hi, we just hit our 1st 90 degree day, william is rebuilding our trellis out back and fighting a really bad head cold..i prepared 3 income taxes today and will be preparing my sunday school lesson as soon as i am thru with this. amanda, your baby's video was priceless.. she is going to have her grandma leavitt's mouth and your eyes.. thats what i think. she be beautiful no matter what.. she has no options with you two as her parents. Rusty and Olivia finally moved into their new home after 2 long months of slaving every weekend pealing 18 year old wallpaper off the walls and scrapping yucky tile off the floors.. there was no carpet except for the stairs and that was it. i will have to take pics so i can send before and after. they tiled the kitchen, dining room and bathrooms. the living room, stairs, halls and bedrooms have carpet.. it looks very nice. olivia with her artistic flair really beautified it nicely. she will have it totally put together this week as she will start to babysit a baby a few months younger than brayden. the extra money will help. well, take care and write when you can. love Karen
Tom and Amanda
Last Week, our friends Miles and Michelle from California came out to visit and stay with us a few nights. We took them to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. There we saw some Picaso, Monte and Suerat paintings which was interesting to see the real copy in person. They were beautiful! The other picture is of Michelle and Amanda in front of a maternity store.
Eddie and Paula
Eddie and Paula are enjoying living in Colorado Springs, at least until Eddie gets on with a fire dept elsewhere. Eddie is still with T-Mobile til then and Paula gets to stay home with Lexi. They absolutely love their little girl, who is now keeping them on their toes since she finally mastered crawling this week. It's amazing how a room that appears baby proof, isn't! She has a personality all her own and vocalizes any qualms she may have with you... so we'll just enjoy that until she is actually able to form words. We're looking forward to her birthday in a couple months, and then mom won't feel guilty about sneaking her sweets now and again :-) She's still quite small for her age but makes up for it completely in attitude. You know she's upset when you get the "Angelina Jolie Lips".
Rob and Tiff
Bruce and Cathy
Greetings from Colorado! Springtime here is still like winter in most places. We’re still getting some snow from time to time, and won’t be able to plant our garden until the end of May. We’re ready for summer to be here, even though the snow-capped mountains are beautiful!
Bruce and I are still busy trying to make a living. The inspection business has been slow, but we hope it will be picking up soon. Bruce is still working part-time at the retreat. The deer are starting to frequent the grounds more often and the Santa’s were just there for their annual photo shoot. The cake business is picking up. Between referrals and advertising on Craig’s List, I’ve been getting busy with cake orders. I had a very successful cake tasting day on March 22. I had 5 couples attend, and by the end of the day, I had 5 pending wedding cake orders for this summer. I’m thinking of perhaps having a tasting day every 2 months or so, depending on demand. I am still substitute teaching, but would much rather be home baking and decorating.
One of the highlights of each week is attending our empty-nesters family home evening group. We love each of our friends that we meet with and they have become our family here in Colorado. Bruce is still going down to the prisons a few times each month to teach Sunday School lessons to the inmates there. It is a very rewarding calling. He is also High Priest Group secretary. I am still the Home and Food Storage specialist in our ward, and I stay busy organizing monthly excursions to both the cannery here in the Springs, as well as the cannery in Denver. I also continue to publish the monthly Relief Society newsletter.
We are eagerly anticipating a visit from Brent and Rachel and the grandkids in about a week. We will have to get re-acquainted with the two youngest boys, as they barely know us. In the meantime, we are enjoying Lexi, and are looking forward to another granddaughter in June.
It was a thrill for us to go with our friend Bev to see “Horton” on opening night, and to see Tom’s name up on the big screen, and to see how well the film was received by the crowd. It was one of those “proud parent” moments that we are allowed to have from time to time.
Brent's business had been going pretty well doing web design. The only problem that we've run into is not knowing exactly when people will be able to pay. He's also kept busy with his ward calling as mission leader. Rachel has been staying at home with the kids and herding them off to school and other fun things:) She also works two shifts a week at the hospital close by (she gets to walk there it so close). Both of us feel like it's been hard, but is what we are supposed to do right now for other reasons than the money.
Emma is busy playing with friends and is doing great at school. Her Spanish accent is beautiful. She also has taking the leap to sing in the ward choir. She has wanted to for awhile, but was afraid. She decided to just do it one day and loves it:) Aaron is busy playing with logos and drawing. Bionicles are is new favorite toy. He is able to make the most amazing things with those toys. He also enjoys going to school, especially snack and recess. Dallin and Joseph are bombing around the house together while the older two are at school. The big Duplos are one of their favorites also. Jacob is noisy and wiggly. And is loved by everyone.
