brothers

jed's mountain run

Last weekend we drove to Ouray, Colorado, for the Imogene Pass Run. Our friend Jeff Roberts invited Jed to run with him, and we camped with Jeff and his wife Naomi and family. Ouray is called the Switzerland of America, and for good reason. It is a gorgeous town nestled in sweeping mountain cliffs on all sides. The race was 17 miles and started in Ouray at 7,700 feet, went over Imogene Pass at 13,100 feet, and then descended into Telluride, Colorado. Jed did great--his time was 2:50:18, he placed 24th overall, and he was 5th in his age division.

silouette pic

A lot of people have asked. . . so I just wanted to explain the silouette picture on the top of our blog. When we were hiking in Canyonlands National Park during our Moab trip, I was waiting along a ridge for Jed to catch up, and as I looked over I discovered our cool shadows. When Jed arrived he snapped a quick pic of it. No special effects or anything. . . just us and nature.

newest home additions

Can you believe someone gave us this incredible play yard? It's true! Our generous neighbor, Rick, is "buddies" with Isaac--the two are often found hobnobbing around Rick's yard, picking raspberries, inspecting plums, or chatting. Rick's own daughter had outgrown this and so he offered it to us for free--to his little buddy--if we could just find help to haul it over the fence (I knew there was a good use for the four elders in our ward! j/k). The boys LOVE it! Isaac has dubbed it his "tree house." Another generous family, the Quigleys, gave us these two beautiful little couches for our living room. I love them! The one opens as a chest--it's like the cedar chest I never had (though not made of cedar :). We finally had a last reason to banish the TV to the basement, where it will permanently reside (hopefully).

dirty little faces

Licking off beaters. . . a favorite pasttime for our little boys

One time Lincoln was being awfully quiet. . . Upon investigation I discovered he had climbed up on a kitchen table chair and was meticulously licking up the remains of my Asian-sesame dressing with the utmost relish!

link's little horsie ride

At certain moments, having kids makes me long to be a kid again.

david and wendy's visit

So it's been about two years since I've seen my brother David and his family, and we were lucky to have them stop by to visit us on their way out to Utah this summer. They drove from Pennsylvania to Utah and back with six kids in tow! They have such a beautiful family. All six of their kids are kind, well-behaved, sweet, and fun! The boys played so well with mine and enjoyed a sleepover in the basement while the girls and I made necklaces. We love you, David, Wendy, Macy, Mead, Cole, Clay, Ella, and Lily!

more fun in utah

We're obviously having WAY too much fun in Utah this summer! We enjoyed our Hansen Family reunion in Midway and extended the visit a few days to visit family. Never can have too much time with cousins!

like daddy like link

So Isaac's not the only one who wants to follow in Daddy's footsteps (see two blogs down).

bear lake highlights

Our annual trip to Bear Lake with Jed's family was yet-again successful (yet can't quite top the year of our first kiss . . . :). memories to take from this year: -A lot of kayaking -Sailing on the hobie cat (but grateful we weren't with Madison--who got his expedition lost!) -Jed and Spence biking around the lake -Jed's mom Kristen and I biking around the next day, just to show them up -Grandma's helicopter and grenade impersonations -A miracle in Wyoming where an angel's hands were on mine on the wheel -Blue blue blue pristine lake and sky. To us, BL seems like one of the few places left on earth that remains untouched. May it always be.

like daddy like ike

Moab trip

I guess it's about time I get off my duff and get updating my blog! There is just so much to report of our busy summer. I'll start by posting a few pics of our trip to Moab, Utah, in the beginning of July. We were there a whole week while Jed did some research for his dissertation. There is SO much to do there! Jed at Corona Arch Isaac at Bowtie Arch Ed and Link at Corona Arch Isaac at Morning Glory Bridge (Negro Bill Canyon)

Our fam at my new favorite arch--Sand Dune Arch Jed relaxin' at Sand Dune Arch We stayed with our friend Lola DeLong The boys with Ed's girls Elisa and Marta