Park City

So we heard about an event sponsored by Visa being held this last weekend. All the competitions were free to the public so we headed off to check it out. The top athletes in the world were there. We watched aeriels, moguls, and the half-pipe event. Andrew and Cameron got lots of autographs... the competitors were all so nice! Andrew talked to the number 1 aerielist in the world and also to the 2006 Olympic gold medalist. It was SO much fun! The kids loved it (well, the boys did, Rachael was not feeling very well... she mostly slept and whined!) Here are some pictures and videos... The event should air on NBC February 8th if you want to check it out!

Something I loved about it:
We were right there, up close and personal! We were so close that when they skid to a stop at the bottom of the hill or at the end of the run we got sprayed with snow! The boys stood at the edge of the half-pipe.. the athletes were doing tricks in the air above them.. that is cool! The athletes were right there, you could talk to them, get pictures, etc...


Something I did NOT like:
For the aerial event we had to hike to the top of the mountain! I am sorry but I am not in shape.. I know, I know, I should be.. but I am not. I thought I was going to pass out by the time we got to the top! They have lifts for the "credentialed" people and "paying spectators" (hey, only $80 per person).. the lifts are there and running.. let the poor people ride them for heaven's sake!!!

Overall... LOVED IT!!

We heard that the snowboarders are doing a similar event in Park City in March. Shaun White should be there... it will be the top 30 snowboarders in the world. As you can imagine, Andrew is already pushing to go to that event!

Our trip to Salt Lake

James had a job interview in Salt Lake yesterday. The kids didn't have school so we decided to all go and have some fun. We took the kids to the Gateway Discovery Center. They had lots of fun! That place is amazing! When James got done with his interview he stayed with the younger kids while Andrew and I went shopping at the mall (what a good daddy!). Andrew dragged me into all the "cool" stores. It made me feel very old to be standing in Abercrombie and Hollister and Zumiez with my 12 year old! After that we took the kids to The Mayan restaurant at Jordan Commons in Sandy. If anyone has not been there you should really find time to go. They have cliff divers that put on a show while you are eating. It is so much fun! It was one of those rare days when the kids actually like each other and are nice to each other. Days like that are so nice!

Rachael's lost her first tooth

We were just sitting down to watch a movie together as a family last week. Rachael was still hungry and decided to eat an apple. All of a sudden she started laughing and saying her tooth was gone. After an inspection of the apple we found the tooth had fallen onto the floor. We found it and put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. She was so excited to loose her first tooth. She was so cute she had to keep re-enacting the big moment and telling us all about how it felt to drink water, to breath, to put her tongue on it, etc, etc... We were laughing so hard we couldn't even finish the movie. She is getting to be such a big girl and always so much fun!

And for the final post of the day...

Yes, we are still trying to sell our house and yes, judging from the snowman in our front yard we are getting desperate! No actually, James and Rachael built a snowman just for fun yesterday and with a little inspiration from Grandma we decided to put the sign up. It has been good for lots of laughs!

Andrew at the Jazz game

Andrew was invited to go to the Utah Jazz game with some of his friends. As you can imagine he was SO excited! Here is a picture he texted me... I am not even sure what to say about it...

It is a very small picture.. if you can't tell it is my sweet, innocent 12 year old with two of the Jazz cheerleaders! I am pretty sure he texted that picture to everybody he knows! Here are a couple other pictures he took with the actual camera...

A brief overview

Wow! Does life ever just get away from anyone else? I can't believe we are into January already! The last 2 weeks have been crazy! One perk of James being unemployed is freedom... we went to Idaho for 2 weeks over Christmas break to spend time with family and friends. It was so much fun!

We went to lots of activities and family parties... Here is a picture of us, Mom and Dad, and Heidi's family at the live nativity... Cameron and Cayden got to hold the reins and "control" the horses. They had so much fun and were so cute up on the bench next to the driver. They sang Christmas songs and had a great time!

We miss our Idaho family and friends a ton. Thanks for letting us come have so much fun with you all!