General Conference

I love conference weekend. I love being able to hear the talks that are given and the testimonies that are born. I heard a talk yesterday (Joseph B. Wirthlin I believe) about being able to laugh when things go wrong. I have to admit I have always had a hard time with finding the joy in every situation, especially when things go wrong. So this was a good reminder for me. I also felt like there was a common thread in the Sunday morning session. We need to be more accepting of everyone around us. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a global church and we all have the Gospel in common. What I got from it was that we really need to focus on what we have in common instead of what is different about each of us. It was a great weekend and we finished it with soup at my parents with my brother and sister and our families. I love how my Dad takes the opportunity to bear his testimony when he has us all together. It has always been such a source of comfort to me. I am so grateful for the family I have! :)

Colby!!!

Happy Birthday Colby! Okay, so I'm a few weeks late, but in my defense I have been planning on updating my blog with an ode to Colby for the past few weeks. :)
10 years old, I can't believe it. He has turned into such a great kid. I thought this was the perfect picture because Colin adores his big brother and Colby is so kind to him. Colby is very patient with him and lets him tag along whenever he wants. He loves reading and can burn through a book faster than most adults. I love his imagination and the stories he comes up with. I think he should start his own blog just as a creative outlet. Anyway, I love you Colby! Thank you for being such a great kid, you make it easy to be a Mom.

Happy Birthday!

My little man turned 5 today! I can't believe how old he is, honestly, the time went way too fast. He is such an amazing little person. He is the most responsible 5 year old I have ever known, he always puts everything where it belongs, flushes the toilet and washes his hands (without being reminded), and always turns out the light when he leaves the room. I love how silly he can be and the hilarious one-liners he delivers (yep, he is just like his Dad). I feel truly blessed to have him in our family, he brings so much happiness to our home. Plus he always says,"I love you more than Colby and Marissa love you." Happy Birthday to my most favorite 5 year old ever! :)

Badwater

My friend Jarom raced in the Badwater Ultramarathon last week. It starts in Death Valley and ends up at the Mt. Whitney portal. I was part of the crew and was able to pace him for about 45 miles of the race. The entire race is 135 miles! It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I have never been so tired (only one hour of sleep during the entire race) but I loved every minute. Here are a few pics I took, but I really didn't have much time to take pictures. Our driver Rob Schopke took pictures and created a website from his truck as the race was going on. I thought he did a great job, so go to his website to get a better idea of what the race was like. www.triracer.com



Picture taken at the race start


How we dried Jarom's shoes


This is Badwater, where the race starts, the little white mark on the side of the mountain is sea level.


The crew and Jarom at the finish line.
The video is of Jarom's brother Heath, funny stuff!

Summer

Okay, so I may be worse in the summer with updating my blog. I thought "Hey, I'm not working, I'll be so on top of things." Ha-ha! But I have thoroughly enjoyed this summer so far. Enjoy the slide show of our various activities. Riding, dance recitals, zoo, Hailey's new puppy, Colin's preschool graduation, Hailey's high school graduation (btw she is now engaged to the cute boy she is pictured with!!!!), gigantic tree hauled in for campfire by Brian, pretty waterfall, pretty rose, swimming lessons and finally my beautiful new nephew Beckett London Turner.

Mother's Day present

Yes; I know I have a problem, but how do you resist this face?

Final Spring Break post

Here is what we did for the last few days of our vacation.


What kid hasn't wanted to do this. Colby saw all of the seagulls standing on the beach and couldn't resist.


This is at Montana de Oro state park. It was my favorite place to go when we lived here.



Again, Montana de Oro.



This is the crack we had to crawl through.......



to get here because the tide was too high to just walk in the cave.



Isn't she cute? She certainly had her eye on us while we were looking at tidepools.



Colin and Steve; this was the coldest day of the trip, but still a lot of fun.



The kids playing in their driftwood fort.



This is at Monterey Bay Aquarium.



I thought it was funny to see the sea otter just stare at its trainer. I think it really just wanted a treat.



There is the coolest jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium. They had more varieties than I ever knew existed.



I highly recommend a trip to Monterey for the aquarium alone. We spent the entire day there and had a lot of fun!
That was one of the best vacations our family has had yet, there is nothing like a good road trip.