18 months and counting!

Gracee Girl we love you!!!

This is partly a happy 18 month to you, Gracee and partly a tribute to your cousin, Joey. He asked for some pictures of your cute little hands and fingers and nose and stuff (he lives in AZ and misses you very much). I tried getting some close up shots of your nose and neck and cheeks like I've done in the past, but it's a little more difficult getting you to cooperate in pictures than it used to be.
Here are your sweet hands that are so good at signing and telling us what you need.
here are your sweet pigtails that you only leave in for about 5 minutes, if we're lucky.
Here is you with a "VROOM VROOM VACUUM!" What a good helper!
We love you Sweetness! We "thank our God upon every remembrance of you."

Friends we are and friends we'll ever be

These are some of my wonderful HS friends. Rick and Aileena were in town visiting so we all got together and sang around the piano (with Tasha at the helm of course!). It really filled my cup.

This post is a tribute to friends. I have been so blessed throughout my life with friends who inspire me to be better. 6th grade, Junior High, HS, college, mission and currently--I have been touched by many. Sometimes I don't feel deserving of these great treasures. Though not every friend who has ever touched my life could be pictured here, this picture is a representation of all of you. So thanks for touching my life.

Go Cougs!

Russ's two passions: Sports (NBA and NCAA) and the Gospel. We got to go to the last home game of the year for the BYU basketball team. These are our friends Kalle and Jess. It was a very intense but sad game--we lost to New Mexico. It was filled with highs and lows. I told Russ that this is why I am not a sports fan like he is--I can't handle the emotional roller coaster it sends me on to be watching a game that I'm actually in to. When we left this game I felt so fried. Russ enjoyed watching his team play for the NCAA championships. Unfortunately the Cougars only made it to the second round, but they haven't even made it that far since 1993 or something, so it was pretty exciting for Russ that they made it that far. (They had a pretty cool pregame show that I uploaded below, sorry if it didn't work.)

Phone time with Grandma

Springtime is Victory in Utah

Springtime/end of winter-time in Utah is pretty tantalizing. The snow keeps falling but melts right away. I check out back everyday to watch every inch slowly disappearing from our once entirely snow-covered yard. I feel more and more triumphant and victorious with every inch. People are funny this time of year. Our teenage nephews keep traipsing about in shorts and shirts because "they're not cold". People, like our nephews, are in denial that there is any hint of winter still in the air. As soon as it gets into the 40 degree range, it's time for either light jackets or no jackets for most people. Even though you can see the goose bumps on their skin--it's SO worth it because it means we are fighting off the winter and proclaiming it spring, no matter what the thermostat says! We WILL be victorious!!
Gracee ran around all afternoon yesterday without shoes on. she was running around in the grass chasing bubbles, running up to the neighbor girls on the bicycles begging for a ride, going on walks with her neighbor friends up and down the sidewalk...she is so excited for spring!
We took these pix the other day at the park...it was still pretty cold that day, but we were VICTORIOUS!