HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!! We hope that you have a wonderful day today. We are so thankful for Scott and the wonderful husband and father that he is. He works so hard to provide in every way for his family and he is an amazing man. We love you so much and hope you have a fun 40th birthday!!
The day finally arrived yesterday and Erin turned 13 year old!! She even stayed up until 1:38am yesterday because she wanted to be awake at the very minute she was born! Erin is such a beautiful young lady and has a heart of gold. She is truly an elect lady of our Father in Heaven and has been blessed with many talents. She is so strong and that will serve her well in the years to come. Erin, we love you so much and are so thankful to our Heavenly Father that you are in our family. We hope that you had a wonderful birthday!!!
Tyler is 10 years old!!! Can you believe it?! We hope that he has a wonderful birthday. Tyler is such a sweetheart and is an absolute joy to have in our family. He is so good to all those around him and he really tries to choose the right and do the right things for the right reasons. Tyler, we love you so much!!!
Where has the time gone!? Jason is 16 today and he is such a great kid! He is easy going like his dad, a wonderful big brother, and he will still tell his mom "I love you" even when his friends are around. He honors the priesthood that he holds and works hard to be the young man the Lord needs him to be. Jason, we hope that you have a wonderful day! We love you and are so thankful that you are a part of our family!!
Erin is playing volleyball for Eagle Middle School and she is having a great time. She has had 3 matches and each match she has had more playing time. She is consistently improving her skills and it is so fun to watch her play! (Erin is #9)
Jason has begun another cross country season and is doing quite well. He has had three meets so far and in two of them he has set personal bests. Currently his personal best is 20:18 for a 5K. He loves this and it sure is fun to watch him run! 
This morning I walked down stairs to hear Conner say to Erin, "They call me...Mr. 7!! I laughed right out loud it was so darn cute!! It is hard to believe that my baby is 7 and will be in first grade! Where has the time gone? Conner has been a joy to have in our family since the day he was born. He keeps us all on our toes and in stitches with the funny things he says and does!
We are so blessed to live in this country! Many people throughout the history of this great land have given their time and often times their lives to protect the divine rights afforded us in the Constitution. Thank you seems so small but it is how I feel. Thank you to all those who have served this country to keep us free and to keep us safe. Thank you to all of those who lived to return home to teach us the lessons learned in service to all of us. Thank you to those who have died to give the rest of us the hope for a bright future of liberty. Thank you to those who are serving this day to protect us all. Today, during all of our activities, let us take a moment or two to express our gratitude to those around us, but especially to our Father in Heaven for His blessings that are given to us each day.
On Saturday last week, Jason participated in a 6-stake regional dance festival. It was held at the Taco Bell Arena on the campus at Boise State University. As you can see from the pictures, there were tons of kids there dancing. Our Stake had a part in the grand entry and finale with everyone else and then had an individual performance where they danced the tango. Other Stake's showcased line dancing or swing or cha-cha, but I think our kids did the best, even though I don't know the first thing about what's involved with dancing the tango!
I don't know very many parents who have never had the experience of eerie silence in their house. You know what I am talking about - when you are sitting downstairs in the family room watching TV or something and there is no other ambient noise coming from upstairs or anywhere else. That is what I'm calling eerie silence. Normally you hear jumping, crashing, yelling, and the miscellaneous bump or thud. These are common noises when kids are in the house. No noise is so unusual. When things get quiet, you have to get up and investigate. Where are they? what are they doing? and so forth. 
This was a wonderful weekend of being able to watch General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a blessing it is to be able to literally sit at the feet of the Prophets of God and be taught. The older I get the more I need the encouraging words of the Lord's chosen leaders. It is a special time of the year for me. My lamp is now full and I am determined to try a little harder to be a little better (as Pres. Hinckley would say).
As most of you know, Duke lost in the Sweet 16 to Villanova...and it wasn't really even close. Villanova was just the better team on that night. Duke had a great season this year and next year looks to be even better. They have some highly touted freshmen coming in and there are only 2 or 3 seniors on this years team. So, the good news is...only about 6 1/2 months until the next college basketball season begins :-) The final four is this weekend and there is the potential for some great games. It will be fun to watch!
How sweet it is! Duke won both games this past weekend to earn a trip to the sweet sixteen round of the tournament. They will play this Thursday evening against Villanova. It will be a tough game. GO DUKE!!! So, as far as our brackets go: Jason - 1st; Tyler - 2nd; Kristin - 3rd; and Scott - 4th. It is so frustrating to get beaten by your kids who don't even watch as much basketball as I do :-)! Oh well! I am having a great time watching all the games.
Yes I am grateful for my thumbs, particularly my right thumb at the moment. The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can clearly see the blood blister on my cuticle. The left side of the fingernail is deep purple. I suppose I will end up losing the nail, but we'll have to see how that plays out. Yesterday while Kristin and I were constructing a small retaining wall in our garden, we needed to split one of the concrete blocks into two pieces. I got out the small sledgehammer and started to chip away at the block. I was making good progress, but was obviously getting tired, so my concentration lapsed for a split second. That was all it took - the butt end of the sledge hit the ground first and then ricocheted into my right hand, which was holding the block steady, and hit my thumb squarely on the nail. All I can say is OUCH!!!! I am proud that the first words that leapt to my mind were not swear words, but I did do a lot hopping up and down with spouts of loud gibberish. I came in and started to get an ice pack on it right away. Kristin was not too sympathetic to my plight, but she did help me with the ice. I think she was on the verge of laughing her head off the whole time.
We hope that everyone has a wonderful day! We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our lives!
: We initially met at a transfer orientation meeting at the University of Wyoming in the summer of 1991. We started dating after meeting again at the Institute socials.
Scott in his Yak-herder's hat trying to stay warm!
This past weekend Scott had the opportunity to travel to Stanley, ID in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountains to go snow-mobiling. It was cold (-23 Sunday morning), but Scott had a great time. How could you not when this is what you see all day long!
