Baby

Until recently I haven't known what to think about my baby sister announcing that she is pregnant. I think it has been so hard for all of us to know how to feel because of my sisters own confusion about the matter.
The Father is her first love, but they have been off and on again for the last three years with no solid commitment between the two of them. When Morgan found out she was pregnant they both freaked, especially Johny. Morgan knew she was going to have the baby, but was seriously considering adoption. Johny kind of took off for a while and was pretty sure he wasn't willing or ready to be a father or to commit to Morgan. Johny's lack of support made Morgan lean toward adoption even more.
I have to say that I was kind of sad thinking about having a niece or nephew out there that I would never know or get to watch grow, but I also think a baby is a wonderful gift to give a couple who can't have one of their own, so I was supporting Morgan in whatever decision she made.
Johny has slowly come around and he and Morgan have decided to keep the baby. They are young and I can see the challenges ahead of them, but I wish them the best of luck. I know how hard it is at times to be a mother, father, wife or husband, but I also know the joy a family can bring. I know they won't regret their decision and I am so grateful to them for making me an Auntie.

Mt. Elden

Of course sticks and rocks are a must at a pond!

Lucky for the duck Noah was trying to shoot,

he can't aim well yet. He wanted so badly to shoot

him and take him home for dinner.

A few weeks ago me and Jonathan took the boys for a hike up the Brookbank trail to the dry lake Hills. As you can see they are not dry but full of water. It was fun! I have never seen so much water up there before.

For those of you who like hiking it's a great time to hike Mt. Elden. Schultz Creek trail is also running which is such a treat for Flagstaffs normally dry terrain. It's good to be back on the trails again!

Landscape

This stone path was my big contribution to the project.

Landscaping my backyard has continued to prove too big a feat for me, so I finally hired my friend Steve with Scapetown to help me out. I couldn't be happier with the results. It's just adorable, and the best thing about it is that it is all on drip. No watering! Yeah! The only sad thing is that my house is for sale, so I probably won't be able to enjoy it for long.

Happy Birthday Tanner!

It's gone so fast...

He's grown so big...

And I'm so proud!

My baby's 1 year old!

Easter Fun In The Sun!

My mom would always take us girls out for an awesome Easter egg hunt in the beautiful outdoors. I have a lot of good memories of Easter and it has become one of my favorite holidays. I hope to create some great memories of Easter with my own family.

This year we went to Sedona with some good friends who have three young teenage kids. Their kids helped hide over 150 Easter eggs for our kids. It was a blast! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful warm weather. A few of us even had enough guts to jump off a rope swing and land into the freezing cold creek. Myself was not included!

Road Trip

Arches National Park

Never ending open land

as far as my eye can see

Draws me in, and makes me wonder

is my soul as free

To stretch as high as a mountains top

and be as bold as a canyons steep slot

To run as swiftly and constantly

as a rivers flowing stream

Or to stand as strongly and unafraid

as the lonesome tree

It makes me wonder where I would be

if my soul was as free

as the land that goes and goes

as far as the eye can see

I was inspired to write this little poem on the drive from Flagstaff to Moab, Utah. Ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated by the amount of undeveloped land in the Southwest. I love being able to drive for miles and miles without seeing one sign of human civilization.

My family decided to come with me to Utah to support me as I ran the Moab half-marathon. The trip ended up to be fun although we wished that we had one more day to play since the marathon ended up eating up a lot of our time.

When I first signed up for the marathon I was so mad at myself for doing it. I felt like I didn't have enough time to train and I decided that I didn't really enjoy running. In the end I am so glad I did it. I have found a new appreciation for running and it has gotten me in shape for all the other activities I enjoy in the summer. Not to mention getting my body ready for swimsuit season! I can also check off another one of my New Years goals which was to finish the race in under two hours. I came in at 1hr 56 min..

The trip to Moab was the perfect way to finish off all the hard work of training. The condo and friends we stayed with were amazing, the drive was beautiful, and my little Noah learned how to swim! He is so excited! Hopefully I can post some more pictures as my friends forward them to me.

Winters End

I know by this time of year most people are ready for the snow to quit falling and the sun to start shining, but this year I am sad to see Old Man Winter go. I think it's a combination of a few things. One is that I reached my goal of snowboarding six times, and the amazing powder has just left me jonesing for more. Also, because of the training I have been doing for a half-marathon my family has spent a lot of weekends in Sedona. It has been great to spend one day a week on trails without snow and parks where our kids can play. It has definitely kept the cabin fever away.

I am so grateful this winter has been good. Not only for the land which so desperately needed the moisture, but for me who couldn't be pleased more to not have been pregnant in a year where the snow has fallen generously.