Happy 15 yrs!

Wow.  Veronica turned 15 years old this last week.   That means she will be a sophomore this year.  That means that she has 3 more years of high school.  That means she has her drivers permit and next year she will be 16.  Wow.  It all just seems to happen so fast.  We are proud of her and the person she is, she is talented, beautiful and driven.  Happy Birthday, Veronica!

Photo Shoot

How does emptying the dishwasher turn into a photo shoot?!
Model: Braelynn
Photographer:  Samantha

Nap Time...Daddy Style

Summer Games

Part of the reason I love Cedar City is because it seems like there is always something fun to do, especially in the summer.  My favorite is the Utah Summer Games.  It seems like there is just an excitement in the air when it is Summer Games time.  We have never actually bought tickets to the opening ceremonies but the fireworks after the show are usually better (I think) than the 4th of July fireworks.  We like to meet up with friends on the grass outside the venue, let the kids play and enjoy the nice summer night and wait for the fireworks.
This year Tyler wrestled for the Summer Games.  He took 2nd place in Roman-Greco, 2nd in Freestyle and 1st in Folkstyle.  He just started learning how to do Greco and Freestyle and it was my first experience seeing those two different styles.  I enjoyed watching the Greco and Freestyle, although it is a little more scary when it is your son out there doing it.  You get points for rolling someone and for throwing them so that their feet go over their heads.  It is fun seeing him doing something he loves to do so much.

I Heart Colorado

Family, mountains, Broncos, what's not to love?  We love going to Colorado to visit.  We always have a great time and try to let the kids have a new adventure and do something new when we go.  But the best part is seeing aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. 
This year our adventures included a Colorado Rockies game, a day at Water World (one of the top-ten rated water parks in America), seeing Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park.

It was free hat day at the Rockes game, so everyone got a free hat!  It was fun cheering with some of Joe's aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Beautiful scenery and playing in the water at Rocky Mountain National Park

Eating a treat at Aunt Jody's house!

 We love to stop and spend some time visiting Great Grandma and Grandpa Haley on our way to and from Denver.

Peer pressure can be so bad but so good...
You might know that a LOT of my family members do bike rides, like 100 mile bike rides.  No, I don't plan on joining them any time soon.  But my parents gave us an old bike so I decided to go riding one day and mentioned to my friend how much I enjoyed it.  Somehow that ended up with us doing a 30 mile bike ride on Saturday, with me on a borrowed bike.  You know what?  It was a blast.  Can't wait to do it again.  Maybe a 60 mile someday.

Oh, and my time?  2 hrs and 5 min.  Considering the fact that I was hoping to finish under 3 hours, I was really pleased.

So Far, So Good

It has officially been a week since school has been out.  How has it been for you so far?

We have gone fishing, shooting, played in the water (B,B and Sam), gone on bike rides and walks, argued with siblings, played games, did some crafts, had friends over, BBQs, car shows, yard work, argued with siblings, house work, sent one child to youth conference (Veronica), started one child on summer job/yard work (Tyler),  played taxi (mom) and football camp (Tyler).
So far, so good.