Happy 1st Birthday Boone!

Today our frisky labrador turns one year old! I can't believe how much he has changed since we brought him home last summer. He is still quite the puppy - very hyper, very hungry, and still learning. However, we've made huge strides with him in the last year! We are so happy that Boone came to live with us and can't believe he is already one.

Happy Birthday to all of Boone's litter mates as well!

Soccer Girl

Not all of you know this, but Andy and I have a small basketball "court" in our backyard. I love to play Horse, so this was one of the selling points on the house for me. When the kids first came here, I just assumed they would like it too. However, after seeing it, Mie Mie quickly informed us that she was afraid of balls. The one sport, she said, that the ball didn't scare her was soccer. So, we went and got a soccer ball. The only problem was that she didn't really know how to kick, pass, intercept, etc. So Andy decided to give her a soccer lesson one day, and Boone decided to join in. Mie Mie did really like it and will be playing soccer in the fall. (She is still scared of other balls - except for four square balls.)

...Pictures will be posted after adoption is finalized....

Learning to kick. I usually don't notice how much she mimics us until I see pictures like this... she often comes out copying the exact moves that one of us is making. I think it's cute.

Boone "stealing" the ball.

Trying to get the ball away from Andy.

It didn't work!

Utah Ski and Sundance Trip

It is sad, but true. I went 32 years without ever putting on ski boots. When I was little I just didn't have the opportunity to ski, and then as I got older I started to be more afraid of skiing. But in the last couple of years, I have really wanted to. So, around Christmas time I started talking with my friend Candice about going on a ski trip. We talked about a lot of possible destinations, but if I was going skiing for the first time in my 32-year-old life, I wanted to go to the best place I knew of... Park City. When my sister reminded me of the Sundance festival that happens each January, the decision was made. We quickly booked one of our timeshares in Midway, UT, bought tickets, rented a car... and in a few weeks we were off.

We had a ton of fun! We spent most of a day with two of my sisters that live in Utah, (well one of them just moved to Chicago.) Then we tried to get into some of the films by standing in the wait line. See, we had planned so late that there weren't any normal tickets left. Unfortunately, we didn't get into a movie... but we had a lot of fun waiting, and we know what to do next time!

Then we went skiing at the Canyons resort in Park City. Andy and I signed up for ski school, (Andy is typically a boarder so it was new to him too.) We had a lot of fun. I really liked the morning! I was doing so well, I only fell once, so I didn't really learn how to get up. After lunch we headed up to our first official run, and boarded the ski lift.

I don't know what it is about ski lifts, but I was terrified of it. And when it was time to get off, of course I leaned back and fell. But the lift operator didn't stop the lift and people came crashing into me from behind. And I couldn't figure out how to get up because my skis were still attached, (and I was being hit from behind.) The ski instructor yelled at the lift operator to stop the lift. Instead, she came over and grabbed my hand and tried to get me up... and there was a horrible pop in my hip. But I was up, and then she stopped the lift. After I was up. (Just in case it isn't clear, that is not what is supposed to happen!)

The instructor asked me if I was fine, I told her I was, and off we all went. There was a turn right away, and as I tried to wedge to turn, my hip cramped and I fell. I got back up and tried to go again. I fell three times in 5 minutes. So... I had the luxury of going down the hill with ski patrol on my first day. It should have been embarrassing, but it kind of figures that would happen to me! It had already been a long day of skiing, so we headed back to the condo.

That night President Hinckley passed. Because we were in Utah it was a huge deal, and we watched several news stories about it.

The next day we woke up to a full-on blizzard. We were supposed to go snowmobiling, but when we called to ask if it was still safe, they said that they weren't even going out. So instead we put on all of our snow gear and went on a walk outside of our condo, it was a lot of fun!

When it was time to go we drove back into Park City to shop and have lunch, and then left for Salt Lake. We got to Salt Lake about an hour early, so we stopped at Temple Square to look around. We had a really fun time and hope to be able to make this an annual tradition! (And yes, I am excited to ski again and NOT come down the hill with ski patrol.)

The first day I was so excited by the view, I woke up at sunrise and took mass pictures. I had a lot of good ones, this is one of my favorites.

This is from the day we spent with my sisters. That is Keira closest to the camera. Liel is furthest away.

Andy skiing down the hill.

Dzana skiing down the hill.

Andy all geared up the day we went hiking outside our condo.

Andy and I outside of the condo the day we left.

The flag flying half-staff at Temple Square to honor President Hinckley.

Learning to Frisbee

Frisbee has a history for Andy and me. When Andy proposed to me he said that I had to learn how to play frisbee before we got married. I was a horrible frisbee-thrower, but I got pretty good at it. Andy and I have spent hours playing - before we were married, when we first moved to Washington, and ever since. When Boone came to live with us we taught him how to play frisbee with us... so it stands to reason that we would want the kids to as well. So, one day we walked over to our park where there is a nice big open field. (I have lost many frisbees in blackberry bushes and had no desire to repeat that with the kids.) And we taught them how to play. We started out having them hold our hands when we did it, then we started throwing it to them from pretty close, and eventually we formed a big triangle and played with Mie Mie. (Nigel can't quite throw that far yet!) They had a blast, it was some of the first "big" laughs that we saw from both of them. Eventually they started playing keep away and just running back and forth with the frisbee, but even Nigel can kind of throw it now. Actually, he probably throws it better than I did when Andy proposed.

....Pictures to be posted after adoption is finalized....