My Miscellaneous Musings

Yay for snow days!

2012-02-20T16:10:00.003-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we got a big snow storm and the kids got a Friday off school. I wasn't feeling very well, so we spent the day watching movies and cuddled up against the storm outside. by Saturday I was full-fledged sick, so I spent the weekend in bed, but Ken was able to take advantage and took the kids sledding.

Many of the neighborhood kids were over at the and had set up some fun jumps. They had a super fun afternoon! And I appreciated the quiet house so I could sleep. Talk about a win-win!
I'm so glad Ken loves to take the kids to do fun stuff like this. What a great dad!

Playin' Hoops with the "Sharp Shooters"

2012-02-20T15:59:00.005-07:00

Shooting a free throw...

Morgan was #6

Morgan was able to play basketball again this year. It was a VERY different experience from last year, but still a valuable learning time. Her team was mostly beginners, but I was pleased with how they progressed throughout the season. Morgan ended up getting a lot more playing time and even made several baskets during some games. As a family, we really enjoyed going to her games and cheering her on. Her skills continued to improve and I really hope she continues to play.

All-State Choir

2012-02-20T14:50:00.005-07:00

I am so super proud of Morgan! Earlier in the school year she auditioned at for the Elementary All-State Choir that would be performing at the Colorado Music Educators Conference that would be held in Colorado Springs. Morgan was one of 6 kids from her school to make it! Talent-wise she is an interesting mix between me and Ken. She definitely has some skills, but doesn't necessarily want to be a star. She, at least for now, likes being in the group.

For several months, they had before school choir practices so they could learn all the music. They had about 8 pieces to learn. Even though it was mostly unison and 2 part, there was some difficult music, including one in Hebrew. Even better, one of her best friends, Zach made the All-State Choir too so they had a great time practicing together.

The weekend of CMEA we decided it would be most fun to go with the Kris and Zach Briggs. Ken had plenty of hotel points so we used those instead of paying mega bucks to stay at the fancy, Broadmoor Hotel (I can never say this without saying "Broaaaadmore" in my haughtiest British accent) where the conference was being held. We headed down right after school on Friday and stopped for a delicious dinner at Cheesecake Factory. When we got to Colorado Springs, we checked in and immediately put on our suits and headed down to the pool. After some splish -splashin' we did a late night run to Target for some last minute materials and to Culver's for some custard. Yum! We then set the alarm for early before watching some TV and going to bed.

Morgan didn't need the alarm. She was so excited she was awake by 4:00am! Not so great for me since I was sharing a bed with her and she was wiggling lots. We all got up and ready and grabbed some breakfast before getting to the hotel for check-in and rehearsal. The kids were to rehearse all day leading up to their 4:30 concert. Kris and I had some chaperoning assignments throughout the day, but sadly the room was pretty packed so they had us out in the hall. (I would have loved to listen to the rehearsal. Bummer!) We were able to sneak away while some of the other moms were on duty so we could go to lunch and then take in the high school All-State jazz choirs concert. There was some fun stuff performed. I'll have to remember some of those arrangements for Take Note.

After the concert, I ran back over to the rehearsal rooms to help the kids make there way over to where the concert would be held. It was amazing to me how they redid the entire formation of the room to fit all those people. It was pretty crowded and we had to wait quite a while to get in the hall, but when we finally did Kris was able to find us 2 seats up on the 5th row. Lucky us! It would have been impossible to see our kids had we been all the way in the back.

The concert was very well done! It was the first time that they had ever done an Elementary All-State choir and I'm sure they will have lots of ideas how to make it better for next year. Unfortunately the conductor they worked with wasn't especially kid friendly, but overall it was a great experience! I was really proud of all the Prairie Ridge kids, especially Morgan and Zach. I also really appreciated the extra time and effort that their choir teacher, Mrs. Keller put in to help them prepare.

(Morgan is right in the middle.)

Adair Family pictures

2012-01-31T21:10:00.004-07:00

Our family, as of 2011:

Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids:

Some of the couples:

Cyle and Athena

Clint and Audra

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-31T15:05:00.003-07:00

This Christmas was super sweet. We were able to travel to Oklahoma to my parents house. The very best part was that our whole family was there -- all four of us kids there together for Christmas for probably the first time in a decade. I can't tell you how amazing it was being together. It was so good for my heart to be with my family, watching the kids play together, and staying up late talking, and getting to know my new sister-in-laws better.

We traveled through the snow on Wednesday to get in late that night. On Thursday we were able to visit the Braum's plant. It was interesting to see the dairy, ice cream and other products being made. Then we went over to the bakery to see them making all the rolls, cookies, cakes, and ice cream cones. I am sure we all gained weight just by breathing in that delicious air. :) We all had a good time and then ate lunch at Braum's on the way home.

On Friday we went and saw Sherlock Holmes while Grandpa and Grandma were nice enough to watch the kids. (Good movie!) That night we had a family talent show and let me just say, this family has talent! Lots of wiggling ears, standing on balls, cartwheels, piano playing, and tap dancing. Wow!

On Saturday, Christmas Eve, we went to Medicine Park and took family pictures. I have to say, they went pretty well and everyone cooperated with me while I bossed them around taking pictures. I think we got some good ones. Check out the next post for the pictures.

On Christmas Eve we shared a delicious dinner and then the kids acted our the nativity while Codi read Luke 2. Then we had a special visitor -- SANTA! Clint had arranged for Santa to deliver a bike stand for Audra, which she loved! The kids loved getting to visit with Santa. After Santa went off to do his other deliveries, we continued our Christmas Eve celebration. As a family we performed Michael McLean's, Forgotten Carols. A story that uses Christmas symbols and ornaments to tell the stories of the minor characters in the Christmas story. Grandma was the story-teller and the rest of us sang and played the other characters. I loved how we all got to participate as we really focused on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Before putting the kids to bed, they each got to open a gift.

Christmas Day we all got up and went to church. For me, taking the Lord's supper, the Sacrament, had increased meaning that morning as I focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and all that He has done for me. Then Codi and I were able to sing a duet about the birth of our Savior. I always have a great time singing with my sister and hopefully our baring testimony helped add to the influence of the Spirit during the meeting.

After getting back home, we had a fun time opening presents and being together. Then on Monday we all packed up and headed home. It was a treat being together for the holiday. I love my family!!!

Take Note

2012-01-31T14:19:00.002-07:00

This was probably Take Note's biggest seasons so far. We had a ton of gigs that December! In addition to performing at many nursing homes, we also sang at three other large venues. We also had lots of PR and had a couple of different articles written on us.

In November were asked by our stake PR representative to perform with the Colorado Mormon Chorale. After talking to the director I got the sense that he wasn't quite sure how we would sound. In fact, from our "inside source" in the choir, they we a little hesitant to share a program with us because they thought we would be an amateur group. It made it all the more sweet when after the concert we got a ton of wonderful compliments from many in the choir, including the director, how amazing we sounded. We also heard from many that we had "stolen the show". The choir mentioned they would love to have us sing with them again. It was a great night!

We also were asked by the Longs Peak Barbershop Chorus to sing on their concerts. We were able to do an Friday evening and a Saturday matinee concert. It was really fun sharing the stage with those gentlemen. On Friday night there was quite the scare! Most of the men in the chorus are on the older side and during the second to last song, just before we were to join them on stage for the big finale, one of the men passed out and face-planted from the second riser. He was out cold and it was pretty scary because he was almost 80 and no one was sure what had happened. The paramedics were called and the hall was cleared. We finished by performing the last song in the foyer. That was certainly most most unusual ending to a concert that I have ever participated in. Luckily, the man ended up being alright, although he did not perform with us the next day.

We also had the local Longmont Magazine do a feature article on us. You can read it HERE on pages 16 and 17. It has been great getting our name out there and we are already booking many performances for the spring.

It is hard to explain how much I love getting to perform with these amazing women! When I choose our music to put together a program and then help direct the group, I have a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. I spent so much of my life developing those talents, I would feel like a part of me was missing if I did not get to use them. I'm so grateful for the support of my family, especially Ken, as I pursue this art. Music is an important part of me feeling complete and these women that I work with, in this goal of making beautiful music, have a dear place in my heart. I love these gals!

I'm Thankful...

2012-01-23T15:04:00.005-07:00

I absolutely love Thanksgiving and the opportunity to focus on all my many blessings. I realize that I am very blessed and can see God's influence in my life.

This year we decided to spend Thanksgiving with the Allreds and Garrards in Utah. It was a wonderful long weekend with lots of relaxing and seeing fabulous friends. Definitely worth the drive across windy, cold Wyoming.

We got there late Tuesday night, talked far too late, and then slept in a bit on Wednesday. Ken and Shane took Trevor and Reid out for a guys day. The boys had a blast while Rochelle and I prepped for the big day. That evening we got our turn to see a movie and do some last minute shopping -- I needed to stock up on the BIG containers of Stephen's hot chocolate! Then we picked up the boys and headed down to Provo to meet Mark and Malinda at Brick Oven. Yum!!!

Thursday was a pretty low key day while we prepared for the big meal. My mind kept thinking of my family and especially my brother Cyle. He was arriving home from serving in Iraq that afternoon. I was sad I couldn't be there to welcome him home and thank him for his service. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and it was another treat to have Mark and Malinda come up for the evening with their kids. There are few things as wonderful as being with good friends.

Friday morning Rochelle and Shane were gracious enough to host breakfast for a big group of transplanted Colorado folks. We missed the Paynes (but emergency surgery is a pretty good excuse) and Apezteguias! Then the rest of the day was spent watching movies and napping as we prepared for the cold. We had decided to go up, meet the McNeals, and see the lights on Temple Square. It was beautiful, but super cold. Luckily, Rochelle is a genius and planned ahead, bring a thermos full of hot chocolate! I love being on Temple Square and it was perfect way to ring in the Christmas season!

On Saturday, we packed up and said goodbye to our dear friends and headed up to Salt Lake. One of our favorite professors from our BYU days, Dr. Doug Bush, was performing in an organ recital in the tabernacle. It was a wonderful recital and it was a special treat to be able to hug and talk with him a few moments.

We then headed around the Great Salt Lake to be with our friends Stephen and Ashlyn Garrard. We always have such a wonderful time with them! Ashlyn is an amazing hostess and Stephen is so much fun to sing with. (In fact, it was over about 20 years ago that Ken and Stephen met at a music camp at NAU and they have been friends ever since.) We played games, stayed up late talking, ate delicious meals, and even performed a musical number in their ward before we had to head home after lunch on Sunday.

It was a wonderful holiday and it was fantastic to spend it with friends that we love like family.

Family Pictures 2011

2012-01-12T21:08:00.004-07:00

Every fall we are excited (and I get stressed out trying to choose our outfits) to have our family pictures taken by the amazing Becky Payne. As always, she was an joy to work with AND she makes us look happy and beautiful. Check out her beautiful work here!

Thanks again Becky!

Me at 36

2012-01-12T19:57:00.004-07:00

Not quite sure where the time has gone. My mother certainly doesn't look old enough to have a child that is 36. I look at my 4 children who are getting bigger and more mature every day and I still think that I am not old enough or responsible enough to have kids. Time, despite some of my efforts and plenty of anti-aging cream, continues to march on. On November 19th I turned 36.

To celebrate, friends and I went out to dinner and then Breaking Dawn part one. I can't tell you how lucky I am to be surrounded by beautiful, charming, intelligent, fun, spiritual, and service minded friends. They make my heart so very happy. I keep hoping that by osmosis, or some other way, I will become all the things these amazing women are and hope they won't catch onto the fact that I am pretty much a big nerd and stop hanging out with me. I always feel better about life when I have spent time with my dear friends.

On my actual birthday Ken and I went on a date and then came home to watch the BYU football game. After 15 plus years that man still makes me weak in my knees. I am grateful everyday for how he takes care of me and our family. He is such a good man and I am so blessed to be his.

I wanted to do this blog post because so often in my scrapbooking I am the one behind the camera and I don't show up too often. But in recording our family history (and since this has become my journal) I guess I should record some things about me too. So here is me at 36...

I am a mom to 4 beautiful, passionate, fun-loving, smart, and crazy children.
I am the wife of a handsome, patient, understanding man who always wants to do what is right.
I love to sing with Take Note!
I am a voice teacher of about 12 students. I love seeing them progress!
I am a political junkie.
My hair hasn't been this long since high school.
I am still overweight, but I am working on it.
Sadly, though, I am the queen of yo-yo dieting. Working on that too.
Going to institute taught by Bro. Lehman is one the highlights of my week.
I still am trying to figure out life balance and self-discipline. Not so good at those things.
I am serving in the nursery right now.
I LOVE going to book club every month.
I am grateful that I still enjoy learning new things.
I still am working on the basics. I really had hoped I would have those down by this time. :(
I love watching BYU sports and cheering on the Cougars.
I love the people in my life deeply.
I am a daughter of God.

A Small Part of the World

2012-01-12T15:30:00.005-07:00

At school Morgan and Trevor were able to perform in the school program, "A Small Part of the World". The program shared songs and culture from countries all over the globe. In choir they had been learning and rehearsing the songs since the beginning of the year. Trevor especially loved singing Allouette, a bird song from France.

It was a two night presentation with the grades K-2 performing the first night and 3-5 performing the continuation of the show the next night. Morgan auditioned and was selected along with a handful of other 5th graders to be a narrator so she got to perform both nights. Morgan and Trevor both got to also be dancers to some of the songs. Ken even got to help out and was asked my Mrs. Keller to be the sound guy. It was a great show and it was so fun watching the kids and their friends have such a great time up on stage!

Ken with Trevor backstage.

Happy Halloween!

2012-01-12T15:19:00.005-07:00

Who doesn't LOVE candy?

My kiddos were so excited for Halloween. The weekend before the big night we carved pumpkins. On Monday they got to have parties at school, a trunk-or-treat and chili cook-off at the church, AND the big night of trick-or treating. Ken got to take them around the neighborhood as I manned the door.

Morgan was a nerd.

Trevor was Darth Vader.

Peyton was the cutest witch around.

And couldn't you just eat up this super cute Thomas the Tank Engine?!?

Trick-or treat!

8 Years

2012-01-12T15:09:00.003-07:00

It really doesn't seem like it was that long ago that Trevor arrived as a cute little bundle. He is certainly not little anymore! Trevor turned 8 and while his grandparents were there the Wenhams came up and we were able to have a family birthday party!

Trevor is full of life and passion. He is super smart and does really well in school and is well liked by the kids in his class. He is a happy kid and is also talented. He is taking piano and singing lessons as well as advancing quickly in Karate. Building with legos, playing with friends, especially Trey, and playing minecraft on the computer are some of his favorite things. I can't imagine our family without him!

Happy birthday buddy!

Bump, set, spike!!!

2012-01-12T15:01:00.003-07:00

Almost anyway. :)

This fall Morgan got to try out volleyball. She wasn't exactly sure about it when I signed her up, but she began to love the sport. We all loved cheering her on at her games. She was lucky to have a great coach and really began to catch on to the fundamentals of the game. It was really exciting when she started consistently being able to get her serve over the net in games. The Diggers had a winning season and it was so fun to watch Morgan, and all the girls, improve their skills.

Go Diggers!

.

The Age of Accountability

2012-01-12T14:53:00.002-07:00

This last October, Trevor turned 8 years-old and chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ken and I were so proud of him for being willing to make a covenant with Heavenly Father to take upon him the name of Christ. It was even cooler because he was able to be baptized exactly on his birthday, October 15.

It was a great weekend spent with wonderful family and friends. Both sets of Grandparents were able to make the trip for this special occasion. It was even cooler that they were able to participate in the program of Trevor's baptism with my dad giving a talk on baptism and the covenant Trevor was going to make, my mom giving a prayer, and Ken's mom leading the music. I got to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. It was such a special day for Trevor and our family. The Spirit was really strong and we had many friends come to support Trevor as he took this big step.

This was definitely one of the highlights of our year!

Grandpa gave Trevor a purple heart hat to remind him of the sacrifice and courage
it will take as he keeps his covenants.

Take me away...

2011-11-08T21:50:00.002-07:00

For the past 5 years or so I have been able to attend a scrapbook retreat for conference weekend. Every year I look forward to it! I get time to focus on preserving my family's history while listening to the servants of God, and enjoying times with dear friends.

for the second year in a row, we attended a great retreat in Colorado Springs, at My Scrapbook Retreat. It was a special treat to have one of my dearest friends, Malinda even come all the way from Idaho to go with us. We had a great weekend and I got Cooper's baby scrapbook almost all finished. I am already looking forward to next year.

Jog-a-thon 2011

2011-11-02T22:55:00.005-06:00

Every year as the school's fundraiser the kids get to participate in the Jog-a-thon. The students (and some teachers) did their best running laps and collecting pledges to donate to the school. Peyton was super excited to get to run in it this year now that she is in Kindergarten. And of course, Cooper loved cheering his older sisters and brother on. And eating a popsicle afterward. :)

Thanks to all our family who donated!

Morgan is 10!

2011-11-02T22:40:00.003-06:00

Blink. And my first baby is 10 years old. It happened so fast!

We kept Morgan's birthday pretty low-key; pizza, cake, wii games, and a movie. She had about 10 friends over and then a few of the girls were able to spend the night. I enjoyed watching her be around her friends and, as a parent, I am glad she has made some good choices as far as friends.

As Morgan turns 10...
Her best friends are: Kendall, Tiffany, Hunter, and Zach.
She loves playing four square, volleyball, and basketball.
She participates in choir, Mesa, and GT at school.
She thinks Activity Days at church is pretty fun.
She gets really good grades.
She is addicted to computer and video games.
She is a great big sister, especially to Cooper.
She has a developing sense of humor and has tons of personality.

We love her and is so grateful she is in our family! Happy 10th birthday, Morgan!

Cooper is 2!

2011-10-21T17:06:00.004-06:00

How quickly the time flies! My baby is growing up before my eyes! Cooper has LOADS of personality and is learning so fast. He talks up a storm and it amazes me how quickly he learns new words.

I have never seen a two-year old with such a sense humor. His latest joke is "I three." Then when we say, "wait a minute, you're not three!" He responds, "I two! Ha ha ha ha!" He made this up himself and it is his favorite go to joke lately. He loves jumping on the trampoline, playing with his cars and trucks, and singing "I am a Child of God" (aka "Gog"), "Twinkle, Twinkle" (aka "Quinkle, Quinkle"), and Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (aka "Jesus").

We celebrated his birthday by having the Hansens and the Adamsons over for cake and games. We all had a really fun night together. Cooper is absolutely adored by just about everyone he meets. He is an absolute joy to have in our family and we love him so much!

Happy birthday buddy! It's great to be TWO!

Camping with friends

2011-09-19T21:36:00.004-06:00

I am not really much of a camper anymore. I loved it growing up, but now that I am a mom I find that I don't sleep very well and I am always worried if the kids are warm enough (because I always seem to be cold). Ken is very glad that I still like like to go when good friends invite us. Camping with friends is the only way to go!

We loaded up the family and all our gear and headed up to Granby Lake the weekend after school started. The kids had a fantastic time playing with friends. They built awesome forts, loved building the fire, and eating s'mores. The adults enjoyed late nights talking around the campfire, playing horseshoes, and walks by the lake.

On Saturday, we took a short hike to Adams Falls. There was a series of beautiful waterfalls and the kids loved playing in the river. It was fun having a campsite so near the lake! We were lucky to get everything packed up and in the car just before the rain started to fall, as the lightening crackled overhead. It was a beautiful weekend and I loved the drive to and from the campsite as much as camping itself. Colorado is so beautiful and I am grateful for friends that make me go out and enjoy the beauty. :)

About to hike up to Adams Falls.

Love Calli's face in this one! She's not so sure about the canoeing.

First Day of School

2011-09-08T15:24:00.003-06:00

Toward the end of summer, around the time we start getting the school supplies for the year, my kids start itching to go back to school. We are pretty lucky that all of our kids enjoy school. Peyton was even more excited because she was starting kindergarten!

We attended back to school night and met all the kids teachers --they have great teachers this year! Ms. Ingraham was Morgan's 3rd grade teacher (and her favorite teacher during elementary school) and was thrilled to have her again for 5th grade. Trevor has a new teacher named Ms. Doughty and knew Trevor enough to give him the tallest desk in the classroom. :) Peyton's teacher, Mrs. Dreitz, was so nice when we walked in and said she was excited to teached one of the Siders' kids. That sure made us feel welcome!

The first day arrived with much anticipation. The kids were up and ready and couldn't wait to get out of the door. I'm sure glad they love to learn and love going BACK TO SCHOOL!

"The Cabin"

2011-09-08T15:20:00.000-06:00

You know those friends, that over laughter and tears, inside jokes, and time spent together, that have become family. We are richly blessed to have some of those in our life and every summer we meet up together in Montana at the DeBry family cabin just outside of Yellowstone. We have been going since before Morgan can even remember. In our family, we simply refer to it as "the cabin."

Each year the group picture has expanded, but there are wonderful activities that we look forward to. Ken looks forward to hiking, fishing, canoeing, shooting, horseback riding, and time with the guys. I look forward to reading a book curled up on the most comfortable couch EVER (and some of that other stuff too). The kids play with their friends and we play with ours. We talk and laugh late into the night. We are totally off the grid; no phone or internet. From those large picture windows we see a bit of heaven on earth and are surrounded by some of those we love most.

It is a tradition that we love and are so grateful that Mark and Malinda invite us year after year. Here is some of the picture highlights from "The Cabin -- 2011."

Lunch with the ladies at the Beartooth Cafe.

The hike up to Woody Falls.

The summit of Sheep Mountain with Pilot and Index behind.

Morgan's pinewood derby

2011-09-07T13:53:00.004-06:00

It seems that the Activity Days girls wanted to get in on the fun of a pinewood derby. Morgan and Ken attended the "Robert Wagner school of Derby Cars" one Saturday and got Morgan's car ready. I think Ken was possibly more excited than Morgan and really looked forward to working on her car with her.

The big day came and everyone there had a good time! There were some amazing cars that the girls (and their dads) had worked so hard on. Overall, Morgan's car came in second place and she was thrilled with that. All the kids loved cheering Morgan and her car on. It was a great activity! Ken is already counting down to Trevor being in cubscouts so he can do it again. :) Way to go Morgan!!!

Mountain Man...

2011-08-23T22:55:00.002-06:00

Ken has always had a love of hiking and in the past couple of years he has been working on "conquering" mountains, especially fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet). This summer he has had the opportunity to take several hikes. In July he, with his friend, Jeff Love, decided to conquer Grays peak and Torreys Peak. I am hoping that I will get him to be a guest blogger to share his adventures soon. Until then, I hope these pictures suffice.

The Tooth Fairy comes to our house...

2011-08-23T21:54:00.003-06:00

One morning I looked at Peyton and I was shocked to see that her tooth was crooked. I thought that she must have hit her mouth and I was surprised to see that it was loose and that her new tooth was already coming in behind! In only a couple of days her tooth fell out, prompting much celebration. It was only a few more days until the tooth beside it fell out as well.

As a mom, it threw into sharp relief that my baby girl is getting bigger. Wow -- she is growing up too fast!

More pictures from the trip...

2011-08-22T22:28:00.010-06:00

I literally took hundreds of pictures on our trip back east. Here are some of my favorites...

Marine Corps Sunset Parade

Photos I took during my "photo safari."

Vietnam War Memorial

Portrait my instructor, David, took of me.

Korean War Memorial

At the National Cathedral

(Cool sculpture hanging off the side of a house.)

Views of the city

Mount Vernon

Philadelphia

Celebrating 15 years...

2011-08-16T22:15:00.015-06:00

(The text formatting is being weird and sadly I lack the skills to fix it. So sorry!)

I’m not quite sure how 15 years passed so quickly, but they did. In June, Ken and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something fun to celebrate. We decided that I should join him for his business trip to Washington DC and then go north and explore Philadelphia for the weekend. Many thanks to Holly and Brian for being willing to watch our children for almost a week so I could join Ken and we could get away together!

Ken headed out on Sunday while I stayed behind for an extra day to pack up the kids and take them to Holly’s, do some errands, and get the house clean. (It is always so much nicer to come home to a clean house!) I flew out on a late flight on Monday. I had a great book so the time flew by quickly and finally reached our hotel at almost 2:00 in the morning. I was lucky, I got to sleep in a bit, but Ken had to get up and go to work. I took my time getting ready and deciding what to do for the day. It is so decadent to be just in charge of me and get to do what I want to do – what a treat!!! I ventured out to get some lunch and then walk over the Natural History Smithsonian. I spent several hours exploring and then went to meet Ken.

One of my best memories of living near DC when I was younger was attending the USMC Evening Parade down at Eight and I and I wanted to share that with Ken. We made arrangements to meet Naomi, my former roommate, and her children to see the Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial. The parade was just as cool as I remembered with the drum and bugle corps and the silent drill taking. The setting was majestic and I was so impressed with the presentation. Ooh rah!

On Wednesday I was really excited! Online, I had found a photo safari tour around Washington DC and was excite to take some postcard pictures of my own – or at least try to. It was tour taught by a professional photographer and our group started out with some basics of photography and then David took us around the city as we got to practice our newfound skills. Our morning group had about 14 of us for the half day tour and then four of us continued on for the full day excursion. I think I got some good shots and I truly enjoyed getting to know the others in the group.

That night we got tickets for the musical Oklahoma that was opening at the Arena Theater. It was a fabulous production done in the round and I was really impressed the singing, especially Curly’s voice, and the dancing. We thoroughly enjoyed it!!! Afterward we went to a new restaurant near the theater called Station 4. We loved the yummy food and swanky décor. It simply is a treat being out for a nice dinner together! About halfway through our meal about half the cast from the play came in for some dinner and drinks in the bar. So of course we took the opportunity on our way out to let them know how much we enjoyed the show. They were all super nice and it was fun spending a few minutes talking with them.

On Thursday I got to have another slow start while waiting for Naomi to pick me up. We took her kids down to her sister’s house and then we headed out to the inspection of the new home they were planning to buy. I was giddy that I was able to spend time with her AND get to see their new home. It was gorgeous and on 10 beautiful wooded acres in Virginia. Amazing! After exploring and talking through furniture placement and decorations, we spent the rest of the afternoon talking out on her wrap around front porch. I love Naomi so much and I loved every minute I got to spend with her!

After picking up Naomi’s kids, we drove back to the city and picked Ken up. Naomi, and her kids were fantastic sports and were willing to drive us around to see a bit of the city at night. She was even patient with me when I wanted to jump out of the car and get some night shots of the Lincoln Memorial. She then drove Ken and I into Georgetown where we had dinner reservations at Filomena Ristorante, a delicious Italian restaurant. (I still have dreams about the salad I ate there! It. Was. So. Yummy!) The night was beautiful as we took a romantic stroll together through the city.

Friday morning we both got up and moving. I rented a car and drove down to Quantico. I was thrilled that they let me on base and it was so cool to see where I had lived 22 years before – what was still the same and what was different. I had forgotten how beautiful that base was with tons of trees, the Potomac River, and rolling hills. My old neighborhood was totally changed -- they had even redone how the roads were! But the PX and my old schools seemed exactly the same. I was sad to see the old Officer’s Club pool filled in. I had so many memories there. All in all it was just fun to drive around and remember. I must admit, I even had a tear or two in my eyes just thinking about all the people and experiences I had while living there that did a great deal to make me who I am. I was so blessed to have that time there and that I still have friends from my life then.

I picked up Ken from work and we took a beautiful drive down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon. We loved spending the afternoon strolling the grounds and learning more about George Washington. A couple of years ago I read 1776 by David McCullough and I recall how many times Washington talked about how much he loved Mount Vernon and longed to return there. Walking around the beautiful grounds and seeing that stunning view of the Potomac River I totally understood why he would want to be back at his beloved Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon

After the wonderful afternoon at Mount Vernon we got in the car and started driving up to Philadelphia. Neither Ken or I had been then before and we were really looking forward to seeing the sights. We stopped at a Cheesecake Factory in Delaware for a delicious dinner. I am always amazed by all the trees back east! Out here in the west you can often see restaurants from the freeway, but we would have been up a creek without navigation on our phones. We also used that navigation to find a theater and stop for a late night showing of Harry Potter. With our delays we rolled into Philly about 2:30 in the morning.

Over the next couple of days we saw the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' home, Christ Church, Benjamin Franklin stuff, the US Mint, and Independence Hall. I loved seeing all the historical sites and I was ever more appreciative of our nation's humble beginnings and her Founding Fathers. We were also able to get some last minute tickets to see Miss Siagon at the Walnut Street Theater, one of the oldest theaters in the country. We were even able to cross having an authentic Philly cheese steak off our bucket list. :)

Besty Ross house

In front of Independence Hall

In the very room the Declaration of Independence was signed!

It was a fantastic trip and it was so good to spend time together! I can't imagine a better companion for both this adventure and my life journey. I love you Ken! Happy 15th anniversary -- here's to many, many more.

(More pictures to follow...)

Adair Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-26T16:49:00.009-06:00

We were so excited for the Adair Family Reunion that took place in Durango, CO over 4th of July weekend! It is always a great time with tons of aunts, uncles, and cousins. I especially look forward to hanging out with my awesome cousins and it is so fun now watching our kids play together.

Our drive down to Durango was breathtaking and the scenery as we drove down the middle of the state was gorgeous! Makes me so grateful for the beautiful state we live in. It was without incident until just over an hour to our destination and then Trevor threw-up. Poor guy! Makes me also grateful for leather seats and lysol wipes! We finally got my cousin, Lauren's, home where we would be staying. The younger generation, ie. those that had young children, stayed at Lauren's while the older generation stayed at my Aunt Fay's house. It made for some tight quarters, but it was even more fun being all together and talking late into the night.

On Friday, those of us that had arrived, to a trek to Bluff, UT and the nearby San Juan Hill. San Juan Hill was the last big hurdle of the pioneers of the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition. It is amazing to see where the wagon wheel ruts are still in the rock and see where the pioneers carved "We thank thee oh God" into the rock face. After hiking to the top, you can't but wonder how they did it with covered wagons! We then went a little further down the river to explore some Native American cliff dwellings. Before heading back to Durango we toured the visitors center at Bluff Fort. It was a day that made me reflect on our family's heritage. What a great activity for a FAMILY reunion!

Saturday started out with a delicious waffle breakfast. Of course we had to have plenty of energy so that we could have another great expedition and floating down the river fit the bill perfectly! The sun was shining and the water was cold; a great combination! Then after cleaning up and a quick rest we headed our to the Bar D for some great food and great entertainment.

Sunday we almost doubled the size of Aunt Fay and Uncle Jack's ward. :) It was wonderful to partake of the Sacrament and to feel the Spirit. After church we had a barbeque and had time for all of us (close to 50!) to visit. We spent much of the afternoon and into the evening talking, playing a killer game of kickball, taking a family picture, eating popsicles, and celebrating Jessie and Cody's upcoming wedding. Of course there were tears and hugs when we had to say goodbye. We are a crazy crew, but there is nothing that feels as good as being with family.

On Monday we headed out to my grandparent's old ranch. My uncle Ken and his wife, Julie, now live there and they were kind enough to have us out for some shooting and lunch. Uncle Ken has great stories, cowboy puzzles, and he is always fun to be around. I was sad to leave and start the journey home. I am already looking forward to our next reunion in the summer of 2013! I love my family!!!

Good friends!

2011-07-26T15:05:00.002-06:00

It was an absolute treat to have my former roommate, Naomi, and her family come for a visit to Denver. We were able to have her family over for dinner. So many of our children's ages match up nicely and they had as much fun as the adults had. It was fantastic to catch up! Whenever we get together, which is never as often as I would like, it always feels like everything is just the same. I LOVE friends like that!

Cheeseball at the reservoir

2011-07-26T14:09:00.004-06:00

Every summer we love to go to the reservoir near our home. There is a "beach" area, plenty of sand to play in, and a park. We bring a picnic and spend the afternoon soaking up the sun. Sometimes friends are able to join us and sometimes we it is just our family. Cooper is not a huge fan of the water, but he loves to play with his trucks in the sand. On this particular day, he found my camera in the swim bag, gave it to me, and started saying "cheese!" Of course I started snapping pictures! It is not every day I have such a cute and willing model!

My wild "Stallion"

2011-07-26T13:49:00.003-06:00

This summer Trevor chose to play (coach pitch) baseball. It was even more fun having his friends Jude and Ross on his team. Trevor loved batting and usually was able to hit off the pitch. His focus was better than last year and he was a good help to his team. I admit, that I loved going to his games, other than the ones that we got rained on, and we had a great time cheering his team on. Go Stallions!

Playing catcher

Ready at first base

Hiking with the Allreds

2011-07-23T17:59:00.004-06:00

While the Allreds were visiting, Ken and Shane bravely took Morgan, Lynlee, Reid, and Trevor on a hike up Rattlesnake Gulch in Eldorado Canyon State Park. They hiked up to the ruins of Crags Hotel, a luxury mountain hotel that burned down in 1912. It was a beautiful day and there was scenery to match. Even with all the grand views, the kids were most excited about the oreos they got to have for snack.

The Black Hills

2011-06-20T15:16:00.007-06:00

For years now we have been talking about going to Mt. Rushmore -- after all it is a mere 6 hours away! Our friend, Gavin, has spent the last several years telling us that Mt. Rushmore and Wall Drug is "on the way." He never really said where it is on the way to, so we decided to make it our destination. We were excited to go with our dear friends the Hansens, Paynes, and Allreds. We all have a fantastic time and everyone had a friend to play with.

On Friday we headed out, caravan style, driving up through Wyoming and into South Dakota. We drove through Custer State park. There we saw multiple herds of buffalo with their babies and got to feed apples to the burros. The park was BEAUTIFUL! The exciting moment finally came when we drove through the tunnels and caught our first glimpse of Mt. Rushmore.

In addition to Mt. Rushmore itself, we made sure to visit the incredible sights of the Badlands. It was fun to hike around and the kids had a blast exploring. On the way home we stopped at Wall Drug for some lunch (and doughnuts and pie) before racing back for a chuckwagon dinner. We also took all kids to Old MacDonalds Farm, a petting zoo. The kids had fun and there was the most exciting pig race I had ever seen (I was rooting for Sausageawea). :)

I think the highlight for the kids was staying in a hotel that had a 102 foot waterslide. One afternoon we took a break from sightseeing and played in the pool. I don't know who had a better time on the waterslide, all the kids, or the dads.

As we made our way home on Monday we took the scenic view through the Needles. what incredible views! I wish we could have taken more time and done some hiking through there, but we had tickets for a tour at Jewel Cave. Ken was able to take Morgan and Trevor on a more extensive tour of the cave while I stayed with Peyton and Cooper.

Our last stop took us to the thriving Metropolis of Guernsey, Wyoming. Our friend, Shane, served there for a time on his mission and showed us a spot on the Oregon Trail where the wheels of the covered wagons had worn into the rocks. The wheel ruts are still there. We also went to a spot along the Platt River where people traveling along The Trail had carved their names into the rock.

It was a great trip, one many years in the making. There were so many things that we didn't get to do that we are already looking forward to going back!

Mommy luncheon at Preschool

2011-05-25T14:56:00.004-06:00

Wendy is a gifted teacher! Peyton has learned so much from her this year and she loves preschool! Wendy is extremely organized and does everything beautifully.

For Mother's Day, Wendy and the girls hosted a Mommy's luncheon that we got to dress up for. We received Mother's Day balloons, placemats with questions about us answered by our daughters, and a beautiful purple tulip in a vase decorated just for us. We had delicious menu, complete with chocolate mousse! The girls also sang us a great song about mother's. We totally felt spoiled!

Check out Peyton's answers about me!

Blossoms of spring...

2011-05-25T14:33:00.003-06:00

Every spring there is a short window where the blossoms on our cherry tree are stunningly beautiful and deliciously fragrant. The sound of buzzing bees seems to float along with the scent. One beautiful spring morning I tried to capture their beauty, but I can't capture the scent, the sun making the blossom petals almost translucent, the breeze, and the sound of buzzing bees. It is moments like these that I feel Heavenly Father's great love for us to give us an earth so beautiful.

"School's Out for Summer!"

2011-05-25T13:53:00.003-06:00

We are all excited for school to be out for the summer. Both Morgan and Trevor had a great year and have the report cards to reflect it. I am so proud of them! Now let's go have some FUN!

Girl Power

2011-05-25T09:37:00.004-06:00

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to sing with these ladies! This spring has been a whirlwind. We recorded a Christmas CD in February so we got a late start on our spring program which we titled "Girl Power." The program takes us on a journey of the phases of a woman's life; from growing up and having some fun, to falling in love, to serving each other and our communities, and especially being mothers. We had a lot of fun (and a few extra rehearsals) trying to put all these songs together. I'm sure they could still use a bit of polish, but I am fairly pleased with where we got with the amount of music we had and the short time we had.

After performances all May I am ready for a little break, but it won't be long before I miss singing (and socializing) with these incredible women. By August I will be ready to go.

The video was taken at our gig on Monday. Sadly it was at a location that had a painfully out of tune piano, but we just roll with the punches. We were also missing Dianne who was very sick. :( Joy and Emily were awesome, filling in for her solo and accompaniment. Hope you enjoy a few of our songs. If you want to see all the songs from our program, you can go here.

Dancing Queen

If Ever I Would Leave You

Operator

I Hope You Dance

The Mom Song

I'm a Woman

Springtime in New York

2011-05-22T21:05:00.007-06:00

How lucky am I that I have a dear friend who lives in Manhattan that likes when I come to visit? The answer: SUPER lucky! Having a newborn at home last year, I didn't get to take what I would like to think is my yearly trip to the musical theater mecca.

This year I was thrilled when I booked my ticket and was beyond excited to visit with Celia. I couldn't wait for the fun adventures we had planned! I got in late Wednesday night and we couldn't help staying up far too late chatting. I felt really badly because Celia had to work the next morning.

On Thursday I got to sleep in and tried to get over the giddiness of being just in charge of me. I headed up to midtown to go to MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art. I really enjoyed walking around and exploring the exhibits. It was exciting to see some of my favorites, such as Van Gogh's Starry Night. There were also some amazing works of Picasso that I loved seeing in person. Perhaps this is just me showing how uneducated I am, but I started to lose interest in the works that were a little too "modern." I'm sorry, but a plain black canvas? Or a bicycle wheel and a snow shovel? After a bit it seems like the are pushing boundaries for the sake of pushing boundaries rather than really trying to express something. If any readers out there are better versed in modern art feel free to set me straight...

After exploring the museum for awhile, I took the subway back down to to Chelsea to meet a new friend. After reconnecting with my friend, Adam, on facebook I somehow stumbled onto his wife's blog. Nell is an amateur photographer that loves food, especially cheese, travel, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She was doing a 365 project and posting a picture a day. Over the last year I have loved looking at her work and getting to know her in the process. When I knew I was heading to NYC, I asked if we could meet. I had such a wonderful time meeting Nell, talking with her, eating the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich of my life (apple rhubarb chutney!), and walking along High Line Park taking photographs. She was even more fun in real life! It was also a treat to walk to Adam's office and see him again.

That evening I met up with Celia and her friend Brigitte to go to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. Loved it! Wan't really expecting to see Harry Potter sing and dance, but he did a great job! Even though I wasn't really familiar with the show, I really enjoyed it. I especially loved the set and the closing number made me (and the rest of the theater) want to stand up and cheer! Great show!

Friday was another fantastic day on my own. I headed up to the Museum of Natural History and explore around there for several hours. Not having to keep track of little people I was able to wander freely and listen to my book. I then walked through Central Park on the way back to Ceila's.

One of the bonuses about moving my trip from April was the fact that I got to meet Celia's boyfriend, Quincy. I was so excited to meet him! He came over for dinner on Friday night before we headed out to Jazz Standard to listen to New York Voices. Their set was amazing! I have been a fan since high school and it was such a treat to hear them live. The club was smaller so we had great seats. I was so impressed with their musicianship and how they voiced all their songs. Total pros! I want to be like that someday!

This part is kinda fun. Quincy is an amazing jazz musician and it turned out that he has actually played with New York Voices and several of the band members. After the set they came up to talk to him and we got to meet and talk with a couple of the members. So cool!

Quincy with Kim Nazarian of New York Voices

I also loved getting to see my beautiful friend Brittany Mayer. She happened to be in town for the week from California. We have known each other since high school and I simply adore her. It was fun to catch up with her. Celia and I were looking forward to seeing her perform on Saturday. We were having fun singing and goofing around so she asked us to sing with her the next night. Celia had the brilliant idea of singing "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" by the Andrew Sisters. We spent a few minutes working out some of the harmonies outside the club so we could be ready for the following night.

Saturday we walked down to Chelsea Market for some brunch before going to see a matinee of Wonderland. I enjoyed most of the musical numbers, but the story seemed a bit disjointed. Not the best show I have ever seen. We then walked over to Don't Tell Mama for a quick run-through with Brittany before her performance began. Brittany was a star and I absolutely love her gorgeous voice and ease of performance. It was such a treat being there to watch her perform and then an added bonus to sing with her and Celia.

After the show we hung out with Brittany and some of her friends before taking off and getting some cheesecake at Junior's. Of course, I had to bring Ken some real New York cheesecake. Yummy! On the way home we walked through Times Square and snapped a few pictures.

Sunday, after sleeping in, we headed down to Soho for a little shopping and lunch before I had to catch my plane. I can't tell you how I enjoyed my trip -- reconnecting with friends and making new ones. It feels deliciously selfish to only have to worry about me and what I want to do for a couple of days out of the year. It is the perfect way to rejuvenate! It makes me excited to be back with my fantastic family again. I think it also helps Ken appreciate how I hold down the fort. So grateful that I have the support for Ken and good friends who watch my kiddos so I can get away. Thanks Celia for having me. NYC in the spring is perfect for recharging my batteries!

Morgan's Choir Concert -- The Soaring Singers!

2011-05-18T18:59:00.003-06:00

Morgan's choir concert was last week and she was excited to perform all the songs she has been working on this semester. They performed "I've Been to Harlem", "Al Sholsha D'Varim", "Heal the World", and "Rockin' Robin." Mrs. Keller asked Ken to accompany on a couple of the numbers, but he didn't get the music until that day. Lucky for the choir, Ken is amazing and the songs went off without a hitch despite it being the first, and only, time with the choir.

Sadly, I was flying to NYC (I was unaware of the concert date when I booked my ticket) and I missed the concert. I was glad to see the numbers on video and thought the choir students did a great job. My favorite was "Rockin' Robin" because the kids had such a good time with it! I also liked "Al Sholsha D'Varim." I included the video because Trevor on the camera job cracked me up -- it is pretty wobbly (more evidence to the fact that he cannot sit still)!

Enjoy!

Rockin' Robin

I've Been to Harlem

Happy Mother's Day! (But not your average Mother's Day. Thank Goodness!)

2011-05-18T17:55:00.003-06:00

***WARNING: Gross picture at the end of the post!***

So there I was, just waking up from a delightful nap on Mother's Day and deciding to hide out in my room while Ken made dinner. Then I heard a crash, a cry, and the kids running up to tell me that Cooper was hurt. I ran downstairs to see pools of blood on the floor. NOT GOOD! I ran into the kitchen to see Ken holding some tissues to Cooper's head and Cooper's polo soaked with a lot of blood. I grabbed a bunch paper towels, put them to where it seemed the blood was coming from, and starting trying to calm a hysterical baby. Ken started cleaning up the blood. Once the flow of blood slowed down, I finally peeked at Cooper's forehead to see what had happened to him. Ken filled in the details.

Ken was making dinner and I think Cooper wanted to see what was going on so he got up on the dining chair facing the back. The chair fell over with him on it and the back of the chair went right into his forehead. It left quite the gash!

Ken and I both thought that a trip to the ER was imminent, but we called out friend Blaine for his professional opinion -- he is a PA at a children's emergency room down in Denver. He was at our door within a few minutes and confirmed our need to go the the ER. He then helped Ken give Cooper a blessing and offered to take the rest of our kids with him back to his house. Talk about full service! We were/are so grateful for dear friends that are willing to help on a moments notice, even on Mother's Day!

We headed to Longmont Hospital and lucked out that there was not much of a wait. Within a few hours Cooper was stitched up and we were on our way back home. We were glad that they did not have to sedate him while they did his stitches -- the nurses wrapped him up in a sheet with his arms to his side, one nurse held his head, another nurse held is body, and I got to be where he could see me, rub his chest, and sing to him while the PA stitched him up with a long whip stitch.

Cooper was a trooper and was calm for most of the time at the hospital. Before the PA came in to stitch him up we had to grab a quick picture. I'm sure that someday he will want to see the cause of his first trip to the ER. Hopefully it will be his last for some time!

Crush!

2011-05-18T17:29:00.004-06:00

Morgan has chosen to try out softball this spring. So far she is having a BLAST and learning tons of new skills. Her favorite position, as of now, is pitching. Her first game she did really well and was one of only a couple of girls who had a hit off of a pitch. (Since this is a beginning league, after a pitcher pitches 4 balls, the hitter gets a chance to hit it off a tee.) We are enjoying going to her games! Go Crush!

Swing batter, batter!

Trying her hand at catching.

And of course I has to get a couple of pictures of the beautiful mountains that were part of our view as we watched the game...

Peyton's Dance Recital

2011-05-03T13:25:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Peyton had her dance recital. Actually there were two! Mrs. Wittler's studio's has grown so much that they had to add a late performance. Peyton was trilled to be on the stage! She had a great class and the girls loved being together. They got to dance to "On the Good Ship Lollipop" by Shirley Temple. It was fun to be there cheering her on and supporting her. I was really proud of her efforts and I hope she continues to dance. It fits her dramatic personality perfectly. :)

On the Good Ship Lollipop

Check out these gorgeous teeth!

2011-04-22T00:16:00.002-06:00

I can't believe how fast Morgan's teeth responded to her braces! She got them on last July and she got them off on April 12th. She wears a clear retainer now and we are hoping she doesn't need braces again. Way to go Morgan -- what a beautiful smile!

It was way more than just "OK" (ha ha)

2011-04-21T15:29:00.007-06:00

We took a very quick trip to Oklahoma to attend Cyle and Athena's reception held at the Lawton County Club. We are very blessed that the kids do GREAT in the car. It makes the almost 13 hours drive to my parents much better.

This was the party I have really been looking forward to! The pace was a bit slower and we could hang out and enjoy one another's company. In addition to that, the cousins were going to be there too and our kiddos were looking forward to playing together. They have a great time together, especially swinging from Grandpa's tree out back. They got to have a big cousin slumber party in the living room, but as soon as they woke up, they were outside playing. :)

On Saturday morning, just after a delicious waffle breakfast, my mom organized an egg hunt for everyone (including prizes for the adults!). The kids ran all around trying to find the eggs that my dad, Ken, Cyle, and Coby had hidden. It was fun to see the kids checking out their haul at the end.

We had to decorate (minimally, thank goodness) for the reception, so the girls headed into town while to boys took the all the kids out to the wildlife refuge to see if they could see any baby buffalo. Then, of course, to Medicine Creek where it seemed everyone got a bit wet at the swimming hole. :) When we all gathered again at the house it was great hanging out together and taking, while watching the Masters. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the reception and then some family pictures.

My cousin Joni and her boys who drove up from Texas to party with us!

The Lawton Country Club was a nice setting. The food was delicious and there was a wonderful turn-out to support Cyle and Athena. The atmosphere was enhanced by Ken playing beautiful background music and during the program I got to sing "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "At Last". I think that everyone's favorite part was hearing Cyle and Athena's story of how they met and fell in love. Here are a few shots from the reception...

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was going for drives in Cyle's souped up BMW. Cyle showed us what his car could do and then he gave Ken and I a chance to drive. THAT WAS A BLAST! Let's just say that there was some squealing tires, and revving RPM's. I could get used to drving a car like that. But I am sure it would quickly ruin my record of never having a speeding ticket.

The weekend went way too fast (kind of like me driving Cyle's Beemer) and being together was THE BEST!

A big announcement!

2011-04-13T12:47:00.003-06:00

Mitt Romney has announced that he is forming an exploratory presidential committee, essentially he is throwing his hat into the ring for 2012. Yeah! If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you will know that I am a huge fan of his. Check out his video for his announcement and then the following one with an interview on the Kudlow Report. Great Stuff!

Spring Break

2011-04-02T23:50:00.003-06:00

Spring Break fell between trips we are taking with Cyle's wedding, so we decided to stay close to home. Truth be told, we slept in and kept things pretty low key.

Monday was pretty normal with music class in the afternoon. The kids big treat was playing several hours of video games.

Tuesday we went to Jumpin' with the Briggs. It was lots of fun to see the kids playing together. Afterward Bryce came to our house to play for a couple of hours. Let me share the conversation I overheard when we got home...

Trevor: "Bryce, what do you want to do?"
Bryce: "I don't know."
Trevor: "Do you want to play video games?"
Bryce: "Nah..."
Trevor: "How about jumping on the trampoline?"
Bryce: "Nope."
Trevor: "Wanna dig a hole?"
Bryce: "Dig a hole?!? Yeah!"

Maybe it is just me, but I found this totally hilarious and had to laugh as they ran out into the backyard. Ahh, the simple joys of little boys! :)

On Wednesday we went an awesome carnival at the Hansens. It was incredible, complete with animal balloons (I found trying to make balloon animal is strangely addicting), a magic show, carnival games such as a bean bag toss, a cake walk, and hot potato. We even ate corn dogs and had cotton candy. The kids had a great time playing with all their friends and totally embraced the carnival theme. (Hopefully I can get some pictures from Jen later.) After the carnival we went to Costco and then the kids played with friends.

On Thursday we were going to go to the museum, but the kids decided that they would rather go bowling with the Briggs and Alexanders. Bowling was a blast and I was surprised how much they had improved since the last time we had gone. Morgan even got two strikes in a row! We had so much fun we had to bowl two games! Luckily, Kris had her camera and was able to snap these cute pictures...

Friday I spent the morning at the repair shop and we ended up missing the picnic with friends we had planned on going to. But it was a beautiful day and we headed for the park anyway. That evening we ordered pizza and then watch Tangled. A fun family night!

March Madness!

2011-04-02T22:53:00.003-06:00

Every March we get sucked into the madness. We count down to the big dance. This year we anticipated it even more because BYU had a decent seed in the tournament. It was even more fun because the Cougars were playing in Denver for the second round. We kept looking at tickets and dreaming about going to the game. Of course it was on a crazy busy night for me and knew it would be really hard to make that work. Ken kept looking at prices, which were a little too pricey, but they dropped like crazy just a couple of hours before the game and I told him he had to go!

The game against Wofford wasn't great, but we got the "w." Even though BYU didn't play their best, Ken and his friends had a blast being there! It was fun for them to be there for the double-header.

For the game against Gonzaga we had friends over to watch the game. It was quite the party which was enhanced by the Cougs playing amazingly well. I was really nervous how we would be able to compete in the paint with their big men, but we seemed to be firing on all cylinders! It was a great game! I swear, if we had played like that every game, BYU could have taken the whole thing!

The game against Florida for the Sweet 16 round was a little painful to watch, especially the overtime. I was amazed that for as poorly as we were playing that we stayed close. It was heartbreaking when our boys could not pull out the win, but I am so proud of their great season! We look forward to being a Jimmer fan for years to come and I hope he gets the Player of the Year award.

Fun to see John Stockton in the crowd!

Cyle and Athena's Wedding (Part 2)

2011-04-02T22:47:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, March 12, 2011 my little brother Cyle married Athena Clark in the Salt Lake City Temple for all time and eternity. I am so excited for him and Athena as they begin their married life. The sealing was beautiful and it was wonderful being in the temple together. We are grateful to Clint and Audra for watching our kiddos while we were in the temple. Cyle and Athena were so cute together and Athena was a stunningly beautiful bride. We are so glad that she is part of our family!

Check out those socks! :)

We hit Cafe Rio for a quick dinner before heading up to Midway for the reception at Zermatt resort. It was a bit tricky with Cooper however. Friday night about 2:00 in the morning Cooper woke up fussing which is unusual. When I picked him up, he was burning up with fever. Poor guy! It was a long night for the two of us. He did pretty well while we were in the temple and didn't fuss too much during pictures (no smiles though). By the time we got to the resort he was simply done. I spent almost all of the reception sitting with him on my lap -- he wouldn't even go to Ken. I was bummed not to get more pictures. I was sad not to get to visit with everyone more, but I was glad that several people came by and talked to me. I was especially tickled that the Croshaws came. It was wonderful to catch up with my dear friend Libby!

I loved seeing how entranced Peyton was as the couple shared their first dance and then dance with their parents. So glad I sneeked this picture!

The entire weekend was beautiful and it was wonderful to be there with them for this most special of occasions!

I Love to See the Temple

2011-04-02T22:33:00.003-06:00

It was a treat to take some pictures of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. The first one is my favorite!

Cyle and Athena's wedding (Part 1)

2011-04-02T20:00:00.007-06:00

We finally pulled into the Allred's house at 2:30 in the morning and we were beat! Unfortunately the kids weren't and they were so excited to see their friends Lynlee and Reid that they stayed up the rest of the night. No kidding! They were crazy! I was so tired that after a couple times telling them to be quiet and go to bed, I gave up.

On Friday we got to hang out with Rochelle and the kids. While Ken was off on his mission to get the van in driving condition, we met with Codi and Coby, Gerry and Beverly, and my parents at Cabela's. It was fun to be all together and the kids enjoyed seeing all the cool things at Cabela's.
After looking around, we headed back to Rochelle's house where she was nice enough to help me with my hair. I had decided to try curling it, but after 30 minutes I was still only halfway through. I asked if we could do some "dueling curling irons" and with both of us curling away it still took another 15 minutes. (I doubt I will be doing my hair like that again anytime soon.) Ken and I were especially grateful that Rochelle was willing to watch our kiddos as we attended the rehearsal dinner. Good thing too. Our kids were EXHAUSTED! Morgan fell asleep before we even left and she stayed asleep until the next morning!

We met on Temple Square to try to get a family picture before the dinner. We didn't get the shot that I wanted, but we got some that will do...

On Friday night there was a Rehearsal Dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a beautiful setting over looking Temple Square! I loved seeing so many members of our extended family and dear friends (that I love like family). My cheeks hurt from smiling. :) Ken played beautiful background music while we visited and then had a delicious dinner. I was honored that Cyle and Athena asked me to sing as part of the program; so I channeled my best Etta James, and sang "At Last". The bridesmaids presented a cute "Athena Survival Kit" to Cyle and then Cyle's groomsmen showed a PowerPoint presentation complete with goofy videos and pictures of Cyle. I was laughing so hard my sides hurt! Athena's sister, Jessica sang a beautiful arrangement of "When You Say Nothing at All".

It was a lovely evening! Of course that wasn't enough partying for us and we headed back to the Skouson's hotel room for more fun and conversation. It was so fun being all together!

Middle of nowhere...

2011-04-02T19:10:00.003-06:00

On Thursday afternoon we left for Cyle and Athena's wedding in Utah right after watching the first BYU game of the Mountain West Conference. We began our drive up and through Wyoming. The drive was uneventful until we got to the middle of nowhere. With a semi next to us in one lane, out of the darkness something black appeared in the middle of our lane. It all happened so quickly and there was no time to do anything but hit it straight on. We thought it might be an snow chunk that had fallen off a semi-truck. Sadly, no.

We hit it with an amazing crash and such a loud noise! We looked behind us to see sparks from what we thought was the thing we hit dragging along the asphalt. Ken pulled over as quickly as possible and we got out to survey the damage. Of course it was super dark and the wind was blowing fiercely as we got out the flashlight and laid down of the side of the highway to see what in the world had happened.

Whatever it was that we hit had completely ripped off the entire exhaust system under our van. It was literally hanging on by one pin. The pipe looked like it had just exploded! We removed the pin and it clunked to the pavement. We worked it out from underneath the van and we left with about 10 feet of pipe, muffler, and resonator. Fortunately we did not see any leaking fluids or any suspicious warning lights so we decided to put our exhaust system and take it with us and we would keep going toward Utah. It was super loud, but we made it!

As we were loading the exhaust system into the van (it barely fit!) Peyton said such a sweet comment. "Mom," she said, "I am so glad we said a prayer before we left. That could have been even worse!" I second that thought. As Ken was taking the van in to multiple shops on Friday trying to get things fixed enough that we could get home, hopefully without incident, he was told how lucky we were. There were multiple gouges in the fuel tank, but no leak. There was also several sensors that were just barely missed. Had those been knocked out our travels would have been even more difficult.

So thankful for the angels that were with us!

LUCKY

2011-03-30T20:42:00.005-06:00

In 2004 we began a tradition that is seeming to stand the test of time. A few friends and I went to Cinzetti's for a fabulous girls night out of delicious food and wonderful conversation. It wasn't until we were there, all dressed in green that we realized that it was St. Patrick's Day.

Thus began our annual St. Patrick's Day girls night out at Cinzetti's. The group always seems to change a bit -- some years it is small and intimate and other years it has been so big you didn't even get much of a chance to talk to the person at the other end of the table -- but the company is always wonderful. I certainly feel LUCKY that I can spend an Irish holiday, eating Italian food, surrounded by incredible friends!

Here is a sneak peek from our first Cinzetti's girls night out...

Peyton is FIVE!

2011-03-30T17:37:00.005-06:00

It is amazing how quickly 5 years can pass by! It is hard to believe that Peyton is now 5 years old. To celebrate this year she chose to have a "Pinkalicious" birthday party with her friends dressed in pink. It was great fun. We read Pinkalicious, decorated pink tiaras, painted fingernail with pink glitter polish, played games, danced to princess songs, and decorated pink cupcakes. Peyton had so much fun and it was a treat to have her fun friends over for the afternoon.

Listening to Pinkalicious.

Everyone has beautiful, pink fingernails...

Playing games...

Here are some interesting facts about Peyton at 5 years-old:
1) She will talk to anyone. All it takes is for someone at a store, for example, to ask her a question or say how cute Cooper is and she will tell them her life story. She is quite a prolific conversationalist.
2) Peyton has so much fun at preschool and loves her classmates and her teacher, Ms. Wendy.
3) She continues to enjoy her ballet/tap dance class.
4) She prefers dresses and skirts to pants.

"Informance"

2011-03-29T17:17:00.001-06:00

I wish I had thought of this, but I think it is a GREAT idea! At the kids' school, Mrs. Keller, had the grades perform an "Informance" which informs the parents of all the things the students have been learning in music class. Perhaps as a former public school teacher, I was more interested than your average parent, but I found it fascinating and loved seeing what they were being taught (including solfege!)

Both Morgan and Trevor love Mrs. Keller. She is great and we are so glad she is their music teacher!

Unexpected

2011-03-29T17:08:00.002-06:00

There are times I go to upload the pictures from my camera memory card to the computer and find myself wondering when I took the pictures. Shots of the computer, tv, the floor, and other strange objects appear before my eyes. It is never too long though before the camera stealer makes themselves known.

I give you exhibit A...

He loves to "read"!

2011-02-08T15:27:00.002-07:00

I love that Cooper loves books. Several times a day he brings me books to read to him. Sometimes he grabs some books, climbs up in the massage chair (its just his size) and looks at books. So cute! I hope he will have a lifetime love of reading!

Religious Freedom

2011-02-08T15:18:00.003-07:00

Here is a link for the speech Elder Oaks did recently at Chapman University School of Law. Some very interesting food for thought and I appreciate his insights. Truly is worth the 47 minutes.

Check it out.

Jimmer-mania!

2011-02-08T14:45:00.006-07:00

At our house we are pretty big Cougar fans. We really enjoy watching, and when we can, attending BYU basketball and football games. Sadly with the conferences changing the Cougs won't be coming to Colorado as often. Dang!

We have been loving watching Jimmer and the guys having such a great season. We took the family up to Ft. Collins to cheer them on as they defeated the CSU Rams. We had a huge group there and the game was a blast! Then last week Ken and I, with our friends the Adamsons, ventured up to the freezing tundra of Laramie, Wyoming to watch them play the Cowboys. It is killing me that I am not able to go tomorrow night down to Colorado Springs and cheer them on to victory over Air Force.

Jimmer really is incredible to watch! I can't believe how he can pull up from almost anywhere on the floor and make the shot. It is also very impressive watching him split defenders and drive to the hoop. I hope he gets player of the year. We look forward to watching where he goes from here.

Undefeated!

2011-02-08T14:06:00.005-07:00

I'll admit, I was pretty excited that Morgan wanted to try basketball this season. She joined a team through the rec. center that was coached by her former soccer coach, Coach Jen. Most of the girls had played together in a competitive league during the fall and it was great to see Morgan find a place on the team. She was one of the few beginners on the team and I think it really helped her to learn from her teammates. She LOVED it! She showed great hustle and effort throughout the season. Morgan was especially good at stealing the ball and usually had a couple most games. Her team, the Warriors, went 8-0 in an undefeated season.

We all loved cheering Morgan on at her games. Trevor wants to play too, so we will use the off season to work on some fundamentals. We are already looking forward to next season!

Way to go Warriors!

On a fast break after a steal.

Morgan's biggest fan!

Sledding with the Siders

2011-02-08T13:34:00.005-07:00

As I look out into my backyard at the snow gently falling, I am reminded of the sledding adventure that we had with the cousins on New Year's Day. It was so fun to have them up for sledding, pizza, and playing the wii. We are so lucky that they live nearby and we always have a blast together (even if we did lose the canasta game to them that night)!

Photography credits to Ken.

Engagement Photos

2011-02-08T13:11:00.005-07:00

One of the perks of having Cyle and Athena visit over Christmas was the opportunity to take their Engagement pictures. It was a blast! We went shopping and then took the pictures up at Centerra. We had some great light and the models were top notch! I told them I would wait to post any pictures until they had mailed out their invitations. So, I finally get to post some of my favorites...

This experience was so great for me and I am thankful that Cyle and Athena were willing to take a chance on my amateur self. I think this was the catalyst for my photography goals for this year. I had ideas that I couldn't quite do because I need to have a better understanding of how to use my tools. I look forward to becoming more educated about photography so that I put what I see in my head in the actual result.

The Good Stuff...

2011-01-19T22:11:00.003-07:00

Occasionally I have a hard time finding the JOY part of being a mother. Then I see Trevor being an awesome big brother and reading book after book to Cooper. Now that's the good stuff!

Resolutions...

2011-01-19T14:37:00.002-07:00

*WARNING* This is a rather personal post that has some self-loathing drivel, but it has been therapeutic to write it down. Proceed at your own caution!

I thought a ton about my goals for the year. The last part of December usually brings on the swirling of ideas of things I would like to change about myself. This year was no different and because of place I have been in lately, I had to narrow it down and get some focus. After all, I think real progress in a couple of things is better than being so overwhelmed with everything that I feel unable to do anything.

I have some days where I feel I am drowning in my own mediocrity -- my house is messy, my to do list is pages long, I have a pile of papers on my kitchen counter that is threatening to take over the world, it has been too long since really connecting with and supporting my friends and family, somehow the basics of the gospel even seem out of my reach, AND the way it is in my head is rarely is how it ever turns out. Am I the only one who ever feels this way?

I won't share all my goals, because some of them are pretty personal, but I did want to put some of them "out there" for some form of accountability. So here is some of my list and what I am doing to work on these things. I feel very blessed to have friends that I surround myself with that can teach me some of these things.

Talk less, listen more
Erase the unnecessary
"ORGANIZE yourself, PREPARE every needful thing" -- wills, 72 hour kits, food storage inventory

Make a habit of personal prayer (EVERY NIGHT)
Study scriptures 10 minutes daily

Lose 40 pounds

Take a photography course
Improve my photoshop skills (how to use actions)
Begin voice lessons again
Learn how to make things beautiful (presentation)

I think the most difficult will be losing weight and the most abstract like talking less, erasing distractions, and learning better presentation skills.

With the weight thing, I have started (yet another) diet. I am doing a really strict one as I try to gain more motivation (by seeing the numbers go down on the scale) to do the responsible thing of less input, more output. I have some great events coming up that are also adding some incentive; my brother's wedding is in March and then I am going to NYC in April. I would like to be less gross by both of those, not to mention swimsuit season.

I am not kidding myself, erasing distractions is going to be extremely difficult for me. I have a tendency to care about and get invested things and people that are not really adding anything to my life. I guess it is a form of decluttering. I read a great quote the other day on a friend's facebook status that really set off bells for me. "Never make somebody a priority in your life when they only make you an option in theirs." I hope that by learning this I will free myself to focus more on what is truly important.

I have never really figured out how to make things beautiful and the art of presentation. I am so overwhelmed by all that goes into that I seem to stay frozen where I am. I would really like to have a house that looks like grown-ups live there. I would like to not be scared when someone talks about decorating a cake. I am so lucky that I have friends and family that are very good at that and I am hoping to make a conscious effort this year to learn from them.

I just feel like this is the year! I would like to feel like I am progressing. There is too much in my life where I feel like I am just hanging on by my fingernails. This is the year I am going to get my act together and take actions so that I can begin to feel the freedom of being capable. I know that by myself I will not be able to get there, but I know with the help of family, friends, and especially the Lord that I will be able to make PROGRESS.

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-16T15:44:00.002-07:00

I love this time of year; the music, the lights, the decorations, my beautiful children in their Christmas clothes for church, the fun with family and friends... Even though it is also a crazy, busy time of year, it is my favorite! To quote Inigo, "Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

We were able to have lots of family with us for the holiday. Ken's parents came and stayed with us for a few nights. It was fun to have them at our home. We got the vacation off to a great start by sleeping in, eating yummy food, and playing games. On Wednesday (Dec. 22) we got together with Holly and Brian's family and went to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader (sadly, I spent much of the movie in the hall with Cooper -- ugh!). Then Holly made us all a delicious dinner and we settled into a family canasta tournament. For years Ken and I have been quite dominant on the family canasta circuit, but apparently our reign was to come to an end as we lost to Holly and Brian. We had so much fun talking and laughing with them though, so we didn't mind too much. It was a late night. We didn't get home until about 2:00 am and we were glad everyone slept in the next day!

The day before Christmas Eve my parents came. They had offered us their old couch for the basement and everyone was relieved when the old couch was able to be hoisted out the basement window and the new one lowered in. I was just giddy.

I was thrilled to get my Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. Another reason my parents brought the truck was to help us pick up our new furniture! You read that right. NEW FURNITURE! After years of wanting and saving our pennies, we now have a new leather recliner, couch, and loveseat. (I love how easy they are to wipe with a damp cloth and, voila! The kid schmutz is clean!)

Christmas Eve was wonderful! We had some dear friends and their parents over for delicious food and fantastic conversation. The kids acted out the Nativity and we sang and played carols. The entire evening was divine.

Christmas morning was a blur of wrapping paper and squeals of delight. The kids were so excited to finally get a Wii with a a large assortment of games. We couldn't wait for Ken's parents and Holly and Brian's family to join us later that afternoon for another round of gift-giving and dinner. My folks and I were especially excited because my brother Cyle was drivng in that evening with his new bride-to-be. Yes! Cyle got engaged just before Christmas! He and his fiance, Athena (LOVE HER!), were driving out to introduce her to the family and visit for a couple of days.

Being with family is the best gift of all! Furniture that isn't worn out is a close second. :)

Ski Day!

2011-01-06T14:29:00.004-07:00

Every year Ken likes to participate in the Scout Ski day, which basically mean you get to ski and eat for really cheap. He loves it! This year Ken decided to take Trevor and meet Brian (his BIL) and Joey for a "boy ski day." Trevor did great on the slopes and after a few tries on the bunny hill was ready to move on to green. That boy has no fear!

The following weekend, Ken and Trevor went again and added Morgan and our friends, Jonah, Audrey, and Ben Wasden. It was a long day -- up long before the sun and home long after sundown. Morgan seemed determined not to let her younger brother be better than her, even though he had gone twice and she had never been skiing before. She was certainly able to keep up with him and loved the experience. Next time out, she wants to try snowboarding. Maybe Uncle Clint or Cyle can teach her?

Take Note video clips

2011-01-05T13:00:00.003-07:00

We completed our plethora of Christmas programs at The Vistas nursing home in Longmont where we sang to over 50 people. It can be challenging to adjust some things when going into a new venue, but we are grateful for the opportunity to spread a little Christmas cheer before the holiday. I am going to upload some clips of our performance. If you want to see the full meal deal, go here.

P.S. Apparently not ALL people like Christmas cheer. One home we sang in has a lot of residents that are ill and pretty low functioning. We always make a point after our performances to talk and shake hands with those in the audience. I took one lady's hand only to have her pull it away and then hit me. I must say, that was the first time that had ever happened...

Deck the Halls in 7/8

In the Bleak Midwinter

Jazz Trio

12 Days of Christmas Confusion

I heart Take Note!

2010-12-08T13:16:00.003-07:00

I can't tell you how much I love and totally enjoying singing with my dear friends in Take Note! There is something so fulfilling about practicing and performing together. I look forward to being with these gals every week and creating beautiful music.

When I was first asked to be in the group, then Triple Trio, I was not sure if I could make time for it and if it would be worth it. It was rather quickly that I realized I was missing that part of me and singing with this group of ladies help me find it again. Now, 6 years later, I can't imagine my life without this outlet for creativity, hard work, performing, beautiful music, and good friends. I am so lucky to be part of such a wonderful group.

We have worked hard since September and now our hard work it paying off. This last Monday we had our first performances of our new Christmas program. I think it went really well, especially for our first ones. We also literally sang for our supper, or lunch as the case would have it. Last year, after having lunch at Cinzetti's all together, we ending up singing for the people in the restaurant. This year we planned ahead and made arrangements ahead of time to sing. When the head chef (or manager?) heard us singing he was impressed and offered to treat us all to lunch. That was sure nice of him. And I must admit, it tasted even better since it was free. :)

Over the next two weeks we have 5 more gigs planned. Hopefully I can get a video posted on here of some snippets of our program.

Thank you Take Note gals (past and present) for enriching my life! I love you!

Full of Thanksgiving (and turkey)

2010-12-05T19:58:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year where I get to spend time thinking about my many blessings. When I do, I know that Heavenly Father has truly blessed me and my family. I believe that when we have an "attitude of gratitude" our hearts are changed and we recognize the abundance that we have been blessed with.

We had some wonderful options, but we decided to stay close to home for Thanksgiving. Ken's sister invited us down for a glorious feast with some of Brian's family. It was a wonderful celebration! We even stayed the night and attended the temple the next morning while Holly watched our kiddos. We then took all the kids to an afternoon showing of Tangled (so cute!) and then headed back home for a awesome leftover dinner. The kids were having such a great time with their cousins so we decided to get in some playing too and challenged Brian and Holly to a game of canasta. They killed us the first hand, but then we came back big time. We always have a blast playing games with them. It was great to have a mini-vacation and as usual, the Wenhams were the perfect hosts!

The rest of the weekend we were able to get up some Christmas decorations and spend some time together. We watched the BYU/Utah game (missed it by that much!) and I was able to sing a duet with Sarah McFadden for church on Sunday. I was so glad that she asked me and it was fantastic getting to sing with her. I was nervous because I came down with quite the chest cold and was having horrible coughing fits. I kept praying that I would be able to get through the song and be able to help invite the spirit. I think we did that.

Gratitude 2010
- my family
- my incredible husband, Ken
- watching my children learn and grow
- wonderful friends
- family nearby
- sharing the gift of music
- our comfortable home
- the free nation we live in
- being able to worship as we choose
- the gospel of Jesus Christ

Family Pictures (and the amazing Becky Payne!)

2010-11-04T13:54:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun with Becky taking our family pictures this year. We used a great location off of Hwy. 7 and had perfect weather. I always get anxious about the outfits, but I think they turned out swell. I love how our pictures turned out and I am so grateful for the uber-talented Becky Payne. You can check out her website here.

Before and After...

2010-11-04T13:45:00.003-06:00

Before

After

I am sad. But it was time to cut my baby's curls off. It seems more clear every time I look at my him -- my baby is gone and a toddler has taken his place. It goes so quickly!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-04T13:09:00.005-06:00

This year I was finally brave enough to actually carve pumpkins with the kids. We did it for family home evening and I am not sure if the kids had more fun or Ken. :) Sadly, with the weather being warmer, our pumpkins did not last very long before we had to throw them away. I guess we'll know better for next year.

Peyton carved this happy face by herself and Trevor carved a one-eyed pirate.

Of course I had to do the quartet of singing ghosts!

The kids had a lot of fun planning their costumes this year. Morgan chose to be Link, from her favorite video game, Zelda. Trevor wanted to be Harry Potter. And thanks to our amazing friend Jen Hansen, he had the coolest wand EVER! Peyton was a princess (although that is not very different from her everyday) and Cooper was a Frankenstein.

Friday night, Ken and the kids (minus Peyton since I stayed home with her because she was sick) attended the community safe halloween night at the middle school and had a blast! Trevor came home with over 25 pairs of vampire teeth -- he was in heaven. On Saturday Ken and the kids went to the trunk-or-treat at the church and got plenty of candy. (I was making the most of the beautiful day by painting the fence.) Then we had some awesome friends over to hang out. On Sunday we decided to forgo the trick-or treating, especially since Ken was on his way back to DC, and we hunkered down to eat candy and watch a family movie.

Fall Soccer

2010-11-03T14:08:00.002-06:00

Trevor participated in fall soccer again this year and was so excited to be able to play games now that he is older. He had a great coach and enjoyed the kids on his team. He was able to try all the positions and especially liked playing goalie even if he didn't see a ton of action. We loved how beautiful the weather was for his practices and games. It was a great season!

Save!

Taking a break?!? Way to go offense!

Our nation's capital...

2010-11-03T12:39:00.007-06:00

For the last 6 months or so Ken has been traveling to Washington DC for his work with the US Mint. As soon as he started traveling more I knew that I wanted to go with him for one of his trips. This October we finally made that happen.

We called in some big favors from friends (Jamie and Brandie) and Ken's sister to watch our kiddos. A special thank you to them for making my trip possible! It was so wonderful to reconnect with Ken and spend time together without the kids.

I flew in on Tuesday and even the flight and my layover in Kansas City was a treat to just sit and read. (I totally loved reading our book club book for this month, The Help!) Ken met me at the airport and we took in a late dinner before heading to our hotel.

Ken still had to work during the day so I got to wander and visit with friends. On Wednesday I began to hurry and get ready, but then I realized that I was only in charge of me and not 4 other small people to get ready. I was almost giddy as I ran the hot water in the bathtub and settled in with my book. Mid-morning my former college roommate, Naomi, came and picked me up and we went to the Air and Space Smithsonian. So many cool things to see. The day was rather gray and started raining as we ate outside the Native American Museum so we decided to enjoy the beautiful drive down to Mt. Vernon. Most of all, it was fantastic talking and catching up with each other.

After Ken was finished with work we changed and made our way to the Washington DC LDS Temple. It is always so peaceful being in the House of the Lord. I loved taking pictures of this BEAUTIFUL building. (I wish I would have had my tripod!)

We stayed near Chinatown.

Washington DC temple

Thursday we woke up very early so we could meet our friend, Tylor, who works for the architect of the capitol. He was able to hook us up with a sweet tour that included going up in the dome and through the Capitol, a "cook's tour" of the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. I think that was certainly one of the highlights of the trip. Seeing those things up close and personal was SO COOL!

On the tour with us was a gal that Tylor was working with, named Katie. She was so fun and her mother Vicki had flown in from Oklahoma for a visit. They were so fun to talk with and after the tours Tylor and Katie had to go back to work so Vicki and I shared a delightful lunch and then made our way to the American History Smithsonian. I hadn't seen some of those exhibits in several years. We especially loved the First Lady gowns exhibit. It was also a moving experience to see the flag that Francis Scott Key was writing about in our national anthem. I couldn't help but tear up a bit.

With Tylor in front of the Capitol

Vicki and I said our goodbyes and I went to the Mint building to pick up Ken so we could go grab a snack, change our clothes, and head to the Kennedy Center to see Yo Yo Ma. Ken was really bummed when he saw the concert was sold out, so he called the box office to find out if anything was available. He found out the concert hall was adding about 30 seats right up on the stage. So our seats were about 20 feet from Yo Yo and his beautiful pianist, Kathryn Stott. We were close enough that I could follow along with her music. :) The music was beautiful and they we such gracious performers and treated the audience with 3 encores. An amazing concert experience!

Kennedy Center

On Friday I got to sleep in while Ken went to work. After he finished his morning meetings, we were able to go sightseeing. We took a bus tour which was a great way to get around the city to the sights. We also took the night tour to see the monuments/memorials at night -- beautiful! Then we went to Morton's for an amazing steak dinner.

Saturday we walked over to the White House and then made our way to the Lincoln Memorial. That evening we met Naomi and her husband Dirk at Ford's Theater to see Sabrina Fair. The play was wonderful and it was certainly memorable being in that historic place. We dragged out feet leaving the theater and were able to talk to several of the performers. Then we got dessert at Hard Rock Cafe before calling it a night. they play was fantastic and it was so fun being with Naomi and Dirk!

With Naomi and Dirk at Ford's Theater

Sunday we spent time in the National Art Museum before flying home. The entire trip was a amazing get-away. It was a treat to spend time with Ken and friends and see some great things! I am really grateful to dear friends and family that made it possible for me to go. For those that haven't been to our nation's capital, you should go, it is certainly worth the trip!

She makes me laugh!

2010-10-17T21:56:00.004-06:00

My little Miss Peyton is quite the performer! (I have no idea where she gets it from!) One of her favorite things right now is to listen and sing along with music on the mp3 player. She ignores everything else and will go off into her own world. Sometimes she will go out to the backyard and swing for a long time...

...other times she will simply twirl and sing. I love watching her and can't help but chuckle. I was on the computer the other day and she started singing "Welcome to the Luck Lady Saloon" from the Melodrama, Way Out West in a Dress, and twirling. I was able to take this video and she was totally unaware!

The Happy Farmer...

2010-10-17T21:29:00.003-06:00

I know every mother feels this way, but I am so proud of Morgan. Just over a year ago she began taking violin lesson from Kris Briggs, a fabulous teacher, and she has come a long way! Besides the music, she has learned some great lessons. It is really a struggle everyday to get her to practice, but I think it is character building. Even though she gets frustrated because "it's hard" it is good that she has to work for it (most things come pretty easily for her). Even then, I think she is making remarkable progress. She is finishing up the Suzuki book 1 and is beginning book 2. I appreciate the time we spend together as I help her practice. I hope one day she will look back and appreciate it as well -- it must stink to have your mom be a music teacher. :)

I took this video about a month ago while she was preparing to pass off this song, "The Happy Farmer." Of course, she played it perfectly until I got out the camera, but she still did a good job. Morgan made me promise that I wouldn't post this on facebook, but she didn't say anything about my blog... Ha ha!

Cougar Fans...

2010-10-13T16:57:00.007-06:00

Our family loves the BYU Cougars! Whenever the Cougs play Air Force in Colorado Springs, we have the tradition of going down for the game. Holly and Brian were nice enough to watch Peyton and Cooper for us (we didn't think they would appreciate the game, the drive, and having to sit still), but we first had to get a picture in all our BYU apparel glory.

The Air Force Academy is such a great venue to bring the family to. The tailgate party was fun with Costa Vida, the cheerleaders, and pictures with Cosmo. Once in the stadium we love we loved watching the cadets in formation and the fly-over. There was a wonderful feeling there and being around the military felt like a fitting way to remember 9/11. There was a cool tribute to the heroes of 9/11 during halftime.

Sadly our boys didn't really show up to play, but we all had a great time together. We sure hope BYU will still play Air Force once in awhile so that we can continue our tradition!

Cougar fans: Ahlstrom family, Lyon family, Wasden family and Siders family

BYU touchdown!

First day of preschool...

2010-10-13T16:24:00.003-06:00

I love that Peyton is so excited to learn! This year she is going to preschool at Miss. Wendy's and she absolutely LOVES it. Miss Wendy has some super fun things planned for the school year and Peyton looks forward to every school day. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that many of her friends are in her class. She sure likes going to school like a "big kid."