Now an 11 Year Old Scout

Tanner was able to join the 11 year old Boy Scouts for his first hike. They hiked about 5 miles at Lake Georgetown. Looks like it was a pretty silly bunch of boys, but he had a great time. It was good that his friend Connor could go too and it was nice of his leader to share these pictures.

Oops.

Here are the pictures of the family party! Thanks everyone.

Kaylie's 5th birthday party!

Although her birthday was last week, with her brother and her sharing a birthday so close together, we have to spread them out a bit. She certainly doesn't understand the whole "which day is my birthday" thing because we celebrate one day as a family and then a week later with friends. Wait until she realizes that there are some years she doesn't even really have a birthday - on the calendar that is. She definately doesn't get that one. It actually just makes her upset when you tell her that she is really just one again this year.

So the party was a lot of fun for Kaylie! She loves the attention. She has 10 little girls come and she informed me that they all are her best friends. They enjoyed listening to "If I Were In the Zoo," playing Musical Dots, and Catch the Balloon, and Princess, Princess, Queen, finding hidden balls in the yard, hoola-hooping, and lots of jumping on the trampoline. They decorated visors and made bracelets and necklaces with beads and pipe cleaner. Of course Kaylie's favorite part was opening presents and she received lots of fun toys. Taylin and her friend Kassadi were the best helpers! Thanks girls.

Here are all of Kaylie's best friends - Jordyn, Maddie and Morgan, Kyra, Amanda, Emily, Nicole, Emma, and Halle! Thanks for coming everyone!

Kaylie's actual birthday was on the 28th of February. She started her day not believing that it was her birthday, but then when she started opening all of her presents from the family, she became a little more convinced. She loves her Thumbalina, a soccer ball, a music box (from Aunt Linh and family), clothes and gift cards (from Ba Noi and Ong Noi), more clothes and a CD player (from Grandma and Grandpa), suckers and cookies (from Uncle Vu), and a unicorn and a pegasus. She is one spoiled, happy girl!

It is clear that we adore her. She is so sweet and funny. We are always laughing at some comment of hers. She loves her big sister and big brother and she is lucky to have them love her back. She is quick to give a compliment at how beautiful someone is or how beautiful they are dressed. I think she wants to be a princess when she grows up! She gives the best hugs. We love you Kaylie! Happy 5th Birthday!

Kaylie's Polka Dot Party Prep

It is a bit of fun for me to make such a fuss about my 5 year old's birthday party. It is a bit overboard because I'm not sure how much she, or any of her 5 year old friends, really cared about some of the details. And it is a bit nuts of me to drop most everything else in the house to do it. But you only turn 5 once in your life and it is a good age to celebrate!

Tanner turns 11!

Aaaah, my boy is 11! It doesn't seem possible that I could be that old! Ha. I've loved all 11 years with this kid. He is so likable, fun, and positive, he's a doer, a go getter, and he loves being 11! He had a great birthday. His friends (Connor, Drew, Tanner W., Ryan, Jared, Julian, and Bailey) all met him at Austin Park and Pizza and they got to play arcade games, ride go-carts, play miniture golf, go rock climbing, and eat pizza, drink all the soda they wanted and play more arcade games... as much as they could, all of this for hours and hours. 11 year olds boys know how to not have a care in the world. It was a great time!

Tanner received lots of money from friends and family (which was greatly appreciated), he got a Nerf Vulcan gun (a gift from Dad for the both of them to enjoy), a Lamborgini remote control car, a few clothes, new socks (a gift from Mom for the both of us to enjoy), a water football for summer days at the pool, Diary of a Whimpy Kid books, and his most favorite of all... an iPod touch. He earned (and used some birthday money) and saved more than half of the cost and Dad and I helped him with the rest as his gift from us. It is darn cool and he hasn't put it down much. Taylin says, "Luckyyyyyyyyy!"

It has been a New Year's Resolution of our families to not eat french fries for six months, with the exception of birthdays. This has not been as hard as we thought it might be, except for Tanner. He loves his fries and has missed them. So when he got to choose a place to eat for his birthday, without a doubt, he was going to pick some place that has awesome french fries. He chose Wing Stop. And they were tastey! He ate about 3 wings and a whole basket of fries. Tanner, and the rest of us, are back on track for another 3 months of no fries, until Taylin's birthday and then the resolution will end. Now we have to come up with what we will give up next for the last six months!

As for the cake, I am out of ideas for football themed cakes. Or maybe it is just that I am out of enthusiasm for coming up with new ideas for football themed cakes. I mean, how many years am I going to be making a football cake?!?!? And another thing, note to self... 11 year old boys would rather go play in the park than eat birthday cake!

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tanner! We love you and are so proud of you!

We LOVE Nike too!

I'm not the only spoiled one. Nike gets his fair share of attention and love, no matter the day. Our big dog gets treated like the baby, or should I say puppy that he technically still is. When someone, especially Dad, shows him attention or cuddles with him, everyone gathers round to cuddle him too. At the end of our Valentine's Day, as we were unwinding, I walked in the room to find this! We often wonder how life was without him.

He's a good dog Charlie Brown.

L O V E

It was a lovely day! Huy and Tanner spoiled us girls with beautiful flowers (roses, snapdragons and lilies) and a big, heart balloon. Aunt Tammy sent the kids some candy and a little stuffed dog. Kaylie's had many names - Princess, then Sparkle, then Softie, but in the end, her name was Princess Sparkle Softie. Good choice. Tanner liked his too, but he was too sick to even smile for his picture. And Taylin was quick to pick up the phone to call and say thanks for Sassy, her dog's name.

This year the kids went to the Valentine Bistro instead of The Love Shack. The ownership changed hands and it was given a new name - probably a good thing. They enjoyed Daddy's Best Steak with a seasonal vegetable, broccoli, and a chosen side of Macaroni and Cheese and/or mashed potatoes (the instant kind). The girls had a Sprite and Tanner chose the chocolate milk, but he didn't drink any, again because he was sick. The personalized cake and chocolate chip mint ice cream topped off a great Valentine dinner.

Huy also spoiled me with a gift. I felt bad that I didn't have anything for him, but maybe we can share the new camera he gave me! Woo hoo! I am so excited. It is so nice. Now I'll just have to pull out the manual and read it so I will know how to use it.

Love to you all!

Black Shirts battle

That's my boy. When he's not playing football, he's playing basketball. This season has been a little less than fun because they haven't won many games, but Tanner is still always happy to play and says it is still fun. Their team name is the Black Shirts - some term from the Nebraska Huskers football something. Not sure. You'd have to ask Jeff - the coach - big Nebraska fan. We are mid-season so hopefully the team can win a few more before it is over!

Pittsburg won the Superbowl,

uh huh, uh huh!

It was a very HAPPY day in our house when the Steelers won the Superbowl! Thanks to those who came to support, or not support, Huy and his love for the Steelers. Our living room became a shrine for the Steelers - Huy brought down all of Tanner's Fatheads and vinyls and gear so there was no confusion as to who was to win. They only thing we forgot was to take a picture of our family, all suited up with our Steeler jerseys on, including Nike. But when he went potty in his shirt, the moment was lost. Pittsburgh had the game in the bag, but the Cardinals stormed back in the 4th quarter causing Huy to go "rally helmet" (see picture above) which worked and the Steelers pulled it off. Many screams, taunting, and celebration dances later, the best team prevailed. Sorry to all our AZ friends - sorry that you couldn't be here with us to help celebrate that is!!!

Spring is coming?

Thanks Karmen for the very cool bucket of bulbs that have bloomed into these beautiful tulips. It has been fun to watch them grow and open. Kaylie has enjoyed observing them with me. On these cold Texas days (ha), it has been nice to think of springtime coming.

(P.S. I was having fun doing some photo editing in Picasa.)

Halo IS fantasty.

At Tanner's last Blue and Gold Cub Scout banquet, the theme was fantasy or mystical. It is tradition that the father and son are to make a cake and bring it to the banquet for an auction where the money earned goes towards the scouting program. I was informed that Halo IS fantasy - that their cake didn't have to be a dragon or a castle or a magic something as I suggested. And, over the years, I have learned that sometimes it is just best to go with their ideas. And as usual, it was a great idea and they made a very cool Halo helmet. Tanner won an award for "Most Futuristic Cake." I think they could have won an award for cutest team to make a cake!

A Photoshoot with Kaylie

She loves life!

I love this one of her for some reason!

Now she is having fun.

She looks like she has a bobble-head, no?

And the winner is...T A N N E R!!!!!

Back in December, our good friends, the Clark's, got an Iron Gym for Christmas. Since we have a pull-up bar as well, our families came up with a challenge for anyone interested to see who could be the first to do 10 pull-ups. The winner would get $50 from each family. Karmen and Cole were off to a great start and held the lead for several weeks, but then, Tanner somehow found the power (or realized how much money was at stake) within himself to get to 10. He worked hard and then one day, it just happened. After several weeks of "frog-kick" pull-ups, he claims this is the legit 10! You be the judge. Did he get 10? Post and tell us before we pay up!
I say he does a great job, but I like his warm-up jig at the beginning the best!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjx6xTyzjtY

And for those wondering, I still can't do one pull-up without a chair to assist me and Huy claims he could do 10 if he had an audience!

Mark's Family

This is my brother, Mark, and his wife, Robyn, with their kids Paris (at BYU), Carrie, Davis, and Christie. They asked me to take a few family pictures with their new camera (that I mentioned earlier) and it was fun to pretend to be a photographer. I have a lot to learn, i.e. lighting! Thanks guys for letting me practice on you. Hope you were able to use at least one picture! Let Huy know if you want any Photoshop work done!

Party at Aunt Alyson's

My Aunt Alyson was so gracious to host a gathering of family from my dad's side. His brother, Jimmy and his wife, Claudette were there with their two daughter and their families, Nichole and Kristin (their son couldn't make it), and then my dad's sister, Alyson and her husband, Mark had all of their kids there, Danielle (from CA), Scott and Ashley and Lily (from Chicago), Natalie and Cam (from Logan), and Taylor (from Logan too). It has been a while since we had all seen each other so it was a great time to catch up and see how the kids have all grown. The family is growing and it makes us want to live closer. Thanks Aunt Alyson for a wonderful gathering - the police showing up was a fun twist!

Evans Family Christmas

It was a "rockin" time with the Evans'! We rocked out to Rock Band on the Wii at my brother Mark's house and Tanner's world was rocked when Mark squared him in the nose with the boxing gloves and he landed in Grandma's Christmas tree. The cousins loved to play together and the adults enjoyed their chats. Nike and my dad's dog, Buck, didn't get along as well as I thought they would, but Nike quickly learned where to play with him and where not to play with him. We had a great time! Thanks everyone. We missed Tammy and Doug and Megan as they were "snowed in" in Oregon - how odd is that?!

Not quite done with our trip to Utah for the holidays, if you can believe that. I'm waiting on some pictures from my brother. I used his camera because he got a nice new one (Nikon D60). Now guess what I want? A Nikon myself. Someday, hopefully soon.

Keep coming back for more!

It was "snow" fun in Grace!

One day, we drove 3 hours to Grace, Idaho (about an hour outside of Logan, Utah), to see Grandma and Grandpa's new home being built and to play in the snow on the four wheelers. My brother, Mark's kids came with us (Carrie, Davis, and Christi) so everyone had a playmate. There was lots of snow there too. While I talked house with my mom and dad, Huy got the four wheelers going and started pulling the kids in the sled. I'm not sure who was having more fun - the kids riding or Huy driving. It is beautiful up there.

The cooler picture? We had to stop in Logan at the Gossner Cheese Factory because they not only have good cheese, but the best ice cream ever. Huy wanted to take some home to his mom and so we packed it in ice and snow in the cooler. It was a bit milk-shakey when we got back that night, but it was still pretty good. Note to self... next time we need dry ice!

Two of the cutest cousins

It is so nice to be with cousins! Tanner and Taylin and Kaylie love to play with Noah and Luke (Huy's sister's boys). Look at how cute they are - how could you not want to eat them up!

Snowy Day Dog Walks

Huy and the kids had gone out for several morning walks with Nike while in Utah and they raved about how fun it was so one morning, myself and Kaylie bundled up and joined them. It happened to be a morning where there was about 10 inches of fresh snow. It made for some great pictures and a lot of snowball fights and snow angels and fun! And Nike couldn't get enough of it. He loved the snow while we were there.

Extended Nguyen Family Gathering

It is always a good time with Huy's aunts and uncles and cousins. They are a fun, and loud, bunch. There is so much laughter and joy when everyone gathers. The food was delicious and there was more than tons. And they are more than generous too. The kids received more presents! Hard to believe, I know. They were also very supportive as we all gathered around the TV to watch Tanner's first TV deput (he is hoping to play for the NFL one day) - the NFL Flag Football National Championship highlights. Sadly, there wasn't as much of Tanner as we would have liked to see, but there was a brief shot of him throwing a winning touchdown pass to take the team into the final four. We had a great, great, great time. Thank you everyone for gifts and the fun!

S A N T A C A M E !

Before the night was over, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see if Santa could find us. We like to keep him guessing. The kids did leave a note in Texas to tell him we would, once again, be in Utah, but they didn't say exactly where. But to the kids delight, he found them! The kids got everything they wanted and then some more. Can we say "spoiiiiiled?" Kaylie got the cupcake maker she asked for and the Barbie Peekaboo dolls and house, along with a Webkinz and a Princess Wii game. Taylin got her much loved iPod Nano, complete with "Taylin, YOU ROCK" engravings, an iFlip (a great little video camera that downloads directly to Utube), a Webkinz, and the Kung Fu Panda movie. Tanner got an electric scooter, the Nerf Longshot, a Webkinz, and Guitar Hero for his DS. And that was just the beginning. Santa's letter was a huge delight, especially to Taylin. She shared it with most everyone. It was wonderful to share the morning with Grandma and Grandpa! Thank you, we love you!

Nguyen Family Christmas

There were so many pictures of our fun Christmas Eve that I had a hard time narrowing them down. After our yummy dinner at Christopher's, we went to Aunt Linh's house to open presents. Another tradition shared as soon as we got there was Ba Noi giving the kids her famous, and loved, pajamas. This year was all coordinated in reds, High School Musical 3 shirts for the girls with polkadot pants, and the boys in striped pants with red shirts. They were all so cute. Thanks Ba Noi.

The theme for this years family gift exchange was "FLAT." It could actually be something "flat" or you could be creative and have each letter of the word "flat" stand for something. And that seemed to be the more favorable option.

Vu got a Borders gift card from Kim...

From, with Love, from Austin, Texas

Huy got a Labrador calendar and an iTunes gift card from Kaylie...

Found Late At Target

I got some earrings from Vu...

Feminine, Little, Accessory, Trinkets

Tanner got boxing gloves from Luke...

Fight Like A True champ

Taylin got some American Girl books from Huy...

From Dad, with Love, And kisses to Taylin

Kaylie got some princess pajamas and princess rings from herUncle Mark...

Finger Love A Treat

Linh got a wallet from Noah...

it is FLAT

Mark got a Nike fleece jacket from Tanner...

Fleece Lined for Arctic Temperatures

Noah got an art kit from Linh...

Fun Little Art Thing

Luke got a hoodie from the Gap from Taylin...

Funky, Likeable, Awesome, Totally

And then Ong Noi and Ba Noi got a new TV from everyone and a picture with several pictures of her grandchildren. They gave all of us wonderful things like sweaters and sweatshirts and toys and gift cards. Huy and I also got a beautiful, huge picture of the Salt Lake Temple. I can't wait to hang it. They spoil us.

Again, we missed Vu who couldn't be with us (Australia is a long way away) so we were able to talk with him on the phone for a bit. Thanks for the earrings Vu! You were greatly missed.

It was a great evening full of giving - the giving of punches was probably one of the more memorable happenings as the little boys loved Tanner's new boxing gloves and they were having fun play fighting. They are precious! Aunt Linh read the kids a great bedtime, Christmas story to end the evening.

Thanks everyone for all the nice gifts and for the great time together!

Christmas Eve Dinner

It's becoming a fun tradition to go to Christopher's Steak House in Salt Lake City with Huy's family. We have a nice time enjoying a delicious meal with loved ones and celebrating the birth of Christ. We missed Vu this year, but hopefully he will be joining us next year. Thanks Ba Noi and Ong Noi for the beautiful evening!

Grandma and Grandpa's House


in Grace, Idaho

These pictures are for you Tammy since you weren't able to come to Grace yourself to see the work in progress. It is coming along and is looking like a nice home. I'm sure they will enjoy it! (Pictured from top left to right - living room, kitchen, front of house (left side), Mom's garage, front door, kitchen table nook, basement (the guy was there cleaning up the plaster from the walls which is why it is fuzzy), front of house (right side), Mom and Dad present the kitchen granite, master bedroom, stairway, Dad's garages, and main bathroom.)

Park in Post



The first day of our drive to Utah for Christmas began on the 19th of December. The car was very full, mostly because we took Nike with us and his crate took up a lot of room. We had to get a roof rack and use the hitch to fit all of the luggage and Christmas gifts, but we were cozy and comfortable and safe. We found a great stop for lunch - this park in Post, Texas. It was full of antique playground equipment. Huy and I swear that the big slide was just like the one on our playgrounds in grade school - like I said, antique! The kids had a blast and Nike enjoyed running around. It was a great stop that the kids will look forward to on each future trip.

Many people thought we were nuts for taking Nike with us on a 24 hour drive and many have asked how he did. Maybe because I was so worried about it and was expecting the worst, he did great, just like Huy knew he would. Nike just layed down in his crate while we were moving and as soon as the car stopped, his head popped up and he was ready to get out. It really worked out just fine and I was greatly relieved!

Christmas Factory

The house was full of Christmas cheer as the girls helped make reindeer cookies and wrap presents. We had fun singing Christmas carols while we worked. And then we all helped fold and bag Daddy's work gifts. Our days leading up to Christmas were busy ones, but ones filled with fun!

The Nutcracker Dance

It was a beautiful beginning... the music started and Kaylie was lined up ready to perform her Nutcracker dance with her class, but...

As the music began and the girls filed out to their places, Kaylie decided to stay behind and stand by the wall and not participate...

She is still pretty cute though.

And then when they performed the dance a second time, she did get out there and did her best. What a beautiful ballerina!

Kaylie sings Christmas carols

At Kaylie's holiday music program, she sang so beautifully, in English and Spanish and her moves are just like her dads!

(The pictures of Kaylie singing have disappeared. I've done something with them when trying to clean-up my desktop and organize all my photographs. Ugh.)

Main Street Bethlehem

Back in December, Ty and Karmen and their kids were in town visiting Ty's family and invited us to come along to our first trip to see the live nativity at Main Street Bethlehem in Burnet, TX. It is about an hours drive and you get to stand in line for a long, long time, but it was worth the wait - the first time. We actually were able to step in line with Ty's family which was really nice so we really didn't have to stand in line long. But the live nativity was really pretty cool. We walked a mock little town of Bethlehem in the day. The kids were able to pet a goose and a hen, they saw the jail, the inn, live camel, ride a chariot, walk the market, fetch water at the well, eat bread and see the cave that had Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. It was great to go with friends and it was very worth it. Now if I can just get Huy to do it again next year!