Issue 41

Bald Eagles by Whitney

Last week we went to the Salt Lake Bird Reserve. It was a lot of fun, but really cold. The highlight was that we where able to see Bald Eagles! The park is on their migratory route
and they where on a stop-over and where chilling on a huge dead tree. We also saw a HUGE flock of whistler swans on one of the lakes, there where thousands of them! We also saw pelicans, ducks, hawks, breeding great blue herons, doves, water birds and tons more. It was awesome, everyone had binoculars and we also had a telescope. I can’t wait to go back!

A list of birds we saw:

Great Blue Herons
Herrier Hawks
Bald Eagles
Red Wing Black Birds
Canadian Geese
Coots
Pelicans
Northern Shoveler Ducks
Whistler Swans
American Kestrals
Mourning Doves
Sparrows
Seagulls

Ski Utah!

A couple weeks ago Steve took the boys downhill skiing at Brighton. Steve L. started working on his Snow Sports merit badge and Daniel earned his Snow Sports belt loop, but mostly they just had fun.

Last week Steve took Whitney cross-country skiing on his favorite trail. It was a new experience for her, and as a nature lover, one she is excited to repeat.

Space Exploration by Steve L.

On Saturday for my Space Exploration merit badge we went out into a big open field with our rockets and launched them. These weren’t the wimpy little ones that run off Alka-Seltzer and water pressure. These were the ones with full working parachute systems, electric launch pads and engines that went up in flames (and I mean UP!) The rockets went up 200 ft to 1000 ft depending on the engines. For the merit badge we had to launch it with an objective in mind. I didn’t have anything on hand but my lunch, so I tested the effects on string cheese in outer space. It was really fun.

Cookie Diehard

Tuesday was the big event that has been counted down at our house for the last month. Cookie delivery day! Denise and I drove to a warehouse with our two empty Suburbans and picked up our troop's order. This is what 2004 boxes of girl scout cookies looks like. For me, pure nostalgia. My mom was my girl scout leader, and cookie manager for our troop. Cookie boxes piled high in the front room is one of my favorite and most satisfying childhood memories. Being a co-leader with my best friend Denise for our same age daughters is such a treat. And a sugar-free treat at that. We had to laugh at the irony of standing amongst so many cookies, since due to health concerns, neither of us can even eat one.

Janey has been a die hard cookie seller. She has been tenacious and had so much fun. Tuesday morning, (cookie delivery day) she gave me quite a scare. The heart stopping, gut wrenching, totally helpless feeling, kind of scare that every mother dreads. She was swinging from her chin-up bar in her door way when she fell, hard. She stood up and started screaming that her back hurt. I reached the top of the stairs one nanosecond later and caught her just as passed out. I laid her down, screamed myself, for someone to get the phone in case we needed to call 911, and at her to wake up and start breathing. Her lips were turning blue and I realized how rusty my CPR training from 25 years ago really was. NOT a good realization. I blew in her mouth and luckily she started breathing, short, labored, welcome breaths. She'd had the wind knocked out her and I immediately had her wiggling her toes to make sure she could still feel them. As she lay on the floor, gasping for breath, the first words out of her mouth were, "But Mom, I have to deliver my cookies!"

After two hours of doctor's appointments and a full battery of x-rays she was cleared of any spinal injury and did, in fact, start delivering her cookies that evening.

Butterfly by Ellie age 4

Beautiful Bride

Congratulations Tricia! It's so wonderful to see you so happy.



What a perfect excuse for 6 best friends to spend the day together. Well, make that five, since one of us was a little preoccupied. Serendipitously, Jennifer was in town from California and it was so wonderful to get caught up in person, although her blog is always a joy to read. Below is a remake of a dance photo we had taken, while our dates looked on, our senior year. (We missed you Katie!) Eighteen years later we're even closer friends.