The Bowbowlicious Project

You need to go to Bowbowlicious right now! This is a project that Shannon has been working on for a long time. Well it has finally come to fruition. I have watched her painstakingly figure out how to produce the highest quality, incredibly colored hair bows.
It is so great that she has followed her dreams of starting her own thing. Take a look, tell your friends, and make a purchase!

NEVER SAY DIE!

This is the most amazing thing. This snowman has hung around just melting slowly until he is in the full limbo position. He was not built this way. He was built like every snowman, tall and proud. I am not sure how it is holding on because in my mind that middle and head should weigh plenty to make it drop.
As a thought about him this morning on the way to church, I thought, "just don't quit!" I know that for our family and a lot of others, the trails of life seem to pile up and you feel buried in the pile of self doubt. This is not the case, as we are promised,

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand."

- How Firm a Foundation, Hymn 89

We have had great things happen to our family over the years. Our lives have never been more blessed than they are right now. Blessings are real. Our Heavenly Father knows who you are. I am thankful for that.

A Little Sledding

It seems like in the past years we never get enough snow to ever go sledding. Or when it does snow the wind is blowing 100mph! Well, were my parents moved it snows almost everyday and they live on the side of a mountain so the conditions for sledding are perfect!
As you can tell by the looks on the faces of these boys they are in a happy place. It makes me think about being eight years old and living in Scotland riding down the hill on the rail sled we got for Christmas. Those were the days...

Snow Flakes, So Good!

Oh, to be so little and innocent again. I could never do this now because I can think of the forty things that live in the woods that could have pooped, peed, sneezed, coughed or snorted on that very spot. As I have gotten older I have developed this innate fear of the gross things that could be.

However, for Amaya this is a whole new and fun experience. One that obviously she could not resist. I can only imagine the feeling of those cold ice crystals on my tongue. What a fun time for her.

It really does pay off to take your camera with you everywhere you go. Otherwise, you miss out on great moments like this that only happen once in a child's life. Because the next time she wants to do this you know it's going to get ruined by a brother that just pushes her face deep into the snow!

Cold Weather Smiles

Just a few new shots taken up at my mom and dad's new house. I know I have been slacking major on the whole blog thing, I promised myself I would do better. Enjoy the new pics in the meantime!

Family Home Evening Photo Shoot

Shannon and I decided to take some pictures of the kids tonight fo family home evening. She gave us a quick lesson on why you need to take pictures for your posterity and how much they will appreciate seeing you. Then we hit couple of places around town in the evening light. I got a long way to go I know but that one of O'Shann looks great!

Quick Trip To Jackson!

I got done with our job in Portland, Oregon (even though they had record breaking heat)so when I got home Friday I decided to head to Jackson Hole with the family on Saturday. We loaded up and headed over with a small agenda of things to do while we were there.
1. Square ice cream. If you haven't stopped for a square ice cream cone you're missing out. It's not like the ice cream is any better or anything but it's a square scoop. Everyone loved it and it was a big hit!
2. Jackson Hole Alpine Slide. This was a good time for everyone. Shannon however was not a fan of the ski lift ride up to the top of the slide. Mainly because Amaya has wiggle pants and wouldn't sit still in the lift. If you are at all familiar with ski lifts there isn't a lot of safety features to keep one inside the lift. Especially a 35 pound wiggly girl! The slide was really fun and the kids had a blast. I would suggest this for anyone. Amaya had to ride with Shannon but everyone else went down solo. Totally safe, and really fun. Is it worth the $15 per person per run? Probably not but it's only money!
3. Yippy I-O Candy Company. So, you know as well as I do five kids are really not pumped about looking at western clothing and wildlife art. Lets be honest, niether was I! While O'Shann and Shannon were checking out some t-shirts the rest of us stummbled across the candy store. Probably the highlight of the trip for the smaller kids. Basically, barrells of candy that the kids are able to put into their own bucket at will. Of course it's nearly impossible to watch five children picking and choosing their candy so somehow Amaya was able to come away with the "biggest bucket of candy" award. $65 later I had five happy kids, a fist full of Sixlets for myself and a quick lunch!
4. Coldwater Creek. This is kind of a hidden find for Shannon lately. She has found some really hot outfits here. She always thought it was a "grandma" store. Her words not mine. We had been in there a while and that's when things got a little restless. We all had to start trying on the most outrageous clothes we could find. Blaize won the prize as you can tell in the pics. The addition of his Spiderman Sunglasses is a nice touch don't you think?
5. Jackson Hole Shootout. LOUD! Fake guns are louder than real guns. Cowboys, dancing, bull whips and a shootout. You can't really go wrong showing up for something like this. Especially if you're a boy. This is a must for you if you go to Jackson.
6. Bubba's Bar-B-Que. A trip to Jackson Hole isn't complete without dinner at Bubba's Bar-B-Que. Baby back ribs for me please! Oh and Amaya. That girl loves her some ribs! We all got tanked up on various meats. This is not a fancy place basically you sit at a stainless steel table and wait for you yummy dinner. It's bar-b-que, you're not going for the secenery. It's a funny place though full of bikers, families and people from all over the world who are loaded. A great time was had by all.
It was a fast fun trip like I said. We all had a great time and it was nice to spend time with the kids after being gone for a week. They are my favorite people!