Arches Bike Trip

My calling as the Assistant Scout Master allows me to re-live the glory days of my years as a scout. In March we took 12 scouts to Moab for a mountain bike/Arches expedition. The first morning we biked 8 miles round trip over slick rock and sand into Arches National Park to Balanced Rock. We only experienced a couple of minor wipeouts, with no serious injuries. Later that day we set off on a 4 mile off road ride over slick rock while dodging cactus and cryptobiotics. After that ride a majority of the boys declared they would not ride their bikes the rest of the trip. That led to a decision to put the bikes away and hike to Delicate Arch and Sand Dune Arch the next day. I thought it was a great decision when I woke up the next morning with a very sore "seat".

This post authored by Jason

Going Green

We're not Irish, but we like any excuse to celebrate a holiday (and my family looks forward to anything that offers a break in the monotonous routine of cold cereal for breakfast). My specialty (my only breakfast specialty)...food-colored, shaped pancakes. I had to use coconut flavoring for the syrup so that it would lend itself more easily to the green hues. As for dinner, we have long abandoned the tradition of tinting stroganoff and noodles green (to this day, Jason still cannot eat stroganoff) and have opted for a more palatable "Pot O' Gold Soup." Hmm...maybe I enjoy holidays so much because they all seem to center around food!

Spencer and Audrey did marble painting for preschool using paints in varying shades of green. Brevin graphed Lucky Charms and constructed a leprechaun hat complete with blazing orange, construction paper hair. Jason even wore an obligatory mint-green shirt to work. Yes, it seems that going green is "all the rage" these days!

This post authored by Amber

A Nice Day for a Hike...Finally!

Nothing infects me with "spring fever" quite like a day of sunshine and warm temperatures-especially after a winter of being cooped-up inside, watching far too much Sponge Bob! Oh, and Saturday offered a perfect opportunity to take a hike. It was lovely!

Jason and I took the boys to the foothills of the mountains just east of our home for a jaunt to the lime deposit. The boys really love that trail because it offers a chance to get really dirty when you arrive at the mound of chalky earth. Jason and I love it for the view, and for the occasional mountain breeze. (It turned out to be warmer than expected, and we discovered that long sleeves were a bit too much!) We had some snacks, the boys explored, and we took many pictures, of course.

I think I could get used to this "spring fever." It sure beats the common head cold!

This post authored by Amber

Another Month Gone By

Big changes came during this past month! Garrett progressed quickly from the "army crawl" to an upright crawling position, and now that he can move around more quickly, the world has so much to offer him in the way of discovery. He has also developed an ability to pull himself up to standing position and get a better view of his future conquests, too. He can't wait to get his hands on everything (and, subsequently, his mouth on everything)! His new mobility seems to put him in a happier mood than ever before, and he is definitely more interactive with people, which is really entertaining. When he is in an extra happy mood, he makes a "shah, shah, shah" sound. Now that his third tooth (top middle-right) has begun to cut through, he likes to grind the bottom two against it as he makes the sound. When he wakes up, he sits up in his crib and patiently waits, only crying out every now and again to make sure someone is coming to get him. What can I say? He's a little sweetie (and I am totally a "mommy blogger")!

This post authored by Amber

Celebrating A Life

On his birthday, we decided to celebrate Brad's life by gathering as family, and expressing our love in for him in deeply meaningful ways.

I picked Brevin up from Kindergarten and the boys and I drove to Brigham City. I dropped them off with my sister-in-law, Lisa, and she graciously watched them so that I could attend a session at the Ogden temple with my siblings and Brad's wife and family. I can't think of a more appropriate or poignant way to help fill the void created by a tragic loss than to worship in the Lord's Holy House and be reminded of the eternal nature of families. It was indescribably comforting to participate in that session!

When we returned to Brad and Jenny's home, we made the trip out to the graveside to sing "Happy Birthday!" and let off balloons in his honor. It was also nice to see that the headstone was in place.

We finished off the evening with birthday cake and ice cream and a quiet drive home in the dark. It was a good day.

This post authored by Amber