Emma Turns 8

Today is the day my little girl turned 8 years old. She has been so excited for this special birthday. At school she got to wear a special pink birthday hat and later in the day I brought in some fun donuts for her class. They all sang Happy Birthday to Emma and then they took turns telling her what they loved about her. When she got home that day she had a fun surprise waiting for her. Emma was so excited by her very first girly bike and was so happy that it had a basket. The next day Grandma Anne and Grandpa Franz flew to Colorado and we were able to have another birthday celebration where she opened the rest of her gifts. She got some new books, a lego set, a really soft stuffed dog, a stuffed owl for her bed, a tea set, and a pretend hair dryer set.

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Emma's Baptism Photo Shoot

I loved being able to do a photo shoot with Emma in her beautiful baptism dress. It was one of the warmest days of the week but it wasn’t all that warm so we tried to be quick. We took a few photos in front of our house and then we got in the warm car and drove over to the Cordera Clubhouse. We took a few photos along the cobblestone path and then went back in the car to warm up. We braved the cold one more time and headed over to the beautiful garden walkway and bench for a few more photos. I think I captured Emma’s personality perfectly. I love her beauty, spunk and silliness. They are the perfect combination. I am so proud of Emma for her decision to get baptized. She has so much to look forward to as she turns 8 years old.

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Skiing at Copper Mountain

What made this week perfect was the fact that Mike and I got to sneak away for a few days without the kids.  My parents watched the kids while we headed to Copper Mountain to go skiing.  We had so much fun skiing on our favorite runs and eating lunch outside at the T-Rex Cafe.  Our favorite run was definitely American Flyer.  We spent the most time on that run playing around, going off jumps, and taking video and pictures with our new GoPro camera.  Our first day was sunny and warm which was nice.  However, that night it snowed a ton.  The next day was a bit colder but there was a ton of new snow.  It was both fun and a little difficult skiing on so much fresh powder. There were times when we were skiing that our skis were completely hidden under the snow.  Still, we had a great time skiing the blue runs on the Timberline Express, even with a little binding trouble on one of the runs.  It was so great to spend time together!

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Word of the Year . O P T I M I S T I C

I do love the start of a New Year. It is a great time to set new goals and work even harder to be a better person than the previous year. As I was journaling this afternoon I looked out the window at just the right moment. What I beheld was incredible. The sun set right behind the summit of Pike's Peak and the light was radiating in all directions. It was absolutely marvelous. I would even venture to say it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Now I have seen plenty of great sunsets over Pike's Peak in the last 6 months but today's sunset blew me away. 

Sometimes we are blown away by things that happen in our life. 2013 completely took me by surprise. I didn't anticipate all the changes and challenges that my family would face.  Looking back I can see how brilliant my life is even with all the hurdles we had to overcome. This year will hold different challenges and I only hope I am strong enough to become a better person because of them. There are lots of things I want to do better this year like reading my scriptures everyday, saying individual prayers with my kids, reading more to each of my children before bed, being more patient with my family members, eating better, exercising more regularly, doing a small act of kindness for someone each day, being a better wife...etc. Those are all great and fine goals but there is one specific thing I would like to work on this year that will help me become a better person. My word for the year is OPTIMISTIC.  This year I want to be optimistic at all times, in all things, and in all places. I admit that I am sometimes quick to  get discouraged when things are not going well.  It's easy to get that way when you feel like you are being challenged beyond your limits. Seeing the sunset today reminded me of something President Uchtdorf said in his April General Conference talk titled, "The Hope of God's Light." He said, "It is part of our condition as mortal beings to sometimes feel as though we are surrounded by darkness...But even though we may feel lost in the midst of our current circumstances, God promises the hope of His light—He promises to illuminate the way before us and show us the way out of darkness." In order to see His light we have to be looking for it. Being happy and optimistic in our circumstances is one sure way to find the light we are seeking. I know this is what I need to do this year. Wish me luck!

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