A Nice Break

We had a nice break this week, namely Spring Break. Since we had a whole week of no school (not a usual occurrence for us) we had to do something. We took the occasion to go to Beaver and spend a couple of days enjoying the Southern Utah scenery--and the warmth. Here are some photos.

Above, the kids near the gurgling waterfall at Red Cliffs. Below, Tamsyn and Josh skipping rocks in the Virgin River, Zion Canyon.

Watch out for that bloomin' cactus.

Happy Birthday Big Brother

Happy Birthday, Ron. We love you!!

Terrible Twos, Terrible Fours, Terrible Sixs. . . .

The best picture we have of you. You never looked better.

The last time you were taller than Steve. . .

Brrrrrrr!

And finally, the Terrible Teens. Mom and Dad sure were glad when you grew up.

Here's to you big bro. We're glad you are in our family!

I'm Two

Happy birthday Tristan! Tristan's birthday started out with a typical two-year-old's tantrum. He was upset because I wouldn't give him a piece of candy for breakfast. Then he didn't like the shirt I put on him. He was running around the house, throwing himself at me and the floor and screaming. I couldn't do anything to calm him.
Things didn't get any better when I took him to get a haircut. He was throwing such a tantrum that the lady didn't even get to finish the haircut. And I had to still pay for a haircut.
The situation got even worse when the next stop was the dentist. He was fine until he had to sit in the chair. This was his first visit and he already hates having his teeth brushed. It took me and the hygienist to hold him down so the dentist could look at his teeth. Poor thing. I wonder what he will think when I take him to the doctor tomorrow for his shots.
I felt so bad that I took him and Kennedy to Chick Fil-a for lunch and let them play on the playground. That made everything better according to Tristan. He was happy until we left and saw a little girl with a balloon. He decided he wanted one too and threw another tantrum until I managed to find one for him.
What's that "terrible twos?" I never experienced this with Kennedy but I have also heard that for boys it's two and for girls it's three. So far, that's what it seems in my family.
I will say that after Tristan's nap he was very pleasant for the rest of the day. He really is a sweet boy and I'm glad he is my son.
Happy birthday, sweet boy!

Promotion

Years ago, Uncle John saw that I had about two months of down time before I was scheduled to enter the mission field. Knowing I could use a little extra cash, he hired me to work on his crew. The job was "up North", close to Springville. My job was to act as Gary's gopher. The official title was "Grunt". Gary had the prestigious job of climbing poles. I did the dirty work on the ground. Steve, go get this. Steve, go get that. Drive the truck here. Drive the truck there. If memory serves me well, I think I was a pretty good grunt. Fast forward 30 years.
In August, Verizon hourly employees will most likely go on strike. The chasm between the union and management is very wide. To prepare for a possible strike, management employees have been issued assignments for strike duty. My assignment...Installation and Maintenance Tech. Translation, I get to be the one climbing poles. That's right. It three weeks, I will go to a three day "Pole Climbing" class. In June, I will take a 7 day Installation and Maintenance course.
I would have never imagined 30 years ago it would take me 30 full years before I earned a promotion to climb poles. Uncle John wound be proud!

Settled in

We are finally getting settled in to our new house almost a month later! It has taken a really long time because the house wasn't clean when we got here. It was disgusting. The owners don't live in Idaho so they had no way of inspecting the house after the last tenants left. So, I have had to clean other people's filth before I could unpack our things. It is finally starting to look and feel a little like home now.
I absolutely love being in a house now! After being in an apartment for over 8 years, it's about time! We have a decent sized back yard with two raised beds for a garden. I am so excited to plant my very own garden. I can't wait to walk in my own back yard and have fresh tomatoes waiting for me! I am really appreciating things like having a garage, a real kitchen with a pantry, actual counter space, and a dining room. We bought a really nice table and chairs to celebrate!
Siennah is growing like crazy. She is trying really hard to crawl. She's doing the rocking back and forth, trying to figure out how to move her arms and legs at the same time. She gets so mad when she can't quite figure it out! I think it will be any day now. She is really good at mimicking sounds and facial expressions and she randomly repeated me saying, "uh oh" and "all gone". I was so excited and proud of her! I don't think she knows what they mean yet but she said it clear as can be. She is so amazing.
Here are some recent pic's. Love, Tyff

A funeral and a festival

We said our last good-bye to a sister in our ward today. June was 77 years old. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor the same weekend President Hinckley died. Surgery and radiation bought her only a couple of months.
Jeff and Josh were her home teachers. Since June didn't have many family members in the area, it was mostly ward members who took care of the funeral. Jeff was asked to speak and dedicate the grave. He and Josh were also pallbearers. As you can imagine, it was an emotional day for Jeff. He's been a good home teacher to her and was able to give her a special blessing the night before she died, releasing her from life into her Heavenly Father's arms. He did a good job with his talk and the dedication.
I mentioned in my last post that Josh had been busy getting ready for a school film festival. Jeff and the kids were able to go to the high school last night and see all the entries. (I had church meetings in Salt Lake). They had a good time and saw Josh in a number of films. Josh's animated short, "The Chess Game," gets to go on to the state festival, as well as four other things he helped with. Go Josh!