Valentine's Day

We decided to make Valentine's Day more of a family holiday now that we have started our family.

Mace went to daycare in the morning and had his first Valentine's Day party!

(I felt like a pretty LAME mom, because Mace came home with better Valentine's Day cards then he gave out.)

We went to the park after we came home. It was a blast! Mace absolutely loves being outside. It was a little cold so we didn't stay very long. Afterward, we went to Cafe Rio, which was the best part of the evening! (We even found a gift card that had $1.23 on it!)

I heard a quote on the radio that I really liked. It was by Hallmark, and it said something to like,"Valentine's Day isn't about saying 'I love you.' It is about saying 'I love us.'"

I feel so lucky to be married to Tyler. He really does make me a better person. I really do love us! 

Skiing up Patsy Marley

On the 18th of February I woke up at 4:30 in the morning eager to get out and ski and try to take some pictures.  I probably sped on the way up to the Alta parking lot (well, as much as a 1995 Geo Prizm allows).  When I got up to the Alta parking lot around 5:30 it was blowing like crazy.  

Pink Pine

On the 5th of February Mallary offered to watch Mace so Greg and I could go skiing.  Greg suggested that we go to Pink Pine, an area I had never been to.  It was a great place to go skiing.  It was the first time ever that I had done 3 laps.  Here are some pictures of Greg.

Cardiff Peak

Last week I really wanted to go skiing Friday morning but had no one to go with.  I had resigned to the fact that I wouldn't be able to go until I started reading "Crystal Horizon", which is about Reinhold Messner's solo ascent of Mt. Everest.  That night I decided I would not be a wimp and go up myself.

I am obviously not cut out to climb everest or anything even close.  I forgot my headlamp and was forced to go up the trail in pitch black.  Occasionally I took out the camera and took a picture using the flash to see where the trail went. 

This picture is a long exposure of Alta taken about half way up.  You can start to see some light over the ridge.  I wanted to make it up to Cardiff Peak by sunrise so I decided I wouldn't take any more breaks until I got to the top.

Here is the sun coming up over the Sunset Peak.

 

I was expecting a brilliant glowing sunrise but it was really just a dull pink and blue.  Really pretty though.

Really pretty!

Kicking the fan chord

When Brad and I went to the University of Utah, we both took some martial arts classes.  I took Kempo karate and Brad took Krav Maga.  I think we were both surprised by how much we enjoyed those classes.  I took it seriously.  I studied frequently and practiced with our punching bag almost nightly.  I stressed and stressed about our tests and was really proud when I became a 2nd degree blue belt.  As seriously as I took it, I couldn't ever really shake the idea that I was just like Kramer; especially when I had to slow motion spar with a hefty woman that was in our class.

 

I don't remember exactly when this tradition started, but one night a couple years ago Brad and I challenged each other to try to kick the chord that hands down from the fan in my parents living room.  Since that time we have spent countless hours perfecting our technique.  It is not a simple feat.  Many a groin has been pulled trying to do it.

Here is Brad this past Christmas.

Take this, fan chord!

Ben even got in on the action.  

My mom even did it a while back (with the help of a mini-tramp)

Snow caving near Strawberry Reservoir

I was able to go snow caving with the Young Men in my ward from the 21st to 22nd of January.  Mace stayed with grandpa Roy that night since Lyndsay had to work.  

I got up there just after the sun set.  This picture shows the boys huddled around the fire as we prepared for the cold night.

The sunrise was awesome

The biggest and best snow cave I have ever slept in.  We had four adults in here and could have fit six or seven easily.  The best part: it was already dug for me when I got up there.

There were some awesome areas to snowmobile there.

Soccer at the park

Mace and I were kicked out of our house one day when Lyndsay had to do homework.  We decided to go play soccer at the park.  

When you play by Mace rules, he is allowed to use his hands.

Trying to figure out how to get past daddy.

Running past daddy.  That is how you score in Mace soccer.

I think Lyndsay and I made a pretty cute little kid.

After Mace had won several times, he decided we could start playing by the real rules.  He proceeded to kick the ball all the way down the sidewalk and back by himself.  Mace sure wore daddy out.

Mace, say "cheese!"

Skiing up Grizzly Gulch

Lyndsay and I went skiing up Grizzly Gulch on Martin Luther King day.  It was so much fun to have some time to talk with each other and enjoy the beautiful mountains we have around us.  We took it pretty easy on the way up and the way down since Lyndsay is pregnant.

Here is Lyndsay on the way up.

It was snowing graupel, kind of like small hail.

With one kid already and another on the way, it makes you value your time alone with each other more.

A view of Alta

I hope Lyndsay gets addicted to this like me.

Skinning up.

Skiing down.  It was really icy since it had rained the day before.

Car Show

On the 15th of January, Mace, Grandpa Roy, and I went to the car show.  Mace loved it!  For Christmas Mace got some Matchbox cars and he has loved cars ever since.  One of his first words was "car".

Mace had to get in just about every car we saw.

He loved to pretend he was driving.

If you look closely, you can see his head in the drivers seat.

He loved this $180,000.00 dollar Audi R8.

And loved being with his grandpa.

Mace helped me check out the size of the trunk of one of my dream cars, a Subaru WRX.

Can I get this one grandpa?

Or this one?

Mace just about made it over the barricade to see the new Corvette.

Mace's favorite car, a Ferrari Italia.  He actually owns one of these (a Matchbox car).