Our family Christmas letter

As the year comes to a close, we’re once again thankful for family and friends, good health, the daily challenges that bring rewards and growing experiences, the opportunities to try new things and go to new places, and plenty of fun times and memorable experiences. 2008 also marked our family’s first leap year without a newborn since 1988 – before Jason and Yvonne had even dated. It was a year of milestones and new experiences for all of us – all in all, a rewarding and unforgettable year.

Levi (4) has really grown up in the last year. He has a great sense of humor and a ready smile, and some hilarious expressions, including “what the heck in the world” and “my bad.” He loves being with his friends and playing ball, PlayStation, computer games, and Nerf wars.

Dylan (8) turned eight in November and will be baptized on Jan. 3rd. He played a lot of baseball this year, and was happy he was finally old enough to pitch. He loves good food – he’s a steak and shrimp guy, but will eat anything good – and playing any kind of games.

Carson (11) rules his school as a fifth grader. He plays in the school’s percussion group (they just completed their first concert) and is the safety on the school’s flag football team. He played baseball, where he played every position and really found a home (no pun intended) as a catcher. At home, it’s all about building new things with Legos – which Dylan and Levi then get to play with.

Colin (12) became a deacon this year – and started middle school. He’s enjoying the variety of teachers and courses, especially his media class. He had a good year on the baseball diamond, particularly on the pitchers mound, his favorite spot. A big fan of music (like the rest of us), Colin is learning to play guitar and can play many of his (and our) favorites.

Melissa (16) became old enough to drive and date – we’re not sure which one terrifies us more. Actually, she is a very good driver and has made our life easier by driving her brothers around. On the diamond, she excelled at second base and continues to improve her skills. She also helped Jason coach baseball, and is doing well in her high school classes.

Yvonne continues to keep busy with the everyday demands of being a mom to five active kids (and she racks up the miles on our Suburban). She also continues to work part time and teach a primary class. When she finds some quiet time she reads. She’s a regular at the local libraries, and loves to connect with friends past and present online through their blogs and Facebook pages.

Jason coached the boys in little league and is now coaching fastpitch with Melissa’s former team – the first team he’s coached in a long time that doesn’t include any of our kids. He enjoys being on the field with our kids and their friends (and getting to teach the game he loves), and when he can find the time he takes photos, reads, and figures out songs on the guitar with Colin.

We look forward to 2009 knowing that we will most likely be moving with Jason’s job sometime during the year. We don’t know when or where yet, so we’re approaching it as an adventure that has yet to play out. For whatever happens in the next year (and a lot of what happened last year), you are welcome to read about it on our blog.

We offer you our thanks for being part of our lives, and our best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a great 2009.

Colin...speechless?

Jason writes:

Colin and I were in Lake Havasu, Ariz., for a baseball tournament this weekend with Colin's teams, the Las Vegas Hawks.

During their first game Colin pitched two innings, giving up just two earned runs against a very good Las Vegas Baseball Academy team.

While taking photos, I noticed that Greg Maddux, the future Hall of Fame pitcher from Las Vegas who just wrapped up a brilliant career that included 355 major league wins with the Cubs, Braves, Padres, and Dodgers, was watching the game along with our opponents' parents. I couldn't wait to tell Colin that Greg Maddux watched him pitch, because Maddux is one of his role models. Colin has read the book "Pitch Like A Pro" by Maddux's long-time pitching coach, and he strives to be Maddux-like -- hit your spots, change speeds, and trust your defense. Needless to say, Colin was thrilled to hear Maddux had been there, and a touch disappointed that he didn't get to meet him.



That night, we went to Mudshark Pizza, a local Havasu pizza joint, for dinner. As we left, I grabbed one of their promotional magnets as a souvenir, which Colin carried along with a pizza box of leftover pizza. As we entered our hotel lobby, a man stopped Colin and asked if he had a number for the pizza place -- it was Greg Maddux! Maddux asked him if the pizza was any good, and Colin was really cool, telling him the pizza was good and giving him the magnet so Maddux could enter it into his cell phone. I was impressed that Colin was so composed -- and then I realized that Colin didn't realize who it was. So I told him.

Colin's jaw dropped, and he was truly speechless -- a situation none of us can recall seeing since he's learned how to talk. Maddux was very cool, smiling at Colin's awe, thanking him for the number, and telling Colin he was glad to meet him.

The chance encounter was the highlight of the weekend (even above playing very well), and the Mudshark magnet is now one of Colin's prized possessions.

A day at the beach

One of the benefits of going to southern California for Melissa's softball tournaments is...visiting southern California. Jason and Yvonne farmed out the boys a couple weekends ago and took Melissa to San Diego for five games over two days at a college showcase tournament.

Games were done early the first day, so we went to Torrey Pines State Beach and enjoyed great weather, a quiet beach, and some hiking trails through the Torrey Pines Preserve. On the way home, we stopped at Mad Madeline's restaurant to sample the cheeseburgers that were voted "California's best." There was no argument from us.

A day at Springs Preserve

Jason's company held its annual picnic this year at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, a relatively new complex of museums and outdoor exhibits at the natural springs where Las Vegas (Spanish for "the meadows") got its name.

We all had a great time. It's a fantastic place to visit, and we all found something we enjoyed -- a movie on Hoover Dam, an indoor flood, games, hands-on exhibits, playgrounds, lunch in the Wolfgang Puck restaurant -- and even after several hours we hadn't done everything we could have.

Happy Halloween/Nevada Day

Halloween is also Nevada Day (insert your own joke here), so the kids get to celebrate Halloween at school the day before, then take the 31st off as a state holiday.

Carson and Dylan dressed as cowboys on the 30th as their school celebrated Nevada Day.

Then, on the 31st, Carson went as a Lego (his favorite toy), Dylan as a ninja (or, as Levi calls him, a non-ja), and Levi as Dash (his favorite Incredible).
Colin, with the all the numbers on his shirt, went as...wait for it...someone you can count on (ba-bump-ding).

Pirate names

In case yer thinkin' of hittin' the high seas in search of treasure, ye don't want to use yer real name. Our crew went to an online pirate name generator to get proper pirate names:

Cap'n Bobby Skullcracker (Jason)
Cap'n Snookie Caraway (Yvonne)
Mad Molly Henke (Melissa)
Dirty James Beckett(Colin)
Mad Brutus Mosby (Carson)
Cap'n Diego Firebeard (Dylan)
Bloody Raja Haynes (Levi)

Give it a try and let us know yers -- if ye dare. Arrrrrrrh!

Where did September go?

It's hard to believe our busy, crazy, September is over. To recap....

Carson turned 11 on September 5. He is now officially a Boy Scout. He went on his first campout, and received his Arrow of Light.

Colin turned 12 on September 21. He was ordained a Deacon by his dad and passed the Sacrament on his birthday.

Levi turned 4 on September 24. He thinks that he should automatically go to school now. Don't four-year-olds go to school? (He was thrilled to get a white shirt and tie like Colin -- a sure sign he is getting bigger.)

Colin, Carson and Dylan finished up another baseball season. All three played well, learned a lot, and had a good time. But, after four nights a week at the ballpark, we look forward to being home a few nights a week.




September being over, however, leads us to a busy October. Melissa's 18-and-under fall softball season has started. She will be playing in tournaments for the next five weekends. Three of those weekends will be in Southern California, and a final one in Phoenix. Can you think of any better places to play in the fall?

War Is the Gamble

We support and are proud of the many friends and neighbors who have served or are serving our country. Colin wrote this poem last year and we feel it is appropriate to show our appreciation today.

War Is the Gamble
War does not make boys men,
it makes men dead.
Every kid plays war,
but it's all pretend,
it's never a gamble.

In the war there are no soldiers unwounded,
not all soldiers get cuts and scratches,
but all are touched by the war,
none can go to sleep at night
without see their BFF drop dead again and again.

War is like a game of Russian Roulette,
it's a game of luck,
and the grand prize is your life
yet you don't get to choose which one,
it is like flipping a coin.

It takes 20 years of war for a man to have peace,
yet it takes only 20 seconds of war for a man to be dead.
War is a matter of time and patience,
war is a matter of bravery,
and it all ties together for peace...until war starts again.

Colin Bohne

Labor Day weekend at Spring Mountain Ranch

Over the long Labor Day weekend we (minus Melissa, who was in Utah with friends) went to Spring Mountain Ranch, a state park just west of Las Vegas at the base of Red Rock canyon. The weather was cool (by our standards, around 90 degrees) and we had a good time playing catch, reading, hiking, and eating a picnic lunch. We also toured the ranch house, which was once owned by baronness Vera Krupp and later by Howard Hughes -- it's a neat step back in time.

Levi the photographer

Levi has learned how to operate Yvonne's digital camera, so we all have to be on guard when he has access to the camera. Here are a couple examples of his work -- the first a self portrait (he takes a lot of those), the second a candid of Yvonne at the grocery store after Levi has asked Yvonne about 50 times to look at him (she looked, and he clicked).

First week of school

Summer is over...wow. The kids are back in school -- Melissa is a high school junior; Colin starts middle school as a sixth grader: Carson rules the school in fifth grade and Dylan is in second grade. Levi, well Levi is still home. Alone. So alone. After a week (three days for Dylan, who picked the first week of school to be sick), all is going well and the kids are happy with their classes and their teachers. As you can see from the photos, the kids didn't mind lining up for first-day-of-school snapshots.

Bedtime story

Jason and Colin goofing around late one night (check out Jason's sweet pj pants). Another example of us never having a dull moment.

Classical Mystery Tour

On our last night in Park City, we went to see the "Classical Mystery Tour," a Beatles tribute band performing with the Utah Symphony. The show was part of the Deer Valley Musical Festival, held at an outdoor amphitheater at the Deer Valley Ski Resort. We got in on a family pass -- they didn't even blink when we said we had five kids; evidently Utah is more familiar with our size clan.

We got there early so we could set out our blankets and eat a picnic dinner (i.e. Quiznos sandwiches). Levi took one look at the amphitheater shell and said, "Look at the big hat!" Shortly after we finished eating, we heard thunder, dark clouds quickly rolled in with a strong wind (launching several table umbrellas), and it rained. And rained. And rained. We watched the first half of the concert huddled under an umbrella and layers of blankets. By the time they played "Here Comes the Sun," though, the clouds were gone. We were damp and a little chilled, but we had a blast. As the band came out for an encore, we all stood and sang along with "Hey Jude" and "Twist and Shout." While the band used the word "Classical", we agree with the Beatles that it was Magical.

World Series softball

We enjoyed five days of softball with Melissa and her team, Las Vegas Rage 16,in Park City. We have known and travelled with several of the girls over the last 18 months (or, in some cases, even longer), and we enjoy being at the ballpark with them cheering for a great group of girls.

Melissa participated in skills competitions (her team placed third in their division in the "around the horn" contest) and played second base in all of the team's eight games. The team's coach asked Jason and another father to help with warmups and practice, and Jason enjoyed being on the field. Melissa was also thrilled that Yvonne's parents came down from Idaho to watch four games, and that Yvonne's sister Pam came to the two games that were played in Salt Lake City.



Melissa was also selected to play in the tournament's all-star game. It was a great opportunity for her to compete in front of a large crowd, be a teammate with girls from across the West and Canada, and to play a very high level of softball. She made some new friends and smiled from the beginning of warmups through the end of the game.

With the tournament over, Melissa has a week to rest up, and then it's back to work on the field.

Parade in Park City

We're in Park City, Utah, for a family vacation and for Melissa to play in the Triple Crown World Series with her club softball team. Today all the 16-under and 18-under teams (around 50) paraded down Main Street in historic downtown Park City to open the tournament. Melissa had fun with her teammates, and the boys had a blast catching candy from the players.

Levi, in particular, had this event wired. When the candy hit the ground, he was off and running to get a piece or two. Then he figured out he's young and cute, around a bunch of 15-18 year old girls. So he stood at the side of Main Street , smiled, and waved, and they brought the candy to him. Pure genius. He collected his weight in candy while the other boys scrambled for flying candy pieces. But, being experienced at these types of things, they collected plenty, too.







With clean air, cool weather, and good teammates and parents, we had a great time.

A visit from the McKees

Our good friends Jared and Brittany McKee dropped by for a visit a two weeks ago (it's been a busy couple weeks since they left) on their way home to Idaho. We had a great time with them while they were here.

Jared and Brittany went to the boys baseball practice on a really hot, really dry Thursday evening (July 3). Levi enjoyed playing with Brittany, and Melissa and the boys had a blast playing ball with Jared. We also played guitar, goofed around, played Dance Dance Revolution, talked about old times, and just enjoyed being around each other. Yvonne has known Jared's family for as long as she can remember (she babysat him a few times, ha ha), and Jason has known Jared since Jared was 12 or 13.

Jason and Jared were in the young men's program for many years together, and they shared a lot of good experiences together hiking, playing ball, doing service projects, and lots of other activities. They're more like brothers than friends.



Over the last year we've had a great time with the McKees on a few visits together. This most recent visit was no exception, and the kids keep asking when we can see them again.

(We had to include a photo of Jason and Jared's first backpacking trip, to upper Palisades Lake, in 1995, we think. Jared is third from the left, Jason on the far right. From left, it's Nathan Brian, John Oborn, Jared McKee, Mike McKee, J.D. Oborn, Bill McKee, Craig Hall, Robert Webb, and Jason)

Divide and Conquer

Another typical Saturday for the Bohnes --

6:45 a.m.: Melissa's softball team plays in the ASA Regional tournament at Majestic Park in Las Vegas. The first game is at 8 a.m., so Melissa and Yvonne are at the field at 6:45 a.m. A wardrobe malfunction (Melissa wore the wrong color socks -- an issue the boys don't typically face) sends Yvonne home and back to the park by 8 a.m.



7:50 a.m.: Meanwhile, Dylan's baseball team has practice at 8 a.m., so Jason, Dylan, and Levi leave the house at 7:50 a.m. Jason helps run drills for Dylan's coaches, and Levi (who brought his own glove) jumps into the drills with the team, demonstraing the skills that come from having an older sister and three older brothers who play ball.

9 a.m.: With Melissa's team still playing (they ended up losing to the Southern Cal Pumas, a powerhouse team), Yvonne begins working a shift at the park's snack bar.

9:30 a.m.: Dylan's practice ends, and Melissa's game ends. Jason, Dylan, and Levi go home, water plants and sweep the driveway, and get ready to drive to southern Utah. Melissa doesn't have a game until noon, so she has some time to chill at the park with her teammates and hydrate.

10:45 a.m.: Melissa starts warming up for her next game.

11:30 a.m.: Jason, Colin, Carson, Dylan, and Levi hit the road for Santa Clara, Utah, on the way to the 50th anniversary party for our good friends Don and Pat Graf.

Noon: Yvonne's shift in the snack bar ends as Melissa's next game begins.

1:30 p.m.: Melissa's tournament ends with a disappointing loss to Miners' Gold, another strong southern Cal team. Melissa and Yvonne head to lunch (not at the snack bar).

2 p.m.: Jason and the boys arrive at the Santa Clara Valley LDS meeting house for the anniversary party. Jason grew up with the Graf's, but it's been a long time (way too long) since we've seen them. Jason enjoys catching up with the Grafs and their kids and sharing some great memories. He especially enjoys catching up with Troy, who is the same age and went to junior high and high school with Jason, and Troy's son Jason, who bakes a mean pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. The boys have a blast playing with the Graf's grandkids.

3 p.m.: Yvonne and Melissa go back to the ballpark so Yvonne can work a second three-hour shift at the snack bar, part of a team fundraiser. Melissa "helps," making sure the team doesn't have too many sno-cones left over.



8 p.m.: While Jason and the boys arrive at Jason's parent's house in Hurricane, Utah (after a mandatory stop for ice cream and french fries at the St. George Arctic Circle), Yvonne and Melissa catch a late dinner. Everyone breaths a sigh of relief that we pulled off another Saturday.



Sunday, 11:30 a.m.: After a long Saturday, we sleep in Sunday morning, the boys travel home, and we all crash on the couch to catch a few innings of Red Sox/Orioles before church.

A Day at the Beach

Melissa played in a softball tournament last weekend in San Clemente, Calif. Jason and Carson traveled with her. After the tournament, they all headed to the beach. Melissa got a sweet tanline from the butterfly bandage she needed to close a cut she got in a collision during her final game of the tournament. Before heading home Monday, they stopped for the best tacos ever at Pedro's Tacos in San Clemente -- they found that few things beat eating a fish taco (Jason), fried chicken taco (Carson), or carne asada taco (Melissa) while overlooking the Pacific.

The depth of conversation in our house

While sitting on the couch, watching television:

Jason: Whattup dude?
Levi: Whattup dad?

They continue watching television...

Happy Birthday Grandma Bohne

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We love you and miss you!

Waldron Fun

A few weeks ago we had Glen's boys over for a day of fun. The boys jumped on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath the entire time! They did take a small break for lunch and to decorate and eat cookies.

Thanks James and Andrew for an fun-filled day. Please come again soon!

Too Much Free Time

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Handsome Boys!

Typical

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