Monday, December 28, 2009


Spencer's birthday party



Eli at Spencer's ice skating birthday party




Spencer at his ice skating birthday party



Spencer got in a fight with the wall...and lost. Check out those stiches!





Kaleb riding the Jeep



Spencer riding the Jeep





Eli riding Grandma Curtis' scooter (at full throttle)




First snowfall / first snowman of the season



Spencer, Eli, and Jesse looking at the fish




Monday, September 21, 2009

Good times with Grandpa Sam and Grandma Jan

Eli learned how to ride a bike. We've been working on it here and there during the summer, but Grandma Jan put him at the top of the hill, ran a few feet, and then let go. He did it! He tried several more times, only with more pedaling. He needs a little practice before we put the bikes away. He was glad to hear the clapping and cheering. We got some video and, as you can see, Grandpa Sam took some great pictures.

It was nice to have Grandma Jan and Grandpa Sam over at our place. They have done lots of playing and interacting with the kids, especially Kaleb. Kaleb did not leave Sam alone for a minute. We have been eating well with lots of help around the kitchen. Jesse, Sam, and Jan harvested quite a few vegetables and fruit from the gardens Jesse has helped take care of. It was also nice to have the help in maintaining a clean kitchen, doing laundry, and watching the boys. Their last minute decision to come visit us was a great surprise. It's great to have family.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Riding Bikes

Eli has is own transportation...he can ride a bike! Go Eli!










Thursday, September 10, 2009

Camping trip – Spruces – August 2009

Camping trip – Spruces – August 2009

Our family needed some time together after a very busy summer. Jesse became certified as a Registered Nurse, looked for job opportunities, interviews, and finally got a job at Copper Hills Youth Center. I had school and work as usual.

The trip was well planned. The kids helped create a list of things they would like to eat during our camping trip. Jesse bought all the stuff and we started preparing meals, mainly foil dinners, a day or two before we left. The kids helped season the vegetables, chicken, steak, and shrimp. For breakfast we packed cereal, yogurt, bananas, and milk. For lunch we had roll-it-up ham, turkey, and cheese. We also brought a few “gluten-free” granola bars and peanuts with us for snacks.

The kids were so excited when we found our campsite. They immediately started exploring little trails and searched for anything that might be used for a fire. We put up our tent as it started to rain. We managed to cover the things we had unpacked and headed inside the tent. The rain only lasted for a little while. At that point we successfully started a fire, on purpose. Jesse and I were so proud of ourselves for success. We owe our success to some great wood, a tepee, a few small sticks lying around, and a lot of lighter fluid.

We got very little sleep that night. It was colder than we had expected. We headed straight for the car the next morning to go for a drive and get some hot chocolate at the bottom of the canyon. That day we went to Silver Lake at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We took a detour there which goes to another lake. We didn’t get very far before Spencer was in need of a toilet. He went “Boy Scout-style”. Eli suggested the use of a leaf to wipe. Spencer was not into that, probably for the best.

We left the lake and headed back to camp. My parents came to visit us at our campsite and had dinner. We started another fire and cooked the rest of our food—including shrimp, steak, chicken, zuchinni, asparagus, and corn on the cob—all on the fire. It was all very good. After my parents left, we cleaned up and headed toward the tent as it started to rain again. The next morning, we bribed our children into leaving early by offering more hot chocolate on the way home. We not only survived another camping trip, but had a great time.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Ward Campout - 2009









Tuesday, May 26, 2009


Spencer learns to ride a bike.


Family at the park in Nampa.

Heritage Park - Eli's Family Birthday


Petting zoo at Heritage Park



Robert and Jesse finish a 5K together.



Thursday, April 30, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Summer is Coming!

We are excited for the summer. Jesse is graduating with a nursing degree, but is unable to work as a nurse until July, so we'll have her to ourselves until then. We're excited to go on walks, have picnics, play outside, and go camping. We have a great ward campout planned for June.

We have a garden plot in our village ready to be worked. The kids have started growing the seeds inside our apartment to be planted in a couple of weeks. We did this last year and the kids love planting, watering, and watching the garden grow.

We have lots of family that we will be seeing soon. Grandpa Sam and Grandma Jan are coming to Jesse's graduation and will help us with our garden plot. They are gardening experts. It will be nice to have them visit us. Also, my parents are moving back into Daybreak. We'll have fun with them too. We're glad that we'll be able to see them more often.

My brother Jonathan, Elder Jonathon Curtis, is serving in the New Hampshire, Manchester mission. He left for the MTC a couple of weeks ago. We're looking forward to writing him often. We hope to hear from him often through e-mails to my parents and hopefully form letters to us.

We have a lot to look forward to.