More Beauty & Fun in February!

"The most beautiful view
is the one I share with you"

February 7th, 2010

in Southeast Idaho...
Frosty welcome sign that greeted us as we pulled up to our house after attending church meetings.

The frosty beauty was SO gorgeous
with the white trees and bright blue sky that I had to snap some photos to preserve the moment.
I can truly say that I enjoy each Season of the Year and you can ALWAYS find beauty wherever you are!

PINK cookies with Sprinkles
make any day better!
Twas' the week of Valentine cookie baking.
LOTS of cookie making went on this week,
from sending Tracy to Scouts with treats, treats for visiting teachers, kids teachers, work parties and family and neighbors.
You would have thought it was Christmas!

The printing company
that I work for has a new product line and I decided to have some Valentine cards made to send to Grandparents and family that live out of town.

I am SO proud of Ethan Kip.
He was one the "Academic Achievers"
and got to go and eat lunch with the principal this week.
He sure does an amazing job in school!

Ethan LOVED his Valentine party
he had at school and LOVED coming home and looking through all of his valentines he received.
I really do think that kids have just as much fun on Valentine's Day as they do on Christmas!

Friday February 12th...
My Handsome sons Ethan and Jade!
After making 3 batches of sugar cookie dough and baking over 10 dozen cookies, this is all that was left of the cookies on Friday afternoon!


PRESIDENTS DAY Weekend 2010

We try to take a little getaway every year on President's Day weekend. Nothing much, usually just a quick trip to SLC and to spend a little time with my famly.
This year our weekend got off to a late start as I had to work on Saturday and we got a phone call early in the afternoon that Tracy's nephew Robby was home and they were having a going away party for his on Saturday night as he is flying out on 2-16 to serve 4 years in Okinawa Japan, as an air traffic controller for the Air Force.

Since we had already planned to go to Utah,
we dropped by and told Robby and Angel goodbye.
It is going to be sad
to have them so far away, but what a blessing it is to have such great technology that you can email and hear from each other every day.

Turning off the highway
and now we're just one mile away from my parents house.
They live at the top of that hill at the end of this road.
The mountains that they get to enjoy each day are GORGEOUS!!

TEMPLE SQUARE

"Music and the Spoken Word"
has been a part of some of our weekend getaways, although, the last time we went and enjoyed this, it was when they were still performing this in the Conference Center because they were remodeling the Tabernacle.

I always marvel at
the size of the Tabernacle. It is so much bigger on the inside than it looks like it will be. The architecture is amazing to consider it was done over 130 years ago and to the magnitude it was.

It was SO exciting to be there.
The hot pink background color was gorgeous!
This is a photo taken from our seat where we were sitting. The guy running the camera, kept on doing funny things to people in getting his camera up really close to their faces. Our kids enjoyed this immensely.

We looked at our programs
and enjoyed listening to the choir and orchestra warm up before the program actually started.

Since it was on Valentine's Day
the program was all about Love.
I loved the reading that Lloyd D. Newell did during the program about the true story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning and how her Love Sonnets touched the world.

"Grow old along with me,
the best is yet to be"!

If we lived in the SLC valley,
I really think I would come and enjoy this every week!

My parents, me and Jade and Ethan after the performance.
SO grateful we could spend some time with my parents as Christmas was a little hectic.
My mom LOVES every moment she gets to see and spend with her grand kids.

Ethan Kip is enjoying the sunshine!

My sons by the reflection pool
with the Temple reflection

I was enjoying very much
the WARMTH of being without a coat on February 14th.
The weather in Idaho is nothing like this.

My three favorite people!

While we were waiting for our kids
to use the bathroom I noticed this cool reflection of the Temple in the window.

WHAT?!?
Green bushes, blooming flowers and tulips sprouting up?
We still have 2-3 feet of snow in our yard. Spring won't be coming to our house for a few more months and so what a
joyous thing to see life and beauty
to break up the cold winter for us.
This gives us hope that spring is not far away.

A trip to SLC wouldn't be complete
without eating at Fuddruckers.

SO YUMMY
and I just absolutely love the decor inside.

Jade noticed this cool art
as we were driving along and wanted his photo taken by it.

I had to snap this photo at it brought back memories.
I can't believe it was 8 years ago that the Olympics were in Salt Lake City and that we were there in March of 2002 with a Preemie baby in the NICU at University of Utah hospital.

My sweet kids are growing up way too fast!

FUN at the Gateway...although we were saddened that they are not allowing people to use the climbing wall in Dick's sporting goods.
Ethan was SO excited to be able to finally climb it as he has been to young the previous times we came here.
I guess with the economy and the liability of insuring this type of a thing, they have had to close it down.

*********************************

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16th!
Tracy had to head into a work for a few hours and I was able to get us unpacked from our trip and a little organizing done.
Afternoon delight and lunch with my sweetie were the highlights of my afternoon.

When the kids got off the school bus,
we grabbed some snacks and went and spent the rest of the evening
soaking and swimming at Heise Hot Springs!
We were privileged to be able to sit and watch 2 doe deer eating for over 15 minutes. It was wonderful to enjoy the warm water, sunset and deer all in the same moment of time.

I just LOVE
every moment of time
that I get to be with my hubby
and
weekend and daily adventures as a family
are my second favorite thing!

February 18th...
I heard Ethan SCREAMING
"MOM, a heart, Mom a heart"
SO, I ran out to see what he was talking about and low and behold the way the sun was shining in through the window it was casting this heart shape on our carpet.

I just LOVE the excitement of little kids
and how they NOTICE every little thing around them.

Enjoying and Cherishing
each and every moment of this precious life!