The Tumbler

For the past few months Alex has been involved in a class - a tumbling class.  I've always thought that Alex has a gymnast's build.  Lean and wiry - the kid has a body made for jumping, vaulting, and flying through the air.  Sure enough, Alex has been a natural.

I don't know if gymnastics will be in his future, but for now it awesome to watch his moves.  Cartwheels, handstands, somersaults and more -  Alex can do it all.

 

Turkey Bowl

I've enjoyed playing football on Thanksgiving for years.  Back in high school it was a chance to get out some nervous energy while waiting for dinner.  In my twenties it was a good competition with friends and a chance to rekindle past glories.  Now, the turkey bowl is a way to get out and be active.  My number one goal is to walk away from the field without any injuries.  I don't care about the score, the moves, the competition - I just want to stay healthy.

Over the past few years I've had a couple of Turkey Bowl injuries and I thought about hanging it up.  Then 8 o'clock on Thanksgiving rolled around and I couldn't resist.  It was a simple game.  A few of the youth from the ward and some of old dudes.  It was a great morning.  Everyone had fun.  Best of all - no one got hurt!  Especially me!

Turkey Day

Our Thanksgiving Day was full of blessings.  We wanted to help the kids understand a little bit more about all the great things we have in our lives so we made a little craft.  We made Thanksgiving turkeys.

Each of the kids wrote down something they were thankful for on a paper feather and we created our gratitude turkeys.  It was a simple reminder of our blessings and a fun way to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving

Diary of a Utah Fan

The Utes first season in the Pac 12 has certainly been a wild ride.  Confidence was high in the beginning as we played well and started with a 2-1 record, including a 51-10 drumming of the y.  Then the injury bug hit, we lost Jordan Wynn for the season (no big surprise there) and the Utes stunk.  They lost their first four conference games and the year was dead in the water.  Utah was 3-4, the offense was terrible with the backup QB, the team couldn't stop anyone, and the season was bleak.  The low point was the Cal game, when the Utes were thoroughly outplayed and looked overmatched in the new conference.  The score may have been 34-10 but the difference in that game was huge.  We looked and played small.

Then an interested thing happened.  Utah changed the game plan.  We had to become a one dimensional team on offense.  John White emerged as the lone option and he started taking over.  Every game he seemed to top 150 yards rushing.  Even better, he held onto the football.   It gave us an identity.  We could run the ball.

The defense has been good all year.  There were a couple of games where teams scored in the 30's against them, but that was mostly due to short fields because of turnovers by the offense.  Since the Utes started taking care of the ball - the D has been stout.  Teams can't move the ball and we are creating turnovers instead of giving the ball away.

The Utes are back, winners of four straight conference games.  They now stand at 7-4, with a 4-4 record in the Pac 12.  This was unimaginable a month ago.  We were dead, but things have a funny way  of evening out.  Sure the schedule helped, as we started playing the lower teams in the conference - still, Utah has improved.  We are going to finish above 500 for our first year in the Pac 12.  Who knows, we might still play in the conference championship if the ball bounces our way.

A wild ride - that's for sure, but it's been a great time to watch Utah mature into a Pac 12 contender.  GO UTES!

Tracy Aviary

We decided to hit the free day at Tracy Aviary since the fall has been so beautiful.  We bundled up and took a little tour of the aviary.  The boys had a blast and I think we will hit the free day again sometime!

Fun in the Snow

We had the best time earlier today.  It was the first real snow of the year and we played and played.  The kids couldn't wait to get on their snow clothes and make a snowman.  Even though we didn't make much of a frosty friend, we had a great time rolling and packing the snow.

Kai even got into the mix as our little doggy couldn't get enough of the white stuff.  He chased balls, dug little patches, and ran around like it was the greatest thing ever.  It was awesome to see how excited Kai was to play in the snow.

After a fun day of play we headed inside to get warm, build our first fire of the year, and watch a video.  What a fun snow day....

Going Google

I mentioned several months ago that I was working on a little book project. Little did I know the time it would take and how hard it would be. I mean, come on, how hard could it really be to write about things I discuss every day? HARD. Between my lack of ability and Google constantly updating the way tools worked and looked this book took forever.

Well, I guess it's starting to become real. Instead of me working on a fun little project, I think there's actually going to be a book. Earlier this week the publisher sent me the rough copy of the cover. I will say this is the first time it really hit me - this book is going to happen. I don't know if anyone will buy it, but Going Google is moving forward. Let's just hope Google doesn't change the way it looks again before March....

Halloween: The Day in Photos

Video of the Day: Dizzy D

A few weeks ago we went to a park in St. George so the kids could play.  I was amazed at how many fun and innovative swings, slides, and other toys there were at the playground.  The kids had a total blast.  Of course, my favorite highlight was watching Dylan on a twirling ride.  He hung on tight and the rest is history.  You'll love how out of it this kid is when he tries to walk after being helped off the toy.  Classic!