December 29,2008

Today has been an exciting day for our family....

First, today is my Dad's Birthday. We are so grateful to have him in our family. He is the nicest guy, and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased. I never hear him speak badly about anyone. What a great example his is to all of us. Here are just a few things we love about Mark L:

* He gets so excited about things. He does this thing where he gets excited and he rubs his hands together really fast. He then makes a noise- dooo doo and presses his fingertips on a hard surface. I know this won't make sense to everyone... but I know Brian and April will laugh at this.

* He takes pictures of everything. We give him a hard time that we are sick of posing for pictures, but it's so fun to look back at old pictures.

* The work station. He sets up a card table in the basement, usually next to the fire where he makes whatever it is he makes. Pictures, postcards, magnets, letters, etc.

* He is thoughtful. He is always thinking about people and what he can do to make them happy or smile. Anyone who has ever received a post card from him knows this. He says what he does isn't a lot, but I know that the people receive them really appreciate it.

* He loves his family. He loves to just be home with his family with a fire going and be together. He loves his siblings and his parents. He often talks about trips with his Dad and how much those memories mean to him. He understand more than most the important parts of life.

*Milkshakes. Usually every Sunday night my Dad makes us milkshakes. Oreo, Eggnog, Butterfinger, Chocolate.... They are the best!!!

*He can't dress himself. Don't get me wrong... it's not like my Mom has to lay out his clothes or anything, but when it comes to actually putting on shirts- something goes wrong. He manages to twist the shoulders in a weird way. Not sure how he does it, but I've gotten pretty good at fixing it.

*Hot Chocolate in a pot- My Dad makes hot chocolate on the stove top. I love it. He makes sure that it all blends in with each other. He makes it, anytime I ask.

* His love for the Gospel. He is always encouraging us to do better. All he usually gets back is a sarcastic comment, or a roll of the eyes, but he never stops. Just another way he is an example.

*Stubborn. Ha, I actually don't know if this is a beloved trait, but I seemed to inherit it... so I'm going to include it as things we love :)

* Hard working. My Dad is a hard worker. I've always thought my Dad has "working hands". This summer he tore down all the trees in our backyard. It was pretty sad, but it had to be done. It wasn't an easy task, but he got it done. He then would invite our neighbor over to roast hot dogs over the fires he made with the wood every Monday. The man often mentioned to me how much he looked forward to those days.

* He loves to take us places. He loves to take us camping and we in turn love it. He teaches us random facts about landmarks or cities as we travel. I hope I can always remember it and be able to pass it along.

* My music box... enough said there.

I could literally go on and on and on... but there is still something else I want to blog about so I will stop. We just love our Dad, it's that simple. We are lucky kids, that's for sure.

Next... Trevor & Dayna

Trevor & Dayna got engaged tonight and we couldn't be more excited. I'm glad Trevor snatched her up before someone else did. We are all so happy that Dayna is going to be a part of our family. She is too nice to be hanging out with this crowd, but she does it anyway!

Trevor took Dayna snowshoeing up Little Cottonwood Canyon, where these snowmen were waiting. Or should I say snow groom and snow bride?

From the trail below... A little blurry, but you get the idea.

They couldn't get a great picture of the ring so I'm posting one that we already had. I love it. It looks great on her.

It was so fun to see them and how excited they are. We are so happy for you guys! Congrats!!

We wish those reading from a far could be here with us tonight... Love you too!