Christmas Trees and Pig Races?

Getting ready for the race

Yes those are pigs racing in the backround!

Anna chose the tree this year

Before you can cut down the tree, there is a giant spider that has to be tamed?

We had so much fun visiting this Christmas Tree farm.  The Pig Races were quite the entertainment.  I always thought that would be a good business, pig racing and christmas tree shopping.  The things we are experiencing here in Little Rock are priceless!

EJ hoopin' it up at Immanuel Baptist

Thanksgiving 2009

                                                                              



The food must have been extremely good, because Spencer is the only one smiling for the picture!







Cedric, Tanner and Ethan-- lookin' good boys!

 

Oh, for cute!



Cedric and Anna, quick friends!



Cool guys

                                         

Everyone wanted to sit on Troy's lap, sorry dude.

Ethan and Spencer

Beautiful Ladies, beautiful



Our first Thanksgiving away from home turned out to be filled with family.  The Bennetts and soon to be Madsen couple, drove to Little Rock for the festivities.  It was so much fun to see everyone and just felt like we were at home. There was football, food, history tours, river walks and relaxation for the weekend!  We can't wait to see everyone again next year in Chicago! 

Wooooooo Pig Suey!

Ethan was introduced to the "call of the Hogs" (woo pig suey) at the Razorback game! Dad and EJ went to see Arkansas play against Mississippi St. He was more enamored by all of the people in the crowd chanting at different times than the actual game. Near the end of the game he noticed that Arkansas has a player named "EJ Williams - just like me dad!" (D.J. Williams is actually his name but that's not what our EJ heard over the pa.

Mustang's new cornerback/wide receiver!

Don't let the Purple uniform fool you, Skyler is fired up and ready for some "good-ole Southern Football." Skyler is having fun playing on the 6th-grade CAC Mustang's team! The rest of the Fam is having fun watching the 40 6th-grade girls cheerlead on the sidelines. Their southern drawl is so strong, that we have more fun trying to figure out what their cheers say, than what the score is. Haha!

Rockin' Little Rock

Here we are in Little Rock, Arkansas. . . who knew we would pass through here on our journey. Although we are sad to leave our friends and family, we are excited to be on this adventure together. I'm hoping we will create happiness here. Little Rock is full of wonderful welcoming people and our neighbors have been especially warm!
We are excited about our new home and really love the neighborhood. Keeping the pool a surprise from the kids was definitely worth it when we pulled up to our new home and saw the looks on their faces. I am glad Travis talked me into keeping it a secret. Instead of "mourning" the loss of all their friends even more than they already had, it gave them a distraction and a way to play together. Imagine that, my children actually play together now (at least in the backyard)! We live a few minutes from the Arkansas River and it is truly beautiful here. The kids are a little confused about what River it really is, because Mom thought it was the Mississippi when we got here, and Dad won't let her forget it. Now every time we cross the river dad says, "look Mom, it's the Mississippi!"
Skyler, Ethan and Anna have all made friends in the neighborhood and surprisingly enough, it feels a little like Draper with the number of kids around here. Ethan rides the bus to and from school with about 10 other boys in either kindergarten, first or second grade. I can't believe how many boys his age there are here. Skyler and Anna go to a private school with several other kids in the neighborhood too. This year, unlike others in the past, I welcomed the thought of having summer end and the kids go back to school. I needed a moment to breathe. Travis seems to be enjoying his job and thankfully likes the people he works with.
Each one of us love and desperately miss our wonderful friends in Utah. I feel so blessed to have been in a place where I had so many people I loved and respected. I have never been cared for and treated so well by friends in my life. I also can't say enough about living so close to all my sisters and their families and of course my Mom and Dad. I am so glad we had that time in Utah.

First Grade and The Bus

Ethan was so excited about taking the bus to school, that is, until he learned that the bus comes at 6:45 am! We are usually running out the door with breakfast in hand. I won "best mother of the year" award when Ethan came home from school with a note from the nurse, stating, that because we were running late, his mom didn't give him breakfast so he had an upset tummy. Little did the nurse know, he sat slumped over his breakfast for 10 minutes at the table yawning while I yelled, "your going to miss the bus if you don't eat!" We struggle in the mornings around here!

Look at the little guy, all grown up!