Garren's First Target Practice



shooting his new Marlin 60 .22





shooting Dad's Makarov

 



turns out he is quite the marksman!



Garren's Baptism

Is it possible to dread something and be looking forward to it at the same time?  This is how I've felt ever since Garren's 7th birthday when I realized that I would be planning his baptism in only 1 year!  On the one hand, I don't want my little boy growing up and this milestone in his life would be evidence of that.  And on the other hand, I'm so excited for Garren to offically become a member of the church and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (a gift I treasure in my own life).  Garren has such a special spirit and he knows that following the Savior's example is the only way to begin his eighth year!  (A special thanks to Craig and Elizabeth for taking all the pictures so I could focus on more important things!)

a special cake made by Cindy with help from Mike

Grandma Keckley showing Garren her present to him--My Spiritual Book, a scrapbook to record all the spiritual milestones in his life



Garren showing off a huge potato chip (also picture are Audrey, Calivn, Carter, and Chris)



Happy 8th Birthday, Garren!

This was an extra special birthday for Garren.  He turned 8 and is soooooo excited about getting baptized.  Also, this is the year Chris decided he was old enough for his first gun, a .22 with a scope.  Since we have been feverishly working on completing house projects before we move in a few weeks, Garren's party was pretty simple.  He wanted a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and we decorated with balloons and streamers.  Happy Birthday, G-man!

Garren popping open his present from Uncle Josh and Aunt Kayla with his shark tooth necklace

Garren thanking Hayden for his gift



Fortney Family Beach Vacation 2013

We had am amazing Fortney family beach vacation this year!  Mom and Dad rented us a huge house that even seated all 23 of us for meals!  The kids had a great time playing together, riding the trolley, and going to the beach.  Some highlights included almost getting hefty tickets as a result of illegally parking, eating at Philips, minitature golfing, and a girls night shopping trip on the board walk.



Mountaineer Muck

            

The boys wanted to make Mountaineer Muck while we were working on projects around the house.  It quickly became apparent that this needed to be an outside activity!  When they were done I sprayed them off with the hose.  I got a little carried away and they ended up drenched!

Calvin's Pre-K Graduation

We are so proud of Calvin for completing his Pre-K program with flying colors.  In the second video below he says he wants to be a race car driver when he grows up (just like every other boy there).  Love you, C-Boy!

showing off his diploma





DC Weekend

We went to DC this weekend with Craig and Elizabeth and their boys.  On Friday before Craig and Elizabeth came we went to the DC Zoo.  A nice man gave us some free tickets to ride on the merry-go-round.  Chris and I chaperoned a youth temple trip that evening and Craig and Elizabeth went to the temple on Saturday morning.  On Saturday we went to the museum of natural history.  Some highlights included delicious cheesecake from the cheesecake factory and Carter saying he would "punch it in face" at every dinosaur skelaton in the museum.



Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Garren and Calvin both played t-ball on team Timbrook.  They really enjoyed the season and both improved their batting and catching skills.  They had a wonderful coach, Coach Sanders, who was VERY patient and encouraging.  The season ended with a pool party at Coach's house and a ride in his go-kart. 




Garren hitting the ball pitched by his coach.

  

Calvin hitting the ball off the tee.



April Fool's Day

Even though we were busy painting (and did you notice the gorgeous backsplash that Chris put up?) we decided to pull an April Fool's Day prank on the kids.  They helped me mix up some brownies and they put chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in them.  After they were done baking I sneaked them down to the basement and replaced them with a pan of brown "E"'s.

Winter Wonders



Our second attempt at an upside-down snowman.  Our first snowman was complete but fell over while I was getting the camera to take a picture.




Our new bird feeder was quite the attraction!  We loved watching the different kinds of birds eating our bird food.  We were always shooing the squirrels away.  They would knock down the feeder and scare the birds away.  Unfortunately, Chris' homemade contraption to shock the squirrels if they got on the feeder didn't work.