summer reading

Just like last year, this summer the boys participated in the library’s reading program. After completing 8 hours of reading (Link being read to, Isaac reading on his own this year) they received a free book and coupons to local parks. We hit Lakeside Amusement Park and Link rode on his first roller coaster!

air guitar

(sorry it's sideways. . .)

when life hands you lemons. . .

random races and rides

The whole family (minus Link) has enjoyed racing and riding this summer.

In June my sisters Lisa and Michelle and I rode a 62-mile women's bike ride (The Little Red Riding Hood) in Logan, Utah. We had a blast!

In June Jed ran a half marathon in Frisco, Colorado--taking fourth place overall and first in his age division. In May, Jed's work sponsored a 5k for adults and 1K for kids for all Denver area federal employees and their families. Isaac did great for his first-ever race! And Jed won the 5K, with a time of 17:38.

granby 4th of july

Our friends Alicia and Josh Skelton invited us to the beautiful and quaint mountain town of Granby, Colorado, for the 4th weekend. (Link with their cute son, Levi)

It was Lincoln's first time riding on a boat, and he loved it!Isaac made new friends with Alicia's nieces. Can you find the silhouette of a famous US president in the mountain?

Hiking near the headwaters of the Colorado River.

co plateau trip

I'm finally getting around to updating my shamefully overdue blog (for my own posterity's sake :). Starting with our research/pleasure trip (way back in April) around and across and through the Colorado Plateau.

Link cuddles a birthday monkey from Aunt Sherrie. Jed scopes out U-95 along Comb Ridge near Blanding. They blasted out a heck of a lot of rock for that road. . . We met up for fun times with my fam in Moab. Hanging with Aaron, Kennedy, and Madelyn Then we hooked up with Jed's fam in St. George. Link and Bek at Zion I love the name of this at Zion: "The Great White Throne" Ellie, Oma, and Ikey near the Weeping Rock at Zion Link with Unca Spence at the Snow Canyon Sand Dunes Rogers rogues at some favorite stomping grounds: Snow Canyon (Petrified Sand Dunes)Gorgeous orchards in Capital Reef Quaint Hanksville Tabernacle Spence and Juliet (and bun in oven) at Zion Hiking near Blanding, Utah Isaac and Lincoln with cousins Carlie and Anna at Moab Cousins down the line from top to bottom: Carlie, Isaac, Maddie, Suzy, Brandon, Anna, Blake, Lincoln, Avery (with) Anika in a chokehold. :) Picnic at Comb Ridge overlook Four Corners Petrified Sand Dunes Ike with buddy Ellie

belated b-day

Tsk tsk. . . I should at least post some pics of Lincoln's birthday! He turned two during our Colorado plateau trip in April. He greatly enjoyed cake in St. George (can you tell?)

(And we had more cake for me and Link at home) And I thought this was a funny pic I took of him on his actual birthday. We spent most of the day driving through the Navajo reservation, and he was such a good sport.

lincoln lark

Singing about himself (Ee ee) with monkeys (uh oh), giraffes (foe), and lions (nanny).

dad day

I asked Isaac the other day if the choice were between gifts from Dad or spending time with Dad, what would he choose? Without hesitation he answered, "Time with Dad."

A reminder that our presence means perhaps more than presents.

(Except that when I asked the same question about mom, Ike laughed and said, "presents." Dads, remember: you are a novelty to your kids!)

TenderTots

So our family has embarked on a new project.  Check it out!  If you live near us, we hope you will join us on our new adventure! 

crib-slat kisses

One of my favorite bedtime rituals with little Link is our crib-slat kisses: he reaches his puckered lips through each successive slat and plants smooches on me as we move along the length of the crib.  I also have my own ritual of checking on the boys right before I retire to smooth their blankets and whisper my love to them.  Last night I was surprised that the little bug was still awake--though droopy-eyed he smiled sweetly at me.  Neither of us made a sound, but for at least 10 minutes we simply gazed at each other through the crib slats, at times bending forward for a few well-placed kisses.  At last I sang to him about angels watching over his crib and whispered goodnight, uttering a prayer of thanks to God for my own little angels.

the new family pet: "dee"

For a long time now I have wanted a pet.  But for various reasons cats and dogs have been vetoed, despite begging and cajoling on my part.  So we finally settled on an alternative family pet: a squirrel!  This frisky little guy resides in our backyard tree and scurries around the yard.  Lincoln yelps, "Dee! Dee!" when he spots our furry friend, so we named his as such.  He is a bold little feller too--scampering up to the porch, even perching right outside the sliding glass door and peering in at us (perhaps because we have never tried scaring him off).  We've spotted Dee scrambling in and out of the compost, where he will clutch a grapefruit rind all the way to a flower pot--a sort of dinner table for him--and feast like a king.  Dee does appears chunkier than other squirrels around, so he obviously dines well on our leftovers.  Are we simply encouraging an unwanted rodent, you may well wonder?  It reminds me of something Brigham Young said about grasshoppers (remember the seagull story?): "Last season when the grasshoppers came on my crops, I said, ‘Nibble away, I may as well feed you as to have my neighbors do it; I have sown plenty, and you have not raised any yourselves.’ And when the harvest came you would not have known that there had been a grasshopper there.  . . Pay attention to what the Lord requires of you and let the balance go” (3:159:55).  And “according to present appearances, next year [1868] we may expect grasshoppers to eat up nearly all our crops.  But if we have provisions enough to last us another year, we can say to the grasshoppers—these creatures of God—you are welcome.  I have never had a feeling to drive them from one plant in my garden; but I look upon them as the armies of the Lord” (12:121:67). I guess a dog or cat can wait.