Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We would like to take the time to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Our first Christmas gathering is this weekend in Sioux Falls with Scott's mom and her side of the family.

On Christmas Eve, the 4 of us will open gifts and then head to church. That evening we will be going to my grandma's house (mom's mom) to celebrate. On Christmas Day we have Christmas wth my other grandma (dad's mom) and will have Christmas with my mom, dad, brother and sister and their families later in the day.

On December 27th, we will celebrate our final Christmas with Scott's dad and step-mom and her daughter's and their families.

We are looking forward to seeing everybody during the holidays and to catch up!! It will be a nice relaxing time to play games and enjoy all the wonderful company we will be surrounded by!! We will also be taking the time to celebrate the wonderful family members that we have around us!!

We hope everybody enjoys their Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!!

This is the picture we used this year for our 2008 Christmas letter!!

An Update (And I turned 30!!)

It has been a while since I have posted anything, so here is a quick update on what has been happening in the Garry household!!

In October, soccer season ended. Both kids really ejoyed themselves A LOT!! They can't wait for the spring season to start. Kenzie liked soccer more than I thought she would! She hasn't quite figured out the whole concept yet, but she did get better as the season went on. Hunter improved over the summer and did an awesome job. His soccer team went undefeated this year!! They had a good group of boys and they all got along really good! Kenzie's team, unfortunatly didn't win one game. So it was a HUGE difference watching the kids play!

Kenzie started cheerleading in September, but isn't enjoying it as much this year as she has in the past. So this will probably be her last season as a cheerleading!

And the big news for October, is that I turned 30!! I know, that is hard to believe isn't it!! I thought I was going to have a hard time with it, but it hasn't been so bad!! Scott surprised me by inviting some of our Sioux Falls friends to go out with us in Brookings! I had a blast!! That was the most fun I have had in a long time!!

Yes, that is me riding a mechanial bull!!!

The group that helped me celebrate my 30th Birthday!! :)

My Weekend Away!!

Last weekend (9/19 to 9/22) I traveled to Wisconsin with some friends to see a friend of ours that lives there. And the best part, it was a complete surprise to her that we were even coming!! So after traveling 8 hours in a van, we finally arrived!!! We surprised her at HuHot and had a great weekend. Saturday we went shopping and that night we all went out! Sunday we just hung out together and relaxed. Monday was the drive home! It was great to see my friend again and hang out with "the girls"!!

While I was gone, Scott got to spend the weekend with the kids. They enjoyed themselves by camping outside on Friday and Saturday night and doing other fun "stuff"!!

I really enjoyed myself the weekend I was gone. I have not been away from Hunter or Kenzie for more than 1 night in over 7 years. So it was good to get some mommy time with her friends, but boy did I miss the kids!!! Hunter told me when I got home that I am no longer allowed to leave again!! Kenzie was just happy to see me. But she had to make sure I wasn't going to be leaving again anytime soon!!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a very productive Labor Day Weekend at the Garry household! On Saturday, I had a baby shower in Sioux Falls. Scott hung out at his dad's house and the kids were with me at the baby shower. To celebrate our 7th anniversary (which was Monday) we went out for supper while we were in Sioux Falls at Johnny Carino's. On Sunday I painted the master bathroom and Scott painted both sheds. Then on Monday, we both painted the trim on each shed. Boy, were we tired after we were all done with everything!!! We are really happy that we were able to get some projects done over the weekend!!

We hope everybody had a wonderful labor day weekend!!!

Hunter is 8!!

Hunter turned 8 years old on Tuesday, August 19th!! It is really hard to believe that my first born is already 8!! I asked him the day of his birthday how it felt to be 8 and he told me it felt WAY better than being 7!! I just had to laugh! We had his family birthday party on Saturday, August 16th! He got lots of nice new clothes and some new toys!! On Sunday, we had the friend party. We took his friends to the Brookings pool and they got to swin around for a couple of hours!!

Wild Water West

Last Friday (August 8th), Scott and I took the day off of work to take the kids to Wild Water West in Sioux Falls. We had such a great time!!! We went down slides (even the scary black one), swam in the pool and went down twisty slides!! After we were done swimming, we went go-karting and played miniature golf!! We had such a good time!! The kids are already asking when we get to go back again!!

This is the black slide that Hunter went down!! He is such a brave boy!!!

New Member of the Family

We have a cat!! His name is Trick Jack and he is already litter box trained!! He is so cute!!

4th of July Weekend

We had an awesome 4th of July weekend!! On Thursday, both Scott and I took the day off so we were able to spend the day together as a family. We were going to take the kids to Wild Water West in Sioux Falls, but the weather was just a little too cold. So instead, we went to the World of Outlaw race in Brandon, SD. On Friday, we took the kids to Catfish Bay to see the ski show. They thought the skiing was absolutely awesome!! After the show was done, we went to Scott's dad's house to see some family members. We were only able to stay for a few short hours becuase he had to get to the races in Hartford, SD to watch Scott's friend Cory race. So the kids got their fill in on races this weekend. But they had a blast at both races!! On Saturday we had the 25th anniversary party for Tim and Cathy (Scott's dad and step-mom). We spent the whole day with the Garry family and had a lot of fun!! On Sunday we headed home to get some much needed R&R!! Now we just need to find another free weekend so we can use our Wild Water West tickets!!! We hope everybody had a fun and enjoyable 4th of July!!!

Mackenzie is 5!!!!

My baby girl turned 5 on June 30th!! On June 27th we hade her friend party. She had 3 friends come over and celebrate with her. We ordered pizza and had a big chocolate chip cookie for dessert. On Saturday, June 28th was the family birthday. That was another enjoyable day!! We had hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad, fruit salad and many other options. Of course, the theme for both parties was Hannah Montana!!! It is hard for me to believe that Mackenzie is already 5 years old!! Time goes by so fast!!

Water Slide Pictures

Here are some pictures of the kids on the waterslide this past week at my nephew's birthday party!!

What a Weekend!!

We had a really good weekend!! On Friday night, Scott worked on his 4-wheeler and then decided he needed to wash both vehicles!! Our neighbor across the street invited us over to sit by her fire and we ended up staying way to late. On Saturday morning, Scott headed to Tea, SD to help is granmda get ready for her auction. The kids and I rode our bikes to my brother's house for my nephew's birthday party! The kids had a blast playing on the slides they have. After the birthday party, the kids and I headed over to the Hillcrest Acquatic Center. After being there for a short 20 minutes, I decided to jump in the pool and play with the kids. Right as I was jumping in, the lifeguards blew the wistle saying they saw lighting! So needless to say, i got wet for nothing! Since we had ridden our bikes, I figured we needed to head home fast in case a storm was coming! We made it home safe and sound. That evening Scott's brother Matt and his wife Jill came over to visit and sit by the fire! It was a beautiful night!! On Sunday, all 4 of us went to the pool. Boy, were we all exhausted when we finally arrived home! I told Scott I needed a vacation day after the weekend we had!! But all in all, we had an awesome weekend!!

Some other news, Hunter started his wrestling camp today. He will be riding his bike from the boys and girls club to the high school and then from the high school to the pool. He made it ok from the boys and girls club to the high school. But I guess he got lost from the high school to the pool. But he finally was able to find the pool! It is scary letting Hunter ride his bike by himself!! But he seemed to make it ok to both places!! My little boy is getting bigger!!!

Swimming Lessons have Ended!!

Today was the last day of swimming lessons for Hunter and Mackenzie. They spent most of the time jumping off the diving boards. Hunter was in level 3 and Mackenzie was in level 2. Next summer they will both be in level 3. Hunter did not pass and Mackenzie did. (Which really surprised me on both!!) So needless to say, Hunter was in tears this afternoon. I tried making him feel better by telling him this way, they can both be in the same level and swim together. But he wasn't liking that idea to much. He will get over being sad, but it might actually take a while this time. He is so sensitive!!!

Summer Activities have Started!!

Well its official, summer has started, or at least my kids activites have. Today is their first day of swimming lessons! They will be going Monday through Thursday until June 19th. Mackenize will start cheerleading on June 12th. T-ball practice for Hunter has started and his games will start on June 10th. The end of June, Hunter will attend a 4-day wrestling camp. In July, Mackenize will attend Safety Town for 2 weeks and Hunter will get his first opportunity to have golf lessons. Both kids are very excited about all the activities they get to be to involved in. Me, on the other hand, I tend to get a really anxious about how I am going to get them to each event. But we always seem to manage it each summer!! We hope everybody is able to enjoy their summer and I will be sure to keep you updated on how the kids summer activites are going!!

A Hard Week

The kids and I had a hard week. Mackenzie said good-bye to her preschool teachers on Wednesday. On Thursday, Hunter had his last day of 1st grade and was pretty sad that he wouldn't have Mrs. Larson anymore. On the same day, Mackenzie and I had to say good-bye to her daycare provider, Theresa. Kenzie will start GAP on Tuesday, May 27th.

So between Hunter and Mackenzie, we have been attending preschool for the last 4 years. And the kids have had the same daycare provider for 5+ years. It was really hard for Kenzie and I to say good-bye. The good thing is that it isn't forever! Since GAP closes the week before school starts, we will get to see her again! And I know there will be days during the school year that we will need her to watch Mackenzie.


I think it was hardest for me because it means my baby girl is growing up! And Hunter just keeps getting bigger and smarter!!

The Garry Family

Well I guess we are going to join everybody else and start our own blog to keep family and friends updated on what is going on in our lives. I hope everybody enjoys hearing about our updates and we look forward to keeping in touch with everybody!!