Dress up with Dad's Aussie clothes

No...this is not a case of identity crisis. Bella just wanted to put on one of the aprons i had.

Bradley getting dressed up for a picture. Lacing up the footy boots

Alyssa showing that she does not understand fashion yet which is fine by me. She does look good in the Aussie jumper.

Bradley looking good in his footy gear.

Bella with the Aussie t-shirt

I had set out many of the Aussie items for our families Australia Day celebration. The kids decided to have some fun after everyone left. Of course I grabbed the camera and took a few snap shots.

I was very surprised at how many items I found lying around (and buried in closets and in boxes). It was a last minute decision to put them out but made the afternoon fun.

Boys Day Out

This past Saturday we had a day out with the boys. The girls went up to the Gateway and did a bit of shopping. Well it really was not a day but an afternoon.

We left mum and dads around 1pm. We headed south on Redwood wood, east of Utah Lake. I think we almost ended up back in Spanish Fork from Lehi. After 15 miles of driving we started to see some ranges off to the side of the road. The first couple had alot of people so we kept on driving. Within another 2 miles we found our spot...right off the road. The bank of dirt we decided to shoot at was slightly downhill and 40 to 50 yards away. The boys that were in attendance were Bradley (my boy), Guy (my brother), Rob (Guy's friend), Andrew (our nephew) and Brian (brother-in-law). Michele (my sister) showed up an hour after we got there and dropped off Bryce (Andrew's younger brother). We had quite a few guns all provided by Rob except for Guy's glock. For those that don't know my brother is a police officer in Garner, NC. I don't know all the guns that were there (i forgot) so hopefully Guy adds a comment and reminds me. We had his glock and then a couple of 45's, shotgun, a 22 rifle and 22 handgun and a revolver. The first video i added is of Bradley shooting the 22 handgun. He enjoyed it so much it was hard for him to go back to the bb gun we took for him. He shot this gun about 10 times. He also shot the other 22's. They were really heavy for him but he did take a few shots.

The first 20 minutes everyone seemed timid and did not want to shoot. Honestly after the first time at a shooting range last year with Guy I am still a little afraid of guns. It made a big difference being outside and not really restricted. Once the shooting started no one really wanted to stop. Rob actually shot the least but had plenty of laughs at the expense of the rest of us. Guy, Andrew, Brian, Bryce and myself took at least one shot from each gun. I shot at least 60 rounds from Guys glock. I was very comfortable by the time we were done. We were out there for a couple of hours. We got a little crazy towards the end but were still very ensured safety of all. Rob found a glass bottle and threw it up in the air a couple of times for Guy to shoot at but never connected. There was a tube about 100 yards away and Guy took a few shots at it. It appeared as though he hit it but it never went down. Were going to go to the movies but decided to head back to mum and dad's and wait for the girls. We got back around 4:30 and the girls did not get back until after 6:30. We had a great and safe time.

Guy and the revolver. We had to always yell 'firing' when Rob was close. It was funny when we forgot. Don't know why he did not wear ear plugs. Something about being manly i guess.

Andrew with the bb gun. He did shoot other guns.

Alyssa's Long Hair - Gone

Tonight Alyssa's hair was reduced to shoulder length. She originally was going to donate her hair but it would have needed to be a few more inches longer than it was. It was becoming unbearable and she wanted it shortened. Cynthia took Alyssa to the hairdresser with Bradley, Isabella and their cousin McKenna in tow. I happened to leave work and get to the hair salon the same time they did. It was quite an ordeal for one person. It is the first time any significant length had been removed from her hair. First she was placed in a chair for the initial trim. Even from that trim there was a good 4 inches of hair on the floor. I was shocked. She then had it washed and went back to the original chair for further work. The lady that was cutting her hair, Brooke, is in our Ward. Brooke then continued to trim and style until Alyssa was beaming with glee at the sight of her shorter hair. When it was all said and done she left there as one happy, a little older looking, beautiful young lady.
It was funny to see her grab the back of her hair and run her fingers through the end...only to have no hair in her hand after just a short stroke. She had to run over to McKenzie's house, her friend, and then show granny and grandpa Hatch.
Now she wants Cynthia to use the straightener on her hair. The fun begins.
Bring on the teenage years.

Long hair before she got it cut - front view

Long hair before she got it cut - view from back

After cut - front view

After cut - view from back

Need your Opinion - Alyssa v's Cell Phone

Alyssa turns 11 February 23rd. Those who have talked with her knows she is a bright and smart person. We have a bit of a dilemma. We are thinking of getting her a cell phone for her birthday. I am still on the fence. Obviously she says yes but Cynthia is unsure although i think she would say yes quite easily. Before you pass your judgement or opinion let me point out a few things.
The cost is minimal. To add a line is only $10 a month. We are able to restrict her phone use based on who she can call and text. So there might be only 10 people she could communicate with. Cynthia has been working more at the school and there are times she needs to be away from the home.
I have talked to a few people that have given their a phone when they were 9 because both parents worked and it was for emergencies. Some have waited until they are 13 or 14 or older.
So, add some comments and let me know what you think. Should we or shouldn't we?
Remember Alyssa and Cynthia read this so be nice. ha ha ha just kidding.

Two Months later and a New Year

Us at Build a Bear

Alyssa's bear Pixie

Bradley's bear Dexx

Choosing Outfits

Bella's bear Ginger

Bella and her cake

Well i guess i could not keep this going as well as i thought. Maybe, just maybe I should teach Cynthia and turn it over to her. Nah!!!

Yesterday was Isabella's 6th birthday. She has been excited everyday since new years day. She counted down every day until it got here.

We took her to build a bear. Of course that included Alyssa and Bradley getting their own bear too. We had alot of fun. I had always walked past the store but never ventured in. Some of the stuff they have was just crazy. If we had more time and money I am sure Isabella would have come home with 20 outfits for her bear. By the time we left she had changed outfits twice and gone home with the third choice.

We had a party in the afternoon which included 15 kids not including ours. I did the honors of entertaining the troops for the first 15 minutes and then they party went on from there. We had a great time and before we knew it the 1 1/2 hours had passed and the kids were being picked up. A little bit of clean up later and the house was back to normal except for a few lingering friends...you know who you are. lol

Cat's Out of the Bag!

Well tonight the cat has been released. Cynthia's friend Paige (and kids) came over for dinner. Paige has been trying to get Cynthia to start a blog for months. I could not take the silence anymore and pulled the laptop to the table and brought up the blog. Cynthia now knows there is a blog out there that has her life on it. Well there are posts mainly about me and a few for the kids. I might have to be more family friendly from now on. I will now be pressured to add posts more often as Cynthia reads a few of the family blogs in the Ward and will want to keep up with the them. It has been a month since the last post so I was due anyway.

Bradley's Big Day

Here is the family right before Bradley's baptism. He was very nervous but ready to be done.

He wanted to aTrasnformers cake for his birthday. We got this one for the family after the baptism

This cake was for the party we had with his friends later in the day

Bradley blowing out the candle. I love this picture cause it shows how much effort he put into blowing out the candle. lol

Father and son right before baptism

Alyssa, Bradley and Isabella as we were leaving for the church

What do you think? Any Ideas?

Ok. I have been running more the last 4 or so months than i have in my life and I am enjoying it.
I would like it to mean even more. I am looking for help and support from friends and family.

Tim Cord, is a marine and works with me. He is only 24 but has been overseas three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has told us stories about his 'tours of duty', some funny, some not so funny.
Anyway, he and 4 other marines got together to form a band called The American Hitmen. They occassionally play at small locations as a fundraiser to buy certain items to send over to the troops he knows and does not know. There are other entities that send care packages but they send the same thing everytime. Seeing as he served he knows what our men and women would like instead of the same items over and over again. I have gone to a few of these performances and helped out when I can.
Here is where everyone else comes in. I was thinking i could have family and friends donate as well. How would this work you ask? Well for every mile i run, in an official race, a donation could be made. This could be based on either me finishing the race or an amount per mile. The races i have run so far have been 5k's or 3.1 miles. I am planning to run a half marathon (13.2 miles) in November. As you can see by this blog i have only run 2 races since July so it is not like i would be asking all the time. Plus, you would not have to donate to every race. it is purely up to you.

Example; 3 miles x $1 per mile = $3 Simple math right.

Let me know what you all think. I know times are tough and we are all stretching our dollars but after listening to Tim and his experiences and to hear it so passionate in his music i too have become passionate about this cause. Simple things like jerky and gum are appreciated more than we know.

Thanks for listening.

No Pressure

Cynthia and I were cruising along thinking we have 5 weeks until Bradley's baptism on Sat Nov 1st. Someone from the Primary Presidency dropped off the details and the date said Sat Oct 11th, which is actually Bradley's birthday. Because of General Conference the first week of Oct and Fast Sunday being the next week he will actually be baptised in just over 2 weeks. I found this out 10 minutes ago.
Ok, so now we have the baptism at 12:30pm, around the the same we were going to have a party for him and his friends. Looks like that will be pushed to later that day.
Right after cleaning up after the family leaves (as I am sure we will have food and cake after the baptism), we will have to get ready for the second party. What a lucky boy.
What a privilege to be baptised on his birthday. Not many 8 year olds can say that these days.
All I know is the next day will be truly a day of rest...well deserved and needed.

Isabella

I left work at 7:40 last night. As I pulled in the driveway Isabella came running up yelling something. As I got out I finally understand what she was saying. She was all excited cause she is able to ride her bike without the training wheels anymore. So of course she had to show me. I spent about 10 minutes outside watching her. She was so proud. The cool thing is it only took her 2 days. I was impressed.
It was fun to watch her zip down the street, until i realized she was going all the way down the street and it was getting dark. I had to call her to come back. She only knows one speed right now and that is fast. I walked beside her and tried to get her ride slowly. It lasted about 10 seconds. I think once she gets the hang of balancing she will be alot better.
To stop she would drive up onto our driveway and onto the grass and lay the bike down and she kind of fell / jumped off. Good thing our driveway is sloped. She will get the hang of braking.
It was just as impressive to hear the support from Alyssa and Bradley. They were so excited that she could ride. They all ride to the park with Cynthia so Bella can now feel free without the extra wheels. Normally she would either ride the scooter, bike with training wheels or ride on the back of Bradley's bike cause he has pegs.
Way to go Bella...although i am scared to think of what is next. lol