Santa Fe Trail

Today after Church we took a walk along the Santa Fe Trail. This is one of our favorite places to walk. The Santa Fe Trail runs right along the interstate but you would think that you are out in the forrest in the middle of nowhere. Brig got some great pictures of a crane today and we watched the crane catch a fish out of Monument creek. We only saw one deer but saw a whole bunch on the way home. We have had soooo much rain so everything is really green and pretty right now. I love the pictures of Maddi and Natalie holding hands. Zach and Maddi are so nice to Natalie and they take care of her. Natalie calls Zach and Maddi "the kids" and will say she wants to play with the kids or with her brother and sister. It was a good walk and we made it back just as another storm hit. By the time we closed the doors on the durango the rain was pouring!

What a great day!

Yesterday Brig and I went to Denver to see my friend Jenny and her husband and two little boys sealed in the Denver Temple. It was a great day!

Rockies

I decided to take some pictures at the Rockies game last night. This is something that we do all the time so I never think to take pictures. It was our first Rockies game of the year. Brig and I took Zach and Maddi and Natalie went to Aunt Kristi's house to play. We had such a fun time and the Rockies actually won! They seem to be on a winning streak which makes the games more fun. On our way there, we saw this Wagoneer with Mattresses "loosely" tied to the top. It was cruising down the interstate and looked like it was about to take flight. I had to get a picture and it is still making us laugh today! Maddi took this picture of Brig and I. Brig said that is the best looking 2/3 of a head that he has ever seen! This picture makes us laugh as well.

Summer and things and even more things

I thought about making several different posts out of all of these pictures but then decided that I had better get stuff on here now or it will never make it on. I have not been the best blogger lately but I am going to try to be better. Our family has just been soooo busy lately. So here are just a few of the highlights of the past couple months. The first pictures are from Brig's trip to Taipei and Hong Kong. Brig still has been traveling a lot and ended up with a last minute trip to Taipei right before his scheduled trip to Hong Kong. Brig Really likes Hong Kong so he was excited to go and we really like the surprises that he brings back from Hong Kong. This was his first trip to Taiwan and ended up with enough time to go to the Temple there and he found a Burger King. From Taiwan he flew to Hong Kong for the next week. I think it took a while for him to adjust back from this really long trip.

During the last couple months, Maddi took a ceramic painting class after school and loved it plus she had her first gymnastic competition. She did a great job and ended up taking first in one event and 2nd place in two others. Maddi has also started taking piano and she loves it! Speaking of Piano, Zach had his 3rd piano recital this year. I have a video that I will try and post. He did a great job. Zach likes piano but his heart belongs to baseball. Zach played for the competitive league for Little league and now he is playing parks and rec baseball. He had decided that he loves to play catcher and does a great job. He got to pitch a little bit but has spent a lot of time as the catcher.

Miss Natalie still loves life especially now that she is in swimming lessons her life is perfect. She loves that she gets to take lessons with the kids. Natalie got out of the pool to go to the bathroom and when we walked back out to her class she announced I'm back everybody! She also told her swim teacher that she loves her and that swimming lessons are her most favorite thing ever!

I also put pictures up from Maddi's mother's day tea. Maddi's class invited the mom's for a special afternoon. It was one of the best days. Maddi wrote 3 differt poems and a list of different things that I am good at doing. Her poems were so sweet and made me cry. She is just such a sweet girl!

I was released from Primary a couple weeks ago. I am glad to have some time back for my family but I will also miss the kids. I had been in since we moved here in 2006 so I guess it was time. I added another speech client in April and I'm excited with my little businees that I have now.

I think that kind of catches us up with the big things or at least things that I had pictures of that jogged my memory!






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Should have been a plumber

That the plumer was a thief but at least the sprinker syster will work for a couple more weeks until the next plumber has to come. I wonder what is going to go next? It has to be somthing in the basement this time. Or I guess the kids bathroom hasn't had a need for a plumber in over a year. I wonder which ones will take our money next?

Just a quick little thought for tonight. I got to sit and watch Zach play baseball tonight. Even though I go to most of his games, I always have the girls with me and never get a chance to just watch him. I was so proud of Zach for the way that he played and acted. He is such a nice kid and he looked so happy out there tonight playing catcher. It was fun to sit close enough to watch his expressions especially his smiles when he made a good play. I was proud of him and I love him and I appreciate Brig teaching him how to play baseball and for the many many hours that he has played catch with him. You watch Zach and know that he has a dad that loves him enough to play with him and teach him.

Just a little moment

This morning Natalie came and got in bed with me and told me that she had slept like a big girl. That means that she went to sleep and didn't get up. I wish I had been able to sleep so I could have enjoyed Natalie's big girl night. Natalie cuddled up to me and said "I love you so much." It was so sweet. Last night Maddi and cuddled as she read her book to me. I told her that I think she is fabulous and she smiled her sweet little grin. Then there was the look in Zach's eyes when I told him thanks for helping me yesterday and that I was proud of him. He loved that I recognized all that he had done to help. I think I often get distracted by the things that are not done or that are a mess or that seem like a bigger deal, but I need to focus on those little moments that really make a difference. So if Natalie gives Maddi's horse a haircut again or paints the bathroom, I mean her toenails in fingernail polish again I will try to remember that it is just the little moments that count.