Lilian: "Hi Mom! How're you?"
This is Brandon's gymnastics team. Brandon has never been much into team sports. Never interested in playing baseball or football. Tried Lacrosse and soccer, and while he enjoyed them, he didn't want to stick with them. Funny, that even though he is one of the most social little 8 year old boys that you'll ever meet, he is more attracted to individual sports. Gymnastics is interesting. You compete individually AND as a team. So although he works immensely hard on his own individual routines he's also very involved with the other boys on his team. They warm-up and do conditioning together. They help each other and root each other on. And at meets, not only do they work for individual scores, they work together for team awards as well.
May 2008. This is my Rebekah. My first born. The one that first turned me into a mother. She's almost 14 now. And I've realized something. You know how parents dread and/or complain about the teenage years? And yes, I know she's not that far into them yet...but, I like them! Or maybe it's just her. She's definitely your stereotypical teenager, certainly. She's a social butterfly...always wants to be with friends. She complains about curfew. She goes through numerous outfits daily and throws half the contents of her closet onto her floor or bed. But she's a good girl and I like to be with her. As a daughter, yes, but also just as a friend. I'm interested in all her experiences with her friends, boys she likes (or thinks are gross) and classes at school. And so far, she is happy to share it all with me. So far she isn't embarrassed by me. Amazingly enough, I'm fairly certain that she and her friends think I'm cool. Well, as cool as a 36 year old mother can be. I'm so glad that she feels comfortable enough to talk to me about anything and everything. That she trusts me. I hope that continues for a long time to come.
One of my very favorite things...a vase full of fresh flowers on my bedside table. I love how they look, I love smelling them as I lay in bed. It just makes me happy. I bought these tulips yesterday. Tulips remind me of spring and Easter. I love tulips. Aren't they pretty? They make me smile every time I walk into my bedroom.
Last night. Lilian was asleep. The other kids watching TV downstairs. Bryan and I were working side by side on our respective computers in the den. Peaceful. Bryan cued up a playlist from the music he had on his computer. First song. "Oh! I really like this song!" I said. "Yeah," Bryan replied, "I know." Next song. "Hey..this is one of my favorites too!" Again, "yep, I remember." Song after song. All songs that I like. All the sudden I realized that this playlist Bryan has created...he's gone out of his way to make sure it's stuff I really like. Stuff we haven't listened to in years, some of it, but he's remembered what my favorites on each album are. Remembered my random comments of my likes and dislikes...even after all this time. He knows me well, that man. I was really touched by his sweetness. And something as silly as a music playlist had me smiling like a giddy teenager in love and fighting back tears like a sentimental sap.
first time. Bryan and his brother 
wanted to pick up some gun ammo. I was hoping to check out any triathlon or running clothes they might have. Can you guess who was more successful with their shopping list? And so although I count myself as a Republican, and though I own a gun and happily join Bryan on jaunts up the canyon or to a range to go target shooting... looks like I am more of a REI customer. Hunting, fishing, camping? Nope. Biking, running, triathlons and yoga? Yep, that's more me.
The first Friday of each month our ward has a temple night. And as added incentive to make this particular Friday a date night to be looked forward to, there is a social afterwards....ward members taking turns hosting. Tonight was the night Bryan and I had offered up our home. And what an easy party to host! All I had to do was clean. Another couple is in charge of organizing and planning each month. They pick a theme (tonight was breakfast) and then send around clipboards in church for people to sign up to bring the food. We had 40 or so people here and we all had a great time. Good food, good company.
We took a trip over Martin Luther King Day 2005 to St. George to visit some friends. They took us exploring in the red rocks above town where we climbed up through "the crack." 
It was skinny enough that Rawlin with his broad shoulders/chest and Heather with her pregnant belly couldn't fit. In most places I literally scraped my way through sideways. We were about 1/4 of the way through when Bryan said, "Gee, wouldn't it be awful if there was an earthquake while we are in here?" Oh my. For one like me who counts claustrophobia as a pretty intense fear, and who was already sending up prayers to stay calm...it was not a happy thought! A few panicked words from me quieted that line of conversation pretty quickly! 
But wow, right?
