My Maren.

Maren has become such a fun kid to be around. She is so sweet and funny that she has definitely worked her way into a very special place in my heart. It is hard to believe that she is turning SEVEN today! Wow.

Maren has really come into her own this year and it is SO fun to see her blossom!  She is a quick learner and always has a quick wit.  I am constantly impressed with how she 'gets' people. She is quick to pick up on emotions and the intricacies that create human connections. During our nightly reading she is the first to pick up on nuanced feelings that even the older kids struggle to grasp.

This is officially the first year that Maren is genuinely excited to be one year older. The past few years have been met with sadness at leaving the last year of life that she enjoyed so much! I guess she figured out that each year just continues to get better than the last.

In many situations Maren has become one of the "olders" instead of the "littles." At the beginning of the year I mentioned that the older four kids could do something fun and she lit up and exclaimed, "I am one of the 'olders' now!"  She has definitely earned that place among the kids and she has been able to do more and more with them. She is easy to trust and depend on and is earning her freedom even earlier than some of the other kids because of this.  I sure love my little (getting bigger) girl!

We are celebrating her birthday tonight as a family, and then again in a couple of weeks with a bunch of friends. She is getting so big!

*****

As far as events this week, there were two big things. On Thursday night, Rach and I went to a fundraising dinner for CDAide and had a great time. We won several items from the silent auction, ate good food, and went out with some new friends to continue the party once it was all over. It was a good time, and a great cause.

The second event was that our three oldest kids went off to a winter camp with their church group...right at the time that the biggest, windiest, and COLDEST storm of the year hit. Bwaahaaahaaa!!!! The cabins kept them warm though and they came back three days later in great spirits and in need of a lot of catch-up sleep.

*****

Rachel is flying out to Texas this week to visit extended family. Wish me luck!

Have a good week!

Here's Jackson explaining one of his MANY inventions. I'm still a little unsure about what it does, but he was pretty excited about it.

Last weekend we went to Rexburg for a few days to hang out with my parents. My brother also came up and brought his kids, and we spent most of the day on Saturday at the local ski resort, Kelly Canyon. I have not skied there in about ten years, but it was the place I went most often as a kid and it brought back a lot of good memories.

Lately we have been busy planning our year, trying to get everything set up for the busy months ahead. It looks like it is going to be another busy year. Bring it on!

Have a good week!

Relaxing in the lodge and eating lunch.

Addy and Jackson got to try snowboarding. I think they had fun, but will be happy to be back on skis next weekend.

Wow...the month of January has come and gone and I haven't done much of an update at all. Truth is, we have fallen into a pretty nice groove since the holidays. School and work are back in full swing. The kids are all in a 10 week ski class, so that takes up much of our Saturdays. We often go skiing in the morning, and then either play with friends or go to the Kroc center in the afternoon to climb/swim. Sunday mornings are pretty much taken up by church, and then, up until recently, football games in the afternoon. On Mondays, the kids go to school and Rach and I have our standing breakfast date, after which she heads off to work and I go to run errands.

It's a nice, easy way of living, but doesn't make for many headline breaking blog posts.

Have a good week!

Who gets 16 days off for Christmas Break????  The Hazard Kids! 

Too bad it is not possible for all parents to get this much time off.  We had an amazing Christmas break as a family, but Logan eventually had to return to work and continue adulting.  I, on the other hand, had no intentions of adulting and instead decided to run off with the kids for an 8 day adventure to sunny Las Vegas! Why not, right?

With a clean car (who does that before a trip?!?!) and a car full of excited kids we set off on the eighteen hour drive.  Wait? Eighteen hours? What did I get myself into? Well, I must say that the kids are EXCELLENT travelers and about 39 of the roughly 40 hours driving was smooth sailing,  

On the way to Vegas we stopped at my mom's house for a few days to visit and have Christmas with my mom and all of my siblings. We had plenty of time to play games, visit a great children's museum, play at Grandma's, have a Christmas celebration, enjoy some kid free sister shopping time, and of course, go to Leatherby's for ice cream! 

Leatherby's Grandma Gracie's Sundae is the only tradition that I am pretty sure Logan did not miss!

We always have a great time at Grandma's house! It was fun to see Shannon, Marissa, Brandon, Kendra, all the cousins, and my mom. Hooray for family time!

It was now time to continue our trip and head to Marissa and Wesley's house in Henderson Nevada.  Marissa and I made the drive "together" and again it was a success!  Warm weather here we come... or so we thought...

I am constantly amazed at how much fun and activity we are able to fit into relatively short amounts of time. I am also pleasantly surprised with how easy it is becoming to take our five crazies on these adventures.  We spent a lot of time outdoors in the sunshine, Marissa and I took all seven of the kids to The Mirage for a dolphin adventure, I took our kids to the strip for an entire afternoon of fun exploring, Marissa and I went shopping together again without kids, and on our way out of town we visited a mermaid show. These events are definitely better told through pictures, so here we go!

Sunshine and leaves!

Somehow we did not get many good pictures of all of the kids together. We tried, but it was pretty unsuccessful. This is a fun one because it has Oliver and Kaylee in it, too,

We visited a cactus garden and I gave my camera to the kids. I found a lot of interesting pictures... This one was a keeper.

After the trip we were discussing our favorite activities and the Dolphin exhibit at the Mirage was the top of everyone's list!  This was the first adventure we went on, and the weather was not on our side. it was mid forties with a windchill that felt like it was in the teens! I was SO surprised how well behaved the kids were and with the lack of complaining. We stayed for about three hours and had a wonderful time! When I was there I overheard someone in the gift shop saying that she had lived in Las Vegas for 37 years and she does not remember it ever being so cold! Luckily, the rest of the trip was beautiful weather. The Dolphin exhibit also featured another section of Lions and Tigers that was dedicated to Siegfried and Roy. The animals were very active and fun to watch. That is definitely a perk that comes with cooler weather.

Logan summed this up perfectly:
Jack:I'm just playin' it cool
Ev: This is neat!
Addy: Look good for the camera!
Lindsey: Am I smiling now?
Maren: Don't make eye contact...
I think he nailed each of their picture personalities

Proof that Marisa and I were there, too!

I may be a bit more scared of Addy than the lions...

We did not stay on the strip after the dolphin exhibit because we were there for so long and it was a bit cold.  I took the kids the next day and can I just say that I love having older kids who listen well and are fun to be with? We are out of the 'just take care of my needs' stage and I am living it up.

Our first stop was the Venetian. We walked around and enjoyed the sights.

After the Venetian we visited Circus Circus and saw an acrobat show. I don't have any pictures, so you can use your imagination.  When we finished we met up with Marissa and the kids to tour the Bellagio gardens and finish off the night with the Bellagio Fountain show.  It did not disappoint!

A semi successful picture of all of the kids together.  Maren stole the show!

To begin the long ride home on a good note I surprised the kids with one last destination stop to see a mermaid show. Most of them were enchanted with the exception of Jack. He was adamant that the Mermaid was not real and it was his intent to make sure no one was fooled. I think he came around and enjoyed the idea of it towards the end. Either way, it was a fun stop and a great end to a fabulous vacation! Thank you Marissa and Wesley for having us in your home and being awesome hosts!

This was the mermaid tank. I have decided that it is nearly impossible to get a good picture of a mermaid. You will just have to go and see her for yourself.

I can't think of a better way to end this purple text post (thanks for the added Pizzazz Adalie!) than with this awesome candid video of Evelyn. She got her dance on on the way back to the Bellagio after the fountain show. Love her!

As mentioned in the last post, Rachel and kids have been gone for the past week in Las Vegas. I'm sure they will have lots to tell about when they come home. In the meantime, I have been playing (and working) closer to home. Besides seeing a lot of movies and playing the guitar I have gone skiing twice, made several trips to the climbing gym, and took a trip to Canada with three other friends for some ice climbing. Good times!

Gibraltar Wall- Four pitches of vertical or nearly vertical ice. Beautiful. We did two routes- one going up the middle and one on the far right of this picture. Both WI4+

So...About 15 feet off the ground, my left crampon binding broke. Rather than go down, I finished all four pitches of the climb with one foot. It was basically like doing a thousand pull-ups in a row. Pretty tiring. After that first climb, some other climbers had the part we needed to do a repair, and I was able to climb a little better on round two.

Um...that's a selfie I took at the ski resort. To prove I was there...I guess? I don't know. Anyway, it was a good day.

Stay tuned for next week when we'll do a New Year's update on everyone. Until then...

Have a good week!

Merry Christmas everyone.

This salutation comes a bit late, but it's been a good one.

Just some thoughts: The Christmas season has always been characterized for me by a remarkable pairing of obnoxious holiday cheer (busy songs, loud colors, etc.) with nostalgic peacefulness (cozy fireplaces with snow outside, classy table-settings with savory food, etc.). It has been fun, as our family gets older, to be able to focus more on the latter and less on the former. It is fun to see kids putting more thought into their presents as they get older. It is fun to be able to focus on relaxing family time instead of on the holiday hustle and bustle. The internet has been a huge time-saver when it comes to shopping. It is fun to just settle into a vacation, like sitting in a familiar old chair, rather than attacking it like a foe on the battlefield.

There isn't much more to say. Christmas morning was rather understated- nothing wild- just the way it should be. For the next week or so, Rachel and the kids will be in Las Vegas with Rachel's sister. I will be home...but not at home. I have to work a few of the days, but in the meantime I will be climbing, playing the guitar, and skiing. I head out today with some friends to BC where we'll ice climb over the weekend. It should be good.

Enjoy some pictures, and have a happy new year.

Rach and I went to see the tour of Broadway's "Waitress." Definitely a fun night out.

Evelyn and Rach went on an Eagle cruise on the lake. Every year, hundreds of Bald Eagles come to nest on these shores. It is pretty spectacular. You can almost always count on seeing many fish grabs. Evelyn has been "into" birds for a long time now, so this was a special treat for her.

Rachel rang the bell individually with each of the 4 oldest kids. This has become a tradition.

New PJs on Christmas eve. Thank you Dianna and Dave!

I had to put this somewhere, because I thought it was cute. On my amp: "You ROCK, Litterly. -Jack" (Sic)

We haven't had much snow lately, making for some excellent family walks. 

This family walk wasn't so excellent. On Christmas day, Lindsey fell and hit her chin on a rock, requiring a couple of stitches. Not the funnest way to spend Christmas afternoon, but she was a champ. And Santa even came to the hospital for a special visit.

Family ice skating day! I love the movement in the last picture. We had fun.

We went and walked around downtown. We started at the library where the kids explored the bookshelves for a long time. The ultimate destination, however, was a small park where our church was doing a "neigh-tivity"- basically a petting zoo with camels and sheep and stuff. There were lots of people there and we had a good time.

You'll have to forgive the obvious edit, but we didn't really stand out otherwise.

 My office went to a hockey game. I have never been to a hockey game before and I didn't know what to expect. I got more into the game than I thought I would and found myself cheering out of my seat during the exciting overtime finish. Also, it was the teddy bear toss night, and the coolest part was after the home team scored their first goal and people (including us) started throwing stuffed animals onto the ice- over 7,000 of them! It looked like stuffy rain! It was crazy! They will all be given to hospitals and charities.

We got our Christmas tree. It now stands proudly in our living room and is making our house smell wonderful.

As soon as all the kids were off to school on Monday, Rachel and I hit the slopes on our own. We also got almost all of our Christmas shopping done on the ride to and from the resort. Great day!

Have a good week!