Why I blog.....

Sticks and Stones my break my bones but words will never hurt me???

I have long struggled with the issue of why I am so invested in this silly blog! I guess most of all for my family and friends who live near and far. Being a stay at home mom of 3 very busy boys and having a husband who travels it gives me a why to "reach out" to them and others and keep in touch. When a stranger from far away can reach you in your home and change your day, that can be a true and beautiful connection but the experience I had today was not. I was alerted today by Site Meter that 78 different ISP's hit my blog by 12 noon EST so I began to research where the hits were coming from. *At last check it was 256* To my horror my family blog became the topic of a message board and there my family was put on display for a public humiliation so to speak, I was left in tears. These people making fun of us do not know us at all but found it ok to make fun of me and my children and that IS NOT OK. I am left pondering where do I go from here...do I go private or ignore it, but honestly how can I when there have been hundreds of comments made from people all over the world??? The internet could be a medium for such good, allowing us to reach out and connect with each other no matter where we live, what we believe, whether we are American or not. This kind of experience is a reminder to me that human beings the world over share so much and are always quick to criticize another without thinking of the hurt we will cause. So I am asking why do I blog? Not for this......

Sad news...Andrew Innes

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

Last Sunday while we were in Denver I received a call from my mom, my brother Craig's best friend and his father (Andrew and James Innes natives of New Zealand) had been killed in a helicopter crash outside Price, Utah. I was deeply saddened and shocked and I instantly hung up the phone to reach out to Craig. I was unable to reach him but I got Natalie his wife on the phone, as I expected Craig took the news very hard, he and Andrew were very close. Natalie said that she hadn't seen Craig this distraught in the 12 years they have know each other and was at a loss at what to do to bring him comfort. I told her that everyone deals with death especially a tragic unexpected one differently and to just be there for him. I am so thankful for my brother and his family and for the pillar of strength that they have been for Andrews new bride Season and other family members and friends over the past week. Craig was asked to carry Andrews ashes at his wake this coming Saturday and I want him to know that my thoughts and prayers will be with him. Andrews widow gave Craig a native kiwi necklace that Andrew always wore and I know that will mean the world to him while he grieves for his lost friend. This past weekend Craig built a remembrance garden in his your to honor his friend. Time doesn't heal the pain it will always be there, maybe not on the surface but it will never be forgotten in our hearts. It's the good times and great memories that will keep our loved ones in our hearts forever and until we see them again. The following is a message that Craig wrote on Andrews MySpace after his passing:

You were the best friend anyone could have asked for. Never judgmental, critical or negative in any way. You were a free spirit and lived life to the fullest. You were a big part in my life and a big influence in how I turned out as a human being. I remember our times on the road, your smiles were infectious. Everyone you came in contact with shared the joy you had in life.

Season, Debi, friends & family: I am truly, deeply sorry for your loss. It has helped me to cope with the fact that my best friend has left us by remember the great times we spent. The days of playing and writing music, hiking in the outdoors, boating, and even the simple times of hanging out around the house just being what Andrew and James did best, being FREE. Just some photos of some of the good times Andrew and I shared.

I will miss you friend, business partner, BROTHER.




Obituary:
http://www.legacy.com/saltlaketribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=114005600

News Story:
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=7556aa08-650b-4ec0-9cf4-7b17aa97f71a

Amazing, what a precious gift...

Denver

**I have added lots of videos of our trip on our You Tube channel so make sure to visit...
http://www.youtube.com/user/cundickboys

Our first stop in Denver was the Denver Aquarium, it was so cool! The boys loved all the fish and they even had a tiger that played hide and seek with Landon for 30 minutes. It was so cute the tiger would go behind the wall and pounce out at Landon and Landon would jump and laugh. We followed one of the caretakers around for 2 hours while she feed the fish it was amazing and the boys loved all the action as the fish fought for food. We had a great day and the aquarium, it was one of the best aquariums we have been too.


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Ryan took Jackson and Ayden to see the Major League Lacrosse All Star game. Jackson's new favorite sport is Lacrosse and it was so much fun to watch him play and learn the game this spring. Ryan discovered that Denver had a pro Lacrosse team the Outlaws and thought Jackson would love to see a game...he was right!! They all had a great night at Invesco Field watching the game, it was fun for them to see the very best players and now we have a new team to cheer for......Go Outlaws!!



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It was a hot....100 degrees but we still enjoyed Elitch Garden's Amusement Park. Landon was big enough to ride some rides himself and had a great time. I got sick trying to be brave and riding the "Mind Eraser" roller coaster with Jackson. Ryan and the boys got soaked on a raft ride and we decided to call it quits but we still had fun in the hot Denver sun.



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We decided to try and beat the heat so we headed west up to beautiful Breckenridge! What a breathtaking little city nestled in the Rocky Mountains. We enjoyed the beautiful drive and loved walking in the charming little town. No spotting's of Jesse Csincsak or DeAnna Pappas from The Bachlorette except for on the cover of the Summit County newspaper and I can see why she feel in love with this little ski town....we did too!!



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The boys and I love to go to the zoo so we head to the Denver Zoo on our last day in Denver. It was another hot day, raising the mercury to above 100 but we still had a great day. Most of the animals were inside sleeping trying to beat the heat too but they have a great zoo. We saw a lot of animals and even saw the gorilla feeding. The boys liked all the snakes and bugs *yuck* and Landon liked playing what do thing say. It was a great ending to our trip and we look forward to going back soon but there is no place like home!!

Jackson's Birthday...

Jackson turned 9 yesterday and I can't believe how fast time has flown by. Jackson wanted to spend his birthday at home so we came home from Denver on Tuesday. He wanted to go to Raging Waters and he invited his buddy Jake to come along. They has a great day in the sun. We went to Bonsai for dinner and had cake at home. He got an electric scooter from grandma and grandpa Cundick and a signed Champ Bailey (corner back for the Denver Bronco's) photo and some other cool things.....he had a great 9th Birthday. Thanks to everyone who called and wished him a Happy Birthday!!

Jackson Turns 9!!!

9 things about Jackson….

1. He LOVES to play sports of all kinds. He has played soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, football, lacrosse, and basketball just to name a few…we say that he was born with a ball on his hand!!

2. He LOVES dill pickles, he can go through a jar by himself in less than a week!!

3. He is a great big brother, he helps his two little brothers with everything.

4. He LOVES pizza, if he could he would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

5. His favorite color is GREEN!!

6. He walked at 9 ½ months and hasn’t slowed down since.

7. He rode his 2-wheel bike by himself on the first try, he just picked it up, climbed on and off he went and he was only 4!!

8. He LOVES popsicles, all kinds and even eats then in the winter.

9. He was born at 12 Noon and has blessed everyone around him since.

As you can see Jackson is a very special young man and we are so blessed that he is our son!
Happy 9^th Birthday Jackson, we all love you so much!!!

Archuleta and American Idol Mania Hits Utah......

After much anticipation *and the boys asking almost everyday when David Archuleta was going to be here, you'd think he was a long lost friend* we finally saw David Archuleta *WOW* at the E Center with the other top 10 American Idols.....Cheizezie, Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Jason Castro, and David Cook. Of course being Utah natives we are HUGE Archie fans but it was so much fun to see them all. It was a sold out crowd and you couldn't hear yourself think when Archie took the stage! He is truly AMAZING!! Along with Archie we (me and the boys) got very emotional when he took the stage and after he sang "When you say you love me", I was videoing the song and started to cry towards the ending and hit the stop button on accident *gasp*. David Archuleta is so humble and listening to him sing is a truly a gift and he sings to my soul. My little sister Chanelle got her picture taken with Archie's dad *she has a crush on Archie, what teen girl doesn't??* Ayden asked every 5 minutes when it was going to be David Archuleta's turn "he just couldn't wait one more second" and once David was done Ayden saw no point in staying...can't really blame him ARCHIE is as Tina Turner would put it "Simply the BEST" and he will always be our season 7 American Idol!!! We can't wait till he comes back...WE LOVE YOU DAVID ARCHULETA!!!

I have added my videos on my you tube channel here is the link...Enjoy!!
*they are a bit shaky..sorry but he sounds good :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/cundickboys

We are packing up....

Bubble Gum

Chew it. Chew it.

Blow, blow, blow.
Bubble, bubble.
Grow, grow, grow!
Never, ever, ever stop.
Bubble, bubble. Grow, grow...
Pop!

by Gregory K.

Today finger prints were fun!!!

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing --
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny hand prints
Will surely fade away

So here's a little hand print
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small...

4th of July madness...

We spent the 4th in Park City and boy how things change. For the past 2 years we have been in California for the 4th and in 2005 in Jackson Hole WY but in years past we would enjoy the parade, music and fireworks in PC so we thought it would be fun...wrong it was a total zoo! We couldn't park, everyone parks everywhere and there was no reasoning to the madness. We were at the park for maybe 20 minutes before we called it quits....I did make everyone stop to take some pictures before we headed out but it felt more like the state fair than a small town celebration. The boys enjoyed a afternoon of swimming at the hotel with their dad while I (with my yucky toe) read The Host * it was amazing* We again tried to venture out to the resort to enjoy the fireworks...what a joke!! It took forever to park and there was no where to sit but on the rocks and dirt. We toughed it out looking forward to the spectacular fireworks but called it quits when it started to sprinkle *boys, rain and mud don't mix* We watched the fireworks from the car and got to the hotel exhausted from really doing nothing but getting frustrated. We did our own fireworks as a family on Saturday night and that was better than anything we tried to do on the 4th. The boys said it was "way better than Park City and can we just do that next year instead of going anywhere" I think that is a great idea don't you?? Jackson sang this song quietly to himself as we were doing fireworks (he sang it at his school program this past year).. "And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the USA!" We are all very thankful to live in this great country and so thankful for those who give there lives to protect us.

The video's a bit dark but you can see *hear* how much fun the boys had. We couldn't believe that cars still drove by!! Listen for Landon at the end....LOL!

Thanks Everyone!!

The quilt that Landon is cuddling with is the quilt he came home with from PCMC!!








I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has offered to help me with my Christmas blanket and hat project for PCMC! I was truly amazed at all the offers I have already received to help. Also, I want to send a very special Thank you to Barb in Florida who saw my post and sent me a cute handmade baby quilt...Thanks Barb you are an angel!! I have had many questions about the type of blankets that I am looking for and to be honest I am not picky so if you quilt, knit, tie, or even make the cute fleece no sew blankets I would appreciate them all!! I would like them crib size so 36 X 42 seems to be a good size!! Landon has used his that he got in the hospital in his crib and now in his toddler bed and it may look warn but it is very well loved!! Thank you so much everyone from the bottom of my heart. If you would like my address to mail or drop them off just send a request to rrcundick@hotmail.com. Thanks again everyone!!!