Race day.

The Timpanogas Gran Fondo bike race. 42 miles, 4500 ft climb around the Alpine Loop on Mt Timpanogas. Forgot my sunglasses, and ate some bugs coming down.

Bronze Medalist

Laurens team played 5 soccer matches in 4 days. She is one of the youngest on the team but she does well. Their team took the Bronze Medal in their division at the Utah Summer Games.

2nd Match and a win

Laurens team won their 2nd match 4-0. Lauren played very well, she was confident on the field, speedy down the sideline and supportive of her teammates. Fun match.

At the Park

After Laurens first match, we had dinner at a local park and had a team rally. Next match is tomorrow morning.

Utah Summer Games

Laurens team takes the field for their first match of the tournament. They lost 2,0. Lauren plays right wing position because she is super fast.

Activity Day with Lauren

Went on a date with Lauren for Activity Days, went to This Is The Place monument in Salt Lake City. Visited a Navajo Indian display. Panned for gold. Visited a blacksmith shop. Had fun.

Dinner on a hot afternoon

Not feeling like cooking indoors and heating up the house, we tested or grilling ability on focaccia bread. Turned out excellent. Also cooked the corn on the side burner of the grill.

Trip to Tennessee

Family reunion with my brothers, my sister, and their families. My mom & dad also made the trip.

Lauren plays on a competitive age group soccer team called Enyo. Ahhhhh, the beautiful game!

Going to Church.

Spring break and Easter

Arches

Goblin Valley

Our good friends the Hansen's

Mark taught lizard catching lessons

Easter

Grandpa John and Maya discussing life

She's a natural!

Santa, Gingerbread Houses, Sledding, and Christmas

Maya went sledding with the girls, but it only lasted a few minutes.

Rylee won 2nd place (1st grade level) in the science fair for her experimental method to determine which chocolate chip tastes the best.

Lauren won 1st place in her school science fair among all the 3rd graders for her scientific approach for determining which ingredients to combine to create a bubble blowing mixture that blows the biggest bubbles.

 One of our annual traditions is to build gingerbread  houses with the Hansen family. Janna made the houses, the rest of us just decorated them.  The gingerbread was excellent.

 Gabriella, Rylee, and Brooklyn working diligently to carefully landscape this gingerbread house. 

 Lauren & Dantzel and their amazing gingerbread masterpiece.

 Yes, it was unbelievably fun and yes, we all ate a bunch of junk.

 Rylee & Melissa (instructor) play a duet version of Jingle Bells during a recent piano recital.

 Is that glass full of water?  Is this at the dinner table?

 Christmas Eve tradition: we unroll a giant tape ball full of trinkets and gifts.  Whatever comes out of the ball during your turn is yours to keep. It might be fiingernail clippers, oatmeal creme pies, kitchen shears, a screwdriver, or beef jerky. . .  among other things.

 Santa left an awesome letter by his plate of goodies that he ate.  But he also took a big chunk out of the gingerbread house.  He said in his letter that the chocolate bar was for Blitzen, who apparently loves chocolate.

 Lauren & Melissa (instructor) play a duet version of "Up on the Housetop" and "Persian Market"

 This bowl is a cool gift that Maya got for Christmas.  It's a gyroscope, and no matter which way you turn it - even upside down - the cereal and milk stay inside the bowl and right-side up.

 Maya loves to empty Kleenex boxes and wet wipe boxes of all the contents. Janna made this home made version she can pull out all day long.

 Rylee got a beautiful Tea cup set for Christmas.  

 Maya's other gift for Christmas, a homemade container - painted by the girls - was a recycled cool whip container with holes in the lid through which Maya can stuff all the colored puff balls.

 Grandpa John enjoying some sledding time with the girls on Christmas Eve.

 Nana made these nightgowns for the girls to wear.  They love them.

 The Heaton family gave the girls passes to "Get Air." An enormous trampoline pit, the girls all had a fantastic time.

 Maya knows this container has ice cream in it. . . But how do you get it open?

Last night, we made a chocolate/strawberry swirlcake in Rylee's Easy Bake oven.  I was actually surprised at how good it was.