As fast as I can update

This is going to be a picture update of what we've been up to.

First week of school someone ran into Jordan as he was backing out at the high school parking lot.  The accident was a no fault accident so he ended up having to do some body work on the pick-up.  Always a fun learning experience for him.

Riley has been busy learning how to use dad's wood tools.  His latest project:

 

Got to love the crazy pig eyes he painted on.

He's also been working hard on learning the guitar.  I love watching Riley because you can always tell when he is really concentrated...he always has his tongue sticking out.

I mentioned this to him while I was taking the pictures and the first one he was trying real hard not to stick anything out.

You know Brad got his rowing machine and stationary bicycle to help with his rehab.  The kids and I have also gotten to know the machines fairly well.  Riley, again, on the rower.

And Brad on the bike

He thought it would be funny to take a picture like that for his friend, John, that he goes moutain biking with.  He is improving nicely but still is in constant pain.  Down to one crutch.  Oh, and he did hit the road with me on a bike this week!  Major accomplishment for his leg!

One more of Riles.  He had a special day with dad rowing up at Lemon Lake and when they were done he started trying to catch some fish by hand...and did.  Here's his loot from that day.  Every single one caught by hand, no pole.

He was pretty proud.

Some mischievous antics of ours.  We have this large photo that I had printed that ended up too pixelated and the company that did it redid another for free for me.  What to do with the other that looks good far away but not close up?  Hang it up as high as we can on our best friends wall to greet them after they get back from vacation.  Yes we did.

And we took their ladder to boot :)  Hee!  Hee!  I'm waiting for the revenge.

The boys got to go pigeon shooting with a patient of ours who owns lots of land.  Lucky them when someone else pays for the ammo, clay, dogs and birds.

They even got a free lesson on gun safety.  Kenzie was too busy with theater to go or she would have loved to be there.  This kind if stuff is right up her alley.

Last but not least, our trip to Albuquerque to see the Lion King.  It was amazing!  The kids loved it.  So glad we had the opportunity to go together.  We even got to watch Napolean Dynamite at the hotel.  A family favorite.  Here's the scene where Napolean puts the tots in his pants to save for later.

And us at the Lion King:

 Our only regret...that our seats were so far away.  Brad says next time I'm making sure we get tickets close up.

True Beauty

I'm writing this for my daughter and for my sons and as I'm writing this I'm wishing I was much more eloquent in my writing than I am.  I wish I could make the words take life so you can understand what it is I feel in my heart about this subject.

I'm a vain person.  I'll be one of the first people to admit this about myself.  I always have been vain and I've always been extremely worried about my looks.  As I've grown older and struggled with the changes in my looks, I've done a lot of contemplating about how much emphasis I need to place on my looks.  Do I spend 2 or more hours a day working out to keep up the beauty or do I limit myself to a set amount of time and call it good?  Do my kids care if I'm the most attractive mom out there or is there something to love about me giving it up for them?  These are the questions I think a lot about and I try to find balance in my life. 

The other day I was sitting in the Women's general conference session and I was listening to the talks that were being given.  As I sat there listening, in front of me sat one of my sweet friends with 3 of her 4 daughters.  Her youngest daughter, 8 and still very petite, was sitting on her lap hugging her mom.  It was such a beautiful sight it brought tears to my eyes and I thought to myself, "Karina is beautiful.  She is beautiful because of the mother she is to those girls.  That is true beauty.  That is beautiful."  In that moment seeing my friend, I had an idea of what true beauty is.  It isn't about looking like Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Lopez, or Courtney Cox.  It isn't about being the skinniest or having the shiniest hair.  It isn't about wearing the most expensive clothes.  That child didn't care one iota about how her mother looked on the outside.  To her, she is beautiful.  To her, she is a safe person she can hold onto in this crazy world of ours.  Beauty isn't anything about what is on the outside.  It all has to do with what is on the inside and what we give to other people.  Kindness and Charity are what truly make a person beautiful regardless of how they appear to others on the outside. 

Final Hurrah!

Brad's leg is healing.  A bony callous was found in Brad's last xray so he is officially allowed to be weight bearing with two crutches.  This is painful and sad to watch though and as I watch him walk it emphasizes to me the long healing process of his injury.  The doctor has told us this over and over but seeing it is so much different than hearing it.  Since he is weight bearing we have bought a stationary cycle and rowing machine for him to rehab with.  Snapped a quick picture of him in his biking shorts the other day after a hard workout cycling.

Since I snapped a picture of him I figured I'd snap a picture of me too.  I had just finished 30 minutes on the rowing maching after an hour long bike ride where my derailer hanger broke.

I look old.  I don't know how to stop the aging process though so I guess I'll keep the picture regardless.

The weather has been cooling down rapidly.  We've been in the 50s and 60s almost every day.  This last weekend though we got a short reprieve from the crisp weather.  It heated to a whopping 75 degrees so we headed to the lake for one last hurrah with our boat.

When we put in the boat Brad said the Lake temperature was 66 degrees.  So Riley hopped in followed by all the boys.

Kenzie and I were smarter than that though.  At least, I thought McKenzie was.  However, soon after her refusal to hop in, she was cajoled into the water by an offer from her dad that if she jumped in she could learn to drive the boat.  So, in she went with her dad for a swim.

Not me though.  I still didn't hop in.  Then, when the kids were covered in goose pimples (literally),

this mean dad :

revealed his earlier lie of the water temperature.  It wasn't really 66 degrees.  It was 60.

So I was smart.  Although, to be fair, the water was beautiful and I too was almost coerced in by it's sparkling, smooth beauty.

All in all a good end to the boating season.  Lots of smiles were had and good family memories were made.

 

 

Colorado Colors

It has been beautiful this past month.  So, Brad loaded Riley, Ben, Jake and me into his truck and we went for our annual fall drive to see the colors.  Kenzie and Jordan got left home this year because we only had the truck and the kids fight like crazy when they are all squished in there together.  Why you ask?  Oh, we sold our suburban and bought a new one.  Yay!

Anyway, the drive was beautiful.  Here are my favorite pictures from the trip.  Please, come visit us in the fall sometime.  You will be amazed by the beauty.