Traveling Man

I thought I would do a post on Dad for once.  Our dad works very hard and sometimes he has to travel. This was on morning when he was heading out on a trip.  He travels a lot in the spring and only about one week out of the month on the other months.  We miss him a lot when he is gone but we are glad he likes his job so much and likes to travel.  Every trip he brings the kids a postcard from where he was and they put them on their bulletin boards.  It is fun to see all the adventures he gets to have!  We love you Dad!!

Lady K's Cross Country

Lady K had a fantastic first season for Cross Country.  She was consistently the fourth or fifth finisher for her team and kept improving her time at each meet.  In the district meet she almost beat the second runner for her team and was able to beat her best friend who always beat her!  She was super excited about her season and decided to stick with Cross Country in the future.

This was her most difficult race against the best team in the district.

Dad came to cheer at as many meets as possible.

Her best friend Allison who would beat her at the end of  every race until Districts!

Lady K with some of her friends at Districts.  She came in 19th overall for the girls!

Hospital Stay for Big B

Last month Big B got the croup and was having such a hard time breathing that we ended up taking him to the hospital at midnight on Friday.  It was a hard decision to make because we didn't know if it was bad enough to warrant a trip to the ER.  Richard gave him a priesthood blessing and then we called the hospital nurse to ask her opinion.  As I talked to her on the phone she could hear him breathing and said to call the ambulance.  Instead, Richard and I jumped in the card and drove him to the ER.

They gave him steroids and nebulizer treatments in the ER and after 3 hours decided to admit him for another half a day to make sure he was doing ok.  We went home at around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  He did alright for a few days but then started having a hard time breathing again.  This time we went to the doctor's office for three hours while he had more nebulizer treatments and steroids shots.  That night he slept well and there were no other problems after that.  It was a pretty scary situation for our family, but Big B got through it and is all better now.

Birthday Trip

For my birthday I took a trip to go see my siblings in Utah (Katy, Russell, Jody and Trey.)  It was such a fun time with them, just chatting without all the hustle and bustle of big family get togethers.   I flew in on my birthday and Katy treated us all to Cheesecake Factory (yum!)  The next day, Katy and I did a lot of fun projects at her house, went out to lunch, went over to see Russ's new apartment and hung out at night watching a movie and finishing some of our projects.  Both nights Katy and I didn't go to sleep until 3 a.m.  We just couldn't stop chatting!!

On Sunday morning I had to catch a morning flight so we decided to go over to the Conference Center near Temple Square in Salt Lake City to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing for Music and the Spoken Word.  It was amazing!  The Orchestra was there as well so we got the full, amazing performance!!  Wow, I was blown away!!  My favorite piece was "Lead Kindly Light."  I think I cried through the whole thing, it was so overwhelmingly beautiful!!

After the choir performance we went to the airport and said goodbye.  It was a quick trip, but so much fun!!!

Birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!

My cute sister Katy and the Happy Birthday cheesecake.

Jody and Trey.

The Choir and Orchestra.

I love my Katy and Russell!!

Saying goodbye.  Russ ran all the way to his apt. and back to the car just before this picture to bring me a backpack to take some clothes home in.  He is such a great brother.  I love him to death!  (By the way Russ, I felt like a stud walking through the airport with a huge Army backpack on.)

I had so much fun with this girl!!  I couldn't ask for a better sister!  She sent me home with a huge bag full of clothes and shoes for my girls (hence the backpack from Russ.)  They were thrilled to get them!!

Garden of the God and Air Force Academy

On Labor Day we decided to go down to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods.  It was so fantastic!!  We loved seeing all of the cool rock formations and hiking around a bit.  It reminded us of Arches National Park in Utah.

On our way home we dropped by the Air Force Academy.  It was SO cool for all of us to see that campus and feel the spirit that is there.  It gave me such a sense of gratitude for all the cadets who go there to prepare to sacrifice for their country.  We loved seeing how they live and their regimented schedule, not to mention the crazy adventures they have.  It was a very inspiring experience!

The lookout from the Garden of the Gods visitors center.

Ridin' a buffalo!

Siamese Twins

My cute kids!  I love them all!!

Mom and Dad.

The view from the visitors' center at Air Force Academy.

Behind the kids are the dormitories and the grounds where they cadets march.  There was an airplane in each corner of the square.

I laugh at this picture because without knowing it, Dad and I dressed as Yin and Yang that day.  Haha!

The Cathedral.  It is an interfaith place to worship.  There was a chapel for the Protestants, one for the Catholics,  another for the Jews, and one for the Hindu or Buddhist (I can't remember which.)   We all wondered what the cadets do who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Conifer and Red Rocks

Over Labor Day weekend we went camping with some friends from Dad's work who are also BYU Alumni.  It was a great little campground near Conifer with plenty of trees and some nice hikes with views.  We had a great time getting to know the other families.  On our way home from camping we stopped by Red Rocks and saw the famous outdoor amphitheater!!  It was amazing!  Tons of stairs to run and in fact, there were a lot of people there working out!  It was fun to watch them use the stairs for push ups, squat jumps, etc.  We, of course, joined in the fun and ran the stairs.  The boys and Dad were the best by far with their springy legs!!

What would camping be without climbing on the air mattress with Mom and Dad in the morning.

Cuddle time.

Hanging out by the campfire.

J Man.

Big B and Dad just chilling.  We didn't ever let him down on the ground or he would have eaten all the dirt.

Little L.

Taking a hike to find a geocache.

Playing football in the parking lot at Red Rocks.

The Fam at Red Rocks (the top of the amphitheater.)

Taking a run down the stairs.

Mr. M, the first one of the kids up.

...because some people have to jump two feet at a time with a football in their hands (J Man.)

The Fam at the top.

Mom and Dad.

Big B is 10 Months!

This adorable little chunk turned 10 months old this month.  He is growing up so fast!!  In his ninth month two teeth came in, he learned to eat like a man (haha), he learned to walk (not just one step, like 10 and he would try to run!) and he is the joy of our lives.  Some funny things he does are shaking his head back and forth when he hears music, scrunching up his nose when he smiles, and turning on the bath water then trying to climb in (ok, this one is more scary than funny!!)  We love this little man!

I LOVE this baby!

He loves to smile for pictures!

He eats a lot!

He likes to practice standing up with no hands!

See, what did I tell you, he wants to run!!

I can't get enough of this smile!

Just precious!  Don't you just want to kiss him!