Company Party at Lagoon

Each year my company, SolutionStream, invites all employees and their families to Lagoon for a meal and fun. This year was great! We now have over 50 employees, so the turnout was very high. Each year we also get t-shirts for all employees and families (thanks James Thelin!)

This was the first ride that I put Jackson on. It went up about 40' and then dropped over and over again. Simply put, Jackson was not impressed and put him on the defensive after that.

Again, Jackson wasn't happy to be in anything moving. I don't blame him because the first ride was a shock!

Jackson's favorite ride became being held by a parent.

Jackson was even worried about the family trian ride to see the animals. However, after we got going on this ride, he finally settled down and enjoyed the sights.

Tanner was at BYU at EFY, so the older girls took friends. They had a blast! Once we got there, we only saw them for a moment at lunch, then they were off for fun. They hit all the BIG rides.

Daddy Daughter Campout in Moab

On the last day of Elementary School for the girls, we have made a tradition of going on a campout with the girls and dad. This year we decided to do Moab because we wanted to experience some hikes in Arches National Park. After we arrived, the wind was blowing so hard that we couldn't setup or tents. Instead, we went into town to have lunch and they headed out to hike Delicate Arch. It was a somewhat difficult hike that lasted over three miles. However, we made it.

We go with the Swenson's, who have girls that are the same age as our kids. The girls always have a blast playing!

On the way back, Grace sprained her ankle (so I got some shots for fun). After resting for 10 minutes, she was able to finish the hike.

This is fun for dad because this campout is only intended for those kids in Elementary School. Each year, the girls find some type of a cave or fort that we have a campfire and tell stories. This year dad brought a book FULL of scary stories and we found out that some of the were TOO scary.

Grace and her friend, Hana, love to climb up the cliffs. At first Dad is worried, and then remembers that he did that when he was young too. It wouldn't be fair if they couldn't also experience it.

The next morning, we woke up and pack our car. We went back into the Park and hiked the Landscape Arch trail. This trail was beautiful, and much easier than the prior day's hike.

The first arch we came to was Pine Tree Arch. The girls like being in this arch because of all the fun sand.

We then came to Tunnels Arch.

We finally found Landscape Arch. It was very long and looked like it was going to fall in at any moment.

Even though the windy night made for tough sleeping, it turned out to be a great adventure.

Abby is now a TEENAGER. Happy Birthday!

Abby had her birthday today. Her day started out with breakfast (she said she didn't want breakfast in bed because she doesn't want to get food on her blankets). We made her favorite breakfast...crepes! She also got presents, but not the desired puppy...not going to happen.

When asked what she wanted to do on her birthday, she said she wanted to have dinner as a family...aaaahhhhhhhhhh! We went to a Japanese steak house and had fun watching the chief cook the food using a lot of fire.

We left Jackson home with a babysitter and realized that eating out was A LOT easier. We almost hate to admit it, but it was also much more enjoyable. Give Jackson a couple of years and I am sure he will get over throwing his food as far as possible (he does have a very good arm!).

Grace was close on the shrimp toss, but it was just off the mark.

That night, Abby invited some friends over for a late night/sleepover. We are expecting very little sleep from them tonight.

Oh, I should mention that they still like to put wierd marks on their faces. Don't know why, but hopefullly it will keep the boys away.

Jason's mountain bike ride on the White Rim Trail

Jason decide to do a ride with friends that was 103 miles of rough terrain. He made 60 of those miles and then was greatful for the truck pulling lunches and water. Next year he will get training and make the entire grueling trip! The entire ride looked like a scene out of a John Wayne movie!

This was a rock bridge. There were people who could actually ride across the bridge, but if you sneezed, you would exerience a 1000 foot drop.

The ride was like starting at the top of the grand canyan on eventually getting to the water, only to go back up again. A lot of the ride was along the rim of the canyone and there were great views!

A quick picutre video of our Cabo trip this week.

Family night at the Dinosaur Museum

Since the Dinosaur Museum is only 10 minutes away from our home, it makes a great place for the kids to hang out and explore.

Jackson loves the museum. In fact, if you turn your back for a second, he will take off and me lost. We think he waits till we turn and sprints away.

Grace is nice and poses for dad!

Lilly is always playing the actor.

Abby, cuttling with a dinosaur.

Tanner and Lilly in front of a very large foot.

Jackson was in awe of the entire place.

Tanner is finally awarded his Eagle Scout

We are excited that, after having completed all the Eagle Scout requirements 8 months earlier, Tanner finally had his Court of Honor and was awarded this rank. Like most kids, once he hit the age of 14, his interest in Scouting diminished, but he had done what was needed to advance.

At the event, Tanner was awarded his Eagle by Mike Lee, who is running for the Senate. I hope he makes it (and it isn't just because he is our next door neighbor).

Tanner had quite a few of his friends attend. Below are some of his guy and girl friends.

Tanner also had quite a few member of our family attend. Both sides were well represented.

For Tanner's Eagle Project, he took quite a few people down to the indian reservation and help to remodel a small school. Tanner was responsible to painting the outside and inside of this building. It was a 3 day trip and turned out great!

Lilly's date night with Dad.

Last week I took Grace out on a Daddy Daughter date night to the BYU/New Mexico basketball game. Since that point, Lilly has been begging me to have a special night out. We found out that Disney on Ice was coming into town and got tickets. It turned out to be a really fun night.

Since Disney on Ice was at the Energy Solutions Center, we hit the Gateway across the street before hand. We passed a Build a Bear store and Lilly ended up getting the only puppy that our family will ever own.

After that, we were able to walk into a really nice resturant call Flemmings. I had the best steak ever. Lilly insisted getting up to talk to the workers and quickly became the most popular patron there. We finished our meal off with dessert and raced over to the arena.

I was expecting a slow kid’s show, and was planning on spending time surfing on my phone, but found this to be a very visually stimulating experience. We got lucky and got great seats, which made it fun to see the expressions of the actors.

All in all, it was a great night and a good reminder that I need to make time to do these on a continual basis.

With mom and Abby away at a soccer game, and Dad taking care of baby Jackson, our two youngest girls found a creative way to use two tablecloths. I think the end result was a very nice dress.

Paddle Surfing in Hawaii while Jason and Lilly follow behind in a kayak