Young Men, Young Laborers

So, I finally pulled out my sprinklers and laid down pavers in our side/back yard. I recruited the young men from our church. The Kendall boys are good hard workers, Dabid and Charlie (below) were decent reluctant workers, and Milo proved himself as a big whiner (you'll notice he's not in any of the photos of people working). Much thanks to them all--Logan, David, and others who helped too. Maybe I'll post a final photo when I finish the job. All the pavers are down now, but they need to be individually removed, leveled, and then reinserted.

Below is the only photo of my trip to Coronado. Its not too flatering, but it shows the gang.

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Coronado National Forest

I'm spending the weekend in Coronado National Forest with colleagues as we prepare for our doctoral exams later this month. One of our proctors had the great idea to invite us to his amazing cabin down south for a couple days to discuss exam content and enjoy the scenery.

Camping

We joined our ward in a camp out this weekend. Who said it never rains in Arizona?

Abby attracts followers wherever she goes. Here she sits with Paul. I'm reminded of the little girls Jen and I adored over the past six years... Melissa... Hannah... Adalyn...

Abby coudles with Jessica (above) and Sara (below).Holly and her daughter Kimber.

A little creek passed below the camp site.
The camp site had everything from bathrooms to a built-in babysitter.But Abby insisted that we bring her play-pen.

Video Blog

My mom gave me an early early Christmas gift--a new laptop. It has a web cam, which I've never had before, so here goes my first broadcast.

Let the Digital Scrapbooking Begin

So Jen finally started playing with her new photoshop program. She is quickly mastering the program and below are a couple of her first creations. I'm so proud of her. Soon she'll begin on scrapbooking.

Jen is taking over two choirs in August. Above is the Arizona Deseret Choir announcement. They are recruiting LDS singers. Below is the Women's Chorus and they are recruiting ASU students. Anybody interested?

A Young Mens Weekend

So, at church I work with the young men, and it was a young men's weekend. I was set to go camping with the priests on Friday, bu on Thursday it rained harder than it has in a year, so we cancelled the camp out portion and just got up early and met at 5:30 on Saturday. We ate eggs and bacon for breakfast (together) and then drove out to Needle Rock Park for a few hours of paintball. The rangers eventually kicked us out, but not before I got to terrorize my boys. Apparently, there is some rule against shooting firearms while defenseless folks ride through the park. Who would'a thought?
Below you see Charlie, after I shot him.

After paintball with the priests, Jen and Abby and I attended a baptism for Vincent, a 14 year old convert. It was nice to go to church in something other than a white shirt, for once. I always feel like I should wear white on Sundays. How can I ask the youth to do something I wont? But for the baptism, I broke out the blue shirt. I cant wait for school to start so I can have to wear more nice clothes. During the summer I just sit around in shorts and a T-shirt, but that wont fly when I'm teaching class.

Jen posed with Abby too. Aren't they cute?

Then Abby tried on a bonnet for church on Sunday. She is adorable (and if you don't think so she'll step on you with that giant left foot)!

We also had some friends over for dinner last week. Sarah and DJ are on the left, and Niki and Trent are on the right. They work with the young men.

4th of July Fireworks

My parents drove out this weekend to say hello and get their Abby fix. They rented a hotel room and we watched the city fireworks from their balcony.

Abby is excellent in standing. She just needs a little balance support but she generally prefers to stand all day.

(though sometimes she prefers to sit)

Fourth of July Breakfast

Today we got up early and attended a Fourth of July breakfast at our church.

The bacon was raw. It looks much more brown in this photo, but it was soggy, wet rubbery and certainly raw. Greasy fat and uncooked tapeworm infested pork, anybody? It squishes in your mouth.

I'm curious to see who is missing on Sunday morning.

Visiting Utah

We spent the past couple weeks in Utah. I received a small grant to fund a research trip, and Jen would not be left at home so she and Abby joined me. We stayed with family and bought groceries so we ended up staying under budget.

We spent our first night in Las Vegas with old friends, Natalie and Brett Burbidge, and thier three children.
We passed through Hoover Dam. Its big.
We spent our next night in Orem with Jen's brother Brent and his wife Nicole. I gave him a special hug.
We saw another longtime friend, Jerilyn Metler Anderson.
My sister (Heather) stopped by briefly and we went out to dinner.
We visited Amanda (Abby's birth Mother) and her family (Teresa and Mike)
Isnt Amanda skinny? We like those genes.

Abby poses at Brent and Nicole's house.

Brent and Nicole
We swam at the pool in our old Provo apartments, still owned by the Metler family.

Abby made a new friend at Brent and Nicole's house.
Abby was overwhelmed.

We had a Sunday dinner at Jen's Aunt Cindy's home in Provo.Cousin Nick, his wife Julie, and thier son Trevor visited.
My sister dropped in again!
Cindy's fiance, Brad, knows how to BBQ.
I am the BOMBER MAN!

Jen visited Rosalind Hall, BYU professor of Music

We saw Jen's cousin Mandy and her hubby, Russell.

No trip to Provo is complete without a stop at the BYU Creamery.
We visited the BYU pond ducks, and Abby was in persuit.
Jen visited Vicci Gappmeyer, former principal at Wasatch High where Jen taught.
Brent helps with Abby