The Driskill Family

Then and Now

2009-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Wow they have changed a lot in five years!

The Cubanapolis!

2009-09-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

In September, the Cub Scouts had their Cubanapolis. The boys worked ahead of time with their dads, making & accesorizing cars out of card board boxes. Siblings could participate, so Devin got to join in the fun, too! Both Zach and Devin's cars turned out very cool! Zach liked the making of the cars far more than the race at pack meeting.

On the night of the race, the boys had to run a LONG course, stopping each lap for "pit stops." Family members served as their "crews" and washed their windows (faces with sponges), changed their tires (took off shoes, switched socks, and put shoes back on), and refilled their fuel (water to be drunk through a tiny straw).

Here's Devin and his friends in the sibling race.

(Sorry these pictures are so small, but it would take more time than I have to upload them all again. Remember you can click on any you want to see bigger.....)

First Day of School Pics

2009-09-29T07:25:00.001-07:00

The kids like to lay out their clothes the night before the first day of school. It always makes me smile! Notice Devin's shoes are even pointing upwards in a more natural pose!

The Cute Elementary School Boys in their new Star Wars shirts! Zach is in 4th Grade at Meadow Lake Elementary, and Devin is in 1st Grade at his Spanish Immersion School.

My big Middle School-ers!

Ty "got" to wear his WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) shirt on the first day. He was part of a group of 8th graders assigned to help mentor and orient the new 6th graders to the school. The 6th graders knew they could ask a big 8th grader in an orange shirt if they needed help!

Amanda has had a hard adjustment to middle school (she would have like to stay in elementary), but she is doing a good job with everything. I can't believe I have two kids in middle school now! Aren't they grown-up and good-looking?

Ty's Spiffy Uniform!

2009-09-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Tyler at the State Fair

2009-08-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video clip of Tyler's Marching Band playing at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday. He gets to be in the high school marching band, even though he is only in 8th grade - pretty cool!

Zach the Wolf!

2009-05-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Another big May event for the Driskills in Minnesota! (Man, I'm going crazy on the blog entries all of a sudden, aren't I? And we still have Devin's birthday next week, too!) Zach received his Wolf Badge at Cub Scout Pack Meeting last night! He also received a Gold Arrow Point, 2 Silver Arrow Points, and the Chess Belt Loop! We are proud of you Zach!

District Track Meet

2009-05-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Amanda competed in a 4 X 100 Relay in the District Track Meet at Armstrong High School yesterday. She was on a team of 4, and each of them ran a fourth of the track around the football field, passing a batan between them. She was SOOOO nervous before the meet, but found out it wasn't too terrible afterall. She was a great little runner, if I do say so myself! She had fun being a part of the action, and I had fun being there watching her. Her team came in 4th (out of 6) in their race, so that's why the boys on her team don't look too happy in their picture! But hey, she got a green ribbon, and she's happy!

A Visit from Grams!

2009-05-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

We had a fun visit from Coleen for Mother's Day! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Attempts at a family picture!

Spencer and his Mom

The kids dressed up at the Minnesota History Center

Tyler is taller than Grams now!

Devin loves dandelions! He was in heaven in this field of them! He is even holding "Mr. Lion" - an early birthday present from Grams! Devin called Coleen several weeks ago and requested that she give him a stuffed lion for his birthday! He's a funny boy!

We went to Como Zoo (our free zoo here) one day, and especially liked seeing all the flowers and plants at the arboretum.

The kids with their Grams

A Solo Trip to Salt Lake!

2009-05-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

As a birthday present, Amanda's Grandma gave her a solo trip to Salt Lake for a weekend. She was very brave and flew as an "unaccompanied minor!" She had so much fun with her Grams and Gramps, and with her cousin Megan and the whole Hendricks family! She was spoiled rotten on several good shopping trips, AND she got to have her first pedicure! They visited the Church History Museum one day, and Amanda learned a lot about the latter-day prophets. Thanks Coleen and Rick for creating wonderful memories for Amanda!

Amanda's Birthday!!

2009-05-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Amanda is 11! She had a fun birthday (except for all her homework). She chose to have Rice Krispy Treats instead of a cake, and they were sure yummy! She got a "hulee hoop" from Devin, candy from Zach, tennis supplies from her dad and Ty (she's taking her first tennis class this summer), and an alarm clock "that doesn't have a scary or annoying alarm" from Mom! Amanda is such a beautiful and fun part of our family. We love you, Amanda!

Blowing the candles on the Rice Krispy Treats

Silly Dad

Devin's New Hair

2009-05-10T19:54:00.001-07:00

Tyler's History Day Video

2009-05-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here is Tyler's History Day documentary on Hubert H. Humphrey. He went from School, to Regionals, and finally to State...and competed today at the U of M. He made it to the second round of judging (which means he was in the top 12 of 60 entries, or the top 20%), and ended up with an Honorable Mention medal around his neck at the end of the night! We are so proud of Tyler for his hard work, and for his outstanding final product!

History Day Pictures!

2009-05-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Ty at the Awards Ceremony. Amanda got to go up and help in a little activity before the award portion started (she had to pretend to be a horse pulling the Wells Fargo stagecoach - is that perfect or what?), and she got this little doll as a prize for helping.
The very cool Honorable Mention Medal!
Coming off the stage after receiving his award.

Good job, Tyler!

Take Your Child To Work Day!

2009-04-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Today, Zach and Devin got to learn more about what their Daddy does at work - at Fox 9's first Take Your Child to Work Day! They had a tour around the building, and saw lots of computers and TV's - and even "cords under the floor and in the walls!" Spence showed them how some of the big camera's work, and they also got to play in front of the green-screen that the weather man uses. At they end they had a drawing and got to pick prizes, and they came home with all sorts of loot - from candy bars to Twins shirts! Devin's favorite thing was "winning a stuffed giraffe," and Zach liked the juice and doughnuts they got! Sounds like they had a very fun day!

Zach & Devin on FOX9

2009-04-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Zach and Devin are in the back - they start out on the right side (YOUR right as you are watching - you can see them behind the lady as she is interviewing kids), and then they move over to the left side part way through. Pretty cool to be on TV!

Easter Baskets and Enjoying the Sunshine!

2009-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Spencer always hides the kids' Easter baskets around the house and they have to find them - it's quite entertaining. It seems like Tyler is always the last one to find his (maybe because it's hidden the best....but sometimes he looks right by it 3 times before he sees it!). Spencer will give a few clues if they are getting discouraged. Besides the sweet stuff, each kid got something to play outside with this year. Amanda got a volleyball, Ty got an Ultimate Frisbee, Zach got a football, and Devin got Wiffle Balls and Bat. The weather was GORGEOUS over Easter Weekend, and we just soaked it up! We played outside a ton, both in our backyard and at the park. Here's a few pics!

All Dressed Up For Easter

2009-04-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures we took of the kids last week on Easter. I made Amanda's skirt from some material my friend gave me, and we found a cute shirt to match. Zach and Devin both got new pants and shirts, and Tyler always looks handsome in his "Deacon Look" shirt and tie!

Devin's Spring Concert

2009-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Devin had his Kindergarten Spring Concert this past Friday. It was so cute to hear all the kids up there singing in Spanish! They looked like they were having a lot of fun, too! Devin did a great job and did all the actions. This is a video of one of the songs - it is their morning exercise song, and Devin was in the group that came up to the front to demonstrate it. He is in the red striped shirt, and the two boys to his right are Ian and Ryan, some of his good friends at school.

Fishing Story

2009-03-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Spencer got to go to Florida the last week in February for work - to cover the Twins Spring Training in Fort Meyer. I used some frequent flyer miles and tagged along with him - I couldn't be left out of the sun! While we were there, Spencer and his Sports Reporter got to spend an afternoon FISHING with the manager of the Twins! It was an amazing opportunity, and they got a GREAT story out of it! Spencer edited the story this week, and it aired Sunday. Just thought we'd share! (See Below)

2009-03-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

BUSY Few Months!

2009-03-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few months around here! Both Tyler and Zachary have been playing basketball, and we've loved going to all their games! They have both learned a lot over the season, and are great team players. We've had band and orchestra performances (Tyler plays the trumpet in All-District Band, and Amanda plays the viola in Orchestra). I've put some pictures from Amanda's Orchestra Festival on my birthday. There were over 600 4th-6th graders at the concert! Zachary had his Pinewood Derby last month, and did a great job on his car. It came in 2nd in every one of its races, and it won "The Hottest Car Award!" Devin has been a trouper going around to all the other kids' events, but he likes it best when we can just stay home and play Wii! :-)

Blankets for the Kids

2009-01-11T14:46:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas, I made each of my kids a blanket. Tyler's was fleece on both sides, and the others kids' were flannel on one side and fleece on the other. I had fun choosing material that I thought each one would like! I loved thinking of each child as I worked on his/her blanket. I would sew in the mornings until Devin got home from school, listening to Christmas music in the background. It made Christmas so fun this year to be so excited about my gifts. They liked their blankets, and they are very warm! :-)

New Paint!!!

2008-12-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

Coleen and Rick left our house more beautiful than they found it - with new paint in the living room, and a gorgeous custom-framed family picture on the wall. Coleen and Spencer were incredible and fast painters, and the color really warmed up the feeling in the room. After they left, Tyler painted our kitchen area with the leftover paint (as part of his Family Life Merit Badge for scouting). I am very happy with how everything turned out! Pictures don't totally capture it, but here are a few angles of the room - so you can see the walls, the family picture, and my cute new frames along the wall in our kitchen, too. We have three new lamps in there, too, that are gorgeous and really light things up. Thank you so much Rick and Coleen! As you can see, we are in the Christmas Spirit here in Minnesota! We love our tree and nutcrackers and nativities....but we don't love the freezing temperatures. It was 2 degrees when we woke up this morning!

New glasses

2008-12-10T13:56:00.001-08:00

Amanda got new glasses this month! Doesn't she look so cute?! She is not really near or far sighted, but she has a "focusing insufficiency" that she will hopefully grow out of in the next few years. They help her as she looks from far to near throughout the day. She forgets to wear them a lot, but I think she looks great in them. Spencer also got new glasses, with a kind of invisible lower rim. No, Tyler does not wear glasses - he is wearing Grams' glasses in this picture.

We had lots of fun with Grams and Gramps when they were here before Thanksgiving. We played lots of games, and had movie nights with popcorn!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-11-09T16:47:00.001-08:00

Devin really likes to dress up, and he always chooses a different costumes for each party we go to. He was hulk for our ward party, an indian for a neighorhood "Halloween Lunch", and he was an alien for Trick-or-Treating. He is our only kid who has ever let us put makeup on him, and he looked AWESOME with his green face!!! Amanda was a pioneer girl, Zach was a pirate, and Ty was a Japanese Baseball Fan! :-) Check out our cool pumpkins, too!

PCC

2008-10-18T01:55:00.001-07:00

Pearl Harbor

2008-10-18T01:52:00.001-07:00

The Beach at Waikiki

2008-10-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

This beach had the calmest and most shallow water we've had yet. The kids loved it! Isn't that sunset GORGEOUS???

S.C.U.B.A.

2008-10-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

My dad and I
went scuba diving
today. It was really awesome. There was a ton of current and it made it so I was like swimming in place. Dad saw two eels, but I only saw fish.
We started out learning in a swimming pool, then got on a boat to open water. The boat made me really sick and I threw up. All the fish ate the throw up. Yum!

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!

Hawaii Day 2

2008-10-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a great and very full day! We started with the Laie Hawaii Temple, made our way to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and ended up with 3 hours of beach time up on the North Shore. We are having so much fun with Tiff and her family. They are being very good to us!

Oct 14th Japan Oct 14th Hawaii

2008-10-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

On the way to the Airport we stopped at the beach and looked for shell. Tyler liked the crab crab claw we found.

We left Japan at 9pm on Oct 14th, flew all night and arrived in Hawaii 9am on Oct 14th.

Kichijoji

2008-10-12T00:04:00.001-07:00

We went to a park in Kichijoji there were several street performers. One man made everyone things out of balloons.

Ther e was a temple in the park. It was a small one

After the park we went to a huge eletronics store. They had a train section Devin and Zach were in heaven. They each left with a new train

Thursday Oct 9th

2008-10-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

These two pictures were actually taken at the end of the day. On the way home we stopped at the Shibuya Crossing - a huge intersection where they stop traffic in all directions and let everyone cross at once. Literally hundreds of people cross the street every few minutes. It was awesome to be a part of.

Shinagawa Aquarium

The highlight of the day was going to the Tokyo Temple and doing Baptisms for the Dead with Tyler.

Back to Yokohama

2008-10-10T05:47:00.001-07:00

At the Yokohama Zone conference we made some new friends.Tyler did some marketing of his book Lotsranyd. There was a lot of interest but no sales.

We had a ride on a giant ferris wheel over looking the harbor.

This is the view from the Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan. The bright lights in the center is Yokohama stadium, they finished the game that was rained out on Tuesday.

Niko

2008-10-09T03:54:00.001-07:00

Baseball in Yokahama

2008-10-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

We saw a baseball game today.

The Yokohama Bay Stars vs the Osaka Tigers.

It started to rain a little.

OK, it rained so hard the game was canceled.

The Yokohama fans thought it was lame to cancel the game.

Our Morning Walk

2008-10-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

The boys went for a little walk at 6:15am.
We stopped and got some orange juice from the drink machine.
On the way home we stopped at 7-Eleven and got som Japanese Kit-Kats. Devin called them "Kit-Kat Differents"

Snorkeling in Atami

2008-10-06T02:44:00.001-07:00

On Island

2008-10-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Japan! We are so happy to be here! We are loving being with Nana and Grandpa! It is especially fun to hear Grandpa speaking Japanese to people everywhere we go! Saturday we celebrated Tyler's birthday by going to Showa Park. There were giant, bouncy, cloud-like trampolines to jump on, dragons to climb on, and snowcones to eat. We played 9 holes of mini-golf, too. We've put some pictures from the day below. Today we went to church - right next door to the mission home. We got to wear earphones and listen to a translator during Sacrament Meeting - pretty cool! Grandpa went to Primary with the kids, and they loved that. They sang the same Primary Program songs they are learning at home....but in Japanese. Tyler was brave and went alone to Young Men's. The boys in his class were practicing their English on him, and he said they knew more English than he did Japanese! It was just so neat to experience the gospel and feel its same sweet spirit here all the way across the world. It is true wherever you go.

Tyler opening his birthday present from Nana and Grandpa - an ipod shuffle! Yippee!Grandpa showing us "the transfer board." Then he presented each of the kids with a famous oinking pig keychain with a light! Devin is showing his off.We read Tyler's book in the van on the way to the park. We rented bikes and rode around to all the things all day. The giant trampoline was awesome!

We saw a gorgeous field of poppey's. The kids liked climbing on the dragons.

Group picture: the Office Missionaries, Nana and Grandpa, and us!

The kids on the sun-dial rock, and Ty with his Grandpa!

Going to Japan

2008-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Our plane had hydraulic problems so we had to wait for them to fix it.

About 2 1/2 hours.

For most of the flight the sky looked like this as we chased the sun.

Zach did is homework on the 11 1/2 hour flight.

Here's the New Car

2008-09-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

We found a good deal on a 2005 Honda Pilot last month when the engine in my van died....and boy, it's sure changed my image! I used to be "van woman" and now I'm the cool lady with the sunroof and leather seats! We are having fun with it, but mostly it feels so nice to know I am driving a reliable car.

First Day of School

2008-09-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Better Late Than Never! Here are my cute kids on their first day of school. Tyler started 7th Grade, Amanda is in 5th Grade (and a Patrol/Crossing Guard, too!), Zach is in 3rd Grade, and Devin - my baby - started Kindergarten! Mommy took it harder than the Kindergartener! Devin is going to Spanish Immersion, and he gets to ride the bus and go to school with several of his good friends. He's had fun with that! He comes home to me at lunch time, and runs into my arms as he gets off the bus. All the kids like their teachers, and the school year is going well so far.

R.N.C.

2008-09-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Spencer at the RNC

2008-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

2008-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

2008-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

We went to "The Hill" to

see where Grandpa Carrigan Worked.

2008-07-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the after photo.

Wow she good looking!

2008-07-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

That guy can jump!

Day in the Mountains

2008-06-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Tyler is driving!
Devin got his own personal ride with Dad.
Andrea and Spencer at the top.
Devin thought he'd drive, too - NOT!
The "Jeep Crew"

We spent the day up American Fork Canyon with all of the Driskills - enjoying the scenery and riding Ally and Bill's ATVs! A gorgeous lake was our reward for making it up the bumpy and challenging trails (pretty scary sometimes!). The mountains, trees, and flowers were breath-taking. Very fun day!

Anderea's New Wig

2008-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

We are in Utah and cousin Jen is giving me a new style. She cut my hair and is adding highlights.