Night Skiing - March 2010

The kids have wanted to go skiing since we moved to Utah. Having finished the basement, the yard, and most of the other home improvement projects over the past three years, we were running out of excuses. Some highlights:

1. Sawyer and Annika LOVE skiing. They both took a lesson and tore up the bunny hill at Brighton for 8+ hours.
2. Lori was fearless as well - perfecting her "power-snowplow" technique.
3. Stockton had a rough time with snowboarding, but finished strong. He wasn't sure he liked it at first, but was getting the hang of it toward the end.
4. Earl's highlight was having to call ski patrol after watching a 15 year-old kid slam into a pole. Lots of blood, broken nose, broken teeth, and probably a concussion, but made the kid lay there until ski patrol arrived. Stockton, who also witnessed the accident, was a little disturbed and decided to unstrap his board and walk the rest of the way down.

No serious accidents within our family, and all want to try it again soon!

Fun at the Gym

The girls are really having fun with their gymnastics. Sophie just started a couple of weeks ago. Annika is trying to master the back handspring. I took them to the gym today and they had a lot of fun. It was "open gym" so they were allowed to play on everything. I think we will be going more often. It is great exercise for them during the long Utah winter.

Sawyer went too, but he was mainly interested in jumping from high places into the foam pits. Maybe he'll become a stunt man. The other kids in the photos are our friends who live next door.

Uncle Bubbles - Rest In Peace

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Uncle Bubbles. He had just recently been released from prison, and was making excellent progress in the battle against his lifelong popcorn addiction.




Uncle Bubbles met his unfortunate end sometime last night when he was locked inside the Towne Cinemas ("Sticky Shoe Cinemas") in American Fork. Police reports indicate that he demanded his money back after an unsatisfactory viewing experience. After being turned away by theater management, he retreated to the men's room to regain his composure. Upon leaving the restroom, he found that he had been locked inside the theater complex for the night.

An unidentified cinema worker found his lifeless body behind the snack bar this morning. Before succumbing to the popcorn, Bubbles managed to scrawl short note on a box of Sour Patch Kids:

"Tonight I dine with Orville in Elysium"

Bubbles' tragic death is a shock to us all, but we hope that this most unfortunate event will raise public awareness to the gravity of popcorn addiction - and the unscrupulous tactics of the popcorn industry in general.

Fat People on Scooters

Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut are always coming out on top in the "healthiest state" rankings. Maybe that's why I'm always shocked to see so many fat people on scooters when I travel out of state. Granted, Utah isn't totally devoid of battery-powered leviathans, but you usually have to hang around Wal-Mart or the post office for awhile to see one.

On our recent trip to Florida, I had fun taking pictures of these creatures (hunting licenses aren't yet offered).

One of these large mammals got in line with us at Disney World and a Brazilian guy caught me gawking. He quietly motioned toward the scooter and said "the people walk more in Brazil". We watched in silent awe as the creature consumed two churros and a frozen coffee drink. Thanks for the cheap sugar, Brazil!

Annika and Chorus

Annika loves to sing. She has been steadily developing this talent for a couple of years now. She joined the school chorus last year, so this is her second year. She is only required to attend pratice once a week, but that's not enough for her she insists on going twice a week. She adores Mrs. Elliot the music teacher at her school, and the chorus director. Annika also participates in a children's choir during the summer and of course, she sings regularly at church. Well all of this singing is really paying off for her lately. She recently auditioned for a solo and found out on Friday that she got it! They announced it over the intercom at school, even her brothers heard the announcement. She is so excited and we are very proud of her accomplishments.

Sophie Attends Princess Party

Sophie was invited to her 1st friend birthday party this weekend. It was a princess party for her friend Bella. She knows Bella well, because she is in nursery with her at church, I am also Bella's Mom's visiting teacher and friend. Therefore, Sophie has been to her home on several occasions, however this did not stop her from pitching a big 2yr old fit when I tried to drop her off for the party.
I finally got her to stay after spending 15 minutes helping her fashion a crown. She was happy an hour and a half later when I went back to pick her up. I knew she had a great time because her shirt was covered with frosting and she was happily toting her party favors around in her purse. She is such a girl!

Autumn Leaves

We decided to take a little drive and hike near squaw peak to see the changing maple leaves. We hiked up a mountain biking trail that Lori and I had been on in the past. We knew there were lots of maple trees in the area because we had been attacked by some maple-loving caterpillars there last year. Luckily, the caterpillars were gone, and they'd left enough leaves for us to enjoy.

Unfortunately, the caterpillars don't eat Zoobies - - plenty of them on the trail. Well fed too. They're probably the ones who ate the caterpillars. I don't really know how the BYU food chain works. Anyway, the leaves were gorgeous, and we all made it back down the mountain with minimal whining.