Cumpleaños feliz

Ayer Hailey cumplio 27 años de edad y ahora es mi vieja. Espero que ella me perdone por haber tardado en anunciarlo al mundo. Pues ya sabe que todos la queremos demasiado y nos ha brindado mucha felicidad. Durante el año pasado ella me ha pedido que le hiciera tantas cosas pero yo le he fallado en cada caso. Ahora me pidio que le hiciera una torta hecha en su semejanza y como soy malo esposo la vergüenza me llevo a hacer lo que me pidio esta vez. Como no se nada de hacer tortas la que hice salio muy fea pero de todas maneras aqui la pongo. Si no le han deseado a Hailey un feliz cumpleaños, hagalo ahora.

Temple Square

Friday we drove to Salt Lake. This was one of the activities I requested for my birthday weekend and we all had a great time. Jack slept in the car (so Steve and I felt like we were on a date)! Jack didn't want to leave the Christus. It was really sweet.
The fountains were also a big hit. (Jack is being Dino Rex and Steve is proving that he can handle an evening at Temple Square)
We are being llamas (from the book 'Llama Llama Mad at Mama.' At the end little Llama walks on a wall and holds Mama's hand) I'm apparently a very pregnant Mama Llama (about six weeks....No, not six weeks along, six weeks until Pirate Griff comes)

Words of Wisdom

#1: Judge a picture book by the cover, but NEVER judge ice cream by the carton. The picture shows delicious chocolate flakes and then you open the carton and *POOF* the flakes are not flakes at all, but rather large and irregular chunks of chocolate.
#2: Don't agree to a sword fight UNTIL you know what you're up against. (Jack showed me his sword and then offered me a sword. Guess which was which. I asked him if he thought this was a fair match. Yup.)
#3: Don't buy paper towels. For years I have felt like less of a person because I refuse to spend extra money on paper towels. I've come to terms with this plan of action. Paper towels are silly. Use a rag! (I have learned to buy decent to nice toilet paper and Kleenex)

#4: If your husband has gas in bed (and you think a gun has just fired), but he really is a great man and an amazing father, just plug your nose or try laughing. Crying doesn't work.

#5: If your birthday is coming up and you think your family will read your mind and know exactly what you are dreaming of...it might be good to make a list. You know, just in case.

#6: Be easily amused.

Watch your step

Here is a sample of what you may find in some of the most diverse soil crust communities in the United States:

Did you konw that pomegranites grow in Utah?

Did you know that there is a place in Utah where cactus grow the size of five gallon buckets?



a place where fruit trees bloom the first week in March?


and at last, did you know that the Mojave Desert extends into Utah?

Yeah, I know. Its pretty darn close to heaven. Take a trip to see Utah's Beaver Dam Slope.

Draper Temple Open House

On Friday, Jack and I got up early and put on our Sunday clothes. We drove to South Salt Lake (Draper) while singing songs about Jesus and the temple. I mention this because it may have been the spiritual highlight of the day for Jack.

We parked at a chapel and watched a short movie about temples and the Draper area. Jack was an angel. Then we boarded a bus that drove us up the mountain to the temple. Again, Jack was an angel. (Note: the above picture is my not so angelic Jack on the ride down the mountain)

Now the exciting part! We got to walk through the temple ("This is a kid temple, Mommy?"). I wanted to talk to Jack about the sacred rooms and how the temple makes me feel close to my Father in Heaven. Umm...Jack wasn't an angel anymore. He wanted to gallop and somehow he squeezed us onto the elevator that was reserved for elderly. He did hold my hand very well the entire visit and he did see a painting of Mary and Joseph and suggest that we name our baby Jesus.

There was a nice reception following the tour and Jack loved his chocolate cookie and "cute" little water bottle. He confirmed that the elevator ride was his favorite part of the temple. Someday the temple will mean more to him.


Here is a short video about why we (Latter-day Saints) build temples.

The Music Man

Jack went to a concert last weekend with Grandma Leavitt. He is now a master when it comes to the violin. Daddy and I stand corrected. The violin does not rest on your shoulder.

Baby Moon

So Hailey was really anxious to have a child-free vacation before the next one comes. Well, Grandma L. was willing to watch Jack and all Hailey, and I had to do was decide where to go. She wanted Hawaii and I wanted Iceland. Neither of us could be convinced that the others destination was better so we ended up compromising. We decided to meet right smack dab between our ideal vacation spots. That's right, Cortez Colorado (smack, smack dab would probably end up in Iowa but no one wants to go there so I lied a little to Hailey). We had a wonderful weekend Jack-free and saw some really cool places. I was convinced that we could actually find a cozy place to move into and almost had Hailey convinced. Here are a few pics of what we saw:


We asked the Navajo gods for a little direction. We're not too sure if if helped.

Here was an option that we found in Aztec, New Mexico. Sadly I'm just too over sized. In fact, tonight at dinner I told Hailey that the meal had made me even fatter, and her response was "I don't think you can get any bigger".

So Hailey thought we could upgrade from our place on Sarah Circle so we checked out a fixer upper on Mesa Verde