HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICIA!!!!

Well, I just wanted to take a minute to share some thoughts about Ali's birthday! I can't believe my baby is 17. It seems like just yesterday that she was born. I was soooo excited to finally get a girl. She was my special gift from both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father who spent a short 10 days with her before she came to us.

As you can see by the pictures, Ali has always been quite the character. She had to learn to speak up to be heard over her three big brothers and it has served her well. Jeff & I are very proud of the beautiful (inside and outside) young woman she has become. We love you very much Ali Dar.

Forever your mom and dad

Mom and Dad

It has been a bit hard this week because of the upcoming anniversaries of both Mom and Dad's deaths. They have been and still are such a huge part of our lives. I have been thinking a lot about all that they taught me - by lesson and by example. A few of those lessons are: hard work (even when I hated emptying out the kitchen cabinets and washing EVERY dish because we put one away dirty- we never did it again!); giving; tolerance; patience (at least Mom); humor (when you could figure out if Dad was serious or not); love and ALWAYS accepting us even when they didn't agree with what we did.

We are SO lucky to have had them for the time we did. I miss them greatly but I KNOW that they are right there watching over us, cheering us on in our triumphs and comforting us in our trials. They weren't perfect, and they would be the first ones to tell you that, but they were the best parents you could ask for. I hope they are proud of me and my family. That would be the greatest tribute I can think of - to live my life in a way that would make them proud.

I miss them so much.

Steve

Steve wanted to know why I didn't have any pictures of him on here so I thought I should add some since we are so proud of him and what he is doing. So here are some great shots of Steve and his cute family.

Rantings?!

Well, I agree with Wendy about not always having to have pictures. If that is what is required there will be long times in between my blogs. All of you that read this know that we just spent a week going through Mom's stuff and it was hard but it was also fun to see all of the pictures and remember all the memories they brought back. I can't believe it has been almost a year since we lost Mom. So much has happened. Weddings, babies, illnesses, birthdays, Iraq, and so much more. I know she is here with each of us, helping along the way. I was so grateful for all the teamwork in Missouri. There is no way one or two people could do that alone. Well, that is all for now but I know Mom is close to all of our thoughts so I thought I would share some of mine. Love you all.

Getting ready for the Homecoming Game!!

This is the ultimate school spirit - ok it doesn't quite compare with Zach getting ready for the powder puff but this is the best we could do!!

LOTOJA

Well, I am getting lots of flak from the sisters to get back on here. Sorry I am such a slacker. Oh well. The biggest thing I haven't put on here is Jeff competing in the LOTOJA. That is a 207 mile bike ride from Logan to Jackson Hole. Some people do it alone but Jeff was part of a team. He decided to take it easy for his first time around. They finished right in the middle of their heat and were very proud of themselves. They are even already thinking of doing it again next year!!! It was a lot of fun for the riders and for the support staff - that was all the wives.