Playin' in the snow

We decided to take advantage of having this much snow (it's been a while since we have had this much around here.) So I took the boys and Kyla up to spend the night with my parents and we went sledding at their house with Kim, Jack and Debbie. My parents have 80 acres, so there were several hills that worked great for sledding. We had a blast!


Wow! That's some major air Hunter catches on the jump we made.


Colton catches some air on this one!

Yum..fresh snow!

Colton gets a ride behind the 4-wheeler.

Jack had to work hard to get the 4-wheeler out of the pasture after the snow had been melting all day.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!!! This has been a very special Christmas for the Fagan clan. The boys will be spending next Christmas in Virginia with their mom and stepdad, so we tried to make this a special time for the three kids to be together. We decorated the house and tree on December 1st. Hunter, Colton and I also spent many evenings reading The Paperbag Christmas together. This was a wonderful Christmas story about two boys who are Hunter and Colton's ages. I think it was a wonderful way to help us all to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

We spent Christmas Eve with Craig's family. We had a wonderful prime rib dinner and opened presents. When we went outside to leave at about 9:00 pm, we were greeted with blizzard-like conditions. We definitely had a white Christmas this year!



After returning home from Grandma and Grandpa Fagan's house, we carried on the "Knutson Family Tradition" of opening presents on Christmas Eve. (The boys are very pleased to carry on that tradition!)

On Christmas day we had my family over to our house for another prime rib dinner. You can really never have too much prime rib, right??? ;-) Craig did a fabulous job with the meat! We also played a little pinochle, which is another Knutson tradition. Now I need to teach Craig, Hunter and Colton so we can carry it on. :-)


This has been a wonderful holiday season for our family. We feel so blessed! We wish all of our friends and family health and prosperity in 2009!

Making Gingerbread Houses...

Colton's 4th grade class made gingerbread houses, which I volunteered to help out with. We had lots of fun. I learned from helping Hunter when he was in 4th grade that it is very important to use lots of frosting (to keep the house from collapsing.) Our group had some great houses, and none collapsed!

Happy Birthday, Colton!

Colton is now in the double-digits! Yep, the big 1-0...crazy how time flies. This year, Colton had a sleepover and party at his mom's house, then the next day came back to our house for a 2nd party. So when his birtday rolled around Tuesday, he was whining that it was "just another ordinary day." Poor child...so abused. Heaven forbid there not be a firework display in honor of his birthday!

Colton got a punching bag and gloves from us...it's what he wanted.





Notice Colton's "shiner" - he had a collision with another kid during dodgeball at school. It's almost healed now though.

Hunter's Band Recital

Here is a short video from Hunter's band recital...not the greatest quality - I just took it on my camera. You'll need to scroll to the bottom and pause my music first. Notice the girl on the left...she was pretty comical. I am thinking that is where the whistling noise was coming from...it couldn't have been Hunter. ;-)

Fall Photo Shoot

I thought I'd throw in a slideshow of our most recent photo shoot. My friend, Amber Fischer, who is beginning her photography business took them. I think she did an amazing job! If anyone is interested in her work, check out her blog (just click on Amber Photography under my Family and Friends on the right.) I wish Kyla would have been more cooperative...as usual...but I have come to expect her freak-outs during pictures. It's a good thing she's cute! ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was very special; we had lots of family in town for the occasion. Craig's brother and family came down from Seattle, and my sister and family came from Utah. So we did a lot of bouncing around between houses to spend time with everyone. It was really fun for the kids to get to spend time with their cousins; we had sleepovers just about every night. I am so thankful to have family close. I grew up only seeing extended family once or twice a year because we lived so far away. My sisters and I have vowed to always stay close enough so our kids can grow up knowing their cousins. We hope everyone else had a happy and memorable Thanksgiving as well. There is so much to be thankful for - especially family!

Happy Birthday Craig!

Happy Birthday!!! Craig turned 36 this Saturday...Yes, he is 6 months older than I am, which I have to remind him often. :-) We tried to make it a special day for him by bringing him breakfast-in-bed...which he gets more often than most people. Hunter and Colton also made him a cool Candy Birthday Poster that he really liked.




Kyla helps daddy to blow out the candles of his special cake made FROM SCRATCH by Hunter and Colton (and some supervision from Pamela).


Craig is modeling his new jacket that I got him. Quite handsome I think. ;-)



We ended the day by seeing the long-awaited Twilight... which was Craig's choice. I'm guessing that it had something to do with the fact that Hunter and I read the book and really wanted to see it. My sisters saw it the night before and told us how disappointing it was, but we were actually surprised that it wasn't as bad as we expected. Yes, the theatre consisted of mainly 13-year-old girls...which is annoying in itself - though Hunter and Colton weren't complaining. ;-) Craig thought it was more watchable than Harry Potter, and I was glad that they followed the book pretty closely. Now Colton wants to read it too. I'm just happy he wants to read!
After the movie we headed to Craig's parent's house for more cake and ice cream...just what we all needed! I think he had a pretty fun birthday.

Silly Kyla!

Kyla, or as we now refer to her as "Hurricane Kyla", is growing quickly and learning so many new things. Her vocabulary amazes me everyday....she is such a little sponge! Reminds me to be careful about what I say because I know she'll be repeating it somewhere! I feel so blessed to be a mom and watch my little girl grow...


Playing with Uncle Dean...

Aunt Karen is fun too.

Kyla LOVES her brother (above).
Kyla's favorite pastime...dressing up in brother's shirt (as a dress), and mommy's shoes! :-)

Grandma put curlers in Kyla's hair...which she thought was pretty cool!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! It's hard to believe another Halloween has come and gone. This was a fun one, especially for Kyla. This is the first year she actually got to go "trick or treating", or as Kyla says, "widow wheating", with the big kids! :-) She tagged along with brothers for awhile, then they took off with dad and mom took Kyla...guess she was slowing them down. Hunter and Colton were less concerned with costumes and more concerned with candy this year. They made sure to take their largest pillowcases in hopes to get as much candy as possible. They didn't get them filled, but I'm sure they will have enough candy to keep them on a sugar high for quite some time. :-)

Sisters Reunion

We had an unofficial family reunion this past weekend! Debbie was able to fly in for the weekend from Florida, and so Monica decided to also take a trip up. It was so much fun to get all the sisters together...that doesn't happen much with our busy lives. It was a great weekend. I especially enjoyed Saturday when we got massages (thanks mom!), had lunch and went shopping. Monica's miscommunication to the waiter was also something we will all hold as a memory for years to come! Garden????

Sunday was also a special day as we were able to attend Oliver's blessing. Kim and Jack have such a beautiful baby boy whom we all love very much.



I love my sisters more than anything, so I truely cherish the times when we can all be together. I am definitely one of the lucky ones who not only has three wonderful sisters, but also three best friends for life. I love you guys...can't wait for our "Sisters Vacation" to New York next summer! Let's just hope none of us has to drive...just kidding, Monica! ;-)

Oliver...

I just realized that September is almost over and I haven't added any new blogs...what a shame. I'm not sure if it has just been an uneventful month, or whether I've been too busy to keep up....maybe both. Kim just sent me a couple updated pics of Oliver, so I figured that since she is too stubborn to become a "blogger" herself, I will post her pics! What a great sister I am!

Oh, what a serious little boy!
What do you think....does he look like Kim or Jack?????

We love you Oliver!

A Campin' We Will Go...

So this Labor Day weekend we did what nobody else would dream of doing...we went camping. Yes, that was sarcasm. We went to meet Craig's parents and a couple of their friends on Saturday morning and came home Sunday afternoon. It was a short trip, but with a 2-year-old that is plenty long enough. :-) We went to Edna Creek, which is about half hour outside of Idaho City. The drive was gorgeous!




We had a great time doing all of the typical "camping" stuff....taking hikes, riding the 4-wheeler - the kids played in the water, and the boys learned to shoot their new bow - thanks for the archery lessons, Grandpa Fagan! Unfortunately, it rained most of the night, so Craig and the boys didn't go fishing early Sunday morning as planned. We all love the outdoors (with exception to sleeping on the ground in a tent - thank goodness for camper trailors!), so we had a great time hiking and riding grandpa's 4-wheeler. It's so nice to get away from our busy lives and just enjoy nature every once in a while!

Fun at the Fair!

This past weekend was the Western Idaho Fair and the boys got a chance to help their grandpa by showing his pigs in open class. They had a great time and demonstrated their "mad showmanship skills." They were very proud of the ribbons that they received, and especially appreciate the money they earned from grandpa for taking care of the pigs during the remainder of the fair. They even won the "Herdsmanship Award" of $25 for having the cleanest pens....now if only they kept their bedroom as clean... ;-) They are both anxious to return to 4-H again next year so they can train and show their own pig, sheep or steer...we haven't decided which one yet. Pamela is a firm believer that 4-H provides a great opportunity to learn responsibility and the value of hard work!

Way to go, Hunter and Colton!!!

Friends come to Boise...

This weekend we had a visit from Pamela's good friends from Idaho Falls, Jan and Kathy. We had a great time visiting...and were excited to see Kathy with her cute preggers belly. Congratulations on your future baby boy!

Kyla loved gettting spoiled by her new friends...and thanks to Jan, loves to do flips off the couch now. :-)

Happy Birthday, Kyla!!!

Kyla celebrated her 2nd birthday this weekend. Her actual birthday was August 8th, but we had her party on Saturday, August 9th. We had a full house of friends and family who came over for a barbeque and festivities. It was nice having some kids for Kyla to play with. My friend, Teisha, brought her two kids (Luke~age 3 and Ella~9 months). And my new nephew, Oliver, was a big hit and passed around for everyone to hold....gotta love babies. :-) Though Kyla didn't seem to grasp the whole "birthday" thing, she did love being the center of attention...as usual. She got some great gifts...grandma Knutson made her a special Strawberry Shortcake blankie, and Grandma Fagan got her a doll with her own bed and several homemade outfits. I think the homemade gifts are the best! We are so lucky so have such wonderful friends and family. I am still adjusting to the idea that I now have a 2-year-old. Where does time go?

Birthday Fun and Festivities...

Baby Oliver

A few recent pics of baby Oliver with Colton and Hunter...so cute! He is now 3 weeks old.

Fun in the Sun...

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day! We had a busy weekend...my sister, Monica, and their family came to see baby Oliver. Craig's niece, Missy, and her boyfriend, Dave, were also up visiting...so we were busy spending time with everyone. On the 4th, we went out to Ontario for a barbeque and hanging out with family. On Saturday we went white-water rafting down the Payette River with my family. It was lots of fun - as you can see from the picture. And Sunday, Craig and I took Missy and Dave to float down the Boise River. I didn't have quite as much fun on that outing - the water was ice cold and I seemed to find myself wherever I wasn't supposed to be....I bonked my head a couple times on some very large and unforgiving branches. It was fun spending time with Missy and Dave nonetheless. Next time I will insist that we take a raft rather than tubes though! It was great seeing all of our family and watching Kyla and Morgan play.

Rafting down the Payette River...

Welcome Oliver!

We have a new addition to our family....Oliver Jackson McDowall. My sister and brother-in-law, Kim and Jack, had their first baby last Friday afternoon. He weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and is doing great. Kim is also recovering well. Kyla loves her little cousin....she gave him lots of kisses to welcome him to the family. Our sweet little girl. :) We are all so happy for Kim and Jack - they will be wonderful parents. We love you guys!

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day didn't quite turn out as we planned it. Craig's breakfast-in-bed turned into cleaning up after Kyla who woke up sick at 6:30 am. I think we overdid it yesterday with graduation and two barbeques...more than she is used to. Or maybe she just had a touch of the flu...who knows? Anyway, our plan was to bring breakfast to Craig then all go fishing and have a picnic in the park. We did eventually make Craig some pancakes, and he and the boys did get to go fishing...while Kyla and I stayed home to rest. I guess when you have three kids you have to be flexible and expect the unexpected. He said he still had a good day and enjoyed the fishing trip with the boys! Craig is such a wonderful dad - one of the first things that attracted me to him. Here's to the dads...not an easy job!

Craig earns his MBA...Way to go!!!

Craig has finally reached the end....almost...of his long journey in graduate school. The graduation ceremony was actually really nice. Graduations are usually very long and some might say...quite boring, but since there were only about 80 graduates, it was nice. The boys were very well-behaved...we learned our lesson by trying to bring Kyla to Hunter's program that it would be best to leave her behind. So my sister graciously let her spend the night and brought her over after the ceremony...thanks Kim!

After the graduation we all headed back to our place for a barbeque and celebration. The weather was perfect and the food was great...Craig is the barbeque master! He doesn't even get a break on his own graduation. :) I don't think he minded too much. We are all so proud of his hard work and determination...WAY TO GO - We love you!!!!

Graduation and Festivities...