The great outdoors

Having a nine month old helps you see the world for the first time again. We were out working in the yard a couple of Saturdays ago and Eleyna loved every minute. She was picking up leaves and grass and examining-and then tasting of course! She was fascinated by the trees and the sky. It was really neat to watch.

Isn't she adorable in that little pink coat? :)

The Big 3-0!

On Tuesday night we celebrated Bryson's 30th birthday with a big party! We barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs in our backyard and rocked out to 80's music courtesy of the dj I hired. After everyone ate, the plan was to do some karaoke. Sadly, only the kids and I were brave enough to sing for the crowd. I picked Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks-which, looking back, definitely wasn't the most appropriate song choice given the fact that Bryson isn't a wife-beater, so there was zero sentimental value involved. Anyway, after cake and ice cream, the party was still swingin', but we had to kick everyone out to get Hunter ready for bed. (That's when you know you're "old" I guess.) Thanks to all those who helped me get the party together and to everyone that came! It was really fun hanging out with all of the wonderful family and friends that love Bry.

BIAU 5K Weekend

We had a fun weekend! To kick things off, we woke up very, very early Saturday morning to drive to Salt Lake and run/walk in the annual BIAU (Brian Injury Association of Utah) 5K at Liberty Park. We wanted to participate to support our little buddy Charlie Christensen. We first heard about Charlie on the news the end of April. He is a one year old that contracted pneumoccocal meningitis last winter and spent the next four months at Primary's fighting for his life. He finally left the hospital on May 1st. I don't know how to explain this, but I feel a real affinity now with families that are called upon to endure a child suffering from a physical condition. My heart was instantly touched when I heard Charlie's story. The more I read about the Christensens, the more impressed I was by their optimism and long suffering.

When I heard that they wanted people who supported Charlie to participate in the BIAU race we were all over it. I'm proud to say that Bry and Hunter jogged/walked the entire 3 miles. Me and Grandma Janeen probably logged 2.5 miles (walking very slowly) since we took a short cut after a much needed bathroom break. My thanks to Janeen for being my walking buddy and my cousin Andee to showing up and supporting the cause! The highlight of the race was meeting Charlie and some of his family. It was neat to see both amazing little boys side by side. If you'd like to read more about Charlie, check out his blog: http://www.charliecooperjackjack.blogspot.com/.

Hunter and Charlie
On Sunday we had the traditional Sunday birthday dinner for Bryson at Janeen's. She made lasagne and a yellow cake with chocolate frosting at Bry's request. It was delicious. We managed to squeeze in family nap time both afternoons...life doesn't get much better than that!