Abundant Recompense Copy

We've been wanting to take the kids to the zoo for quite awhile, and on the last weekend of April we finally bit the bullet and went for it. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. It was packed with people, and also under construction, but we got a chance to see everything we wanted to except the tigers, which must've been hiding somewhere. The rhinos were quite active, and we even got to see them eat whole bananas. An eagle's nest. The seals were definitely the most fun to watch. They were swimming all over the place. Sometimes even upside down and they came right up to the glass several times.  The giraffes. The leopard was also really active and paced back and forth up by his little hut. They had some gorgeous roosters and chickens roaming here and there around the zoo. The chicken by the darker tortoise there only had one leg, which really impressed the kids. They talked about it for days after the visit. A not-very-good  picture of Addison's fave, the bla...

Me and Addison had a great time at our fathers and sons outing a few weeks ago. I like the one-on-one time with him as much as or more than being with the big group of people up at the stake camp, so we tend to do our own thing for awhile and then show up late. We didn’t camp this year because I had to take Michelle’s sister and her husband to the airport early the morning. Still, we had a great time. We picked up Chick-fil-a on the way out of town and ate it at Pine View Reservoir. Ogden Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the West, I think. We then took a long hike along the creek, and Addison’s imagination went wild. A stand of tall weeds became the forest of darkness. We threw sticks in where two creeks came together and watched them float around and around as the different currents caught them. When we made it to the shore of the lake, we saw nesting boxes built on tall poles. They are home to ospreys, which are really prevalent in the area. In a bid to warn us off, one ...

Yesterday the kids sang in church with the Primary for Mother's Day. I was so proud of them! They were so cute and sang so good. Here's an encore performance they did yesterday in our back yard.

Happy Mother's Day! (If only it came with subtitles.) All these apply to both my mama and Nate's mama, without question. Especially the continuous gentle breeze one. And on a more serious note, this one made me get all misty, because it is true. We love you, Moms. frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Our sweet baby is one already! We celebrated her birthday yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we got to spend lots of time outside playing, which is one of the things Leah loves the most. It's crazy how fast this first year has flown! Here are some pictures of the festivities. The birthday girl first thing in the morning. Those cupcakes in the oven are for me?? (Okay maybe she was actually more excited about playing with the dirty socks.) One of her very favorite pastimes, sliding. Leah absolutely loves this car. And this is her favorite way to ride in it - with her foot hanging out the door. We had spaghetti for her birthday supper. A favorite and a classic. Then we opened presents. This is kind of the way it went. Addison and Bryn were very helpful. It was fun to bake and wrap  and get everything ready with them. They were so excited for Leah. Leah just thought it was all great. The cupcakes were lemon with raspberry frosting. It was a new recipe, and I must say, they were posi...

I so enjoy our chickens. We all do, really. Leah loves to stand outside their pen and watch them and she always talks to them in a high squeaky voice when she sees them moving around. Bryn, the chicken-lovah-4-life is the most successful of us at picking them up. She is very determined and has absolutely no fear. Addison enjoys collecting their feathers and drawing chickens and roosters. Our little group, although pea-brained and skittish for the most part, is definitely beautiful. I love to just look at them. Their feathers are so pretty, especially in the sunlight. Here's the view every morning when we bring their food. And an introduction to each one, along with the much asked-after names: This is Roaster. Named by Addison, and aptly so, because he is a rooster (well, we're 97% sure). At the first sign of crowing we will be roasting Roaster. Until then, he's very much enjoying his place as alpha male of the group.  This is Blue. Addison insists it's actually Blue-Gre...

Leah and I were treated to a concert at lunch today. Addison made a "mouth" in his apple and decided to use it to share one of his favorite songs. And then Bryn cracked up and had to have a turn too. Love it.