his elementary school career this year as well. The school didn't do anything special for the 5th graders. They did have a fun day the last day of school.

Ethan with Mrs. Breeden his 5th grade teacher.

8th Grade Promotion

2009-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the day, I can't believe has finally arrived. Melena has graduated from middle school and will be starting high school in the fall. How did the time pass so quickly. It seems like she was just starting kindergarten. Even worse she takes driver's ed next year.

Receiving her certificate of graduation.

Decorations for Melena's Promotion. The theme was "Let's Get Tropical"

Melena in her new dress.

Kindergarten Field Trip to Colstrip

2009-05-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

The kindergarten class got to go on a field trip today around the town of Colstrip. It was exhausting climbing on and off the bus, herding a passel of 5 and six year old children around and keeping everyone in line and safe. You really have to appreciate what teachers can accomplish in a day.

Colstrip Police Department and Jail.

Colstrip Fire Department - checking out the fire truck.

The Fire Chief is standing in the background.

At the bank learning about the drive-thru window and everything that happens at the bank.

Hanging out and waiting to see a tour of Town Hall. We are a town not a city.

Lunch at the park and a half hour of play time as we wait until it is time to go to our last stop. Camryn is eating with her friend Bridger whom she also goes to church with.

Our final stop at the Colstrip Bicentennial Library where they got to hear two stories read to the by the Librarian.

Father and Son Campout

2009-05-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the East Billings Stake father and son camp out. They went camping at a place west of Billings. It was about 3 hours from Colstrip. Kyle and Ethan headed out for the camp-out after school got out friday afternoon.

Hanging around the campsite with the other campers

Saturday morning they went on a five mile hike.

The man in the picture was the guide.

This was their one and only rest they took while hiking.

Mountains in the background.

The hike concluded when they reached the waterfall.

Field Day at Pine Butte Elementary

2009-05-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Camryn and Ethan dressed for Field Day

Today was field day at Ethan and Camryn's school. They participated in a bunch of really fun activities. I didn't to go and watch them beacause I wimped out. The weather was tooooo cold - in the 40's. They both won ribbons and got t-shirts.

Where Did It Go?

2009-05-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

It is 5:30 in the evening, where did all the snow go?

Yes It Snowed Today Can You Believe It!

2009-05-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

We woke up at seven this morning and it was snowing. Can you believe it. Here it is mid May and we got snow. I guess maybe it is true that it snows once a month in Montana. I'll be waiting to see what the snow fall is like in June and July. It snowed until about two in the afternoon, and now it is already almost completely melted. Just a quick in and out.

Snowing Again

2009-05-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

7 A.M.

Mountain Standard Time

Colstrip, Montana

It's Snowing

Just thought that I'd let you know.

Exploring Our Enviroment

2009-05-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

You lookin' at me?

Taking a break from a day of foraging for dandilions.

Looking out our front window, we noticed our visitors.

A Beautiful Day in Paradise?

2009-04-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at school Melena's teacher announced that it was going to snow today. Then she turned to Melena and said "I'm sorry!"

Poor Melena.

We woke up this morning to snow flurries. We are just trying to figure out the weather patterns and what clothes we are supposed to be wearing. Once the temperature hits 40 degrees half the kids at school show up in shorts and flip flops. We are so confused! We are not quite sure when to expect the last snow storm. When does summer arrive?

This is the view out our front door. See all the white fuzzy looking stuff?

No it is not static nor is the picture out of focus.

It's Snow

Here is a close up view of the snow on our deck in the back of our house.

How To Top Off the Perfect Look!

2009-04-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing completes an outfit like a butterfly.

A Beautiful Day for the Park

2009-04-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

The snow from yesterday had completely melt by this morning so after spending a couple of hours unpacking we were finally persuaded by Camryn to go to the park. You know the one. Her favorite with rocks and swings and other things.

It's nice to know they love each other.

Just a friendly push to get them going.

Please note the contrast from yesterday's post - Green today - White yesterday!

Big White Surprise!

2009-04-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. It is snowing today. I checked the calender and it is late April you know. Montana is full of surprises

It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2009-04-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

I think that Spring is finally here. The weather is so nice I can't believe it. Ethan even wore shorts to school today. It is supposed to be 80 degrees on Wednesday, I just might like living in Montana (for the Spring and Summer at least).
I decided to get out and walk today. There are hills with trails near where we live so I left an hour early to go on a walk before I walked over to the school to pick up Ethan and Camryn. Oh my (to borrow a phrase from Melody), There was quite a bit of up and down terrain and quite a bit of huffing and puffing on my part. There just aren't hills like these in Florida. It takes a little more work to get into good walking condition here but I'll be fit before you know it if I go out walking every day.

Last week when Ethan, Camryn and I walked home from school we went through a little foresty area. All of a sudden a bunch of heads popped up and we found ourselves in the midst of a herd of deer. (It was so cool, amazing, incredible.) They blended in so well into the surroundings we didn't see them at first. The deer are so use to people, they didn't even jump up or run away. I told Camryn and Ethan to just walk quietly and not to make any loud noise or sudden movement. I didn't want to startle them into running into us. Nature up close and personal.

Heading to Billings For Stake Conference

2009-04-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today we are going to Billings for Stake Conference. We left around noon so that we could get a little shopping in. We needed more paint to finish up the basement. The adult session is tonight at 7pm like every other stake conference except with us we live too far away to return home tonight and then get up in the morning to drive back to go to the regular session. So we are getting a hotel and spending the night. Apparently that is what everyone else does. We are kind of nervous though because we have to leave the children at the hotel while we attend the evening meeting. Again that is what everyone does. I know it sounds funny to say - It's what everyone does - but after much consideration we did what everyone does. We found a hotel close to the chapel so that we wouldn't feel too concerned about leaving Melena in charge. We left strict instructions not to leave the room under any circumstance. (In an emergency they could call us and we were just minutes away.) Thankfully my children are very good at obeying and everything turned out well with regards to the hotel stay. We had actually thought about not attending because of the distance and the hotel situation but then we found out that Elder Dallin H. Oaks was going to be speaking and we knew we could not miss that opportunity to see and hear an apostle speak.
It was well worth the trip. We heard several very good speakers. With very important messages. Elder Oaks' speaking companion was Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Seventy. I can't even begin to explain how spiritually fulfilling the meeting was. A few things that I learned.

1. Stand for what you believe in - it won't always be easy. No sacrifice is to great if it gives us an opportunity to show the Lord where we stand.

2. There is a God in Heaven - He knows us - He cares about us - He sent his son to us.

3. Be of good cheer. This attitude will pull us through whatever comes our way. The future is as bright as our faith.

4. When things get in our way and stop us from doing the things that we need to do. We should be like Nehemiah of the Old Testament and remember "I am doing a great work and cannot come down."

5. When we touch the temple the temple touches us.

And speaking of moaners and groaners - Some members are called to offend and they really magnify their calling. (This is a calling that I have decided that I never want to get.) I can't wait until tomorrow morning for the next session of conference.

Eye Appointment

2009-04-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kyle had an appointment with the eye doctor in Forsyth. The kids were out of school so we all decided to go to Forsyth with him. As an added bonus there was a Dairy Queen in town and my kids love blizzards. Who doesn't - right? I am constantly amazed that whenever we have to go somewhere it is always so far away and there is nothing in between the towns except for rolling hills (mountains, if you are from Florida) and herds of cows with lots of baby cows. Or as Camryn calls them pequeña vaca or bebé vaca which means small cow or baby cow. She is still keeping up her spanish.
We arrived in Forsyth after about a 45 minute drive through really pretty country side. Dropped Kyle off at the doctor and headed over to Dairy Queen - mission accomplished everyone is happy for another day. While in town we saw a large white "F" on the side of the mountain. Ethan asked what does the "F" stand for and Camryn piped up "Florida" It was really funny. We explained to her that is stood for Forsyth. In her mind an "F" could only mean Florida.

What's for Dinner

2009-04-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

We got home from church today and found that we had had a visitor - eggs seemed to be hidden all around the house. Camryn had a field day finding eggs with Ethan's help. Melena followed them around taking pictures.

Camryn on the hunt collecting armfuls of eggs.

I think the Easter bunny left us a two year supply.

We had a really nice dinner planned for after church today to celebrate Easter. We had gone shopping yesterday to get everything we needed to make our traditional Easter meal - Ham, a potato casserole, deviled eggs, ect. As we started getting ready to make the potato casserole we realized that we had forgotten a key ingredient - sour cream. In another world - in another place we might have been tempted to break the sabbath and make a quick run to the grocery store but not here. Everything (meaning the grocery store) was closed and we didn't have to face that temptation. We laughed off our mistake and decided to have Easter dinner tomorrow night when we could get all the ingredients we needed. Instead Melena made egg salad sandwiches out of our deviled eggs and we remembered why we celebrate Easter.

Saturday's Birthday Adventure

2009-04-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today, for those of you who don't know is my birthday. I won't go into the year that I was actually born in but Camryn thinks that I am 23 and that works for me. We decided to take a drive to Sheridan Wyoming (a town of about 16,000 people). Why you may ask? Because there is a Walmart. (I'm becoming a believer.)
It is also a touristy town and we thought it would be a fun scenic drive. It is just about 100 miles away from Colstrip. We drove through the town of Lame Deer (gotta love that name) and Busby on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. We saw plenty of deer, antelope, turkeys, pheasants, cows, horses and an Alpaca farm. Every time we saw a different animal the kids had to shout out a phrase. For antelope the phrase was - "You can't elope with an antelope." When we saw the alpaca they shouted - "Alpacas will steal your heart." What an adventure. It was pretty silly but it kept them occupied on the way down and back home again.
We drove to the Big Horn Mountains and saw actual snowmobiling snow and real mountains.

We drove up the mountain as far as the road would take us. The sign says "Road Closed to all motorized vehicles except for snowmobiles and ATVs." Melena snapped a couple pictures of the surrounding area. This is the deepest snow that we have seen this year. Something to look forward to next year maybe. We are still getting used to the altitude. It is a bit of a change to move from sea level to actual mountains.
We had lunch at a Mexican Restuarant and of course ate too much so we walk around the historic district of Sheridan. I tried to talk Melena into getting some western wear clothing. But she just kept shaking her head no. Doesn't she want to fit in? Actually she is perfect with or without ranch wear (as they call it).
No trip is complete without running to Walmart - this time to buy cleaning supplies. I've never been to Walmart so much. This was a really fun day spent with family. One big benefit to our move is that we are a lot closer as a family because we haven't gotten many outside interest yet to fill up our time. We are spending lots of time together. It's wonderful and the best birthday present ever.

Friday Afternoon At The Park

2009-04-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

The kids were out of school today and Kyle had the day off from work so we decided to go exploring. This is the first really nice day we have experienced since moving to Colstrip. The weather was warm and sunny (almost Florida like except no humidity and not as hot). Colstrip has lots of little parks scattered throughout the town. Here is one that the kids really like.

This is Melena, Ethan and Camryn climbing all over this huge sandstone rock. The playground area of the park is surrounded by these rocks. They are lots of fun to climb on..

Camryn spending a day at her side job - modeling for Melena - too bad she doesn't get paid.

Ethan the power swinger

Ethan, Melena, and Camryn hanging out in the sun. Still too cold for short.

Here is the whole family except for me. Someone has to take the picture.

This is a herd of deer we see almost every night near our home. They must be taking a break. Usually they are standing up and eating. I love their big ears.

Working out at the CPRD

2009-04-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and decided I had to get back to my habit of going to the gym again. I had been doing so well in Florida. Six months straight of working out on the treadmill at the Y at least twice a week(usually more) with my workout buddy Kristen. Now here I am in Montana with no workout buddy. It really is hard to get motivated. But I did it. I got up this morning and took the kids to school and ran down to the CPRD (Colstrip Parks and Recreation District) or the gym. Its a little more wordy than saying the Y but it is essentially the same thing. The big bonus is that if you are a resident of Colstrip you can use it for free. Whoohoo! It has a cardio room, weight room, all sorts of aerobic type classes, and an outdoor swimming pool with an amazing water slide(the kids can't wait until summer).
Anyway, I did my 60 minute workout on the treadmill and I feel great. One day down and the rest of my life to follow.

Shopping Run to Billings

2009-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

We got up Saturday morning and decided we needed to make a shopping run to Billings. This is a first for us. We have always lived in an area where you could get pretty much anything right at your finger tips. Not so here in Colstrip. We have a smallish grocery store, an Ace Hardware (that sell fabric. Have you ever heard of that?), a Subway and a video store. Everybody shops in Billings (120 miles away) or there is a Walmart in Miles City (80 miles away) and best of all there is a variety resturants. Anyway we left the house at about 10am - it was snowing- in April and headed for the big city. We had a mission to complete.
First stop: TARGET - looking for winter type clothes because it is still winter out here. Melena got some long sleeve shirts.
Second stop: Lunch at Fuddruckers because by the time we got to Billings it was lunch time and we were hungry after shopping at Target.
Third stop: LOWES - Buying paint for the house because we are painting the basement as the workmen get it ready for us.
Fourth stop: WALMART - My idea of hell - to crowded and crazy but you can't beat the prices and we had to stock up on food until our next run to Billings.
Fifth stop: BEST BUY - because I forgot to look for a vacuum at Target or Walmart and I wasn't going back to either store. I found a nice little canister vac. and was made happy.
Sixth and final stop: COSTCO - We need our food in bulk - Think 2 weeks before we get back to Billings. We also found Melena a nice winter jacket. That was a lucky find because all the spring and summer clothes are in stock now.
By the time we were done shopping we just wanted to get home and remember we took all the kids with us. You know what happens when kids get tired of shopping - they start touching and annoying each other and that in turn annoys their mom and dad and then we are sorry that we brought them with us and then we remember that we live 2 hours from Billings and there is no way we are leaving our kids home alone and be that far away from them without a responsible adult babysitting but we are too new to town to know any adults well enough to leave are kids with them and then what is we got in an accident, or snowed in or something. Oh no the kids are shopping with us and so we suffer through our first shopping run to Billings. Thankfully its a once or twice a month occurrence. (Hopefully).

Welcome to Montana

2009-04-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

We have been in Montana for almost 2 weeks. We are moved into our home and have finally got Internet service. We are kind of remote so we had to find an Internet provider that serviced our area. Then it took them awhile to get out here and set us up and then it took 2 days to complete the job.
We are living in the upstairs of our house while we wait for the workmen to get the basement completed. We thought that they would be done before the kids and I arrived but that was wishful thinking. It is very messy and disorganized and we have dust everywhere and we can't put very many things away because we can't use the basement yet. Melena and Camryn are sharing a room now (the guest room) and Ethan (lucky boy) has a room (my craft area) to himself. Hopefully they will be finished soon.
Everybody is set up in school. Ethan and Camryn go to Pine Butte Elementary. It is close to where we live. They could walk to school but the weather has been kind of bad lately. They really like there teachers and have made lots of new friends. Camryn already has a marriage proposal from a little boy at church but she is not interested. Melena goes to Frank Brattin Middle School and is back in Band and Spanish class. I drive her to school in the morning and she rides the bus home.
There are three schools in town, the elementary, the middle school, and the high school. The kids from all three schools ride the bus together and all three schools start and end at the same time. Wednesday when Melena got on her bus to come home she over heard two elementary school kids talking.
Kid #1 " Look its the new girl. I thinks she's Ethan cousin"
Kid#2 "No, I think its his sister"
Kid #1 turned to Melena and said "Are you Ethan's sister?"
She answered "Yes."
Apparently there is no way to be anonymous in a small town. Everybody knows who you are before you have any idea who they are.

Camryn is 6

2009-03-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy CaMrYn!

Our Family is Complete (at least this week).

2009-02-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

We picked Kyle up from the airport yesterday. What a sight for sore eyes. There he was standing on the curb at the airport waiting for us to arrive. We timed it pretty perfectly. We don't believe in parking. Just a quick pull over to the curb and hop on in. We did take just a minute for hugs and kisses. I did prep Kyle with the information that Camryn wanted to be the first to get hugs and kisses. She was so happy! Kyle's plane got in early so we decided to run to the mall for some shopping therapy. Not Kyle's favorite activity but Melena was really happy. She and Ethan needed new shoes for church. Melena went happily about her task of trying on shoes while we found a sales clerk to measure Ethan's feet. He said his church shoes were feeling a little tight. They are size 8.5 so I thought his feet must be getting a little bigger. We were dumbfounded when she had Ethan stand on the shoe measuring thingy(not sure of its scientific classification). His feet measured a whopping size 11. Bear in mind that Ethan is only 11 years old. I mean what is in store for us? How big is he going to get? Can we really afford to feed and clothe him? I had no idea that he had grown so much. No wonder he said his shoes felt tight. We found a pair that he was happy with and satisfied Melena's shoe desires also. We then headed over to Don Pablo's for a family Valentine's Homecoming dinner celebration. The topic of conversation settled around Ethan's shoe size and what is Montana like. Were so happy to have Kyle (for me) and daddy (for Melena, Ethan and Camryn) home again.

Returning From Montana

2009-02-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

Kyle is flying in from Montana tomorrow. He will be here all next week. We have so much to do to get everything ready to move the rest of us to Colstrip. His new job is relocating us to Montana but they will only pay to ship 15,000 pounds. They sent in a moving company to do an estimate of how much stuff we have to move and we were way over the estimated limit. I refuse to get rid of everything so we have rented a relo-cube or pod to ship some of are excess stuff (books, paper craft stuff, more paper, rubber stamps or as Kyle says "Junk that makes me happy"). I have been packing boxes all week. I'm sick of packing. Thanks to Debbie Clayton for running over to Walmart after midnight to get me empty boxes. They sure fill up fast. We have lots of painting to do to get the house ready to put on the market. Anyone need a new house?

The kids are so happy that daddy is coming home. Camryn called "First" to be the one to give daddy kisses and hugs when we pick him up at the airport. This will be the best Valentine gift ever for everyone in our family. We are so excited to have him home again (even if it is only a week).

Top Model Part 2- Walking home from school with Melena and Jensen

2009-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

Wednesday after Melena and Jensen got home from school. (Its was early release because of exams.) They walked up to the elementary school to pick up Camryn and walk her home. It was a perfect day for posing. Melena took her camera and snapped off a few shots. Since it was a nice chilly day Camryn got to model her new scarf and hat that Grandma made her for Christmas.

Leaving Florida

2009-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Kyle left for Montana yesterday afternoon. Ethan, Melena, Camryn and I drove down to the airport with him and dropped him off. He had a 5pm flight but when we got there the flight departure had moved to 7 pm. He was flying through Denver and this later flight time caused him to miss his connection in Denver to Billings. The airline put him up in a hotel for the night and he is on a plane flying to Billings right now as I am typing this entry. (Monday 11:40) He is starting work today although I guess he will be a little late. It is one and a half hours from Billings to Colstrip (and a whole lot colder than Florida).

2009-01-03T15:03:00.001-08:00

Kyle and I just returned from our home shopping trip to Colstrip, Montana. Kyle wasn't joking when he said the town was small. There were only 4 houses for us to look at that would have fit our family's needs and luckily we found one that suited us pretty good.

Every yard comes with there very own deer or at least it seemed like it.

Here is a front view of the house. It has 3 bedroom upstairs and an unfinished basement. We have to have it finished so that everyone can have their own bedroom. (Per Melena).

Here is Kyle walking up to the front door. Notice the white stuff on the ground - apparently they call it snow. Its kind of cold. I wish that there was a warmer version of it.

Christmas Morning

2009-01-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late posting our Christmas but I wanted to show of Camryn, Ethan and Melena's new Christmas pajamas. Every Christmas they get new pj's so they will look cute for Christmas morning. Here they are just getting up in the morning to see what Santa has left for them.

Here they are getting up Christmas morning to see what they got in their stockings.

Aren't they just the cutest kids you could ever ask for!

EUREKA!!!

2008-12-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

Eureka!!! and a big whaa whoo!!!

Kyle got a job offer today!!!

Can you guess where we are going?

M O N T A N A

I don't know what else to say.

Primary Sharing Time Activity

2008-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in Primary, Ethan and Camryn had a really nice sharing time activity. They wrote a poem to there parents using the letters in their name. I thought that I would share them with you.

Here is Ethan's:
I am thankful that you Each love me.
I am thankful that you Take me to church.
I am thankful that you Have me as a son.
I am thankful that you Always love me.
I am thankful that you Never forget about me.

Here is Camryn's:
I am thankful that you Care for me.
I am thankful that you Always help me do things.
I am thankful that you Make me happy.
I am thankful that you Remember to tell me that you love me.
I am thankful that you You say prayers with me.
I am thankful that you Notice that "I Love You".

I have to say that we have really great leaders and teachers in our primary. Thanks Mary for a great activity.

Happy Birthday Ethan

2008-11-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Ethan turned 11 years old on Wednesday, November 12th.

(I'm a little slow on announcing this momentous occasion.)

He had a surprise waiting for him when he got home from school.

Wednesday evening Ethan had a Court of Honor were he received his Arrow of Light Award and had his Cross over ceremony where he officially became a boy scout. Here he is getting his new boy scout shirt and neckerchief.

Then on friday evening he had a couple of friend over for a night of videos and birthday cake. Here is Brennen, Melena, Jensen and Kerstyn getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to Ethan.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Ethan turns 11

2008-11-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy ETHAN!

America's Next Top Model in 2021

2008-11-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

Something that you might want to know about Camryn is that she is such a poser. I don't mean pretender, I mean that she loves to pose for the camera. When we walk home from school she practices her poses and always asks if I remembered to bring the camera. Thursday I remembered the camera. We had a fun day of picture taking.

Smile with your eyes.

Show me your pearly whites!

Work it girlfriend!

Can you feel the music?

All in a days work.

Show me your ugly pretty face.

Are they really twins?

2008-11-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

I was going through my photos today and found this picture of Jensen and Camryn. They both happened to wear the same outfit to school on August 25. I could'nt pass up the opportunity of a photo moment. Don't they look lik twins? Or maybe Jensen is Camryn's "Mini Me" or is it vice versa.

Stake Activity Day

2008-10-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the Stake Primary Activity day for the girls ages 8 to 11. It is one of our biggest events (in the Stake Primary) that we do each year. Our theme was The Gospel Standards. We had the girls play relay games, Concentration, do a craft (making a modile), and have a dance off all with the Gospel Standards as the basis for each activity.

One of three relay games the girls played outside. They got a little wet.

Allison Thompson teaching them some fun dance moves. Don't forget to watch the video below.

Melody Shipley inspired me to post this so quickly. See her blog for a picture of the craft that the girls completed..

I'm back at least for today!

2008-10-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

I realize that I am not much of a blogger. It has been weeks and weeks since I last signed on to update our blog. I found a new background and had Melena (our inhouse blog master) update it for me. I really enjoy reading people's blog who know how to write and I envy their abilities to turn a phrase into something captivating. Our lives at Garrret house has taken a completely different turn. Kyle was laid off about a month ago and he has been earnestly searching for a new job. Our hope was to find employment here in central Florida. But that seems that it might not be the case. Most of the jobs he is qualified for are everywhere except for Florida. To make matters worse it appears that we may even have to move to a state that has 4 seasons. I am much more partial to Florida's climate and its lack of snow. We looked into buying a business but last weeks stock market makes that idea a little to scary with out haveing a back up income. Now we are just hoping and praying for a job - anywhere!

We are off on our trip!

2008-07-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to Williamsburg, VA via the coast line of South and North Carolina. We spent our first night near Charleston. I got these great pictures of my beautiful children. This one is at Waterfront Park in Charleston.

These are my darlings at Sullivan Island which is across the harbor from Charleston.

Are Melena and Camryn hearing the same music inside their head?

Kyle has a new best friend

2008-07-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Give me a pat! PLEASE! I'm begging you! Give me a pat!

Kyle thank you for paying attention to me! I'm glowing with happiness!

He likes me! He really likes me!

My husband has a new best friend and we are not quite sure what has brought on this new found admiration that Max the cat is feeling for Kyle. Usually Max stays completely away from Kyle because he has come to the understanding (not in a mean way - more of a shoo get away from me way) that Kyle does not really like cats. They are to be put up with because I happen to like them. Kyle would much prefer a dog. Anyway, back to Max and his sudden interest in Kyle. The last couple of weeks Max has been making his move on Kyle - rubbing up against him and looking for the occasional rub on the head. Rolling from side to side trying to entice Kyle to pet him. We have even taken to reminding Kyle that Max is looking for some attention, and to please give him a pat or two. Every once in awhile Max will be so bold as to jump into Kyle's lap without an invitation. What is odd though is that Max is not seeking attention from anyone else in the family, unless it is his dinner time or you happen to a have kitty treat. (Kyle would never give Max a kitty treat - too smelly.)

Melena has Unusual Eyes

2008-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

We took Melena to get her eyes examined recently and found out that she has an unusual problem with them. One eye is near-sighted while the other eye is far-sighted. The optometrist says that this is a very uncommon dianosis. She was given a prescription for glasses and we picked them up today.

Melena picked out a bronze frame that highlights her lovely features and goes good with her hair color. I think that they look great. Then because lenses were on sale we let her pick out a back up pair. (Because I am always losing my reading glasses.) These glasses have a silver frame and look great on her.

Here she is trying her bronze pair out for the first time (for the camera that is - p.s. the book is just a prop. I know that it says "Large print edition"). Now she can see the words with both eyes.

Dental Appointment

2008-07-17T08:09:00.001-07:00

Ethan went to the dentist today and everything is wonderful in his mouth excect he has a broken filling that has to be replaced. When he was 4 years old he had a bunch of cavities on both sides of his mouth that had to be fixed, so this must be the remnants of that appointment. He has been really good at taking care of his teeth because he hasn't had any cavities since then.
Good Job Ethan!!!

Our 17th Anniversary

2008-07-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our 17th anniversary was last week - July 2nd. The time has completely flown by. I remember the day we got married that I could'nt wait until we had some history together. Now it has been 17 years. We went on Monday, June 30 with Debbie and Lew to celebrate. This was our only free night that week. (When we knew we had a babysitter - Melena) Kyle had a scout activity on our actual anniversary and since he is a born again scouter that took presidence. It is not the actual date that matters anyway it is how we treat each other everyday.

Part 3 of Melena's birthday month

2008-06-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Friday was Melena's 3rd and final part of her birthday. At our house your birthday tends to last nearly the whole month. It is not Melena's fault that her birthday lands at a hard time of the month - June 4th - She was still in school with finals and her dance studio was preparing for their spring recital, she also had young women's that night (June 4th) and they were preparing for girl's camp. We had a small cake on her actual birthday (birthday part 1). Then on sunday after her dance recital, both of her sets of grandparents came over so we had to get another cake (birthday part 2). This friday night was the first free weekend. Melena wanted to have a sleepover with her friends and that brings us to part 3. Which I hope to recover from soon. The girls stay up the entire night. Every time I woke up I heard them talking, and when I say I woke up I mean they and their talking woke me up. Fortunately Melena wasn't grouchy from lack of sleep the next day, so I didn't have to be grouchy.

Birthday cake #3

Birthday cake #2

Hanging out with my homies

2008-06-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Swimming Lessons

2008-06-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Camryn is taking swimming lesson at the Y this summer. Today she got moved up in to the more advanced class because she is doing so well. They got to learn to dive in the 12 feet area. After class she ran up to me and said "Did you see me in the 12 feet? Is'nt that amazing!" To her everything is amazing. I wish that I always saw the world that way.

Wet and Wild at the Shipley's

2008-06-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

Today we went over to the Shipley's to pick up

Ethan. Since we were over we happened to have

our swimsuits on just in case they were at the pool. They just happened to be outside swimming. Luckily we came prepared. Here are some pictures from paradise at the Shipley's.

Achievment Day

2008-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I got to do an activity with my favorite group of girls, The Achievment Day girls. They came over and decorated journals. All the girls had really creative ideas and had a lot of fun. At the end of the evening they got a beautiful journal and extra crafting supplies to play with at home.

Kerstyn with her journal

Sarah and her journal

Kirstie and her journal

Her are all the girls with their leader

Sister Lawton

Soccer

2008-04-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

The picytures below were the soccer games we had today.
Camryn's team WON!!! 4-0
and
Ethan's team lost 1-3

Ethan and Camryn both did good at soccer today.

2008-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ethan

Camryn

End of Camryn's GameGOAL!!!!!!

Melena

2008-04-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Alright we found out that Melena got 11 first place winners and a few seconds and 1 third. She did get the best of shows. She is very happy and excited.

Fair

2008-04-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well I found out what Melena got on her pictures. She got 2 best of shows and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places on her pictures. She also got 1st place on her skirt. Ethan got a best of show on his birdhouse.

Camryn's B-day Party

2008-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures are kind of late but I just got the pictures downloaded onto the computer.
At Camryn's Birthday party she had four of her friends over. Aubrey, Marclea, Christi, and Paris. Christi and Paris were from her school.

The girls having fun playing

Jensen having supervising

Having fun playing the Wii

2008-03-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

This week we are getting ready for the Lake County Fair. I am in charge of the Creative Arts Center. Melena is submitting some photos into the fair, and Ethan was going to enter a birdhouse.

Cammy's Birthday

2008-03-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

camryn and her bike

Camryn and Auntie Mar

Camryn

Melena created our blog page

2008-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Melena spent the weekend putting together our blog. So I have officially joined the blog squad. I think it looks great. She did a really good job! She'll be adding updates on a regular basis. Check out her blog at melsawesomepage.blogspot.com

slide show

2008-03-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

The slide show below was some pictures from our vacation to Utah from last summer.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-02T15:34:00.001-08:00

Birthday

2008-03-02T11:47:00.001-08:00

Tommorow is Camryn's birthday. She will be five! She is very EXCITED!!!

Hello

2008-03-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! We just started our blog and hope everybody loves it.