Christmas 2008 Newsletter

So I meant to get a Christmas letter in the mail this year and it just didn't happen. I had a few friends send me e-mailed cards and I thought ... what a great idea! Here's our Christmas letter just for you ... when you click on it, it will open a new window. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to read the words! Enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving Day. We went to Caldwell, Idaho to see Tony's sister. His parents also went up. We had a good time. Lots of food, and even more pies. Tony and his brother-in-law Travis played football thursday morning, Tony got his lip split from an elbow. Then after dinner we played hand-and-foot. On friday Tony, Gene, Bradley and I went to this place about 20 miles from the Oregon border to shoot clay pigions. It was kinda like golf with a shotgun. There were 10 different spots that you walked to, and at each place you got 4-6 shots at the clays. There was a total of 50 clays you got a chance at, and I got 22/50, Tony only got 28/50, and I beat his dad who got 18/50. It was a lot of fun. Then that night the girls went and saw "Twilight" which was totally awesome. Right on with the book. I'm excited for the next movie. Then on Sat. we went to the YMCA were Gena (Tony's sis) works and took the kids swimming. They have this awesome slide that i had to take Bradley down at least 20 times. Then later that day we stopped at Becky's house and visited with her and Dan for about an hour. Then we drove up to see Grandma and Fred. They seemed to be doing really well for their age. I hope that I can take care of myself as well as Grandma can when I'm her age. She's amazing. It was nice to see the kids playing with her. She really enjoyed playing with Andee, who warmed up to her right away. Then on Sunday we drove home.
Well that's our little update. We're all doing fine, trying to get ready for Christmas without over doing it. I don't know about your family but I think we're going to tone down on the presents this year and try to focus more on the spirit of Christmas. I know my kids don't need that many more toys. Well we hope you and your family are all well, we love you all.

King's Peak Hike

Dad has wanted to climb Kings Peak for years now. After talking about it I found time to go in August. So we planned to spend 4 days after our Lake Powell trip. We had to plan menus, buy or borrow proper gear and get tents fixed. I was concerned about Gavin, this being his first real hiking experience, I didn't know if it would be too much for him. Dad and I hadn't done any real hiking in some time either, so I wasn't sure if any of us were up to the challenge. While we were at Lake Powell I tore the skin off the ball of my right foot, while climbing some cliffs to jump off of, and wasn't sure I could even go. It seemed to heal enough, and we took Mole Skin just in case. 

I didn't want to take our big, bulky camera, so Kacie asked us to stop on our way and buy a disposable camera to take pictures, but I forgot and we were stuck with just my BlackBerry for pictures. I'm glad we went on a Monday, because there was almost no one else on the trail, so it was hard to get a picture of all three of us together. We couldn't ask for better weather, almost no wind and sunny all the time, it was just beautiful and peaceful. We were disappointed we didn't see more wildlife. Other than small birds, one of which my dad nearly killed while at the summit, the only wildlife we saw was a mamma moose and her calf on the third day. The first day we hiked about ten miles to Dollar Lake and set up our base camp, we were all very tired and sore, but I think Gavin was in the worst shape. We kept telling Gavin the hard work would be over when we got to Dollar Lake, that the climb to the summit wouldn't be that hard because we would only be taking daypacks. As it turns out the climb to the summit was just as hard and longer than our first day. We didn't get back until almost 8 PM, and we were tired. The view from the summit was awesome, skies were clear with some clouds, you could see the wind turbines along I-80 in Wyoming that will increase our electric bills. (Thanks for vowing to bankrupt the coal industry, Obama, putting millions of people with high paying jobs out of work. But I digress...) The third day we just took it easy trying to recuperate a little, we hiked about halfway back to the trailhead and set up camp. The truth is my feet hurt so bad I could barely make it as far as we did that day. The fourth day we packed up and headed back to the truck, we must have passed 50 or more people all going in. As I said earlier, I'm glad we went on a Monday-we almost had the place to ourselves.

Beautiful Autumn

I was outside watching my kids play and I noticed our tree in the sunlight. I hadn't seen the colors so bright before. It was really pretty, so I decided to take a picture of it. I also caught a couple of birds in the tree. My favorite one is the bird surrounded by all the orange leaves. Anyway I thought I would share them with you. Nature really is beautiful and I'm so grateful for all the Beauty of the Earth and everything God has given us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Love Rachael

Hello

Well, its my first time to this blog. Just came across it...didn't know it existed. Shows how much out of the loop I am. he he. Well anyway...not a whole lot new with me. I have joined a gym and have been everyday since I joined. Of course its only been like a week...but hey, its a start. And I can see the work beginning to pay off.
I have also begun to start dating a lot more. That is a new goal of mine, along with the weight loss. Got to look good for the cruise that May or May Not happen. haha. Anyway, I have met some great guys and have been having a lot of fun. Mostly just first dates though, but am still having fun.
Oh...and had the BEST time at the NKOTB concert. Even though going to the concert with your mom may not have been ideal (sorry mom...you know I love ya), we had the best seats. Me and mom got to give them high fives, and Donnie Wahlberg held my hand...(sigh). Still a cutie.

Can i show off too?

There's this great place in Price (I know that's hard to believe) that when you take in a can of food for each child to donate to the Food bank, they take a 3x5 pic, and of course you can order prints. So after the Halloween Carnival at Kendra's school we headed over. The Photographer kept trying to get Andee to smile, I told her she'd have to be here all week before Andee would smile at a stranger. That's just her look till she gets to know you. Dad said he couldn't stop laughing when he saw it.

Halloween

Here is the link to our Halloween page, http://the-keeles.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-halloween.html

Halloween 2008

Our ward does "Trunk-or-Treating" each year, which is totally awesome, especially when it's cold, because we get done so quickly. The kids went around to each car, got candy, walked around the block once and then we came home, ate pizza and watched a movie.

Christopherson kids enjoying Halloween

Allison, Matthew, and Amanda loved Halloween. It is so hard for kids to wait through the whole month of October for this one night. They really don't need to put out the Halloween stuff in the stores SO early. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. And now the fun part of getting sick off of all that candy. Uggghhhh

Blogging Idea

In an attempt to get my family to post on our family blog, I asked them all to write about memories from Huntington and our childhood growing up there. Since it's been a while since we've seen anything new on here, I thought it might be fun to hear the Keele kid's childhood memories (and Kent and Susan's thoughts on raising them). Trent thinks this is a lame idea and that everyone's memories will be the same, but I don't think that matters. Your perspective on something would be different than someone else's. Anyway, that's just a thought...it could be fun. 

Bummer!

We got a letter in the mail yesterday from UHP. They said that Tony didn't qualify to continue because he didn't past the National Police Officer Something Test. This is the test he took back in April. It sure would have been nice to know that 4 months ago. He could have retaken the test by now and tried out again. So anyway, he's going to retake this test and pass this time, then he'll have to redo all the other qualifications again. So here we go again.
I guess the Lord isn't ready for us to move on yet. We'll just have to wait it out a little longer.

10K

I guess I should tell about the 10K we ran, Tony, Jaime, Andee and I. It really turned out well - that interprets to I finished. My whole goal was to finish and not be last and that I did. Jaime pushed Andee in the stroller and she left me in the dust. I didn't see Tony after they said go. I finished in 1 hr and 21 min (or something like that). We did finally get a medal for our efforts. Maybe next time we can all do the 1/2 marathon. It was a great experience and the feeling as you crossed the finish line was awesome with people you don't even know cheering you on. Was a humbling feeling even if there were 1/2 marathoners passing me up. We should all try it next year. We missed Carrie but we will get her next year.
Taylor and kids came down this last week end. It was great to see them and spend time with them. We missed Carrie. He had computers to fix but I think he enjoys working on computers and we always have questions about them. I think I signed up for this face book thing but not sure how to use it. I am hopelessly computer illiterate. I will try. I guess that is all for now. Susan

Do you like the new look?

Taylor would be happy with one of the plain blogger looks, but I like changing it up a bit. I have tried to keep away from the really "girlie" themes. What do you think? I get these backgrounds from here: http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

So if you ever see one you want to try, let me know!

Tell Taylor how wrong he is and that this background really is cute! ;)

We Did it.

Mom, Tony, Andee and I ran the 10K on Sept. 13th. It was great, wasn't sure how well I'd do. I did a lot better then I expected. I was going for under 1 1/2 hr, but I did it in 1 hr 12 min. Mom did great too. She did it in 1 hr 21 min. Tony was proud of himself, he was shooting for less then an hour, he was able to do it in 58 min. Everyone was real impressed that I took Andee in the stroller with me, they were all cheering us on. I only wish i could get a pic of it. Next year I'm doing the 1/2 marathon.

New Job

I was contacted by a company named Professional Management Group (http://www.pmginc.com) about a position. So I went in for an interview on Friday and was called back on Monday with an offer. The offer was a substantial increase in pay and is something I would enjoy doing. So I gave Interbank my two week notice and I start my new job on the 29th of September.

Gavin's first Cross Country Meet

Gavin raced in his first cross country meet yesterday. He made the Varsity team (he's the only 7th grader from his school on varsity). He did really well. He came in 15th out of 90-100 boys. They ran 1.2 miles. He felt sick to his stomach when it was over, but he felt good about how well he did.

Our new house

Well here are some pictures of our new house for those of you who haven't seen it. We really love it here. Clovis is a great little town. The best part of it is the neighborhoods are clean and quiet. A far cry from our old neighborhood. Those who have been there know what I mean. Anyway, I'll try and put more pictures when I get a chance. Talk to everyone soon. Rachael

First Day of School!

Yesterday was the first day of school. Can you believe Aubrey is in 3rd grade?!? I totally remember being in 3rd grade and thinking I was so old. I can't believe my baby is getting so big!!!

Despite the usual nerves and butterflies, she had a great day. Her teacher, Mrs. Denning, is very nice. While she doesn't have the same class as her best friend, Cassidy, they were still able to eat lunch and play at recess together. Their official meeting place is by "Old Oakie." She told me yesterday that that is his nickname because "he is very old and he is an oak tree." I responded, "Ohhhhhh, I see!"

She had fun picking out a new outfit to wear last week (pink, of course). As we were shopping, I realized she is not far off from the junior department! Here are some pictures:

Fun Weekend

So, it's been a while since I posted, but I've been busy! We had a very full weekend. (Why is it that everything always falls on the same day?!?) Saturday morning we walked in the JDRF (Juvenille Diabete Foundation) fundraiser walk. Afterwards they had lunch, bouncy slides and a car show. My sister was organizing it this year (her hubby and 3 year old son both have diabetes.) I'll try to post pictures later since they are on my sister's camera.

Then we went to Taylor's work summer party. It was way out in the country past Park City and past Kamas. I guess the owner owes a bunch of property out there. The kids went horseback riding, we went paddleboating, played volleyball, watched people getting dunked in a dunk tank, had yummy food and on and on. They did a fun game with the kids in the barn. They threw $400 worth of quarters, half dollars and dollar coins in a big pile of hay and let the kids find them. Aubrey got over $23 dollars! Here's some pictures:

Braden has always been two afraid to go on the big slide. Well, he conquered his fear this weekend!

We didn't get any really good pictures of his face, but if you can see, he was just beaming.

That's our little cowboy!

Last time Aubrey was on a horse she was allergic. We came prepared this time, but she seemed to do just fine!

For some reason most of the haystack pictures came out blurry. Here she is bringing home the dough!

Another view.

Braden, who hasn't yet learned the value of a dollar, had more fun climbing around on the haystacks!

He's the king of the world!

This is Taylor throwing the ball at the dunk tank trying to dunk one of his co-workers. Somehow, I didn't get a picture of the dunk tank, so you will just have to imagine it!

The kids spent a lot of time in the bouncy house. It was pretty hot outside, so I think they enjoyed the shade.

Taylor in action on the volleyball court. You can see the lake in the background. I didn't take any pictures of the paddle boat as I didn't want the camera to get wet.

Meeeeeeeeow!

This was fun to clean off! You should have seen him when he got home. He looked in the mirror and stared at himself for a good 15 minutes. He keep giggling to himself and saying, "I SPIDERMAN, I not Braden!"

Music/ the Wood family

Hey is there any way we can add music to this blog? I hear it on all the other blogs I read. We should totally have everyone submit their favorite song and we can create a playlist, I don't know how to do it, (I can't even figure out how to add pic yet) so I'll let others (Taylor/Carrie) do it, I'd like to submit a song though, I like "Dream Big" by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband.
Well, we haven't heard anything from UHP yet, they told Tony they'd contact them in 3 weeks to let them know if they continue futher in the interviewing process, so one more week and we'll know if he gets to start the whole process over. I think he's going to keep trying. All is well with us. Kendra is in school. yea! Life is getting back to a normal schedule. Tony and I want to do the 10K on Sept 13th. Still need to register. Kmart stinks. But it's not too bad, it only stinks cuz i'm not at home with my family. I've only worked a month and it feels like i'm missing out on so much. I'm not use to being away from my kids so much. Every night is busy. Either i'm working, or at YW, or we're at Tony's parents helping them finish their home so they can finally move in. Tony's become quite the Mr. Mom, he feeds the kids (if you can call PB&J a meal), gives them baths, and puts them to bed. Even takes really good care of Andee, she gets really excited to see her dad. She still happy to see me and all, but she's really happy to see dad too. She's sitting up now, and when you put her on her belly she trys doing push ups. She scooches around the floor all the time now. Her and Bradley get along great. he's a good big brother, for several minutes he'll try and get her to laugh or smile. He's really gentle and likes to help me take care of her. He's diffently his fathers son. I see more Tony in him every day. So all's good, as good as can be for now, in the Wood home. I need to look into getting a new computer so i can blog more.
Hope all is well

Bragging about my employer

Inc 500 announced their top 500 and 5000 awards yesterday and Interbank FX was named 46th fastest growing company in the US and 5th in financial services. http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2008/company-profile.html?id=200800460

Lake Powell

We had a great time at Lake Powell this year. We had a couple of mishaps- the wheel flying off the boat trailer and crossing the highway to climb 8 feet up a tree, and one of the motors on the houseboat snapping in half - and no electrical power until the last night (Thanks a lot, Tony!), but we didn't let that stop us from having a blast. The weather was beautiful (very hot, perfect for spending lots of time in the water). We missed those of you who weren't able to come and hope that you will be able to come next year. Here are some pictures from our trip. Maybe they will be enough to convince you guys to join us.

Gavin and Saige riding the tube.

Grandma & Kendra

The kids on a "hike".

The oh-so-glorious houseboat, "Mother Earth".

Grandpa taking a much needed snooze.

Trent walking on water.

Kacie learning to drive the boat. Hold on!

Trent waterskiing.

Trent, Tony, Gavin, Ryker and Kendra swam to this island and did some rock jumping.

Another post

from our blog ...
Well, she didn't cut it, we had someone do it! Here's her before picture:


And here is the after:


We went to a lady that specializes in curly hair and she did a fantastic job. Aubrey has parts of her hair that are almost straight and then other areas that a very curly. We learned how to style it to help the curl to come out. She also told us that when she hits puberty more of the curl will probably come back. Isn't she a beauty?!?

Hello!

So I never think to come here and post, since I post on my own blog, but here is a copy paste from our blog ...

Braden turned three last Monday ... but it's taken me a while to get some pictures up. It is our family tradition to do breakfast in bed on your birthday morning. We like to do strawberry belgian walffles. Unfortunately, Braden only had one bite of breakfast and then threw it all up and then some. He had no interest in opening presents and spent the next two days feeling pretty yucky.

Here is Braden right after we sang Happy Birthday. I thought he was still waking up. Little did I know he was one sick kid!

At least the rest of us enjoyed breakfast!

We decorated the table for dinner, but he wasn't up to eating yet, so we saved the birthday cake for later.

By Wednesday night Braden was feeling better. I made this cake as Braden is obsessed with all things Cars.

He thought the cake was pretty cool (see his little smirk!)

This is how Braden holds up three fingers. He can't quite hold his pinky down with his thumb, so Taylor taught him to do it this way. I can't believe my baby is three!

Cheesing it for the camera!