Merry Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's also quite a busy time of year for us.
Shawn spends his days out at the farm building a new flushing barn. I am excited that they have finally started doing something about starting this new business.
Brooklyn finally started crawling the middle of November. She is much happier now that she can get where she wants to go! Luckily in our new home there is a lot of space for her to move around and lots of places to explore. I can't believe that she is nearly a year old! Time goes so quickly! She has really developed a fun personality and is learning new things daily!
We found out in September that we are having another baby. The due date is June 1st, though the ultrasound says June 4th. Brooklyn was early so maybe we will get lucky again? We find out what we are having in January. I am just now starting to feel like a human being again-just in time!
I feel the need to put in a plug for paying tithing. These are difficult times for everyone, and we are not immune. However, we feel we have been blessed where we need it most when we need it most. We were blessed to set up a pretty good food storage last fall which has allowed for a sense of security. We have also received unexpected checks a couple of times this past month. My only explanation is that we pay our tithing and are doing the best we can. We may not have much by worldly standards, but we feel rich with the things we do have. Family, gospel, education, just to name a few.

New House!

This has been quite a busy month for us! We started out the end of September thinking maybe we might still be interested in buying a home. We found an agent, who showed us a home, that caught our attention! After that things kept falling miraculously into place until today when we finished moving all of our stuff from the old house to the new house. What a busy time! It feels good to have a place more permanent that we can grow into for a while.
Shawn just finished helping his dad with the harvest. Now they are working on maybe starting up a new business with Shawn's uncle. We'll see how the next few weeks pan out.
I am working as a nanny for a lady who taught with me last year. She has four kids, but two go to school. The two younger children are three and 7 months. Brooklyn adores both of them and is quickly learning how to fend for herself! She still won't crawl, but she can get up onto her hands and knees and rock. It is only a matter of time I think. Luckily she wasn't crawling while we were trying to move!
We have been so blessed this year, and especially this past month with help from family and friends in countless ways! It's a testimony to me that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he sends people into our lives when we need them most. We are very lucky to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives to help guide us in good times and rough times.

Summer is Here!

Well folks, we made it to summer (although it seems like a summer in Seattle rather than in southeastern Idaho with all the rain!). Shawn's job at Helena is done so now he works for his dad on the dairy farm. He is also still in school, though he really wishes he wasn't! The plan right now is for him to work this fall and go to school in January. April is the new graduation date, and we are all excited!
Kyris and Brooklyn get the summer off! Well, sort of. Kyris is taking some online classes so they both spend a good deal of time at the in-law's for internet access. Thank goodness we have family close by! We are looking forward to a summer of family fun, most of the get-togethers being in July.

I feel like we have been living in the dark ages, so I decided maybe I should get in with the "new" and start a blog for our family.
A quick up-date...
Shawn has been working for Helena, a fertilizer company in Sugar City. He puts in a lot of early mornings and late nights, so we don't see him much. I think he enjoys the hard work though, and it is only for this part of the farming season. Shawn is also going to school at BYU-I on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He is only taking 9(?) credits. The summer session of school will get out mid-July.
I (Kyris) have been teaching a cute 1st grade class this year in Rexburg. We only have two weeks left, so everyone (me included) is getting antsy for the summer! So far I do not have a job for next year so I might get to stay home with Brooklyn while Shawn finishes school (either in December or April depending on when he wants to finish his last classes).
Brooklyn is growing so big! At her last appointment she was 12.6 pounds and 25 inches long. She is now 4 1/2 months old. Yesterday I laid her on her stomach and she rolled over! She did it three times, but when I tried to show Shawn she decided she couldn't do it any more and started to cry. I guess she just needs more practice :)