The Latest

Here's what the boys have been up to lately.....

Kevin decided to take off his training wheels. A week later he is jumping off things and trying stunts. Please pray for mommy, I have a heart attack almost every day. Kid has no fear!

Mark is rocking it in TBall. The other day he said "Mom, did you know that some guys play baseball as their job?!" He wants to be a pitcher, and he's definately got the arm for it!

Kevin started TBall with the City of Fresno. He's watched his brother for a while now and is super excited to have a team of his own now!

Happy Birthday Kevin!!

I can't believe my baby is now 3 years old! I also can't imagine life without him. He has brought so much joy to our family and there is never a dull moment when Kevin is around! He is the most loving, independent, friendly, daring, crazy kid I know, and everyone loves him. For his birthday, we let him have the perfect day which included the the donut shop for breakfast, a date with Dad for lunch, and John's Incredible Pizza for dinner. He wore his party hat just about the entire day, and let everyone we passed know he was 3 (while holding up his 3 fingers) and a big boy. We love you Kevin!

2009 in Pictures

We weren't on top of things this year and never got a Christmas card done, so this is the next best thing! Here's what happened in the Miner family in 2009.

JANUARY

Mark played basketball with the City of Fresno.

FEBRUARY

Kevin Turned 2!!

Mark went to Colorado for work and Marky went along to spend some one on one time with his grandparents.

MARCH

Dad and the boys went to a Monster Truck show with some of their friends. I think this will become an annual event.




Mark started Cal Ripkin TBall and had his dad for a coach. Both of them had a blast and are looking forward to next season!




APRIL

The boys took their first family camping trip. Mom was sick that day and stayed home, but Dad handled it like a champ and everyone had a great time!

Grandma and Grandpa came and watched the boys while Mark and I went to Sacramento for a few days. We went hiking, shopping, and ate a lot of good food!


MAY

We took our first California mountain hike. It wound up being longer than expected but everyone had fun. It's fun to see all the different parts of Cali!

Our first beach trip of the year was at the end of May. Our goal was to make it to the beach at least 3 times during the summer, and we accomplished our goal!



JUNE

We bought a house!

The YW in our church made a trip to the Oakland temple, and our family went along. I was grateful for the opportunity to take my family to such a wonderful place!

JULY

The Miner family reunion was at Shaver Lake this year. The boys were in heaven getting to do all sorts of fun activities and having all their cousins around to play with.

Mark had his 5th birthday while we were on vacation. He had a perfect day of fishing, boating, and having a party with his family.


AUGUST

Mark started Kindergarten at Figarden Elementary. He absolutely loves school, and I have enjoyed working in his classroom.


SEPTEMBER

We spent a few days in Las Vegas with Grandma and Grandpa. We all found the Hoover Dam pretty amazing, and the boys loved their souvenir helmats so much, they used them for their halloween costumes.
Also, Mark went on his first field trip as a Kindergartener and big Mark was able to go along as a chaperone. Both of them had a great time and hope to go on another one soon!

OCTOBER

We go to the Fresno Fair every year, but this time we braved a few rides. Kevin and I loved the Ferris Wheel because you could see the entire Fair from up there. I also learned Kevin is not afraid of heights, but Marky sure is!

We heard about a really neat pumkin patch/farm from some friends of ours. I think we will go back here every year from now on! The have hay rides, a mini haunted maze (for little kids) a corn maze, and you get to pick out your own pumpkins.

NOVEMBER

Another sport, and another coaching gig for Dad! He coached Marky's soccer team and again, both father and son had a great time!

We traveled to Utah for Thanksgiving break, and the boys had their first ski trip! They must have Colorado blood running through them because they both did great and can't wait to go again.

Everyone went shooting while we were in Utah and Kevin shot a 22 for the first time. Mommy was very nervous, but Dad had things under control and Kevin loved it.

DECEMBER

I let the kids decorate the tree this year. Kevin got really into it and put a bunch of ornaments on his section. I am proud to say that the tree stayed just how they did it, despite my constant urge to fix it.

Notice someone missing??? Mark was excited to sit on Santa's lap and tell him everything he wanted for Christmas. Kevin was having none of it. Thus, we have a Santa picture of only Mark. Maybe next year!

We had quiet Christmas at home this year with just the 4 of us. At first I was pretty upset that we would be spending the first Christmas ever without any extended family, but I soon came to realize that the people that matter most live under my roof. We still did all the things we normally do, just with a little less food!

A few days after Christmas, we headed to Sierra Summit to let the boys ski. Kevin stayed on the toddler hill, but did a lot of skiing on his own, and Marky moved up to the green hill and went 2.5 miles down the mountain next to Dad. Mom watched and took pictures.

2009 has been an eventful year for us. We are truly grateful for the experiences we've had this year, and the people that we shared them with. Let's hope 2010 is just a great!

When Mom Leaves...

the boys get really creative. Yesterday they found the facepaint. This was Dad's creation.

Viva Las Vegas

This weekend we spent a few days in Las Vegas with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a great time celebrating Grandpa's birthday, touring the Hoover Dam, seeing downtown Las Vegas, eating REALLY yummy food, and swimming in the beautiful hotel pool. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for spending the weekend with us! It was fun to get away and play for a little bit!

Happy Boys! All smiles when Gma and Gpa are around!

Checking out the M&M Nascar. I'm not sure how they got it up to the 4th floor.

This will be a bridge that goes across the Hoover Dam starting late 2010. The picture doesn't do it justice, it was amazing!

Down inside the Hoover Dam-Kevin was very interested in how it all works, and loved looking at all the big tools and machines.

The coolest souveniers ever!! The boys were working on the Dam. I can't get them to take off the hard hats! I think we may have just discovered our Halloween costumes for this year.

When I Grow Up.....

Mark had to take some things to his jobsite (the Foster Farms plant in Livingston) and we decided to make a family trip out of it. The boys love going to dad's work to see the crane, boom truck, and tractors (not sure what exactly they are called.) They found some hard hats and vests and played the boy version of dress up. Of course they didn't want to take it off and leave, but we bribed them with dinner and ice cream. Overall it was a fun way to spend the day as a family!

Birthday Pictures

Kevin trying ou the pinata

Mark tried too, it took many tries to break it

Making a wish and blowing out the candle

Anxiously waiting to open presents