Dinner with Dallin

Lately, Dal has been struggling to finish his dinner. The problem is that he has become quite the joker and loves to make the family laugh throughout mealtimes. As we eat he rattles off stories and jokes. Often times we all finish well before he does. Once he has lost his audience, he is faced with the daunting task of finishing his meal. This evening, as you can see, it was a task too tiring to complete. I love this shot because it shows his preference in food. Dallin is a meat and potatoes type guy and the salad/veggies has always been the hardest part for him to complete.

Rocky Mountain National Park

I spent the weekend in Estes Park and came across this herd of Elk as I was driving through the National Park.

I counted over one hundred elk grazing in the field.

It was a beautiful sight to see.

School Trip To The Denver Zoo

We had lunch on a rock with two of Caleb's best buddies...Ben and James.

Dal was allowed to come along for the day since I was a parent volunteer. He loved the attention he got from the older girls.

Goofy, Goofy, Goofy. See what I had to deal with all day.

It's Official!

First, he checked in...

Then he recited

The Colorado Attorney Oath of Admission
[Following is the Oath of Admission taken by all individuals at the time of their swearing-in and admission to the practice of law in Colorado]

I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR by the Everliving God (OR AFFIRM) that:

I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Colorado;

I will maintain the respect due to Courts and judicial officers;

I will employ only such means as are consistent with truth and honor;

I will treat all persons whom I encounter through my practice of law with fairness, courtesy, respect and honesty;

I will use my knowledge of the law for the betterment of society and the improvement of the legal system;

I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed;

I will at all times faithfully and diligently adhere to the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct.

At last, a note from Govenor Bill Ritter and we were done.

Its official!

Just Call Him Counselor

Michael received his BAR results this week. He was excited and relieved to have passed...Yeah! On May 16th he will be sworn in as a member of the Colorado Bar and then it will be official.

Flag Football

This season Caleb played flag football with some of his buddies. We had a great time watching him and cheering him on from the sidelines. Michael ran the line to encourage him (and assist him in running the right direction). The very first play of the season Caleb ran for a touchdown to score for his team. The second play of the season a kid from the other team took a u-turn and also ran a touchdown in for Calebs' team. There was a definite learning curve involved.

Here Caleb is hiking the ball to his teammate. You may notice that his is sandwiched by to little guys who seem interested in their own agendas ... not football. One of them is Joey. Joey was a name we heard often, as he was a challenging member of the purple team. His agenda more often involved tearing the kids hats off instead of their flags, randomly and regularly running up to tackle the boys (from the other team as well as his own), hiding his water bottle under his shirt to squirt at the opposing line, and kicking the coaches. Needless to say, he didn't get much playing time. While the coaching staff became frustrated with him through out the season, I became increasingly grateful for my #1 football star.

Showing off his medal and chocolate football lollipop.

Caleb, Matthew and Noland reluctantly pose for a final football shot.

Our Favorite Climbing Tree

While Caleb began this adventure by climbing to the highest part of the tree possible, Dallin preferred bouncing on this branch with his dads' help.

Caleb climbed down after this exchange...Mom says, "Caleb, come on down your getting a little high for my comfort." Caleb responds, "Mom (with disgust) I can climb this high and even higher without falling you know." That very moment Caleb slips, Dad catches (the hero) and helps him regain his balance, Caleb concedes and climbs down. I hate to say I told you so, but there you have it.

Dallin's king of the tree in the safest spot possible.

There goes Caleb again! Don't worry, this time the branch is only a few feet off the ground.

We got to thinking if we could arrange for the best tree house maker in the world (Dad) to create a little house in our favorite climbing tree, then we'd have ourselves a little sanctuary next to the river. What do you think?

A Lost Tooth

Caleb noticed that he had a loose tooth.
We told him it would fall out when the time was right.
He opted for sooner then later because he was
looking forward to his visit from the tooth fairy.

Mission accomplished! On a side note,

Dallin didn't like the idea of a fairy sneaking

into his bedroom at night while he slept. After

strenuous attempts to convince him the tooth

fairy is friendly, he remained unconvinced and

insisted on sleeping with mom and dad that night.

A Nice Warm Bath

Dallin loves his baths. Throw in a few toys and he is good to go until his fingers start to prune. I caught him singing the Batman theme song here. After a quick peek to see who is spying on him he continues to play.

Brit gets ready in style!

Skiing with attitude.

The first time up the slopes.

Madison and Aubrey got to ride on the snowmobile with the rescue crew. They were the envy of all attending skiers (including their dad).

The three stooges.

At least one of these guys look tired out from his skiing adventure. Good thing we're heading back to the cabin for hot chocolate and warm beds.

Superheroes

Dallin loves to play superheroes and was excited to have a buddie to play with while Caleb was at school. His cousin Luke came to visit from Utah and stayed with us for a while. Luckily they had a Buzz Lightyear each and enough superheroes costumes to go around.

Growing a Goatee

A rare look a Michael with a goatee. He decided to let it grow out while studying for the bar exam. Because of this, we referred to it as the good-luck goatee. Hopefully it worked!

Dallin's Hospital Stay

Dallin and I spent a week in the hospital while he was having trouble breathing. With a little oxygen and some TLC we were able to go home. Our trials continue to serve as a reminder that we are surrounded by loving family and friends. Thank you all for your love and support.

Thus began the chocolate milk addiction.

Dallin had a positive attitude throughout his stay at the

hospital. He'd sneak a smile in whenever we caught eyes

(as long as there weren't any needles, drugs, or doctors within sight).

Feeling much better with gifts from loved ones.

CARS at the Drive-in

Last summer we couldn't resist going to see the movie Cars at the drive-in. It was such a nice night that we were able to set our blanket out on top of our car and enjoy the movie. It made for a late night and memorable time.

Hawaii