Soccer

Soccer has been going for a couple of weeks now. Clark and Ryan are enjoying playing soccer again. Clark's coach has him playing forward, and Ryan's coach has him playing defender and goalie. Clark is doing really well, he is learning a lot and he gets better and better every game and practice. His team won 2-1 on Saturday. As he says they are undefeated (1-0, they have only played the one game, their first one was rained out), but they are off to a great start. Ryan is doing great also, I think he likes to play on the defensive side of the field so he can get rid of some of his energy by kicking the ball hard and not letting the other team get a goal. In his game last Saturday he was tired of being shoved so he shoved back and got a penalty, the goalie saved the ball from going in so the final score was 7-0. They won! Ryan's team is 1-1 for the season.

Emma was asking me the other day why she wasn't playing soccer, and I reminded her that she didn't want to when we were signing up, she wanted to dance. Even if she were playing she'd dance on the field instead of going for the ball. But that's okay if she wants to play next season we'll let her. She is a great spectator and sometimes yells at her boys but for the most she just likes being outside and practicing her cartwheels for gymnastics.

Well that is life here, not too much going on. Talk to you later!

Spring is here!!

The flowers are in bloom and soccer is in full swing. It seems like the year is flying by so fast. We spend three nights a week (not counting Saturday games) at the soccer fields between Clark's and Ryan's practices. But it is good they need the exercise. The flowers are a beautiful sight after the winter. Spring break started today, the kids are out till next Monday and I am trying to figure out how to keep them busy, besides chores and more chores. We are getting ready to go back home for a visit over the summer. The kids are getting so excited, Emma can't wait she told her teacher that she was going to Utah to see her cousins and grandparents over Spring Break. I had to let her know that we aren't doing that till Summer, she is having the hardest time waiting for school to end. Her class has already started the countdown for the end of school and there is 22 days (counting Spring Break). I can't believe there is only that many more days left. Clark and Ryan are also getting excited to go and visit, they keep asking how many more days.


These flowers here are Wisteria and Azalea's. They smell so good.

Snow, Fun and Tornados!!!

Hello it has been a long time since I have updated this. We are all doing well here. We have been busy (it seems, that or the days aren't long enough).

We finally had a snow storm roll through. It Pretty much shut the city down, it cancelled our Scouts Pine Wood Derby. Who would think that a little snow would stop everything. Clark, Ryan and Emma were so excited for the snow they had to go out and play. Mom was sick with (I think it was bronchitis), so I didn't want to go out. They made me go take pictures of them. We have been gone from Utah for a year and my kids have not had to go without snow yet.

So back to the cancelled Pine Wood Derby, we ended up having it the next Saturday. The boys had a lot of fun. Clark took first place for the Weblos what a way to go out for his final derby, and Ryan came in 4th for the Wolfs. Ryan is already thinking of how he can make his better for next year.

A few Saturdays ago Dad, Clark and

Ryan went on a hike with the Eleven year old Scout troop. The Weblos were invited to help them out with their Arrow of Light. Yes, we found out that there are some small mountains (Dad calls them hills). The boys said it was fun, and it reminded them of camping the mountains. Ryan said his favorite thing was when they stopped for lunch, he is only a 8 year old Wolf, (they had Ramon noodles and hot chocolate). I keep asking them when they are going to take me there and Ryan says he doesn't want to because it hurt his feet to walk. I thought that was a good answer, but I would still like to go.

Over Martin Luther King Jr. Day we all had a day off, we headed toward Selma for a drive. We ended up in a ghost town called Cahaba, we found out it is the site of the First Permanent State Capital of Alabama from 1820-1825. It is right along the Alabama River. It was so cool to see some of the things that were still there. The town kept flooding so that is why the State Capital was moved. The boys also enjoyed it, we learned about a part of Alabama history that we never knew.

On Sunday February 17th, as church was just getting out and families were heading home the tornado sirens started going off. We knew were supposed to have storms that day, but they weren't supposed to be that bad. So I turned the radio to a station with the news and listened, they didn't know why our sirens were going off, because the storm was north of our county and we are at the very bottom, so we listened to the t.v. for the afternoon, tried to take a nap and just go on with normal Sunday afternoons. At about 3:05 I heard a noise that didn't sound like rain (we were in the middle of a downpour) so I opened the back door and looked towards the south, it was black and I didn't like the sound it was a loud growling wind, so I came back in and shut the door. Not more than 2-3 minutes later we heard that a tornado hit Prattville at the corner on McQueen Smith and Cobbs Ford roads and then we lost power. We live 1 1/2 - 2 miles north of the intersection that was hit. The amazing thing was that there was not one fatality, there were 2 serious injuries and some minor injuries, but nothing to bad. After driving through it it is amazing that no one was killed. The tornado hit 50 yards from one of the elementary's here and it only had miner damage to one of the halls. The intersection it hit was where Kmart, Sears, an Army Recruiting building, Walmart, a strip of stores next to Walmart including clothing stores, a salon, Bath and Body Works, and Sally's and three banks (the banks make up the corner) are. Kmart had the most damage it took a chunk of the back wall, Walmart wasn't hit as hard but it did just reopen this morning only one of the banks is open the others were damaged a little bit more. One of the banks is a three story building, and all of the windows were blown out on one side, it is still boarded up today. The strip of stores is still closed they are trying to get them opened temporally. I think the businesses are taking this opportunity to remodel now that they have been forced to close and fix themselves up. Some of the homes that were hit only had their interior walls left, the exterior were gone. As I drove through the subdivisions it just made me think how lucky we were to have it miss us by that margin. There were 800 plus homes and 50 businesses damaged but everyone was alive out of the 800 plus homes 100 plus a few (I can' remember the exact count, I know it is over one hundred) have been condemned. I have a friend from church whose house was hit, the roof was torn off, it is a total loss. She was home with her 9 year old and baby when it happened, (he is one of my scouts). I have put some of the pictures that I took on our Picassa link, check them out, the pictures don't even do it justice. That tornado was to close for comfort. This picture depicts the path the tornado took from the air and the damage it did, the rectangular buildings just off center is Daniel Pratt Elementary School. We take too many things for granted, and when something like this happens we realize what we have.

Things are good here and we hope everything is well with you and your families have a great day.

The Draper's

Merry Christmas!!!

We've had a 'cotton pickin' year!!

As you know (or may not) Clark was offered a job last November (2006) in Montgomery Alabama to be the Cover Plant Manager and Plant Superintendant of the Yearbook division. He wears two hats at work and they both keep him running. Clark is also the 2nd counsler in the High Priests Quorum along with teaching the Young Single Adults Sunday School Class in our ward.

Stephanie is still a stay at home mom. She helps Clark teach the YSA's usually on the week's he teaches the High Priests, along with her calling as a Wolf den leader in the Cub Scout program. Even though she claims she is a stay at home mom she feels like she is always on the go.

Clark is in the 5th grade this year, he was just accepted into the A.C.E. program at school and he is loving it (A.C.E. is for students who excell in their studies). He also went to Starbase Maxwell (an Air Force Base) this year, where he learned how rockets are launched, how jets fly, etc. In the picture he won the award for the best drawing for his class. It will be posted at Starbase Maxwell forever. He was so excited, Mom and Dad are so proud of him. Clark is doing well in schoool he has been on the AB Honor Roll first term and The A Honor Roll second term, we are so proud of him and we hope he keeps it up. This year Clark started taking piano lessons. He is doing very well and cruising through his lesson books. His teacher is always saying how good he is. We hope he stays enjoying it and keeps it up. Clark played soccer this last year, and he has learned a lot to keep him going. He also has gotten his Webelos badge in Cub Scouts, and he looks forward to going every week, even though his mom is there.

Ryan is in the 3rd grade this year. He is doing so well in school, he has made the A Honor Roll first term and the A Honor Roll second term, we are so proud of him and we hope he keeps up the good work. Ryan was also one of the kids in his class who had the most A.R. points for the first term. Congratulations Ryan! Ryan is also in the A.C.E. program at his school and he looks forward to going on his day. This year was a very special year for Ryan he was baptized. It was a great day, I hope he will remember it always. We were able to baptize him while we were home for summer vacation, it was great having family around. Thank you for all you did!! Ryan is also in Cub Scouts and he loves it! He is working hard for his Wolf badge, and having fun. Ryan is also taking piano and he is doing very well, he really enjoys it, and he and Clark fight over who is going to practice on the piano first most days. We hope he stays interested and keeps it up. Ryan also played soccer this year. He makes a great goalie, but he does like to come out of the net to be a forward/midfielder at times. He is just a great kid.

Emma is just a joy to have. She loves to make us smile. She loves her daddy too. She still likes to be with mom whenever she can. She would rather stay home with mom then go to school. Emma is in Kindergrten and she goes all day. They really try to keep them busy. She is taking ballet, gymnastics, tap and baton after school on Wednesdays, and she LOVES it. She can't wait for Wednesday to roll around. Emma is just a ball of sunshine.

We have enjoyed being down south. It is very different from Utah. We have been really warm for the month of December and it dosen't seem like it's Christmas time yet. It will be different not having cold weather and snow flurries but we will make the best of it.We miss our friends and family back home, and we wish you all the best this year at Christmas time.

We love you all!!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

The Drapers