Kami Banks

I am so thankful to my friend Kami. I had some meetings in San Diego this last weekend, and Kami and her family took great care of us. Kami watched Addy during the meetings, took us to the airport, cooked us a delicious dinner...and we got to play at the beach. Addy had tons of fun with Brynn and Aubrey as well. Thanks so much Kami! Can't wait to see you in December (I've been telling people you're probably coming, so don't let us down!)

St. George Marathon

The marathon was this last Saturday. It was a great day for a run! The air was cool, the breeze was a tailwind, and most runners are happy, friendly people. We all had a great day and made our goal finishing times!

Amber the Amazing!! My friend Amber is an incredible runner. She finished in 3 hours 4 minutes. Amber, you truly are an awesome person AND runner! Great job!!

Happy Birthday Lauren!!

My little sister is 12 now. Lauren, only 4 more years and you can date and drive!!

Swiss Days 2007

Swiss Days is a Santa Clara tradition of celebrating our Swiss heritage. Our family tradition is to run the annual Swiss Days 5K fun run. This year made for the most memorable Swiss Days adventure in a long time. The morning was beautiful.. an overcast sky, slightly breezy cool air. Perfect conditions for running a 5K. Then came the downpour. It was really exciting though. There was a double rainbow over the finish line and the rain felt nice.
Addy ran/walked the whole way!! With much help and encouragement from her uncle Nate and her sidekick, Sadie. I think they had a great time.
Addy won a trophy for being the youngest runner/finisher! She got to ride in the rainy parade. Although it rained on our parade, it was one of the most entertaining parades I've ever been to. My dad was the announcer at the end of the parade (because whoever was supposed to do it didn't show up). He had some good jokes. We all huddled under the tent with him to watch our Addy in the the parade.

Cheerleading

Funny story about Craig and the little cheerleader. Craig is adamant about one thing...well, maybe a few more, but he has voiced his opinion loud and clear that he does not want Addy to be a cheerleader. He even had a serious talk to my mom about not encouraging Addy to want to be a cheerleader. So, for Addy's birthday I bought her a cheerleading outfit and wrapped it up and gave it to Addy from Craig (I told Craig I got a present from him that would be perfect, he totally bought it). When Addy opened up the gift, that I reiterated was from dad, she was so excited and promplty exclaimed, "thank you Daddy!!!" She loved it. Craig had a good sense of humor and admited that it was a good joke.

Addy is 4!!!!

Addy's birthday was exciting and fun. A beautiful evening in St. George with great friends and family. Here are the pics I promised.

Southern Utah Fun

We have spent the last 5 weeks in Southern Utah enjoying family, the mountains, events, hikes, parties, and more. Wow, I should have kept on top of everything, I can't even remember all we've done.
Addy's birthday was a joy and a success. We spent the day shopping and preparing for her party that night. We had her party at the splash pad in Santa Clara. She had many cousins, friends, grandparents, aunts, and uncles attend. She got lots of great presents! Thanks everyone!! I will include pics from the party later.
We're here in Cedar City now, and I've been trying to avoid the cats, as Addy is constantly seeking them out. Yes, Grandma Barb has cats, as well as Grandma Dayna. We've only had a few traumatic experiences with the cats. When we first got here, Addy decided to give Grandma Dayna's kitten's a bath in the ditch. She brought one in shivering and sopping wet, we asked her if she bathed the other kittens to which she replied, "just one." It took us a long time to find that kitten, and thought the worst had happened, when we found him also sopping and shivering in the corner of the garage. If you ask Addy now how kitty's are bathed, she will tell you, "the mom cat will just lick them to get them clean."
Oh my, so much to tell. One of our most exciting events was hiking the Subway at Zion last weekend. We took Addy and wondered if we would regret that decision, but we're so glad we took her. She had a blast. She's very adventurous. She repeled, held a lizard and a snake, a frog, and a tadpole. She even let Dallin attach the lizard to her ear (missed that moment with the camera). It was an unforgettable day! We hiked with my dad, Dallin and many of the Cope's. (Bob, Austin, Laura, Abbie, Ally, and Avery).