Lily’s Birthday, Father’s Day, Silver Lake,

Lily and I have both been so insanely busy and we didn’t plan much for each other’s special days today. We did schedule a fancy dinner in Park City together, and we also decided to make the day special by going on a family hike. All in all, the kids had a great attitude (thanks to Lily they have been hiking a lot lately, and thanks to them, they’ve really taken to being good hikers!). Silver Lake is about 2.5 miles each way. We stopped at the lake at the top and had snacks and played a bit in the lake and then turned around and went back. I carried Clarissa a lot on the way up on my shoulders. But on the way back, she was super motivated about being the leader, and for much of the trail was even running so I struggled to keep up with her. Everyone had a great time on the trail and I was very pleased with everyone’s attitudes. Also, Clarissa and Ammon got very very dirty, haha.

Here are some videos and a picture of when we got back to the car:

Did I mention Clarissa got dirty?

Our nanny fell through for tonight so Lily and I didn’t get to have a celebratory dinner together, so we went to one of our favorite family restaurants, Spitz, and it was good to eat all as a family. While I was inside getting the food, Lily made funny faces with Clarissa:

Then we took Basil to the dog wash, and went home for extensive showering. Even after I helped Clarissa shower, there was still a layer of dirt on her that got the inside of her pajamas dirty. I like to think that the dirt on them is representative of how much fun they had!

Did I mention Ammon got dirty?

As a final note, I just want to say this to you, Lily, on your birthday. I know birthdays matter a lot to you, and I know I dropped the ball on this one. I also know that you know what is on my plate right now, and I’m so grateful for your understanding. I had a marvelous day with you, and so grateful for every day that I get to spend with you. I have so much fun being your husband. Just look at the blog entries and remember you are the instigator for the lion-share on the fun, amazing, and adventurous things we do as a family! You make our lives so full, and so happy, and you love me so well, and that love makes me so incredibly fulfilled and happy. I admire all the amazing work you are doing with the children (reading practice, music practice, learning to be clean and pick up after themselves, learning to hike, and all of the lessons you put them in etc etc) and with yourself (you are doing so much better than me at the 75 hard!). You truly are giving the children an unforgettable summer with so many new experiences and entry points. On top of that, you are teaching them boundaries and acceptable behavior and you even turned them all into hikers! On top of that, you have organized trips for the whole family to bond on while we experience something new. On top of that you are taking care of your mom, staying on top of the house and laundry, being an incredible friend, reading and just living with love, positivity and verve. I know there is so much I’m leaving out. It’s impossible to fully capture all the goodness you are putting out, but thank you for being such an amazing force in all of our lives!! It is so fun to be your husband. You are so so so beautiful, and I love you to the moon and back! Happy birthday babe!!!!