Three months!!!

So much can happen in three months! I can't believe that 2009 is already a third of the way over. Well, first and foremost, there is a new member of the family since the last post. Peyton Elise Boyer made her debut on February 26th. Big brother Noah and big sister Aly are so cute with her! She is so very cute and already has so much hair! It might even be curly like her big sis. It is hard to believe how fast the kids are growing up. When the older kids hold Peyton (which is unbelievably adorable), you can really see how big they've gotten. Noah is already 9, and Aly will be starting kindergarten in the fall. Time really does fly.

I just read Jon's first blog and was inspired to get back to posting. Lots of things to think and meditate on. So, I'll start with the one that is freshest in my mind. I recently joined Facebook and got back in contact with classmates from high school. It has been 20 years since I graduated! We will be celebrating with a reunion in July. It is interesting to remember where I came from and how much I have grown over the past 2 decades. It really does seem like a lifetime ago. St. Maries--the town itself--no longer feels like home; it does feels nostalgic, though. I feel like a visitor when I go back, and that's not a bad thing. Spending time with family in St. Maries feels like home, but it is the people that feel like home not the place. It wouldn't matter where my family was. Even though the house my parents live in now is not the one I grew up in, it always feels like coming home. Any house they live in would feel like home because they are there.

The town of St. Maries itself really hasn't changed all that much. Things come and go, people come and go, but the town has remained pretty much as it was 20 years ago. That is my perception, anyway...probably because it feels nostalgic, and I love that it feels that way. It's like recapturing a piece of yourself that you hadn't tapped into for a while. What a wonderful thing to reconnect with the past, to remember where you started, and to roll on with the continuing adventure that is life.

A Look Back...

2008 came and went so quickly! And, it was a busy year: a career change for Dennis; a couple of family reunions; some family moving away; new babies in the family and another one on the way; a wonderful play, Steel Magnolias, for Patty; more fun with home improvements; camping; days at the lake; a road trip to Unity Village; another road trip to West Edmonton Mall for the girls; and many days spent with family and friends!!! This collage of picture was to go out in a Christmas letter, but the time got away from me as it has a tendancy to do. Please enjoy looking back at some of the images from Dennis and my 2008! Have a wonderful New Year full of love and happiness!!!

Dennis & Patty at Unity Village in May

Grandpa & Aly recover from their owies!

Noah's 2nd Leap Year Birthday!

Nephews Shaun & Brock cheesing it up!

Nephews Michael, Matthew & Kyle taking it easy!

Niece Victoria's surprise trip to West Edmonton Mall with her Aunt Patty, Gram & Mom

Dennis, Jon & Noah play Uno on Thanksgiving

Patrick & his proud dad!

The Boyer Girls - Aly & Jenn with pups Riley & Abby

Our pups - Molly & Ed

Merry Christmas!

What a great one it was! Plenty of snow, so we had our White Christmas! On Christmas Eve, Dennis & I, with the pups, drove to St. Maries....very brave of us, I thought! It was quite a long and slow trip, but we were glad to wake up at Mom & Dad's Christmas morning. The family was up for breakfast and a gift exchange, then we all headed to Gram's in Coeur d'Alene for dinner. Dennis & I took off after dinner and headed back to Spokane.

We dropped off our very tired pups at home (they spent the day bounding through the snow!) and then went over to Jenn & Jon's for the evening. Noah got Guitar Hero for Christmas....a very fun game! Patrick and Noah had quite a battle during Guitar Hero! Aly was very cute in her new leotards jumping on her new mini trampoline. Dennis' first wife, Linda, was able to get the day off from work and was there, too. (She is an LPN at Holy Family.) We forgot our camera (oops!), so we don't have any pics from Christmas day, but here are a few from our first dig out and some of the pups playing in the backyard. Of course, there is much more snow now! Ah, life in the Northwest!

Many Thanks!!!!

It's been a couple of weeks since Thanksgiving, but our computer has been out of commission! So.....here's our Thanksgiving low-down. We had a great holiday which carried on for several days. The actual day we spent at Jenn & Jon's. We, of course, ate too much and had a great time playing Uno and absolutely hysterical we-have-no-idea-what-we're-doing game of Dominos!

Friday, we picked up my Gram in Cd'A and headed to St. Maries...but not before stopping off for a latte (one of our favorite things to do). More turkey was consumed, played Scrabble, the boys did some sledding in the little snow we got, watched football and basketball, celebrated Shaun's birthday, and started Christmas stuff! Molly and Ed were free to roam around and were absolutely pooped by Saturday when we left for home! The holiday was full of food, family, and fun! We are truly blessed!!!

Our Story

We met at Spokane Civic Theatre in January 2000 during auditions for "Our Town." Dennis was the assistant director, and I was a member of the cast. We married in August 2003.

Dennis has two great kids - Patrick and Jennifer. Both live in Spokane, which is really nice! Patrick has his bachelor pad on the north side. Jennifer is married to Jon Boyer, and they have two kiddos, Noah (8) and Aly (4). Baby Girl Peyton will make her arrival in March 2009!

In September 2006, we adopted our Yellow Lab, Molly, and in September 2007, Ed the Black Lab joined the pack. We have quite an extended family, too! Stay tuned for further installments of Our Story....

About Jennifer

What a great daughter! Jennifer and high school just seemed to go hand-in-hand; she was very active and involved in many different activities. She might remember other things, but for some reason her time as a cheerleader and as a Homecoming Princess are some things that seem to stand out. After high school she moved to Arizona for a short time. Then it was off to Hawaii to be trained in Youth for Christ. That is where she met her future husband, Jon, and they travelled to the Philippines together to help the people there. The last 10 years have seen her become a highly-valued RN, and we're glad--that is a profession that is always in demand. Her husband is a good man who works as a supervisor at a medical lab. And she has blessed the world with two of the sweetest children imaginable, Noah and Aly. There is a third one on the way, due in March. It is fascinating how busy she stays, always with some new project bubbling to the surface. And that is Jennifer Michele!

About Patrick

We're both proud of Patrick. Go all the way back to the 5th grade and he grabbed the title "Spelling Bee Champ" of the whole county. High school saw him serve as Editor of the school newspaper. Two years after high school, he enlisted in the US Air Force, spending time in different locations in the US and a year overseas in Korea. He trained as a massage technician before becoming a medical lab specialist. The medical lab frequently sends him to other parts of the state, so we know how much they value him. Patrick is an outstanding photographer, with an amazing array of spectacular shots from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Canada. Just recently, he started shooting seniors (their senior pictures, not them personally), and he's pretty darn good. A wide range of skills, a great sense of humor, and a very, very nice person--that's Patrick!