Reflecting...

I've just got to say that tonight was a perfect example of what I am going to miss when we leave Utah. It was a beautiful and unseasonably warm night, and all four kids went out to play night games with the neighborhood kids. They had quite a good group, and stayed out playing until about 9:30. They had such a good time, and it makes me sad to know it may be the last time, at least for a long while...

I love our neighbors and neighborhood, especially how family friendly it is. We aren't sure what kind of neighborhood we may end up in back east, but it will be tough to find one as wonderful as the neighborhood we live in now.

I'm not trying to dwell on what I will miss, but tonight it was hard not to recognize how lucky we are to have lived here for the past nearly four years.

Sports Round-up

So with the coming of fall comes the end of the sports season...whew!

Jackson (number 1) finished his first season of soccer this year. He did really well, scored several goals throughout the season, and had a blast. Most importantly, he got a medal. "My first one". He waited for that all season, and was thrilled to get it Friday night. Needless to say, he wore it most of the weekend, and the ribbon is now filthy! But well loved...

Gabe (number 11) has one more soccer game next Saturday, because they had a bye during general conference. This is his fourth year, and he has really improved. He has amazed me by heading the ball, and is skillful at stopping an attack and turning it around. He has also scored some goals this year. This is his first year playing "real soccer" meaning a full size field with 11 players on the field at a time. His games are a blast to watch. He definitely takes after his dad with soccer!

Jake (number 15) ended his regular season of football games, but they did do enough to make it to the playoffs the weekend of the 24th. This is his fourth year playing football, and he has improved. His coach has said he is one of the few players that improves each year. And he did get more playing time this year, which was nice to see.

Mady finished her fourth year of volleyball regular season on Saturday too. It was a frustrating year for her, as her team has only won one game, but they have gotten better, and we are hoping they can win some during the tournament in two weeks. Mady has continued to get better. Her overhand serve is tons better than her mom's, and she is learning to get control over those bumps. She has also been known to set this year!

Mom is happy that her kids enjoy their sports and are doing well, and even happier that our six days a week of sports is winding down. Gosh, what will I do with all my free time?

The News is Out!

Most everyone has heard our big news by now, but for those of you who haven't...
At the end of June, Phil took a new job with a company back east called Impulse Monitoring. He is leaving the chiropractic profession to be a neurophysiologist. To oversimplify it, he will be monitoring the neural pathways and vascular supply to the brain during surgery, so he will be in the O.R. He has spent most of his time since then back in Baltimore and New Jersey in training.
He has passed his first spine test and his practicum, and already has 15 (I think) or so surgeries under his belt (as an observer and assistant, he won't be on his own until he is in CT).
When he accepted the job, he committed to working in Connecticut for the next three years. Our hope is that the company can break into Utah, and we could transfer back, but we aren't sure what the Lord has in store for us.
Last Sunday Phil was released as Bishop of our ward. It was a bittersweet day.
We are excited to see what the future holds for us. But, as someone pointed out to me, this is the longest I have lived anywhere my whole life, so obviously we are sad to leave.
We expect to move the family out to Connecticut in December. We won't be far from NYC, so keep us in mind when you are planning your next trip back east. We would love the company!

Beating the heat

We took a couple of trips up AF canyon this week. The boys had a great time playing in the FRIGID water. Mady must have taken 100 pictures of the gophers that were all over around Tibble Fork Reservoir!

We took Matthew and McKenna Young with us the second time. We even managed to find the same log we took pictures on last year (see the title pic for the blog). Here's an updated one...

Gabe, Jackson and Mady all learned how to skip rocks.

Birthdays

Birthdays don't seem to be as big a deal as you get older, just another day. That's what I was expecting for this one, especially with Phil out of town. Thanks to many good friends and family, it was more than just another day.

Jake woke me up with a rendition of Happy Birthday, and handed me a present. He and Mady had managed to pick up a couple of books for me without me noticing. Such good kids. Phil sent me flowers (lilies, they are beautiful, see?) The Relief Society sang to me, and treats and a dinner were brought over by dear friends. Thank you all for being you! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such good people.

A Hot Weekend

Last Thursday the kids and I headed to St. George to visit with my family. My younger sister, Sharon, and her four kids were visiting from Pennsylvania, which gave us the perfect excuse to escape for a few days. I had a great time visiting with my brothers and sisters, and the kids were in heaven surrounded by cousins. Poor Mady was the only one without a cousin her age to hang with, but she had fun shopping with her aunts. Here are some highlights of the weekend: Friday morning we went to a splash park. Unfortunately at 10:00 in the morning it is already hot in St George, so we

girls spent more time gabbing in the shade than

taking pictures. Oops!

Mady spent most of the time taking pictures with her new camera.

Friday afternoon Aubrey was at work. Emma and Sharon took Mady shopping. We turned a movie on for the younger cousins.

Saturday two more of my siblings and their families were there. Robert and Tryn from Georgia, and Norm and Taunya from Pleasant Grove. We took an afternoon trip to a park in Coral Canyon atop a bluff. The wind was blowing constantly (...reminded us of Eagle Mtn!) and it was H.O.T. So I didn't come out from under the pavilion to take many pix.

It was so good to visit with everyone, especially Sharon, Alan and Aubrey(who allowed us to crash at their house once again, thanks guys!). And fun to see the cousins interact. Jackson thinks his "best buddy Robbie" needs to come visit at our house so he can meet Jackson's friends. Those two did great together. It's too bad they can't see each other more often. And Ashley just thought Mady was the greatest. She and Robbie spent the last night in Alan's basement with cousins, while Jake spent the night keeping Grandma awake in a tent outside her bedroom with Enoch and Jaden.

All in all a good weekend. We shouldn't wait so long to do it again.....

(There would be more pictures, but I can't seem to get them to add where I want them...)

An Easy Hike?

I have been looking for easy, family-friendly (aka out of shape thirty-something friendly) hikes to take with the kids, and discovered Battle Creek in Pleasant Grove. It was supposed to be a short hike, not too steep, to a waterfall, with shallow pools the kids could play in. Sounded great!
Amy Udy and her four kids came with us, and so did Gabe's buddy Tyson.
The falls were beautiful, but we almost stopped before them, as there were several falls before these:

We had a great time freezing our feet in the cold water and relaxing in the shade. (Especially relaxing in the shade).

The kids had a good time, Amy and I could barely keep up with them. They explored, skipped rocks, ran, walked, fell, climbed, and laughed. It definitely wasn't the quick and easy hike I anticipated, but it was beautiful, peaceful, and strangely relaxing. Here are a few photos.

Bugs and Little Boys

Jackson and a few of his little buddies spent the afternoon catching grasshoppers. When he finally came in, hot and filthy, he only had one of the ten or so left. He thought about keeping it overnight, but decided it might want to go home, so we just took a picture. Quite the grasshopper, though. He was so proud that he caught them in his hands.

Phil is letting go.... well, sort of. He wasn't home, so he let Jake cut the lawn. Amazing, I know, but true. And here's the picture to prove it! Jake did a decent job. Ours is a tough lawn to cut, with the rock-lined flower beds, but he worked hard, and it looks good.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, behind him is the large tree we planted in the kidney that has been barren for the last two years.

Family pics

I have been bugging Phil forever for family pictures, and we finally had them taken as my mother's day present. They turned out great. We had a good time getting them done as well. Here are a few...