Happy Birthday to Me.

Well, I'm finally writing a blog. This sounds like a great way to keep people informed with what our family is doing. Hmm, I hope it works out. I'm already almost two weeks late on my first entry, a tribute to my 31st Birthday (July 9). I might as well back up to the 4th of July...

I spent the 4th in the usual "day off" fashion, by laying a slab of concrete. It was my first attempt and it was exhausting. After pushing paper every day its tough to move around 30, 80-lb bags of concrete. It almost went down smoothly; unfortunately, the forecasted "light" evening shower turned into a heavy downpour that swamped our gutters and did some damage to the surface of the concrete. Fortunately for me, the bottom of our trashcan doesn't care if the concrete is perfectly smooth. Anyway, we still had time to get in a little swimming and a trip to the canceled (due to light showers) fireworks show.

Right after the Holiday Weekend I set off to Portland, Maine on business. Holly pulled out my Brithday present early so that I wouldn't get lost while away from home. She scored big by getting me a Garmin Nuvi, a GPS for the car. It's great for giving directions in unfamiliar areas; we've already used it twice in Maine and North Carolina. Now, whenever I feel like a Frosty, Nuvi tells me where to find the closest Wendy's.

I had to get up at 3:30 a.m. on my Birthday to get home by lunch; but it was worth it to spend the rest of the day with the family. We celebrated with Pizza, a movie, and a trip to the Children's museum. Hannah's favorite area, of course, was the toddler area that looks just like any other toddler play area you'll find at any mall. We also enjoyed doing some fishing, checking out a bunch of model trains, and playing with big bubbles.

We finished the week off with another get together with the Clark, Miller, and Acker Families to celebrate my Birthday. I had a great time swimming with the kids in our little pool and setting up a make shift slide. It was also a great excuse to have some cake, ice cream, and some games. Can't wait till next year, my birthday has become a great reason to go out and have some fun with the kids.

It's amazing what these toddlers pick up. Hannah found a small camping pan that was just her size. She then finds the macaroni and cheese individual size packets. Fills the pan with water, puts it on the stove (thank goodness she didn't turn it on), puts the macaronin in the pan. This is when I discovered she was up to something. "Mommy, want macaroni for lunch?" You can't leave toddlers alone for a second. There is no telling what they'll get into.

Happy Easter

We realize this is old news. But we had a really fun Easter Egg Hunt with Hannah in our backyard. We also had a new video camera and were trying thing out. Mark put together this slick video. Check it out. You also may get a few quick glances at how big Holly got the week before she had Isaac.

The Family Grows

It's a Boy! Isaac Gregory was born March 28, 2008. He was a whopping 9 lbs. 13 oz. He is cute as a button with thick, brown, wavy hair. It looks like he'll have blue eyes. At two and a half months he is sleeping through the night. He is quite social with an extensive vocabulary of goos and gaws. He's really cute. You'll just have to see for yourself. Hannah is adjusting well. She loves her little brother and loves to sing to him just like mommy. Its hard to believe he's been around for three months already. We've taken him camping twice and swimming in the backyard often. He loves the water. This picture was taken after he got his second hair cut. He's got alot of hair.

Our Romantic Beginning

At least we think it was romantic. Mark was stationed on the Biscayne Bay, an ice breaking tug that covered the northern parts of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Holly moved to Mackinac Island in the spring of 2002 for a summer job after graduation from BYU. Neither one of us had any dream of meeting our future companion in such a remote area of the country. But, one day, Holly walks into church at a very small branch and there is Mark. The ladies in the branch did everything in there possibility to get us together, including tricking us into our first date. The rest is history. We got married November 29, 2002 in the Bountiful temple. In the almost five years of our marriage we have lived in St. Ignace, Michigan; Seaside, California; Marina, California; and Portsmouth, Virginia. We've been blessed with an adorable daughter, Hannah Lynn, who arrived August 13, 2005. And we realize that we are biased parents, but she is really cute.