finally, a birthday post for bryan

amidst all our fun and games last week, this guy got older:

bryan lives his life like a love letter to his wife and children. 

he drives an hour each way to work every day so that we can live in the house and in the community that we love. he comes home to bathe his sons and read them their favorite books and then quietly and patiently absorbs all the emotional drama in the lives of his girls (mama included). he cooks dinner on the weekends to ease the relentlessness of household duties. he does, and this is not an exaggeration, whatever i ask him to do. 

there is no one i've ever met in the history of ever who loves to work as much as bryan does. and his work ethic permeates our family with peace and constancy. he's like a giant galapagos tortoise who carries us surely and steadily on his back: giving his children confidence to take risks and courage when they're afraid and a safe place to which they can always return. never giving us a reason to doubt that something strong and steadfast and solid is underneath our feet.

so here's to you, my giant galapagos! thirty-seven years down, one-hundred-thirty-three to go!

cascarones

our kids super love these confetti-filled eggs from mexico (though it seems their geographical history is, in fact, asia --> italy --> spain --> mexico). 

they look forward each year to the opportunity to gently tap them on each other's heads (seriously, it can take them a bit too long to crack these suckers open; we're going to have to start instigating some aggression training around here!) and watch the confetti explode like magic.

having un cascarón cracked over your head is said to bring good luck.

and also the very best faces.

getting dad! is always the perennial favorite.

egg hunt

first off, i am not entirely sure how i ended up with so many photos from our easter weekend activities. my hunch is it has something to do with two camera phones, good weather, and having adorable children. but consider this fair warning: a slew of pics to follow.

on saturday: the egg hunt! in which we saw the sun! 

(hint: it had been awhile.)

(side note: caleb wore that same sweater to egg hunt duvall 2015 here.)

caleb, unfortunately, did not feel as if his egg hunt performance this year was the best he had to offer. we rallied, strategized, and vowed to come back stronger than ever in the pursuit of glory next year. so stay tuned.

in the meantime, dallin shared some of his candy spoils.

the end.

He Is Risen As He Said

"'Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!' (Doctrine & Covenants 128:23).

Whenever the cold hand of death strikes, there shines through the gloom and the darkness of that hour the triumphant figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, He, the Son of God, who by his matchless and eternal power overcame death. He is the Redeemer of the world. He gave His life for each of us. He took it up again and became the firstfruits of them that slept. He, as King of Kings, stands triumphant above all other kings. He, as the Omnipotent One, stands above all rulers. He is our comfort, our only true comfort, when the dark shroud of earthly night closes about us as the spirit departs the human form.

Towering above all mankind stands Jesus the Christ, the King of glory, the unblemished Messiah, the Lord Emmanuel. In the hour of deepest sorrow we draw hope and peace and certitude from the words of the angel that Easter morning, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matt. 28:6). We draw strength from the words of Paul, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ … all [are] made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22). [...]

He is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives! He lives, resplendent and wonderful, the living Son of the living God."

President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1996

spring break swim crew 2017

back at the beginning with just four of them here.

high FIVE!

michael caleb wheeler is five years old today.

as first order of business, he requested breakfast at top pot doughnuts in his pajamas. as second order of business, he requested maximum allotment of playing star wars video games and dragonwood all day.

and that's pretty much caleb in a nutshell: sweet treats, games, and comfy clothes.

happiest of birthdays to our big little man who very much enjoys life's simple pleasures!

non parlo italiano

so when i got dressed this morning, i totally didn't intend to end up looking like a cartoon venetian gondolier.

but that is definitely, definitely what happened.

ugh. there go my "internationally acclaimed fashion blogger" dreams...

lucky thirteen

celebrating thirteen years since that fateful, windy day in april when bryan and i both showed up at the salt lake temple at around eight o'clock in the morning. he caught my eye, and so i sauntered over to him and said, "hey, are you doing anything this morning?" and he was all, "no, not really, you?" and i was all, "no, not me either... so, uh, you wanna get married?" and him, "yeah, sure."

maybe not as dramatic and exciting as some other love stories out there, but it's ours, and we dig it.

so cheers to the very beginning! cheers to the adventures so far! and cheers to the journey as yet unwritten! (clink! as the kids would say :)

#brothers

pinewood derby

last thursday, the night after the cub scout pinewood derby, the activity days girls in our ward participated in a pinewood derby of their own.

summer and bryan worked on her car on-and-off for a couple of weeks. after bryan explained some of the basic physics involved in creating the fastest pinewood derby car, summer designed, sanded, painted, and helped weight her own car. the lego figures (meant to represent her and her dad) riding atop her purple glitter creation were the crowning achievement in summer's speedy-car design. 

at the official weigh-in, summer discovered she was a tenth of an ounce short of the optimal 5.0 ounces, so lego dad had to lose his head, and summer and bryan borrowed a quarter from the generous harper family in order to peak out the car's weight at 5.0 exact. 

summer named the car purple quarter. for obvious reasons.

each of the eleven cars raced three times, once in each lane. the top three racers then went on to compete in three more runs to determine the night's winner.

summer came in fourth by two hundredths of a second.

the whole group of racers.

great job, ladies! and many thanks to the organizers! 

root beer floats all around.

let's get a close up of that