A day in the life...

New Blog Direction...

2006-07-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Since I wont be posting much specifics about the family anymore, I thought it would be good to return to posting on other activities. I will include movie reviews, game reviews, activities, etc. I'll start later today with a review of a movie and maybe some XBOX360 games. Hopefully I will be able to maintain it for a while and make it worth the read...

What's New?

2006-06-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have avoided the blog line at the request of the boss. No more mention of the family, just my interests and ideas.

Last week I passed a memorable milestone (40), and ended having one of the best weekends ever, culminating in a visit to Amazing Jakes. One of the other cool things I received was an XBOX 360, and I will shortly get a Garmin 76CSx gps. Besides spending a lot of family fun time. I certainly have no room to complain.

I plan to use this forum to keep tabs on some of my hobbies and activities. I will start by trying to add my GamerCard from XBOX LIVE to the blog site. Either way, I plan to include some reviews of games, activities and the like. Look for more soon.

Books on CD

2006-02-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Oops, I have let the time slip by again. Time for an update.

Life continues to cruise by, but I have been able to change a dreary part of my day into something to look forward to. I am listening to books on CD during my commute. So far it has been great. I listened to the last two books of the Harry Potter series, and now can't wait for the last one to come out. Currently I am listening to 'The Da Vinci Code' and enjoying the suspense. (Not so sure about all the stretches Dan Brown takes, but interesting none the less). It sure makes the drive a lot more bearable.

I spent a week in Las Vegas at a training class on Microsoft SharePoint software and enjoyed the time. I was able to get a video transfer project done in the evenings, along with a visit with Dwight Harris, the one guy I went to Grade 1-12 with. I'm hoping his family will come visit us for the Mesa Temple Easter pageant.

Because I was gone from work for a week, I had a few things back up at work, and then the past few days, including Saturday, I have put in extra time, but working on phone problems. Hence I am even further behind. Makes for some good job security! This evening we got the issues resolved, so I am happy and can start moving forward on other items. :-)

The kids are all doing well with school and activities. It is hard to keep up and work out all the different commitments, but at least we can't get ourselves in trouble. Mostly we just have a good time together and the kids get along.

Saturday night JoLynn and I enjoyed a very good adult session of Stake Conference, then Sunday we enjoyed the Arizona-wide regional conference at the Stake Centers from Salt Lake. President Monson, Elder Bednar, and Elder Didier spoke. All were very good. President Monson said the best Stakes for attendance have always been in Arizona and Southern Alberta. It must be our family influence! (just kidding).

I watched the Superbowl with Thomas. It was fun to spend some time together, and I wont bother commenting on the game, since it doesn't really matter. Good for the Steelers! Now we look forward to Spring Football where we can start to think the Cougars will be unbeatable [only if we outscore them...]

Another update??

2006-01-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true. I am doing more than one update this week!

I'll admit I was much more into it last year, especially last Fall. That could have something to do with the amount of extra time I had available at work... Now I am trying to get more organized, so I can take five minutes during my lunch break to give a quick update.

At work I have been trying to crank out several PC's in conjunction with a site move. It has allowed me to reload about 10 PC's from scratch in the past week. I enjoy it, but it is a bit time consuming (I do the full reload instead of doing copies; I'm a bit anal that way...) I now have the routine down and can easily do 2 at a time on the workbench. I also got my office all cleaned up and put away, so it actually looks like I have nothing to do (not sure how wise that is). Part of that stems from the need to have a clean appearance, since I have a window that goes to the front entrance. When I first moved in, they had the window covered (probably because I just had to drop all my 'stuff' in to the office. Last week they had the agency logo put onto the window, so I took down my cover. It is nice to be able to see out, of course others can see in. It is a good motivator to keep everything tidy.

Last night for Scouts, we met with all the young men/young women, and played a couple of games of capture the flag. It turned out pretty well. We play in the park near the Church. It has a large running path around the outside and we use part of the field inside. Anyway, at the start of the second game, I had this great idea to run around the track and come in from the back to get the flag. I took off and headed out. It took a few minutes to get around to the back. It was set up perfectly for me to come in, grab the flag and take off right in front of the 'guards'. They were all looking the other way. Just as I was ready to make my break, one of the boys (who had played on my side the previous game), noticed me on the track and put a quick end to my wonderful plans!! Next time I'm going to solicit some help to create a diversion. I had to wait out the game in jail. It was bogus.

The last few weeks I have been working on pulling some video from the camcorder. I'm trying to get it all pulled off to the computer so I can then make some DVDs. It has been fun to see the video. It has also inspired me to do more recording. It is always interesting to see the fun things the kids do, a year or two down the road.

Try it again...

2006-01-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is my second try at a post in the new year. For some reason, every time I write a long post, it always gets deleted before it can post. Anyway....

Christmas and New Year were really good, other than a little stomach flu (everyone took a turn, but Reece only seemed to have the effects for about an hour). We spent a lot of time doing things as a family and had a very fun time. The weather was ideal and we had a nice break from work and school.

With the start of the new year, we are continuing some good habits, and trying to start a few more. I have begun an exercise program and can already feel some of the positive effects after just a couple of weeks. Maybe now I can lose the last five pounds to reach my goal. We are also continuing our scripture study. Having finished the Book of Mormon on December 31st, we are now reading the Pearl of Great Price, then we will read some highlights from the Old Testament. It has been great to read with the kids and teach them the great stories from the scriptures.

One of my favorite things at Christmas is to get the many cards and letters from all of our family and friends. We have our fridge covered in pictures. It is great to see how everyone is doing. Since we can't see everyone very often, this is certainly the next best thing.

Now I'm trying to get all the yard and outside house projects lined up so I can complete them in the next few weeks while the temperatures are still really nice. JoLynn added painting the trim on the house, so I'm really excited about that!! :-(

Christmas Prep

2005-12-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

We started early this year and it has paid off in our Christmas prep. We pretty much had everything done with a week to go before Christmas. About the only item left to finish is the annual Christmas letter. JoLynn should be working on that today, and then we will be all set! Our ward does an annual Christmas in Bethlehem, so JoLynn made up some costumes this year. We used that to take a picture of the kids to send out with the Christmas letter. Reece wasn't too excited until I told him he was dressing up like a Jedi! That did the trick, until he needed his 'star wars' (what he calls the light saber). We did get a good shot without it, but a lot more with. This picture should give you an idea of what we were up against. Have I mentioned how much Reece talks about Star Wars? Not really sure where it all comes from, but he is a real fan. I think he will have a good Christmas!

Tonight is the BYU Bowl game against Cal. I really hope we can play well and have a good showing. Our past bowl record is pretty lousy, but I don't have a lot of hope with the young coaching staff. I am encouraged that they have made some positive changes, and I think we are clearly headed in the right direction. I'm planning to watch with Harry, while JoLynn take her Mom out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. It's kind of a win-win evening for the guys and gals.

Christmas is coming!

2005-12-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

OK, no excuses for the drought of posts. Life is always busy, I just haven't taken the time to post. So here is a little update.
I'm really enjoying the cooler weather, while being glad it isn't cold! I like to wear a coat and need a blanket to sleep. But no one likes being cold. Our weather has been just right for enjoying change in seasons.
Of course, this is the best time of any year! I have felt especially sentimental this Christmas season. Perhaps it is the regular reading we have done in the Book of Mormon. It does hurt that we just recently finished the savior's visit to the people in America. That is such a great part of the scripture.
I have been concerned about my Dad's health. He hasn't been very good since getting really sick in July. We thought he was on the mend, but last weeks visit to the doctor seems to indicate otherwise. He is still having problems with his kidneys, but it doesn't seem like he is getting much quality care. All they want to do is run tests. Anyway, I was trying to think of something I could do to help cheer him up this Christmas. The best idea I could come up with was to give him a DVD of things we have videod. We have quite a bit and I have never taken the time to get it put to disc. I started yesterday. The first thing I thought I would do is last Christmas at Steve Young's "cabin" in Park City. It was fun to watch it. The kids heard me watching it and had a great time reliving the memories. Hopefully I will be able to get it to turn out like I envision. Either way, I'm sure they will still enjoy it. I just need to get it done and in the mail.
I am looking forward to Christmas with the kids. We aren't doing too much, but it should still be fun spending time together. We have a good time doing games and activities, as long as we can keep the snipping between siblings down. I also have a couple of movies I want to watch with the kids.
Speaking of movies, we went to see "Chronicles of Narnia" on Saturday. Excellent movie with some outstanding special effects. I really enjoyed it. It sure is nice to see some quality shows make it to the theatre. I hope this trend will continue for religiously based stories to be featured. And I have always thought C.S. Lewis's other famous story "The Screwtape Letters" would make a good movie as well.

New Car

2005-11-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

It has taken a while to work out, and lots of discussion, but I have gotten a new car. This is the picture from the lot where we bought it. As you can see it is a PT Cruiser. The GT (Turbo) model with leather seats and sunroof. I am really happy with it! JoLynn did all the work to get us a good deal. I'll have to let her drive it some! :-)
We have already changed the spinner rims back to the original 5-spoke chrome rims. It looks much better!

Life continues to be hectic, but fun. We have had a few birthday parties the past couple of weeks. And the kids are always having activities with school and other programs. Cami had her first MYS concert of the year. In the past they have been held in the auditorium of one of the High Schools, but this year they are having them in the new Mesa Arts Center. It made the concert all the more enjoyable (plus we left Reece at home with a babysitter!)

With the purchase of the new car, I have put my plans to get the new XBOX 360 on hold. Thomas is planning to get one when it comes out next week, so I am still looking forward to playing it. I've been saving all my extra money, so hopefully it wont take too long. Now I just need to find some time to be able to play it, once I can buy it....

Monday night we took our annual trip to ToysRUs for the kids to get ideas for their Christmas wish list. They got a lot of good ideas, but I think Reece will end up with something Star Wars. He is always talking about it and singing the Darth Vader theme. I guess we shouldn't have let him watch the original shows. It is pretty funny to hear him singing "da da da ..." He has it down.

Back from Mexico

2005-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

We spent the end of the kids Fall Break at Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico. The weather was perfect and we had a really fun time.Besides all the normal things (swimming, finding shells, digging in the sand, girls getting their hair braided, shopping at the vendors), we also did some extras because Cami had her birthday while there. Her Aunt Pam took her out to swim with the sea lions, and apparently that was pretty cool. The rest of us put together a pinata and bought some fireworks. That evening we let all the kids take a couple whacks at the pinata. I finally had to just drop it from the balcony to really break it up. There was plenty to go around. Later, we went down to the beach for fireworks. I spent a small fortune, but got a really good variety. We had tried to use the 'click-stick' lighters a couple nights before, but with the breeze on the beach, it made it very difficult to get things lit (and I nearly lost my head with some very quick explosions!). So I wised up and bought a soldering torch at the hardware store. This let us line-up the fireworks and I could just walk down the line and shoot them off in sequence. It made for a really good show. Nathan helped me with the setup and had a great time. We had a good group of families and it made it very enjoyable for everyone. Hopefully more can join us next year.

We have been doing really well at reading the Book of Mormon as a family. It has been great to have everyone look forward to reading. The kids don't let us miss a night. I don't remember that as a kid....

So I'm trying to figure out if I was just dumb as a kid, or if they just teach less these days. Or maybe my kids really are that smart! I am amazed at how much they know. Whenever Nathan comes up with something new, I try to compare what I was learning in the first, second, third grades. Especially in math he is nearly two grades ahead. I remember being pretty good with the times tables in third grade. He just started first grade and can figure out most of his basic times calculations. I'm sure I had no idea what it was in first grade. Of course, I didn't get a chance to have kindergarten, so I probably made up for it in the later years... It's amazing how smart they are and how well they do at their activities.

New Braces

2005-09-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the plunge and had braces put on. I have always wanted to fix my top teeth. The incisors on the front corners have always looked bad. So Pam agreed she could make some improvements and started the process. I actually only have the top teeth done. The bottom will be added in three weeks.

Anyway, it wasn't too bad yesterday, but since this morning, my teeth have been really sore, especially when I try to eat something! That stinks, since I really like to eat. Hopefully it will fix up all my cosmetic problems and I'll end up being even better looking than now. :-) Of course I put in Blue and White bands to support the BYU Cougars. I'm hopeful they have finally turned the corner and will begin a return to the 'good old days' of the 80s.

The kids are doing well and enjoying school and friends. After a long drought of close friends, LeAnn now has a bossom buddy. They want to be together ALL the time (but not at our house - JoLynn must be too mean, just kidding.) It is nice for her to have a playmate.

This week we start to get more of the activities. Cami starts up with MYS (Metropolitan Youth Symphony), and Nathan starts soccer. We are still doing well on keeping up our Book of Mormon reading and staying on track to finish by the end of the year. We are reading about the battles near the end of the Book of Alma. It is pretty exciting and the kids have lots of questions. It's fun to have them learn these great stories. It sure makes you greatful to live in this day and age and not in the days of sword battles. I'll play that role on the XBOX, but I surely would not want to do it for real!

Holiday Weekend

2005-09-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the holiday weekend in Strawberry enjoying the great weather. Luckily we had the Ramada to keep us dry as it rained each afternoon. Saturday we got over an inch, and also got flooded in the tent, so we ended up coming home Sunday. It was still a great time. We drove the four-wheelers and had fun playing around. The Ramada made the weekend very enjoyable. Now that the fireplace is in, we are thinking of just going up without a tent and sleeping in the Ramada with a fire. It would sure make it easier to setup.

Becuase I was in Straawberry on Saturday, I missed the BYU football game against Boston College. I did use my phone to follow the score on the Internet, and then I did watch it when we got back. They lost 20-3. It was quite disappointing, considering all the talk about how the offense was going to be back to the glory days. Obviously they still have some work to do. Boston College has a good team, but they were beatable. Hopefully the team can figure out how to win again. They don't really act like they know how. But it is nice to be back in football season again.

After dragging my feet a bit, Thomas got me to do a Fantasy Football league for this year. We had to struggle to get 10 people, but at least we will be in it. I'm not as much up on the current happenings as in years past, but it is always fun to play. I ended up getting a pretty decent team in the auto-draft. As long as I can beat JoLynn's brothers, I'll be happy. :-)

This week the girls start back with harp practice, then next week Cami starts the Youth Symphony, so Wednesdays are going to get busy again. I'm hoping to adjust my work schedule so I can be around more. It is also really helpful to have Jarom involved so Pam trades off driving. It is nice that the kids have so many great opportunities.

Another month gone by...

2005-08-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe how fast the time goes by. Of course we just seem to move from one activity to the next, so there isn't much 'free' time to think about it.

As a family we have taken President Hinckley's challenge to read the Book of Mormon to heart. We are doing really well at reading each night, and this past Sunday we had our first read-a-than. It is fun to read with the kids and have them learn the many lessons from the scriptures. We have already started to see some of the benefits in the kids!

JoLynn had a successful garage sale last Saturday. We didn't get rid of everything we had, but it made a good dent and we got a little money back. Now I just need to get the rest of it hauled away. It always seems like there is something else hanging over us.

Yesterday I took JoLynn to the local Chrysler dealer to look at a PT Cruiser. I have always wanted to drive one. I got the chance to drive the GT model with it's 220 HP turbo engine. It definitely has some punch and blows away my Geo Prizm. I was really hoping the back seat was a bit bigger, but it does give you a very nice ride position, much more upright than other cars. I don't think it is anything I will get too excited about, but I am starting to look, anticipating I can make a vehicle change in the not too distant future. I will have had the Prizm for 11 years at Thanksgiving. I set the family (Anderson) record for longevity several years ago, so I can safely switch any time now.... :-)

I went and picked up a few items at the store tonight and took Reece along. He had a great time. He was singing to himself and just enjoying being out. We went into a PetSmart so he could see some animals. He enjoyed the fish and birds. There wasn't much else to see. He is a fun boy and has a large vocabulary of responses. I'm amazed at how he routinely uses three plus word sentences. It's always nice when you can brag on your kids...

This weekend is the first game of the season for BYU. After the past three bad years, I really hope they can turn things around. I'm not expecting a perfect season, but I think they will be improved. They have been capable of better results the past few years, and now I think the philosophy has returned to one where more results are likely. I look forward to seeing the game. At this point, anything is still possible. If nothing else, we have a good streak going in home openers. And we have good seats for the UNLV game in November!

2005-08-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

LeAnn starts preschool!

Time For Preschool

2005-08-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

LeAnn has been anxiously awaiting her turn for school and the day has finally arrived. JoLynn had four other girls over today to start preschool with LeAnn. She couldn't be more excited! The girls had a good first day and look forward to Thursday for their next get-together. The Mom's are each taking a turn doing a week. They have a lot of fun activities planned.

We have suspected there may be a leak in our dishwasher, and confirmed it tonight. Now we have to figure out if it is something we can fix or if we have to go out for a new unit. Our house seems to be getting at that point where items are starting to wear out. Hopefully we will be able to spread things out a bit so it doesn't all hit at once.

We are gearing up for a garage sale this weekend. I had planned to be available to help move all the items out of the garage, but I just found out we are having a scout camp this weekend. Hopefully we can get everything put together before I go. The scout camp should be fun. We are preparing for next months Stake encampment where the boys will get the Wilderness Survival merit badge. This campout will let the boys practice building fires with a fire bow, and building a lean-to for sleeping quarters (two of the merit badge requirements). It should be interesting. Hopefully the weather will be good. We are going up to Strawberry, so I will get a chance to see the new fireplace/barbeque at Gould's property.

2005-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Sara catching the waves

2005-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

LeAnn and Rosie (Underwood)

2005-08-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Fun at the beach...

2005-08-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Family with Bowen's at the Newport Beach, CA Temple

2005-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

The kids like using Grandpa's lift.

2005-08-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

He really does like Fun Dip!

2005-08-11T07:33:00.001-07:00

Nathan - First day in 1st Grade!

2005-08-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sara starts 4th grade.

2005-08-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Starting 6th Grade

Back to school

2005-08-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

The kids started back to school this morning. Now life can return to a normal schedule. :-)

All three are still at the elementary school, with Nathan starting 1st grade. They all looked good in their new outfits and new backpacks. I did the official walk to school. They all should have really good classes with many other good kids. Nathan especially has a good group of boys that he has played with. We'll see how he does in the behaviour department.

Reece has discovered movies and loves the Pixar and Shrek movies. Regular cartoons aren't quite as appealing as the computer animated. He is way too smart, though, and can say pretty much anything the other kids say. It is a bit un-nerving to have him tell you things that you don't expect him to know, let alone pronounce the words mostly right. Last night I was putting together some shelves. The kids were in bed, so I put on Phantom of the Opera to listen to. I guess I had it too loud, because a few minutes into the show, he stood up in his bed and started saying 'Opera, Opera'. He recognized the music. I didn't even know he had heard it before...

Family to Return

2005-08-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well, my family decided to come back to me. :-) They are on their way back from California, after spending ten days playing with friends and enjoying the cooler temperatures. It has been pretty quiet while they were gone, but I somehow survived. It will be nice to see everyone again.

One of the many items JoLynn left on my 'honey-do' list was to finish putting together a book on my mission for the Cherish Bound publishing. I wanted to add a little more than I had, so I went to the bookcase to get my mission journals. I thought I might read a little and jog a few memories (it did work). Anyway, when I first went in, I grabbed what I thought was my last mission journal. Turns out it was actually JoLynn's journal from the start of her junior year in college. This journal started the first day we met in Accounting orientation at BYU. Needless to say, I have spent several nights reading through her journal, and comparing with mine. It has been a fascinating look back at our courtship. I can't think of an activity that could have been more invigorating for my perspective on our marriage. It is amazing to see how much some things have changed, and the things that haven't. My biggest regret is that i didn't write nearly as much detail as she did. I can't wait to read it with JoLynn when she gets back. It is great. Of course I'm sure that means I should still be doing the same thing. I need to repent and write more. My blog track record wouldn't indicate I have much chance....

My dad is doing better all the time. He is getting better, but it will take a while. We may need to plan a trip up to visit with them. I doubt he will make it down to see us very soon.

I'll post some pictures from the vacation my family had. Hopefully they took a lot.

Work has been going great. I love the technology I get to work with and the people are great. It has been a bit extra hectic the past few days, as three outstanding projects all came together at the same time (just as we had predicted). But at least they will all be wrapped up soon. :-)

Life moves on...

2005-07-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, no excuse not to have updated my Dad's condition. He has returned home to Canada and was only in the hospital up there for a few days before being able to return home. It is nice that he has made so much progress, but he does still have a way to go before he is fully recovered. It will take quite a while before he gets all his strength back, but we are very happy he is on the right track. The unfortunate part for us is we may not see him for a while. I sure hope he can return to form and get back out on the golf course.

I am on my own this week as JoLynn has taken the kids to California to visit with friends. They are spending most of their time on the beach. I guess it is pretty tough. Luckily I am able to compensate with a little game playing to while away the lonely hours :-) My latest past-time has been playing an online computer game called Guild Wars. It is pretty entertaining for a guy who grew up playing the paper based Dungeons and Dragons game. I wish we had this game when I was young.

Of course I did get a list of Honey-do's, so it isn't all fun and games. I also scheduled a couple of late nights at work to get a few things off my work list as well. Hopefully I will be able to make good progress on both.

I try to keep up on some of the latest things in the political world. I have been watching the interest in Mitt Romney running for President in '08. He is getting a lot of interest outside the expected 'Mormon' areas. There have been some articles on his faith and I expect it will generate some positive press for the Church. I hope he can continue to get some interest and remain a dark horse. If he can hang in for a while, I think he might have a good shot, maybe even as a running mate for someone else. You never really know how these things will go.

Banner Baywood Hospital

2005-07-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

For the past week, we have gotten to know the Banner Baywood Hospital quite well. That is where my Dad has been, first the emergency room, then dialysis (10 hours), then ICU, then a move to the 6th floor, and finally a move to the 7th. Last week when we took him in after a day of being very sick, we first thought he would not make it. Luckily he was at a facility with good doctors and they were able to determine he had a large acid build-up in his blood from his diabetic medication. After the dialysis, he was able to get his kidney's functioning again, and if not for a minor stroke that impaired his balance, he would already be back in Canada. As it sits right now, he has been cleared for air ambulance ride back to Lethbridge, probably tomorrow. Fortunately, Dad had paid for some supplemental health insurance coverage and this episode is covered. It has been a trying time for us, but especially my Mom. It looks like now he will pull through. Hopefully he will be able to regain his strength and return to full activity.

On the plus side, we did get to spend a few days with Karen and David, and Luke and Jen, as they flew down and stayed with us for the weekend. There have been some good things that have come out of it, but it would still be better to have avoided it. Hopefully now Dad will be able to continue to get good care and get himself on the right track to recovery. I think it was very fortunate that he was here when this happened. I know it has been a lot easier for Mom.

Independence Day

2005-07-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I had a full day yesterday celebrating the birth of the country. It started early with a round of golf at Lookout Mountain in North Phoenix. My cousin Mark set it up. He golfed with some friends, and I golfed with Dad, Thomas and Kip. It got pretty worm toward the end of the round and we started to wear down, but I was able to get far enough ahead to hold off and win the round. I wish I could spend more time golfing with my dad and brothers, but I will take what i can get! After golf we went to Mark's house. Before the rest of the family joined us, we had a couple of games of tennis. Mark and I won both matches against Kip and Thomas. It was fun, but I got a bit too much sun. The pool felt good, though.
We had a bbq and swam with the kids all afternoon. The food was great and it was fun to visit. After we got back home, we went back to Fiesta Mall and watched the fireworks display from the college field. It was a good show and everyone had fun.

Last week I spent a few days in Pinedale, AZ at scout camp. This year our troop did their own camp. It was more work for the leaders, but very good for the boys. They did well and everyone seemed to have a very good time. The weather and facilities were nice for camping. I'm sure glad I was able to attend.

Summer Heat

2005-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

The heat of summer appears to be here for a while. We have sure enjoyed the nice weather we have had over the past several months. It has been the best I can remember.

The kids are full into summer activities. JoLynn has decided to scale back some of the projects and just focus on some fun activities with the kids. They are doing the Harkins Theatre Summer Movie pass on Tuesdays. Cami and Sara are doing a preschool for some of the young girls LeAnn's age. LeAnn and Reece are doing swimming lessons (Reece is a natural and has no problem going under water for extended periods). Nathan just pretty much spends all day at friends playing.

Over the weekend we watched a movie in the backyard and had fun. It was like a drive-in without the annoyance of other people shining their lights on you. We may have to do that a few more times.

the first weekend in June we had Stake Conference with Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Richard G. Hinckley. It was very uplifting and enjoyable. I got some money for my birthday and used it to buy a new set of scriptures, partly based on the instructions from the conference. It will be nice to get in and mark a new set of scriptures. We also bought a new set for Cami, since she is such a voracious reader and wants to do more reading of the scriptures. Can't complain about that...

2005-05-31T21:40:00.001-07:00

Playing some cards in the new ramada.

2005-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hiking the property.

2005-05-31T21:38:00.001-07:00

It was a bit dusty!

2005-05-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Reece on 'his' quad.

Schools Out!

2005-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

The kids are now officially out of school. JoLynn is hosting some parties as I write this during my lunch break. I'm sure the hectic pace will keep up, but I'm hoping for a bit of a break.

We have spent much of the past few weeks doing concerts and other performances. Cami has had two MYS concerts, plus a band concert at school. Sara had two chorus performances. The girls are doing terrific work with their music, consistently performing well and staying on the practice as well. I love to hear them play. Too bad I'm not home for most of their practice time.

We had a nice surprise from Nathan yesterday. He was chosen as the 'Kid of Character' for his kindergarten class. Pretty impressive when you know the other good students in his class. He has a very good group of boys that all go to school together. They have a lot of fun.

Speaking of Nathan, he lost his first tooth just over a week ago. Then LeAnn decided it was cool and lost her first tooth two days later. Nathan didn't want ot be outdone and precceded to lose his second a couple of days ago. I don't think Leann will keep up, but you never know with her.

We are getting ready to go camping in Strawberry this weekend (at least JoLynn will get ready once the parties are over!) It should be a great time. The weather forecast is for pleasant weather (and much cooler than the current 100 degree days in the Valley). I can't wait. Plus we have some friends and most of the family coming up for part of the weekend. It will be especially nice now that the Gazebo has been completed. I will post some pictures next week.

On to other matters. JoLynn and I watched the finale of 24. I thought it was quite good. It will be interesting to see what happens next season. I had not planned to watch, but I will probably tune in, based on how they ended it. We were not able to watch the finales for Lost and Alias, yet, but should be able to catch them tonight. And I still need to go see the final Star Wars episode.

I have also found a little time to play a new PC game with Thomas, during the past month. The game is called Guild Wars. We are really enjoying it. All the gameplay is over the Internet, so we are able to play together and work on different tasks. It has been a nice diversion the few times we have been able to get online.

Busy work, busy life!

2005-05-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of very busy weeks at my new job. I am REALLY enjoying it and the people. I get to work with AD, DNS, VoIP, Routers, Switches, Servers and all the other great computer components. And to top it off, they actually want to spend money on technology. It is a dream for computer geeks like me. I don't know why I was worried about getting a new job. The Lord was looking out for me all along!

The kids keep us very busy almost every night during the week. Between harp, piano, and t-ball, we don't have much spare time. This past week, Nathan had two games, Cami had a Metropolitan Youth Symphony concert, and Cami and Sara had a piano recital. All three kids are doing excellent work in their activities. It is great to see the progress and the development of talents. Now if they could just earn some money to cover the costs... :-)

LeAnn and Reece are not left out in all the activities. They are still plugging along in their constant barrage of play activities. Now that JoLynn's schedule has slowed a little, they are working on more projects and fun things with her. Reece seems to be picking up a new word or two each day. And big sister LeAnn does her best to be the helper. When we can take a breathe, we enjoy the fun in watching them grow.

We have another busy week coming up, with more t-ball, campout, cousin visits and anniversary! Hopefully we can survive.

New Job - Academic night

2005-04-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the hard work has finally paid off and I received a job offer on Thursday afternoon. I called them back Friday morning to accept. [While I was on the phone with them, I received a call for a second interview on another job...just like you expect, nothing for four months, then two at the same time]. I will be managing the computer systems for New Arizona Family, a non-profit that helps women in need. I am excited about it and look forward to the challenge. I go tomorrow for my orientation. It will really be nice to get back into the groove.

This evening we went to the academic night where Cami was one of the Golden Scholars in 5th Grade. This is her second year! She is doing fantastic in school and music and setting a great path for the rest of the kids to follow. And they are all on track to follow.

2005-04-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

In the hammock at Autumn's house (Russ and April).

2005-04-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

The kids with the kittens (just before they moved).

2005-04-18T21:31:00.001-07:00

Reece, visiting the kids at Superstition Springs Elementary.

2005-04-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Reece and Cooper at Cooper's birthday party.

Birthday bashes

2005-04-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy couple of nights. First on Monday night we went to Chuck E. Cheeses' for Cooper birthday party. The kids had a great time. We ended up with a lot of tokens and everyone got their fill on the games. It was fun. Reece and Cooper had a good time getting to play on all the rides and dancing to the music. The pizza was even pretty good!

While we were gone, the cat moved her kittens, so the problem may be solved (at least until the kittens grow up and become strays). I thought we might see the mother show up again, but so far no sign. Hopefully they are okay.

Last night we went to the park near Harry and Leila's for Sydney and Molly's birthday party. It was a beautiful evening and we really had fun. Harry drove down on his chair, and Reece was content to ride along. The rest of the kids rode scooters or bikes with them. It is nice to have facilities close by to enjoy. We had a fun visit.

I had an interview in the morning, then went out to my favorite dentist (Pam) to get a small chip repaired in a tooth. It sure is nice to have that available, and at such a good price. :-)

The kids have been taking AIMS test this week. To help them do their best, Pam has been making breakfast. It must be working, because the kids get up early and hustle right over. I hope Pam doesn't get stuck with the kids coming over every morning... she sure is a good aunt.

I've got some pictures from the last few days, so I will try to get them up soon. Hopefully I will be able to move off the job search mode soon and spend more time with other, more enjoyable activities.

No takers on the kittens

2005-04-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

We still haven't found anyone who wants one of the kittens. They really are cute. Too bad they actually grow up. I'd keep them all if they would stay this size. I guess we will take them to Humane Society soon. Maybe this next week. Not sure yet how we will get the Mother to go with them, she is VERY mean!

Yesterday JoLynn and I attended the 'Battle of the Books' for the Gilbert School District. Cami was on the team that won for Superstition Springs Elementary. They did great and had a perfect score until the last question. They had to guess between two characters in one of the twelve stories and picked the wrong one. It was a fun experience for them. Most of the other teams were all sixth graders, so she should have another opportunity next year.

My job search is still ongoing, but I had a couple of positive interviews this past week and one more scheduled for next week. Both interviews this week gave me feedback indicating they are still pursuing me as a possibility, so I should hear more next week. It is nice to finally have some things going. It will be nice to get our lives back into a normal routine.

In the interim, I have been glad to have some work doing PC support. I switched my schedule and am now working Friday night and Saturday to have time during the week for interviews and other job search activities. It seems to be paying off, but I am missing out on family time. Today, all of JoLynn's family is up at Strawberry to meet with the builder who will construct a Ramada for us. It will be great to have that available for campouts. Pam has also completed the outhouse. Now all me need is a well for water and we will have all the necessities covered. I can't wait to get out and do some more camping.

JoLynn is in the stretch run for taxes, so life will return to 'normal' soon. That will also help in our ability to get out and do some camping and to spend time together. I need more time on my 4-wheeler. I don't think it is good for it to just sit in the garage. :-)

Easter Surprise

2005-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Easter bunny did come and visit last Sunday. He also brought a nice little surprise. A stray cat that decided our bushes in the back yard would be a good place to have her five kittens. They kids have loved it. JoLynn and I are dreading what we are going to do in another week or so. Of course, we can't find anyone to claim the cat. We may just have to take them down to Russ and April's 'farm' [they have a Taratula and Chicken]. The kids really want us to keep on of the kittens, and I wouldn't mind, but I've told them we only get to have one cat at a time. They can't bear the thought of getting rid of Meeps (plus I told them they have to pay the fee to get the cat fixed and de-clawed). They are still trying to figure out how to swing it.

I took a couple of days this week from working on my temp job (PC Support), to go and meet and make contact with some people. Of course the best way to find the jobs is to network. I made a few new contacts and was able to follow up on some others. I didn't generate any immediate results, but I did get a call-back on a resume submission from two weeks back. They want an interview next Tuesday. It is to teach basic computer skills in a college environment. I think I would enjoy that and have applied for a few jobs. It's at least worth a look, since nothing else seems to be popping up!

Yesterday, LeAnn walked down to the neighbors house and stepped on a thorn. It was pretty big and apparently went in fairly deep. She cried a fair bit yesterday, but it seemed like she was playing it up a bit. I didn't worry about it too much, but this morning she complained more and didn't want to put any pressure on it. We had our podiatrist neighbor (Doug Griffin), who just happened to be off today, take a look. He ended up coming back later and cutting a small incision to use as a drain. It was pretty traumatic, especially since I was trying to distract her, but she saw him cut her just at the last second. It took a while to get over it, but she has finally calmed down. She may even survive the night. It's amazing how one child seems to get all the medical needs...

Nathan started t-ball games this week. He played Tuesday and Wednesday. For only really starting the process a couple of weeks ago, he is doing very well. He is one of the smallest kids, but he is getting the fundamentals down. Yesterday he played in the shortstop position and made some really nice stops. On one play he stopped the ball and threw it perfectly to first base. Unfortunately the first baseman wasn't watching and was several feet away when the ball arrived. He is having fun and enjoying the play with several of his friends from school. I'll get some pictures up soon.

2005-03-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Even Reece wants headphones to watch a movie.

Long overdue!

2005-03-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, updates have been scares lately. So here is an update on the family.

Two weekends ago I gave JoLynn a working weekend and took the kids up to Kip and Susan's in Kingman. We went up on Friday afternoon and then back on Sunday. The kids had a great time playing with cousins. We took the 4-wheelers and got to spend a couple of hours riding on Saturday afternoon. The weather was perfect and made for a really great time. I took the camera, but only got a couple of shots (not used to having one with me...) It was good to visit. Hopefully we can get them down here sometime soon.

The kids had Spring Break last week, but with JoLynn and I busy, there wasn't too much extra for them to do. We did buy 'The Incredibles' DVD and they have watched it at least a dozen times now. They already have all the funny lines down. The great part about kids is they don't have to get expensive entertainment to still have a lot of fun [which is nice when you are underemployed].

Nathan started t-ball practice this week. He is playing with several other of his friends. Most of them are just starting to learn to throw and catch, but they are picking it up pretty fast. I am hoping to help out as an assistant coach, but am not sure of my schedule yet.

JoLynn is still busy with tax work and has added the Cherish Bound book publishing consulting to the mix, while still maintaining a large primary organization. This weekend I am helping her run at both at a Meridian Magazine event in Mesa (sort of a mini education week/know your religion event). We had originally planned to attend, but when the Cherish Bound thing came along, it became a great opportunity to start that. It is quite time consuming getting up to speed, but it is a really good product and will be nice to have. We are working on a couple of books and have plans for a lot more. We are also helping a few other people with their books as well. Give JoLynn a call if you want to learn more.

Trip to San Diego

2005-03-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

At least Cami and JoLynn were able to go!

Cami had her Fifth grade Oceanography trip to San Diego this past weekend and JoLynn was lucky enough to be one of two parent chaperones on the bus ride! It sounds like they had a great trip, but it also had a couple of negatives (Cami had to dissect a fish which dropped the overall rating of the trip from a A- to a B). JoLynn had fun, but prefers a more traditional trip to the beaches in San Diego. The rest of us were stuck at home doing the weekend chores. We still had some fun, but the weather didn't cooperate with our plans for outdoor activities. Instead we played some games and watched some movies.

JoLynn and I are working on getting some books put together to use in promoting the Cherish Bound products. I am working on a book about my mission. It has been fun to go back and read my journals. I had forgotten a lot of the things I learnt. Hopefully I will be able to put it together so it will be meaningful to my kids and others. Not a bad exercise just to get back some of that experience.

And no, we don't just take pictures of Reece. It's just that he has been pretty cute the last few weeks. He is at a pretty fun stage. And I just realized yesterday I only have three more Sundays with him before he goes to nursery!!! And one of those might be this weekend in Kingman.

2005-03-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Reece tried the purple marker, now time for an Orange to wash it down.

2005-03-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Reece 'rides' the Barbie car.

2005-03-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Reece ready to hose down the fire.

2005-03-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

So this is what happens when Cami babysits...

Family Fun

2005-02-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Friday I got finished with my PC support work early, so I was able to take the kids up to the Science Center in downtown Phoenix. The main occasion was the premier of the IMAX movie 'Whales'. The film was ok, but we had fun with all the rest of the activities. They have a lot of neat exhibits and demonstrations for the kids. Definitely worth a visit.

I also took my car in for an oil change. They are trying to tell me it needs a fair bit of work, starting with the brakes. I have to admit it has done a great job for over 10 years, but I hate to sink more money into it. I am holding off for now, in hopes that I can get a new job and be able to upgrade my ride. It may be wishful thinking, but I like to call it faith. :-)

Saturday afternoon I spent a couple of hours with JoLynn discussing a new business opportunity. We have decided to pursue it, so you can expect to hear from us soon. The company is Cherish Bound Essentially it is a company setup to help you create stories of events or activities and get them bound. We are really excited about the concept and think it has a huge appeal to all sorts of people. I'm planning to start by doing a book about my mission.

Sunday after Church we were able to go and see Dan and Molly's new baby Alexis. She is very cute. Today, April came by and we were able to see Summer. Equally as cute. Now JoLynn just wishes she weren't so busy so she can offer to do some babysitting. She may just have to wait a couple of months until tax season is over...

This evening we had Thomas, Brittney and Cooper over to visit and have dinner. Brittney had her birthday last week and we wanted to get everyone together. The kids had fun playing with Cooper and we got a game of Rook in before they had to leave. It sure is nice to have family close by so we can get together once in a while.

Concert night

2005-02-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the third concert for Cami's MYS. The harp parts were a little sparse in this rendition, but she also was able to play some percussion. Jarom had a couple of prominent percussion parts and we enjoyed hearing it. Reece made it most of the way through. Luckily we had Grandma and Pam there to play with him and provide treats. These kids sure are talented and put on a great concert.

Reece is getting more fun each day (at least when he isn't making a big mess you have to clean up). The other day I gave him some snacks in a little plastic cup. Now he thinks he needs to get ALL his food in a little cup. He will bring the cup to you and ask for a refill when he gets hungry (pretty much all the time!) It isn't hard to tell what he wants most of the time. And he even tries to use a word that is close occasionally.

I'm still looking for that elusive job. And I have a lot of others helping as well, so I'm sure something good will turn up soon. JoLynn has taken on a little extra work this year, I guess so she feels the gap is covered. Luckily Cami and Sara are also getting older and can help more too. So far it hasn't been too bad, but it would still be better to have that job...

With all the rain we have had (I think I heard on the radio we have had some rain for eight days in a row), they had to postpone the Scout Camporee scheduled for this weekend. That will give us a couple more weeks to get more prepared for it. The main activity is to build a catapult. Should be fun.

Family Fun Day

2005-02-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I have done poorly in keeping updates for the family, so I will try to get that corrected. As you can see, I added a couple of pictures, one from Christmas and one from LeAnn's birthday (see what you get for a cake when you don't obey your mother!!)

We have had my parents staying with for the past few days, but Dad did not feel very good. I think they had planned to stay through the month of February, but they ended up going back to Kip's on Saturday morning. We did get one game of golf in on Wednesday, which was good. Kip was down for a conference in Phoenix, and just stayed an extra day. Thomas and I made time as well. I wish we could play more, but it is a great opportunity when we can.

JoLynn has started a new program with the kids to help 'encourage' them to get chores and practice done. They have a check-off sheet for each day. If they get everything done for the week, then we have Fun Fridays. Last week Sara and Nathan got to have a friend over late for movies and popcorn. This week, all the kids made it (well close enough for LeAnn) and we did Super Saturday. The Deseret Book Company had a family festival in downtown Mesa. It was a fun morning. They did it as part of a Time Out for Couples (which we also attended). They had some fun activities planned for the kids with a few giveaways. One of the activities was a basketball shoot-off as a promotion for the next movie "Church Ball". Nathan shot first and made both shots to win a basketball. Cami made one of her shots and got the movie 'Best Two Years', I made my first shot and got 'The Book of Mormon movie' and JoLynn made a shot to get 'The Hometeachers'. It was a pretty productive event and we came home with some nice prizes. The kids just finished making caramel popcorn and are watching 'The Hometeachers' now.

As I mentioned, we went back that evening for the Time Out for Couples. JoLynn's brother Brian and his wife Camille joined us for dinner first. It was a fantastic program! They had singers, a pianist William Joseph who is phenomenal, and then speakers, first President Hinckley's two oldest kids, then James Ferrell author of The Peacegiver. The evening was excellent! And if you haven't read The Peacegiver, get it as soon as possible.

This month we have a scout camporee and the scoutmaster is out of town, so I am taking the lead. It should be interesting, but fun. They are doing a Medievel theme and the boys will need to build a catapult as the main activity on Saturday. Hopefully we will be able to work it out. Luckily the 11-year-old scouts are also coming and their leaders have lots of good scouting experience. Otherwise the boys might be in a little bit of trouble... I bring it up becuae we had our key scouter meeting today. It sure is nice to have a fully functioning scout committee. One of the many benefits of having a large ward.

2005-02-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

LeAnn's 4th birthday

2005-02-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas with Santa

Terrible Fours??

2005-01-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

We can't figure it out, but LeAnn has decided the rules don't apply to her. Over about the last week or so, she no longer will obey us. She has always had a problem staying on task, but now she doesn't even bother to start tasks. She will spend three hours on a five minute clean-up job, skipping lunch in the process. She just pushes her right to choose as far as she can. We have finally had to cancel (hopefully just postpone) her birthday party. She was supposed to have it tomorrow, but she can't even be good for one day! I think she is trying to just call our bluff [at one point she told JoLynn, 'well Santa still came and I wasn't very good last year...'] Perhaps when she doesn't get her party, she will realize there are some desirable consequences she is giving up. And I certainly hope this is a one time, short-lived episode.

On Saturday, after spending most of the day doing yard and pool work, we went out to Russ and April's to ride the four-wheelers. It was a perfect day. Thomas came out and some friends. A couple of hours riding is about all everyone needs. It is fun to be out. The field we drive in is getting closer to being ready for homes, so we probably wont end up going back. Now we need to find another close location for our riding.

I was happy to see the Philadelphia Eagles finally make it to the Superbowl. I sure hope they win. It was especially nice to see Chad Lewis from BYU get two touchdowns in the win.

My pool filtration system has not performed up to standards this past year. I was hoping to drain the pool as part of my restoration process, but with limited funds right now, I stuck to just getting it working. I spent most of Saturday vaccuming out the old sand, then tonight I put new sand in. It seems to have done the trick. I seem to have good pressure in the system now. Hopefully tomorrow when I check it there will be some noticeable improvement. Not sure what the alternative will be. Hopefully I will be able to get the water back to 'normal' quickly. You just can't live in AZ during the summer without a pool!

Reece and grandma

2005-01-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Another busy Wednesday. Luckily Pam was able to help us out, watching the youngest kids, while JoLynn took the two oldest for harp lessons. I left as early as possible and just made it to get Sara at the end of her lesson. It is always hectic trying to work it out.

JoLynn related a story about Reece from the other day. They were out working in the front yard, and some of the neighbours came over to visit. One of our neighbours has a similar build to my mom and also the white hair. When Reece saw her, he went right over and hugged her legs, then looked up with his big eyes wondering why she didn't pick him up. He would leave for a few minutes, then come right back and do the same thing. Obviously he knows how to get what he wants from grandma. We may have to adjust things a bit when they come to visit later in the month.

American Idol

2005-01-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

The new season of American Idol started tonight and we made it a family affair. Some of the performances were pretty bizarre. I can't believe people actually think they can sing. Amazing. But the kids really enjoy it. More tomorrow night, which means I will have to tape Alias and Lost (which is okay, since the kids shouldn't watch them, but they always seem to get a few glimpses anyway...)

I had a fairly smooth day in my PC tech job. Actually the first without something major happening that I needed some help to resolve. I thought I had seen a lot of the weird things that can happen, but it has been a whole new world. It is interesting seeing all the different businesses out there.

I'm doing pretty good to stay on my diet. I have gotten control over my appetite (pretty much), but I still am tired a lot. I probably need to get more exercise to take care of that. There always seem to be too many things and never enough time.

I had a visit with Dr. Pam. We decided it was finally time for me to lose some of my wisdom teeth. I have held out as long as possible, but they are just getting too weak. With my old insurance running out, I will be in on the 28th. I don't expect to do too much that weekend (at least that is what the good Dr. Is advising...). [I must be getting old. It seems like I'm having all those health related issues I always thought were for older people. Bummer]

It's been how long???

2005-01-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't really have any valid excuse for not keeping this up a little better, but I do have a couple of minor excuses. I just had to reload my PC following a major crash, and I am still trying to find a new job (while working on a temporary basis doing PC tech. Support for a guy in my Ward). I am enjoying the work (most of the time), but I would like to move on to bigger and better things. Hopefully that will materialize soon.

The family is all doing well. Reece gets most of the attention and you end up glad, despite all the messes he makes. He recently started throwing himself down in a fit of rage. It is really quite funny, especially when he checks to make sure you are still paying attention to him. He gave JoLynn's parents a good show on Friday night. Everyone had fun watching his 'show'.

JoLynn is starting to gear up for the tax season. It should be fun with her extra Church responsibilities in primary, and me trying to spend time looking for that elusive job. Of course, I have had time to keep up with Lost, and add Alias and 24. Something will have to give before too long...

The biggest recent change for me has been my trigliceride (sp?) count. They say it is too high [although I contend they mixed up my results with someone else like the last time I had my blood tested]. Anyway, my wife had put me on a strict 'ZONE' diet. On the plus side I had lost a few pounds, however, I am always hungry and I can't seem to satisfy my sweet tooth. (Hopefully I can cheat once in a while). Now I just need to make some time for regular exercise.

White Christmas

2005-01-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, my kids enjoyed a 'White Christmas'. We were fortunate to meet with all of my family in Park City at a 'cabin' my sister and brother-in-law are buying. It was just a fantastic week. We started it off on Wednesday the 22nd with a ride on the Polar Express. The kids got to drink hot chocolate and then visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. It was fun. [We rode the Heber, UT train. Highly recommended, especially for the little kids].

On Christmas eve, we got two separate visits from Santa! What a treat for the kids! You can see the pictures below. It was a fun week in the snow, with some sled riding and lots of games with the family. Great fun all around. Some even got to spend their Christmas money on clothes at the outlet stores (I used mine on a new XBOX game when we got back home).

We returned in time to spend New Years at JoLynn's brother Russ's new home. All of her family were there and we had fun with a few fire works and some games. It has been a great couple of weeks. I don't think anyone is ready to return to school. I'm hoping that the job picture will quickly turn bright, but in the mean-time, I have a HUGE honey-do list and I have also agreed to do some computer support work on the side to bring in a little cash flow.

One of the real highlights of our trip to Utah was the opportunity last Sunday to attend Church in Park City. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was also in town with his family. He spoke in Sacrament meeting and shared his testimony. I have always enjoyed hearing him speak, beginning in my freshman days at BYU. He gave some terrific comments that really touched us and helped to keep the right perspective on why we celebrate this season. I hope I can carry that Spirit in to the New Year. And we wish you, all the best in the New Year.

2005-01-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning with gifts.

2005-01-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Santa visits again, Christmas eve [LeAnn says that is because we were extra good this year]

2005-01-02T20:10:00.001-07:00

Santa visit, Christmas eve.

2005-01-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sara, off the jump.

2005-01-02T20:09:00.001-07:00

Look Ma, no hands (Cami)

2005-01-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Santa visit aboard the Polar Express (Heber Creeper)

2005-01-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Snowman (no carrot for a nose)

Winding Down, Winding Up

2004-12-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

The job with Celerity is quickly winding down, while I continue to work on my resume and new job leads. There are now just two of us left on our floor (at one time there were about 35 people). It's pretty lonely (but I can play my music loud and no one complains). Still no offers, but I think I am getting close. I have a pretty good network going, with a LOT of friends and family spreading the word. Thanks!

Tonight was Sara's chorus concert. They did a nice job and sang some fun songs. Reece was really bobbing to the tunes. He can really get into the music when he wants. He is a lot of fun (if you can keep up with the messes).

Last night we had FHE at the Lunt's (Jay and Danielle) home. It was fun to get together. It always seems like we have something going and never get around to visiting with other families. It was nice to have something on the calendar that forced us to get out. The kids had fun decorating cookies and singing carols. We also did a nativity puppet show. Very cool. It is always great to get into the Christmas spirit. I can't think of anything better than the Spirit of the Season! We all face challenges and have trials, but it is just great to think about the humble birth of the Savior and his life of love and service.

I still need to get the Christmas letter written, but it is too late. Maybe I can free up some of JoLynn's time and let her do the letter. More tomorrow.

2004-12-08T22:56:00.001-07:00

Nathan with his soccer trophy

2004-12-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Reece in the tub (with hair net)

2004-12-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Cami at the Ward party

2004-12-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Christmas lights (better in person)

Halo2 - Family Time

2004-12-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

I just got off the XBOX. I turned it on to see if anyone was playing and low and behold my neighbour and a few kids from the ward were on, so I jumped in and played for a bit. Soon after we started, Brian Shaw saw I was on and he joined us. It is nice to be able to get on and play with friends and family. Jon also jumped on toward the end and we had a good game. It is pretty obvious I don't play too much, but I still have fun. It is also nice to be able to spend some quality time with my nephews. That is probably the most I have done in a long time! Of course, that is why I got the setup in the first place. ;-)

Work is winding down and I am starting to increase the intensity of my job search. I have a recruiter helping me and he assures me I wont be hard to place. Of course he already has a job so he isn't too worried... I think the market is pretty good. Besides, I really could use a couple of weeks to wrap up a few projects. With any luck we will be able to get some of the projects wrapped up and I will be able to transition into a bigger and better job. At least that is the plan.

We have most of the Christmas shopping done. I need to get a letter written so we can get it sent out. Hopefully I can get that done tomorrow night. (memo to self: don't turn on the XBOX. Focus on the letter...)

I have been following the Deseret News online stories about the BYU football hiring process. Fred Whittingham found himself in the middle of a little bidding war and has now ended up making 50% more than originally offered, and more than any of the other coaches in the league. Good for him. Unfortunately he will be staying at Utah. I think BYU will go with Lance Reynolds, but I think that could turn out to be a really good move anyway. He strikes me as more of a LaVell type coach. He is well liked and a great recruiter. The real trick will be in getting solid assistants to work for him (and stick around) who can get the X and Os of the game down. I optimistic. Now the basketball team is a whole other story...

The kids watched LOST with me this evening. I was just starting to think the story might get a little stale when they throw in some new twists. It has kept my interest, although I think they have too many people to follow (and then they had a chance to take one out and they didn't). I'll stick it out for now. [Not sure if it was a good idea to get the kids watching it, but how could I stop them and watch it myself...]

Christmas Concert

2004-12-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we were treated to another great Metropolitan Youth Symphony (featuring Cami and Jarom). All the groups sounded great, but it is pretty impressive when the top group with the full orchestra plays. They sound very professional. I was sad that my parents had to get back home and missed it. Hopefully they will be here for one of the Spring concerts. Of course, I missed some of it too, since I was chasing Reece [The concert was in the Mesa Hilton hotel. They have an open atrium, so you can go on any of the eight floors and look over the balcony to enjoy the concert. After about three songs, Reece decided it wasn't any fun and wanted to get out and run around). It is nice to know that not everyone is turning all 'politically correct' and avoiding the term Christmas in their activities. This concert was a full on Christmas music event. Very enjoyable.

LeAnn had a little spill a a friends house the other day and apparently cracked her wrist. She got a cast on it today. She was pretty funny about it. When nothing was going on it was a big deal with lots of tears. When it required her to stop playing and rest (especially with friends) it didn't seem to bother her. Probably best to take care of it now. Hopefully the cast wont cause any problems. She told JoLynn after it went on she wanted to have all her friends sign it, then they could take it off. I guess that will be a bit of a shock to her...

I'm headed up to Strawberry on Saturday with Russ. We are going up to help Pam finish her outhouse project and then to cut some firewood. Should be a nice day, although a bit cool (high of 52F). We are hoping to start soon on a road project. It looks like I might have a little time to spearhead that, although I hope I am not available for too long.

Time Off

2004-11-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

OK, no excuses. I had the past week off and didn't take the time to post any updates. Now it would be foolish to try and cram all the fun activities into one post. But I will list a few highlights. On Monday the 22nd, I went golfing with my Dad and Thomas. I started out great with two pars and a birdie. Unfortunately we ended up getting rained out, if you can believe it, or it might have been my best round ever! [Of course that would have required me to do some serious recovery from some of the 4-over-par holes I played after the first three holes...] It was still fun and beats working anytime. The next couple of days we spent finishing our Christmas shopping and getting ready for Thanksgiving. We are now at the point where Cami and Reece are old enough that we can leave Cami to baby-sit the kids. Hallelujah! What a change to shop with just JoLynn [still pretty boring when she is just shopping for her clothes, but at least I'm not also fighting a little kid as well].

Thanksgiving was very nice. We had my parents, Thomas & Brittney and all of JoLynn's family over. The food was great along with the company. In the afternoon some watched football, others played games. I ended up being the odd man out on games, so I took the opportunity to sneak in some Halo 2. I was able to finish the game! That's the fastest I've ever completed a game (since I generally don't get much time to play through it). I also had a couple of opportunities to play some online. One night while playing with Thomas and Dan, we got paired against a group from Virginia. My online name is CougarBlue. The guys we played recognized it as a BYU name and asked. Turns out they are also BYU grads attending dental school (not sure how they have time to play... I guess because of the holiday). It adds a whole new level to the game playing experience.

Speaking of BYU, I guess I have to mention that they are really hurting in Sports, still. The football team got spanked by Utah (which is okay, since now Utah will get a BCS bowl bid, which means BYU will still get some bowl money this year), and the basketball team has not played very well yet this year. That includes losing at home for the first time in quite a while. Pretty sad. I hope things turn around soon.

Now we are back to school and work again. Back to the routine. We did watch the Packers vs Rams football game last night hoping to see Thomas and Brittney, but I didn't see them. They were at the game with a sign, but must not have been in a good spot for the cameras. Other than the cold whether, it looks like they picked a good game to attend.

I'm still looking for a new job while things wind down at the current job. I haven't had too much going on yet, but I'm hoping that is because of the time of year. Hopefully things will pick up with the new year and I will be off and running. In the interim, I should be able to get a few things done at home.

One story just came to mind from this past week. During the time off we tried to schedule a day where we could play Halo against the Spencer's (their three oldest are just younger than our three; and Lane and I usually arrange the games for XBOX night). Anyway, it never seemed to pan out, so I told Nathan, maybe we could play for an hour on Sunday night. He sure put me in my place when he answered, "I don't think Jesus would like that for Sunday." Needless to say, I was brought back to reality. Good thing my kids set a good example for me. :-)

Oh yah, I spent almost the whole day (between running to the store to replace lights and other errands) getting the lights up on the house. We ended up having to do a whole new setup. I think it looks pretty good. I'll try to get a picture up.

Email for Ma and Pa

2004-11-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I used one of my spare cable America email accounts and setup an email account for my parents. The address is marlin at cableaz dot com. I'm planning on them both using it. We will see how much it gets used, but at least while they are visiting at my place or Thomas's they should have an easy time of checking it. I made them a little booklet of screenshots to walk through it. Hopefully when they get back home and go to my Aunt Karenne's, they will still remember how to use it. Next step will be to get a computer setup for them with Internet access at their house in Barnwell. That may need to wait until my next visit home...

The other day I was reading Kevin Anderson's blog. He had a picture of Taylor climbing a ladder to setup the Christmas lights. The ladder looked like it would work as an extension and A-frame. I emailed him and sure enough it does. Now I can't wait to find one for myself. I currently have a HEAVY wood A-frame ladder. It works fine, but it such a bear to carry around (besides all the walls I ding as I move it around the house). Lately it seems like all of our smoke detectors are on the fritz. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, until you factor in the vaulted ceilings. It is never fun to stand on the top of an 8-foot ladder, on your tip-toes, to barely reach the connector plug of the fire-extinguisher (oh, and did I mention Reece is walking now and likes to push things around while doing it...) definitely time for a new ladder that gets me closer to the goods!

I'm due to get some more pictures up. I've got scout camp this weekend and Thomas's birthday on Saturday night. I'll try to get something good. I need to get JoLynn a new digital camera so I can have hers and carry it around more. It is a snap to use them and get the pictures out, but it always seems like I never have it when I need it. Maybe I can ask Santa... (oh yah, I already asked for a new job, so I better not ask for too much)

BYU football foibles

2004-11-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like we have lived through another losing season with the Cougar football team. They seem close to be able to win some big games, but somehow find a way to fall short. Dad and I went to the Stake Center Saturday morning to watch the game. I don't mind when we lose to more talented teams, but it is tough to take these league losses when we have more talent, just poor execution. I'm sure they will be getting a new coach. I hope they can find someone good. I would like to see someone like Steve Young come in and be more of a figurehead coach like Lavell Edwards was. Let the assistants do most of the coaching and be a good PR/recruiter. Of course, he probably wouldn't want all the headache of the job. I can't imagine working under those circumstances. At least basketball starts next week... :-)

Friday night we had the Halo 2 party at Lane Spencer's work. We ended up having 26 people. It worked out pretty well and I think most people had fun. I played most of the night on a team with Thomas and Dan. We usually had others, but it seemed like we always played against the same five guys (three brothers, brother-in-law, and a son). One of the guys works with Thomas. Anyway, I don't think we beat them once all night, so that part wasn't very good. But it beat doing chores at home!

Well, I was right about Reece. Now that he is walking pretty good, he just makes messes faster than before. Good thing my Mom is here to help us keep him in check. Not sure what we will do when they head over to Thomas's to stay there for a few days.

My car broke down on me on the weekend (I think the alternator is bad). We dropped it at our favorite mechanic on Sunday. Hopefully I will get it back soon, since we have too many activities for me to be without a car. I rode the bus to work and took the opportunity to finish reading the first book of the 'Series of Unfortunate Events'. It looks like a good series. Cami likes it as much as any other she has read. We are all looking forward to the movie. It comes out December 17th.

First concert and Halo2

2004-11-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been busy for the family. Tuesday at midnight I was at the mall waiting for my copy of Halo2. The game was worth the wait, but I wont do it like that again (JoLynn went to Costco on Tuesday mornig for the early business hours and there were over 100 copies at a lower price!) But I did get to play it a little early on Tuesday. Needless to say the game is very fun. I expect we will be having a lot of LAN parties (starting tonight). Nathan and I are also playing through it on Co-op mode.

Wednesday night Cami and Jarom had their first concert for Metropolitan Youth Symphony. There are four groups and they play in Division I. They sound great. On one of the songs, Cami didn't have a harp piece, so she helped with percussion. Her part was very noticable. It was very enjoyable. Nathan got to go with JoLynn backstage when she went to setup the harp. He had a great experience. Hopefully he will get excited about music as well. I asked him during the concert if he wanted to play the violin. He said he just wanted to play the same instruments I did when I was in band [I had told the kids earlier that I played the clarinet, trumpet, percussion, and baritone during my band experience] I guess he thought that sounded pretty cool.

One, more, day ...

2004-11-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

The big day that nearly two million have been waiting for is almost here! Tonight I will be at the mall at midnight to pickup my copy of Halo 2! They have nearly two million copies on pre-order. And from every indication it will meet all expectations. Even if it were just more of the same I know I would like it, but it will be better! We have a party planned for Friday night with all the 'hard-core' gamers to run it through it's paces. But you can look for some gameplay feedback here in the next few days.

Friday afternoon, Nathan had a birthday party with some of his buddies. I got home just in time for the very end, but it looks like it was a great hit. They did a pirates party. They dressed up with bandanas, eye-patches, and drawn on mustaches. They looked great. Sara provided a lot of the work, helping JoLynn put it together. Later that night Nathan had a soccer game and scored a few goals. He does a great job. He has really started to understand the game now that he is playing in his second year.

Saturday was a busy day. It started with an 8 am t-time for Dad, Thomas and I. We played at Viewpoint Golf course. It is one of our favorites because it is usually in good shape and the price is reasonable. The best part was that I shot an 85 and easily beat Dad and Thomas. (although we play skins for fun and Dad beat me in that, which is why we like it).

From golf we hussled home so JoLynn, Mom and the girls could go to a Symphony Recital (the older kids in Cami's symphony). They had fun, while Dad and I watched the BYU vs San Diego State football game. It was a great game with BYU exploding in the second half for a big 43-16 win. They are starting to look like the team I thought they might be. Now they just need to take care of New Mexico this week, then they get a shot at unbeaten Utah.

Sunday at Church JoLynn was called as the Primary President. That should add a little spice to our already busy lives. I told JoLynn she should just ask for me to work in the primary since I will have to fill in anyway. I'm hoping for the nursery since I have to keep Reece anyway (although maybe that will only last for six more months until he is 18 months old...)

Sunday night we met at JoLynn's parents for the monthly birthday get together. November is a busy month with Nathan, JoLynn and Russ. We had a nice visit with the family and made plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love this time of year, it isn't just because our temperature is in the low 70s!

No Hanging Chads this time...

2004-11-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

It was a lot tighter than I had expected, but this election has turned out very well. I was hoping a few more states would go for Bush, but he handily won the popular vote, AND the republicans added senators and house seats! Now even more of Bush's policies and especially the judges, can be appointed. This should help us see some continued prosperity for a few more years. Now if someone will offer me a job... :-)

Last night Thomas, Brittney and Cooper came over to help celebrate JoLynn's birthday. JoLynn also got visits from several others. She is well loved! And I know why. We had planned to play some games, but with all the activity, we didn't end up getting a chance. We visited and watched the election coverage on Fox News.

Reece is getting really close to walking. He has just started expressing himself a lot more. The other day we were playing XBOX and Nathan did really well, so we were giving him 'high-fives'. When Reece saw, he hussled right over and put his hand up to get some too. He also enjoyed 'jamming' with the skeleton that danced to 'Freak-Out'. I got some of that on video. It was good!

The Big Day

2004-11-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

This historic day has finally arrived! It has been anticipated for many months now. There have been some feelings of fear and trepidation, but also excitement and eagerness for what lies ahead. Of course I am talking about JoLynn's 35th birthday! (what did you think I meant).

We made a simple breakfast for JoLynn and gave her some presents. The main item was a 17" LCD for her desk. She is always out of room and this should make a huge difference. It probably wasn't what she had always wanted, but I think she will appreciate it and enjoy it. I just hope I don't get too envious.

We will have a little party tonight and I fully expect to be celebrating a big Bush victory, similar to Reagan's in 1984. Despite all the elite media efforts to hide Kerry's shortcomings and ridicule Bush's strengths, the American people are too smart to be intimidated by some lame terrorists. I believe our generation can be every bit as strong as my grandparents/parents that defeated Nazism, Fascism and Communism. We will triumph BECAUSE of our firm belief in God and the rights of all people. VIVA BUSH!

2004-11-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Traditional visit to grandma's

2004-11-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Carving up the pumpkins.

2004-11-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

LeAnn with cousin Sydney

2004-11-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Dragon and Elephant (Cooper and Reece)

Halloween Fun

2004-11-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

We had a weekend of fun with some Halloween activities. Saturday night was the Trunk or Treat at the Church parking lot. There was a great turnout. The kids had fun and we handed out a lot of candy. I think everyone had a good time and the weather was perfect. Thomas sent me some pictures, so I will post some and then get a few that we took as well.

Sunday night the kids had fun passing out the candy to the trick-or-treaters. I wish it would go this way every year! I like doing the trunk-or-treat, since I get to visit with lots of people while handing out the treats. Then when the kids come I didn't have to be at the front door all night. Maybe I can bribe one of the kids to do the treat pass out next year as well!

Saturday night JoLynn and I watched Van Helsing. I quite liked it. Good scary theme for Halloween.

The other fun activity we did this weekend was to play Burnout 3 on the XBOX with the kids. I did some PC work for friends earlier in the week and they gave me a copy of the game as a reward. [It worked for me :-) ] Cami, Nathan and I spent the most time (Sara and LeAnn aren't into it as much). We had a lot of fun crashing cars and doing big smash-ups. Very addictive game!

"Best Two Years"

2004-10-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Last night for scouts we watched "The Best Two Years." I had seen it in the theater when it came out, and I had forgotten how funny it was. Overall a very good movie. Make sure to see it if you haven't already. Last night was our first chance to meet the new members added to our ward Sunday night. (One of the Wards was dissolved into our Ward and Sossaman Ward.) We lost the apartments, but gained all the families south of the Church. I thought our Ward was pretty big before, but now it is even bigger! I feel for the Bishop. We got five new boys and lost two.

This morning I met JoLynn (with LeAnn and Reece) at the newly opened Costco Home store. It is located next to the Costco at Elliott and Priest by my work. I shouldn't have mentioned they were opening the store because JoLynn's first comment was how she needs me to find a job soon so she can use my severance package to redo the house. [Another quote: "They have prices like Walmart and quality like Dillards"]. So much for upgrading my car in the new year... :-(

One of my job options has been to look at some franchise opportunities. I have identified a couple that look promising. Now we need to decide if we want to go the entrepreneur route, or stay in the corporate business world. I have been a little disappointed in the response from sending out my resume. Perhaps that will help us decide.

9-11 Documentary

2004-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

With the General Election just a few days away, I thought I would take an opportunity to get up on my soapbox and share a few thoughts. I recently watched a documentary on 9-11 by two French brothers. They were making the documentary about a rookie firefighter who just happened to be with the group that was first to the Trade Center after the first plane hit. It is an incredible story and moving reminder of the war we are still waging. I'm afraid that too many people have forgotten that day and the tragedy. I wish this documentary had been rebroadcast this past September, but alas the Main-Stream Media (MSM) would never do something that could even remotely be viewed as positive for Bush. It is unbelievable to me that a man who came back from a war (Vietnam) as a soldier and then championed the enemies cause, could even be a Senator, let alone a possible candidate for President. If Kerry is elected, then I guess we will reap what we sow (or tolerate to happen).

I guess I have the kids a little rattled about the whole political process (much to JoLynn's chagrin). I have tried to explain why I support president Bush (besides the terrific tax relief we received this past year). I also gave them some idea of what I thought could happen if he is not re-elected. Yesterday Nathan asked me if I would have to go to war and fight. I told him I would not, but that I was hopeful that we could keep the war where it is so he will not have to go. It scares me to think of where things could go if some people and the MSM get what they want in John Kerry as president. Of course we know the Last Days are upon us, but I could go a few more decades with things like they are now (and not a lot worse). I think a lot hinges on this election. Think about how things would be different if Al Gore had won in 2000. Would the Taliban still be in power in Afghanistan? Would Saddam be in power in Iraq?

Enough of the doom and gloom. I am optimistic the right (no pun intended) will prevail (this time at least). I was able to watch Lost last night. It was an episode that focused on the Korean couple, primarily the woman's story. Very interesting. It also had the group split in two with half following the doctor to camp inland at the spring, while the other half stayed on the beach to keep a signal fire burning. That could make for some interesting twists.

Halloween Prep

2004-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

With five kids, it is no trivial matter to get costumes together. I think it has taken JoLynn three days to get the kids to settle on their costumes. Last night she started putting them together. I will get some pictures, since I think they will be good. Luckily I should get off easy this year as we are having a trunk or treat at the Church parking lot (try that in Edmonton, Kevin!) on Saturday. It is a multi-ward affair, so it should be crazy. I'll have to come up with some good decorations for the Suburban.

New Bishop in Kingman

2004-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were up in Kingman to support Kip as he was called to be the new Bishop in his Ward. It was a fun time to get together with the family. Mom and Dad brought Karen and David down and I caravanned up with Thomas & Brittney. [JoLynn took Cami to Prescott for the Youth Symphony retreat]. We had a fun time visiting and playing some games. We took the kids swimming at the hotel and enjoyed our time together. Karen and David rode back with Thomas, then flew out Monday morning. It was great to see everyone. We are planning to get together at Christmas in Park City, UT. It sure is great to have such a wonderful family.

One of the funny things that happened was when people asked LeAnn where she got her hair braided. She kept saying she went to Costco. I finally realized that was her word for Mexico. She is so much fun!

I'm getting more active in my job search as we get closer to the end of the year. I'm looking at several different options, so I think I should be able to get something good. I'm also looking into starting a franchise business. I've always liked the idea of owning my own business, and Thomas and I have tried to come up with some good ideas. Now there is a little more motivation than in the past!

Recap of Rocky Point

2004-10-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

It took longer than I wanted, but a few pictures are up now. As a recap, we did have a great time at the beach. Reece was all over it, which made it a bit less fun for whoever was on sand eating watch. But he had a great time.

As you can see from the pictures, the girls got their hair braided. It looks cute. That is one of the few traditions. I think most days on the beach there are pretty mild for waves, but our last day on the beach was windier and we had a lot of nice big waves, especially when the tide was high at about 2pm. The people in the picture of the waves are some from our ward. The only one that is not wet, is Natalie Bingham (sp?); she works part time helping Harry with his ALS. Her two boys are in the water with Nathan. I think that is my head out in the water. The other women are the Brummett's. I think the other pictures are fairly self-explanatory.

So this morning Cami opened her birthday presents. She had asked for a Tamagochi and that is what she got. I hope she doesn't kill it :-)

I had a post yesterday that didn't end up getting through, but we are mostly busy this week getting caught up and then we are all gone again this weekend. JoLynn and Cami will be in Prescott at a metropolitan Youth Symphony retreat. I will have the rest of the kids in Kingman at Kip and Susan's. We will car pool up with Thomas and Brittney on Saturday morning.

2004-10-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Reece loves the Fun Dip.

2004-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Reece 'helping' Jarom get out of the sand.

2004-10-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

We even got some big waves!

2004-10-21T12:36:00.001-07:00

Kids at low tide.

2004-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Collecting shells and critters in the tide pools.

2004-10-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

LeAnn likes to get buried in sand.

Still no pictures...

2004-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I had every intention of getting some pictures uploaded last night, but I was not able to get it done. In the mean time we have been busy getting back on track with the normal routine. Besides our normal activities, we also have some extra stuff this week. Cami has her birthday tomorrow and a party on Friday. Saturday, JoLynn and Cami are off to Prescott for a music camp with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. I'm taking the rest of the kids to Kingman with all of my family at Kip's. (More on that in a later post).

Reece is getting close to the walking stage which is exciting, but also potentially dreadful. He already makes a lot of messes, I can't imagine him being faster. But he is so cute and fun I'm sure we will survive.

I finally got a chance to watch the tape of LOST from last week. Very interesting story. It is developing slowly, but this would be a great one to watch on DVD with each episode back to back.

Puerto Penasco

2004-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

We are back from a fun week in Rocky Point, Mexico. We had fun with several families, but spent all of it with Del and Sandie Brummett, and Loren and Laura Anderson. The kids had a great time and the weather was nearly perfect. A really fun time for all involved. I'm trying to get back and get caught up from being gone a few days, but I will get some of the best pictures posted and on the site. Hopefully we will be able to get back into the routine quickly.

Some bad with a lot of good

2004-10-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

It was quite an eventful weekend. It started with a highly anticipated BYU football game that ended in utter disappointment with a 24-20 loss to UNLV. I'm afraid a change in the coaching will be soon to follow. I was hoping for better, but when you are the offensive guru and you can't score more than 13 points with your offense (defense got an interception touchdown), it just doesn't work. BYU is now 11-21 in their last 32 games, and 2-9 at home. That just doesn't cut it.

Enough of the bad. The good was the great day we had in Strawberry with the family. I have posted three pictures below. I took the kids and ATV's with me and JoLynn rode with her Mom and Dad. Thomas, Brittney and Cooper; Russ, April, and Autum; Dan, Molly, and Sydney; and Brian and Camille also came up. Brian and Thomas brought their quads as well. It was a perfect day and everyone seemed to have fun. We found the two apple trees near our normal camping spot and discovered how good they are. We proceeded to pick most of the apples and brought them home to make applesauce. The kids had fun with it. Nathan also found a praying mantis that got quite attached to him. He tried hard to bring it home but in the end we convinced him otherwise. Overall it was a tremendous day. We are working toward getting a road completed and then putting in a ramada and a well. With more grandkids on the way, it is turning into a really great spot to spend the weekend with the family.

We are starting to get ready for our trip to Mexico for the last half of the week. The plan is to carpool down on Wednesday afternoon. We have a lot of friends and family coming and it should be a nice enjoyable time. It looks like the weather will cooperate as well.