The Reeses

The Branch and the Missionaries

2010-12-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Haines has a small branch. There are less than 30 people on the rolls. Even less than that come to church. Caleb commented once on the fact that his primary class from home in Highland was bigger than the entire primary here in Haines. But although it is small, the people are great! It's like a home away from home. Kristen and I have both had opportunities to speak in sacrament meeting and teach lessons in Elders Quorum and Relief Society. I think they are happy to have some variety!
We have also had the chance to get to know the missionaries. We've taken advantage of opportunities to have them over for dinner. In fact, they spent one entire p-day with us. We ate lunch, then went fishing for a couple hours (which is legal for the missionaries to do), and then they came back over for dinner and some games. Our children loved them. Back home we never get the chance to have the missionaries over. It has been a great experience for our kids to get to know these wonderful young men, to feel the spirit of their messages, and to see a little more about what they do. Thanks, Elders. Your little time has made a huge impact!

The Haines branch meeting house

the little cabin on the right is where the Elders stayed

Joe and Judy Whitaker, who have become our good friends

Other branch members

Branch camp-out--celebrating the 24th of July

Elder Ivan and Caleb fishing the river

Elder Smoot & Elder Ivan

Canoeing in the Bay

2010-12-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

It is so nice to have access to a canoe and life jackets. Everyone has fun going out. We've seen bear while out there, lots of eagles, and have caught some strange fish. The boys have enjoyed going out in the canoe on their own, too. The only one who hasn't got to go is Kylie. Sorry Kylie!

Cabin Fever

2010-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Even with the beauty all around us, we still spent a fair amount of time in the cabin. The weather, bears, and mosquitos kept us in-doors quite a bit. But we still had plenty to do. Between reading (I'm amazed at how many books the boys have read), watching movies, playing games, indoor basketball, making things, loving Kylie, and enjoying the beautiful views out the window, being inside wasn't too bad (well, most of the time)!

A friendly game of "stink boggle" (don't ask!)

Making peanut-butter dough creations

Roasting marsh-mellows over the stove

Not sure what Caleb is doing--creating his own long hair, I think.

Katelyn cleaning the kitchen

Holding my baby girl

Being lazy on the couch (we did a lot of that).

A yummy package from Grandma. Lots of good stuff!

A fishing boat out in the cove

A shot from the deck

Katelyn enjoying the view out her bedroom

A pancake re-heat in the microwave gone wrong! Pushed the easy to use "1 minute" button, but forgot to take it out after the only needed 15 seconds. Flames and lots of smoke! Oops.

The boys playing basketball on their little nerf hoop

Fishing at the Docks

2010-11-16T03:37:00.001-08:00

Our first adventure in fishing started at the boat docks in town. We would eventually branch out to the rivers, oceans, and lakes, but it all started at the docks. It was interesting to fish at the docks because of the variety of strange and unusual fish that we caught. None of them were very big, but they were all a little strange (at least compared to what we were used to catching). Once while I was working Kristen took the kids to fish at the dock. Caleb caught some long, eel-looking type thing, and nobody dared to touch it to get it off the hook. They finally had to ask some man that was cleaning his fish at the cleaning station to help them. Apart from that incidence, they all did pretty good at baiting their own hooks, and taking off the fish that they caught.

We caught lots of flounder fish

Patiently waiting!

Here's the long, strange fish that Caleb caught

The rewards of patience

Kaden caught a fish and hooked it in the eye. When he tried to pull the hook out, the eye came out with it. Yes, this is the fish's eye on his hook. Gross!

Mom and baby hanging around with us

Manicures & Pedicures

2010-11-16T03:21:00.000-08:00

What do girls do when they are sitting around with nothing to do? Well, they do their nails, of course! So Mom & Katelyn decided to give themselves a manicure and pedicure. But they didn't want anyone to feel left out, so they decided to let Kylie and the boys join in on their little party. Fortunately, Dad was working when this took place, or he probably would have been forced to do it as well!

Kylie's first pedicure and manicure

What a nice big brother Caleb is, to let his sister paint his toes.

I'm not sure whose feet these are--maybe someone who's trying to stay anonymous!

Town Salmon Bake

2010-11-16T03:09:00.000-08:00

One night the town put on its annual "salmon bake" dinner at the county fairgrounds. The entire town was invited, and all the local fisherman donated some of their catch from the week's fishing. Donations were suggested (which went to benefit the town), and a yummy dinner was enjoyed. A live band played great music, and the rest of us sat around and enjoyed a fun night hangin' out with the community.

Waiting in the long line to get our food

The band playing through the smoke of the bbq

Bike Race

2010-08-11T00:35:00.000-07:00

The local Elks Lodge organization held their annual "Say No to Drugs" bike race. The kids all wanted to participate, so after many phone calls, and driving all around town, we finally rounded up enough bikes for everyone (except for Kristen and Kylie, they rode in the "support" truck).
The course was a 6 mile ride from the ferry terminal, along the inlet, up to lake Chilkoot. Everyone finished the race, even Katelyn. Those little legs of hers had to peddle really hard on that small bike, but she was determined. And although her and I were the last ones who rode across the finish line--we still did it. Everyone was there at the end cheering her on. Her face just beamed!
The race was followed by a yummy barbecue at the lake campground, and then they had a drawing. I guess it was our lucky day, because we walked away with an ipod and a Nintendo DSi. Not bad!

And the winner is.....?

The Crab Shack

2010-07-21T23:09:00.000-07:00

For one night, our cabin became the crab shack.
Earlier in the day we had been at the docks and heard people talking about "the crab guy". He fishes for crab during the day, and then sells them out of his boat--$5.00 for an entire dungenes crab. Kristen really wanted some, so we bought two. You should have seen the look of horror on the kids' faces as they watched the man kill the crab, making it ready for cooking. It was pretty rough and cruel. I think it was traumatic for them.
So we went home and cooked it up. The kids tried it, but I'm not sure they loved it. I'm not a huge crab fan, but thought it was pretty good. Kristen was in heaven!
Three days later a man in Haines died from crab poisoning. GULP! Fortunately, we were all OK.

Move over Freddy Krueger

Wild Life Preserve

2010-07-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Just outside of town is a wild life preserve. The owners not only take care of the animals, but they train them to be in movies as well. It's usually pretty expensive to go there, but one day they opened it up as a fundraiser for the Allgood family, with all proceeds going to them. So Kristen took the kids, and they spent the day playing with the animals. Here is some of the wildlife they got to see...

Big Sister

2010-07-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

We all love our new baby girl, but no one has been quite as excited about having a little sister as Katelyn. If we would let her, she would carry her all day long. She likes to sneak in and wake her up, then come running downstairs screaming, "Mom, Kylie is awake, can I get her out?" She wants to change her, feed her, give her a bath, put her in her car seat, or anything else she can think of doing with a baby. She plays with her like she's a little doll (and unfortunately for Kylie, she sometimes carries her around like one). I don't know how Kylie is going to survive her big sister.
Maybe we're mean parents, but we have learned that the best punishment (or threat of a punishment) for Katelyn is to ground her from holding her sister. Is that horrible, or what? But it works. But no matter what, that baby girl will always know she is loved by her sister.

MOOSE

2010-07-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

We haven't actually seen any moose around the cabin, or even driving to and from town. I'm not sure if this area just doesn't have them, or if the bears keep them out. They are little more aggressive than bears, so I guess we're glad we haven't had any confrontations with them.
However, on one of my work trips I was able to catch a glimpse of a few moose. We even saw one swimming across a small lake. It was pretty cool.

this moose crossed the street in front of us, then walked up a small hill and then just stood there for about 10 minutes and watched us.

moose swimming across the lake

Mosquitos & No-See-Ums

2010-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

They are horrible creatures! And they are everywhere. When we go out to the car, they are waiting for us. When we come home, they have brought their friends too. You've heard it said that everything is bigger in Alaska, right? Well, that includes the bugs. I've never seen mosquitoes so big. In fact, we have what we have lovingly called the mosquito highway, just outside the back windows. Seriously, it's like those old futuristic highways from Back to the Future. You can sit there and watch as thousands of them fly, in a perfectly straight line, down their own sky highway. And the no-see-ums, well, we haven't seen any, that's how they got their name. That is, until they are biting us. Mosquitoes leave small, swollen bumps when they bite. No-see-ums leave flat, red spots. And they both itch like crazy! I try to tell the kids to not itch them, and the itch will go away. But they don't believe me. Fortunately, the bug population seems to be getting smaller. I'm sure that's because they're squished all over the walls in the house and the windows in the car!

Not sure if you can see these, but i've got about 12 little no-see-um bites on my hand. While we fish, they bite the hand that holds the pole

Caleb got several on his hand too

They also land on the bill of my hat, then crawl over and bite my forehead. I have the record with about 16 bites on my head at one time.

Here's a mosquito we somehow killed without squishing it all over the wall

the boys modeling the latest fashion in mosquito net head apparel

NOISE MAKERS

2010-07-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

We have ALL become noisemakers! That title used to be reserved for Caleb, who is always singing or banging or yelling or squealing (I think he gets that need to be making some sort of sound from his dad). But now we're all getting in on the fun. Katelyn has especially picked it up a notch in her ability to magnify the sounds that come from her mouth. And it doesn't even bother us! Why? One simple word: BEARS!
You see, bears don't like noise. The noisier you are, the less likely you are to encounter one of these soft, snuggly, giant, fang bearing, claw yielding creatures. And since they have started making a few more appearances around the cabin, we've decided that we like noise. It's like music to our ears. Now if we can only get them to keep it outside!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KADEN

2010-07-18T01:02:00.001-07:00

On July 14th, Mr. Kaden turned 9. Here are some things we love about him:
--His very carefree nature
--His self confidence
--His love for his mom
--How whenever he sees mom and dad hugging, he runs over to be a part of the group hug
--His ability to completely tune you out (ok, so we don't really love this one, but it definitely is a skill of his)
--His ability to make friends
--His humor (he says he's the second funniest person in the family, after dad. And did I mention how smart he is?)
--His adorable smile

Alaska Resident

2010-07-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

On July 7th, Kylie turned 2 months. She has spent more of her life in Alaska than she has in Utah. I wonder if that gives her dual residency?
She is changing on a daily basis. There are so many cute little things that she does that are her own unique traits. She loves to grunt and arch her back when you pick her up (or try to put her in her car seat, which makes it a little difficult). She does what we call her "O" face--she puckers her lips and just stares at you. In the mornings she's an angel, as she smiles and talks to you with her facial expressions.
I can't believe how fast she is growing. Like a weed! Actually, make that an Alaskan wild flower!

The 4th of July--Alaska style!

2010-07-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

It was a great celebration--like only can be done in a small town. The kids were asked to be in the town parade--in the library's "float" (which was just an old Ford truck with a sign on it). They were going to play their ukuleles, but fear of rain kept the ukuleles inside. Instead, they just sat in the back and through out candy. They didn't care, they had fun just being a part of it.
Next we were off to the community park, where we participated in all kinds of activities. Nail hammering, relay races (foot, team, crawling, crab-walk, and cartwheel races), a money search, and face painting were just some of them. Even mom and dad got in on the fun (and I might add, were sore for a couple days afterward).
The night ended with fireworks over the bay, which didn't start until after 11:00 pm, when it was finally getting dark enough to see them. They were beautiful, and a great ending to a wonderful day. The drive home provided us with a nice discussion on gratitude for the blessings of living in a such an amazing country. Thanks and God bless to all who help keep us free!

The Haines library "float"

"Hammer the nail" competition

Katelyn and Caleb in the races

OK, I can't lie. I didn't really win. The guy who just BARELY beat me is just off the screen to the right. But the pic looks good. :)

Team Races

Katelyn dominated the cart-wheel races

The boys doing the wheel-barrow

Kristen making sure everything gets caught on video

Face painting

Hmmmm. I wonder who the "K" stands for?
Kristen? Maybe Katelyn? How about Kylie?
I think it's all three!

Kylie was there too, she just slept most of the time. But she woke up for the fireworks.

The clouds were low so you can't see the mountains in the background, but the fireworks were still great.

The Library

2010-06-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

So far on our trip, the one place we have probably spent the most time, besides our cabin, is the library. For a small town, Haines has a fantastic library. Holly, one of the workers there, has created a great children's summer program. Between ukulele lessons, walks to the shore while learning about edible plants, spanish lessons, fairy tale theater, and puppet shows, the kids are having a great time. They have particularly enjoyed the ukulele lessons, which they have 3 days a week. They even taught the entire group the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree". They pretty much already knew all the other children songs that they sang. We can thank Primary for that!

The library

MMMMM, yummy weeds!

Caleb thought he'd try them also

Ukulele lessons

In Memory Of

2010-06-28T01:37:00.000-07:00

When planning our trip to Alaska, one of the first people I contacted was the Branch President in Haines. I thought he might have some connections when it came to me finding a place to stay, car to drive, etc. Over a couple months we spoke on the phone several times and sent many emails. We became friends, but had never met. He was about my same age, had children close in ages to mine, and was from the lower 48. We developed a long-distance friendship, and I was really looking forward to meeting him.
Our first meeting was at church our first Sunday in Haines. A good, strong handshake, a pat on the shoulder, and a “we’re so glad you finally made it” made us feel at home in our new church family.
Sadly, 2 weeks after our arrival, and 3 days before Father’s Day, Jason disappeared. They found his truck, dog, and fishing nets along side a fast moving river where he had gone to fish. Search parties searched the waters for over a week, but they have called it off now. They have declared it a death by drowning.
President Allgood was a good man, a spiritual man, who had a great positive influence on many people here in Haines. I’ll always remember the spirit I felt as he shared his testimony on the 2 Sundays we had the privilege of being a part of his branch. It was an honor to be considered a member of his flock. May God bless his family with peace and strength, and the rest of us with a greater appreciation for the time we have with those we love!

Da Bears!

2010-06-25T03:21:00.001-07:00

So the other day we got a call from our neighbors telling us there was a bear in the cove that is right next to our cabin. We hadn't seen a bear yet (well, the kids hadn't--Kristen and I caught a glimpse of one, for about 10 seconds, out our window early one morning) so we hurried out to see it. I couldn't see it at first, so I made the kids stay on the porch until I was able locate it. It was a mama brown bear, eating the grass in the cove, about 200 feet away.

About 2 hours later, we were in the kitchen making dinner, and I happen to glance out the door, and there standing right in front of our car, was another bear. This one was much closer (about 30 ft. outside the door), and much bigger! This one was a black bear. It caught me so off gaurd, I think I yelled something like, "Holy cow, there is a bear right there!" I think I scared my poor wife to death. We watched her through the windows, until she got far enough that we could go onto the porch and watch her. It was pretty awesome. We've seen bears a couple different times since then. It's crazy! We make lots of noise now whenever we go outside!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB

2010-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my oldest boy is 11 years old today. Caleb is such an incredible young man. He is such a responsible, kind, dedicated, and tender boy. He is a hard worker, and a loyal friend. He always tells us how hard it is to be the oldest, but we're sure glad he is. He's a great brother, and an amazing son, and we sure love him.

Transportation

2010-06-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

So one of my main concerns coming to Alaska was how we were going to get around once we got here. We considered driving (which Kristen actually wanted to do the most--she thought it sounded exciting), but the 2500 miles one-way, a new baby, and it being more expensive than actually flying, all kind of turned me off. We thought of renting a car, but since our options in the town were very few, they can charge whatever they want. Most places wanted about $100 per day. That wasn't going to happen! So, we decided we would just buy one (nothing fancy, just big enough to get us all around), and then sell it when we leave. It took us about a week and a half to find one (and we were very grateful to the man we are renting from for letting us use his mini-van in the meantime), but we ended up with a 1990 Mazda MPV--and it's perfect. Kristen has always said she would never drive a mini-van-- she can't say that anymore! :)

Our house (nuh nuh nuh), in the middle of the....woods!

2010-06-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

Our home for the summer is a comfortable and cozy 2-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, small family room, with a newly remodeled kitchen, cabin. It is perfect. It is nestled up against the mountain, and right on the water. It has a very nice deck going along the front, with a spectacular view of the inlet bay. Unfortunately, the blasted mosquitoes have made it a little difficult to spend too much time outside. However, I put up a net tent, that has made it much more enjoyable. There are nests of bald eagles all around us, and we see them flying around outside our windows pretty regularly.

A picture of the cabin taken from the shore

The view from the deck

This picture is taken across the bay, driving out to our place from town

A little closer view

This gives a better perspective of our little cabin nestled at the base of these huge mountains

Haines--A history

2010-06-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a little history on the town...

Haines is located on the shores of the Lynn Canal on the Chilkat Peninsula between the Chilkoot and Chilkat Rivers. The town is bordered by the spectacular Chilkat Mountain Range on the west and the Coast Range on the east. The historic routes to the Klondike gold fields - the Chilkat, Chilkoot and White Pass - are to the north of the community.

Haines is 85 air miles north of the capital city of Juneau and about 600 air miles southeast of Anchorage and Fairbanks. It is connected by road to the interior of Alaska and the continental United States by the Alaska Canada (Alcan) Highway.

The Tlingit Indians were the original inhabitants of the Chilkat Valley. These Natives controlled the trade routes (trails) between the coast and the interior, which became some of today's roads. The village of Klukwan, 22 miles from Haines, is still the mother village for the Tlingit nation. Their culture and totemic art is seen throughout the community of Haines.

Haines enjoys a mild climate and some of the sunniest weather in Southeast Alaska due to the influence of interior weather patterns. Temperatures range from +50 to 70 degrees F in the summer and +10 to +35 degrees F in winter. Average annual precipitation is 52" and average annual snowfall is 133".

HAINES, AK.

2010-06-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

The city of Haines is going to be our home for the summer. I have been here before on one of my trips, and fell in love with the town. I thought it would be a great place to bring my family. When you arrive to town on the ferry, the view is breathtaking. We are actually staying about 10 miles out of town, right on the end of the Lutak inlet.

A view of the town coming in on the road from our cabin

The boat dock in Haines

A picturesque town, nestled in the mountains

The last light from the sun shines on the Coast Range Mountains

Map of the Chilkat Peninsula (notice where we are on the map)

Ferry to Haines

2010-06-16T02:18:00.000-07:00

No more airplanes for us! From Juneau, we took a 2.5 hour ferry ride north to the city of Haines. Talk about travelling in luxury--plenty of leg room, able to walk around and go to the snack bar, restrooms, etc. It was great. A 180 degree turn around from our previous day's travels. Not to mention the beautiful views of glaciers and snow-covered mountains that we passed on either side. We were told that often you will see whales on this little trip. The boys kept a close watch, but unfortunately, no whales.

Juneau

2010-06-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, is a beautiful city. For you trivia buffs, it's the only capital city in the continental U.S that you can't access by road. Again, we decided to stay the night before moving on to our final destination and do a little sight-seeing. After checking in to the hotel we decided to go see a movie. I mean, our first time to a new and beautiful city, what better thing to do than go and watch Shrek, right? (I hope you're sensing the sarcasm!) Well, after sitting on an airplane as long as they did, I figured the least I could do was take the kids to a movie. It was great, too, because we were the only ones in the movie theater. When the movie ended, Katelyn went up onto the stage and danced around in the lights from the movie projector. She quite enjoyed herself. I think she thought she was in the movies.

Afterwards, we took a bus downtown and had dinner at a famous Juneau restaurant called "The Hangar", and boy did they have some amazing fish and chips.

The next morning before leaving Juneau, we took a couple hours to go see the Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding waterfall--they were absolutely beautiful!

Overlooking the water on the boardwalk in downtown Juneau

Kristen and Kylie

Mendenhall Glacier and waterfall

Seattle to Juneau

2010-06-15T01:57:00.000-07:00

(***Disclaimer*** Kristen says I write too much. First of all, I apologize. Secondly, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to read my long and wordy, oftentimes mundane and silly, sad attempts at creative writing. It's for my benefit more than yours. What can I say? I'm doing my best to be a thorough family historian. So feel free to just scroll through the pictures--they're probably the best part of the blog anyway!)

Our flight left Seattle the next morning at 6:30 am. And let me tell you how easy it is to get a family of 6, including 4 children and a wife who has been up all night nursing a baby, to the airport early enough to catch a 6:30 am flight. I can assure you it is not very easy! We were flying on alaska airlines, and for whatever reason they wouldn't let me pick our seats online when I bought the tickets. They wouldn't even assign us seats when we checked our bags! It wasn't until we actually got to the gate that they were assigning seats, and since we didn't get to the gate very earlier (and I might add that going through security was a joke/nightmare!), by the time we were assigned our seats every single one of us had a single seat spread all around the cabin. Not one of us was sitting with someone in the family. And to make matters worse, it wasn't just a direct flight to Juneau either--it is what they call the "mail run" flight. The plane stopped in Ketchikan, Wrangell, and Petersburg, before finally arriving in Juneau. And at each stop, they wouldn't let us off the plane. So what should have been a 2.5 hour plane ride, ended up being about 7 hours on the plane. Not very fun! So before leaving Seattle I drugged up all the kids with Dramamine and prayed for the best. It was a long trip, but somehow we made it.

Alaska (via Seattle)

2010-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

OK, so for those of you who don't know, the Reeses have decided to spend the summer in Alaska. Kristen thought it wasn't fair that I got to go to Alaska, but her and the kids had to stay home. So, last summer we started planning a family trip for the summer of 2010. Well, at the time we made the plans, we didn't know we were going to have a baby. I thought that would change things, but nothing can stop Kristen when she gets her little adventurous mind set on something. So on May 31st, the day after we said goodbye to our exchange student, and 3 weeks after having a baby, we packed up and headed to Alaska.

First stop along the way was an overnight layover in Seattle. I intentionally had us stay the night there because I know Kristen likes to take any chance she can to go and show the kids a new place. So with only a couple hours to spare, we went downtown to Pikes Market and the Space Needle. Somehow on the way there (we rented a car) we drove past the exit for the market (how was I to know? I've never been there!) and I think we almost made it to Canada before I realized it. Everybody else had fallen asleep in the car (and I was about to myself, considering I was going on about 3 hours of sleep from packing the night before). I finally had to stop at McDonalds and get a shake to wake me up, and that's when I discovered I had gone way too far. Anyway, we finally made it, and had a fun time walking around the market.

SLC airport--ready to go!

Due to rising costs of checked bags, all the kids took was a carry-on and a "personal item" (their backpacks). Everything they would need for 2 months!

Lots of sea food at the market. But what do we need to buy salmon for? we'll be catching our own before long!

Kristen, Kaden, & Caleb in Pikes Market

Family shot outside the market

Space needle. Ok, so we didn't go in the Space Needle. Just got close enough to take a pic and say we were there.

Karin van der Velde

2010-06-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

After 10 months, our adopted 18 year old daughter (foreign exchange student) is going home. Karin is a girl of great confidence, intelligence, and motivation. I have no doubt that she will accomplish great things in her life. It was fun for us to get to meet her dad and brother who came to pick her up. It was a pleasure for us to have her as a part of our family, and we will miss our "Coco" (as Katelyn lovingly called her).

Karin and her new "little sister", Kylie.

Caleb & Karin--we ate our last "family night" meal at Tepenyaki (we've been telling Karin we wanted to take her there the whole time she's been with us, and we finally made it the last week.)

Caleb, Hans (Karin's dad), Karin

Edward (Karin's brother) and Katelyn

Hans, Edward, Karin, Kristen, Kylie, and Katelyn in Park City

Baby Girl

2010-06-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Kylie Reese, born May 7, 2010, weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz., and 20 inches long.

We went in to the hospital for a 7:30 am induction (actually arrived about 7:45--surprise, surprise), hoping for a quick labor and delivery. Didn't happen! She was high up in the birth canal and didn't want to come down. After turning sideways a couple different times, requiring a little extra love and attention from Dr. Hasket, (and succeeding at making things a little more difficult), and after patiently waiting for her to make her move, she finally decided to join us about 4:30 pm.
Everything was good at first, but then after several hours, for some reason, her oxygen levels started going down. However, after a round of antibiotics, and a couple extra days in the NICU for monitoring, she got to come home. And wouldn't you know it, the night before coming home she got a little jaundiced. So we got to bring home the "lights" for her to sleep under. Wow, how many girls can say they spent the first week of their life on a tanning bed? What a lucky girl!
And speaking of lucky....I'm a fortunate man to have such an amazing wife, incredible family, and a new, beautiful, and healthy baby girl!

Anticipation

2010-06-11T10:58:00.002-07:00

The day of arrival had come. Everybody got up bright and early to give mom their last loves, hugs, and kisses before she headed off to the hospital. Grandma came to watch the kids for us (thanks, Grandma). Karin never imagined she'd experience Kristen's pregnancy and deliver as a part of her foreign exchange experience! Mom was a little emotional (what do you expect from a 9 month pregnant mama-cat) as she said goodbye to her children. The time had finally come....

Maternity Pics

2010-06-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been a while since I've updated this blog of ours. Life gets so crazy I just can't seem to find the time. However, I've decided it's time to get going again. Although I have a gazillion things I could try and update, I'm not going to. Just a couple major ones.
So to begin with, probably the biggest thing to happen this past year was Kristen getting pregnant. It took a while, but finally happened. Since we're pretty sure this is going to be the last one, Kristen wanted to get maternity pictures. She actually wanted to get them before, it just never happened. So the week before she delivered, she got some pictures taken. Since I happened to be there while they were taking the pics (and looking as sharp as ever, of course. Ha ha.) I got in a few of them myself. It was a lot of fun. We haven't done that since we got married. So here she is--my beautiful bride!! :)

(of course, no woman would dare go deliver a baby without having her toes done, right?!)

2009-10-23T15:47:00.001-07:00

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EIGHT IS GREAT!

2009-08-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

Eight years old is a pretty great age. Why? Because it's the age you get baptized. In July, Mr. Kaden turned 8, and on August 8th he was baptized. Kaden was already such a sweet boy--and now he's even sweeter!

The newest member of our family

2009-08-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't have a baby (although Kristen would really like one). And no, we didn't get a new pet either (although everyone but dad would really like one). We actually became the proud parents of a beautiful teenage girl.

Karin van der Velde, 17 years old, from the Netherlands, is our new foreign exchange student. She will be staying with us for 10 months, while she completes her senior year at Lone Peak High School. The kids are very excited to have a new"big sister", and all of us are excited to have her as a member of our family.

A small lesson in female anatomy

2009-08-25T21:53:00.001-07:00

Tonight while putting the boys to bed they were telling us about their new teachers at school. Kaden mentioned one of his teachers that he really likes, Mrs. Overy (with the accent over the "e"). The conversation then went something like this:

"Mrs. Ovary", I said.

"No," Kaden said, "Mrs. O-vEry!".

"Good thing it wasn't ovary" (trying to be funny, while Kristen grinned at me).

"What's so funny about that?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Come on, tell us please."

"Really, it's nothing."

"Pleeeeeeeease."

"OK. It has to do with female parts."

(chuckle chuckle) "Oh no!" (giggle giggle)

"See. Now you don't want to know, do you?"

"Well, OK. Tell us anyway."

"Ok. The ovary is part of a woman's body, on the inside, that has little eggs that can become babies."

"What! Mom has eggs in her?"

"Yes, all women do."

"Oh no, mom's not a mammal!"

The sweetness of innocent boys.

Fishy Irony

2009-07-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

Many years ago Caleb and Kaden each got a gold fish. They were warned at the time of purchase that gold fish don't live very long (at least in our family they never have), and so they needed to be prepared for when they died. Well wouldn't you know it, those blasted things just wouldn't die. I tried to convince Kristen to just stop feeding them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. And when the boys heard me say that, they weren't too happy about it. So, like good owners, we kept feeding them.
Well, about a month ago, one of them finally died. The boys tried to accuse me of killing him because I didn't clean the fish bowl soon enough. I promise--I'm an innocent man! It was just his time to go. And if it was because of the dirty water, then why didn't they both die? "Good point", you say. And, unlike the movies, where they just flush the fish down the toilet, we had to have an official burial. After the ceremony was over, and we were walking back to the house, Katelyn asked me if he would have happy family members waiting for him on the other side. I assured her he would.
So, now my thinking was maybe the other fish will die soon also. It was only wishful thinking, however, because I definitely wasn't going to do anything about it. I'd already been accused of murder once.
Well, last week, while I was in Alaska, and Kristen and the kids were in California, we left the fish at the neighbor's house to be watched until we returned. And as fate would have it, the other fish died. But no, the story doesn't end there. Our neighbors, feeling horribly guilty for having killed our last gold fish, went and bought us another one to replace it. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Fortunately, Kristen was able to convince them that we weren't upset, and that they could keep the new goldfish for themselves. And I'm sure there were more happy family members on the other side (because I know there were some on this side)!

SUPER MOM

2009-06-10T00:43:00.000-07:00

My wife is a super mom!

Usually when I come home from a trip to Alaska I like to talk about how crazy and adventurous my trip was. However, this time I decided to summarize how crazy things were back home. Remember, this all happened in only 12 days, and while Kristen was being a single parent.

--Katelyn gymnastics 3 times a week (and since she got picked to be on a new team, a couple of those days were twice a day practices).

--Katelyn dance lessons twice a week

--Kaden started tryouts for a soccer club (every day, Monday thru Friday, the entire 2 weeks)

--Piano lessons for the boys (2 times each)

--Babysit a few different times for a friend of ours that just had a baby

--Young women weekly activity night (twice)

--Caleb's talent show at school

--Run a half marathon race in Ogden (not to mention all the training that is involved)

--Work at Tres Jolie as much as possible to fill in while I'm gone (4 different days)

--Get Katelyn to school (twice a week)

--Katelyn's dance recital

--Play futsall at stake center with other women in the stake

--Visit teach

--Babysit and clean a couple times for a different neighbor who is packing up to move

--Coming home to find the police at our house (since one of our children and a friend were sure they saw someone in the house, and called 911) and not be able to get in until it was OK'd by the police.

--Meet 2 different times with a lady from International Student Exchange, and fill out all the paper work to try and get accepted as a host family

--Have car towed because tire is completely flat (and couldn't find anyone to help her fix it)

--Get emergency call from friend who needs Kristen to run to her house for something (while the tow truck is waiting in our driveway. She asked the man to wait. He was a nice man)

--Pinewood derby (not only go to the race, but help both boys make their cars also)

--Young women 3 hour presidency meeting

--Up all night one night with a sick child (Caleb got sick and threw-up over the side of his bed. Kaden, wanting to keep his brother company, was sleeping at the side of Caleb's bed. You can imagine how that ended)

--Katelyn's end of year program at preschool

--Parent/teacher conferences

etc., etc, etc.

Honestly, I can't imagine any more major events that could possibly happen in a 12 day time period--and they all happened to be while I was gone. Seriously, imagine fitting all of that into just 12 days. It's wearing me out just thinking about it. Now I know that all moms are busy, but this took things to the extreme. My wife is amazing. She definitely earns the award of "Super Mom of the Week". I don't know what I would ever do without her.

BACKWARDS DAY

2009-05-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Kaden's class at school was having a "backwards day" day. He couldn't miss the chance to participate.

Clothes and backpack on backwards.

Face painted on back of head.

Final product.

Silly kid!

Alaska Trip--April 09

2009-05-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

This trip was as is every other trip--an adventure! It started with my being delayed by 3 days because of an active volcano just outside of Anchorage, that was spewing ash. Flights were not going into Anchorage. Fortunately, I was still in Salt lake when they started cancelling flights (and not in some other city), so I was able to go home and wait. Once I finally got there, it was business as usual. This trip took me to 5 villages (4 of which I have been to before). They were Togiak, Manakotak, New Stuyahok, Dillingham, and Naknek. Here are a few of the highlights:

My first flight from Anchorage to Togiak took us directly pass the volcano--Redoubt. We had to go around it the long way, so as to avoid the ash. Here's a shot from out my window. We were pretty close.

In New Stuyahok I had the opportunity to watch a village Elder skin an otter. He brought it into the local school so the students could watch him. He just flopped it on the ground on a piece of cardboard, and went to work.
I asked the teacher how they got the otter, and she said, "Oh, we chased it down this morning on our way in to work, and ran it over with the snow machine." Not quite what I had imagined the answer would be. But I guess they have road-kill here too!

In Manakotak, a patient said she was going ice fishing that afternoon, and that they would bring us some back if they were successful. Well, they were. They charged us $40.00 for 3 beautiful rainbow trout. Unfortunately, they weren't delivered cleaned and cooked, with a side of vegetables, and a loaf of home-made bread. It was all up to us to clean and cook them. On a funnier note, Sach and I were right in the middle of cleaning the fish (hands covered with blood and a bloody butcher knife in our hands), when a patient from earlier in the day came back to ask us something. They took a look at us and their eyes got as big as saucers. I guess we did look a little like crazed maniacs.

Here I am waiting at the "airport", standing on the side of the run-way, waiting for our plane to come and get us. Global warming is pretty obvious, isn't it?

Flying to one of the villages I noticed a herd of moose down below us. I tried to get my camera out to take some pictures before we passed them. The pilot noticed what I was doing (since I was sitting next to him in the co-pilot's seat) and asked if I wanted a better angle. So he circled the plane around and got a little lower to the ground, so I could get this picture. They're still pretty small, but there were at least 16 moose just laying down there in the snow. I also saw a bear about 5 minutes later along the river, but I didn't get my camera out soon enough, I didn't dare ask the pilot to turn around again.

Signs that Spring is in the air--the ice over the rivers is starting to crack. This trip was a little warmer than the last--upper 20s to low 30s. Beats 20 to 30 below zero from the last trip.

AN EASTER MESSAGE

2009-04-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

I was sitting at my desk working on my computer when Katelyn, Caleb, & a friend walked in. The friend pointed to a picture of my brother that I have on my bookshelf and asked Caleb who it was. "That's my uncle," Caleb said, "But he's not here anymore. He's dead." To which Katelyn emphatically replied, "He's not dead, he's in Heaven!"
An Easter message from a 4 year old.

The Perfect Belly Button

2009-04-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

The other day we took Grandpa Green to the Alpine Arts Museum (where our Tres Jolie office is) because he wanted to take some pictures of the foundry. Grandpa and Katelyn went into the studio where Deon Duncan, one of the sculptors, was just finishing up a sculpture of a little girl. She was literally taking the statue apart to take it to be bronzed, when she felt something just wasn’t right with the little girl’s belly button. Noticing Katelyn standing across the room, she asked, “Do you have an innie or an outie belly button.” Well, Katelyn wasn’t about to show her,

but when Grandpa told us about it we took her back into the studio and convinced her to show Deon her belly button. Deon was ecstatic--it was perfect. So Katelyn had to stand still for several minutes and model her belly button, while Deon put the finishing touches on her sculpture. It was adorable!

Lunchroom Duty

2009-04-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Once every few months, a couple students in Caleb’s class get picked to do lunchroom duty. Caleb got picked this time. He was actually really excited to do it. Not only do they get out of class a little early to go set up, but they get to stay a little later (which means more class is missed), have lunch for free, and get extra desserts. What more could a boy ask for! Mom and Katelyn even went to have lunch with him, but he was working so hard that he didn’t have a chance to eat with them while they were there. I wish we could get him to work that hard at home! :)

Draper Temple

2009-04-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple open house. It was a great opportunity for us to go into the temple with our children, and talk about why they are so important to us. It was a sweet experience to stand together as a family in one of the sealing rooms, look into the large mirrors on both sides of the room, and see our reflections go on and on and on. A lot of great questions were asked, and simple answers given. It was a great learning experience for all of us. And the icing on the cake came when on the way home Kaden said, “Mom and Dad, thanks for taking us to the temple.” Now, every time we drive by the temple and sing “I love to see the temple, I’m going there some day…”, I hope it will have a little greater meaning.

Katelyn's Birthday

2009-04-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

I’m a little late on this, but Katelyn had a birthday. My baby girl turned four. I guess she’s not much of a baby any more, and that’s getting harder and harder for me to deal with. That’s especially apparent when I call her my “baby girl” and she says, “I’m not a baby, daddy.”

I love what a sweet girl she is becoming. She is my serious, pensive, and observant child. She likes to have contests with me to see how long she can go without breaking into a smile. And she’s pretty good at it, too! But, dad always knows how to make her smile. I’m amazed at her intelligence, and awed at her abilities. She's my rough and tough, precious little angel. She is sugar and spice, and everything nice; and frogs and snails, and puppy dog tails--all wrapped up in the same beautiful little being! She is definitely the product of two older brothers and an amazing mom. And I love her more than words can say!

VIVA MEXICO!

2009-02-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

We love going to Mexico. If it was up to Kristen, we would live there.

Now, going to Mexico with friends--that's an even better treat.

The trip started with an interesting turn of events--when we got to the hotel we were told it was full, and that they would be sending us to another hotel--40 minutes away. That didn't sound too appealing considering we had just been on a shuttle ride for 2.5 hrs just getting to the hotel from the aiport. But they promised to upgrade us to a suite if we would stay there for 2 nights, and then come back. We just told ourselves that "we are in Mexico", and that you have to be ready for anything. Everything worked out just fine, and we eventually made it back to our original hotel with all our friends.

6 days in paradise makes it hard to return to cold Utah. Between the beautiful resort, trips into town, jungle adventures, amazing Mayan ruins, laying at the beach/pool, lots and lots of food, and great friends to share it all with, we had an amazing time. We can't wait to go back!

kayaking and wearing our sombreros

Enjoying the view from the terrace

We went into Playa del Carmen to do a little shopping one night

Kristen & Val getting into the
Mexican spirit

Kristen ready to go into town

Kristen relaxing in the hammock

It seems like we ate ALOT!
Because we did.

My favorite place to eat was the

creperie. YUM YUM YUM

Valentine's dinner

We went on a jungle excursion and rode on the sky bikes.
They took us from above the trees down in the caves. Pretty cool!

We snorkeled in the cenotes

Kristen ready to repel
down into the cenote (cave)

Raise your hands if you think this
guy looks kind of goofy!

the chicas hangin' out on the beach
(Kristen, Tawnya, Misty, Valarie, Alison)

Val & Kelly taking a break

Alison & Steve after a nice
stroll in the kayak

The girls after dinner on Valentines. Man,
what good husbands to take their wives to
Mexico for Valentines! :)

A fun bike ride down to the marina

A trip to the ruins at Tulum. The ruins are perched high on a cliff above the blue, carribean water.
If I was a Mayan, this is the tribe I would have joined.

Looks like a postcard

Tawnya & Dave enjoying their
margaritas "sin alcohol"

Ryan & Misty eating dessert at
the Japonese restaurant

The girls "trying" to show us
their yoga moves

Oh how we love Mexico!

VALENTINES

2009-02-19T00:20:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day came a little early this year. We actually celebrated it the Sunday before the 14th. We have a couple traditions for Valentines, and since Kristen & I were going to be out of town on the actual day, the kids wanted to make sure and celebrate before we left. We really only have two things that we do, but the kids really enjoy them.

First, we usually order a heart shaped pizza to eat. Since it was Sunday, we decided to make our own home-made pizzas instead of ordering out.

Second, we get a big pile of candy and put it in the middle of the table. For 15 minutes we each take turns rolling dice. A matching pair earns you a reward from the pile. Once the pile is all taken, then you can steal from others. And I'm telling you, it gets to be a pretty heated battle. Our next activity......a trip to the dentist!

Cabin Fun

2009-01-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

While I was in Alaska, Kristen decided to take the kids and go for the weekend with some friends up to their cabin. It was a sort of reunion trip with the same friends that we went with to Lake Powell earlier this year. Between snow mobiling, sleigh riding, rope swinging, lots of games, and great friends, they had a wonderful time. I just wish I could have gone. Well, like they say, while the cat is away, the mice will play!

Emmonak, part 2

2009-01-17T14:19:00.001-08:00

So, I'm back in Emmonak, but not by choice. We spent a few days in the village of Alakanuk. The weather forecast didn't look too promising while we were there, so we decided to leave while we had the chance. While in Alakanuk, we set up clinic in the tribal council building. They gave us an old office to use to set up clinic and to sleep in. It was completely full of junk, which we had to clean out and move around just to have enough space to set up. That's also where we had to sleep. No beds, no pads, nothing! Just a nice hard floor to lay on. They did have a bathroom with warm water, but no shower. They had community meetings all day in the main recreation room, and at night they had half the village practicing the tribal dance for an upcoming competition. They practiced every night for about 3 hours. And they weren't very quiet either.

When we were ready to leave and went to check out, you'll never guess what they charged us for these luxuryaccommodations-- $180.00 per night. Yes, that was not a typo--$180 per night!! Never mind the fact that we are bringing a service to their village, and sleeping on the floor. I wasn't too happy about it, either.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the only way to leave the village was on a snow machine (snow mobile)--no planes were coming in because of the weather. The closest (biggest) place to go was back to Emmonak. So we hired a man to take us and our gear back to Emmonak. Since there is only enough room on the back of the snow machine for one passenger (and there are 2 of us), I had to travel in the sled that was pulling our gear. Talk about a crazy trip. I was wrapped up as much as I could possibly be. And between the exhaust from the snow machine and the ice crystals that it was shooting at me like b.bs, it wasn't a very enjoyable trip. Not to mention that the sled I was sitting on was home made, made out of wood, and VERY bumpy. Single digit temperatures didn't help either. Fortunately, it was only about 30 minutes of torture! :) But hey, it's all a part of the experience, right? Sometimes I wonder what on earth I am doing up here!

My "first class" seat

Emmonak, Alaska

2009-01-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

My first stop on this trip is in the village of Emmonak. I don't always have internet service in the villages, but I do in this one. We have set up clinic in the community center, and upstairs they have a few rooms to rent out, so that is where we are sleeping. This building does have running water. In the bathrooms, in order to let gravity help pull everything away, they have built a little platform, 2 steps up, for the toilet. The roof is already lower than normal, and when I have to step up 2 steps higher to get to the toilet..... Well, needless to say, I can't stand up when trying to use the bathroom. Ok, so that was probably a little too much information, but I thought it was pretty funny when I wacked my head the first time using the bathroom!

Between city council meetings, Bingo, and traditional dance practice, they have me playing musical rooms. Which is a pain having to break down all the equipment and move everything into another room. I've been a little dissappointed in their willingness to be accommodating. Oh well, you do what you've got to do.

Kids will be kids

Cute little girl all bundled up

An elderly tribal woman

Taking a walk to the store

Native tribal dance

Sledding

2009-01-08T01:16:00.001-08:00

Lots of snow makes for great sleigh riding. So we ventured back to the same place where Kaden broke his leg while sledding several years ago. Katelyn has no fear, as she tries to do whatever her brothers do. Kaden had no fear until he flew off a jump and landed on his head. And Caleb, he just likes to have fun. Some bruises, headaches, and rosy red cheeks are all we took away from this sledding adventure. Fortunately, all bones were intact!

Nighttime Visitor

2009-01-08T00:45:00.000-08:00

Last night as we were putting the kids to bed, Kristen just happened to glance out the window and notice a deer laying in the middle of the snow in our backyard. So we got the boys, turned off the lights, and spent the next 30 minutes spying on her. The bright moon and the 2 feet of snow that covered everything made for a fairly bright night. After a few minutes of resting in the snow, we watched the doe as she meandered around the yard, eating any leaves or branches that she could find. We moved from room to room as she moved around the house. Since we were looking from the second floor, we had a great view of her (especially when she was up eating the rose leaves along the house), without being spotted. The boys were concerned about her being cold and alone, and not able to make it back to the mountains. So it was a great opportunity for us to talk about Heavenly Father's creations, and how they/we are all created to survive different types of situations. It was a simple but beautiful moment together with our boys, spying out the window into the cold night.
Fortunately, Katelyn was asleep before this happened. Normally we would feel bad she didn't get to be there with us, but for some unknown reason she has this terrible fear of deer. When we see them while we're driving, she is sure they are going to open up her door and get her. Trying to explain to her that deer can't open doors doesn't help either. Christmas time and reindeer have helped to calm the fear a little, but I don't think we'll be having any pet deer for a while.

...A Thousand Words

2008-12-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

About 12 years ago I was standing in a small room, in a small Mayan village, in the Highlands of Guatemala, looking at a beautiful painting. It was created by a local man, of the beautiful Lake Atitlan and volcanos that surround his village. As I stood there admiring the painting, wanting to buy it (but knowing I probably couldn't afford it because I was a poor college student), a man walked in the door behind me, walked up to the painting I was looking at, took it off the wall, and bought it. At first I was a little angry at the man, but then he stopped next to me and started to talk. He told me that he had travelled all over the world collecting beautiful pieces of local art. "When you see something that you really like, that moves you," he said, "You can't wait. You just have to buy it. Or you'll always regret it."

So a few days ago Kristen and I walked into Costco, and a local artist had a display of his paintings for sale. Many of you have probably heard of him--his name is Greg Olson. One look at one of his newer paintings and we were stricken. So we bought it. It is titled "Walk with Me." And as it takes its place on the wall of our entry way, we hope it will act as a reminder to us of where we should walk, and what path we should follow.

IT'S A SNAP

2008-12-20T23:20:00.000-08:00

After great effort, and much determination, Katelyn has learned how to snap. I am truly amazed at my little girl's determination when she really wants to learn something. She has been asking me for months how I make that noise with my fingers, but this past week she decided she really wanted to learn how. She would ask me over and over to show her how. And finally after hours of practicing, she made her first audible "snap". She was so excited she ran upstairs and told me to "listen", as she proudly snapped her little fingers together. I love the excitement that comes with such little accomplishements. I guess I take them for granted. But my little girl has taught me a lot about determination, and that if we work hard enough on something, we can eventually say, "it's a snap!"

HAIRCUT

2008-12-16T01:41:00.000-08:00

So the kids finally got their hair cut. Kristen and I have been arguing over this for the past little while. She likes their hair long, and I like it short. We let it go long enough that I almost didn't recognize my children any more because I could hardly see their faces. OK, it wasn't really that bad, but I thought it was getting a little out of control. So my sweet wife took them in to get a haircut--all to please dad. The boys, of course, hate their hair now, and mom hasn't quite got used to it yet. But dad is all smiles! I'll let you be the judges.

BEFORE

AFTER

St. Nicholas

2008-12-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

We love December not just because of Christmas, but because earlier in the month we get to celebrate St. Nick also. For those of you who don't know, Kristen was born in Germany. Because of that, she always celebrated St. Nick (a popular holiday in Germany), which tradition has carried over into our family. However, the Reese version is a little different from the traditional one. Instead of leaving out wooden shoes that St. Nick fills with yummy German treats, we leave out anything from snow boots, to tennis shoes, to Crocs, which St. Nick fills with donuts and candy bars, strawberry milk and Sobe drinks. And he always leaves us pajamas. Although it might be a little different from the norm, we have fun, and we're glad St. Nick knows what we really like!

Giving Thanks

2008-11-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving we had a great experience as a family. Grandma Anderson (Kristen's mom) thought it would be a great idea to go and feed some of the homeless in Salt Lake City, and she invited us to go with her. So with a basket full of homemade turkey sandwiches and cookies, we packed up the car, and headed to Liberty Park in downtown Salt Lake. We walked around the park and handed out sandwiches to anyone and everyone that wanted one. Although a little hesitant at first, the kids even got into handing out the sandwiches. And when we ran out of food, I was touched by their willingness to share with others that didn't get one, even though I'm sure they were hungry themselves. Their smiles, thank-you's, and "God blesses" made it a very rewarding experience for all of us. Thanks Grandma for helping us remember how very blessed we are, and that we have so much to be grateful for.

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-24T00:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I know this is a little late, but I wanted to get some pics put on the blog. We love Halloween around our house. We host an annual family costume/pumpkin carving contest. However, it's gotten so big, that we've had to divide it between two different nights. We usually try to have some sort of theme with our costumes, and the kids are good to go along with what we want to do (even though they may not really like it). The only requirement to come to our party is that you have to have a costume. This year we were all Dr. Seuss characters. I was the Grinch, Kristen was the Cat in the Hat, Katelyn was Cindy Lou Who, Caleb was Yertle the Turtle, and Kaden was JoJo (from Horton hears a Who). Everyone else in the family was, well, you can see for yourself. We appreciate everyone humoring us and coming dressed up. We don't know if anyone else enjoys it as much as we do, but we sure have fun.

Cartwheels

2008-11-05T01:10:00.000-08:00

Before Katelyn was 3 years old she taught herself to do cartwheels. She got so good at them that I tried to teach her how to do a handstand. Well, once she started doing handstands, for some strange reason, she couldn't do cartwheels anymore. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't do a cartwheel. We finally decided to put her in a little gymnastics class. The teacher told us that you're supposed to start with handstands and then cartwheels, or it messes them up. Now, how was I supposed to know that!?! Anyway, they got her straightened out so she could do both again. They decided to move her up to the older girl gymnastics class because the other girls in her class were just barely learning to do somersaults. It's fun to watch her because she gets so excited when she's doing her gymnastics. She really enjoys it. Everywhere we go, whether it's in a store, in a parking lot, or a restaurant, if you give her a few feet she'll start doing cartwheels. I can't get her to stop! :)

I didn't want to leave her out of the video action, so here's a clip of her practicing her cartwheels in her pajamas.

Touchdowns and Baskets

2008-10-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

This is Caleb's second year playing flag football. He has done a great job, and he really enjoys playing. With all the great plays that he's done, we finally caught one on video. (Ignore the little boy that is laying right in front of the camera, and look in the background as the play begins. )

This is also Kaden's first time playing basketball. I am one of the coaches, and it has been fun to watch them improve with each game. After Caleb's football game, we ran to Kaden's basketball game, and got a little video footage as well.

CELEBRATE

2008-10-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

The other night we had two reasons to celebrate. First, Caleb's and Kaden's soccer teams both played in the championship game of their soccer season. To make it a little crazy, they both happened to be playing at the same time. Fortunately, they were playing on fields right next to each other. So we just sat in between the two fields and tried to watch both. And wouldn't you know it, but they both went into overtime. It was getting way too intense trying to keep track of what was going on in each game. And as luck would have it, they were both still tied at the end of overtime, and both games went into a shootout. Now, would it be too much to ask for one game to wait while one shootout happened, and then do the second one after? Of course it would! So both shootouts started at the same time, but at opposite sides of the field. You should have seen us running back and forth between the two. Kaden got picked to be goalie, so his was a little more intense for us. Unfortunately, after all that craziness and excitement, they both ended up losing their shootout. But we were so proud of them, how hard they both played, and the very fact that they made it to the championship. That alone was worth celebrating.

The other thing we celebrated that night was Kristen's birthday. So after the game we stopped and got pizzas, rootbeer and icecream to make rootbeer freezes, and we went home to celebrate a fantastic day.

I just wanted to make a few comments about some of the things I love and appreciate in Kristen:

--Her selflessness

--Her soft voice as she sings lullabies to our children

--She lets me do the family blog

--Keeping me up at night as she tells me about her day

--She's older than me :)

--Her support of me and my activities

--She always lets me choose the radio station in the car (and she humors me when I want to play "name that tune")

--When she talks to me in Spanish

--She NEVER leaves a house without having helped them clean up

--Her amazing gift of making others feel loved

And the list could go on. I'll suffice to say that I'm a very lucky man!

Princess

2008-10-14T01:05:00.000-07:00

Katelyn was invited to a birthday party by one of her friends in our neighborhood. It was a princess theme, and each of the girls had to go dressed up as a princess. Along with other princess-type activities, they rode on a carriage around the neighborhood. It was adorable.

LAKE POWELL

2008-10-10T00:58:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm a little late on this one, but I just HAD to post some pics from our Labor Day trip to Lake Powell. We went with three other families from our neighborhood, and we had a fantastic weekend. The water was over 80 degrees. The weather, for the most part, was great. Our second night there we had the craziest wind storm come in that we thought was going to blow our tent, with us in it, into the lake. The wind was blowing so hard that the top of the tent was flat down on top of us. It seemed as if 10 people were surrounding our tent, shaking it as hard as they possible could. It was pretty crazy! Somehow, we survived. Between tubing, swimming out to a little island near our camp spot, searching for lizards and frogs, sand in everything, mud in Caleb's eye (that took us 20 minutes to dig out), and laying around eating lots of junk, we had a wonderful time. Those of you who have been to Powell can relate to what a great place it is. For those of you who haven't been, you better plan a trip.

The boys patiently waiting their turn on the tube

Kaden, James, & Caleb riding the waves

Us dads now waiting for our turn

Yes, that would be me, on the bottom, and the first to get a face full of H2O

Hangin' out at camp

Kristen enjoying the boat rides

Kaden had a great time playing in the mud

Kaden & Caleb

O Captain, my Captain

Caleb back at camp

Katelyn and her future prince

the kids had a great time searching the rocks for lizards

Kaden finally caught one

Our good friends, the Meilsoes, brought their sailboat. Does this look like a postcard or what? The backdrop at Lake Powell is breathtaking.

Pics of Alaska

2008-10-01T01:21:00.001-07:00

Somewhere over Alaska

A small house where we slept and set up clinic in Manakotak

The hallway where I set up (see previous pic)

My first time on a bush plane--scary!

A gold-mining town established by Wyatt Earp

The local villagers parked outside our lodge--waiting to get their eyes checked

A fishing vessel docked (and stuck) in the river until the tide comes back in

A sunrise out my bedroom window in Togiak

ALASKA

2008-09-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

I am just about ready to finish up a vision trip to Alaska. I have been here about 10 days, and will be returning home in 2 days. I have joined with a group that goes to small villages throughout the the Alaskan Bush to provide eye exams and glasses. Just myself and one other person (the optician) go out together. This is the second trip I have taken with them, and let me tell you, it is an adventure. I am currently in the village of Dillingham (fortunately, I have internet service). Other villages I have been to include Naknek, Togiak, Manakotak, Nome, Kotzebue, Shishmaref, and others. I could write for hours about the adventures I've had, but for now, I'll stick with some of the highlights:
--Staying at a "Bed & Breakfast" which was actually just a double-wide trailor with microwave breakfasts in the freezer.
--Giving Sarah Palin her cool glasses that everybody is talking about (OK, so I didn't really do that)
--11 plane rides in 12 days
--4-passenger, single-engine bush planes flying low over the Bering Sea (Yes, that's the same sea from the t.v show "The Deadliest Catch." Scary!)
--Not getting sick (see the previous 2 highlights)
--Seeing the mountains of Russia in the distance while flying out to the St. Lawrence Island (didn't realize that Alaska was so close to Russia)
--NOT having enough time to go Salmon fishing (OK, that's not a highlight--it's a discouragement).
--Arriving in a small village on Sunday. The local native trading store was closed, and so a local rounded up some supplies for us and charged us $50.00 for a loaf of bread, a gallon of water, and a six-pack of pop.
--Staying at a local search and rescue building for 3 days, with no running water, a "honey-bucket" for the toilet, and having to dump all water out the window because the pipes had all frozen and cracked. However, they did have the internet (go figure).
--ALMOST taking a bush flight with a local pilot until we heard he had crashed 4 times in the past 12 months (we decided to wait on that one).
--Never getting dark (and hearing kids outside playing until 1 am in the morning).
--The breathtaking rivers and valleys that abound throughout Alaska.
--and on and on....
I'm sure there will be more to tell about in the future, so I'll try my best to keep you updated. Unfortunately, I currently don't have a way to download my pictures, so after I get home I'll try to post some pictures.
The biggest highlight, of course, will be in 2 days when I step off that plane and see my family. Only 2 more days!

Back to School

2008-09-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

As great as summer is, it's always good when school starts again. That probably holds true more for the parents than it does for the kids. Caleb is now in 4th grade, and Kaden is in 2nd grade. The big thing this year, however, is that Katelyn is now old enough to go to preschool. Kristen really debated about whether to put her in this year, or to wait one more year before starting preschool. But Katelyn has been dying to go. She somehow knew she would be going to the same preschool where her big brothers went--Bear Hollow--and she has been counting down the days. Her best friend would be going to the same preschool, and that made her even more excited to go. I've been afraid that Kristen was going to have separation anxiety or something. I've been trying to reassure her that it would actually be a good thing. That it would give her a couple hours a week where she wouldn't have to worry about kids, and have some time just for her. She finally agreed. Preschool started a week later than regular school did, and Katelyn was having a hard time with the fact that the boys started school but she couldn't go yet. For months Kristen has been saying that she will be sad when her baby goes off to school. After coming home from school her first day Katelyn asked her mom a very logical question--"Mommy, did you cry?" Although I wasn't there as a witness, I'm pretty sure that she did. Even if it was just a little!

Getting ready for school

Audrey & Katelyn

Kaden & Caleb ready for school

Trip to the Dentist

2008-09-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Katelyn had her first official trip to the dentist. She wasn't real excited about it either. She didn't mind the hygenist part, but when the doctor came in, that was a whole different story. The fact that the dentist was her best friend's dad didn't help make it any easier. But she finally warmed up and let him look in her mouth. The verdict: all is well. The boys had their teeth checked also. Unfortunately, the verdict wasn't quite as pleasing for them! Looks like they'll be coming back.

"See, this isn't so bad"

" Look Mom, no cavities!"

Kaden and Caleb anxiously awaiting their turn

Heber City, Utah

2008-08-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took our annual trip up to Heber to stay for the weekend. We've been doing it for several years now, and have made some great memories (like Kristen breaking her leg while roller-blading). Anyway, we stay in a cute little family owned hotel called the Swiss Alps Inn. It's homely, but we love it. This year brought some good memories as well, including, but definitely not limited to, the following: watching LifeFlight land right in front of our hotel to pick up a man who was hit on his motorcycle; seeing a man driving his half motorcycle/half volkswagon bug (seriously--and if you don't believe me, see the pic below); getting up and leaving from a restaurant because the kiddie meals (I repeat, kiddie meals) were like$15.00; me getting up early (like 4:30 am early, and having to wait in the car for an hour before the dang sun would even come up so I could see) to go fish in the beautiful Provo river; raspberry shakes every night; church on Sunday. It's always a great little trip for our family, to spend time together, and feel like we're a million miles away--even though we're just up the canyon.

Beautiful Mt. Timpanogos from where I was fishing

The park after church for a picnic

going to church

loving the hottub

"motor-bug"

CRASH!

2008-08-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, yesterday I had my very first ever car accident. It was really more of a fender-bender, but now I can no longer say I've never been in an accident. Bummer! And let me tell you, I'm not real happy about it either. I was patiently waiting at a roundabout for a car to go through when a big, white, jacked-up, monster-like Dodge Ram (with big teeth and red, glowing eyes) decided not to see little ol' me, and ran right into my backside. Fortunately, a little whiplash and a scrunched up rear-end, was all that happened. My necks a little stiff today, but not too bad.
I also had another first today, I went to the chiropractor. Honestly, the only reason I went was to say to my insurance that I actually went in to get checked. Now I might get in trouble for saying this, but I'm not a big believer in chiropractors. All they seem to do is yank your body into all sorts of contortionist positions, wait for your body to make strange noises, make something hurt that didn't hurt when you got there, and then tell you to come back in a week for some more "adjusting." I felt like a rice krispy--snap, crackle, and pop! Now, if he'll stick to the ultra sound, heat packs, and massages, then that's worth going back for. And I guess I did get a cute little pillow and a high-tech-gel-ice pack-type-thingy out of it. So who's complaining?

June 22, 2008

2008-08-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday 9th Birthday Caleb!!

Born June 22, 1999

8 lbs 14 oz.

21 1/2 inches

A few things I love about Caleb:

He is the best helper in the world--I know that's why Heavenly Father sent him first

How good he is to his little sister

He makes the best pancakes in the world

His poems

He turns off lights around the house to "save power"

He is rsponsible

His laugh

The way he takes care of Mom when Dad is gone

He is a great friend

His courage

His tender care of animals

We love this boy so much and are so proud of him. Time passes so quickly. It seems I was just rocking him in the rocking chair and singing "I am a Child of God". He would point at his crib and want me to lay him in his bed and I just wanted to snugle him longer. Caleb is our little athlete. He loves soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and skateboarding--just to name a few. He is going to be in fourth grade this year and we can't believe it. This has been a busy summer, but we wanted to celebrate our first little boy and let him know how much we love him.

SHARE YOUR LIGHT

2008-08-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Kaden came home from church on Sunday very excited about his primary lesson, and he wanted to share it with us. He said, "We learned about sharing your light with everyone." When I asked him what that meant he said, "To share all of our good stuff." I liked it so much that I decided to make it our family theme for the week. For family night we talked a little more about it, sharing scriptures about letting our light shine for all the world to see and not hiding it under a bushel. We also read about when the Savior told us that He is the light to hold up, and all that He did. Or, in other words, all our good stuff! It's been a good reminder each day to ask ourselves if we are sharing our light. Thanks, Kaden.

Très Jolie Original Designs

2008-07-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, life never seems to slow down. So what do we do when life gets so busy we possibly can't do anything else? Well, if you're like us, we just add something more to do. Which is exactly what I did. As if I wasn't already busy enough, I decided to buy a jewelry business. Actually, a good friend of mine and I bought it together, about 2 months ago. It's a wholesale jewelry business owned by 3 moms here in Alpine, Ut. They had been exclusively at Nordstrom for years, but it just got too much for them, so they wanted out. That's where we came in. Although we are no longer exclusive to Nordstrom, we still sell through the Rack. Our goal now is to open up many other avenues. It's been a lot of work, but a lot of fun at the same time. Check out our new website at www.tresjoliedesigns.com A few weeks ago Kaden asked me if I was still an eye doctor. Yes, I'm still an eye doctor. This is just something else fun to try on the side. And no, I don't wear jewelry! And yes, Kristen sure enjoys the new venture!

WHAT THE HECK!!

2008-07-03T18:26:00.001-07:00

OK, so my 3 year old has a new favorite phrase, "What the heck". Yes, I know, that's not something you expect to hear out of the mouth of a 3 year old. And trust me, we've tried to give her plenty of alternatives, but to no avail. In retrospect, I guess it is a step up, considering that a few weeks ago while fixing the sprinklers, I hear a loud and exasperated "holy crap, dad!" "Excuse me?" I exclaimed, "That's not nice to say." "No, dad, holy crap!" as she pointed to several scratches on her legs. My only excuse is to say that she has 2 older brothers. Heaven help us!

HELP WANTED

2008-07-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

So we're hiring for a new receptionist in our Saratoga Springs office. On Monday we started interviews. Since I am out of the office on Mondays my partner did some interviews. Here's an exerpt from one of those interviews (probably not exact, but pretty close):

"So do you have any experience in optical?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about that job."

"Well, it was only about a month. They had 3 different people that were trying to train me. And come on, how am I supposed to learn anything with 3 different people trying to train me at the same time. So they let me go after 30 days."

"Oh, OK. Uh, how about your previous employment?"

"Well, I was on a lot of anti-anxiety medications, so I was always real sleepy and had a hard time making it to work on time. So they let me go too."

"And you honestly think we would even consider you for a second for this position?" (OK, I made up that part, but if it were me, I probably would have said it.)

I can't imagine the interview lasted much longer than that. Needless to say, I didn't see her the next day for a follow-up interview. Thank goodness for great employees!

Bubbles

2008-06-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have really slacked off! I've got a lot to get caught up on (which I will really try to do), but in the meantime....Katelyn learned how to blow bubbles with gum today. She taught herself. Once she figured it out, all she did all afternoon was blow bubbles. She would get right in your face so you could watch, and half the time she would either spit in your face or spit her gum onto the ground. And she giggled a lot. But she never gave up, and now she's an expert bubble blower!

4-Wheelin' in Moab

2008-05-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

Over Mother's Day weekend we took a 4-wheeling trip to Moab with some friends. It was a blast. It was the first time we've ever done something like that. If I wasn't with others who I saw climb certain rocks, and go certain places, I never would have dared to do it myself. But I was amazed at what those Jeeps could do. The jeep we rented only had 100 miles on it. And after jeeping for almost 8 hours we had only added another 14 miles to the odometer (you can tell how fast you go while 4-wheeling). We jammed out to 80's rock music on our satellite radio, and jeeped all over Moab. Can't wait to do it again!

OUR BROTHERS' KEEPER

2008-05-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we sang a special hymn in church--"Lord, I would follow thee." To most, there's probably nothing special about it, but what made it special to me was that I got to pick it. The week before, during testimony meeting, our ward chorister had said during her testimony that she would be happy to take requests for songs to sing during sacrament meeting. This particular hymn happens to be one of my favorites because of one phrase it contains, "I would be my brother's keeper..."
My big brother Cory, who passed away 7 years ago, was my hero and best friend. He used to tell me that he was his brother's keeper--and since I was his only brother, I knew he specifically meant me. But he was that way with everyone. He took that phrase to heart.
So, after the ward chorister said she would take requests, I decided to take her up on her offer. That very next week was not only my brother's birthday, but the anniversary of his death. So I asked her if we could sing that hymn. The following Sunday, while the congregation sang in unison a hymn about following the Lord, there was one person paying special attention to the words. And with tears in his eyes, and a lump in his throat, he sang a song about a man whom he loves, and whom he misses dearly. And with gratitude remembered a man who truly was his brother's keeper!
So this Memorial Day I hope and pray that you will also remember with fondness those loved ones who have passed on before you. That you will strive to carry on the legacy they left for you. And that somehow and someway we may all try a little harder to be our brothers' keepers!

Beware Kidnappers

2008-05-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last night the wind was blowing really hard, and Kaden came down saying that he was scared. He said he was afraid that kidnappers were going to crawl in his window and take him. We reassured him the best we could that he was safe--that he was upstairs so they wouldn't be able to get to his window, and that mom and dad were right here. Hesitantly, he went back upstairs to his bed. A little later when Kristen went to check on him she found him still awake. In a very serious tone Kaden asked, "Mom, if a kidnapper tries to grab me, do I have permission to kick him in the privates and in the face?" "Yes," Kristen replied, "You can do whatever you need to." "Cool," Kaden exclaimed, "I've never kicked anyone in the face before." ( I hope he's never kicked anyone in the privates either! :) )

Relaxing Sunday

2008-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

We took a drive a couple of weeks ago and played at the park. I loved this picture of my chillins. Dad doesn't look thrilled with Katelyn's enthusiasm for the bronze child. I even took a shot of the blossoms in front of Dad's new office.

Pinewood Derby

2008-05-14T01:08:00.000-07:00

Caleb had his first official pinewood derby race as a cub scout. OK, so I have to admit, we got a little help. I don't have any tools or machines to cut the car from its original block, so I bought a pre-cut car on the internet. Now, we still had to sand it, paint it, put the wheels and decals and weights on, and tweek it just right to make it lightning fast--we just didn't have to cut it. It's amazing what you can get online. We named the car "El Fuego", and then let him loose to burn up the tracks. Caleb ended up taking 4th place overall. Kids had a great time; Dads got high blood pressure and humble pie. Typical pinewood derby!

My turn

2008-05-07T02:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like the luckiest wife in the world. How many husbands do you know that blog? Well, this is Carlan's baby, but I figured I better join in the fun once in a while. Life feels like it just gets more and more busy all the time, but some how I have managed to go to lunch five times in the last two weeks!! (Two of which were with my 91 yr. old visiting teachee, Erma) After dance one day Katelyn said to me "Mom I want to go to Meeki Laka Luca". When I had no idea what she was talking about she finally said "you know where the boys talk like that". She wanted to eat lunch at Bajio. I guess I need to watch what I'm teaching my cute little 3 yr. old. She is so precious, and growing so fast.

LAVA HOT SPRINGS

2008-05-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

For Spring break this year we decided to go to Idaho to a place called Lava Hot Springs for the weekend. As you can tell from the name, the town is famous for its natural hot springs. The native Indians were the original ones to discover them (probably to relax their muscles after a long day of chasing buffalo and rowdy kids). Eventually a small town was built around them, and now they are a tourist attraction. And when they say “hot”, they are not kidding either. The motel we stayed at had it’s own private hot springs pool that we got to use for free. It was 105 degrees. The public hot springs cost $5.00 per person, and they were about 109 degrees. For fear of melting our children, we decided to stay and play at our motel. It’s amazing how hot the water was. You couldn’t stay in it longer than a few minutes without having to get out and cool down. Our pool was right next to the river, so a couple times me and the boys went down and sat in the river to cool down. Kaden and I even put our heads completely under. The river water was from snow run-off, so it was pretty cold, but it didn’t seem that cold because we were so hot from the pool.

Kids by a hot spring

Caleb & Katelyn enjoying the hot water

Kristen and kids in pool

Boys getting ready to cool off in the river

Later, after swimming in the hot pool and playing in the river, we decided to go the community indoor pool to swim. It was a regular pool with normal temperatures, so it wasn’t so hot. But it did have diving boards, a basketball hoop, and a climbing wall that you could climb and then jump into the water--so the kids really wanted to go. It was a lot of fun also. I must say, however, I was afraid that gills and a fin were going to start growing out of my skin! I don’t think I’ve been in the water that much in the last 2 years combined. We were prunes!

Caleb climbing the wall

Carlan & Katelyn playing basketball

Kaden doing a flip off the diving board

Cliff Lodge

2008-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

This video clip is actually from last Summer. We went to Snowbird for the day, rode the tram, went down the alpine slide, and did the zipline. They have a lot of fun summer activities that we didn't know they have. For those of you not familiar with Snowbird, they have a lodge there called "Cliff Lodge", where one side of the lodge is a climbing wall. They have professional climbing tournaments there. Well, Caleb decided he wanted to try to climb the wall. It is 12 stories tall, and it took him almost 15 minutes to make it to the top--but he made it! I wasn't there when he did it (I came up later and met everyone after work), and I didn't believe him at first. But here's the video to prove it. I must say I was amazed. How many 8 year olds do you know that can climb 12 stories? I thought it was pretty cool, so I decided to share it (Don't worry, the video is in fast motion, so it only takes a couple of minutes to watch).

Tooth Fairy

2008-04-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we have a very inept tooth fairy. Kaden lost his second tooth last week, and for the second time the tooth fairy forgot about it. He was a little sad, but more patient about it than he was the first time the tooth fairy forgot. However, if the fairy doesn’t pick it up a notch I’m afraid Kaden will give up on her/him. I told him that sometimes the tooth fairy gets really busy with all the kids losing teeth, and sometimes they come a day late. “But they’re fairies and they're magic,” he said to me. “They can make it so every kid gets their money all at the same time, if they want to.” I didn’t have a very good argument for that. So I just told him to leave the tooth under his pillow for one more night, and I’m sure the tooth fairy will come! Fortunately, the tooth fairy made it the next night, but had to fork out a little bit more cash to help “ease the pain” of disappointment!

GO B Y U !

2008-04-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was BYU's annual pre-season "blue and white" scrimmage game. We decided to take the kids and go enjoy a day at the stadium. It was free to the public, plus you got to sit wherever you wanted. We ended up about 10 rows back at about the 30 yard line. Probably the best seats I'll ever have in that huge stadium. Because we arrived a little early, we of course had to get lunch in order to enjoy the full "football game experience". We got these yummy Polynesian teryaki chicken and rice bowls (whatever happened to a good ol' hotdog and a drink?) An hour before game time they had a clinic on the field for all the kids. The football players came out and ran drills with the kids. We all had a great time. We came home with posters, inflatable noise makers, full tummies, and half sun-burned faces. We can't wait for the season to start. Go Cougars!!

Caleb taking a hand-off from one of the running backs

(don't mind the guy that walked into my picture)

Kaden catching a pass from one of the wide receivers

ASTRONAUT IN TRAINING

2008-04-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Kristen and I just returned from a week long trip to Orlando. I actually had an annual work-related conference to attend, so we decided to extend the trip a few days and make a little vacation out of it. No, we did not take the kids. Yes, we do feel a little guilty about it. I mean, of all places to go where you would want to take your kids, it would be Orlando. But this time it was just us! (Along with my partner and his wife--Steve and Alison Weaver). Apart from the conference I was there to attend, we also went to the Epcot Center, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and Universal Studios. I think I got just a little "parked out"!

Let me tell you about a little experience I had at the Epcot Center. Those of you who know me know that I tend to get a little "motion sick" at amusement parks. Honestly, just watching the carrousel makes me need to sit down for a minute. OK, I'm not that bad, but pretty close. Anyway, there is a fairly new ride at Epcot called "Mission Space", which they say takes you on a journey to Mars. We had fast passes, so we were able to jump right up to the front of the line. Before going inside the building, a worker stopped us and asked if we wanted "spinning or non-spinning"? Well I couldn't look like a wuss in front of my wife and friends, so I said "spinning, of course". After everyone else walked through I stopped and quietly asked, "What's the difference?" To which a young, 18 year old girl gives me this "duh" look and says, "One spins, and the other doesn't!" OK, so I'm not that stupid--I figured that much. I just hoped for a more detailed description between the two--which I obviously wasn't going to get.

So on we went toward the ride, when I hear a voice announcement saying, "If you are prone to motion sickness, pregnant, have high blood pressure, or any medical condition, you should not ride this ride." I thought to myself, "That's interesting--most rides that have any sort of movement have signs that say a similar thing, but I've never heard an announcement before." That was my first clue that I probably should have left the line! Two more times, in the next 2 minutes, I would hear the same announcement. "How bad could it be?" I thought to myself, "It's not like a huge roller coaster that spins all around. It's just one of those virtual reality type rides. If I start to feel sick I'll just close my eyes." The next announcement said, "If you start to feel sick do not close your eyes, or you may become disoriented." Great! So, like any intelligent person, I did NOT give heed to the warnings and I decided to go on ahead with the ride.

Finally, it was our turn. We climbed into the contraption, and the door closed behind us. After putting on my seat belt I looked up, and right there in front of me, next to the bar that I would soon be holding onto for dear life, was a box full of throw-up bags! Now I know I have never been on a ride that offers throw-up bags. All I could think about was the scripture that says something to the affect of being "everlastingly too late". There was no turning back now. Well, you know those old videos you've seen on t.v of astronauts in training, where they are in a machine spinning about a million miles a second? Well this was worse! I think so far in my life it is the closest thing to a "near death experience" that I have had. And just so you know, I did NOT throw up. I thought I was going to die, and I couldn't walk straight for a while, but I never threw up. And so you don't think any less of me, even Kristen got a little "queezy." I guess I'll never be an astronaut!

It snowed the morning we dropped the kids off at Grandma's

Epcot Center (no snow here!)

Playing with trolls

Wizards and Fairies

The convertible we rented to go to the beach

Reindeer at Easter?

2008-03-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday!
This year the Easter Bunny decided to hide eggs not only inside, but out in the backyard as well.
Well, Easter morning, as we went outside to continue the hunt after having found all the eggs inside, I noticed that one of the eggs on the grass was open. I thought that maybe the cold had caused it to open, but as I looked around more, I noticed that there were many eggs opened, and that the candy was missing inside. Upon closer observation I also noticed deer droppings all around the yard--and teeth marks on the plastic eggs. Can you believe it, deer walked through our yard during the night, bit the plastic eggs hard enough to open them up, and then ate the candy. I couldn’t believe it! Kristen and I about died of laughter! I don't think the kids found it quite as amusing. I hope those deer get diarrhea or something--it would serve them right! Too bad we didn't leave the hard-boiled eggs out for the Easter bunny to hide, then the deer could have had some breakfast with their dessert!

The Reese Family blog

2008-03-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. Weve decided to try this "blog" thing. It seems as though we've got thousands of pictures and lots of "happenings" that no one gets to see or hear about. So as a better way to keep our family and friends up to date with the goings-on of the Reese clan, here is the Reese blog. Visit us often to get the latest on our family.