HaPpY BiRtHdAy JoNaS!

WOW! I never thought 10 years could fly by so fast. I could go on and on about how sad it is to have him grow up, but he is such an awesome kid and I really look forward to his future. Anyone who knows Jonas understands when I say that he is special. He works so hard with his snowboarding, still manages to do very well in school and babysits his baby brother willingly. He is one of the sweetest boys I have ever known. I feel very lucky...

Jonas Skateboarding

So, I need to take more pictures. I think this blog will force me to keep up! Since I don't have anything recent to post, here is a video of Jonas from last summer.

When there is no snow, and they are not traveling to find some, Glen and Jonas spend a lot of time at the skate park. This bowl at the skate park in American Fork was Jonas' big skating accomplishment last year. If you have never been there in person the video doesn't do it much justice. The walls are over 8 feet high! I get a little shaky just standing at the edge taking pictures.

Rio Cruz

Here's the baby. A long time comin', but well worth the wait! With four years between Rio and Maybel, I had forgotten what babies were all about. I have absolutely loved every moment of this kids life. He is so silly, a little chatterbox, and naked 90% of the day. Lately he has been really into being different animals and thanks to Diego, it is usually something weird, like a puma. He is two-and-a-half and I wish he would never grow up! He is the only one home with me during the day and he is my little buddy. Every time we drive past Target he yells, "OH, TARGET! I love Target." He helps me with my work, "puttin' da blings in da box" and then bosses me around the rest of the day. He has got the typical I'm-the-baby attitude and pretty much runs the show at our house. I can tell already that he is going to be one wicked "snowberder".

Maybel

Maybel is a 6-year-old, sassy, snowboarding superstar. In her mind, she is in constant competition with her brothers. She snowboards, skateboards and fights better than most boys her age, so you've gotta give her some props! Maybel also qualified for USASA (snowboarding) Nationals, her first year, in the half-pipe. She likes school, but thinks Kindergarten is too short. She hates dresses and anything else that makes her look too girly. (She hasn't worn the hat with the flower since the picture) She likes bossing her little brother, but wishes she had a sister. She loves to play with friends, but will only play Barbies behind closed, locked doors. She is definitely one-of-a-kind!

Finnegan

This is Finnegan. He is 19 months younger than Jonas, just turned 8 in November. Most people assume he is the oldest because he is easily 2 inches taller than Jonas and out-weighs him by 25 pounds! We call him The Gentle Giant, even though he's enormous he is very tenderhearted. He is a very creative and smart kid. He spends hours writing and illustrating books. He still loves to dress-up even though most of the costumes don't fit him anymore, but who am I to say that superheros don't wear belly shirts! He did very well at basketball last year and has progressed at snowboarding this season. He slid his first box, at Brighton the other night, all by himself. He is an awesome swimmer and can't wait for the pool this summer.

Jonas

This is my oldest, Jonas, a.k.a. "Jonasty". He turns 10 in a week, which seems unbelievable and to be honest, a little depressing. He is such a good kid. The past few years he has been completely dedicated to snowboarding. This year he started a 4-day-a-week program with the Park City Snowboard Team. Add to that the couple of nights a week that his #1 coach, Glen, takes him to Brighton to practice and he gets a lot of time on the mountain. It has been a big commitment on his part, having to miss a day-and-a-half of school means a lot of homework over the weekend. Despite a fractured collar bone earlier this year, he did very well at all of his competitions and qualified for the National USASA Competition in both half-pipe and slope-style.

the beginning...

Well, where do you start a blog? Do you try and do some history or just pick up where you are now? I've opted for the latter, so here goes!