SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED...

Since our last entry a lot has happened. Troy is growing faster, and bigger, than any of us could have imagined. At his 4 month appointment, he was measured at 26.5 inches and weighed in at 20 pounds. He is a big kid and has nice, full cheeks that are fun to squeeze. He is finally starting to sleep through the night as we have started to give him an oatmeal cereal and formula in his diet. Troy is much happier now. Of course, so is Stacy.

Troy loves to be tickled. His "hard laugh" sounds more like a good grunt. He gets cuter with every pound.

Abby, now 3.5 years, just enjoyed her first day of Sunbeams in Church. I was a little concerned that she would have a hard time adjusting to not being in the nursury. However, we were pleased to hear that she adjusted just fine and was excited to be in Primary. She has always been very social and talkative but now she has even taken it to a new level. Talking to Abby is like talking to an adult at times. She is very smart and has an amazing ability to articulate her feelings...when she wants.

Over the Christmas break, Abby and Stacy were able to go to the Staples Center to see Disney on Ice. Abby had a great time as she watched all her favorite Disney princesses glide across the ice. Uncle David Blood was able to get the tickets from his law firm and, through a series of events, enough of the law firm clients were unable to make the event, making it possible for Abby to watch the event from a suite at midcourt. She talked about it for days.

Ashlin has learned to communicate very well. Stacy and I can make out most of the words that she is saying which makes living with her much easier. I was eating pistachios the other day whe she came in and saw me eating them. She begged for some and so I taught her to say "pistachio." I must say that it is my favorite word that she says. Ashlin still carries her "USC" blanket with her everywhere she goes. The tough part is finding a way to get it washed with out her having a breakdown.

Around Thanksgiving Ashlin got her first haircut. She is adorable and loves to showoff her hair-do. Her bangs still hang down in her face which gives Grandpa Bayles more ammunition to give both Stacy and I a bad time about trimming her bangs. We like the way that she looks and plan to leave it the way that it is.

Stacy has enjoyed having me at home for the two weeks. She has had me on a couple of activities around our room which make it feel a little more cozy. I hung some pictures that she has been wanting hung for a while. She is really enjuoying being a stay-at-home mother and watching the kids grow and learn.

I have been recoving from being sick with some kind of illness/sore throat/cough/stuffy nose/etc. The time off has come just at the right time for me. I love teaching at the high school and the kids are keeping me on my toes. The most enjoyable part of my school day comes during the hour at the baseball field practicing with the baseball team. I love watching the kids who love to play. There are some who think that baseball is a game and others who look at it as a job. The difference when they play is obvious. It gets cold at night at the field and I am looking forward to the summer.

The education classes are going very well. I learned more about myself as a student as I have taken these classes. I enjoy looking online at my GPA and seeing that it is almost a 4.0. What a nice change.

Stacy let me go, on short notice, to the Las Vegas Bowl (BYU vs. UCLA) to see my brother, Phil, and his wife, Cheney. I had a great time, in spite of the traffic and enjoyed seeing Phillip. Then for Christmas, my mother-in-law and father-in-law gave me a ticket to the Rose Bowl! As a sports fan I am really excited to go. As an adopted USC fan, I am thrilled beyond words.

I hope that you can see that, in spite of the lack of writing, we are doing very well. We feel very blessed to be here in La Crescenta. There are things that we miss about Utah. At times I feel that I would like to move back. Then, on a 49 degree morning I look to see what the forcast is in Provo and see that it will be a high of 24 and another day of snow is expected. All the sudden, the desire to move leaves.

We hope that you all are doing well and that this message finds you well and in good spirits.

G