Nick got serious about ripsticking this Fall and spent some time at the Ames skate park. After some practice, he’s able to go up and down the side of the bowl and even do some small jumps. Tim and Nick joined Peter and Maggie on the ACAC swim team to make it official - all the kids are becoming year-round swimmers (except for a some soccer and tennis). The kids have all made major improvements in the swim meets this Fall. Peter spent a weekend at lake Panorama with his boy scout troop. This Halloween, the family put their heads together and came up with some very creative pumpkin carving ideas. It may have been our best year yet. Only one trick-or-treater this year - our little witch. A school project on swimming and cake pops were other highlights for this month.
Skate park. ACAC meets. Scouts at the Lake. Halloween 2012. October fun.
After a quiet weekend at the lake, we were back the following week with the Jen’s friends to enjoy the final days of Summer and to watch the Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes! And we had a lot of fun with light sticks that night. Peter made donuts for us one morning - delicious, but not nutritious. Nathan had a big birthday this month...16!! He’ll be driving himself and his brother Tim to swim practice this Winter. Mom and Dad are keeping their fingers crossed.
Labor Day at lake. Lake visitors. September fun.    
With a lot of help from some family, Jen and Pete were able to go out to Colorado for a 5 day hiking adventure. We went on a long hike to Lake Ypsilon the first day, which was nice on the way there. However, on the way back we were soaked and pelted with hail - not so nice. Next day was another long hike to Flattop Mountain summit. The views at the top were beautiful, even if it was a little cold and windy. Day 3 was a shorter, but very steep climb to the top of Lookout Mountain. After over 30 miles of hiking in 3 days, we were pretty tired and decided to drive to the top of our final destination. Mt. Evans was amazing - we could see for miles in every direction. Back home, we spent some time at the lake, and got our little Maggie got up on skis (briefly) for the first time! On a rainy lake day, some of us drove over to the Omaha Zoo which we hadn’t been to in a long time. Nick had to see a rhino, Maggie liked the aquatic animals, and Dad couldn’t stop taking pictures of the jellyfish. Then it was back to school - the level of excitement was low. We ended the month with a performance at Prairiefest where Maggie showed off her ability to hula-hoop and rip-stick at the same time!
Colorado Days 1 and 2. Colorado Days 3 and 4. Colorado Day 5. Lake weekend. First day of school.
Omaha zoo. Prairifest. August fun.    
Another 3 years have passed and it was time for the Matthews family reunion in Wisconsin. Every day was filled with fun activities. It was very, very hot this year so a lot of time with spent at the swimming hole. The fishing contest ran all week and Tim & Jenna were the big winners. Jen and Dan put on a martial arts demo with help from Nick and his cousins. Nathan and his Dad got in on some board breaking at the end. Grandpa gave us all a sweaty lesson in cricket, so it was back to the lake to cool off and build some people towers. Group photos, basketball, , fireworks, and another crazy afternoon of relay races rounded out the week. Plus, Maggie spent the week finding lake mussels and went into business with chef Curt, selling seafood to her family. Nathan went straight from the reunion to his church pilgrimage trip in Indiana where he visited the Episcopal National Convention. Sharks swimming finished up this month, and all of the kids got faster by the end of the season! Nicks’s soccer team made it to the Iowa Games soccer championship, but ended up getting runner-up to a team of giants. We visited Peter during his boy scout week at Camp Mitigwa. Maggie was able to go on a special trip to Florida with G&G Fisher, where she visited Disneyworld! Other highlights included Nick’s 12th birthday, trampocamping, Nathan the lifeguard, and Grandpa trying hard to throw some boys off their tube at the lake.
Family Reunion Part 1. Family Reunion Part 2. Family Reunion Part 3. Nathan's pilgrimage. Sharks swimming.
Iowa Games soccer. Camp Mitigwa visit. Tubing! July fun.  
Our first visit to the lake was a little too cool this year so a lot of time with spend playing with the new puppy. The pool heater was broken for the first few weeks of Ballard Sharks swim practice and they had to swim hard to keep from shivering. Susan invited us over for a Venus Transit party. We tried many different techniques to see Venus pass in front of the Sun. We had given up on seeing it, and then just before sunset, there it was! Nathan, Peter, and Maggie all swam in a big ACAC summer meet, and Nick’s soccer team won the Khol’s Cup championship. As the month got hotter we spent more and more time at the lake. Grandma's new lake toy provided hours of entertainment. Maggie fished, Nick learned to water ski, Peter hunted turtles, Tim got better at wake boarding, and Nathan was king of the tube. Nick's British soccer camp coach, Matt, stayed with us for a week. We watched England play soccer, went on a nice bike ride, and learned about the Pancake Day in England, among other things. It was fun having him around and Nick thought he was a really great soccer coach.
Lake Panorama. First sharks practice. Venus transit party. Summer ACAC meet. Kohl's Cup soccer.
Big lake weekend. Relaxing at the lake. British visitor. British soccer camp.  
The warmer weather brought out the back yard tree climbers. Maggie and Nick like to make their Mom and Dad nervous. The kids all helped with a Mother’s Day breakfast at the church. It was probably best that a health inspector didn’t drop by during the event. That afternoon we had a Mother’s Day get-together at our house. More tree climbing and some trampolining for the kids, while the Moms relaxed on another warm day. Two family members graduated from Ballard High this Spring. It was a big party weekend with lots of family members around. Astronomy nerds came together for a special viewing of the solar eclipse. Once it got low enough in the sky and wasn’t so bright, we were able to see the “crescent sun”. A week later and we were in northern Wisconsin for another graduation party full of many special family moments. Also this month...more soccer, another graduation party, a field trip to the Capitol building, and a new puppy.
Tree climbers. Church youth breakfast. Mother's Day party. Ballard graduations. Solar eclipse.
Ripstickin'. New puppy Earl. Jennifer's grad party. More soccer. May fun.
We took a family bike ride to the Cambridge Elementary school so Maggie could learn the layout of her new playground. She needed some practice on the new monkey bars. Soccer kicked into high gear for Nick and Nathan this month. Nathan played high school soccer and started on the JV team as a defender. Nick had to play through a cracked wrist bone early in the season, but he survived. This year’s Easter pic of the kids turned out pretty good, Max included. It was a very warm Easter day at the Fisher’s where the kids could get outside and play. Peter had a little too much fun organizing a monarchy with his little cousins.
Cambridge bike ride. Spring soccer. High school soccer. Easter 2012. April fun.
Tried out light writing with some kids one evening. It was a lot of fun, and I think we got some pretty cool pics. Then it was off to the Wisconsin Dells to an indoor water park for Spring Break. This place was huge. Lots of water slides and a big wave machine. And the arcade was also very popular. Stopped at Cabela’s on the way home, too. Our little baby turned 8 this month! She got “toe-shoes” just like her Mom’s and had a nice party that was warm enough for some outdoor climbing and jumping. Maggie also really got into rollerblading this Spring. With some help from her Mom, she really started to get the hang of it.
Light writing. Spring break at Dells. Maggie's 8th birthday. Rollerblading. March fun.
Black Belt tests for Jen and Nick this month. Jen earned her 3rd degree black belt and broke two pieces of concrete in the process. Maggie and Peter decided one evening that we’d have a dance party in the living room. This involved flashing lights, a disco ball, sunglasses, and some very loud music. Dad even danced with them for a bit. Jen was in-training this month to become a swimming official .This gives her the power to disqualify her own kids, which she’s had to do on more than one occasion. Nathan lettered as a freshman in swimming! Dad got some studio lights and a backdrop for his birthday. So, of course, we needed to test them out...Maggie and Nick were the only willing participants.
Two black belts. Dance party. More swimming. Photo shoot.  
Another New Year’s eve of gaming and a New Year’s Day of bowl games came and went with some excitement and some disappointment. But there’s never a shortage of fun. Nathan finished up his high school season of swimming at the conference meet and dropped a lot of time in all his races. He had a really great freshman season. Back to the pool again for Maggie who swam with her cousin Lauren at an ACAC swim meet. They did well even though there were times where they wished they were somewhere else. There was a Fisher cousin’s birthday party with a pinata that was too tough for the little kids, so we brought in a big cousin to finish the job. And Nathan went to Winter Formal, and told his Dad to not take any pictures, but his Dad mananged to find some pictures online. Jen’s turned 37 this month, and also played oboe beautifully at Church.
New Year's Eve/Day. AHS swimming. ACAC swimming. Cousin's birthday. Winter formal.
Church. January fun.      
The holiday concert this year required a fancy new outfit. Gramma came to watch her little snow princess sing. Peter and Tim both played basketball this winter and thoroughly “enjoyed” taking pointers from their Dad. Maggie swam a few club meets - she's getting faster and earning more BT donuts! Then it was time for Christmas pandemonium and G & G Fisher’s house. The grandchildren spoilage level was at def-con 5! After baking some cookies, the Matthews family got all dressed up for church on Christmas eve. Christmas day included Link-loving, ukulele playing, amp tinkering, present smelling, candle snorting, game research, biking, and coffee addiction. Uncle Dan came to visit over the holidays and stayed to watch the Cyclones play in a bowl game. Also had a fun Xmas card photo shoot this month, and Dad finished up teaching another animation class at ISU.
Holiday concert. Winter sports. Xmas at Fisher's. Christmas Eve. Christmas day.
ISU bowl party. December fun.      
Maggie has become a pretty good trampoliner this past year. She learned to do a front flip with some coaching from her brothers. Tim turned 14 this month and now has his driver’s permit. He’s also grown 5 inches this past year. We had a good time going bowling with some cousins for his birthday. Nathan started his fist high school swim season with the Ames High team and made parents very proud. He dropped a lot of time and really enjoyed the whole experience - even swimming the 500 free like his Mom did. It was interesting for his Mom and Dad to go back to their high school pool as spectators and not swimmers. Thanksgiving at the Fisher’s with all the cousins was fun for everone - especially in this group photo. The Matthews Thanksgiving followed with a smaller than usual group. G & G Matthews visited on their way to sunny and warm Arizona.
Bouncing. Tim's 14th birthday. Ames High swimmer. Fisher Thanksgiving. Matthews T-giving.
Holiday prep. November fun.      
Maggie’s been working on her rollerblading lately and sometimes her brothers will join in. She’s already better than her Dad which isn’t saying much. Another year of pet blessings at our church, but this time we didn’t bring our cat Dora. She did not have a good time last year. The snake was a big hit again. Maggie and her Daddy went on an adventure to the local orchard. We spent too much time in a corn maze, then there was some bouncing, then burying ourselves in corn, and finally picking out pumpkins. Nathan’s moved up to senior level soccer, which was a big change, but he had is cousin Jacob as a teammate which helped. Peter finally got to launch his rockets from Christmas. They both got stuck in trees, but were eventually retrieved. Only two trick-or-treaters went out this year, a devil and Smurfette. And Maggie has joined the girl scouts, but Dad was sad to hear that there is no discount on cookies.
Skating. Pet blessing. Orchard visit. Fall soccer. Rocket launching.
Halloween 2011. October fun.      
We picked a beautiful Fall day to go on a bike ride over the bridge. We stopped at the end of the bridge for a group shot. After the ride we went to Susan’s place for a picnic and had fancy smores for dessert. Peter ran cross country this Fall as a 7th grader at Ballard. He seemed to have a good time, but seems hesitant to go out again next year. We’ll see. We had 3 band members involved in band night at a high school football game. They always look like they’re having such a good time at these things. Nathan turned 15 and has a driver’s permit, then a school permit, and next year comes the official license. Whoah. Tim’s keeping busy at home with science experiments, and Nick has been spending a lot of time with his cousin, John...including crop duster watching.
Fall bridge ride. Cross country. Band night. Nathan's 15th bday. September fun.
Some members of the Matthews side of the family were able to come to Panorama for a day or two. We built the standard people pyramid, and had the usual ski-rope accident. Tubing was not too wild, but still a lot of fun. And since we hadn't spent enough time by a lake this summer, we headed off the Wisconsin to spend a week with G & G Matthews. We ate too much, swam every day, and even had time for a couple of projects. After years of asking, Nathan finally got his wish, and we went turtle-hunting. It was catch-and-release, but we had a lot of fun. It's pretty cool to re-live childhood memories with your own kids. We made the usual stops at Old Abe's and Olson's Dairy as well as a new eatery that's located in one of Grandma's old elementary school classrooms. Strange, but very delicious. Last couple visits to Lake Panorama before school got started. Had a lot of fun running in the Prairiefest 5K with Susan - although it was more fun once it was over. Had a nice time at a church youth picnic that included a remote control airplane demo.
Matthews at the lake. Chippewa Falls visit. Lake Panorama. 1st day of school. Last lake visit.
Huxley Prairiefest. Church youth picnic.      
Another 4th of July celebration at lake Panorama this month. It's a busy time at the cabin with all those little swimmers. Although some of the swimmers are getting pretty big. It's so great to have a place like this to get together and enjoy the sun, swimming, fishing, and fireworks. Jen and I got a chance to swim across the lake and back, but before we could finish, we were busted by the lake patrol! Also made some yummy four generation treats. It was a wild and crazy weekend. This season, an incentive program was started for our swimmers - "Personal Donut Times" - each time they got a best time, they got a donut. Wow, did that work. Nathan and Peter we're off to scout camp, and this year Nathan got to stay in a first class suite compared to the usual accommodations. Nick's 11th birthday included an orange-themed meal, which he was very happy about. Then it was time for swimming at the Iowa Games - Jen and I were back at the Ames High pool where she asked me out on a date almost 20 years earlier. We swam pretty well and had lots of fun, but forgot how much racing can hurt. TKD friends came for a visit to the lake again this year. Lots of tubing and swimming. This summer, Nathan earned a little money "babysitting" Maggie while Mom & Dad were at work. Another crazy July was in the books, and we have the calendar to prove it.
July 4th at the Lake. Sharks meet. Scout camp. Nick's 11th birthday. Iowa Games.
Nathan swim meet. TKD lake visitors. July fun.    
It's the beginning of summer swim season - early morning Ballard Sharks practices are always a little chilly in early June. This year Maggie joined the team and learned a lot of new strokes as well as diving into the pool. Nathan spent a week at ISU swim camp and working on technique, starts, and turns. Lots of time spent at the lake this month enjoying time with family. Activities off the end off the dock are becoming more elaborate as the kids get older. They have a lot of energy. Father's Day at the lake was nice and came with a special delivery to the dock. Had a great time at Adventureland - the kids are getting old enough to go on all sorts of crazy rides, and sometimes Jen and I can just sit back and watch - or take naps on benches.
Ballard Sharks. Nathan ISU swim camp. Lake visit 1. Lake visit 2. Lake visit 3.
Josh's bday party. Adventureland! June fun.    
Went on a family ride out to the new Trestle Bridge bike trail this Spring. The view of the Des Moines River valley looks pretty amazing from way up there. Nathan had his last U14 season of club soccer - he'll be playing with the big boys this Fall. This was the last chance for a Spring music concert with the Matthews Quartet. Nathan won't be playing clarinet this Fall, so we're down to a trio until Maggie starts playing in a few years. The end of this month got busy with a visit to northern Wisconsin for nephew/cousin Dan's high school graduation party. Ann & Sonny live out on an acreage with lots fun things for kids to do - they even have a horse! Memorial Day weekend kicked of the lake season. When it's this early there's usually a lot of fishing & games, but not too much swimming - except for the occasional arctic plunge.
Bridge bike ride. Spring soccer - Nathan. Sarah's grad party. Band quartet. Dan's graduation.
Memorial Day - Lake. May fun.      
April turned out to be very scientific at our house thanks to Maggie and her interest in a stack of science experiment cards. She even took her oil & water experiment to school to show her class. After a short Easter celebration at home with egg hunting and candy, we left for church and then to G&G Fisher’s house. It was a nice day for swinging, lounging, and magic tricks! Spring soccer started this month and Nick started out this season on a team of mostly sixth graders. He held his own and had a great first game with 2 goals and 2 assists. Finally, when you have a princess in the house, then you have to take time to celebrate a British royal wedding.
Science! Easter 2011. Spring soccer - Nick. Royal princess party. April fun.
Peter is only a year away from being a teenager and we’re already starting to sweat. His gift this year was another shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops - and Grandpa M. came along too. The next day was party day for our Hawaiian princess. Her recent obsession with Lilo & Stitch combined with a trip to a tropical island resulted in a Hawaiian-themed party. Maggie even went so far as to give a live performance of a Hula dance for about 25 people in our living room! Nick is still going strong as a junior black belt in Tae Kwon Do - he had another test this month. Tim is nearing completion of his first full year of homeschool and stress levels have gone down for Tim and his parents ever since the switch. And check out Maggie's leprechaun trap - she's a creative little stinker!
Peter's 12th birthday. Maggie's 7th birthday. Nick's BB test. Home school. March fun.
Nathan had his first meet swimming with the Ames Cyclone Aquatics Club. He’s preparing to be on the Ames High team as a freshman this Fall. February was a bit slow as far as picture taking until we decided to leave the country. This month we were able to go on an absolutely amazing week-long trip to the Virgin Islands. It was so good that Pete needed to take at least 5000 photos while we were there! We stayed at a resort on the island of St. John with Grandma & Grandpa where we spent a lot of time on the beach or in the ocean. So many new experiences in such a short period of time. And the weather was amazing - sunny and 82 degrees everyday. We went snorkeling often and were able to see many sea creatures including crabs, rays, squid, turtles, and a wide variety of fish. We took a boat ride to the British Virgin islands and visited a Bath park. We did some hiking that brought us to some breathtaking views and some mildly dangerous situations. And the kids favorite part of the trip was an afternoon spent at Hawksnest Beach playing in the surf. Hours spent riding waves or getting knocked over by them. The whole trip is an experience we’ll never forget.
Nathan's ACAC meet. Virgin Islands Day 1&2. Virgin Islands Day 3. Virgin Islands Day 4. Virgin Islands Day 5.
Virgin Islands Day 6. Virgin Islands Day 7&8. February fun.    
Our traditional New Year’s Bowl party had the usual sitting, and eating, and laying, and eating, and more eating. And I’m getting tired of hosting this thing and not winning the pot! :) Peter and Nick had a great season of basketball where I think Peter simultaneously won the “Mr. Hustle” award and the “Mr. Erratic Shot” award. Nick got to play some point guard, too - lots of responsibility. Our niece/cousin Grace had her 5th birthday party highlighted by another indestructible pinata. Do the makers of these things know that very small and weak people are trying to break these things open? Finished off the month with Jen's thirty-somethingish birthday party.
New Year's party. Boys basketball. Grace's birthday party. January fun.  
Like every December for the past 6 years, we spent many hours parked on bleachers watching holiday concerts. We really enjoy the band concerts, but the choral concerts are starting to get to us (except for Maggie’s concerts, she’s our first child who actually sings all of the songs). Maggie tried out basketball this month aaaand...that was the end of that. Another great holiday season took place this winter. It’s so great to have this much family nearby. Before the holiday break is over we have to get some sledding and snowboarding in. We built a minor hill so we could catch some major air.
Holiday concerts. Maggie attempts bball. Xmas at Fisher's. Christmas Eve. Christmas Day.
Sledding. December fun.      
A busy time of year with birthdays and holidays. But first there was a TKD tournament that Jen helped out with and Nick participated in. Tim turned 13 - two teenagers in the house now - I think a trend is starting. Thanksgiving at Fisher's was pretty relaxed - everyone was really relaxed after the mass food consumption. Grandma even taught Nick to knit. Then things got crazy for a weekend as we celebrated Grampa Matthews' 80th birthday in conjunction with the Matthews Thanksgiving. It was a surprise party complete with fake beards, bad outfits, Dad's jokes, a video, and of course a "bull dick cane". Can't have a real party without one of those. :) Happy Birthday, Dad/Grampa, we love you!
TKD tourney. Tim's 13th birthday. Fisher Thanksgiving. 80th party & T-giving. November fun.
Nick had a big Black Belt test this month and moved up to the next level of Junior Black Belt. He did awesome. Jen got a surprise early Christmas gift. Too many computer feuds caused Santa to rush out and get this gift for her right away! Had a great time at another annual Stoll Chili Cookout. Many more events/activities this month including having our pets blessed at church, model rocket launches out at Ackerman's, and a birthday party for Great Grampa Carter. Then the Halloween events started. Our neighbors were nice enough to take Maggie to a Halloween party and the kids did all their own pumpkin carving (except Maggie). We had to top last year's barfing pumpkin with a pumpkin barfing on another pumpkin.
Nick's BB test. Early Christmas. Chili cookout. Pet blessings. Rocket launch.
Great Grampa's bday. Halloween party prep. Pumpkin carving. Halloween 2010. October fun.
Went to visit Gramma & Grampa Matthews in Chippewa Falls this month - it had been a long time since we'd been up to see them. It was a little short, but very relaxing. Only warm enough for swimming on one day, but lots of time for playing badminton, fishing, and other fun stuff. Nathan turned 14 this month and (gulp) got his driver's permit. Nick got his clarinet in preparation for playing the saxophone this Spring and Maggie got her hair cut! Dad had to take a deep breath, but it turns out it is possible for her to become even cuter than she already is.
Wisconsin visit. Petersen party. Nathan's 14th bday. Musicians. September fun.
After last month, things slowed down (a little). Mom's friends from Tae Kwon Do came to visit at the lake. There were a few wild tubing wipeouts, and Tim learned to water ski outside the wake! First day of school this month. Maggie was very excited - her brothers, however, not so much. Last chance to visit the lake where we brought Max along for a swim. Grampa F. taught Peter how to fillet a fish, and there was some creative activities taking place off the end of the dock. Prariefest highlights for this year were pancakes, parade marching, tae kwon do demo, inflatables, and Max winning "tallest dog" in the dog show (he was the only entrant).
TKD lake visitors. First day of school. Last lake visit. Prairie festival. August fun.
This month was up there with one of our busiest months ever. July 4th weekend at Lake Panorama keeps growing every year. The cabin really fills up with all the little ones, and now the bigger kids are taking up more space. The swim team is in full swing this month. Lots of early morning practices and a swim-athon fundraiser, too. Dad got a chance to try out his underwater camera case. Super cool. We were invited to an Iowa Cubs game by the Fisher's and Nathan and Tim came along. They even got to shoot the hot dog gun during the game. Click here to see the definition of "pure joy". Nick turned 10 this month, and declared that he deserved a "big" party. He convinced some family to stop by, had a water gun fight, and got a sweet gift from his sister. Nathan and Peter went off to scout camp for a week. Nathan was thrilled to be going with his little brother this year, and Mom and Dad got to visit them on the last day of camp. Peter somehow managed to get the cleanest tent award the day we came - this was a miracle based on the constant condition of his room at home. After another visit to the lake, it was off to Colorado for our first ever big family vacation outside the Midwest. It was 7 days of fun. We camped for couple nights, and then rented a cabin for the rest of the time. We hiked for over 25 miles while we were there (even Maggie!) And Mom and Dad also had a crazy adventure climbing Long's Peak.
July 4th weekend. Ballard Sharks practice. Iowa Cubs game. Swim-athon. Nick's 10th birthday.
Boy Scout camp. Lake Panorama. Colorado - Day1 & Day2. Colorado - Day3. Colorado - Day4.
Colorado - Day5. Colorado - Long's Peak. Colorado - Day6 & Day8. Colorado - Day9. July fun.
Memorial Day weekend always kicks off the lake Panorama season for us. The entire Fisher clan was there. Dad got a new polarizing filter in preparation for our Colorado trip, and had lots of fun using it at one of Nathan's soccer games. Due to a graduation, John's annual birthday weenie roast was delayed and moved to Uncle John's house this month. What followed cannot be explained in words, you just have to see it. Then Nick left us to go on his 10yr old trip with Gramma & Grampa Fisher to Yosemite National park. There he got to see Bridal Veil Falls, Half Dome, and Mariposa Grove among many other things. He had a blast. Maggie started swim lessons this summer and even learned how to dive! Lots of tubing at the lake this summer - Maggie's gotten old enough to join in. The boys swim team was officially in a conference this year, so they swam in a bunch of meets. Also this month, Maggie had vacation bible school, a party in her room, and Tim went to Church camp on his own for a week.
Memorial Day weekend. Great day for soccer. John A's birthday. Nick's 10 yr old trip. Lake visit.
Swim lessons. Back to the lake. Sharks swim meets. June fun.  
This was a very crazy, but very fun month. We were invited to a fundraiser by Tina (and Jim & Deb) which was a lot of fun. Nice to have an adult night out. We celebrated our 15th anniversary this month by flying to Las Vegas for 3 days - with no kids! One of the days we rented a car and drove to Death Valley National Park. The scenery was beautiful. Overall, it was an amazing trip. We walked down the strip to see the Blue Man Group and even made time to renew our marriage vows inside a rental car at a drive-thru chapel. Pastor Tony helped us out. Other highlights include a fancy dinner, hiking, "mountain climbing", driving trail, salt flats, lounging, snake handling, and fountain watching. Back home in time for back to back graduation weekends. Nephew (and cousin) Frank graduated from High School and celebrated with a party at Aunt Susan's house. The following weekend we drove to Minnesota to watch another nephew (and cousin) Pete graduate from High School. A wild and crazy party followed. And we can't forget the Four-Pete sighting this month.
Fundraiser. Las Vegas trip - Day 1. Death Valley. Las Vegas trip - Day 3. Track meet.
Frank's grad party. Frank's graduation. Pete's graduation. Pete's grad party. May fun.
Another nice Easter Sunday at home in the morning and off to Fisher's in the afternoon. Grandma F. made some amazing treats this year - almost too pretty to eat. It was nice enough to play outdoors, which isn't always the case in Iowa. Nathan and Nick were back for more soccer this Spring. With some help from Dad and big brother Tim, Maggie learned to ride a two-wheeler! Tim also had his very first guitar recital, and was asked to perform a duet with another student just minutes before the recital began. He did great. We made another attempt at a vegetable garden this year - it's destined for failure due to lack of interest and water.
Easter 2010. Easter at Fisher's. Spring soccer. Learning to ride. April fun.
Our little girl is 6! (Pausing to collect myself) How can she be 6! She makes Dad proud every day when she shows off her latest illustrated book. Only fitting to have an artist themed birthday party. Peter also turned 11 this month which was celebrated with a shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops. Dad got a new lens this month and annoyed many people as he experimented with it. Peter was able to go on his first Boy Scout adventure - skiing!
Maggie's 6th bday. TKD fundraiser. Fun with macro. March fun.  
Jen had her 2nd degree Black Belt test this moth. She was nervous, but she did great. And went on to blow through her concrete block like it was butter. Had a nice get together with Jen's Tae Kwon Do friends at our house. And Peter had his crossover from Cub Scout to Boy Scout. He's ready for more intense camping and fishing. Peter also officially got his own room in the basement. Uncle Jim, Mom, and Dad all worked to put up a wall for him. Boys also had fun fishing toys and clothing out of a air vent in the attic. Whatever keeps them busy, I guess.
Jen's 2nd BB test. House party. Cub scout crossover. February fun.  
Why not start off the new year with another party? It began with football and ended with a slightly confusing, but funny version of the Christmas story by Tim, Peter, Jenna, Lauren (Mary), and Nick (Joseph). Swim season was in full swing this month for Peter and Nathan. They both improved their times in almost all of their events. Jen took Nathan and Tim on a Ski/Snowboard trip with our Church youth group. We have a new baby nephew (and cousin)! Little Leo was born this month and makes Dad want to have more babies causing Mommy to roll her eyes and shake her head. Mommy turned 35, and enjoyed her cake. And Dad got his dream TV (click here to see us worshipping the almighty glowing rectangle).
New Year's Day. Swim season. Skiing & snowboarding. Baby Leo. January fun.