The absolute BEST television show of all time.....

Any guesses? Anyone? It's not recent, it's a classic. Think 20 years ago. Think upon a show of nostalgia and warmth, a show of humor yet emotional resonance and power. You can be laughing one minute and crying the next. A show that everyone can relate to, of a young boy growing up at Robert F. Kennedy Junior High, and eventually high school. A show about a boy who we can all relate to, a show whose episodes seemed to always be a reflection on our own lives, that left us saying to ourselves, "That's so true!" This show was about the relationships that we experience as we grow up...family, friends, teachers. So do you give up? The show I'm talking about is...... I'm actually not going to reveal it just yet, I'd like to see what your guesses are! Stay tuned for the answer once I receive a few guesses!

More Fun in the Sun!

Today found us playing some more up American Fork Canyon! It's amazing how close we live to such a gorgeous canyon. We were going to do the Silver Lake hike but none of the books we read about it in mentioned that the dirt road to get there is pretty rocky and bumpy. After a few good scrapes, we turned around and found another hike. I love the top picture because you can see Tommy's dandelion that he held the whole time! Tommy loved riding in his "piggyback" and daddy sure got a workout hauling him AND our lunch and other gear in the pack as well. It felt great! We love being in nature and listening to the noises, the running water, all the birds, and especially the occasional car passing by on the Alpine Loop highway (okay, not so much the cars). Jonas slept most of the time in his snuggli with Alice. If anyone has a 4WD or slightly higher clearance vehicle (Jeep or something) and would like to do a beautiful hike to a high Alpine Lake, let us know and we'd love to bum a ride with you! The hike is Silver Lake in American Fork Canyon (google it for pictures) and is only a 2 to 3 hour hike, but gorgeous! We love going up the Canyon and have an annual pass, so if anyone wants to go for free, just let us know and we can tag along and get you in!

Our Own Front Yard!

So in an effort to bolster our long term savings, we are trying to train our children so that when they want to go somewhere and do something they will ask us to go to a park or up the canyon instead of going to Lagoon or some other expensive amusement that forces you to draw into your financial reserves just to buy a cotton candy and a churro. So far this month I've taken the boys up the canyon 4 times, usually while Alice is working although she came with us one of the times. We live only 5 miles from the entrance to American Fork Canyon, which is a national forest and home to a National Monument (Timp cave). It is absolutely gorgeous and we are so glad it is so close to us! We buy a national parks pass every year and so we get into the canyon for free. There are tons of picnic areas and even 4 campgrounds, but Tommy loves just parking at random areas and getting out to play in the water. He found a big rock he loves to throw into some shallow slow moving water. He asks every day to go play with his big rock in the canyon and, sure enough, it's in the same spot we left it each time we return. I don't imagine it will be disappearing any time soon! I'm so glad Tommy loves going up there and I hope Jonas does too. Hopefully it will breed within them a love and appreciation for the truly great outdoors (it's not just a cliched saying, it really is true, the outdoors are GREAT). The high alpine views are gorgeous, and especially with the rain--it really has brought a vibrant glow to the trees. I personally love thunderstorms and rain, I think it is a welcome variation to the monotonous doldrums of sunny and hot. Rain adds a refreshing beauty to the landscape, not to mention it smells great! If anyone is every in the area and wants to head up the canyon, just let us know! We're always ready to go!