Happy Birthday Unabomber!

( I figure one of the Leah's will kill me for posting this picture.)

Happy birthday to my little sister, who turns thirty today. I know it's hard to believe since she still looks 29. I remember coming home late at night from a week of fun in Mexico around New Years 1997, and Leah was in the living room tending little Madison, who had just been born. I remember all the fun we had hiking and camping in the mountains, going to Disneyland and San Diego, and all the fun we had at home when Mom and Dad worked (spaghetti on the ceiling, the clean-up game, etc.). We had a lot of fun! Good times were had by most.

Anyways, happy birthday! Welcome to your thirties!

Death of an Arch

It came to my attention last night, that there was some confusion about which arch at Arches National Park actually fell. In an effort to ease your minds, here are pictures of the ones that didn't fall and the one that did.

Delicate Arch -Still Standing

Landscape Arch - Still Standing

Wall Arch - Not Standing Anymore (we took this picture in March)

Wall Arch - Before (from the NPS website)

Wall Arch - After (from the NPS website)

Jumper

Jump Over To Our Page For Greg and Will's Videos. hehe

Andy! How come we're always the last to know?!

Andy's Big News!

Mark your calendars

If you're anything like me, you have fond memories of the PBS show, "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" The show in and of itself wasn't anything special. I think the most memorable part was the theme song, performed by that famous a capella group, Rockapella:

Last summer, Leah, Alex and I got to see them perform in Boston, as they were touring with the Boston Pops. It was an amazing concert. It brought back a flood of memories and, unlike many from adolescence, they were actually good.

As luck would have it, Rockapella is coming to town for a free concert at the Clark County Government Center on September 13. Come join us for a fun, entertaining concert that is sure to delight you all.

Here is the information from the county website:

"Rockapella, appearing Sept. 13, laid the groundwork for many pop a cappella groups today. The group’s most recognizable appearances came in the 1990s with its appearance in Folgers commercials and the popular PBS geography series, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The group began performing together on New York City street corners in the 1980s. As the 1990s arrived, Spike Lee and Debbie Allen took notice of the group for their PBS show, Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella. Rockapella took its act to Japan and added a “vocal percussionist.” Since then, the quintet has enjoyed an international and homebred following and released 10 domestic albums, 11 international."

So, where in the world is Carmen San Diego? I don't know. But the fun will be at the Government Center on September 13.

Happy Birthday Mr. Jick

Jack you are the best boy a mom could ask for...You have the best chipmunk smile I have ever seen and I am so glad you are mine! You have been such a blessing to us! You are the coolest THREE year old Jack I know! I love you more than words can describe and I can't wait to watch you grow up and learn all that life has to offer you! Jack Jack you are my sunshine!

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Emma in her "Splish, Splash" Costume - June 2008

Emma on her blessing day - September 2004


Four years ago today Emma came to be a part of our family. It's hard to believe it has already been four years. She is getting so big and is so independent. We love to watch her make up funny little dances. We love when she makes up funny songs - like "Jumprope, jumprope, really really jumprope. We are having so much FUN!" (That is an Emma original.) We love her big smile and her mischieviousness. If you ever need a mess to be made, she's your girl (she is always trying to do things herself which usually spells disaster). She is a smart girl and we are so excited for her to start preschool this year because we know she will do well. We love our little "Lemon-lime". Happy Birthday, Emma!

(Happy 70th Birthday, Joey!)/2

Joey & Crew (J. Crew?) in March 2007

To our dear older brother:

It's easy to reflect on all the good times we've had with Joey over the years. He is always the first with a pithy comment, idea for a game and an eye for the fun in every situation. I remember when we went and watched a Rocky movie at the Lord's house (no, not that Lord's house) and came home to a locked-up house. Joey tried to ease open the window to our parents' bathroom, broke it, and ended up cutting his wrist. Sometimes I don't think he knows his own strength. I was acutely aware of Joey's strength since I was typically at the other end of his fist. As I watch my sons fight with each other and hang out with each other, it reminds me of the times I spent with my big brother. I don't know if it was the closeness of our ages, but I always remember doing a lot of things together. Trips to Disneyland, camping, Angel's Landing, scout camps, church.

Now that we're all grown up (I can make fun of Joey's age because I'm half-way to 67), I cherish two particular adult-era memories. One is the camping trip to Zion that Joey organized before my wedding when we all climbed Angel's Landing, my favorite hike. The second memory occurred last year, when Asher and I traveled to Hutto for Ethan's baptism. I had so much fun reminiscing, playing games (Powergrid, anyone?), and enjoying Erin's great cooking (we still make Bengal barbecue skewers, though not as much as I'd like). Of course, I also enjoyed meeting and getting acquainted with your friends, Rudy and Amy. I wish y'all, including Rudy and Amy, would move back to Las Vegas.

Happy birthday, brother! We love you!

Happy Belated Birthday Alex!

Alex with his teacher Mrs. Botsford

We wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to Alex (a few days late)! We love him a ton and we are so proud of what a big kid he is becoming. One of my favorite things about Alex is his loving heart. He is a great friend. Once you are his friend, you are always his friend. He stills asks about his friend from preschool, Summer. He is also a great friend to our neighbor, Braydon, who has Cerebral Palsy. At church, he is the first one to say hi to him and he always wants to sit near Braydon to help him feel more comfortable in Primary. At school, he always hurried from class to say hello to Braydon and give him a big hug, whether he wanted them or not. I am so proud of the boy he is and the love he gives. I hope he had a great birthday this year. We can't wait to see what the future holds for him. We love you, Alex!

I want you to meet the new recruits...

These are this years new Air Force recruits.

Trainee Gregory has a sharp eye for his uniform. He is wearing his black AF tee with his AF shorts and AF belt, he added a new addition to the uniform this year the yellow AF tie and yellow AF boots.

Trainee William is just happy to be part of the USAF!!

Trainee Jack Jack has mastered military discipline. The Air Force is no joke to this trainee. He chose his Dinosaur uniform for this picture session! The Air Force is very proud of our newest and sharpest troops!

More random pics of Iraq

Me showing off my sweet modeling skills......note the sweet mustash
Me and my buddy Boyd. Give me a big smoocharoo
Me and my buddy Bautista before my promotion cerimony
Our 1st Sgt pinning on my new rank, he had a hard time cutting my old rank off it was fused to my hat.
Here he is making sure my new rank stays on with his fist, how thoughtful. It has been a long time coming. I cant wait to see you all soon. I love a miss you very much. I hope you all are doing well and know that I am doing well also. This will all soon be over, all my love Mark Jr

Some random pics of my deployment starting with Fort Dix

Firemans carry, us messing around in the cold New jersey morning
See even I have a little talent for posing
Lunch break between training, I dont think I was very happy that day
Pupule squad posing for a picture on Thanksgiving, day before dinner
During traning we had to give five i.v. s to get certified as a combat medic, which means we had to get five i.v.s from our fellow trainees.

Were back!

We finally got our household shipment so were officially moved in...YEA!! We unpacked our computer and I couldn't wait to see what I had missed on the fam blog... Anyway for your info...Our new address is 214 Carlton Court, TAFB, CA 94535 and my new cell is 707-815-6713...so that's it, I miss you all and we had such a great time at the family reunion!