8 years ago today...

My dad died of sudden cardiac death at 56 years old. I miss him as much today as I did the day he died. I wish he was here to know my kids. He would love them so much. I wish I could call him whenever I wanted. He was full of wisdom and always had great advice. A few of my favorite memories of him include all the years he coached my (and my sister's) soccer team (I think it was 9 years). All the other players wished he was their dad, but we were the lucky ones. I remember him tearing up because he was so proud of me when I received an admission letter to a Masters program and when I crossed the finish line of my first marathon. I love that he was a solid, pure person and didn't need material things to make him happy. I miss seeing him in his "uniform" of dark brown pants and a green shirt (we teased him that he looked just like an Andes mint). I miss seeing him relaxing on his back on the floor (even though we had a very large couch) resting his head on his thumb watching boxing or football on TV. All four of us daughters (and of course his sons) could tell you all about Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durrand, Floyd Patterson, and Archie Moore (among others). The Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers were his teams along with the Cougs (BYU). If it wasn't one of those teams playing, he always cheered for the underdog. He always thought of everyone else first. He was unselfish. He was loyal. He made the best of every situation. He had perspective. He was one of a kind. We miss you and love you dad.

A few more pictures of our vacation...

We packed in lots of activities while we were vacationing in Utah. We were busy from early morning until late at night. I didn't even have time (or remember to bring my camera) to take pictures! Here is a few that I did get...

I had to post this picture even though Scott's eyes are closed because Ryan and Caleb (especially Caleb) wanted Scott to hold them every second of the day!

Ireland and Savannah were baptized while we were in Utah. Aren't they beautiful?

Here's a picture of some of my side of the family. The only one looking at the camera was Ryan, who, poor kid, got bit by a mosquito right between the eyes and his forehead and both eyes swelled up like a balloon. Still smiling even though he could barely see. What a champ!

Utah vacation

We had a great time in Utah vacationing! We loved to be with all our extended family! Here is a picture of Scott's side of the family.

We love Dad!

Scott has had to work long hours lately, so when he gets home at the end of the day the kids attack him. (That's a 100 lbs. of weight there!)

Photo shoot

Ireland is getting baptized in a couple weeks with her cousin Savannah, so of course we had to have a photo shoot of her in her dress...

Tagged...Favorite TV Shows

Tagged by Jen...here are my favorite TV shows (pretty much the only shows I watch)

1. House Hunters...Designer's Challenge...Property Virgins....Divine Design....Big fan of HGTV.
2. Amazing Race.
3. 24. Brit and Craig hooked us on this one.
4. Survivor, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance...sometimes. I usually watch it when it gets down to the last 6 or so people.

That's about it. I've seen way more Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry than anything!

Happy Birthday Granny!

It's my mom's birthday today! I don't even know how old she is...(I'm sure she would be happy to know that). I think she is 62? Can you believe it? I think she will always seem 45 years old to me. She is still quite the beauty! Check out the picture. She's had 6 kids, lived through raising them (4 teenage daughters--now that's an accomplishment!), was a stay-at-home mom, survived our dad dying at 56 years old, got a Bachelors degree, then a Masters degree, is now a realtor and social worker. Superwoman? I think so! The older I get (and the more kids I have), I realize how much my mom did for us. Raising 6 kids is no easy task! It involves lots of sacrifice and lots of patience among a million other things! A few things (of the several) that I love about my mom are the way she says such nice things about everyone. If ever someones name comes up, she always says, "She is so smart!" or "She is so talented" or "She is beautiful", or "He is very charismatic", "He is such a hard worker", "He is so kind". She gives great advice, but is always aware of saying it in the most non-offensive way. Example...if I ever asked, "What do you think about this dress?" If she didn't like it she would say, "It's not something I would particularly wear, but it looks good on you." She doesn't tell you what you are doing wrong (i.e. letting your kid have cake for breakfast), just gives suggestions on what might work better. She has great taste! She loves to decorate and does it very well! She changes her house decorations for every season or holiday. She has lots of energy and stays up late every night! She loves to go to lunch, talk about anything, and have family over as much as possible. She's survived some major trials in life and still has a smile on her face all the time! We love you Mom! (and Granny!) Happy 45th!

Faux Hawk

Ethan begs me to give him a faux hawk all the time. Occasionally I give in. Here it is...the faux hawk (right before a haircut).

Ireland wanted in on the action.

4th of July

We had a barbeque at a friend's house on the 4th with some other families. It was great!

Caleb was all about watermelon! I think he had about 10 big slices (seriously).

Notice the red sticky watermelon juice neck

I think this is slice #5

Ryan noticed Caleb's watermelon overload and joined in and then declared himself the winner.

Ireland and Ethan swam the whole time in the freezing pool (it was only 75 degrees outside and the pool was not heated)

Tummy sucked in, chest out, and nostrils flared--not sure where this pose came from?

Blog Template

Experimenting with the template. I found a great website--TheCutestBlogontheBlock.com. Now I can't get back to the one Steph did for me...but at least I know how to do it now. Yeah! (Brit and Lorenne, check it out.)