Merry Christmas--Our Grateful List

First of all I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. We just returned home from my sisters house and the annual Christmas Eve dinner. Pictures will come later. In an effort to try and get a little of the Christmas Spirit into our home, I asked each family member to share with each other what they were most grateful for. Here is the answers they gave: (In exact words)

Taylor: Um, I think it would be that my family talks to me about a lot of stuff and they reassure me about a lot of stuff too. I say "stuff" a lot.

Baylee: Our family, this house, and all of our great neighbors.

Kelsea: I am thankful for my parents, and everyone who loves me.

Payton: I am thankful for everyone that loves me and supports me.

Deborah: My family

Scott: I am just thankful that I am surrounded by people that I love

Merry Christmas and Go Utes!!!!!!!

Long Time Coming

I know, I know. Quit your complaining and belly-aching. I have not updated the blog for a while...a long while. I would promise to do better, but we all know that would be a promise broken eventually. Besides, no one leaves messages for me so how do I know that people actually read the blog in the first place?

Life has been hectic since soccer season ended. Here is a list of some of the events along with some pictures that have happened over the time since I last posted:

1. Deer Hunt with the cousins--no the guns aren't loaded...I think

2. A few days and glorioUs nights spent at Utah football games

3. Family Halloween parties--Sorry Kyle but I had to post the picture of your girl

4. The big move from the house on Eldorado Drive

5. The renting of a house about 1/3 the size of our old one

6. Hanging up the Christmas lights and putting up the tree

Life has been hectic. It has been hard to sell a home that we built and thought we would spend the rest of our lives in. Saying goodbye to the friends that we made and to neighbors that we love was difficult. But what we have realized is that the things that matter most in life are still with us. Those things are our Faith and our Family. Our new neighborhood is fantastic. Our home, although small, is comfortable. And we have some of the nicest neighbors that you could ask for. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for all that we have been blessed with.

The Season Comes to an End!!!! YEA!!!

It is now official. Soccer season is finally over. It ended tonight with Payton's last game. Kelsea and Baylee also played soccer this year, and each of them did really well. Baylee is a good player. She can kick the ball a mile when she gets a hold of it. She is a team player who likes to pass the ball to others and watch them score as much as she likes scoring herself. She had one of the prettiest goals of the season. She knows how to "Bend it like Beckham." Kelsea also did well. She was on a team with some of the girls in the neighborhood. I was always impressed at how much energy she had. She loves to run around. This year she was more aggressive than in past years. At times she really took it to the other team. She also had a great game winning goal that we celebrated. Hopefully there are more to come.

Payton played Cub Soccer for the third and final year. He was on a team with four of his cousins. His games were definitely a family affair. He did really well. One game we quit counting after he scored his 12th goal. I think that he really enjoyed this year. The pictures included in the blog are of his game tonight. The lady in the yellow shirt is Nancy, I told her she would be famous because she is on my blog. The rest of the pictures are just of the game and the fam.

It got really cold tonight. It is hard to believe that another season is in the rear-view mirror. The kids are already talking basketball. So I guess it is time to put away the soccer uniforms, shin-guards, cleats, and socks. Hopefully when we get them out of storage next year they still fit somebody. Congratulations kids on a great year. It is always nice to see you involved in good things.

Always a Red Devil

Okay, I admit it. I am a little older than I used to be. I am not a real old person yet, but I am well on my way. On September 12th my class, the Springville High School class of 1989, was invited back for Homecoming at the high school. It really does not seem like twenty years, but sometimes it feels like it.

I was asked, somewhat at the last minute, to emcee the Homecoming Assembly. I was really nervous, but felt honored to do it. It was really nice to be back at the school and see some people that I had not seen for a long time. I thought that the assembly went well. We honored our classmates who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces. In the picture above we are honoring Julie Beisinger, whose husband Will is currently serving in Afghanistan.We showed a video that our class officers made...I am glad that I was not in it. Kirk Boyer is now my hero. Then we presented Coach Scott Mitchell with the Spirit Stick and invited the team and cheerleaders on the stage to sing the school song with us. Our hope was to help bring back some of that Red Devil Pride that we all still feel. I think that we were successful.

After the assembly my class also rode in the parade. It was fun to see everyone who came out. It was really fun to see my family and throw them the majority of candy that I had not yet eaten. After the parade was a tailgate party before the football game. Sitting at the game with my friends was nice, especially since the Red Devils destroyed Provo.

On Saturday night there was a dinner for our classmates and their spouses. It was a nice time to sit and talk with people, reminisce about the past, and brag a little about our own kids. It was nice to see so many of the people who have helped shape my life. I am and always will be a Mighty Red Devil.

Payton's Birthday

As was mentioned in an earlier post, Payton turned 6 on September 3rd. It is hard to believe that my boy is that old. We had planned on having a couple of parties for him, one for the family and one for his friends. After having the family party he decided that he did not need a friend party because all of his best friends are his cousins. I think that is pretty neat. I was also glad because that meant that we only had to put on one party.

He was able to receive a lot of gifts, but I think that his favorite was money...just like his mother. Here are some of the pictures from his party. Happy Birthday Payton!!

Where has all the time gone?

For those of you that look at our blog, I apologize. Life seems to be so hectic that I have not taken the time to make sure that the blog is updated. The past month has been full of adventures. Payton turned 6 on September 3rd, and pictures of his party will come soon. The kids, all but Taylor, have been heavily involved in soccer. I am disappointed to say (not really) that our last game of the season is Tuesday, October 7th. All of the kids are doing well in school and growing up fast.
Deborah starts her new job today. For the next three weeks she has to drive to Draper for training. She is really nervous, but I know that she will do great.
I promise to do better with the posts. I just wanted you all to know that we are all still alive and kicking.

The Kindergarten Kid

Yes it is true. For three hours a day Deborah is now without a child in the home. Payton had his first day of Kindergarten on August 27th. He was really excited. He wanted to ride the bus to school on the first day, but his mother and I talked him out of that. I came home from school for a few minutes to tell him goodbye on his first day. I admit that I cried a little. It is hard to believe that my little boy is going to school.

Later that evening I asked him what his favorite thing about school was and he said "the bus ride home." He is fascinated by the bus but cannot understand why there are not any seat belts. He also really likes his teacher and has a lot of friends in his class. It is just hard to believe that he is old enough. Where does all the time go?

Golfing with Payton

Those of you that know me know that I love to golf. I am not very good, but I do enjoy the time that I spend out on the course. I also really enjoy watching golf on TV. Most people would rather watch paint dry, not me. One of the highlights of the summer was watching Tiger Woods win the US Open with a broken leg. As I watched Tiger play, I found that I had a little friend watching the tourney with me. That little friend was Payton. I can't get the kid to watch a football or basketball game, but when golf is on he loves to watch.

I went and bought Payton a club that is his size and took him up to Hobble Creek for the first time. Those pictures are gone thanks to the darn delete button on the camera (see previous post). But a couple of weeks ago we decided to do it again and I now have the pictures to prove it. It is a lot of fun watching him hit (or miss) the ball, but it is hilarious watching him try and tee it up by himself. He is so independent. I wonder where he gets that? He also has no idea about the concept of quiet on the course. He just has that high pitched scream. Course etiquette is something that we need to work on.

I hope that golf is something that he will like to do even more in the future. I know that he probably won't be the next Tiger, but it is fun to spend time with him. You gotta love that face!

Happy Birthday Grandma J

Happy Birthday Grandma! On Sunday the 23rd of August we had a surprise party for Grandma Beth. She turned 80, and we decided to give her the best birthday present ever.....a party with all of us. It was a fantastic night, and I think that she was surprised. She came to the party thinking that it was a birthday party for Linkin, which it was, but she soon found out that we were really all there for her.

It was nice of Jeff and Marthea to host the party, and Bobb did a great job sending up smoke signals and cooking the burgers. Age put together a great video with pictures and sound bites from all of the great-grandchildren. The video made me really emotional, especially the pictures with my Dad in them. I looked at all of the things that my Grandma has done, and I realized that at the heart of everything was her family.

We love you Grandma. Thank you for all you have done!

School Days, School Days

Taylor, Baylee, and Kelsea all started school on August 20th. Where did the summer go? We had so many things that we still needed to do. I think that Deborah is really excited to have some quiet time at home...if there is such a thing. Taylor is in the 8th grade, Baylee is in 6th, and Kelsea is in 3rd. They were all so excited to get back to school. I think that they are sick of their parents and are ready to hang with all of their friends again. Don't they look cute?

Cowboy Up!

What a great evening! We drove to Birdseye to spend the evening with the Daybell's. The kids spent time playing with the dogs, pigeons, and horses. Payton even tried to rope a calf, and he did it! He thinks that he is pretty cool now. He told me that he maybe wants to be a cowboy now instead of a golfer.

Taylor was quite the impressive rider. She really knows what she is doing. She moved those cattle like a pro. I think that she would live with the Daybell's if I would let her. Baylee was a bit timid at first, but after a little while she was riding around the arena by herself. Kelsea liked to ride, but she really liked loading the steers in the chute and releasing them. Payton was really excited and was determined to rope a steer, which he did! Man is he cool, just ask him. I think that the hat tells the whole story.

It was nice of the Daybell's to have us up. Our kids are about the same age, and my kids really enjoyed having our own little rodeo. I think that the kids are worn out. I know that I am. Who needs Disneyland when this much fun is just 35 minutes away?

Timp Cave

I really do not know what has gotten into me. For the third time in four weeks I planned a hike early on a Saturday morning. This time I planned a trip up to Timp Cave. I really hoped that we could get a lot of people in the family to go, but everyone is so busy this late in the summer. Stacy (my sister and hiking partner), Baylee, Kelsea, Payton, and myself ended up leaving around 7:00am to head up American Fork Canyon. It had been years since I had hiked to the cave, and it was the first time for everyone else that was with me. As usual we had a blast. I was so proud of my kids, and Stacy, for making it all the way up...with minimal whining. I forgot how steep the canyon is, but it sure was beautiful.

The kids were so excited when we entered the cave. Kelsea kept looking for the cougar or bear that she just knew was living there. Baylee thought that the cave formations were beautiful. Payton was very curious. I think that he may of set a occicial cave record for the number of times he hit his head on the rocks. I just was glad that we got out of there with no stitches needed. Stacy was just glad that she bought a sweatshirt at the gift shop before the hike.

We topped off the morning with the long hike down, followed by lunch at the Training Table. Nothing like "cheese fries" to cure the aches and pains of a long hike.

I can't wait to do it all again.