Tender Mercies and Enjoying God's Gifts

While the kids were at school Steve, Sarah, the kids, and I decided to go for a hike. It is a beautiful time of year in Feb. for desert hikes. Steve and Sarah were worried about rattlesnakes but luckly we didn't cross any on the path. The desert landscape is awesome! Beautiful cacti, rolling hills, and land you can see for miles. It was hot in the desert sun and we had both Will and Christian so we didn't get very far. It was still fun to get out in the fresh air and exercise.

 Later the kids decided to cool off. It rained a little that afternoon and the retention basin behind out house was full of water. Although the water was really cold that didn't get those kids down. It reminded me that pure joy and fun can come in any form. Sometimes the best and most memorable times are simple events. Events not planned or paid for but tender mercies the Lord provides us with. The joy on their faces was priceless and I love watching them learn and enjoy the world we live in.

Will's Blessing and More Adventures with Sarah and Steve

While Sarah and Steve were visiting we had the opportunity to bless baby Will. Everyone attended the blessing which was so special and there was a wonderful spirit in the church that day. The blessing included serving a mission, seeking education, and being sealed to a worthy women in the temple. Will has such a sweet and serene spirit, we didn't hear a peep out of him during the blessing, just a peaceful baby from heaven. 

 Later that week we went to a new trampoline place near our house called Krazy Air. We have been to trampoline places many times but this new place is right by our house (YAY for mom), it has a lot of climbing walls, slides, rope swings, a basketball hoop, dodge ball, and some soft stacking blocks. The kids had a blast. They were so sweaty by the end, it was awesome. Sarah even busted out some of her old back flip skills. Christian spent nearly the entire time on the climbing slide and in the block pit. This will definitely be our new hangout spot this summer.

After an hour of jumping we were in need of some ice cream cones to cool down.

SUPERBOWL XLIX

At the end of January we had two of our favorite vistors come to town. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Steve came into town to meet baby Will. But the best part is the Seahawks were in the Superbowl. We spent the week partying HAWK style and attending all the football events. 

 While the kids were in school Christian, Sarah, Steve, William, and I headed down to Scottsdale. We found lots of vendors and freebees, watched the ESPN broadcasts, and sought out to find some great Hawk gear. There was a man dressed up like a statue covered in white. The kids were able to paint and make their mark on the man. Christian was hilarious. He was so unsure about going up to paint him. It was like he knew that what he was doing was suppose to be bad, but we were urging him to do it. Once he warmed up to the statue he had a lot of fun.

 A look at the new ESPN cast, now that's a good looking group.

Later that week we headed to the NFL experience in downtown Phoenix. This was the experience of a lifetime. The kids got decked out in their HAWK gear thanks to Sarah and Steve. Christian was the best yelling "GO HAWKS" everywhere he went. He totally got into the football zone.

 The kids dressed up like pro players, participated in drills, met players, and collected lots of free NFL gear. It was a blast. They even jumped into a foam pit and caught a ball along the way.

Our last stop was Hawk Fest the Saturday before the big game. Thousands of Seahawk fans gathered together in Phoenix to celebrate our Superbowl repeat team. It was awesome to see all that navy and green. We waited in line for an hour to get into the party and we were worried we wouldn't even get in. So we decided to head out and check out the rest of the area when we noticed the line was considerably shorter on the other side, WHOOPS. We went right in and had a great time hanging with the 12's. The kids even met baby Blitz. Then on our way back home we noticed the Beast Bus parked on the side of the street in a parking lot. We made a quick turn and pulled in just wanted to get a picture in front of the bus. Instead they welcomed us with open arms. We all boarded the bus, chatted with the people, had a few snacks and the the kids even got to honk the horn (which was REALLY LOAD). It was awesome!!! Best part of the day by far. 

 

 Finally it was the day of the big game. We made all the great football food, Sarah decked out my house in Hawk colors, and we enjoyed a great game. Unfortunately we lost on the stupidest play in the history of the Superbowl. It was a heartbreaker. We were all sad for about a week after the game. Good news is we were able to take in all the festivities before hand and it was definitely a time we will all never forget.