Guess who's on the move??

Yep, she's a crawling--and she is one busy little gal! Since she finally transitioned from the "army crawl" to the real thing, she has been living it up!

One of her favorite places to crawl under--and this is her "frowny face," but she is actually playing with her new bottom teeth. :)
And just a few days ago, she started to do this--woah baby! She is a woman with a mission I tell ya--Is this exciting and fun? For sure. Is it a bit scary for Mom? For double sure! However, we really have enjoyed seeing this milestone happen, and Ella is so very pleased with herself you can't help but laugh when you watch her joy.
See what I mean?
Here's just a shot of the whole family at a recent ward luau potluck--sounds crazy, but the food was pretty good and we had a fire dancer to boot! Well, that's all for now.

Hike to Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park

The beginnings of this hike were not too promising because we took the WRONG TRAIL. We were with my cousin Rick and his family and all started going up this very NARROW trail that was VERY steep. ALso, we didn't hear any water. Finally it dawned on us that it was not right! I felt bad, but Rick and Fran were very positive about it they were like, well, at least we saw something pretty. So, we had to get one shot together...

So, unfortunately Rick and his family had to leave and catch their flight back to Calfornia, but we decided to still look for the right hike. We found it and started up the trail, baby and kiddos in tow.

Let's go Daddy!
Action shot
These were the lower falls, called Copeland Falls. Since it was a pretty short hike up to these, we decided to keep going and make it the higher ones. The weather was so nice and everywhere we looked there were more beautiful things to see. It was also fun to meet other hikers on the way, some from exotic places like New Jersey. Another couple came up to us and had very strong British accents. Jack was like, "So, where are you from?" I looked at him like, "Are you kidding me? Did you hear them talk??" Then, they said, in their lovely British voices, "Oh, we're from Texas."

SO pretty

Getting close with nature.
Dad's idea--what a mastermind photographer he is.
This bridge was great to play Poo Sticks on--of course Jack decided to use a LOG instead of a stick, which totally beat all of our sticks. But the theory didn't hold true the next time, when Angie tried the same thing. So, I have yet to learn the way to find a perfect Poo Stick.

Here we are when we finally made it to the bigger falls, or cascades. Most of the way we all cheerfully kept trecking along on this hike, but I must admit that toward the end there was one member of the fam (she will remain nameless, but her name starts with an S and ends with the center of the universe) who was having some trouble being, well, full of her namesake. Anyhow, we finally relented and told her that we would do a five minute break IF she promised not to complain anymore. That seemed to appease her and she kept her end of the deal. Now, before you start to think we are horrible slave driving parents, let me explain that this hike was barely 2 miles long. Yes, it was a bit uphill but it really wasn't too bad. AND, once we got to the top EVERYONE was happy we had done it. It was BEAUTIFUL, and the nice spray of water felt SO GOOD. The hike back was great, being all down hill.
Ella was amazed at it all......
And she obviously wore herself out with that little two mile trail.It was a great way to end our fun vacation, and we now officially want to live in the Rocky Mountain National Park, in the summer that is.

Protect Marriage

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints just issued this statement on its official website:

Preserving Traditional Marriage and Strengthening Families
In March 2000 California voters overwhelmingly approved a state law providing that “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” The California Supreme Court recently reversed this vote of the people. On November 4, 2008, Californians will vote on a proposed amendment to the California state constitution that will now restore the March 2000 definition of marriage approved by the voters.
The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children. Children are entitled to be born within this bond of marriage.
A broad-based coalition of churches and other organizations placed the proposed amendment on the ballot. The Church will participate with this coalition in seeking its passage. Local Church leaders will provide information about how you may become involved in this important cause.
We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage.

We are very excited about a proposition to protect marriage that will be on the ballot in Arizona this November. Our friends, Mark and Marily, have some great information on their website about this issue. If you would like to learn more about how YOU can GET INVOLVED, simply link onto the Mark and Marily site under my family and friends link. (Sorry, I wish I was cool like the rest of you and could do that cool link thing--anyone want to give me lessons?) Back to the topic at hand--it is VERY RARE that the LDS Church will get involved and support a political issue, so we thought it was important enough to post about as well. We will keep praying and fighting to protect marriage in our state and country--we hope everyone else who reads this will as well.

P.S. More "non-political" and "less serious" posts to come. :)