Bible in a Minute...

This if for anyone (and everyone) who says they don't have time for Bible study!

Bible In A Minute - barats and bereta

What all the buzz is about...

Gunnar has been sweating a lot this summer. Especially since about mid July. He'd had the cutest little mop top hairdo (which I loved) for quite a while, but he would just sweat all day long. To try and cool him down a bit, I would put him under the A.C. in the hallway for as long as he could stand being there, but then about 5 minutes later, his hair would be wet again. Here he is being Supee-man (Superman) and Sienna is being Supee-girl!
So one evening last week, I decided he was getting his hair cut. When Nolan got home, we bathed him, washed his long locks for the last time, and took him out to the driveway. He actually stood pretty still while Nolan shaved his head. We used an electric shaver with a length guard attached.Isn't he just so cute?Everybody who has seen it so far says he looks older...and I agree. He has been a lot cooler ever since. His head is not covered in sweat now, and he even seems more energetic!For all the fans of his longer hair, (Melanie, I know you are one of them!) don't worry. We will be growing it back out this winter - when he can actually use the extra warmth.
:)

Newbold Family Campout

July 31st through August 3rd, our family got together for our first Bob & Margie Newbold Family Reunion. We all went camping at a great little spot in the Uinta Mountains in the Smith & Moorehouse Reservoir area.
We got in kinda late on the evening of the 31st, so we just set up camp, ate dinner and went to bed. The next day, right after breakfast, Sienna was ready for the adventures to begin. So she and Gunnar and I went on a little walk that ended up being quite a hike up into the hills. I told her we had to turn around and get Daddy, because he'd want to go on this hike too. Plus I was wearing flip flops and needed better shoes. Shortly after arriving back at camp, the Bosworths and the other Newbolds (Jace & Rebecca) arrived. Unfortunately, Kiley and Dianne were not able to attend due to the recent arrival of their adorable first born child. Isn't he just precious? After everyone got all set up, Nolan and I took our kids back to the hiking trail. It is so great that our children love to hike and enjoy being out in nature as much as we do.My Little Angel...always ready with an adorable pose for the camera. Ta-Da!Showing off her trail running skills...Cute little Gunnar enjoyed looking with Daddy over the edge of the bridge into the rushing water below. He also discovered that he is quite good at jumping off of boulders!And..Boom!!That night, we had fire roasted hot dogs and chips for dinner, followed by toasted sticky marshmallows and smores for dessert. Mmmmmmmmmm.Nana wanted to cook a mallow, but was very careful not to get too close to the fire.
All of the cousins played so well together. It was really great to have them all together like this.
top row in back: Lilly & Alex
middle section: Nick, Sienna, Belle & Sam
and out in front: Gunnar & KateOf course they all wanted the silly photo too.The next day (Saturday) everyone wanted to go down to the lake and try some fishing. Unfortunately, I could not go as I was suffering from a severe migraine headache. I told Nolan to take lots of photos so I could at least see what happened down there. There was apparently a lot of mud and the kids (especially Nick) couldn't resist it. When everyone got back, I was still feeling under the weather, but it was too hot to go lie down in a tent. So I stayed in the shade and rested in a lounge chair as much as possible. While resting, I was approached by Nick and Annabelle clad in only underwear, and the proceeded to tell me of their mud slinging fun!For the kids, Marisa had planned a fun arts and crafts project of painting rocks. Since I was not feeling well and all the other grown ups were engaged in helping the kids paint the rocks and not each other, there were no photos taken of the event. But here are the finished products (from my kids anyway).

(photo coming soon)

That night Jace & Becca left, and the rest of us had a wonderful cold vegetable pasta salad the Bosworths made for dinner.

Nana & Papa's dog, Sadie, was such a good little doggie. She is such a sweetheart!
By Sunday morning, our time in the mountains had come to an end. I found Sienna and Gunnar sitting on a nearby stump looking quite sullen. When I asked what was wrong, Sienna replied, "Mom, I am just having such a hard time saying goodbye to the mountains. I just want to stay and stay."I told her, "You know, you remind me of another little girl who always had a hard time going home after a fun vacation."
"Who was that?"
"Me" I told her.
"So, what did you do?", she asked.
"Well, I just had to learn that even though vacations are so much fun, they do eventually come to an end. And if we don't go home, we can't come back again for another trip."
She thought about it for a moment or two, then she smiled, got up, blew kisses to the trees and said, "Ok mountains. I love you! I'll see you next time!"What a cutie pie!
We finished packing up and bid farewell until next time to this gorgeous landscape.In the future, I will enjoy having some place like this for a summer home!

Can't wait to come back!

Flight of the ("Footloose") Conchord Guy...

I ran across this video clip and just had to share it....
soooooooooooo FUNNY!!

Kids Riding Their Bikes

In the evening of Monday May 19th, 2008, Sienna rode on her bike without training wheels and did it by herself for the very first time!! We are so proud of her, and she is so very pleased with herself too. She started just like anyone else...with her daddy running behind her holding onto the back of the seat. Then he eventually let go and off she went. Of course, as soon as she realized that he was no longer holding on, she panicked and stopped riding. By the end of the evening, she was really getting the hang of it though, and not freaking out so much when Nolan let go. Some of the pictures are a bit blurry, but that's because I was walking with them trying to get a shot...but you can tell what is going on anyway - even with the blurs.

Here she is receiving some initial instructions...
A little help from Daddy..And they're off!Congratulations my little angel!!
(be sure to check out her blog too as this event is posted in her own words on that site)

Of course, Gunnar participated, too. He has been trying to learn to pedal on his bike instead of just pushing along and then dragging his feet. He did it a little bit on this day, but still needs to practice.
He's working so hard...
Good job buddy!

Our new bikes

We got mountain bikes!! They have been so nice! We got them last Saturday (May 10th), and have been riding 4 times so far!! It is awesome...and one helluva workout too! I feel so great by the time we really get going, and even better later when we get home. And I can't remember the last time I worked up such a sweat! Especially while having so much fun - fun exercise is the way to go man! It is also such a stress reliever! A couple of times, I was stressed out because the kids had been fighting all day or something, then it seemed to take forever to finally get going. Well after we were about 10 - 15 minutes into it, I really felt a calming relaxation come over me and started to smile. Then by the time we arrived back home, I felt just wonderful! The rest of the day and evening was totally fine and I could handle anything! Plus I think getting out for the ride helps get the kids in a more amiable mood too.

We got a trailer to tote the kids in and they love it! We picked it up on our way to visit the grandparents and the kids wanted to "test ride" it before their first real ride (which was the next day).
They ask every day if we are going for a ride. It is funny too...we will be going up a long hill or something and need to stop and catch our breaths. Well when we stop, Sienna keeps piping up and asking, "How come we stopped? Let's get going." Or Nolan will ask me if I am ready to get going again, and she'll respond with, "Ya I'm ready - c'mon let's go!' She is so funny!
I am so excited to continue our bike rides and can't wait to get better at it myself. I want to be able to go long distances too, and ride some dirt trails - even wide dirt or gravel roads with the kids in tow.

We have been wanting to get a new elliptical (our other one sorta broke and unfortunately is not really worth what is would cost to fix it), but after riding a few times, we think we will just get an indoor trainer for the bikes and use that on rainy days and this upcoming winter.

Nolan is going to start commuting to work on his bike...he is just working up to it right now. He has to go almost thirteen miles one way. So far he has made it about eight (just around here). By next week, we think he'll be able to start commuting, and hopefully make it on the bike at least 3 or 4 times during each week. He got a few little extras for his bike like this rack for putting a lunch pack and another pack for clothing etc. It sits over the back wheel and keeps the pack away from the spokes - plus Nolan won't have to have added weight on his back.
Commuting will be fantastic exercise for him and and our wonderful little way to "stick it" to the oil companies. Now, I know they won't go bankrupt because we won't be purchasing as much gas, but at least I can rest easy knowing that we aren't contributing even more to the awful oil/gas situation. Plus what a great bonus it will be for our own pocketbook! With how lazy and into big vehicles Americans have become, it would be nice if more able bodied people would jump on board (a bicycle or even a motorized scooter or something) and do themselves a favor (health-wise and money-wise) while helping to reduce emissions, and other pollutants too.

Ok, there's me on my soapbox for the day...
Good Day and Good Health to you all!

I am still alive...

Hi everybody! I know it has been a while since my last post, but I am still here and alive! There have been many times I have thought of something I wanted to write about, but was running out the door, or I had just come home from work, absolutely exhausted.

The absolute exhaustion comes from the fact that I have had mono these past few months. Since about a month after we moved here, I have been totally run down and just plain pooped. I kept getting sick too. From fevers to sinus infections to an extremely sore throat. It felt like I was swallowing shards of glass. I finally went to the doctor at that point desperate for some relief. Well, they did blood work and prescribed some prescription strength suckers called tetra-cane suckers. They are much more powerful that halls drops or anything over the counter, and they work fantastically. A few days later the test results came back and I was officially diagnosed with mono.

I have been resting a whole bunch and am finally feeling better. I can get all the way through most days without feeling like I need a nap. So anyway - on to one of the reasons for this post....THE SNOW!!

First came a little bit of snow...

then... Let it snow... Let it snow... Let it snow...

We ended up with quite a bit of snow here in Northern Utah this winter.
In general, Utah has been kind of lacking in the snow department for the last few years. I worked at Snowbasin last year too, and the snow just sucked! This year though...wow! What a difference! Snowbasin has the 3rd highest mid mountain depth this year - where as last year we were way down on the list. This season, we are only outdone by Snowbird and Alta...and they always get the most snow because they are always hit by all the lake effect snow the Cottonwood Canyons get.

I have become quite good at driving through snowstorms and on days I had the energy to get out and do it, I have received a couple good workouts from shoveling hundreds of pounds of snow from my driveway.

These next photos were at the peak of the snow totals...

The bump to the right of the little house is actually a picnic table engulfed by the snow. And toward the back on the right is a Little Tykes play tower with a slide coming off of it. (the top of the slide is at the top of the snow level.) Skiing has been phenomenal too. Admittedly, I have not been nearly as much as I have wanted to. Partly due to moving and unpacking - then the Holidays, then the whole mono thing...and my family has had some bouts with illnesses this winter, too. But we have made it up to the slopes a few times, and it has been great!

Michel and Melanie came out for a visit too, and Nolan, Michel and I went skiing. Unfortunately Melanie could not come because of how far along she is in her pregnancy. It was great fun though - even when Michel almost killed me (j/k) by dragging my to a double black diamond slope! To his defense, he did not know it was as steep as it was until we got there, and it was partly due to us making a wrong turn higher on the trail. He did save me though and was really great in getting me across the gorge. We traversed across the whole thing, and then he actually had to pull me up a short ridge on the other side to get back to the regular trail.
This slope is actually a lot steeper and wider than it looks here. This is the view from the lift, and I was NOT about to go back to the actual area for a better picture. The area we traversed is in the middle of the two ridges seen here (the area in shadow). Scary!
That night, everybody else came up and we went out to eat at Javier's Mexican Restaurant. It is kind of a tradition with our family. In the past we have gone to one by a dog food factory in the ghetto. Great food - weird neighborhood. But this time, we went to one in a converted Motel coffee shop in a better neighborhood. Still great food! And it was so fun to be able to spend that kind of quality time together.
Sienna was so proud of her artwork.....After dinner it was back to our home for some good hanging out time. The little cousins are so cute together! They love to play.A few days later, I was at work and Michel and his dad came up to ski. I was able to get off early and join them for the rest of the afternoon. That day was filled with fast groomers, small jumps, and intermediate slopes only - no more double black diamonds for me! It was great being able to spend a little more time (and skiing too) before he had to return home.
A few days after that, Melanie and Gretta came up for a sleepover. That was loads of fun. We sat down and started chatting around 10 pm. Melanie and I had so much catching up to do that we stayed up until 4:30 in the morning! I could not believe it! I can't even remember the last time I stayed up that late! The next day we just sorted through some of my son's clothes he had grown out of, and Mel chose some to take home with her for her new arrival.

We miss you Michel and Melanie - and little Gru!

Well, the snow has calmed down- melted completely from our yards actually. And the lovely warmth of springtime is in the air. I love winter, but with the abundance of winter driving I have had to do this winter, I am so ready for spring! A long spring would be very nice. I just hope summer takes its sweet time arriving. It gets too hot too fast!