my baby is two

i can hardly believe it!! she was such an adorable birthday girl. we were singing happy birthday all day long. she LOVE's the happy birthday song.

she was so excited to blow out those two candles. she was huffing and puffing right off the bat . . . we had to re-light them once so we could sing.

look at those adoring siblings:) see how much she loves the birthday song!

happy birthday dear lydia. i absolutely LOVE two-year olds!

baptism day

My little kids are growing up and making some pretty important decisions! This was such a special day for Nathan and definitely a highlight for me. We loved having grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins bother's and sister's in town for the weekend. I am so proud of this little guy . . . his smile just makes my heart melt:)

why we are racing

Doug and I are racing in the Oceanside 70.3 Ironman at the end of March.  We registered for the race early in the summer last year.  Doug has competed in several races at this distance, but this is a first for me. We have been building endurance and increasing miles preparing for this event.  I am excited, but my motivation and perspective have changed.

Before Christmas good friends of ours introduced us to an organization called Reece's Rainbow.  This is an organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for orphans with Down syndrome.  These sweet children need families, and the only thing holding them back are the funds!

I want to introduce you to Maggie.  Maggie is five years old and has been transferred to an adult mental institution where care and conditions are much less than ideal.  Most orphans don't survive in these facilities.  We are racing for Maggie! Through raising awareness and more importantly money we can help this sweet child.  We need to raise at least $10,000 to help Maggie find her family.

We are not doing this alone!! This is a joint effort with some great friends that you can be introduced to at One Step Closer to Home under the "racing" tab.  This is also where you can contribute directly to the cause of helping Maggie by making your pledge.

The neat thing about this for me, is this has made early mornings and hours spent on the bike and pavement more meaningful. In the beginning, it was all about me; personal bests and building speed and endurance. Improving and doing my best is still important, but now my focus is different. Now I am racing for a much bigger cause!

Please visit One Step Closer to Home and provide a pledge to help bring Maggie home.  Providing a pledge is the immediate way that you can have an impact but also important is to please spread the word. Together we can make a difference!

nate is eight

nathan's favorites:

food: bbq chicken salad

dessert: dirt cake

candy bar: butterfinger

book: double fudge

movie: miracle

activity in my spare time: take a rest

subject in school: math

toy: nerf guns

primary song: i love to see the temple

holiday: my birthday

animal: cat

scripture story: nephi

when i grow up i want to be: an auctioneer

nathan is: honest, kind, loves to make people laugh, has a tender heart, a hard worker, smart, cares about doing what is right.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

so glad you are mine.

christmas highlights

in no particular order:

lights at temple square in s.l.c. with this crew

 traditional "five year old" trip to build-a-bear with grammy

traditional "eight year old" outing with o'ma and o'pa for first set of scriptures

temple trip for the big kids. thanks sissy!

christmas morning is always a highlight

making family ornaments

reading christmas stories to my children

purchasing individual ornaments with the kids . . . i always love seeing what they choose! 

attending david archuleta's "my kind of christmas" concert with doug.

abigail waiting for hours to get his signature:)

lunch with my boys at the school cafeteria

gymnastics meets with gracie

new year's eve dinner at bombay house with parent's and siblings

sweet send off!

not pictured: bogus basin sleigh ride, lunch with girlfriends in salt lake, my oldest nephew taylor's mission farewell, playing maffia, lunch with the brasher girls at cheesecake factory, dinner at brasher's dublin stew style, opening christmas cards, visit with grandpa george, playing "spot it", christmas caroling, holiday choir concerts . . . it has been another full, blessed, and wonderful christmas season!

Christmas Cards 2011

mitchell is five

some of mitchie's favorites:

food/snack: bean burritos, pretzels

dessert: dirt cake

candy bar: snickers

color: black and red like spideran

book: no, no, david

movie: spiderman

activity in my spare time: ride my red bike

subject in school: play outside/recess

my best friend: josh and lincoln

toy: spiderman toy with a hood and backpack

primary song: do as i'm doing

holiday: christmas and halloween

animal: lizard (the one i caught in hawaii)

scripture story: nephi

mitchell loves to learn new things. he wants to learn to tie his shoes and is excited about reading. he likes to be silly and is a sweet brother to his little sister . . . he takes care of her and enjoys her companionship. one of my favorite things to do with mitch is to read to him in the afternoon when the house is quiet. i love snuggling with him on the couch and having him all to myself. i love you, mitchie. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

thanksgiving "heartland" style

the brasher family runs a business called "heartland wildlife ranches" located in ethel, missouri. every several years or so we are able to make the trip to the lodge to celebrate thanksgiving. it was a fun vacation this year with every member of the family in attendance!

 here i am with my mother and sis-in-law's. don't we look cute in our apron's:) they were a thanksgiving gift from the head chef!



doug and abigail made this amazing pumpkin chocolate cake cheesecake. it was quite the production.

hunting is a big part of this trip for some of the family. with o'pa as their guide, the mighty hunter's set out early in the morning. this is carter's big prize!

gracie didn't do too shabby herself!

 some of the highlights for me were: making survival bracelet's, seeing my kids enjoy their cousins, working in the kitchen with the girls, the turkey run, family home evening, late night visits, early morning running, kids hunting with o'pa, and just being together.

the city of joseph

every few years doug's side of the family travel's to missouri for thanksgiving. this year we decided to head out early and spend a couple of days in nauvoo, illinois. it turned out to be a great time of year to be there. luckily for us, the weather was quite pleasant.

this is the cute little house we stayed in during our visit

we did quite a lot of driving around. it was about a 4 1/2 - 5 hour drive from the airport, and an additional two hours to get to the lodge in missouri. we did all of our traveling in this 15 passenger van. the kids loved it! it was nice to be able to spread out and have room.

we loved visiting all the historic sites and learning about our pioneer heritage. one of our favorite activities was the wagon ride that took us through the city. we bundled up in blankets and learned interesting facts about the area.

(lydia was fast asleep by the end:)

here we are just before loading the wagon

we learned about all the hard work it took just to have water to do the dishes or to take a bath.

one of the highlights for me was attending the temple. . . such a unique and beautiful temple!

the kids learned about the school house . . .

. . . and were able to try out the slates.

such good little student's:)

this is a picture of the trail of hope. in 1846 began the mormon exodus from nauvoo where the early saints left behind their homes, beautiful city, family and friends. i love the thoughts of sister sheri l. dew as she reflects on this site:

"I love Nauvoo. And every time I visit the City of Joseph in Illinois, I walk to the end of Parley Street, where the Saints lined their wagons as they prepared to evacuate the city. There I try to imagine how our pioneer sisters must have felt as they loaded what little they could into a wagon, glanced a final time at their homes, and then followed their faith into the wilderness.

I always weep on Parley Street, because I can't help but wonder, Would I have loaded that wagon? Would my testimony of a modern-day prophet and Jesus Christ have been strong enough that I would have given up everything and gone anywhere?

Perhaps none of us will be called upon to suffer deprivation because of what we believe. But we have been called to live in a time when the chasm between the philosophies of men and the teachings of the Master gapes wider than ever."

this is the view of the temple from parley street. imagine looking back on this site when leaving the city. all the sacrifices made to build a temple!

The Prophet's Last Ride

On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum left their families, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time. Traveling on horseback, they paused on this bluff. Joseph looked admiringly at the unfinished temple and the city of Nauvoo and declared:

This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens;

little do they know the trials that await them.

Joseph and Hyrum then continued on to Carthage, Illinois, where they faced legal charges and eventual death at the hands of a mob.

*****

there is such a wonderful sprit in nauvoo. it was fun to be there as a family and enjoy the experience together. i loved seeing all the sites and reflecting on the many sacrifices and honorable qualities of these early saints. what a wonderful heritage!