A BIRTHDAY POST

Today is Tyson's birthday! I dug through some old pictures to find some of my favorites of Tyson with his kids. Tyson is a great, great dad, and he loves to spend time with his kids. I am lucky to have a partner who is so willing to take care of the kids and let me go work out, relax, or do whatever it is I need to do so that I can de-stress and get out of the house!


a daddy-daughter dance with Corinne (age 6) at his brother's wedding


playing with Matt (age 2)


serenading Allie (I think I have a picture of him playing guitar to all of our kids when they were babies)

So, for his birthday, Tyson wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. He wanted something fun for the kids, and something they could be excited about all month long. It worked! Matt and Corinne have literally been counting down the days until Daddy's birthday! What a nice dad.



Besides being a great dad and loving husband, Tyson is an excellent guitarist (don't let him tell you otherwise) and an excellent fly-fisherman. He is creative and musical, and a genuinely kind and good person.

I think I have embarrassed him enough by now, so I'll just say Happy Birthday! We all love you!

MORE WINTER FUN

We discovered this month that our complex has quite a few kid-sized hills that are perfect for sledding. We (meaning me) went on a hunt one Saturday to find a sled. Do you know how hard it is to find a sled in Utah in January? They are pretty much sold out by now, but we lucked out and found a cheap $6 foam sled at a Walmart only 3 towns away!










Our snowfall from December still hasn't melted, so this has been a fun way to get out of the house and enjoy being outside. That is, until Matthew wiped out and got a bad bloody nose and a fat lip, poor kid.

CAN YOU BELIEVE SEVEN MONTHS???

Allison is seven months old today! I always say that time flies, but really, she has grown up so fast I can hardly believe it. I won't bore you with all the baby stats, so here are a few pictures I took today:




She is adorable, I know.


She likes to get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. No crawling yet, though.

It is so fun to watch her grow and learn new things, but it is also bittersweet. I feel like I am going to blink and she'll be a teenager!

40 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE

A friend of mine emailed me this list recently (thanks Jennifer!). This is the kind of list I usually skim through and don't really think about, but I really liked this one. I italicized some of my favorites. (And it's really "39 Tips for a Better Life" because #40 is about forwarding it to your friends...)

Enjoy:

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It
is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to _____ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.

7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with
daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants. Eat less food that
is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan
salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and
flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past,
negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your
energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems
are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like
algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime .

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince & dinner like a
college kid w/a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years,
will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you
certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life
so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

(40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about. I just did.)

May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but
happiness come through your door!