Smile!

I FINALLY got a picture of Noah smiling. He really started turning on the charm while we were in Wisconsin, but as soon as the camara came out... of course he wouldn't do it. I'm loving that he's becoming more interactive, although that means he's growing up which makes me a little sad too!

A fallen Hero...

We received some sad news this week. Wade's close high school friend, Pilot and Chief Warrant Officer Clayton S. Barnes died Monday August 20th when his Apache helicopter went down for unknown reasons just east of Eagle Mountain, Utah. Clayton was young, just 30 years old with a wife, Melinda, 3 young children and another due in November. He was an Orem native who gave 13 years of his life to the Utah National Guard, including a year in Afghanistan in 2004. Clayton served an LDS mission in the Philippines and graduated from BYU. Ironically, this was Clayton’s last scheduled flight, as he was on his way to dental school. As Wade and I have reflected on all of this, we have a renewed appreciation for the thousands of men and women that sacrifice so much, even their lives, to preserve the freedoms we enjoy each and every day. We are so lucky to live in this amazing country. Clayton's passing is a tremendous loss to our Nation, his family, and friends. Our hearts and prays go out to Melinda and his family at this difficult time.

Headed north...

We spent last week escaping the Texas heat in Wisconsin with my parents. It was really nice - mostly in the high 70s and low 80s. While we were there we took a trip up to Door County, WI - up on the peninsula. The resort we stayed at had pools, paddle boats and a beach - so the kids were happy. We visited "The Farm" while we were there where the kids fed the animals and then went up to Cana Island. We were hoping to get inside the lighthouse, but it was closed. The setting was beautiful however, and the kids had fun exploring the beach and I took a lot of pictures. Back at Mom and Dad's we spent a day at the beach in Sheboygan and the kids played with the dogs and even got a ride on Grandpa's new John Deere lawnmower - a necessity when you have a full acre. We've decided that the kids and I will be spending a few weeks up there next summer. My parents just finished seeding their huge backyard - and by next summer it will be a little kid paradise. Imagine...grass you can actually walk on with bare feet! Sorry - I love Texas, but I'm not a fan of our bermuda grass!! All in all - we had a lovely, relaxing time as a family, which was exactly what we needed!