Singing to Logan

In preparing Adrienne for her baby brother, I would ask her to sing to him in my tummy. When it came close to my delivery date I would talk to her about bringing him home from the hospital and about her singing to him when we brought him home. This was her first time and by far the sweetest. Since then her singing is much louder and more creative (she makes up her own words).

Baby Logan

Our little Logan Michael Howard was born April 10th at 3:24 pm, weighing 7lbs 10oz and 19 1/2 inches long.  His big sister Adrienne loves him to death.  The first week we brought him home she wanted to hold and kiss him all the time, but had a rough week thinking she was starved for attention, but now she just insists on sharing our lap with him so she can hold him too and make sure she still gets her snuggle time. 

Oklahoma Highlights

We are partially back to Utah now. Michael's manager needed him back here asap, so we packed up two cars worth, packed the rest into the garage, and headed out to Michael's parents basement until we can sell our house and buy one here. We are excited to be back near family but it was very hard to leave our ward and friends in Ardmore. Here are some highlights from our year in Oklahoma!
The only snow of the winter, in January. We miss you First Home, wish we could have hauled you out here.

Our ward Halloween party and Trunk or Treat

Our awesome back yard!

Baby tarantula. Wish we would have gotten a picture

of their migration across the farm roads

Our trip to Lake Murray.

Our trip to the Alamo and Schlitterbahn water park with the Masons

Playgroup trip to the zoo with Bryson, J.D., and Nathan

Yep that is bologna. You won't find many vegetarians out in these here parts.

Turner Falls. We went a little late in the season and the water was a little cold. Just down the path from the falls swimming area is "The Castle", not medieval, but not clear on what it is.

We won't forget the Arbuckle Wilderness!

Plenty of sun for swimming all spring, summer, and fall.

Michael and Halie's trip to Mexico in June with Danny and Deja Young.

Oklahoma City Memorial

Our neighbor and Adrienne's best friend Sam Wells.

Adrienne's friend Lincoln, who moved back to Utah in May

Fire ant attack

Our trip to the Gainsville, Texas Zoo

We miss you Oklahoma!

Arbuckle Wilderness

Last weekend we went to the Arbuckle Wilderness which is about thirty miles north of us in the famous Arbuckle mountains ( or as we Utahns call rolling hills). It was lots of fun feeding the animals out of the car, Adrienne absolutely loved it!

No that is not zoomed in... I was literally eye to eye with a camel!

I couldn't help it, my dad wouldn't let me wrestle like my brothers. I think it is because he knew I would probably make the boys cry.

Little reader

When Adrienne looks at her picture books she is usually quiet unless she sees favorite items (choo choo, ball, bikasill (bicycle), etc.). But if she picks up any other kind of reading material she reads it.

Tornado

As many of you may have heard, tornado season came early this year here in Oklahoma. These pictures are of the destruction in Lone Grove, which is about five miles west of our home in Ardmore. This tornado killed eight people in a trailer park and one truck driver as it crossed the freeway just north of Ardmore. On Saturday our stake organized the "Mormon Helping Hands" group to help with the cleanup. Michael spent most of the morning picking up debris from some fields so that it will be safe to put the cattle back in them. Michael's parents were visiting for the week and got to experience a little more of Oklahoma than they wanted. That night we had just come home from dinner to celebrate Michael's 28th birthday. As soon as we got out of the car we heard our neighbor yelling across the street to another neighbor about a tornado, and then our siren went off and we went in the house to turn on the news. It was exciting at first to hear from the storm chaser on the news that it had touched down twenty miles south of us, and that it was going north at forty miles an hour, then to hear that it was going strait for Lone Grove made us realize that if it started to turn east it would be coming at us. My mother-in-law was not the least bit excited about any of this, especially realizing that we did not have a storm shelter yet! Relief mildly explains how we felt to hear that it was going straight north through Lone Grove, and crossing the freeway just north of our little town. All of our ward members were very lucky, some of their homes being missed by just yards, and the most damage done to any of their homes was just missing a few shingles.

Super CUTE!

Ho Ho Ho!!!

Should we be worried that she loves strangers?

Party #2

Adrienne and her cousin Issac
Adrienne got to ride the horse at Barry and Chars house
Then we had another birthday party
It was a fun week!

At first she made a mess, but it didn't take long for her to clean it up... it took mom a while though.

Birthday Girl!

Adrienne's Birthday was December 5th. We decided to celebrate it with our families while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving. It was way past her bedtime so she was onery while opening her present but she brightened up as soon as she saw the cake.

Elder Sanders

My little brother Shane has been serving his mission in Durant Oklahoma for the last five weeks. Durant is less than an hour from us and Michael is there quite often for work. It is against the rules for us to go and visit him, so we have made no effort to. When Michael and his co-worker were finished at the heart clinic today, they went to Chili's for a late lunch (it was about 2:30pm). Someone came up behind him and said "fancy seeing you here". We were a little disappointed that he wasn't in his shirt, tie, and name tag for the picture, but he had just been helping a member building a shed and the member took them to lunch. They had a nice visit then it was back to work.

any guesses???

See if you can find Michael...and guess who he is supposed to be. I came up with his costume about a half an hour before our ward party, and somehow glued the stash together. The shirt and the looks are authentic. I will give the younger generation a clue...Tom Selleck. Come on it must be coming to some of you...

He won one of three prizes for best costume in this group. One of the judges thought he was creepy because she didn't know who he was supposed to be.

We also won the prize for best trunk for the trunk-or-treat. Obviously no one else even tried, because I didn't think I had done much. For those of you young'ns who still don't know who Michael was you should google Magnum PI.

Happy Halloween!

Cutest little penguin ever!!!