What We Do In Midway

This is what we do in the evenings in Midway.  There are tons of trails minutes from our house.  Jake and Zack mountain bike while the rest of us hike.  It is good times.  Might I add that my kids are excellent hikers.  Love it.  Don't you wish you lived here?

Happy Birthday Mom! (and Mother's Day too)

Thinking of my mom as always, but especially yesterday and today.  I hope she's doing something fun:)  Maybe touring another world or something cool like that.  Love you Mom!

For Linz

Four years ago today I got the phone call that changed everything.  Four years ago Linz left us.  So many things have happened in those four years, it feels more like a lifetime.  I still miss her and think of her often.  I think of her every time I comb Sage's hair, because Linz's hair was white like Sage's.  I think of her when we're out doing fun things, because Linz was always doing fun things.

So this year, in honor of Linz, we're going to go on a little hike and enjoy the mountains that she loved.  And this year, I'm making a goal to document more of my little family's life in photos and on this blog.  I've always been super bad at that, but I've got to change.  Linz always took so many pictures.  It helped so much to be able to look through them after she was gone.  Life can be shorter than we think and the last thing I want is to regret not taking more pictures.  So thanks Linz!  You're still inspiring me to be a better person!

Running With Lisa

Cancer continues to rear it's ugly head. How I hate this disease. My good friend Lisa was diagnosed with brain cancer last month. Stupid disease. She's a great friend, running buddy, and mountain biking partner. She got me out on my mountain bike almost every week last summer. Thanks to her I'm hooked! She has four kids close in ages to my kids, and they love playing together. We've gone camping with them to Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, and Moab.

The cancer treatments, of course, cost outrageous amounts of money. I'm in charge of a fun run we're doing to raise money for Lisa and her family. Everything we can raise will go to help Lisa. We'll also be having a silent auction and raffle the day of the race. To learn more about Lisa and to sign up for the fun run, go to her website. For some reason this link isn't working, so her website address is: www.runningwithlisa.com Sorry for the technical difficulties. If you can't come to the event, we would be grateful for any items you might be willing to donate for the auction. Again, there's more info about this on her website.

Let's show Lisa and her family how many people love them!

A Little R & R

Let's face it, it's hard to take a vacation with the kids and come home feeling relaxed and ready to conquer the world. Well, we managed to do that in St George last weekend. We rented a house with our friends and it was so much fun. There was air hockey, ping pong, and pool inside the house. But the best part was the back yard. Talk about a paradise. It had a beautiful pool with waterfalls, a hot tub, swings, playhouse, and enough grass to play an intense game of soccer. The pool was heated so we were able to swim outside in January. Heaven! The only time we left the house was to drive around the corner (literally) and hike in Snow Canyon. It was truly the perfect vacation. The kids were happy and entertained so the adults were able to relax too. We were also able to get some good playing in with the kids. There was good company, good food (a must on vacation), and just an all around good time. The kids are already asking when we can go back. It was such a good vacation that we just might have to make it a tradition.

Death Is Not the End

Yesterday was two years since my mom passed away. I think this video clip says it all. Can't wait to see you again Mom!

Christmas Happenings

Christmas is gone. Holy cow! Still no snow. Craziness! We had a great holiday season this year. We had lots of fun just playing together, seeing the lights at temple square, and just enjoying the season. Zack got so many tracks to put together that he spends all of his time playing in his room. Jake made Kate and Sage the ultimate kitchen. They love it (and they'd better for all the time it took)!

On top of all of that my sister Alicia got married. It was so great. They're so happy and we love her husband Dan. I got a picture of the girls carrying her train, but of course didn't get a picture of the dress. She was stunning, you'll just have to take my word for it.

So here are a million pictures for your viewing pleasure:)