An Evening With Friends

Michelle and I wanted to spend some time with some friends Friday night. We made a few phone calls and extended a few invitations. Not everyone was able to make it but we did have a few friends show up. The Bunker family, the Moss family and the Johnson family made it in time to enjoy the fire and watching the kids running around playing and having a grand old time. The Anderson family and the McCall family we also able to stop by later in the evening to say hi and have a marshmallow/s'more.

The Jones boys and the Bunker boys decided that sword fighting was the game of the day and Steve Bunker was the target.

But the boys were no match for the fury and ferocity of the counter-attack!

Meanwhile, Jeff Moss provided the horsepower for Corbin and Quintin to cruise around the yard.

It appears that Quintin is going to have to practice just a few more times before his driving test. He nearly ran over his mother Holly.

We had an absolutely wonderful time with our friends. The Mosses are new to our neighborhood and we were elated that they decided to join us for an evening of socializing.

Around 8:30 pm we directed the boys to clean up all the toys. Since we had 10 boys running around the yard we were able to gather everything up in just a few minutes. Then we herded our boys into the house to get ready for bed as the other boys headed for home (and their own beds).

The Johnsons and the Andersons stuck around a little longer and we started up a game of Canasta. I've never played that game before but it had a lot of similar rules to Hand and Foot which I have played previously (about 4 different versions now). Our game lasted until 11:00 pm when we decided that it was time to call it a night. We certainly had a lot of fun and are grateful that so many friends were able to join us for a few hours on a Friday evening.

Family Hike to Stewart Falls

It was a great family adventure. Today we were able to go hiking to Stewart Falls which is just past Sundance Ski Resort in Provo Canyon. Everyone was so excited to go. This was part of our birthday celebration for Kelley Johnson. Here we are at the trail head, just as we begin to embark on our adventure.



Here is Neil, Kelley and Zachary also ready to head to the falls.

We tried very hard to keep our boys close as they sped up and down the mountain trail. It was a 2 mile hike each way to the falls and back again. For the most part they did very well. But David is ready to stretch his wings and fly (or just walk very fast). On the return journey he was definitely out in front and it was all we could do to catch up to him.

Here are the guys, trudging through the forest...

I'm not totally convince that Aleky carried his own weight on this trip. But we decided to cut him some slack until next summer. And then he'll have to pack it in and pack it out.

The Jones boys hiking along the trail.

My boys were able to spot all sorts of critters along the trail. Here we have just found a hairy caterpillar.

This is the moment when the boys discover the waterfall. They are certainly excited about the proposition.

Neil and Kelley are doing their best to keep up with the boys. Here they are descending the rugged trail to the falls.

The boys arrive victoriously at Stewart Falls. The boys could hardly hold still long enough to take a picture. We had to keep a special eye on each on so that they didn't go swimming in the "river".

I tried to explain, very carefully, that the boys would be happier if they threw rocks in the water and kept themselves safe on dry land. It mostly worked. David would take a dunk before we headed home.

Aleky and Zachary had a fabulous time together. Both found the tiny rocks such an amazing part of nature.


The boys unloaded half of the mountain into the stream and didn't even realize that they were throwing rocks for nearly 90 minutes straight!

Don't think for a minute that the boys simply threw rocks from the bank. Where is the fun and adventure in that? The boys would take the big rock (the ones they couldn't throw very far) and carry them out on the log where they would launch them a few feet into the rushing waters below.

Zachary wasn't extremely interested in the water, but the bugs, rocks and plants were fascinating.

Just a nice picture of the falls from where I was eating lunch.


We have discovered that, for the current time, 4 miles is just enough to wear out the boys without completely killing them!

They didn't even make it from the parking lot to the main canyon road before they were all asleep!

Happy Birthday Kelley!

We had the wonderful opportunity to wish Kelley Johnson a Happy Birthday this weekend! We coordinated a dinner that we could share. As you can see, the guys were not the best assistants in the world. Neil was distracted with his Father's Day gift (the new i-phone) and I was busy taking pictures and herding children.

Kelley managed to pitch their tent inside the house! I just barely fit, wall to wall, in the downstairs bedroom. So that is where the boys got to "camp out". We originally intended to actually go camping in the mountains but a series of thunderstorms persuaded us to change our minds.

Dinner was fabulous. Kelley got a new recipe for a noodles and sausage entree. I don't know all the ingredients she used in making the dinner but I certainly enjoyed it. And Zachary clearly out did Aleky in the messy eater category.

Michelle made Kelley 2 cakes for her birthday! Upon the recommendation of Neil, Michelle made a wonderful eclair cake. But after preparing the cake she wasn't sure how to put in all the candles so she made a second cake that would bear the candles better without the candles tipping over. This one is the second cake (before the candles).

After dinner the adults got to play some games. My boys were all distracted by the projector (and movie) downstairs and they got to watch movies way past their bedtimes. Zachary was great and just went down for the night. We played games until nearly midnight. Neil continues to dominate the game playing in our friendship but we continue to plot our revenge. As sad as it is to report, Kelley didn't get to win any of the games, even on her birthday!

I was fortunate enough to be the one to place the candles on the cake. I tried to even disperse them across the cake. It looks like I did an acceptable job of candle placement.

Michelle was so excited to watch Kelley open her present. Every time Kelley stop by our house she comments about how she can't find a good cheese slicer. Michelle had been plotting to get this cheese cutter for Kelley for months!

Batman...A Christmas Present for Zachary?

My wife is one of the most thoughtful people I know. She is always concerned about others and she is constantly trying to figure out something special she can do for someone that they will really appreciate. Sometimes she tries so hard to do so many things that occasionally none of them get completed. But not this time...this time she was able to complete her project!

With the new Batman movie in theaters and certain friends of ours who happened to be fans...Michelle decided that Zachary needed his own Batman cape!


It was only after the present was opened that I realized that the present wasn't for Zachary so much as it was for his DAD!

Is there any doubt that Michelle has incredible insight into the human psyche? She contemplated the perfect present, not just for one person but for two.

Don't get me wrong, Zachary obviously loves this present and certainly understands the time and effort that went into such a precious gift...

And you have to admit that he is stunning with his new cape on.

New Year's Eve Celebration

We had a fun New Year's Eve celebration with the Johnsons. But the preparations started much earlier in the day. Michelle had several items that she wanted to have at our little party and so she started working early. Ultimately she made a taco bean dip, cheese ball and eclair cake. We also had chips and salsa. The Johnsons brought over the little weenies, meatballs and a special cider drink (for which I'll have to get the recipe). Ultimately we decided that we had more than enough food for everyone there and we felt bad that more people were unable to make it.

We started around 6:30 with the first course of delectable. The boys were content watching a movie and we didn't have the heart to stir things up and create a commotion so we left them alone. We played several games through the evening. We started with Bohnanza. This game ended in a tie! By the time this game was done we needed to put the boys to bed. Since the movie had finished it was a simple straight forward procedure.

With the boys in bed we began our second game, Killer Bunnies. Michelle completely dominated this game leaving no doubt who was champion. Not being in the mood to be so thoroughly defeated again we switched games to Jamaica. I apparently have a game learning disorder that prevents me from understanding some of the basics of any new game. As a result of this mental disorder I managed to lose, even while having a controlling lead, to Neil. Once again we switched games, searching for my niche so that I could finally win! We tried to new card game Rage. True to form Neil won the game and I was the biggest loser!

In spite of the failed attempts to dominate the Johnsons in both the card game and board games categories, we had a marvelous time trying. The food was awesome and the company was even better. We paused at Midnight to welcome the New Year and then quickly concluded our final game and parted for the evening. We certainly appreciate having the Johnsons as friends and we're glad we could welcome the New Year with them.

We count it a blessing (right now) that David will wake up and find a way to amuse himself without waking us up, usually by turning on the WII. It has allowed us to catch up on some much needed sleep through this holiday season. Now that it is coming to an end we'll have to start getting up earlier so we can read scriptures and have a more structured start to our day.

As we start this new year we would like to wish everyone a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December Date

Michelle and I were so excited to have our first date...in a long time. Maybe it's just me but we don't seem to have people falling over themselves trying to babysit 4 young boys at the same time. It didn't seem quite as tough when we had one cute little cherub to watch, but alas, I digress...

We had planned a double date with Neil and Kelley Johnson, to go and play in Salt Lake City. Obviously there was some travel time to calculate into our day. And our babysitter was Grandma Petersen, out in Grantsville. We did the math and even added in some extra time just in case we ran into some delays along the way. It shouldn't have been too tough. Our first stop was the Salt Lake Temple for the 3:00 session.

It is amazing how quickly time flies when you're having fun. We had the kids all packed and loaded into the car ahead of schedule (a little bit). And then we started the "little errands" along the way. First we dropped some dishes off here and some ingredients off there. Next we had to swing by this store and pick up several things from that store. And all of a sudden we realized that we were behind schedule! It's still a mystery how we lost so much time but we found ourselves about 15 minutes behind schedule! It doesn't seem like a lot and normally I would have been pretty pleased with myself.

We made it to Grantsville and took the kids in along with all of the stuff. Grandma Petersen just looks at us and says, "you're not gonna make the 3:00 session." Well we run out the door anyway and call the Johnsons just to find out where they're at and let them know we're running just a little behind schedule. We made it to Salt Lake City, Temple Square in fact, at 2:45! If we could have found a place to park we still might have made it...but apparently everyone heard we were coming to Temple Square and were eager to see us make our grand entrance and they all forgot to leave us a special parking spot. So after several laps around the conference center parking garage we manage to find a lone spot that we could squeeze our vehicle into.

At this point there was no need to run or rush to get to anywhere since we had a full hour before the next session would begin. We wandered up to the conference center and admired the set-up for the Christmas devotional. It is simply amazing to see how large the conference center really is! We met up with the Johnsons at the conference center and headed over to Temple Square. Since it was cold we decided not to dilly-dally and headed straight inside where it was warm.

At this point it would have been helpful to know some of the local customs. In particular, we didn't know about bringing the parking ticket with you so that you can get a token, a get out of parking free pass. The nice temple worker just looked at me with one of those gazes that you don't want to endure for too long but reluctantly gave me a token anyway with a stern admonition to remember the ticket in the future and to tear up the ticket in the car. It might not have been so bad except I had already forgotten my tie! It was in the "stuff" we took into Grandma's house with the kids. Having now been sufficiently humbled we headed into the temple to change clothes for the 4:00 temple session.

I think it was good to have a little extra time in the chapel to get myself spiritually organized for the upcoming session. Having missed our planned 3:00 session, no tie, driving endlessly around the parking garage and not bring the ticket about had me at my wits end. Fortunately, I've had too much experience make silly situations so I think I handled it okay.

The temple session was great. I really enjoyed the beauty of the Salt Lake Temple. And I especially enjoyed moving from one room to the next, walking hand in hand with my sweetheart! You don't get to do that in just any temple. And since it's been a little while since we've been to the temple together is made for a special time.

Once the session was over we quickly changed clothes. Neil and I were waiting for Kelley and Michelle, who had managed to take a least one wrong turn and eventually came wandering out from one of the many other hallways in that temple. The claimed it was intentional but I wasn't convinced. We sent the ladies to The Garden restaurant to get a reservation while Neil and I headed back to the cars to put away some of the extraneous apparel. We quickly rejoined our spouses in the crowded lobby. On the way to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building we passed crowds of people enjoying the Christmas lights but one couple stood out of the crowd. It was the beautiful blushing bride trying to wedding pictures amidst the teaming masses and the frigid night air! What some people will do for a picture...


Our wait was supposed to be 30 minutes but when your hungry I think time slows down just a bit. In any case we soon had our table and quickly placed our orders. The meal was wonderful and we enjoyed a view of the Salt Lake Temple, all lit for the holidays (at least the grounds are decorated for the season, not so much the temple itself).

After dinner we had to make a difficult decision, do we walk around and enjoy the lights, get in line for the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy theater, or call it a night so we can get home at a decent hour. With this being our one chance for freedom we didn't feel that going home was the best decision so we choose to watch the movie.


The Johnsons had already seen the movie but they assured us that it was worth watching a second time. We have wanted to watch this movie for some time so we were excited to watch it. We didn't have to get tickets but the usher let us know that the previous 2 shows had been completely full and we should get in line immediately. So we headed to their antechamber to wait the 30 minutes until the show was to start. Neil opted for the power-nap to re-energize himself for the remainder of the night (we still have to count travel time back!). Finally our 9:00 show was ready to start and we headed in for some great seats right in the middle of the theater. Lucky for us, Kelley stopped and grabbed some extra Kleenex so that we could get through the movie.

It was truly an amazing depiction of the life of Joseph Smith Jr. It is one of those movies in which they did such a good job I'm almost afraid to let my kids watch it until they are older. Joseph went through some amazingly cruel trials (and that doesn't even mention all the things the other saints went through). It was a moving movie and certainly gives you a better appreciation for all the Joseph did to bring about the restoration of the gospel.

After the movie we had to take in some of the lights. So we walked briskly, took a few pictures and then headed for the cars. It was a fantastic evening. In spite of the drama we had a wonderful time, a spiritually uplifting and invigorating time. And it doesn't hurt to have a little break from 4 amazing, adorable, animated and spirited children.

Hopefully we'll be able to take the kids on a stroll through Temple Square while it is still decorated for the season. In the meantime, we had a wonderful evening with some wonderful friends. And now we have an endearing memory for a lifetime.

Happy Birthday Aleky

Today Aleky celebrates his 1st birthday! It is hard to believe that he has already been with us a full year. He is fully mobile (when he wants to be) and is beginning to crawl around the house. It is time to secure the stairs to avoid any extraordinary mobility discovery opportunities! He pulled an empty flour bucket down this afternoon; it didn't hit him but he lost his balance and fell over which sent him to tears and he received a needed hug from mom. Then moments later he pulled the garbage can down; there was no hug this time! I had to fortunate opportunity of cleaning up the mess as it had descended part way down the stairs. Aleky was invited to spend some time in a different room.

We decided to hold a small family party this evening for Aleky. While his 1st birthday is very special he didn't really know who he wanted to invite and he was very particular about leaving anyone out on accident; so we compromised and settled on the immediate family in or around Provo. That kept the preparation to a minimum but still allowed us sufficient celebration.

Those in attendance for the celebration included his uncle Kyle, aunt Janeil, cousins Katie, Anna & Troy, Grandma Jones, aunt Trista, aunt Cheyenne, and aunt Larissa. Also in attendance was Neil, Kelley and Zach Johnson. We sang Happy Birthday to Aleky but I don't think he really understood the significance of the occasion nor did he appreciate the amount of attention that was focused on him.

Aleky really enjoyed his birthday cake. He finished every last crumb; at least his tray was clear, but I do recall seeing some crumbs on the floor...

We didn't really plan on presents but Grandma Jones had one anyway. It took Aleky a few gestures and hints before he realized that there was a present that needed unveiling. It became quite obvious that his brothers were much more interested in the new gift than Aleky was.

But not to worry, Aleky had plenty of fun with the best part of the present.

After the party was over the boys got ready for bed. Before heading home the Johnsons wanted to get Zach ready for bed so that the trip home would go more smoothly. That was a fatal mistake. Once the boys were in their pjs they attached without warning. Neil fought valiantly but the odds seemed insurmountable. But as fate would have it, he barely managed to survive.

We were surprised to learn that Janeil had come to Utah with her kids and wanted to stop by and visit. We didn't know she would be in the area. Our children had a fabulous time playing with their cousins. David, Donovan and Michael took Katie and Anna out to the backyard and played for nearly an hour. They had a grand ole time. Meanwhile, Aleky and Troy we're trading secrets on crawling and getting around the house.