A Double Funeral

Amidst all the fun, there has been some tragedy. My step-mother lost both her sister and her mother just four days apart. Her mother Nadine had been sick for several years now after suffering a stroke in 2006, but her sister Gina was healthy and engaged to be married for the first time at the age of 43 on July 11th. On Wednesday my Grandma Kay and I drove with Trevor to Port Angeles and back for a double funeral. It was a sad occasion, but wonderful to be with my dad and Carmen and all of Carmen's sons to celebrate lives well lived.

For those who know my dad you know that he is a pretty tough guy, but it has been good to see a softer side of him lately and to enjoy a renewed relationship with him. While we were all dressed up, which for my dad doesn't happen except at weddings and funerals, we took a four generation picture. As you can see, Trevor did not want to sit on grandpa's lap for the picture.


That sad and pouty face is almost better than if he had been smiling. Thanks Grandma for keeping us company on the long ride around the sound and for letting me share in the experience of your first milkshake in 20 years. I love you!

Orcas Island Family Bike Ride 2009

I haven't blogged in a while because this is my 100th post and I wanted it to be amazing...instead you get pictures from our Memorial Day weekend trip to Orcas Island.

The vacation started with a ferry ride from Anacortes (Noelle, I thought of you) to Orcas Island. Trevor loved to be on deck walking around. The ferry makes one stop at Lopez Island before reaching Orcas and Trevor was terrified of the farewell horn the ship captain blew just after departure, but he loves his cousin Averie.

It didn't take long at all for Trevor to zonk out in the bike trailer. Darren pulled Trevor while I listened to my iPod in an effort to maintain a postitive attitude amidst the hilly terrain on Orcas Island.

We stopped in Eastsound for lunch and took more pictures since it is so beautiful there.








On Sunday we did some canoeing on Cascade Lake and even canoed over to Moran State Park so that Trevor could play in the sand. And although the picture does not capture his excitement, Trevor did enjoy being right at the front of the canoe.








On Monday we went on a little hike up to Cascade Falls. The falls were beautiful and the hike was an adventure. Here is at least one picture on this trip (on the right) where Trevor is smiling...too bad he is not smiling at the camera.

It was a great trip and we hope to keep doing it year after year.

A Trip to Utah

We had a great time in Utah! Here is what we did...

On Sunday morning, I drove to SLC to see my friend Lindsay's little girl be blessed. It was a sweet blessing and baby Abby is adorable! I was sad that we didn't get to stay longer to visit, but I was glad I got to be there. There are some cute pictures of Trevor floating around on someone's camera, but I don't have copies yet.

On Monday I spent the day weeding in my sister-in-law, Deborah's backyard. I love to weed and I was missing my own yard back home. While I was weeding I found a peach pit that had started to sprout and so we replanted it someplace safe and when I left Utah it was still growing strong, so hopefully in a couple years I can visit and enjoy fresh peaches!

Wednesday was a really nice day and so Deborah purchased a pool so the kids could swim in the backyard. Trevor was really hesitant at first, but once he got over the cold water he had a blast splashing around.








Later that day Trevor was being silly and gurgling his milk. Here are some cute pictures that show off his funny side. What a ham!








Darren flew in on Thursday and after picking him up from the airport we went back to Springville for dinner and to put Trevor to bed. Trevor was so excited to see his dad he fought hard to stay up a play with daddy, but I won in the end and off he went to bed so that Darren and I could go to BYU for the NCAA Men's Volleyball Semi-finals. It was a double-header; USC vs. Penn State followed by UC Irvine vs. Ohio State. There was a long break between games so Darren and I met up with his brother, Doug and his wife, Annelisa and we got some ice cream at the Creamery on Ninth (I had never been before). It was a very late night, but worth it because we had a lot of fun.

On Friday night we drove up Provo Canyon and roasted hot dogs over a fire for dinner and had 'Smores for dessert. Trevor loved watching the fire, but luckily was cautious enough not to get too close. We had Darren's brother Devin take a quick family picture that turned out way cute!
On Saturday, Darren and his sister's husband Jonathan went to BYU to watch USC and UC Irvine battle it our for the 2009 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. They had a great time and even got to play some volleyball before the game started. UC Irvine ended up winning.

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother's Day with homemade Thai food that was a lot of work to prepare, but worth all the effort because it was amazingly delicious! I made some lilies using Trevor's hand print and we gave them to Darren's mom as a gift for her to remember Trevor by. As a Mother's day gift from my sister-in-law Deborah's ward I got a copy of the new Gospel Art Book which I thought was a pretty awesome gift!

Today, we are back home and missing playing cards until after midnight, extra hands to help with Trevor, and all the yummy food. But, after being gone for 10 days there is a lot of work to do in my yard and garden, so I better get off the computer and get to work. Utah Family...We miss you already!!!