Happy birthday, little guy!

As to be expected, Gabe wasn't entirely sure what to make of opening presents. At first, he seemed curious. Then, he tried to wiggle off my lap. Tearing strips of wrapping paper off the box caught his attention for a minute. And, in the end, the boxes and ribbons were the biggest hit. :)



J & M (especially J) were bummed that I was stealing this little guy away on his actual birthday (for a trip to CA to be discussed later). They've been looking forward to celebrating with him for.... well, a year now. We did the next-best thing, and that was to party a day early. I told them that Gabriel doesn't know the difference, which was a very small consolation. We did all enjoy, no less than we would have the next day, watching our little angel devour his pint-sized birthday cake.


(He got so much frosting up his nose, he sneezed yellow buttercream until it all cleared out.)

A trip down Memory Lane

Ten years ago last night, Clint mustered up the courage to take me out on our first date. It wasn't anything spectacular... dinner at a 50's diner & then a movie at a sort of run-down theatre in Provo, the city where we were both going to BYU. At the time, it was really just two friends, testing out the waters of more-than-friendship. The waters, as it turned out, were quite nice...although I'd say it took one more date for us to figure that out.

Anyway, we decided to recreate that first date (all right, I decided & he somewhat-reluctantly went along with the idea) .

First, we revisited the diner...


...which is now a Japanese restaurant. They haven't changed the door, the fixtures or the main layout. And the food was an improvement over what the last place had to offer. It was fun to reminisce about our first date 10 years ago. I remember that Clint ordered a big meal, and then finished off my salad afterwards. That was my first hint at the man's appetite. Nothing's changed in that arena over the years:


Though, to be fair, we did share this "Love Boat" until we were both so bloated (the waitress may have been overly efficient at refilling our waters, if that's possible) we couldn't finish off the rest.

Then, instead of trying to find the obscure theatre (which has probably been demolished by now), we decided to take a walk through our old stomping grounds. It's been a while since we visited BYU's campus. I think the library may have been finished last time, but several more changes have transpired since then. Anyway, it was fun to walk around and enjoy the beauty of that place, in every sense of the word!


After the date that followed, we've rarely spent a day apart. It was fun to think back on the beginnings of our relationship, especially as we sat and walked and talked in some of the places where it all went down. We've definitely grown and changed, and i'm sure also regressed in some ways, over the years. We have seen places, grown to love new friends, enjoyed happy times, experienced hardships, worried over children, exercised faith, and let out many laughs along the way. Clint, I love you. Thank you for making this journey with me. (And thanks for watching the kids last night, Grandma & Grandpa!!!)

Do As I'm Doing

Follow, follow me.

Happy (late) 11 months, Gabe!

The Greatest Show on Earth/Longest Post EVER

Last week, we were treated to a visit from my sister Eve, her husband Greg, their adorable Wren & my boys' playmate Shibby. While they were here, the kids took part in a neighborhood circus (coordinated by two much more ambitious moms than me!) The kids performed acts, sold snacks, sang & danced. The money they charged for admission & concessions was used to buy school supplies to put together school kits for children in other parts of the world. A writer from the local paper even showed up.

The week before the show, I took the kids to sign up for their acts. Autumn immediately decided to be a muscle man, but Jonah (the sexist) said that was all wrong and persuaded her to be a ballerina, instead. I have to admit, she makes a very graceful ballerina:


...and I'm sooo glad she didn't fall off that tight rope!! In the middle of this sea of pink, here she is doing the bunny hop. (Disclaimer: Autumn is not at fault for what you are about to see. That is the little girl's big sister.)





The boys did a magic act towards the end of the program. They practiced a lot, and most of the tricks went off without a hitch.


Though, Micah was definitely a better assistant than his big brother...the turkey!!



Thanks again for coming Eve & Greg!! (Sorry I didn't get a picture of you, Greg... and thanks for watching the babies while we enjoyed the circus!! And i hope you're feeling better, Eve.)



A & M being silly


Clint trying out for next year's performance



And, if you're still here, here's a copy (with our city edited out) of the newspaper write-up:

Clowning around

By Devin Felix

A three-ring circus came to town Wednesday night, but instead of riding from town to town on a train, the performers mostly rode their bikes and then went home with their parents.

It was the second annual Neighborhood Kids’ Circus in ???.

The tradition was started last year by Laurie Hurst. Hurst grew up in Grantsville, where residents put on a first-grade circus every year. She and her daughter were disappointed that they couldn’t take part in that circus, so they decided to put on their own in their yard and involve their whole neighborhood.

They charged a 50-cent admission and sold cotton candy, root beer and other concessions. They then went shopping to buy school supplies, which they donated to needy schools through a program run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The event was such a success they decided to repeat it again this year.

This year’s circus featured about 20 different acts, including dances, animal acts, clowns, magic and more. About 100 family, friends and neighbors gathered to watch the event. Most simply walked over from their homes.

“I think it’s fun, and of course it’s mainly for the kids, but it’s also a great way for parents to show support for their kids,” said Bryan Hickman, whose sons were in the show.

Hickman said the community is great because the people all know each other and events like the circus aren’t uncommon.

Hickman’s son Kaden showed off tricks with his pet bird, which spent much of the evening perched on his shoulder. Other animal performers included three costumed dogs, one of which stood on its hind legs and jumped to and from platforms on command.

There were plenty of clowns in the show, who performed classic clown gags including cramming themselves into a tiny car and battling a burning building, complete with cardboard flames.

At one point in the show, a group of about 10 “muscle men” entered the stage, flexing to show of their bulging muscles. They did pushups and lifted impressive-looking dumbbells — which the two tumbling girls had carried on stage with one hand.

“I’m really good at acting,” said 11-year-old Alex Orth, the strong men’s leader, when asked why he wanted to be in the circus.

Several young magicians — clad in capes and top hats or wizard’s robes — wowed the crowd by making things appear and disappear. Tight rope walkers — including some probably not long out of diapers — waltzed confidently across planks suspended many inches above the ground.

All of the performers were from same neighborhood, said Katrina Smith, a parent who helped organize the event.

“They have to be able to bike here,” Smith said.

Hurst said that, in addition to raising money for needy schools, the purpose of the circus is to give the children confidence and a chance to learn leadership. It also builds their friendships with each other, she said.

Many mothers in the neighborhood helped put together the event, but the kids also played a large role, Hurst said. They choreographed dances and skits and helped decorate the arena, which was complete with three painted rings.

Happy 10 months, Gabe!!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist posting it...



While Daddy & Gma were with Gpa at the hospital during open-heart surgery, your sister took the opportunity to play dress-up...with you! You didn't really know how you felt about all that head-gear. You kept reaching up to remove it, but stopped yourself short each time.

This month, you've learned to crawl on your hands and knees, growl like a scary monster (that gets a reaction you LOVE), blow kisses, and bite. You're always very remorseful after digging into my shoulder with your teeth, but can't seem to completely stop yourself yet. We're working on it!

What everyone always says about you is that you are such an easy baby. And it's true...normally, you just hang back and observe quietly. Then, after you've had enough of that, you start babbling away at full volume, with occasional "scary" growls. You are a sweet, sweet boy, my little angel Gabriel.

This is why I haven't been blogging

We've been hiking & making wishes,


Catching some MUCH-needed zzz's on the way home from camping at the reunion


Micah after his last t-ball game. He is a very coachable kid, and really enjoyed playing both soccer & t-ball for the first time this spring/summer. But he looks WAY too grown up in a baseball cap!! Where has my baby gone!?


I've been enjoying the beautiful part of the world we live in


Clint on our last hike


Clint has kept busy, among other things, building this chicken coop (the bldg. behind the shed) and the fence. Right now, we have about 22 chickens. We'll eventually (after several Sunday dinners) get down to 6 or 7 hens. In other words, we've got a whole bunch of roosters!!! Sorry if that grosses you out...I won't post pictures of the slaughter... because I'll be hiding someplace inside while it happens.


Playing games with friends and family. These guys just couldn't get enough of each other! Jonah misses you, Caleb!!


Hanging with some cousins at the reunion. Micah's silly face kills me!


Making soda bottle rockets at the family reunion last week: (This is one of the most exciting events of the year for J & M...even A really got into it this year!)


Creating on a lazy summer morning... (Autumn had just been accidentally tipped over the front Gabe's baby car by one of their neighbor friends. It was a pretty icky sight, but now she's all healed up)


Taking a picture after our first hike of the season. It was a little cold that day.


After finishing up with Jonah's basketball team, Clint got roped into coaching Micah's soccer team. They sure were a bunch of cuties!! Here they are, minus a couple absent players:




Jonah doing his 2nd-favorite thing w/ the soccer ball. His very favorite became head-butting it.



He ended up on a great team this year...his cousin's cousin (not himself) was even on his team!



We're just enjoying our summertime! Warm weather is harder to come by now that we've moved from sunny California. And Clint has still got almost 2 weeks before he starts his new teaching job (with a 7-minute commute...yea!!). So you probably won't hear much from me until then. Hope you're all enjoying your summer, too!

Caught in the Act!

While my niece Natalie was over, I set her and Gabe down with a pile of toys. I didn't realize what a hot item FNAM's old purse would be, but quickly grabbed the camera to document the drama that began to enfold.

Here sits Gabe, innocently playing with a toy purse. And look at Natalie's face...i love it!! She's NOT going to stand for it!


And the swipe...completely unexpected by Gabriel.

Look at the sheer glee filling Natalie's face...

But, what a sweetie...she gave it back right away. Awww...