From Lisa..

We are doing great!! Craig & I are in the process of purchasing 100 acres down the road from our house ( about 1/2 mile away) We call it the 'Hundred-Acre Woods'. We are excited to build a new home on it starting this spring! We haven't closed yet, but hopefully in the next month or so that will happen. We're very excited about it! We have found a house plan that we like & have an architect that will draw it up for us & make the few changes that we would like. It's not anything fancy, but it's the space we need. It's about 4000 sq ft & has 5 bedrooms & it will also have a full basement. It's a big step for us, but a much needed one as we out-grow the home we have now. You can check out our plan on http://www.ultimateplans.com/ plan #151025 We are changing the master bath/closet into a smaller one & part of it will be a bedroom for Jessica. We'll also make it look more lodge-like with logs for the pillars in front, etc. We have a few little things to do on the house to get ready to sell. We are in the process of adding on a mud room to the back of the house. We are hiring it out. It's cold outside!! The footers are in, & they'll start the framing once it gets above 10 degrees!!

Craig is busy at work, but we like the flexibility that comes along with working for yourself. It's nice that he can take a day here & there & just go fishing or hunting or out to lunch & shopping with me. Someone stole his boat motor off his boat a few weeks ago, so he won't be fishing for a little while.... Whoever stole it, left a flashlight in the boat, so we're hoping to get some fingerprints off it. The Sheriff's department has opened an investigation on it. It's over $1600, so it's a felony. We'll see where it leads. In the meantime we're pretty upset that someone would come on our property & take something of ours. Scary! He bow hunted on our property this year & got 2 bucks. He's never bow hunted before, so he was pretty proud. I think he was feeling a little like Nephi. LOL Craig is the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric & is keeping busy with that. He is enjoying it, but we miss sitting with him on Sundays. He does a good job with making sure everyone feels welcome at church. He's good at that. He's such a people person!

I am doing good. The last 5 months I've been tired. I'm too old for this 'up all hours of the night' stuff. I think things are starting to settle down though. At least I get up & STAY UP in the morning instead of going back to bed after the kids get on the bus. I actually get things done during the day! Craig & I have joined the YMCA & have started working out together. That has helped me have more energy too. The kids love to go swimming there while we work out. I also do the bookwork for our business. So, that's time consuming. I am Activity Days leader at church too. We have our first activity tomorrow, so I'm not sure about it yet. I'll let you know how it goes. I am healthy, alive & happy!! I am so blessed in my life. I couldn't ask for a better husband who holds the priesthood, supports us & is so loving to me! I love him!

Adam just turned 13 & is in the 7th grade. He is doing really well in school. He plays basketball & this is the first year to have a child on a team that actually travels around to different schools for games. He missed his first game.....No, I wasn't home, Craig was supposed to get him there & he forgot about it too. Oops! He felt pretty bad. Adam is getting 2 teeth pulled on Thursday to make room in his mouth for his large teeth. He will need 2 more pulled after this. I feel so bad for him. Yuck! He loves his new ipod that he got for his birthday & his face is usually glued to it most of the day. He is such a big helper with Jessica! He has even changed a few diapers!! He is a Boy scout & loves the campouts that they have. He's a great kid.

Eric is 11 1/2 & in the 6th grade. He suffers through school. He would rather stay in his jammies all day long (who wouldn't?). He is in an after school program to help him with his homework & it seems to be a good thing. Eric is the only one besides me that can get Jessica to sleep easily. He asked me why she liked to put her face in his armpit to go to sleep. I told him it was because that's how I nurse her, with her face near me. He calmly said 'oh gross.' He is so good with her!! He has also changed A diaper......the next morning after he changed Jessica, she was all wet. I went to change her & her diaper was on backwards! LOL It was pretty funny! I asked him what happened & he said 'I thought something was weird about it' Eric has lots of friends & loves to play outside! He is also a Boy Scout, but doesn't really like it....yet. He loves LEGOS & XBOX. He's a good boy.

Matthew just turned 8 years old & was baptized on his birthday. It was pretty special! He is in the 2nd grade & likes his teacher a lot. Matthew can make anyone smile. His laugh is hilarious. It's like a mix between a chipmunk & a hyena. It's so cute!!! When we hear him laugh we can't help but laugh too. He loves Jessica. He is so cute with her. When he comes home from school he wants to hold her & play with her. At night, he says 'love you Jess'. It's really very sweet. He just joined Cub Scouts & is liking it. He hasn't been there enough to determine if it's really fun yet. Matt doesn't ever want to get in trouble, he doesn't like it. So, he doesn't. He's such a good kid. His teacher says she brags to other teachers about his penmanship. It's like perfect printing. I think he's only missed one word out of all his spelling tests this year too. He's so happy & loveable!!

Emily.....where to start....... She's like a whirlwind!! I thought my boys were busy!! Holy Cow! This girl doesn't stop. She'll sing songs that she's made up with made up words ALL DAY long!! I could spend all day, cleaning up after her. She has a 'post-it' note fascination!! We find them stuck to everything in the house... all with E's on them, for Emily. It's like she's made her mark!! She is a sweet girl, if she's had a nap. If not, STAY AWAY!! Emily just turned 4, but acts like she's 24. She has inherited my old purses, makeup & cell phones. She always has her purse with her. She forgot it one day & asked me to go back home to get it! No, I didn't. She was helping Craig find his deer that he shot in the woods & she also had her purse then, walking through the mud. She is very creative & loves to draw, paint & make crafts. She is so smart too. She goes to preschool M-W-F, but we also do some preschool at home. I'll teach her a letter & she can recognize it, write it, say words it starts with right away. She catches on really well. She is starting a program called 'Kindermusik' in a few weeks. It's a singing & story time program where she'll get to use different instruments, sing & learn about rhythm. She's really excited about it. She is our little princess, that's for sure. She is such a cutie! I love her!

Jessica is 5 months old. She has just started grabbing toys & will stay entertained with them for quite some time. I've had to leave Relief Society a few times because she's so HAPPY! She screams & squints her eyes like she doesn't know where that noise came from. It's cute & I'm glad she's happy. She has had a rough start. She's already had 3 ear infections, strep, reflux, thrush & a yeast infection. It's been crazy! She is finally healthy..... wait a minute while I find some wood to knock on... Ok, found some. LOL She really is a sweet girl. She likes ME though. Sometimes ONLY me. Craig can't seem to calm her down when she's upset, so that's hard for him to understand. She smiles at him when she sees him, so we know she likes him, she just knows what she wants when she's mad. MOM. She weighs 18 lbs & wears size 9-12 mth clothes. She has, I think, 4 rolls on each leg. She is so chubby. Emily calls her 'chunky monkey'. Jessica is really a joy in our family. It's funny because she really has been our most difficult child-not her fault with all her sickness, but we love her SO much. I believe that our trials help us to grow & this has definately been a trial & we have really grown. We wouldn't have it any other way!!

I love each one of you SO much. I wish we could all live closer & get together more often. Craig's family is not very close. So, it's hard to be here when I know they don't really get along with each other. I feel like I'm pretty close with my family & I can't be with you as often as I'd like. So, that's hard for me, knowing that we're here & not even with his family much-except his parents. I WILL try harder to keep in contact better. I feel like I'm really far away sometimes & it makes me sad to know I'm missing out on your families lives. I haven't even met Riley or Shelby!! I feel so bad!

I am looking to buy a ticket to fly to Utah on February 4th-9th for Anne's wedding. I am so excited! I will bring Jessica with me. I am so excited that you can meet her before she's much older. I am so blessed that I can fly out there. Craig is so supportive of me going out while he stays here to take over the house. He knows I need to see my family more often & be closer with you.

Sorry, this is so long! It won't be as long next time. I just feel like many of you don't even know my kids very well so I had to go on & on about them!! I love you. I hope to see you soon! Keep in touch

Lisa