Family

They love each other!

Millionaire in the Making

Emma has a special superpower to find lose change where others have lost it.  It is as though she could smell lost money.  Maybe it talks to her, asking to be found.  Today's treasure bought her some doritos chips.

Swim Party!

Our friend Janice hosted a family swim night at her pool yesterday evening.  It was a warm day (it got up to 108) so it was nice to cool off in the pool.  A lot of friends came!  Rachel said she counted over 30!



Emma has gotten a lot braver, including the other kids, at going into the deep end and jumping off the diving board.  Here she is getting ready with her noodle.



Nose plugged; ready to jump.



Splash!



Recovery.



Ready!

Our Garden Produced Something... Finally!

We are probably well known for having the opposite of a green thumb.  But miraculously, our garden somehow produced something!  Yes, we grew a zucchini!  I don't know how.  The kids must have great faith!

Popcorn!

As part of a Father's day gift, Emma gave me an ear of popcorn.



So of course I wanted to pop it right off the ear!  We put it on a plate and put it into the microwave.



Set it to run for 2 minutes, and got a good view.



After a minute, some kernals started to pop right of the cobb!



After two minutes, there was so much popcorn all over the microwave, some popcorn fell out as we opened the microwave door!



The kids and I thought that was just the coolest thing to have popcorn pop right off the cob!  We gathered up the popcorn and ate popcorn while we watched old family videos.

 

Our Little Friend

Last night, Henry wouldn't calm down to go to bed.  Sometimes when that happens, I take him outside and that will sometimes calm him down.  I took him outside and the sprinklers happened to be on in the front and that caught Henry's attention and he calmed down to watch.

As we stood there, I noticed movement on the wall of our house.  Then I noticed that there was a lizard crawling along!  As I bent down to get a closer look, I noticed there wasn't just one lizard, but there was more than 5 of them that had gathered on the wall while the sprinklers were going!

Here is a picture of our little friend.  I tried to get more in the picture, but they all scurried away except this one.

Father's Day

Today is Father's Day.  I'm grateful for my dad, and for the great example he has been for me.

[caption id="attachment_370" align="alignnone" width="230" caption="My Dad and I when I was young"][/caption]

As a kid I remember dad playing on the floor with me and tickling me.  I do the same to my kids now.

[caption id="attachment_371" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Dad and Sons"][/caption]

Dad raised 5 sons by himself after mom passed away.  I think we all turned out OK.  We seem to have inherited all the same quirks as dad, like telling corny jokes.  I also realized that I have done a lot of the same things as dad.  Dad went to BYU; I went to BYU.  Dad went on a mission; I went on a mission.  Dad married in the temple; I married in the temple.  Dad studied computer science; I studied physics with a computer science emphasis.  Dad graduated from college; I graduated from college.  Dad has been a Scoutmaster; I have been a Scoutmaster.  Dad raised 5 boys; I'm raising 4 kids.  Dad loved to camp; I love to camp.  Dad was a counselor in the Bishopric; I'm a counselor in the Bishopric.  The similarities are crazy!

Thanks dad for being a wonderful dad!

Henry's First Swim

Today Henry went swimming for the first time!  Henry showed very little emotion while in the water, almost like he just taking it all in.  He didn't complain or resist.  After a little bit I could get him to wave his arm around in the water.



It is a little hard taking the kids to the pool on base because Mo still can't touch the bottom in the shallowest part of the pool.  However, it seems to be a much nicer pool than the one in town and less crowded.  We stayed for about 2 hours until they kicked everyone out of the pool.  Apparently they found a human dropping in the pool.  Nice.



Henry is growing up so fast!

Running Stats

One year ago for Father's Day I received a GPS "watch" as a gift from my wife and kids.  It is one of the better used gifts I have received!  I use it while I run as it tracks distance and speed.  I can upload my data to the web and download it to my computer.

Today I will "brag" about the stats.  Over the last year, I have logged over 800 miles!  It tells me I have burned over 100,000 calories in my recorded runs!  In the past year, I have also lost about 18 lbs as well!  My average pace over all logged activities is 8:06 minutes/mile.  I have gained just over 25,000 ft, although one of those includes an ascent up Mt. Whitney last summer that accounts for 6,000 ft of that alone, meaning the other 20,000 ft are from actual runs.

This past year I ran a 10K and a 5K.  There was  a major mess-up in the 10K race where everyone ran an extra 1.1 miles, but my pace was just about 7:30 minutes/mile.    On the 5K, I had a time of 21:06 and a pace of just 6:50 minutes/mile!  Later this year I plan to run a Ragnar Relay, which is a 200 mile team relay-race.

I've run in the hot sun, in the cold rain, in 30 mph sustained winds, and on nice days once in a while.  I've run in places in between the beaches of Tampa, FL to the beaches of Oahu, Hawaii, but mostly I have run in the deserts of Ridgecrest.

I run because I like it.  Even though it can be hard and miserable at times, it is rewarding.  This is much like how I love backpacking and hiking; there is a satisfaction in putting in all that hard work and effort and being able to accomplish something.  I am competitive with myself and strive to be better.

I'm going to continue running, so I guess we'll see what next year brings!

New Additions to the family!

Yesterday I became an uncle (again) as my brother Justin and his wife had a baby boy!  His name is Lincoln.  We haven't seen pictures yet, but hopefully soon!  But he is already famous; I saw his picture on a coin today!

We also had another addition to our household today.  The delivery truck brought us a new freezer!  Not as cool as a baby boy... wait, it IS cooler than a baby boy but not nearly as cute and cuddly!  Maybe we'll name our freezer George or Thomas or Teddy to go along with Lincoln.  Or not.

Potty Trained!

This weekend while I took Emma and Benjamin backpacking, Rachel worked on potty-training Mo.  I'm sure it was nowhere near as exciting as our trip in the great outdoors, spending so much time in the great bathroom as Rachel did.  But finally Mo is using the potty!  This is really good news because we are taking some trips this summer, including New York and Idaho.  It would be a major pain if he were still in diapers having to pack them and change him.

For various reasons, learning to use the potty for #1 is easier than #2.  For at least the boys, it seems they were both scared of using the potty for #2, to the point of tears.  I still think Emma has the best story.  She was potty trained right after we left in the car for a trip to Idaho.  She exclaimed that she wanted to use the potty at our first break at some random rest-stop on the freeway.  She has used the potty ever since.

Kid's First Backpacking Trip

This weekend, I took Benjamin & Emma on their very first backpacking trip!  I have been looking forward to this for a long time:  the day when I could take my own kids into the wilderness overnight.  For their first trip, we went to the North Fork of Big Pine Creek and hiked in 1 mile where we camped.

[caption id="attachment_338" align="alignnone" width="315" caption="Trailhead of Big Pine Creek - North Fork"][/caption]

We purchased a junior size backpack and junior size 30 degree sleeping bag for Benjamin, which should last him until he is about 14 years old or so.  Benjamin carried all of his own gear:  sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothes, water, and flashlight.  His total pack weight was 15 lbs.  Emma carried her water bottle and my 19 degree sleeping bag in my Camelback day-pack, which total weight was 8 lbs.  I carried everything else in my new 80-liter pack which weighed in at 43 lbs, but didn't feel that bad and the weight distributed well.  I already like this new pack much better than my old one.

[caption id="attachment_340" align="alignnone" width="420" caption="Kimblers, Cannons, and Turners at the Trailhead"][/caption]

We went with 3 families with kids in alike ages:  the Cannons, the Turners, and ourselves.  The kids really enjoyed the company of other kids and spent lots of time playing and talking.

The trail starts in desert-like terrain, but has magnificent views of the palisades.  The one mile to camp took less than 1 hour.  Emma struggled with her 8 lbs, but Benjamin acted like his weight was no big deal.

[caption id="attachment_342" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="View of Palisades"][/caption]

 

Our campsite was fortunate enough to have picnic tables and fire rings already in place.  So we were able to have a campfire and roast marshmallows!  The campsite was also right next to some large boulders that the kids must have spent hours climbing on and a creek that was a little too close but only claimed 2 wet feet out of the whole group!

[caption id="attachment_343" align="alignnone" width="463" caption="Camp near First Falls"][/caption]

Friday afternoon after setting up camp, we headed up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek for a couple miles.  On the way, we ran into a snake that hissed at us (not sure what kind of snake, still working on figuring that out).  When we reached the snow, we had some snowball fights and I made a snow-angel that chilled me to the bone.

[caption id="attachment_344" align="alignnone" width="463" caption="Hike up South Fork Big Pine Creek"][/caption]

On Saturday, we headed up the North Fork of Big Pine Creek.  There, we saw Second Falls which was very large, and stopped at Lon Chaney's cabin that is now used by the Forest Service.  At the cabin we had lunch and played in the water and watched the trout try to swim upstream.

[caption id="attachment_345" align="alignnone" width="463" caption="North Fork Big Pine Creek"][/caption]

It was a lot of fun to hike with great friends!

[caption id="attachment_346" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Good Looking Hikers!"][/caption]

Emma and I hung out a lot, so we have extra pictures of her and I! I think Emma talked non-stop with me. Benjamin also did great and spent lots of time playing with his friends. He also talked non-stop to his friend Mackay. On the drive home I asked both of them what their favorite part was of the trip. Emma said "everything!", and Benjamin said "I don't know". I'll translate that into the trip was a success!

Emma and Dad

Mo's Butt

So, why does Mo stick out his butt when he falls asleep on the floor in the middle of the day?

Kindergarten Graduate

Today was the last day of school.  Emma officially graduated Kindergarten with a nice ceremony.  My little darling is growing up way too fast!!  Her teacher, Mrs. Lusher, has been wonderful for Emma.  The ceremony included some silly dances and some more serious songs, awarding of certificates, and a slideshow.  Great job Emma!  I'm so proud of you!

Toilet Works

This weekend I replaced the flushing mechanism in the kid's bathroom toilet with one that has a dual-flush system.  It wasn't nearly as easy to install as the label said it would be.  But I did manage to interpret the instructions sufficiently to get this to work.



The top button will do a half-flush and the bottom button will do a whole flush for bigger jobs.

Home Depot Kids Workshop

At Home Depot this morning the kids got to participate in a workshop where they made a small wooden organizer box.  They really enjoyed themselves pounding the nails in and just getting to do some handy work!  They also got their own aprons!

Alpacas, Not Llamas

About 13 years ago, I was a missionary in Peru.  My time there is full of memorable experiences as I painfully learned to forget myself and love the people around me.  I also learned the differences between alpacas and llamas.  I further learned that while alpacas look really sweet and feel extremely cuddly with their fluffy soft fur, you really don't want to be around them very much after the first one spits in your face.

This picture is taken outside of Cusco, Peru near Chinchero at about 12,400 ft in elevation on my way to Valle Sagrado (The Sacred Valley), also known as Wilcamayu in Quechua which means Sacred River.


By the way, it is called the Sacred Valley because as legend has it, the White God came down from heaven and taught them peace and how to grow crops and blessed the land.  The Incas initially confused Francisco Pizarro with their legends of the White God who promised he would return, and initially didn't fight the Spaniards until they realized the invading Spaniards led by Pizarro were evil men.



In the above picture, the valley down below in the distance is the Sacred Valley.  The peak in the distance is called Chicon at 17,500 ft high.  There is a town at the base in the Sacred Valley called Urubamba.