Viva Mexico!

I feel so good today! I feel like I am on a mini imaginary vacation. The kids and I slept in a bit today just because we could. We got up and eventually, slowly got ready. I put Benson and Alli into the stroller and went out walking. The weather is amazingly perfect. I want to bottle it and be able to pull it out in January. If only.... But into the sunshine we went. I stopped at a street vendor and bought a carne asada burrito that I brought home with me. With the kids napping and me still warm and red faced (I hate that, wish I just glowed while working out but nope, dang it!) I ate my spicy burrito and drank peach mango coconut water. The combination of carne asada, coconut water, and warmth seriously made me feel like I was on a beach in Mexico. I was imagining the waves crashing and palm trees swaying. This whole day has been a little slice of heaven and it is much appreciated. My little loves are still sleeping and so my mini vacation continues........

9/11

This is one of those days that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing 10 years ago. On September 11, 2001 our country was shaken to the core. America became victims of terrorists and they forever changed our lives.
I had just moved to Provo and heard the news when my alarm went off to wake me up for school. I woke up to the words that someone had bombed the World Trade Center and I instantly went out and turned on the tv. It then became clear that it had been hit by an airplane. I went and woke up my roommate and told her. Soon some other roommates came back from school and we watched the coverage for the rest of the day. We saw the next airplane hit, we saw the towers fall, we saw the destruction, the fear, and the chaos. We cried.
Dave was on his way to work and stopped at his friends house to say goodbye because he was going to be leaving for a mission. His mom screamed to turn on the tv and the friend said, "I can't, I've been set apart". She said, "I don't care". They sat and watched. Dave called work and said he would be late. He was told don't worry. When he finally made it to work their day was spent doing little else besides watching the events and aftermath unfold.
This year was the 10th anniversary of the attacks. I took Allison to the Healing Fields where 3,000 American flags were flying. One for each of the lives lost. Each flag had a card with a name, their age, and a little bit about them. It was touching, inspiring and emotional to see all the flags. I cried as I read two cards attached to one flag. One was for a young mother and the other was for her 4 year old daughter. They were flying to meet her sister and then continue onto Disneyland. They never made it.
We will never forget....

Everything is Better in the Mountains

We have been up the canyon a couple of times this summer to have cook-outs. These pictures are from our first outing. We always love time spent visiting, playing in the stream, climbing on rocks and trees, playing catch, making s'mores, enjoying the beautiful surroundings that we are lucky to live so close to, and just being together with our family.