Ammon

Hi Everybody!

Aloha from Sunny Seattle! Did I say Sunny? I mean cold, gray, and unbelievably dreary Seattle! But regardless of the weather, the Gilberts are doing just fine and dandy here in the Pacific Northwest--it's been quite the fun and action-packed last couple of months.

First, Finn: the boy has become quite the question-hungry little three and a half year old, asking big questions like what's the Earth made of and where do babies come from. Did I mention he's 3? Fun times for us parents, for sure. He's also becoming quite the athlete, taking on a weekly Soccer practice each Saturday, and recently, he's started up T-Ball every Tuesday. He loves chasing the ball in Soccer and kicking it... and picking it up with his hands and tackling the ball. But you know, he's catching on quite well. He can swing and hit the ball in T-Ball and has quite the throw, and I'm pretty sure he'll be accidentally breaking windows and the like in no time. He has fun with his friends, he loves playing at the numerous parks we have in and around the neighborhood, and he's still infatuated with Trains. And trucks.

Second, Harper: at just about a year and a half old, Harper is the sassiest and girliest little girl you've ever met. She's very opinionated, she knows what she wants (and what she doesn't), and doesn't have a problem telling you what's on her mind. She loves pretty things to wear, she loves walking around with a purse, and she loves baby dolls, stuffed animals, and everything else a stereotypical girl loves--without the help or influence of her parents. She's just girly. She's also a fan of running and jumping. LOVES jumping, actually, and she loves to wrestle and tackle Finn and her Dad during wrestlemania. If she plays her cards right, she'll be a professional wrestler when she grows up. Or a ballerina. Or both. Oh, and her hair is starting to get longer, curlier, and she's able to rock pig-tails, which are just so gee-darn cute.

Third, Angela: she's doing a fantastic job staying home and raising our well-balanced and cute kids, filling their days with the right amount of leisure and activities, and wears her shield as Supermom quite well. She's enjoying crafting with her mom friends and has about 140 projects currently in the works right now. Lots of fun and creativity going on in the Gilbert household, for sure.

Finally, Ammon: he works all day, and he comes home and plays with the kids for an hour, puts em to bed, and repeats the next day. He doesn't exercise and he eats like a horse, and all those extra calories are starting to pack in around the mid-drift area. Or the gut area, to be precise. On his plate at the moment is changing the closet in the kids playroom into an office (i. e., Cloffice or Offet). Which means installing a desktop, shelves, power, a few coats of paint, and sanding out the hardwood floors so they're all nice and shiny. We can do this now because we no longer are the proud parents of George and Lenny, our two former cats. After ignoring and neglecting them for so long, we were finally able to hand them off to Steve in Portland, who will now be the rightful parents (as well as Mom) in Boise. Now that they've moved, they were finally able to take the cats and give them the attention they deserve and demand that Angela and I just couldn't give while also running after the kids. It might sound like a cop-out, but Steve was getting lonely, and our cats missed being petted, so it was the most obvious choice. Plus, we kept them in the family. Now they're brothers instead of sons, which is great.

Other than all that, it's the same ol' same ol' around these parts! Can't wait to see everyone at the reunion this summer, by then we'll be seasoned pros when it comes to camping, as we have at least one camping trip planned each month all summer long.

Cheers! Ammon, Angela, Finn, & Harper