He's crawling...

ONE...

TWO...

THREE...

GO!!!

He's still mastering it, but my little baby is crawling!!

My Poor Guys...

This is what Evan has been doing since Sunday morning. He woke up with a little cough. Ben was subbing in Primary and had to teach and I was in charge of Sharing Time. So we had him go to church for the first hour and not go to class with his class. After Ben was done with his lesson he took Evan and Miles home. Since then Evan has been laying on the couch with a fever of 103. He hasn't eaten much and we try to make him drink as much as we can. He's miserable.

This picture actually makes him look like he has a little color in his face.

Then, on top of that, Miles has decided to get a stomach bug. He threw up Sunday, Monday, and Yesterday (Tuesday). We've been lucky so far today, but he still won't eat much.

I cannot tell you how glad I am my older kids can make it to the toilet or a bowl in time. Notice how much is on me and Miles. There was probably that much down my shirt. It was the most disgusting episode I can remember ever having. Well, I guess Monday morning might have been worse.

So, basically, I've been trapped in my house with sick kids for 3 days. But I am grateful that I am here to take care of them. Evan has been so sweet this whole time. A couple of times he has thanked me for taking care of him. And of course Miles is always smiling, too.

Penguin-lickin' good!

Primary President...

Yep, that's me. I got a new calling yesterday (I'm still Stake Athletic Director - for the moment). I'm nervous but excited to figure it all out. If anyone has any ideas for me, send them my way.

Today I spent all day at my sister's helping her paint her baby room. I figured it's the least I could do since it was my idea for her to do it (thanks for the idea Mo). It took us a while and toward the end we were READY to be done, but once it was all finished we decided it was definitely worth the work. It turned out so cute!! I was living vicariously through my sister. I'm looking forward to painting a room of my own some day.

I took Sara with me. She was so good and entertained herself

(along with Disney) the whole time.

When I came home, Ben had made these.....

Cake Balls

They were delicious!! He even had to go to the store to buy dipping chocolate. I was so excited. Thanks Babe!!

2009 in Review

(Pretty good picture for being taken with the timer on our little point-and-shoot)

In May we welcomed Miles (7 months) into our family and he has brought nothing but joy, smiles, and love into our home. We call him “Smiles” for a good reason. He can make a bad day seem great with just one big grin. We have loved having him in our family. He loves to roll around the room and scream something that sounds like “dad!”

Kamri (2) is our lovely and emotional two year old who loves to laugh and cry. It's the best of both worlds with her. She took a gymnastics course and was ahead of her class, thanks to Evan and Sara and all the jumps they do off our couches. Kamri is a great big sister to Miles and she loves him a bunch. Just this week she started a new bedtime routine of checking under her bed for monsters with a flashlight and placing a picture of Jesus by her bed because, as she said, “Jesus is a good guy” and “Jesus keeps me safe.”

Evan (5) has sprouted up this year. He is learning to read a lot better and is a great colorer. He loves to go to kindergarten and likes attending the same school as his big sister Sara. Evan also is playing basketball right now and he's great at making baskets and passes the ball very well. Daddy missed his last game, and Evan was telling him how the person couldn't keep up with him because, as Evan put it, “I'm really hard.” Evan loves to shovel snow and takes care of the family when dad is gone. He was also in charge of cleaning up all the apples in the back yard when they fell off the tree.

Sara (7) got her tonsils and adenoids out December 18th and hopes she will be all healed in a few weeks. Last week Sara (2nd grade) competed in her schools 1st-3rd grade Spelling Bee. She was so nervous we were afraid she wasn't going to stand up when she was called but she did, and she WON THE WHOLE THING! All the students cheered for her and her class made her cards and she was really excited to win her trophy. Sara loves school, reading, and is an excellent piano player. She is also learning the ropes of basketball. She's on a co-ed basketball team and the first game she never touched the ball, but her second game she went for the ball a lot more and took 8 shots. Sara also got glasses this year and enjoys being able to see things she couldn't before. Sara is also the bedroom captain who makes sure the kids stop talking and go to sleep at night.

Gina (29) spent the first five months of the year pregnant. Labor was only a couple of hours and she almost gave birth without getting an epidural, but the anesthesiologist arrived just in time. She was very happy about that. We are very blessed to have Gina home with our children. She is an amazing mother and she even cared for another child in our ward twice a week this past year. I didn't want her to do it, but she never complained once . Gina had a fun vacation with the girls in her family. They went to St. George for the weekend to do some girl stuff (play tennis, watch movies, talk, went to a play). Gina also participated in the family half marathon and did a 5K on Thanksgiving.

Ben (30) went to DC in March for a reunion with some of his friends growing up. He's very scared of flying and tries to avoid it if possible. He had a great time catching up with them and is glad he was able to grow up in the Boston area. He also went to Panama in October with a non-profit organization called VIDA. They helped train local health volunteers, taught health/hygiene classes, donated a motor to the island so they could transport people to the health center, and finished plans for a new library to be built there in May 2010. Ben got to relearn the KUNA language from his mission and is looking forward to going back someday soon. It was one of the best experiences of his life. He wants to thank all who donated to the cause.

We know good friends are hard to come by. That is why we are especially grateful for each of you. May the joy of the Christmas season, the food, the family, and most importantly the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ, bring happiness and peace to your heart.

Merry Christmas.

Love,

The Arkell Family

Happy New Year...

Every New Years Day we go over to my parents' and they have balloons filled with money and fortune cookies hung on their tree. This was Miles' first one and he really enjoyed his balloon.

We save some fireworks from our fireworks tent in July and light some off on New Years Eve

Ben bundled Miles up in his coat and Miles though it was so fun. He was laughing at himself in the mirror.