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?