Utah

Last week we went to Utah for a little business and a lot of fun.  Hyrum is collaborating with some guys at Utah State so we stopped up there for a day. 
On our way through Salt Lake City we stopped for lunch with Karissa and brought the boys to temple square for a little visit. 









Up in Logan, we got to see our cool niece Jasmine for a night and then the next day Hyrum worked and we enjoyed campus.  The boys favorite things were the “race track” (we ran around on the indoor track for awhile), the soccer field (a nice PE teacher who was teaching a class lent us some balls to play with), and the tackling (the football team tackle thing—no idea what that is called-- was there and we took turns tackling it).   They also enjoyed the Aggie ice cream.


Then we cruised down to Pleasant Grove and stayed with Becky and her family while Hyrum did some recruiting at BYU for Sandia.  We had a ton of fun playing with cousins, watching BYU beat USU in football, playing gator ball with family, listening to conference, and hanging out.  I also got to see some old running buddies Mel, and Kristen from my BYU XC days.  I miss all of my old running friends and wish they all could have been there.

We took this picture with our three babies because our last big reunion, we were all prego together so this is the “after” shot of sorts.  Thanks everyone for the good time.

Joy School

I am in a preschool co-op this year for James and we are following the Joy School curriculum.  He LOVES it.  He loves being a part of something structured and regular with friends. 

First Day of Joy School

Joy School Halloween parade and party

All of his friends in their costumes

We are proud of James as he opens up and learns.  He is becoming much more social.  He also loves to ride his scooter to and from Scotty's school to take him and pick him up.  He is beginning to enjoy Grant more and more as a playmate too which is a big help.  We love James.

Scotty’s first lost tooth

A couple of months ago, right when school started, Scotty lost his first tooth.



Scotty already has another tooth almost up in that spot and its neighbor is newly loose.  He is such a big kid now.  He is loving Kindergarten.  He loves his class and his friends.  He is a good reader and is getting pretty good at math these days.  He is a good runner (he was so proud of himself recently because he ran 14 laps in a half hour at his jog-a-thon--almost 2 1/2 miles).  He plays soccer and has scored 5 goals already this season.  He is a really nice big brother too.  We are so grateful to have Scotty as the big brother in our house. 

New Mexico

We have lived in New Mexico for over 2 years now and we decided that we were going to become true New Mexicans, and get our own ginormous bag or roasted green chilies this year.

Lake Powell

Because we had an excellent summer with Lance, his kind family invited us to join them for a fun Lake Powell vacation.  We had a great time. 

Lance preparing Scotty for some fun ski-boarding

Scotty on the ski-board- next year waterskis.

James watching from the boat

Lance and James

Grant enjoying a boat ride

Walter dragging Hyrum on the slalom ski

Hyrum speared his first fish

Scotty enjoying the water

View from our campsite at dawn

Nathan's finding Nemo turtle

 

Thanks Adamson's!  We had a great time!  Despite the lack of photographic evidence, Dallan, Becky, and I were also there.

Twin Lakes 2012

Twin Lakes was an awesome adventure as always!  For those of you not in the know, Twin Lakes is located on the Colville Indian Reservation in Northeastern Washington.  Our family, on my dad’s side, has been going there since my dad was a baby.  We stay in a mixture of the “trabin” (single wide trailer built onto like a cabin), and some campers, and tents.  We play with the cousins, share meals, swim, waterski, tube, wake board, canoe, fish, ride bikes, and generally have an amazing time.  Despite a few cases of of strep throat, and hand foot and mouth (post Twin Lakes), and my Dad breaking his ankle, it went off fairly flawlessly this year.  My Dad is awesome though, I mean what other almost 70 year old wake boards on a regular basis?  And has a seasons pass at a ski resort?

Hyrum paddling the cousins around

James jumping off the dock

Cousins jumping off the dock

Underwater Eric

Hyrum trying out my marshmallow roasting invention

Grant--too sleepy to wait to take off his life-jacket

Hula Hoop-Diving a 2012 addition

Jimmy showing off the "spear" Hyrum made
They speared a bass but he escaped, minus a couple of scales

Hyrum ready to spear fish--seriously, do you even have to ask why I married this man?  Hubba Hubba.

Nicole waterskiing

Mark Gardner--another 2012 addition.  Be there in 2013 Mark!

Our family tubing--James didn't want to come so we added Lukey instead.

The MEN ready to spear a fish in the channel

The last day we had to get in one more ski, and ran out of gas on the other side of the lake.
Thanks to the anonymous wake board boat who towed us home!

Bear Canyon Academy

Our church group (ward) has a really cool program a couple of moms started last year.  We call it the Bear Canyon Academy, named after the local, fancy, expensive, private school Albuquerque Academy, and their summer program.  Any school age kids can participate if one of their parents are willing to teach a class for 6+ kids of the age group of their choice.  Scottie got to participate in some really fun classes: swimming, one about the weather, and one where they did water play.  Hyrum and I taught a class for older kids ages 10-13.  We, mostly Hyrum,  taught a class “Build your own electronic gadget.”  It was a lot of fun.  The boys (no girls signed up for our class), made Franklin’s Bells but instead of lightning we harvested electrons from our old-school television.  We also made our own motors using magnets, and a little canon that shoots b-b’s that uses the circuit out of disposable cameras.  It was actually really cool and the boys loved it. 






Our homemade motor—it uses the magnet from a speaker
A boy wrapping wire for his gun.

Father’s Day 2012

Yeah, I know that Father’s Day was F'OREVER ago, but this is for me, and the Grandma’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hyrum requested a pomegranate cheesecake, which though it doesn’t look amazing, tasted amazing.  We sure love our Dad.

Fathers & Sons camping/fishing in Jemez mountains

Hyrum, Lance and the older boys extended their fathers-and-sons overnight campout to do a little fishing in the Jemez watershed.

James reeled in the first catch at the 12-and-under pond at the nearby hatchery, a pretty decent rainbow, and again was surprised and a little terrified at the beast on the end of his line.  That was lunch.  While Hyrum was cooking it up, Lance and Scott ventured to a nearby creek where they reeled in 4 more rainbows—two each.

On the drive home, we stopped for several hours at our new favorite fishing hole on the Guadalupe river.  Somehow, we managed to find a way with our gear and small kids down the cliff face to the water’s edge.  Lance reeled in a brookie on his first cast, then another later on.  Hyrum finally absolved himself from becoming the weak fishing link, and reeled in the last—and not smallest—catch of the day: another brook trout.  (Obviously, as facilitator of this expedition, Hyrum was always busy taking care of the kids, setting up camp, cooking, taking photos, etc.; otherwise, he naturally would have brought home a lot more.)

Total fish count: Lance (2 rainbows, 2 brookies); Scott (2 rainbows); James (1 rainbow); Hyrum (1 brookie, which, although not the largest, turned out to be the fish with the most “intangibles”)

Besides the fish, the location was beautiful, sporting waterfalls, sheer cliffs, large boulders, and cool running, refreshing water.

And this is how you know that you’ve had a great trip: