Good Bye Utah

We spent the entire month of July in Utah visiting family and friends. I can't think of a better way to wrap things up than exploring American Fork Canyon with Madi, my Mom and Cy. We spent the last couple days hiking up Timpanogos Cave and exploring around Tibble Fork Reservior. The kids have had such a great time playing with family, and especially Grandma Pia. We will miss you!

Memphis

I recently took a trip to Memphis Tennessee for work, but was able to tour Graceland while there. It was hysterical for me to walk through Elvis's house and see all the flashy/trashy and over the top designing that seemed to be considered high class in the 70's. I hope to never see carpet on ceilings again, a safari room busier than an actual jungle, or a billiard room with floor to ceiling (including furniture) matching patterns. Boy am I glad those days are over.

BYU Ballet Camp

Madi recently finished her two week ballet camp at BYU in Provo, Utah. She had such a great experience, meeting sweet and interesting girls, sleeping in the dorms, sharpening her ballet skills, and enjoying some spiritual experiences both on campus and at Salt Lake Temple Square. We're so pleased with all her hard work and what a kind, empathetic, and independent girl she continues to be.

My Benjamin Button

It may just be me, but I find this picture hilarious...seriously hilarious. Cy looks like the son of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

I was shopping around an outdoor strip mall and happened to see an ad that looked familiar. It was a bridal store that I did a photo shoot for a few years back, so I went in to say hello. I'm afraid the girls working in the shop were disappointed to see the real thing. Guess I should have showered and put make-up on that morning. Ha.

18 Months Old

After a week in Lake Powell, the kids and I came to stay with my parents for a while. Madison was actually off to BYU Ballet Camp for a couple weeks, which left me and Cy to enjoy some R&R. I can't believe he's already 18 months!

Jack trying to save Grandma Pia from getting blown away during a summer wind storm

Cy and cousin Victoria playing at a 4th of July BBQ


Goofing off while "eating" his lunch...does this kid think he's cute or what

Cy has discovered chips this week and is an addict now, which I'm not too thrilled about
In a suite at the Bee's game where my brother Christopher caught a foul ball

Grandma Pia spoiling Cy with an ice cream cone A lazy day at the local swimming pool

Cy and his cousin Sammy, who visited from San Fran snuggling and taking a break

One of Cy's favorite games in Lake Powell was with Daddy dipping him in the water singing "bouncy bouncy bouncy"

We are so proud of Madi who was fearless on the wakeboard

Lake Powell

For Fathers Day, we flew out to Utah and drove down to spend a week in Lake Powell with Mike's family on our old houseboat, which Mike's Grandmother still partly owns. We took a little detour to Goblin Valley where Madi and her girlfriend Kenzie re-enacted the latest Killers music video (which we will post after editing it).
We haven't been to Powell in a couple years and desperately missed it. This year we had a large group of 30 people on the houseboat, but had a great time non-the-less. Other than Mike crashing the jet ski going 47 miles an hour, and one dreadfully rainy night, we had a spectacular week with great weather and family. Madison's highlight was taking off on the jet ski with her friend, while Cy preferred going on boat rides and being bounced in the water by Mike. Mike of course played non-stop and I had a blast wake boarding again. Pardon the appearance of some of these photos...I don't have access to my computer to crop and fix my pics.

Singing Cy

Cy and I like to listen to classical music in the car, and we typically wave our hands like a composer would while we sing along to the music.  He's really caught on to the idea as you can see in this video.

Birthday Party

My good friends Jenn and Rachel were sweet enough to throw me a birthday party filled with the most delicious food and great friends.  Thanks!

Creating a Tech Monster

Here's a video of Cy managing a double phone call..."ha" is his way of saying hi.

Coleman family visit

We had a great time this last weekend with Mike's parents (and sister) who came to visit us.  Madi, Grandpa Tom, and Grandma Carolyn went on a tour of the USS Intrepid in Manhattan.  After we had a nice picnic in Central Park.  We had a great weekend showing them all the things we love, and introducing them to a little Rock Band.

Madi's Ballet Performance

After a year of hard work, Madi was able to showcase some of her progress at her ballet recital.  She was so graceful, lovely, poised, and thrilled that her Grandparents from Kansas and Aunt from London happened to be in town and were able to see Madi perform.  Bravo Madi!

(she's the tall one on the far left)

Mother's Day!

Madi was such a thoughtful girl on Mother's Day...she (along with help from Mike) got me two bunches of flowers, helped out with Cy, and gave me a wonderful card with over a dozen coupons:  free massage, free cleaning of every room in the house, and free hugs to name a few.  She then recommended that Mike light some candles, turn on my favorite music and give me an hour long massage.  I'm sure he was thrilled with her suggestion, but he managed to give me a nice massage (minus the candles and music).  Watching 60 minutes seemed to help him get through the 60 minutes a little easier.  

Chicago

My girlfriend Hayden (who I competed against on The Amazing Race) gave birth to an adorable little girl, Kaiya five months ago.  I decided to fly out to Chicago to "help" her for 5 days...this was before Cy turned into a high energy trouble maker.  I'm afraid I didn't provide much help to her, but we did manage to have a great time exploring the city with our babies and reconnecting after 2 years of not seeing each other.  Hayden's big heart along with her high energy personality is the perfect combination for an interesting and exciting time...never a dull moment with that girl.  Thanks for hosting us (and thanks to her hubby Aaron for being our chef)!

Happiness

Last night I attended an interesting evening with some women at my church about finding happiness now.  This doesn't necessarily mean we should stop pursuing growth or stop dreaming, but rather enjoy the moment we are in and take control over our own happiness through choice and paradigm shifts.  This article and short video back up the notion that happiness doesn't mean a smooth sailing life, but is more complex and involves love, struggles, and forgiveness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness

Dreamy Boy

The other day I was searching through the hosue, but couldn't find Cy anywhere.  Usually when he's this quite, he's playing with the toilet or has snuck into Madi's room to rummage through her jewelry.  I finally heard some baby talk after looking everywhere.  He was in the corner and had managed to get himself up on the chair and was reading his favorite book "It Could Have Been Worse".  He is definitely a book boy, just like his Dad and sister.  I never have to pack toys for him when we go out or travel, he is much better off with a diaper bag full of books!

Sunny Central Park

A couple weeks ago we had the most beautiful Saturday weather, so we decided to hang out at Central Park with the kids.  The place was packed due to the fact that it was one of the first good weekends after a miserably long winter, but we had so much fun together and Cy loved using his trike (which puts him eye to eye with all the dogs).