Greetings!

The boys are so much fun. August is learning his ABC's, but clearly he is a typical boy with a short attention span, so he isn't into it much. We were used to Kaden being so studious. We have pictures of Kaden, when he was four months old, turning each page of his chunky books and after a thorough look turning to the next page. It is fun to have the two extremes. With August, we are always wondering what he is going to say next. If he isn't breaking into spontaneous dance or making weird facial expressions he talks a mile a minute.

Stacie, our nanny, is often talking about how much she enjoys the two. She marvels at how easy they are. Of course, she isn't here twenty-four hours a day! They fight like cats and dogs half the time too.



We are doing very well. The business is still doing well. We are as busy as we ever have been. The economy is beginning to affect our clients, but in the meantime it means we need to work more diligently for funds and wade through the ever changing financial system to stay current. This keeps us very busy and frantic sometimes because we can’t keep up with the changes.

Despite our busyness, we are trying to take advantage of routine. Kaden is now formally learning to play the piano from Laurel and is doing tremendously! He really loves music. Laurel is playing in the evenings which brings a great mood to the atmosphere. I have been playing more with the boys in the evening which is fun! We continue to volunteer for various things. Laurel recently joined the finance committee for the Chamber of Commerce here in Maricopa. I continue to volunteer with the police department and am currently partnering with another volunteer in getting a Victims Assistance Program started. Then there is usually a bit of time left over in the evening to be still before bedtime. The best part of the day!

With so much going so well, it is hard to believe sometimes that we have a different perspective in life besides what I just shared. As most of you know, we bought our house at the peak of the boom. The house that we paid $240,000 for (the cheapest in Phoenix at the time) is now being sold for around $75,000! Over half the houses in our neighborhood have foreclosed making our situation all the more bleak. Ironically, I wonder sometimes if it is a blessing that we can still afford the mortgage knowing we are looking at the reality of the next 15-20 years of trying to regain all that value. The thought of having the house appreciate more than what we bought it for is laughable.

So, of the two facets to our life, we try and stay focused on the former. We are grateful and thank God for the rich things he has blessed us with.

Christian