Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Yellowstone Vacation

We spent the weekend before Christmas with my Uncle and Aunt- Clive and Anne. They drove all the way down from B.C. to spend time with the family. We had a lot of fun frolicking in the snow, albeit freezing...yes... we are talking -25 F at times. We really appreciate Clive and Anne for coming down our way! Here are a few pictures of us.





I had a lot of fun taking pictures-even though it was snowing the whole time. here are a few of my shots I took at the Geysers and Hot Springs (called terraces), braving the cold cold weather.







We cross country skied up to Temple Falls, well... we tried to, and turned around after a few miles because it was getting late. On the way back down the ski trail we were confronted by 2 big bull bison...one on the road... and one next to it in a narrow gully. On the opposite side of the road was a partially frozen lake. Not wanting to risk falling in the lake, we decided to SLOWLY shuffle past the buggers- the closest one being about 30 feet from us. It stopped to look up at us, as if determining that we were no threat, and then took back to feeding on the ground plants.


We also saw a lot of wildlife along the way.



On the very first morning we were there, we saw this amazing site- a grizzly guarding its kill. Actually, it was a kill that a pack of wolves made, but the grizzly stole it from the wolves, being stronger and more dominant. This is a rare site in Yellowstone, as most bears are in hibernation well before Christmas. On a side note, I made Naquel VERY upset because I kept inching closer to the Bear (I didn't have a long enough telephoto lens with me). I kept telling Naquel I was fine because I wasn't too close... besides... I can run faster than a Bear anyhow! Then the grizzly suddenly stood up erect and was stepping in my direction. I could have made it back to our SUV easily, but yeah... it was a stupid thing for me to doo.

We ran across some other kills sites, which was really neat, but you have to be really alert because many carnivores in the forest are attracted to carcasses, and they could be comming from behind you.



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Ok.... I have a little more time than I thought. Since we didn't get around to taking a Christmas picture this year, we thought we could make up for a last minute snap shot. Here is a picture of us at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We had just spent the day freezing in the -25 F weather, and decided that spending time in front of the fire place was worth while. Thanks to my Uncle, Clive, for taking this picture, as we don't seem to have many of Naquel and myself.

Brooklyn's 3rd Birthday

Brooklyn turned 3 last Friday, December 20. As Naquel and I were in Yellowstone cross country skiing the backwoods, we decided to have her birthday at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Utah with her Uncle Matt today. We are still on vacation at this moment, so I don't have much time- but here are a few shots.




Friday, December 19, 2008

Winter Watch 2008

You have probably heard about the big winter storm that has been ravaging across the country! We got hit by it hard as records were set. 12 inches of snow up here in Summerlin, NV which beats the record set in 1979 of 9 inches. This is good and bad...good cause of the fun the kids had in the snow, but bad because of the idiot drivers here that don't know how to drive in the snow. Needless to say, I was up each morning at the crack of dawn cashing in on the smorgasbord of images! Here are a few from out at Red Rock Canyon.





Sunday, December 14, 2008

A few pics from 2008...


We don't know what Brooklyn was trying to do here...


Brooklyn was so proud of her new bunk bed
.


Sydney loves to take pictures.




Playing at the park.



Fun in the snow. Mt. Charleston.


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

When your kids talk to you.... Listen!

I came home from work this evening stressed out and in a hurry to start all the administrative paperwork as I am preparing my year end review for my regional manager. As I rushed through the door Connor asked me to come and play with him on his bike. I quickly told him no, that I was too busy and rushed up stairs to my work desk. As I sat down and started at my work, I felt prompted to go down stairs and talk to Connor, and so I did. Connor again asked me to go play with him and ride his bike, and so I did. It is simple... to a child- they want to love and be loved. Adults are complicated... our lives are jam packed with deadlines, expectations, and responsibilities, we work hard and get caught up in the rat race of life, but at what cost? What is more important- what our boss thinks of us... or our kids? Connor reminded me today, that the greatest accomplishment we will ever make in our life time is being the best parent we can be. Life's lessons can be so sweet!

Always with a camera, here are a few pictures:

Connor is way too big for his bike... I guess Santa will have to hook him up this year!

There is a little alley down the road from our home. Sydney is still working with the TWeels!

How can I say "no" to a face like this?

Sydney loves to jump on the trampoline!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I have been looking around for a black muslin for my photo business and after seeing the CRAZY prices for a 10 x 20 piece of black fabric I just decided to make one myself. To be totally honest, It was my idea and Naquel's crazy skillz that made this work! Naquel was so nice to sew two 5x15 swatches of fleece into 1 large muslin. She is so talented and made this little project seem like a breeze- I don't think she really knows how much this means to me! Anyhow, here are a few test shots I took to break it in.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

For Thanksgiving we went up to The Bingham's in Spanish Fark to spend time with the family. The kids were very excited to see everyone. I wish I would have taken more pictures of friends and family, but all the food got me side tracked.

A few of the activities that the kids really enjoyed included some fun playing at Jumping Jacks, an indoor mecca for blow up jumping bags and slides. The kids had a blast and had smiles from ear to ear.


We also did take a trip down to Mt. Pleasant to visit with Nathan on the land that my dad bought earlier this year. We made a camp fire (which was greatly appreciated because it was freezing by night fall) and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Brooklyn and Gunner (Nathans dog) became best friends and Brooklyn took great pleasure in hollering out orders to sit and jump. Gunner got so excited that he jumped on Brooklyn and knocked her over.