The Grand Parade...

is in my opinion, not very grand.  American Fork has a tradition of a lot of trucks and advertising and not a whole lot of floats or bands.  Only a few this year.  What they lack in tradition they more than make up for in candy and parade fodder, therefore we forgive them.  We always sit with Reed's family and they are a fun group who we love being around. 

After the parade we took the kids and met Torie and Heather at the Lindon Pool.  We had never been before and it is pretty fantastic.  If you haven't gone, we should go.  It is a great time.

The Fun Run...

The Kids Fun Run adds an element to competition to the Steel Days Festivities that we just can't pass up.  The kids gear up every year for the big race and spend a lot of time recapping the event afterward.  This year Dad upped the ante, in an order to foster even more unhealthy competition between siblings, when he told Jake that he would give him $10 if he beat Torey.  If you know Jake, you know that the miser will do anything for money.  The girls also received the same offer.  Torey had to beat Taylor, and Taylor had to win the whole thing.  All they could think at this point was "Game On."

Torey unfortunately cramped up, but pulled up her big girl pants and moved ahead, and ended up taking 5th place in her age group.  Jake however took advantage of said cramp and earned himself $10, but only earned 6th place, just out of trophy range.  He found his comfort in a crisp green Hamilton.
Taylor did not win the entire race, but she did take 1st place in her group, second girl overall!  She was proud, we were proud, and all was right with the world.
Congratulations to all of those we know who participated in and finished the 5K race.  Some of the more distinguished gentlemen and fantastic ladies in our ward and family also placed and we would like to extend to them a hearty internet pat on the back and a boisterous CONGRATULATIONS!

Steel Days....

It is time once again for the annual Steel Days recap.  On Friday we took the kids to the carnival, but only because our parents took us.  They had a great time on the more grown up rides, but we did manage to talk them into the Ferris Wheel.

Reed amazed and astounded us all as he tried his hand at the hammer at the Family Picnic.  I won't say anything except to say that he rang the bell three times in a row and suddenly it got very hot where I was standing.  Way to go baby!  The earth's axis must have been a little off tilt this evening because Torey and Jake managed to win every game on the first try, while Taylor, who usually wins everything, had a bit of a struggle and had to return a couple of times to each booth to win.  She apparently needed to learn a little humility and perseverance, while the others just needed a self-esteem boost!

We love the Family Picnic - maybe we will see you there next year?

Everyday We Are Learning New Skills..

Jake had a friend call yesterday who wanted to play football.  He hung up the phone, swallowed hard, and asked Reed how to play football.  Reed quickly drew him some plays, explained the gist of the game, and sent him on his merry way, trying all the while to conceal his joy that an interest was being shown toward athletics - finally.  Luckily for Jake, no football was played that day, as he didn't want his inexperience to show.  

Dear Reed,

Today, realizing that a remedy had to be made, Jake asked the resident football expert, Moi, to help him out.  Taylor tagged along for moral support, and Torey was the photog.  Thanks Tor.  We started out with a basic game of catch.  We went over the fact that you throw a football differently than a baseball, how to hold the ball, and how to "aim for the numbers."  Reed, as it turns out, our kid can throw a missile, and I don't mean Taylor, who can also throw a missile.  Who knew?  Then we practiced catching while you run, cradling the ball like a baby, and the names of the players - quarterback, center, receiver, wide-receiver, etc. Then we talked about first downs, touchdowns, and taking a knee when the ball is slipping out of your hand to avoid the other team stealing it.  I was quite impressed with my knowledge, and Taylor filled in where she could.  Finally the heat of the day exhausted us, but not before we all silently congratulated ourselves on our athletic prowess.  Darling, did you know that being a mother comes with a new job description every day?  Speaking of job descriptions, do you think other moms are going back to school to get their mechanical engineering degree just so they can transform Bumblebee, Side Swipe, and Optimus?  I don't want to be the only mom in the class is all.  Anyway, we did what we could today, but are looking forward to tomorrow when you will be home to take over.  I can't get the ball to not spin.  Does that mean I throw like a girl?

Love, Nat

Fun in Idaho...

Because we were in some of the most beautiful country we had ever seen, we decided to take advantage of our trip to Idaho/Wyoming.  It has rained so much this year that everything is really green and pretty.  We are not sure if it is this way all of the time, or not, but we loved every minute we spent in the mountains.  Reed decided that we should at least hike around in the Tetons (Reed, was it the Tetons or that other name?) while we were there, and so we did.

This is a field of wild flowers that we ran across while driving. I only wish the kids were in white dresses and a linen suit.  Wouldn't that have been a priceless photo?  I need to be a better packer.

On the trail these elderly ladies, the obvious sisters, pointed out this humongous rock and told us that we should let the kids climb it, and so they did.  And I will tell you what.  It was HUGE, and we are grateful to those ladies for pointing it out, because it was fun too!
This is our family standing in front of the Grand Tetons, which are quite grand, and unique in their appearance, because of the peaks.  Reed and the kids had never seen them.  They are beautiful.  I can't understand why our family is all leaning one way, because there was no wind, and as far as I know all of our equilibriums check out. The only thing that could have made our hike better, was if we had seen a bear.  Then our trip would have been complete, according to Jake, who really loves a bear.  We have never seen a bear in the wild, and that would have been the place to do it.  Oh, well...
After our hike we ate at this deli in Victor called the Fresh Cut Deli, and if you are ever even close to Victor, Idaho you must stop and eat.  It was delicious, and that is an understatement.  If you are in Victor you can't miss it, because besides the grocery store it is the only place to eat.  It probably ran the other businesses out of town because it is so good.  And then we commenced our llllloooooonnnnnngggg drive home.  We decided that since we weren't in a rush we would take the Logan route home.  It was beautiful through Star Valley, Palisades Reservoir, into Bear Lake (where we discovered the grave and historical landmark for a really cool ancestor), and then through Sardine Canyon, and then to the freeway, and then home.  It was really long, but really beautiful, but by the end the long was winning out over the beautiful. Anyway, we had a great time with Reed on his trip, and would like to thank him for letting us tag along.  

Some of you may have wondered...

where we've been.  Well, the sign says it all...

Jake's in Jackson Hole, along with the rest of the family, and life is good.  Dad had a meeting with the Emergency Manager in Jackson and so we tagged along.  On the way our Mom drove, and she saved the lives of over 20 chipmunks, 100 sheep, 1 sheep dog, a badger, billy goat, and 2 jack rabbits.  Dad said we were in a hurry, and don't you dare slow down or swerve, but we found that when we yelled "Run, chipmunk, run" we managed to avoid hitting them.  It was our good deed for the day.  Dad wasn't even amused when Mom got in a staring contest with the sheep dog.  He made her honk and drive on.  Sometimes it's him that is the fun police, and not our Mom, who is it most of the time, except for when she is taunting Dad.
Here we are in front of the Jackson Hole park, with the big antler arch.  It was cool.  We can tell you any number of stores in Jackson that sell the same t-shirt or Native American jewelry for an outrageous price.  We can also tell you that parking is non-existent, and that there are a lot of bars we can't go in.  We did run into something that was scary and exciting all at the same time...
We saw Bigfoot.  He is in Jackson Hole, and he is stuffed.  You can stop worrying about him now.  He has been confirmed dead.  After that we found Dad, ate, and went to Driggs, Idaho to swim in our hotel.  We were in three states today - Utah, Wyoming, then Idaho, then Wyoming, then Idaho.  It was crazy.

Happy Independence Day...