Remembering some Christmas joy, 2013.

A Wintery Day

We woke up to several inches of fresh powdery snow -- for sure we'll have a white Christmas.  Thankfully grandpa offered his 4-wheeler which is now equipped with a snowplow.  We cleared of  the church, two neighbors, and our house.  The kids had a lot of fun and Isaac even helped with the little bit of shoveling we had to do.

Winter got off to a slow start but it is now hear in full glory!

The kid left the bike out -- again.

The Snow Crew

We have or very own snow meter!

Santa Clause

These two still love and believe in Santa Clause!  Thankfully, this is a magical time of the year.

Isaac's Big Day

On November 2, 2013, Isaac was officially baptized as member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was very happy to say "I'm a Mormon now!".  He was able to enjoy his baptism day with 3 of his good friends and classmates, Linden Egbert, Jett Summers, and David Butler.

There were 11 young people baptized on the same day and the chapel was completely full.  As a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, Isaac's older brother Christopher had the honor of doing the baptism, while hid dad did the confirmation.

After the baptism, we had a lot of family and friends over some treats.

Conference Sketch

Here is Christopher's doodle from this morning's conference session:

Pre-Hunt Scouting Trip

Our good friend Ron Lindsey was our guide to one of his favorite hunting spots.  It was a fun afternoon considering I got lost for about 45 minutes (thankfully Christopher tracked me down(, it started to snow, we came across some fresh bear tracks, and Christopher got in some target practice.  Grandpa Davis will be our guide as Christopher goes on his first deer hunt this week.

Rain Gutter Regatta

Isaac is a new wolf in the cub scouts and they just completed the Rain Gutter Regatta.

Christopher was a great big brother helping with some design work.  Isaac won a couple of races, lost a few, but he was an all around good sport.

Ropes Course BYU-Idaho

As part of Education Week we had the opportunity to participate in the Ropes Course at BYU-Idaho. Emrie was the first to go up and she made all of the way to the top.  She seems to be without fear, which frankly is a bit of a worry.  Isaac made it to the first stage, Christopher to the top twice, Cindy made it all of the way, but was a bit hesitant to be let down all of the way.  Finally, Dad scaled the tower but he learned he is not nearly as limber or as strong as Christopher.  It was a beautiful day and we had a good time.

Remembering a Pretty Great Day

Summer Solstice Sunrise

Clouds make sunrises and sunsets and this morning several different types of clouds covered the sky from east to west.  I also realized that sometimes, the most beautiful part of the sunrise, especially when the clouds are just right, is looking in the opposite direction to the west.

Sunset East, about 5:40 am, near Sugar City

Looking West towards Rexburg

Sunrise 18

Just a couple of day until the earliest sunrise, today it was about 5:45 am.

Near Moody

Sunrises 16 an 17

Both taken near Sugar City on June 3rd and 4th.

Sunrise 15

From Sugar City about 5:50 am.

Sunrise 14

The skys were absolutely beautiful this morning with rain clouds scattered throughout the valley, but thankfully I did not get wet.

Near Hibbard, about 6:15  am

Coming into Rexburg about 6:30 am

Too Cloudy, Too Rainy, Still Beautiful

This morning was too overcast and rainy for a sunset, but the sky and the clouds were still very pretty.

Dry farms above Moody, about 6:00 am

Memorial Weekend Picnic

Thanks to Grandpa Davis we had a great picnic near the Menan Buttes and the Snake River.  Jenna made sure we got a picture of most of us eating.