McKinley's hair!

McKinley was wanting to get her hair lightened and we did it.  My hair lady did such a wonderful job and McKinley loves it.  Such a beautiful girl all around!

Memorial Day breakfast

One of our Memorial Day traditions is to gather as a family for a breakfast.  This year we gathered at Wasatch park and had such a beautiful breakfast.  We had french toast and bacon and potatoes.  It was a perfect morning, with warm sunshine and clear skies.  Gathering as a family for breakfast is always fun and we miss those who can't attend.  It was another successful breakfast.

After breakfast we all head to Grandad and Nana's to do a yard cleanup.  With all the helpers we are able to really get the huge yard cleaned up.  We also go and visit the graves of Dave's family members who are buried in Draper and nearby cemeteries.  A good mix of Memorial Day celebrations and work.  It was a great day.

Ethan's Mother's Day Skype

Twice a year missionaries are able to Skype home and talk with their families...Christmas and Mother's Day.  So on Mother's Day we got to Skype with Ethan from Brazil for just over an hour.  It was the best Mother's Day present ever.  It's so good to see his face and hear his voice in real time.  I enjoy emailing with him each Monday, but seeing him and hearing him is another thing.  We were all so excited to hear his stories, hear him struggle with his English, and share experiences and stories with us.  He is so happy and loves the people of Brazil so much.  He is learning Portuguese very well and doesn't struggle with it as much as he did at Christmas.  In fact, he has more trouble speaking English these days!!  We had a hard time hanging up, but wouldn't have missed it for the world.!!

Evan's 16th birthday

Evan turned 16 and enjoyed a wonderful birthday with the highlight of getting his driver's license.  Evan is such a fun kid and is a kind hearted and thoughtful young man.  Evan has passion for soccer and friends.  He's an active, go getter.  He's super smart and very loving.  It's so fun to be his mom and I can't wait to see what God has in store for him as he continues to grow!

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival

I am so glad I decided to go with some friends to the Tulip Festival.  It was cold and raining when we left, but the weatherman promised the rain and clouds would "burn off" and they did!  It turned out to be a beautiful crisp Spring day.  And the gardens were so beautiful.  We wanted acres and acres of gardens that were just breathtaking.  What an amazing place of beauty.

I Am the Light of the World Garden - Thanksgiving Point

I had an amazing visit to the I Am the Light of the World Garden at Thanksgiving point with some friends.  We went for the Tulip Festival, but the Garden was the highlight of the trip.

The Light of the World garden is a new two-and-a-half acre garden inside the Ashton Gardens with artwork and themed landscaping donated by the I Am the Light of the World Foundation. Created by Utah artist Angela Johnson, the garden includes a total of 15 scenes and 35 statues, with 14 scenes from the New Testament and one LDS Church-inspired scene depicting Joseph Smith’s First Vision. The sculpture garden offers guests a walk through the life and miracles of Jesus Christ and a space for quiet reflection.

These sculptures were incredible.  A few months ago we had the creator come and speak with us and it was such an amazing story of their creation and the work she did.  Being able to go and see the bronze statues and look at the detail and the expressions was amazing. I will definitely go again!

Spring Break trip to Teasdale, Utah...Adventure Acres!

For Spring break we were invited down to Teasdale Utah where Dave's mother's cousin has 40 acres of property to camp on.  We went down with some extended family and camped with some new friends as well.  It is such a beautiful area of our state and we had fun exploring just a tiny bit of it over the 3 days we were there.

We went to a remote site down some long dirt roads to a site that claimed to have amazing petroglyphs.  And it was true.  These were the biggest and brightest petroglyphs I have ever seen.  It was a neat discovery place and there was a lot of information about the archeological exploration that has taken place near the area.  

Back at the camp there were all sorts of toys to ride.  JB had four wheelers, motorcycles, dirt bikes and a bunch of e-bikes.  I had never heard of e-bikes, but I now have a new love.  An e-bike is a regular bike that has a battery assist to it.  You can set the amount of assist you want and when you are pedaling it will maintain a certain speed for you, even as you ascend hills.  A few of the e-bikes were even equiped with throttles that allows you to accelerate without even pedaling.  What's neat about riding them is that you can get as much of a workout as you want, but when you want/need a little rest or help you can have the motor kick in for you.  Our family of 4 went for a ride and everyone was able to stay together and enjoy the same ride, even with hills!  It was fun.

On the second day we went out to find a good slot canyon hike.  We had 3 in mind and after stopping at the first one where we discovered it was very windy and we would have to hike 2 miles to get to the opening of the slot, we proceeded to the second hike, Cottonwood canyon slot.   It was perfect there with cloud cover but warmth.  Just perfect for hiking.  We took our large group and drove down a fun dirt road to reach the beginning of the hike.  We scrambled over boulders and through the wash to the entrance to the slot.  This slot was not as narrow as most that we've enjoyed, but it was still beautiful and fun to explore.

At one point on the hike it did get fairly narrow and the water began to build.  We got to this point where there was no way but through the water or extended over it.  Some of the kids were able to span it, but mostly we were shuttled accross on piggy back by Mischele and Spencer who waded through the water for us.

Sadly, after this successful crossing we got to another water only place that was too deep and we had to turn around.  It was about the perfect length hike at that point any way and we were happy to go back down and have a yummy lunch at the car.

Thursday night we had a big ribs and chicken dinner with all the people staying at the camp.  It was delicious and we finished the night off with 4 cobblers as well.  We ate like kings and enjoyed our trip so much.  We hope to be able to do it again soon!