Feliz Navidad and UTAH/BYU

Emmry Davidson, Morgan and Camryn's reading group!

Camryn helping Dad finish the tree.

Feliz Navidad dancers/BYU and Utah fans!

A good game, not the ending I was hoping for...

So April and I left the BYU/Utah game content, April was happy the Y won and I couldn't complain, it was a good game after all. When we got home and heard about the comments made by Mr. classy, which put a bad taste in our mouths. I then jokingly said to April that I should make this shirt, to which she said, "yeah that would be funny." April helped me make two of these shirts for me and for my friend Doug, which we proudly wore to the Utah-Michigan basketball game. They were a hit.

November 19th, our 5 year Anniversary!!!

November 19th, 2004

We were sitting a couple of rows behind these clowns.

So five years ago on November 19th, I became the luckiest guy around when April said Yes to have (put up with...) me for Eternity. I am truly grateful for her love and support these past five years.

For our anniversary this year, April wanted to plan it all out. She arranged for us to stay up at Wolf Creek up in Ogden Canyon for two nights (thanks Elena). On the 19th, we went to dinner overlooking the SLC Temple and then went to the Temple and then we drove up to Eden. The next day we just watched movies and lounged until we drove up Brigham City and ate at Maddox Ranch House (best filet mignons in the west). Then we went up to the Utah St. vs. #6 Boise St. game. (She was a little embarrassed/worried because I was chanting "Overrated" and "Mountain West's 4th place team" to Boise St. when we were surrounded by orange clad fans. It made if fun that I had no stake in the game and I could annoy the Boise fans).

It was a good weekend to have to ourselves. I am a lucky guy to have such a wonderful wife and mother to my daughters. (Yes, we were both very excited to get home to see them after it was all said and done).

Thanks April for the best 5 years of my life.

Mommy and Morgan's trip to see Grandma Rowe!!!

April, Morgan, Grandma Rowe and McKylin at Penn State's Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.

Mac, April and Ryan Seacrest...

The Nittany Lions!

The Buckeyes!

The legendary Joe Paterno.

Aunt Holly interviewing Terrelle Pryor after the game.

Grandma and April with the Joe Pa statue.

Back in Pittsburgh.

April ran into Kyle Korver at the Airport.

So a couple of weeks ago, April and Morgan went out to visit Grandma Rowe in Pittsburgh with Aunt Holly and McKylin. April was very excited to see her mom, even though it would be the longest she had ever been away from Camryn. Holly was doing the Ohio St. v. Penn St. game and April and McKylin got sideline passes. Babies aren't allowed on the field, so Grandma had Morgan up in the stands. April loved the trip, even though Morgan wouldn't sleep on the plane or at Grandma's. April loved her time with Grandma, Mac and Holly.

Our little Wild Thing...

Ever since Camryn was very little, she has loved "Where the Wild Things Are." Morgan is warming up to it, but Camryn has always loved reading that book, for her it ranks up there with "Go Dog Go" and "Mr. Brown Can Moo." We aren't sure when she first started saying the Wild Things phrase, but she has done it for a while.

Here she is with her Aunt Amanda telling her about all the things the Wild Things do. She is a smart little wild thing.

Speaking of "Where The Wild Things Are," April and I went to see the movie when it first came out. We both grew up loving the book (in fact I still have my very well worn copy from when I was just a little guy). It would be hard to say that we "liked" the movie although we did, it wasn't what we were expecting at all. It was very real... at least the emotions of each wild thing. We loved it, and yet... it left us wishing it would have done more. It was hard not to get wrapped up in the feelings of the Wild Things, so I guess it was well done. Not a kids movie, but a light hearted and heavy hearted movie.

A little cow and a pig for Halloween...

For Halloween this year, Camryn was a cute little cow and Morgan was a cute little pig (I guess "Morgie Moo" maybe should have been the cow, but...). The girls and April were cute and April was patient with me as I went to the U of U blackout game Halloween night. Camryn and Morgan loved trick-or-treating. In fact Morgan got so into knocking on the doors that she fell when one of the doors opened because she was knocking so hard!

Morgan is a walker now!!!

So this video is from September (it was too big to upload to blogger, so I had to go through youtube unfortunately), Morgan has decided to walk, she doesn't do it all the time yet, but more and more each day. She is a cutie. Camryn, in case you couldn't tell, is quite the singer... well she loves singing anyway. The girls are so sweet together and love to hug each other and cuddle together (even though Camryn's attempts to help/love Morgan end up like they did in the video sometimes). They are cute together.

The Alpine Loop at its finest...

It is hard to say which of the seasons is best for the Alpine Loop, there is something to be said about springtime when the mountain comes back to life or about the ferns growing under all the quaking aspens in the summer, but the mountain seems to explode in the fall. It was fun to drive it and have Camryn get excited about the colors she could see.

A quick drive along the Burr Trail...

Quite the Cottonwood.

Steve Leavitt looking for Lichens.

Strike Valley and the Waterpocket Fold

Part of the beauty of the Burr Trail.

So my friend Steve Leavitt and I decided to make a quick run down to Capitol Reef a couple of weeks ago. We took the Burr Trail just outside Boulder and drove across the Strike Valley and the Waterpocket Fold. It was a beautiful drive that I highly recommend. The rabbit brush was a spectacular yellow and we had the place to ourselves. We hiked a couple of slot canyons. It was quick, dusty and good. A classic Steve Leavitt trip.

Morgan's 1st Birthday!!!

Apparently, Mommy was still reveling in Saturday's upset.

Ashlyn, Cam diddle and Morgie Moo!!!

Morgie Moo just turned one year old. We sure love her and the little personality she is developing. She is cute, especially when Camryn and her play together and get so excited being with each other. We had two parties for her, one down in St. George with her Marcroft cousins and then at home with the Rowe and Felix relatives all coming to celebrate.

Trying to get the summer into three weeks...

Here is a load of pictures to recap the busy last couple of weeks of summer. With daddy being gone all summer, we tried to make up for it in the last few weeks. We went to the Bountiful parade with Aunt Amanda, Uncle Daniel, McKylin, Mommy's friend Maura with her two kids Amara and Shareef.
Camryn is growing up, now she is in a toddler bed, although I think she spends more time sleeping on the floor by her door...
We were able to catch the last day of the Oquirrh Temple Open House, which was great because we had been mistakenly told that we couldn't take kids to the Draper Temple open house and we were very excited to take the girls. They loved it and Camryn has talked about wanting to go to the Temple ever since.
Our sister-in-law Sara told us about the Salt Lake Connect Pass, which enabled us to go to all these great places in Salt Lake for $20.00 each adult. The catch was, you had only 2 consecutive days to do it. We got to go to great places like the Hogle Zoo, Red Butte Gardens, The Museum of Natural History, Discovery Gateway's Children's Museum, Tracy Aviary, Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum, This is the Place Heritage Park and even included a meal at the Lion House. It was great and it was really fun to watch the girls enjoy each place and see their eyes as they discovered new things. It was exhausting, but really fun. It was also neat to take the girls to their Great Great Great Great Grandpa Heber C. Kimball's home at This is the Place, where I got to show them how he lived and also the work on the house that Nate and I did when it was being built. Well this has been a long post, but I am sure Grandma Rowe and Aunt Jen will love it.

Mommy and Maura at the Bountiful Parade.

Camryn doing the "U" sign!

Camryn's big girl bed!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House.

Camryn and Morgan riding ponies at This Is The Place Heritage Park.

Heber C Kimball Home.

Utah Museum of Natural History

Discovery Gateway's Children's Museum.

Camryn loved the energetic little snow leopard.

Tiger!

Camryn at Red Butte Gardens

Mommy and Morgie Moo!!!

Eagles at the Tracy Aviary.

Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum.