This was a day of fun that I could only experience in Utah. We got to meet tons of the BYU football players. The kids got to run in a mini-cross country course, and we got to meet the infamous Cosmo.

I took lots of pics. CLICK HERE

One of the best things was getting to meet Bronco Mendenhall. I am very impressed with this guy. He runs the team like the Priesthood, much like LaVell Edwards did. I am seeing another great BYU football era here. Click on the video below and you will see what I mean.

This is just getting me more and more excited about the football season. Let’s go, Sept. 2nd can’t come soon enough.

Go Cougars!

~Adam

Our last big trip before my Mom and sister, Marie head back to Cali. We went to Temple Square. We saw the Joseph Smith movie. The kids were pretty good. Nikolas enjoyed it and learned lots. Britt and Kalixta got a little bored but were quiet. We even ran into a friend-Aaron Stanton.  Didn’t get to talk much but it was nice to see a familiar face.

We went to the Beehive House – beautiful.

We went to the Church History Museum.  Fun -we will have to do that again. There is so much to see.

Walked around Temple Square a bit.

Started at the visitor center-beautiful artwork-but had to leave early because the kids were DONE. It was a long, wonderful day.

I love the peace the temple brings-even with all my crazy kids being… well… crazy. It was fulfilling to feel the special spirit that is at the temple. I love to hear Ammon sing I Love To See the Temple and know he means it.                               

With my kids a picture with all of them looking at the camera feels near impossible!  And don’t ask them to smile at the same time 😉

Okay so it is official!  I am a Utahn.  At least at the DMV.  I got my Utah driver’s license today. 25 questions. Open book. My kind of test!!  I miss lots of people and things(In and Out) in Cali., but I love Utah.  I love the lightening and thunder storms. I love the people. I love the warm rain. I love my house. I love being close to BYU. I love the friendliness.  I love Taco Time and Sonic. I love the smell. I love the wind through the Aspen trees.And so much more.

I LOVE UTAH.      

School time!!  Zoë started 1st grade yesterday in Mrs. Bird´s class.  She has fought with me all summer about going to a charter school.  The playground is too small, they wear uniforms-which are gross, it is too far away, and she doesn’t know anyone there.  That all changed Saturday night,  We had a fashion show with all her new school clothes(check out the pictures on the right).  At first she was very shy and didn’t want to do it.  But she had a great time. 

She loved school yesterday and "made more friends than she can count."  She enjoys everything about her new school and spent almost an hour reading to her Aunt Marie even though she had no assigned homework.  Her favorite thing about school is her friends and homework (sound familiar Melanie-who knew).

Nikolas didn’t have such a great day.  He only made one friend and said most people didn’t talk to him.  But he is awesome and funny and will make friends soon.  He has a great teacher.  Mrs. Taylor is from Canada (he is very excited to tell this to Bro. J) and very strict but nice.  She expects much of her students and I know Nik will rise to the expectations.  He has to read 30 min a day for 5 days a week.  The reading is recorded and charted.  Top readers will receive small rewards throughout the year.  Adam told him if he is top reader at the end of the school year he will get $100.00.  He is VERY excited about that.  He should already know how to write cursive and doesn’t so right now that is his biggest challenge.

It is amazing how fast kids grow.  I remember being so glad when Nik started Kindergarten and now I wish they could all stay home with me instead. But I am proud of Nik and Zoë and know they will have a fabulous year. 

Yesterday the family along with my Mom and sisters, Marci and Marie went to This Is the Place.  This is the Place is a monument to Brigham Young when he entered the Salt Lake Valley for the first time and declared that it was the place that the Mormons would settle in order to gain their religious freedom. 

There is also a living museum about pioneer life.  It was fascinating!!  Those women worked so hard.  So did the children.  We learned how to spin wool, play pioneer games, make wood furniture -the old fashion way, and make hand-woven rugs. We rode in a horse drawn wagon and made rags dolls. The kids loved it! Ariana was great-even though it was very warm. We had lots of photo opportunities so check out all the photos. Click on the picture here and you can see them.

The firsts are the sweetest.  Ariana has started smiling.  Yes, real smiles,not just gas smiles, real smiles -even Adam agrees.  She has a beautiful smile.  She loves to smile at Ammon and Nik.  Big smiles for Mom are rare, even with all my coaxing.  Maybe it is because I always have the camera in her face.  Who knows.  This is the best picture I could get.  She turned away just as I took it.  But I still like it.

Don’t grow too fast my sweet girl.  I love you just like this!

So most you know know by now my Nikolas is home.  He got home Tuesday night.  He flew on and airplane (for the first time.  He loved it, though he got butterflies on the landing.) to Vegas then drove with his Dad, Nana, and sister,Vanessa to here. 

I, of course cried to see him.  I missed him so very much.  He has grown about 5 inches and wears one size bigger. 

The reunion with his siblings has been sweet.  Ammon never leaves his side.  Everywhere Nik goes there’s Ammon.  Nik loves it, so for now it hasn’t been a problem.   Britain wants him to carry her everywhere.  She smothers hime with hugs and kisses.  He picks up Ariana, asleep or not, and just lies on the sofa holding her.  He is disappointed she isn;t crawling yet, but I told him that will come soon enough. Sigh 

Great news.  Nikolas gotinto the charter school with Zoe.  I got a call yesterday.  I am thrilled, but he is sad because now he can’t ride his bike.  And he has to wear that "awful" uniform.  But life goes on.  I am happy he will go to that school, Reagan Academy.  And I am even happier he is home!!

I’ve never been the true BYU fan. I just support them because it’s Zion’s school. I can feel all of that changing now. It’s hard not to catch the fever of all these crazy Utah Mormons who bleed blue (I don’t like that connotation since it is also what the LA Dodger fans say.)

I think the biggest excitment is that my brother-n-law Jason is the 2nd string QB. We are hoping to see him play a lot this year. I plan on going to their practice tomorrow and hope to attend others as well. It should make following the team that much more fun. I already find myself running to the paper each morning to see how the team did the day before. Yes, I am falling for the team.

So, here’s to a great year (hopefully a MWC crown). Good luck Jason, we are pulling for you.

~Adam

Friends are GREAT!  What would we all do without our friends?! 

I have a VERY hard time making friends (too many junior high and high school dramas).  I know people and can talk to them (as long as they start it) but I have a hard time opening up to people.  So when I have a true true friend it is very special to me. 

I have a few right now and I love them very much.  They will never know the depth of gratitude I have for their patience and love.  But here is a small tribute to you.  THANKS!!  You’re the BEST!!  Thanks for helping me be a better me.  Thanks for inspiring me.  Thanks for letting me be me.  Thanks for understanding me.  Thanks for listening (really listening) to me.  Thanks for your love.  Thanks for all this and much much more.  I love you!!

~Melissa

It may be for Lovers but it’s not for summer traveling.

(Click on the pic to see more of my VA trip)

I’m back…in more ways than one. I am back here writing after a 3 week layoff, but I am also back home in Utah. Unfortunately, I had the unpleasant assignment of working in Virgina for two weeks. While I did get to come home for the weekend, I was still away from my family a wee bit too much.

VA is very beautiful, but it counters that with unbearable weather. It was over 100 degrees most of the time with 66% humidity. I couldn’t stand it. Not even Ecuador was as bad as that… at least I don’t remember it being so. It was so hot, I had a hard time even breathing in that air. Needless to say, I spent most of my time indoors.

It’s not like I could do any site-seeing anyways since I routinely worked past 6 PM.

One of the fringe benefits of corporate traveling is being able to eat out, and VA is famous for its Southern BBQ. Oh man, was I in heaven. I ate BBQ at least 6 times. It was absolutely scrumptious. I even got to eat Hush Puppies for the first time. Woooo Doggy!

I also stayed at a nice hotel that had one of Don Shula’s restaurants in the lobby. Best steak I have eaten in my life. The Ribeye was the best ever. I am not exxagerating. They raise their own beef and have high standards of cuts. It shows too. I pigged out.

One temptation was that I was only 100 miles from Washington D.C. As you may know, my brother-n-law Jeff is serving his mission there. I almost went to see him, but his mission requests that we don’t. I guess his mission is such a big tourist area that many missionaries have opportunities for visits, and it would have proven too distracting. Oh well, we’ll have to settle for picking him up.

So here I am, back in the saddle again. I was just able to read my wife’s blogs of when I was gone. I have to say that I feel real special right now. I didn’t think I needed to hear things like that to make me feel better but gosh, do I feel like a million bucks. I gotta go and give my wife lots of hugs and kisses. Good thing I bought her a "VA is for Lovers" T-Shirt. She is the best and has proven once again that she is my better half.

~Adam