Everyone in the Duffy Household took part in the snow shoveling chore this 2008 Christmas Season! Carmen was in charge of the front porch. (Always with a smile on her face!)
Great exercise for all! Good job, Carmen! 
Acting out the Nativity Scene, while Don reads Chapter 2 in Luke from the Bible, has always been a Christmas Eve tradition. (shown left to right) Mitchell Clarke as the donkey, Shaun as Joseph, Brianne Clarke as Mary, Carmen as the angel, Hannah and Madison Leonard representing the wise men, Brian Duffy and Justin Clarke as the shepards. We are grateful to remember and celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ's birth this beautiful Christmas Season.
Christmas morning (early) sporting new pajamas, sweatshirts and hats! 
Plowing through the snow on a green John Deere tractor!
Through the snow Don goes!
Laughing all the way! HoHoHo Oh what fun it is to ride a John Deere "snow blower"!
Oh the weather outside is frightful - but 2 "snow days" (school is cancelled) are so delightful!
And as long as we have no place to go-
Let is snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!
Well, Carmen enjoyed it! And Don, Brian and Shaun plowed and shoveled and plowed and shoveled it some more! And it is not going to let up any time soon! We will have a very white Christmas! 
Because we are so grateful that Brad is serving a two year mission in Tijuana, Mexico for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, he is on display (past to present) in this collage in our home! Ah, time does fly! We are so proud of you, Brad for serving your Heavenly Father.
Brad sent these recent pictures to us from his mission. (From top to bottom) Elder Brad Duffy with Tijuana in the background, Brad with the first family he baptized, Brad with his first companion and trainer, Elder Ramos, Brad cleaning out the baptismal font! Keep up the great and marvelous work, Elder Duffy! We love you!
We stayed in these "casitas" hidden amongst the boulders in the desert. Yes, the boulders are real - I asked! They look almost man-made, sort of like California Adventureland! The bell hop did not laugh at my question (Don did!), he said everyone asks! 
We ventured into the State Park in Carefree, AZ (minutes away) and embarked on a 6 mile hike through the desert! Don would not give the cactus a hug even though I begged him to, just for the picture's sake! HaHa
Don got a little hungry on the trail!
We found a great diner later, and he filled up on yummy 'Diner, Dives, and Drive-in' food! That is my peppermint shake! Fantastic! 
What a festive way to welcome the Christmas season! With our dear friends, Shauna Miller and Sandi Griffits, Megan and I attended the festival fashion show and luncheon! Fabulous friends and delicious food and a new Christmas ornament as a party favor (green balls on table) made for a delightful afternoon! 
We were so grateful to gather together as a family for Thanksgiving Dinner! Brian is a little hungry, and obviously impatient to eat!
So, we gathered with grateful hearts and bounteous food!
More smiles of gratitude!
Nicole and Carmen are always "game" for another photo op! We are so grateful for family, friends and especially for The Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Carmen dressed up as a "bride" for Halloween. She is actually wearing Nicole's veil! 
Carmen and her friend Alex Boifeuillet pose for a picture during their class party! They went "trick or treating" together after school. It was a big party all day long for these two girls!
Halloween morning always starts off with a parade of costumes through the school gym! This is the Duffy's last Hayden Meadows Halloween parade! We've been doing this for about 15 years! What a tradition!
Happy Halloween! 
We enjoyed the General Conference weekend in Boise with family, food and fun! We also enjoyed watching General Conference on T.V. Bart and Megan joined us there and also enjoyed playing with their cousins - Elena and Zander Evans. Megan is a first grade teacher in Logan, UT, and she is always in a "teaching mode"! Here she is teaching Zander "how to drink from a cup"! He handled it fairly well, actually! :)
Everyone, including Brian enjoyed holding Zander! The "real" reason we went to Boise was for the CHS football game against Caldwell High School. Unfortunately, Brian came away from this game with a slight shoulder separation! (Every time we go on vacation we visit the doctor's office - ugh!) Thus the ice pack! Never a dull moment!
Shaun enjoyed the unlimited steak and hamburger at Grandpa's house. It was also fun to "hang out" with Aunt Melanie!
Hanging out with Elena and Gabe! Elena can't understand why Brian plays football - in her own words-"No, he doesn't because he's too big!" Family, food, fun and laughs!
Hayden Meadows Cross Country Meet was yesterday, and Carmen ran her "heart" out for a mile - long sprint! She has been running 3 days a week after school to prepare for this race. (Just following in the footsteps of her siblings and father!)
She placed 2nd out of the 5th grade girls! Way to go, Carmen! 
Elder Brad Duffy emailed us this afternoon to let us know that he is officially in the mission! He flew out of Salt Lake City this morning to San Diego and was bussed across the border with 6 other fellow missionaries! In his own familiar words "he is pumped and humbled" and ready to serve and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so proud of him, and we are looking forward to hearing from him about his experiences with the wonderful people in Mexico! 
Elder Brad Duffy was scheduled to leave the MTC today, Monday, September 15, 2008, but there has been a delay in Visas to Mexico. He will be in the MTC for at least a week (along with the rest of his District) until Visas are complete. He travels to Salt Lake City some time this next week with his district to meet with the Consolate from Mexico to work out details. We actually received a phone call from him on Saturday (the delayed missionaries were asked to call home), and he let us know about this variance in his schedule. He is doing very well, loves the language, loves missionary work and is anxious to report and serve in the mission field in Tijuana, Mexico!
