Rachel (Rachie) is our darling 10 year old girl. Rachel is tall and beautiful and has so many talents. She loves all the kids in our family and unifies us as well as creates peace. She does a lot of helping by taking care of the younger girls and David. She loves to help in the kitchen, play piano, sing, excel at school and care for young children. She played in a recital this winter and did beautifully. She doesn't have any fear of performing in front of a group. It is amazing to see her because she is so unselfish and takes all of her earnings to buy gifts for her friends and family. She is a giver in every way. She will be playing basketball in January and has made friends quickly at the elementary school. Rachel seems to like being at home best. She feels comfortable at home and is in no hurry to spend the day away like her older brother. She has big smiles and hugs and a tender heart.

Nicholas is our 12 year old going on teenagehood. He has his up and down days but is extremely helpful. I am so thankful for his willingness to carry in wood, take care of David, and help his Gramma Maroney at the ranch. Nick had a great time with Dmitri (his cousin) this Christmas and tried to spend lots of time with him. We pulled him away for family traditions of caroling (with the Newitts this year) and Christmas morning at home. Nicholas has transitioned to Craver Middle School very smoothly and has kept his grades up enough to be on the honor roll. He tried soccer again this fall and excelled. He played on his school's travel basketball team with Dad as coach and is improving greatly with all his practice. He loves to play ball with his cousins form Pueblo and Uncle Matt and Dad. Nicholas has recently acquired an X-Box from his cousin and is enjoying some vegging time. He is up on a mountain this weekend with his dad and the other scouts from church. They were skiing into a cabin and spending the weekend doing winter survival camping. I think he will have a great experience and I am especially impressed with his willingness to go even though it was going to be cold. Yesterday he spent all morning at a youth service project stacking wood. He's a hardy, Colorado boy!

A Brand New Year...A Brand New Blog

I have finally decided to enter the land of the bloggers. I am not sure if anyone will ever read this but I think it is time to keep a family journal and keep pictures up-to-date and printed. I am very excited and hope I can retain some of our family history and preserve some memories of my children as they grow too fast.