Abundant Recompense Copy

Turn up the second video so you can hear Add. It's well worth it.

After several weeks of training, I'm proud to announce that Nate and I ran a 5K today! We got motivated to get some exercise a month or so ago, and have been running three times a week since. The kiddies have a great time riding in the stroller, which Nate gallantly pushes most of the time. That explains his totally ripped thighs. He ran cross country in high school, and has been a very patient and kind coach to his slow, sweaty wifey. Some friends watched Add and Bryn this morning while we ran the race. We had a great time. The weather was gorgeous, and we ran the whole thing without walking, which was my goal. Nate stayed with me the whole time and spent the last third of the race telling me all about the book he just read on Frederick Douglass to distract me from the discomfort of trying to haul myself up an enormous hill. The distraction worked, and we finished in 34 minutes and 6 seconds. Not too shabby for a first-timer if you ask me. I'm proud of us for seeing the 5K goa...

About 6 months before Bryn's due date my mom got a great deal on a plane ticket to come out and help with the new arrival. The new arrival surprised us all, however, and Mom was stuck with coming a month after Bryn did. But it turned out really great. I actually got to see her, rather than be drugged up and in bed the whole time, which was a big plus. I tell you what. Having her around is like a breath of fresh air. No matter how dirty my house is or when the last time I showered was or what my son ate (or didn't eat) for breakfast, she has a way of making me feel like a million bucks. And then she rolls up her sleeves and helps me rediscover the kitchen sink and scrub toilets and organize my life. I really enjoyed having a lot of work/play time with her. We worked on Addison's room's face-lift (which is finally complete!), made Bryn's blessing dress, and had fun dreaming up fun things to make for the kiddies and ways to entertain them. Add and Bryn also got some go...

Baby Addison and the man in question. Addison is very very extremely fond of his Grandpa. I'm not sure what started it all, but it seems like it's always been that way. In fact, his first smile was not to Mommy or Daddy, but to Grandpa. He talks about him daily. Usually something like "Grandpa (pronounced bompoe) bye-bye." And he says it with a deeply concerned look - eyebrows raised and kind of crinkled together. Meaning "Grandpa was here one time. It was awesome. but then he had to go home. I'm sad about that. I hope we see him again soon." We discuss this several times a day. He also has a knack for finding pictures of Grandpa. This is another daily routine. This morning while reading a book that contains a couple of them, I thought to myself, "What am I thinking? This is hilarious!" and so decided to share a few pictures of "bompoe" with you. Jonah. From the Bible. Zacchaeus. Also from the Bible. This policeman (who is African-Ame...

On Labor Day when everyone was here for Bryn's blessing, we got up early and headed out for a quick-ish hike up waterfall canyon. Beck even rolled out of bed and came with us. We really have not been hiking enough this summer, and it felt great to be outside in the mountains. It even smelled like hiking, whatever that means. We were glad we got an early start, because by the time we started the descent there were tons of people coming up the trail. The trail was more strenuous than I, for one, expected, and had lots of loose rocks. It's kinda scary when you've got a little one strapped to you. Enjoy the pics. Just for you I did not include the sweaty mommy pictures. You can thank me later. Add had a ball and Bryn slept the whole way up! We have awesome, rugged kids. The matching hats are heartwarming, no? One with Aunt Beck 200 ft waterfall. Beyond cool. We took a nice little break at the top and let Add run around. COLD!

We blessed Bryn in church yesterday. It was wonderful. Nate's entire family was there, and my sister Beck came up from BYU. Grammie, (my mom) visited last week and left a few days before the blessing, but we had a blast making Bryn's dress while she was here (with only a few snafus). Bryn looked like an angel. Aunt Lindsey made her bracelet beaded socks from Grammie She knows she's workin' it. Actually, she smiled for real for the first time on the day before her blessing! Hooray!