Happy 40th Birthday, Mike! 6-29-08

Mike turns the big 4-0 on Sunday, June 29. We are sure glad he was born! The world is a better place with him in it!

Our Dad is the Best in the West!

One of the first things I remember Mike saying is, "I'm going to be the best dad, just like my dad." (This was 1991 and I remember thinking, "OK, I'll take that one for my eternal companion!") Mike has more than lived up to this vow. He loves his kids! He reads to them each night from the best books, and gathers our family for our nightly study of The Book of Mormon and family prayer. He works hard every day and never complains. He teaches his sons by example that dads pitch in and clean up around the house, and that they can smile and have fun while doing it. He makes time to attend every ball game and practice, and loves playing catch with his sons in the backyard. He has a special way with Kenly, and makes her laugh but loves to tease her just as much as he teases the boys. He is the one the kids want by their side when they are sick. Every time I witness these close, eternal relationships he is building with his kids, I fall Moore and Moore in love with Mike. He is the Best!!!

...And did I mention he is King of the Grill? I may have planned the meal, but Mike grilled the
hand-cut ribeyes to perfection!

Ooh, succulent marinated meat with sauteed mushrooms and red onions, and asparagus braised in olive oil. We didn't mind when Tanner and Kaden took one disdainful look at dinner and requested mac-n-cheese....we'll eat their portion for lunch tomorrow!

We love our Dad!

Exciting Trip Home from Utah

As you can see from the pictures below, we had a bit of fun on the way home from our vacation in Utah. About 20 minutes outside of Cody, a deer came out of no where and Amy had no time to swerve or even slow down, so she hit it at 70mph! It threw the deer about 100ft from the point of impact, and didn't do our van much good either. Amy did a great job of keeping the van under control and pulling off the side of the road safely. She didn't lose control until she got out of the van and saw the damage, and realized what could have happened. We feel really blessed that none of us were hurt. Even with all of the damage, we were still able to drive home and hopefully the insurance will take care of the rest. Apparently you are not a "real" Wyomingite until you hit a deer, so I guess we are true Wyomingites now:)

Utah Vacation May/June 2008

Piano Recital

Jordan had his first piano recital after taking lessons for just 2 months. We were so excited to see how well he did performing for the first time in front of close to 50 people. We are really proud of you, Jordan!!

How we met...

How We Met...

Although we started dating 17 years ago this month, Mike and I had known each other even earlier, since school started at Utah State in September 1990. Mike, age 22, and his awesome roommate Steve Morgan had been assigned to hometeach the freshmen girls in apartment #34, and I was never so eager to have hometeachers! The first time I saw Mike he was wearing a dark blue, paisley print, button-down shirt and tight Levi 550's, and he had a sweet, wavy, dark-haired mullet. Tall, dark, and absolutely gorgeous. All year long these hometeachers never missed a month, but Mike and I continued to date other people...Mike mostly dating girls who asked him out first. He did call me once (#5 or 7 on the list of girls) to ask me out for Korean food in SLC (eeew, I remember thinking, Korean food?!) and though I already had a date that night, before I could choose my words they came out in a torrent: "But please ask me again sometime; it's my goal to go out with you!" (His response, "Uh, okay...") That 'goal' came true on Mother's Day 1991. (It's a long story, involving a villain, a rescuer, and a happy ending...but we'll save that for another time.)

Monkeying Around and Catch'n Air

On a bike ride with the boys the other day, we didn't make it very far because they wanted to stop and play at one of the school playgrounds. It was fun and I got some good shots of them in action. I especially like the one of Kaden jumping out of the swing. He definitely ate some sand on that landing:)~

Kindergarten Circus

Tanner had his Kindergarten Circus on May 9th. He was the cutest Wildcat out there! It's quite the event here in Powell each year....standing room only! Although the circus is kind of fun, after sitting for one and a half hours on hard benches with no room to move, Amy and I decided that we aren't too disappointed that Tanner is our youngest!

Uplifting and Inspiring

For many years, the Mesa (Arizona) Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had exhibits on the temple grounds during the Easter season. This year, there was also a 'Reflections of Christ' photography exhibit in the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center. The photographer was given permission to photograph pageant cast members for the exhibit. They traveled to various locations in Arizona that the photographer thought looked like the places in Israel where these events took place and recreated the scenes. The photographer worked with a few others to put together a 5-minute slideshow which includes every image from the exhibit and set it to the hymn ' Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.'

Just remember when you're watching the video that these are photographs -- they aren't paintings. You can expand the video to fill the screen by clicking the icon in the lower right (left of the volume control).

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

Bamma's Birthday!!

Mom (known to our kids as "Bamma") just had her birthday last week. I'm not going to divulge Mom's age, but if I didn't know, and was just judging her age based on looking at the pictures (the most recent is at the bottom), I'd put her at around 39 or so. She was dang cute as a little girl, and kind of a hottie (can I say that about my own Mom??) when she was in high school, but she seems to keep getting better looking the older she gets. Amazing!! We sure love you Bamma, and hope you had a great birthday....whichever one it was!

Ten Sleep BBQ

Last week we went to Ten Sleep for a BBQ that Kent (Eleutian's CEO) had at his place. We had some members of our Eleutian Korea team in town for some strategic planning meetings, so Kent wanted to show them some Wyoming fun. We all had a blast experiencing horseback riding, bum lamb feeding, 4-wheeler rides, cat birthing, great food, and great people. Everyday I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity I have to work with Kent and the rest of the team at Eleutian. One note....the cowboy hat isn't mine. I just wore it to look the part:-) YEEHAW!!

Some favorites from the past!

I've been going through old digital pictures lately and trying to get them somewhat organized and in one place. It's been a blast seeing pictures that I haven't seen for a long time. I grabbed some of my favorites and added them to this slide show. Even though we are glad to be past certain stages of life, it's hard not to miss having babies around.

Dancing Down the Halls at East High

Boys' School Pictures

The boys just got their school Spring photos, so of course we have to share. Aren't they handsome little guys!! I keep telling them not to grow up, but they don't listen very well.

Kaden

Jordan

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