Looking back at 2017 video. Such great times!!

Looking Back at 2017

We are one month into 2018 and I am just finishing a video for 2017. It was so fun to look back at all the things we have done. With Jake entering the mission field as a full time missionary, we have been so blessed. I love being a mom and am so blessed with such great kids, and a wonderful husband!

Here are a few pictures from 2017. 

Alexa Rose was born on April 7th. She is just a joy!!

Jared's family came for a visit. The older kids all attended EFY. We had a house full but it was so much fun! What a great group of kids we have!!!

Zeke with his first antelope! Tom, Zeke, and I all went hunting together and it was a fun day!!

These three competed in a state track meet in Billings Montana this summer. Zeke placed third in the triple jump and first in the 4x100 relay. Matthew took 3rd in the 800 and Amee took 4th in the 800. Amee was competing with girls 2 years older than her. They all did so good and it was lots of fun!!

We had a great weekend sending Jake off for his mission. We had a party at Tom's parents house and we blessed to have the majority of both families there. I love how much fun we have when we all get together, even if it doesn't happen as often as I would like it to.

After we took Sami to the airport for Germany then Jake to the MTC, we took the other three to the olympic park in Park City. What an awesome day, only wish I had more photos.

We stopped by to see the new development that stands where Grandpa Newman lived in Lehi. So much has changed!!

Sami was able to go on a trip to Hawaii with the Swing Choir from school. She had a great time!!

She also spent 6 weeks in Germany with Jamee, Ben and the boys. This was a great time for her! She learned a lot about herself and learned a lot about life from Jamee. She has shared with me how much she misses the boys!!! So grateful to Ben and Jamee and for all they sacrificed to have her staying with them!!!

Elder Newman is doing so great!! He is such a hard working missionary and loves all he is doing! He has had the opportunity to train new missionaries and has loved those he has trained very much! He is currently serving on the island of Saint Lucia. This is only the first transfer of his mission. He spent his first 6 1/2 months on the Island of Grenada.  Currently is training a kid from Peru and is serving in the branch presidency in his ward. He is finding that time sure does fly when you are devoting your days to serving the Lord! He is so happy!!!

Time Flies!

I can't get over how fast time seems to be going. Jacob has now been on his mission for 21 weeks! He is so happy and being such an obedient missionary! These are defiently parent paydays!

For Tom's birthday in November we put together a video with pictures of our kids and family. It was so much fun to look back at all the old photos, so many memories!!

We also had some new pictures taken of the 3 youngest. Ramie Edwards was the photography and she is wonderful and does such awesome work! These are some of my favorites!! 
I didn't realize how badly Matthew needed a haircut, and the wind was not very cooperative. But he is still so cute and looks like such a big kid! So sad how fast they are all growing!!

Sami's senior volleyball year!

I am realizing that I never posted the volleyall video of Sami's senior year. It was an awsome year for the Lady Bulldogs. They placed 1st at the regional tournament and then took 3rd at state. I love watching Sami play volleyball and will miss it very much!

And now for the summer. It has been a busy summer and full of lots of fun. Matthew played in the Minors league this year. That kept us busy, with practices everyday and games twice a week. His team placed 1st in our region. Matthew was selected to be on the Allstar team, this helped extend his season to the end of July. This was great for him. Mom and dad are not so sure about this baseball thing, as it seem to eat up most of our summer. However, watching him was still fun and he seems to have the makings of a great pitcher. 

His allstar team placed third at the state tournament. It was a fun season and it was fun to see Matthew work so hard and to earn a place on the allstar team as one of the pitchers.

Sami's a Graduate
So I finally have some pictures of Sami's graduation. So proud of this girl! She has been such a joy in our life and we look forward to seeing her get out on her own. She is going to do great things!!! 

She was asked to perform at seminary graduation, along with two of her friends. They did an arrangement of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and If you Could Hie to Kolob. It was beautiful. I was able to get one of their practices so I could share it.

 

2017 Prom

Sami went to prom with Jarrett Collins. Its fun to watch her with her friends. They are all such good kids. Sami has always had a confidence about her, but not in an errogant way. She is not afraid to make the right choice and doesnt really care what others might think or say! She is as beautiful in the inside as she is on the outside.

Zeke to High School
Next year Zeke will be in high school. Zeke has a good group of kids his age. They are all good kids and so athletic! It's going to be fun to watch these kids over the next few years!!

From right to left...
Ezra Harlow, CJ Lindsay, Tyler Nichols, Zeke, Lane Herman, Patric Kidgell



Here are some Easter pictures. It was a strange year becuase we only had Amee and Matthew home for easter. We had fun decorating eggs, I think I will always love decorating easter eggs. 

2017 Track and Field

We have had so much fun watching our kids compete in sports. What we love the most is seeing them give it their all, and they did!!!

This was Amees first year doing track. She did the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m. She was contiually beating her own time all season. She was able to beat the school record in both the 400m and the 800m.

Zeke continued to jump doing the high jump, long jump and tripple jump. Half way through the season he also started pole vault. He thinks we will want to continue pole vaulting next year along with the high jump and tripple jump. He was also on the 4x100m relay team, which took state. He did the 200m and the 400m a couple of times during the season. The coaches were finally able to get him to run the 800 for the last two meets, one being state. He is not sure how much he loves to run, but he is very good at it!

Being around family is the best! I always worried that becasue we didn't live close to our family and cousins that there would be distance between the families, but I was wrong. Whenever we get together it is always so fun and the kids immediatley connect. I imagine heaven will be like one big family reunion! Families are forever!!

Here is a video of Airborne!

Christmas Eve 2016. Each year we have the kids draw names 

for Christmas gifts and their dad requires that the gifts be hand 

made. They are getting pretty creative as they get older, and it's

getting easier for mom since I don't have to help very much. They

all did such a great job this year! This is probably my favorite part

of Christmas. These gifts we alway open on Christmas eve. And 

then of course they get their PJ's or what ever. The boys all

wanted joggers this year.