It's Been a Long Time Coming

So, I know it's been about three months since I've done anything with this blog. Who knows where the time goes. I've been busy with laundry, kids, and training for a triathlon. It's been a busy couple of months. So a quick recap...

Brady graduated preschool! He is such a fun little boy and quite a lady's man. We have lots of little girls around the neighborhood and rumor has it he's even kissed a few. He loves riding his bike and playing outside. He loves bugs and snakes and much to his dismay I won't let him keep any of the snakes he's found in the field behind our house.

We had a great memorial day! We visited my dad's grave. My mom worked really hard on his monument. She put a lot of thought into what she wanted on it. We had a family gathering at his grave and then had a great time with a BBQ and swimming. It was also his birthday that weekend. Needless to say it was a pretty emotional weekend. I still can't believe he's gone. It just seems like he's been on a really long vacation. Every time my family gets together it still seems like he should be there.

The kids always love the zoo. It definitely is a favorite. We tried to get out there before the weather gets too hot.All the little girls in their Easter dresses....cute little things!

We celebrated Brady, Todd and Ava's birthdays. Brady's 5, Ava's 2...my kids are getting old! Oh...and the big 3-1 for Todd.

Here's to updating my blog a little more frequently!!!

Western Caribbean Cruise...A Wonderful Time!

We just got back from a wonderful Caribbean Cruise. My whole family was there and it was a ton of fun to be together. We went to Cozumel, Honduras, and Costa Maya. My favorite stop was Roatan Honduras. We kayaked and snorkeled there. It was way fun! It seemed like that island wasn't quite as touristy as some of the other places we've been. Dirt roads, beautiful beaches, and some of the best snorkeling we've ever done. There was a huge reef along the beach and we saw so many different kinds of fish. Besides a little jellyfish sting it was a wonderful day.

We also went to Tulum to see the Mayan Ruins. It was cool and we were able to get a tour guide who was LDS. He showed us many things in those ancient temples that resembled ours today. It poured rain that day so we were all soaking wet. That day also included a ferry trip in the storm that made us all a little sea sick. In Costa Maya we had a beautiful day. We went to the beach, soaked up the sun and went jet skiing in the ocean. I don't ever think I've been on such big waves. It was awesome! We also played some serious cards while we were on the ship. It was fun because we never get a chance to do that much anymore. Things like that are much harder with children around. We caught up on lots of sleep and I even got to read a book. Ahhhh...so relaxing!

One of the funnest part of our trip was watching the guys play in a dogeball tournament. It was a two part tournament. The first day they didn't do so well, so the rest of the trip was spent strategizing and figuring out how they could win. When we were in one of the ports, they found these great masks that they thought would through the other teams off. I'm not sure how great it worked, but they had a great time.

Todd thought he was pretty cool in his Nacho Libre mask. He was coming up with any excuse he could to wear his mask on the ship.

This was a great vacation and I was so glad that my whole family could be there. We all get along so well and we shared some good times and lots of memories.

My Wonderful Dad

One month ago today, my father passed away. Needless to say this last month has been difficult for me and my family. I don't know if would be quite so difficult if he wasn't so involved in each one of our lives. He truly cared about every one of us and knew what we were doing. He always had great advice but never seemed "preachy". He knew how to make things just a little bit better or a little bit more fun. He always had the right tools and the right skills to finish a project. He was always helping...and on the day he died he called me and told me he had a plan all drawn out to help finish the basement. He knew just how many boards we needed and exactly how much it would cost. He was ALWAYS looking for a way he could help his family.

My dad was always so much fun! I have so many memories of him at the lake. I think this was where he loved to be the most...as long as his family was with him. I will always remember him teaching me to ski (and a lot of friends for that matter) and all the firedrills. I remember one morning at Lake Powell waking up really early. The lake was glass and I wanted to ski. My dad was always an early riser, and he took me out before anyone else. If you were lucky, you got to spend a day with my dad in the boat and you knew just how much fun he was. He treated everyone like family. My friends all loved him...and he loved my friends. He would still ask about my friends and their families...even if he hadn't seen them in 10 years.

He was such a great grandpa to my kids! We had the chance to live with my parents twice since Todd and I have been married. Not once can I remember him raising his voice at my kids. When Brady would wake up in the morning, my dad would be eating his breakfast at the bar. He would always stand up, say "hey Brade", and put out his knuckles. Brady knew this meant he should give him what he called, "knuckle sandwich, high five". He did special things with them to let them know he loved them and he cared. Brady would always follow him around when he was working on a project and he never seemed to mind the "extra" help. Brady loved to work with my dad in the yard. He loved raking the leaves with him, and somehow, each fall it always turned into a party as the grandkids would jump in the big piles of leaves. It probably ended up being more work for him, but if the grandkids were having fun he didn't mind. Brady loved sitting on grandpa's lap and driving the boat, hikes up to Bloomington lake, trips to the hardware stores, roasting marshmallows and hotdogs, and 4 wheeler rides. He always had a way with the littlest grandchildren. He would always pick them up, put them on his lap and tickle their little tummies. They seemed to be mesmerized, and he could always calm them down when they were extra cranky.

One of Brady's favorite things to do was to feed the birds and deer in my parent's backyard. He would take each of the grandkids and let them scoop up some seed from the shed and sprinkle it all around so we could watch the birds eat. One year we had baby quail build their nest in some of our bushes. We got to watch them grow from the time they were babies. I think my dad took especially good care of them that year. We could always tell which birds my dad was feeding because they were the fat ones.

We had Ava while we still lived in Oklahoma. We waited to bless her until we moved back. I'm so grateful we did. My dad was always willing and ready to use the priesthood. Growing up we always had blessings before each school year. He participated in every one of his childrens and grandchildren's ordinences. My nephew is getting the priesthood today and I'm sure he won't be far from that room. My dad always lived the gospel and we knew what he believed by how he lived his life.

He is such a wonderful dad and grandpa! I still have to remind myself that he is actually gone. I know that it will only be a short time before I get to see, love, hear, touch, hug, and receive council from my dad again!