Future POTUS

The title of this blog post refers to my politically savvy wife, not the man standing next to her (although I wouldn't be surprised if Mitt became POTUS in the future as well).  I'm looking forward to being the First Gentleman in the White House at some point in the future, where I plan to work on my bowling skills, hang BYU-themed decorations, and take flying lessons from the Marine One pilots. For now, Sam is making connections.  She was recently selected as a state delegate for the upcoming Utah GOP caucus convention, where candidates for US Senate and US House of Representatives will be selected.  She met Mitt Romney this past Friday.

Front row, left side!

Side Note:  A colleague of mine used to joke with me about Mitt Romney.  "WWMD?," (What Would Mitt Do?") he would say.  "Would Mitt approve of that?"  "What would The Overlord say about that?"  "Does Mitt drink caffeine?"

Welcome home, Kate!

We had a heart-warming experience today welcoming Douglas's Aunt Kate (Sam's youngest sister) back from serving an 18-month mission in the Florida Tallahassee Mission.

Katelyn and Kennedee - two of Kate's close friends

Penny getting some love from Grandpa Coombs while we waited for Sister (Kate) Coombs to arrive at the baggage claim area.

Here she comes!

 First hug goes to Mom, of course.

Notice Douglas shedding tears of joy...........or trying to get something out of his eye.

Doogles has been counting down the days waiting for his Aunt Kate to come back.

 "Allow me to sing you a song on this grand occasion.  Los Colores.  The Colors.  🎶 Red is Rojo, Red is Rojo. . .

 🎶 Blue is Azul, Blue is Azul."  And so on, and so forth.

Even Penny recognizes that song.

A very happy family.

From the airport to filling our bellies with yummy Mexican food.

 I don't want to create a separate post for these last few photos, so I'm adding them onto this one.  Douglas and I juiced a whole bag of delicious California oranges when we arrived back home last week.  I did the cutting and Douglas pushed them all down.

 Penny likes pushing the little shopping cart around.

Douglas and I put together a 100-piece Eric Dowdle puzzle of the Bountiful Temple (multiple times), and Sam and I spent a few hours finishing a 500-piece BYU Football puzzle.  I guess I didn't realize how much I enjoy doing puzzles.  I've had that BYU Football puzzle for years and never opened it until this week.

Happy Birthday, Ari and Dan!

 Denali and Douglas watching videos the night we arrived from California to the home of Granny and Grandpa Ogden.

 Last Friday we made a birthday video for Dan Urbina.  I stood (sat) in for Dan as he is currently residing in Florida.  Yesterday (Sunday) was his actual birthday.  We love you, Dan!

 Then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Ari, whose 11th birthday was last Friday.

 "I wish for an iPhone X"

 Margaret (Grandma Coombs), Stacie, Sam, Penny, and Tess.

Sam hosted a baby shower on Saturday for her cousin, Tess, while I escaped for some man time.  I went to the Apple Store and Costco, and then returned to enjoy Grandma Coombs's delicious breakfast burritos.

 Today we attended the open house for the Jordan River Temple, which will be re-dedicated in a few weeks.  Granny and Grandpa Ogden, and Sara and Jarem and their kids joined us at the temple.  Can you tell how much Doogles enjoyed the temple? :)

 Penny's turn to yawn.

 Ari jumped up and offered to take these last two photos so I could be in them.  He's a photographer!  Must have learned a few things from Jarem (his Dad).  He also got his brothers to look at him and smile.  Thanks, Ari!

California (Final Post)

Wednesday:  Another gorgeous, post-rain, California morning looking out from the porch.

We did another batch of crepes Wednesday morning.  This time the boys helped prepare the batter.

Playing with toys

I had the boys line up to race down the driveway.

Watch where Jesper starts the second race.  He learned from the first race that starting with the rest of the boys would result in a loss, so he decided to chose a different start point. :)

Karsten took Penny for a ride on the wiggle bike.

Anders and Sam beginning a new trend.  Notice Penny's expression.

Penny sees Dad coming toward her.

"Hi Dad!"

WARNING:  This video contains..........a lot of footage.  Eight minutes of footage, to be precise.  I asked the boys if they wanted to shave my head in preparation for my Friday treatment at the dermatology office, which is where I am creating this particular blog post at this moment.  If you want the speedy version (without all the funny comments from the boys), then watch the next video.  Note:  The boys asked if they could shave my "berbers," which is the term they use to refer to the breasts, as well as my eyebrows.  I declined the offer.

Post haircut

Driving home through central Utah.  We miss you, California.  And we love you, Lizzie, Dan, Soren, Anders, Karsten, Oskar, Jesper, and Magnus!  Thank you for the fabulous week.