Family... The ones you live with, laugh with, and love!

Wow how time flies!! I am still finishing up 2016, ugh!

Jake's mission call came last week (Saturday February 18, 2017)

I have found that I don't have very many photos, just lots of videos. Here is a quick glance at Matthew's and Amee's birthdays (Matthew turning 9 and Amee turning 12)

2016 at a glance!

Amee and her friends danced to Thriller during their 5th grade talent show is April.

Sami was on the dance team again this year. They placed at state, competing against 3A schools!

 This is Sami's "Twin", Raynie Martin

Jake, Yaska, and Zeke all participated in track! I don't seem to have any picture of Jake :(

Zeke did the long jump, the triple jump, the 400m, the 800m, and 4x400. For such a little one he sure is fast and sure can jump!! He doesn't love track and I don't know if we will be able to get him to do it next year, but he sure is good and has the potential to break some school records!!

Matthew wrestled and is a natural! However he tells us that he doesn't want to wrestle, just play basketball. I hope he will change his mind. He is also extremely fast! As a third grader he can out run almost everyone in elementary school, including many 5th graders

Jake had a great year with basketball. The Bulldogs had a great season and were able to go to state.

We had a lot of fun this summer in St. George with Yaska. Tom Rented a side by side while we were at the lake. The kids had a blast! I think Tom had more fun that they did. He said it was like driving a snowmobile in the sand. 

So far this school year has been filled with lots of fun, success and running from place to place. Jake is going to school at Northwest Community College. He is on an intermural basketball team. I think they have had a fair share of wins. He is now approaching finals with all A's. He has been taking 3 institute classes along with Missionary Prep. Jake is such a great kid and is so much smarter than I ever was! We are so proud of him!

Sami and the Lady Bulldogs had a very successful volleyball season. They took first at the regional tournament and 3rd at the state tournament. We had a lot of fun cheering her on and are going to miss it!

Jake is 19!! And pretty much all he got was food for his dorm! The life of an adult!!

We took the kids fishing this fall to Sibley Lake. It was a lot of fun! I am not sure why the boys where kissing the fish though. Jake and a couple of friends came too. 

Matthew is all boy all the time! I am pretty sure I threaten to stick a knife in a ball daily to keep him from bouncing or throwing in the house. 

For Halloween he wanted to be a basketball player. We ordered a Steph Curry uniform, which I later realized was coming from China. I ordered another one 8 days before Halloween. We tracked it the Saturday before Halloween and it showed it would be delivered Tuesday, the day after Halloween, I talked him into being a wearwolf. Monday morning I went to the PO Box and they said if it showed up before 2 they would call me, his party at school was at 1:45. Well, the school ended up sending him home becasue they said he had pink eye. When I took him to the Dr he was cleared of pink eye, but he did have "swimmers ear" which he got from the hot tub in the hotel we had been in that weekend during regional volleyball games. Just as we left the Doctors office the post office called and said his jersey had come, but the school wouldn't let him come back to school until he had been on antibiotics for 24 hours. 

Anyway, I really wanted him to be a wearwolf, so for Halloween night I talked him into being "Teen Wolf."

Now we have Amee's birthday and Christmas.... Let's hope it get this updated before Fall of 2017....

State Track 2015

Go Bulldogs!!

Jacob had a great track year! He competed in 4 events and broke the school record in all 4! His for events were the open 1600M and open 800M and then the 4x400 and the 4x800 relay. It was so fun to see his hard work pay off! Here are a few pictures and a video. I am not the best videographer and the first video is from a cell phone... But it's still fun to watch.

Spring Break 2015

Spring Break 2015

This year for spring break we went to Mount Rushmore. We also stopped at Jewel caves and Devils Tower. It really was a neat trip. Because we were there so early in the season, there were a lot of things still closed. I guess this gives us a good excuse to go back another time. Sami was not with us because she was in New York with the school choir. I have included some pictures of her trip so that she was not completely left out of the blog.

Mount Rushmore

Devils Tower

Crazy Horse statue

Sami in New York

Sweet 16!!!

Sami turned 16 this year, and she was driving 2 days after her birthday. She has gone on one date and has been asked to Prom. I am not sure if I am ready for this... but then I think about what a great girl Sami is and I know this is going to be a fun road to travel with her!

Sami's passions are music, volleyball, and dance. She is becoming a very accomplished pianist and I hope she will continue to learn and practice. Sami will be Junior next year and is hoping to play varsity, which I know she will! She is a very good volleyball player! Sami is good at everything she attempts... but if it's not fun to her, then she's not about to waist her time with it. Sami has a very strong personality but she is also very kind and tries to never hurt feelings. Sami also has a very strong testimony and love for her Savior. Sami has always said she wants to serve a mission! We are so blessed to have Sami in our family!

Happy Birthday Sami

Lovell dance team 2014-2015

 Jr dance team

 Sami is the red head in the back and to the right