Temple Square

Every year at Christmas, my (Christine's) family would pile into our van and make the drive from Idaho to see the lights on Temple Square. So to carry on the tradition, our little family has done it every year since Levi and I were married. This year, Levi had a class in SL and my dad was picking up my mom from the airport, so we all met up to see the lights. Gideon loved the lights and especially the temple. As we were walking around the square, I heard him singing softly in his stroller... it took me awhile before I could stop and catch the words, but he was singing "I Love to See the Temple." It was so sweet! He said it looked like a castle.

We do love the temple and are grateful for the Christmas season to slow down and remember our Savior.

I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest, most blessed person in the world!

I couldn't resist including one of the toughest flowers I've ever met!

Levi's reasons why Gideon is pretty much the coolest kid EVER!

When we get ready to put Gideon to bed at night we have a little routine we normally go through, most nights he gets a bath and then after he’s all dressed in his jam’s we brush his teeth and then read three books and say prayers and turn out the lights. After the lights go out we will rock him in an old lazy boy grandma jerry gave to us. While I rock him he lies his head on my shoulder, and once in a while he will put his hand up on my cheek and gently rub my cheek while he is getting a few quiet minutes with daddy. I think it is the sweetest thing and it is one of my favorite parts of being a dad. I just am so overwhelmed at times that I get to be a father to such an awesome kid. The other day I was rocking Gideon in his chair before bed and he started to rub my cheek. After a moment or two he started rubbing my cheek harder and harder, (I hadn’t shaved for two days) then he started to squeeze and pull on my cheek really hard until I asked him to stop and calm down for bed time. Then he said “daddy face uh real CWERATCHY”! I thought it was kind of funny but tried not to laugh. A few minutes later he sat up and said “Daddy face don’t CRATCHY Gideon’s face!” And he pulled up his blanket so that it covered my neck and most of my face, so he wouldn’t feel my neck and cheek anymore. After that I couldn’t help it and I started laughing.


When Gideon wakes up in the morning and wants us to come get him out of bed he screams MOMMY and/or DADDY for a little while, and if that doesn’t do the trick he starts trying to really get our attention and yells WEVI, CHRISSINE until we go get him. Sometimes when he is really needing mommy he tries the “HON” or the “WHEETHAART” approach which always makes me laugh and usually works.

Another awesome thing Gideon has learned, is that when he is out shopping with mommy he can get a good reaction from Christine if he starts yelling really loud. We have been trying for the longest time to teach him to use a quiet voice with little to no progress. When he is yells we ask him to use his quiet voice, and demonstrate the technique, still we have made little progress on that front. Well recently when he was at the store and feeling a little impatient with mom he started yelling so that she would know very clearly that he was tired of being at the store. A little embarrassed to have a screaming kid in the check out line, Christine did what any good mom would do, she quietly and politely asked him to use his quiet voice so he did what any good toddler would do and screamed “QUIIIIIIIET VOOOOOOOOOICE”! Of course every one around him started laughing about it which was an added bonus for a triumphant toddler. He has used this method in the checkout line many times since and it seems to serve him quite well because mom gets embarrassed, other people laugh and smile at him, and their shopping trips usually seem to end shortly after.

Well those are the reasons that come to mind right now and it’s getting late so I will have to add some more reasons later. Be sure to check back and if anyone has any good reasons why they think that their kid might be the coolest kid ever let me know!

-Levi

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday

We are thankful for so many things this year! We are grateful for a warm home, food to eat, a loving, healthy family to eat it with, and, as always, the breathtaking world we live in. On Thanksgiving I was watching the National Dog Show, and it struck me again what amazing things the Lord has created- such beauty and utility for us to enjoy. I love it! And, what a blessing to look out my window and see the majestic mountains covered in the first real snow of the season... sometimes I feel like I live in a postcard.

Over the holiday, Ethan (Levi's brother), Natalie and Camilla stayed with us on their way to Beaver... it was so fun to see our new niece for the first time! I had to steal some pictures from their blog because we didn't get any with our camera... thanks Natalie! :)






On Thanksgiving day we ate dinner with my sisters Cheri and Cara, and their families. It was so nice to have a wonderful dinner that none of us had to make by ourselves! Great food and company.


Oh, and am I allowed to say that one of the highlights of the holiday was the BYU vs. University of Utah game? Because it definitely was!!! Can I just say... fourth and 18?!? Yes, I ran onto the field... it just wouldn't have been right not to (although the jump from the railing is a lot higher than I remember). So much fun!


There's nothing quite like it in the world!

If you have three minutes, you should check this out!
http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=Sports&cat3=2007&cat4=07FTB%20vs%20UTAH

Coming Soon to a Hospital Near You!

We have another little bean on the way! This still ultrasound isn't near as much fun as the real video of the little guy wiggling around, but it's a good reminder that something is really, truly going on in there! I am 12 weeks and the due date is May 31, 2008. Our doctor had to come in to deliver Gideon on the 24th of July, so we told her we'll shoot for Memorial Day! We are really excited, and especially excited to get out of the super sickness phase. We haven't said much to Gideon because he's so little... we'll wait till it's a little closer. But, when we do randomly ask him if he wants a little sister or a little brother, he ALWAYS says "Little sister!" So, we'll see... maybe when it's closer to the 20 week ultrasound (January), we will put up a poll to see what ya'll think (as for me, as much as I want a little brother for Gideon to wrestle with, I'm feeling girl). Love and miss you all!

Thank You Honey

I've wanted to change the blog for awhile, but something always comes up when I'm trying to be creative... so, this time when Levi came up to tell me it was time for church, I asked him his opinion on the colors for the blog. He said, "Black and Pink only." (I think it's on his mind because we've been watching the new season of the Amazing Race and he's subliminally lashing out at his least favorite team) Anyway, here you are, Levi. It's all your fault. :) He's gonna love it!

Halloween Fun

We had such a fun Halloween! It started the Saturday before, when we went to Hogle Zoo to trick or treat and see the animals. Gideon LOVED seeing the elephants and monkeys.
On Monday, we carved the pumpkin that Gideon and I had picked out at the pumpkin patch. Gideon picked a ghost to carve because he was really into ghosts this year (don't worry, he didn't have anything too dangerous while carving).

On Halloween night, Gideon and I met up with Levi at BYU for dinner... Gideon LOVES going to "BYU Cougars," especially when we get to see Daddy. BYU sponsored a Halloween carnival where Gideon got to meet Cosmo the Cougar and trick or treat. He got a little nervous when he got close to Cosmo, but he talks about him all the time now.

After the BYU carnival, we went to the trunk or treat and carnival our ward sponsored. This is Gideon eating the donut from the string. He LOVED saying trick or treat and getting "canny."

Here's Gideon with one of his little friends Jack... it was fun to see his reaction to the costumes!

Fun Videos

Almost Caught Up- Here's October!

Gideon spent the evening with Grandpa Longmore, his uncles, cousin and Daddy at the Father-Son Campout for my Dad's ward- he didn't spend the night, but he had a blast playing!

We made McQueen cupcakes again... Gideon put the papers in the tin, added the water and oil, and tasted the mix before we put in the eggs- he was a big helper!

When Daddy got home we decorated the cupcakes with sprinkles and an edible McQueen cupcake topper- as you can see, he already had a little preview of the icing.

He was so proud!

Not even one sprinkle went to waste (although he's never been a huge fan of the actual cupcakes, and he's only recently started eating cookies- weird! Oh, and he won't eat pizza. I only wish I could say that he loves his veggies, but he won't eat those either. I'm not exactly sure what he eats, yet, I'm working on that. It's a good thing he loves his multi-vitamin!

Hogle Zoo

Levi finally got to come with us to the zoo- we had so much fun! The bird show was our favorite part this time- there were swooping hawks and eagles, talking birds and lots of funny tricks.

It's no wonder why this beautiful animal was chosen as a symbol of our country. Strong and free- it was absolutely amazing to see him up close!

This owl has gorgeous eyes that he did NOT want to show my camera.

I've never been this close to such a dangerous-looking animal- good thing I was behind the thickest pane of glass I've ever seen (not that it could really stop this guy if he decided he didn't like me intruding on his lunch... I could have been lunch, I'm sure)!

They were both completely enthralled- they are so much fun to watch!

Hiking, Hairdos and Hotties

On Labor Day we hiked up to Stewart Falls with our friends Adam, Claire and Ruby- It was SO beautiful and fun! Gideon and Ruby had a blast running around and playing in the falls and river and we all took our turn standing under the ICE COLD water for induction to our version of the Polar Bear Club. I left the camera on the hood of the car at the beginning of the hike, so this is it for pictures of the amazing scenery- our hot tired husbands and kids at the end of the hike (but, hey, I'll take that view any day)!

Levi succumbed to the temptation to grow out his facial hair the last few weeks before BYU started... what do you think?

And, another little hottie with a rebel hairdo...

I Got Tagged!

Thanks to Lisa... Here we go!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Graduating from Ricks College (Yes, I'm THAT old)
2. Running on the Cross Country team at Southern Virginia College
3. Learning how to rock climb and rappel
4. Working as a counselor at EFY
5. Being my sister's missionary companion at the Hill Cumorah (the last two days of her mission)

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Get a real hair cut
2. Go to Toys R Us and pick up even more "Cars" characters (big sale!)
3. Take Gideon to my parents house for the night, so Levi and I can FINALLY use the gift certificate we have for a night at the Marriott!
4. Go on a real date!
5. Oh! pack up Gideon's must-haves for his sleepover.

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Goldfish crackers
2. Toast and Hot Chocolate
3. Bananas
4. Raisins
5. Almonds

5 songs I know the Lyrics to:
1. The Wheels on the Bus
2. Little Einsteins theme song
3. Keeper of the Stars
4. Should Have Been a Cowboy
5. Give Me Your Forever

5 Things I would do if I was a Millionaire:
(I'm stealing the first two from Lisa... good ones!)
1. Hire a house cleaner
2. Pay off our student loans
3. Build a house
4. Hire a Yoga teacher and personal trainer to come to my HOME
5. TRAVEL!- I have a penchant for third world countries and humanitarian work

5 bad habits:
1. Not sleeping when Gideon takes a nap
2. Watching Food Network instead of making dinner
3. Forgetting to return phone calls
4. Using all the cell phone minutes (I know, I know, I should be returning those phone calls!)
5. Eating all the cookie dough before I bake the cookies!

5 things I would never wear again:
1. Those pants with the zippers at the bottom... I'd just look like an upside down triangle!
2. Contacts
3. A cheerleading uniform
4. Bobby socks and Doc Martins with a cotton jumper (think South American sister missionary)
5. Orange hair (also standard missionary attire in the areas with brown shower water)

5 of my favorite toys:
1. Computer
2. Jogging stroller
3. Baby backpack
4. R.A.D. pads (Rape Aggression Defense)
5. Camera

5 people I tag:
1. Natalie Berry
2. Amy Bonner
3. Keri Longmore
4. Janelle Biggs
5. Cara Norris

More Camping in the Uintas

Provo River Falls- isn't nature amazing?!?

Picking up the "Heby" rocks for Daddy.

Levi's perfect marshmallow (right before it caught on fire)!

Camping in the Uintas

Grandpa Longmore, Gideon and Levi searching for skipping rocks- okay, maybe Gideon was just searching for rocks that would make a really big splash!

Making a wish on a dandelion.

Isn't he adorable?!?

No gourmet breakfast in the world could beat pancakes in the mountains!

Ready to take on the world!

St. George

Hiking in Snow Canyon- It was Beautiful!

He's off to great places... off and away!

He knew that if he stepped off that step, he had to leave the little canyon...

This is Gideon (just after his nap) with Great-Grandma Jerry and Wayne.

Disneyland

A vision of the future.

This is right before my niece dropped her shoe into the bushes down below... thankfully a nice man reached out of his boat and threw it up to us (I caught it with one hand to much applause and cheering).


Gideon loved hugging Goofy until his whiskers poked him in the face... then he freaked out.

Gideon's favorite part of Mickey Mouses' house was the tv playing black and white Mickey cartoons.

Those super-cute girls are my nieces... Gideon is too engrossed in Mickey's car to acknowledge me or my camera.

I can't even begin to describe how much Gideon loved the Tea Cups- he was in toddler heaven!

Sunny Adventures- Summary

Time flies when you're having fun! Oh, where did August go?!? Well, it started out like this...

• July 31-Aug 2-- Christine went on a 3 day retreat for Provo Canyon School. The first day was just a day hike, and the next two days we backpacked in the high Uintas (in the rain); and it was glorious! I haven't been able to do much backpacking the last two years and I LOVED it! We also did more hiking and some rock climbing. This is the wall I climbed...
  
• Week 2 (August 6th) Levi left to sell pest control in San Diego for two weeks... it's hard being a single parent-I just don't know what I'd do without Levi! Gideon missed his Daddy and kept asking for him, but he hung in there like a champ.
  
• Week 3 (August 14th) Gideon and I took off for Las Vegas, where we met up with my sister Deana and went to CA for the week. We went to Disneyland and then spent the rest of the week camping at San Clemente beach. SO much fun, and when I write my autobiography, you will get the long version of cleaning, packing, finding hotels in the MIDDLE of the night, riding a bike with no brakes downhill at 3 am, putting up a tent with one broken pole and one missing pole, backing a trailor in and out of small places including parking garages, moving camp after one day, and serious sand rash where I wish my legs didn't rub together! And all this with my 2 year old and 4 of my sister's children (the kids were all rock stars by the way... they fared way better than the two of us, I'm afraid). Levi met us at the beach the last day for some fun in the sun (what a joy and relief)!
  
• Week 4 (Aug 20th) We went from CA to St. George (via a night in Vegas) to spend a week with Levi's parents and sister (Allen, DiAnne, and Danielle) at their condo. It was so much fun! We celebrated DiAnne's birthday, hiked, did lots of swimming in the pool, and had an authentic Japanese dinner with his cousins.
  
  
• Week 5 (Aug 27th) We spent three days camping in the high Uintas. Christine's parents stayed for the first two days and we hiked up to see some of the area where Christine went backpacking earlier in the month. SO much fun!

We are so blessed to have so many people who love and take care of us... we LOVE spending time with family and we are so grateful for all of you!

More pictures and stories are coming soon!

Our Little Jumping Bean

I forgot how to put the video directly onto the blog... so I hope this works! We also have lots of new pictures in our album.

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/bkpkr2/?action=view&current=79acf18c.flv

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/bkpkr2/?action=view&current=5c247b0d.flv

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/bkpkr2/?action=view&current=1b50e688.flv

We're Back!

Well, it's been awhile...

Since our last post the snow melted, Levi finished the semester and went to Honduras on a dental excursion, we went camping with the Longmore's, Christine turned 30, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, Gideon turned 2, and Levi took the DAT and finished his dental school application. Whew!

I have been working a lot more at Provo Canyon School, since they had some people quit and they needed help with trainings, etc. Just yesterday, I went to Nutty Putty Cave. It was a great experience... I wish I had some of my own pictures, but here are some to give you and idea what it is like inside. http://www.uoflife.com/hac/nutty_putty.htm It used to be open to the public, but now you have to get a permit and the key to the new gate. They consider me a "leader," so if any of you want to explore, let me know... quickly, though, because if too much time passes, I don't know if I'll make it back inside (this time I had to rethink going in- I think having a child made me even more claustrophobic). So fun- and a great challenge!

Gideon is saying more words every day... his favorite is "No way!"and my favorite is, "Gee Whiz!" He always wants to be outside (even in 100+ degrees) and he LOVES jumping on the bed (throwing himself backwards is his favorite trick). We go to Seven Peaks a couple of times a week and he loves jumping to Mommy, going down the kiddy slides all by himself, and going down the big slides with Daddy and Mommy. He's learning how to do sommersaults... he learned that trick by going headfirst off the couch and flipping his legs over his head. He also loves going down the slide headfirst. Maybe we should just fuse a helmet to his head and hope for the best!
He's hilarious- we love him like crazy!

Well, hopefully we'll post again before the snow comes again. Hope you are all happy and well... we love you!

May 2007

This was a little day hike up by Bridal Veil Falls. Gideon was chasing a butterfly- you can see it in most of the pictures if you look really close... You can also see his Lightning McQueen car in his hand. He LOVES cars- he eats, sleeps and plays with them.

"CAN"

Dick and Rick Hoyt

I don't know if you've heard their story- but this is worth your time either way. You know, sometimes it seems nearly impossible to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going. People like Dick and Rick Hoyt make taking those steps easier. What an inspiration! I think, more than anything, their story is a lesson in perspective and the power of love. Anything is possible if you believe.

You CAN.

Strongest Dad in the World- An article from SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much, except save his life. This love story began in Winchester, Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life,'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an Institution.''
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. "No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.''
"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want To do that.''
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. "I was sore For two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.
"No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.''
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some back breaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
"The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B-r8KJhlE

I highly recommend this video- you won't be sorry you took the time.