The Schwarthoff Family 2011

December, 2011

Merry Christmas to family and friends all over the world!

Cold Boise, sunshine, but no snow, no skiing, no white mountains. We are hopeful for the New Year!

November, 2011

Thanks to God for many blessings.

Good food - growing children - a beautiful summer - good health - silly ideas - joyful moments - a walk in the park without using the car.

Oktober, 2011

This month, we are looking back at 5 years in Boise! This our city is an amazing place to live. The people here make it better every day. You can even create your own painting here.

Here is what we are doing these days.

Homework has started to occupy various minds, including Baba's. (Baba = what Helena says when she has a cold)

September, 2011

Grandma and Grandpa have traveled from Germany, to spend time with the family. Lots of trips to State Parks, bird sanctuaries, beaches .... The Idaho Bird Observatory is really cool: You can hold birds in your hand, and see you they get a ring around the leg.

Noah has entered the "missing teeth" age. First, one, then two.

August, 2011

We start this month escaping hot summer in Boise, to explore much cooler Olympic National Park. On the way, what a surprise:

Mount Rainier! Towering and Flowering!

Young hikers on the Sol Duc trail, in the Olympic rain forest. Then chasing waves on the pacific coast.

The return is cruel, as School starts right away. Two first-graders start again, working on their exciting new reading and writing skills.

July, 2011

Hello, sunshine!

The mountains are alive with the sound of ...

A week later, the mighty Payette River greets us for a weekend of camping. See if you can find Crouch, Idaho, on the map.

Summer School is on. Vacation soon...

June, 2011

School is out. 3 shorts want to go to the pool, although summer doesn't really want to join us. Time to see Idaho's plains. This view shows a cheatgrass field in front of the Snake River Gorge, with the snowcapped Owyhee mountains in the background.

Now is the time for swimming lessons, mountain biking in the foothills, Father's Day picnics, and summer school (so the boys don't forget what they learned in Kindergarten). Barbeque on Fridays in the backyard.

May, 2011

Ride to church is faster. The sky has been sending us the floods all month. Summer, we await you, so we can get on with filling our time with barbeque, bike rides, swimming at the new pool, camping, and so on. Look at these faces:

They are soo oblivious of the battles in congress about deficits, taxes, wars and the economy. And the desperation in our schools about choosing between raising taxes and losing teachers. Good.

April, 2011

The twins are growing. You should see how big their feet have become! On the 10th of this month, we had two six-year-olds racing through the neighborhood with a bunch of crazy pirates looking for treasure. The day also brought new bikes, which should make the ride to church a lot faster.

March, 2011

While ski season is not over yet, the lawns in the valley have started to grow, and developed a sweet green color.

Micron business will leave these with less of their father for the next several weeks. We all pray for the Japanese people.

These are the first pictures of the little ones on the boards. The teachers say they are doing "awesome".

January, 2011

All good New Year's intentions are forgotten, so we are steaming full speed ahead. Noah is making a "fierce pirate" face (never mind the bib).

Decisions about where to go to school are being pondered. Summer vacation plans, too. Helena will attend preschool for the first time next month, and it's already "my preschool". The boys' teachers are happy with their development and recommend they attend first grade next fall. What a terrific achievement!!

Copyright Hubert Schwarthoff