What a great Spring Break! As tradition we went down south to enjoy the warm sun and red rock. This trip consisted of going to the San Rafael Swells (close to Goblin Valley) and hiking Little Wild Horse canyon. We left Thursday and found a great camping spot. It was awesome because Cheri joined us for part of the trip. She was a trooper even though it was freezing at night, but it was great to have her with us.

The trip was even better this year because we were able to bring the Land Cruiser for the first time in years. Mike's brother Dan has put a lot of time and money into redoing the lift and suspension system, as well as new all-terrain tires. It was a great vehicle to have to go 4-wheeling and climb over everything!

Of course we brought the Tote Gote with us and it is always so much fun. This time Cheri did something that Christina won't even do and that is drive it all by herself. She said it was scary at first, but she loved it by the end. She went cruising all around camp and Mike couldn't even keep up with her. It's truly amazing what that little bike can get through.

We already know that our little boy is going to love camping, hiking, 4-wheeling, and cabin, especially after this trip. Christina did really well sleeping on the ground and hiking around, which is fun because we can still do the things that we love even though she's pregnant.

Even though we went over Easter weekend, the Easter Bunny did find us on Saturday morning. He planted 12 brightly colored plastic eggs filled with candy in the brushes across from our camp. Terry, Dan, and Andy had a great time finding them.

On Saturday we made it Little Wild Horse Canyon, but we couldn't believe how developed it had become. There were 3 parking lots filled with vehicles which kind of was sad for us since there were so many people. You hike partway through a canyon to get to Wild Horse and then it is just narrow. Only one person can fit through at a time and there were huge groups of 10-30 with tons of little kids that we had to keep waiting for. The boys even had to shimmy up the rocks to let people pass. It was pretty ridiculous so we didn't go in too far before we turned around.

Andy also found a little friend on the way that he called Gripton. He stayed with him for most of the hike.



King of the Rock!






Check out even more amazing pictures of our Spring Break by clicking here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mcjenson

Wow! We can't believe that we're already 6 months into this pregnancy! Before we know it we'll have a little boy in our arms. We can't even comprehend what a wonderful and drastic change having our own child will be. We love all of our nieces and nephews, but they don't stay with us 24-7. It's definitely going to be a transition with Christina still working full time and Mike plugging away at school, but we'll luckily have 4-6 weeks before the next semester begins to get use to things. We're both so excited for this little boy to come though. He's definitely grown quite a bit in this last month. Christina is finding that bending over is more and more difficult with her basketball of a tummy, but the baby seems healthy and very active. He's definitely getting stronger and bigger.

What a weekend! Mike was extremely busy with school last week being that Spring Break started, and on top of it all we had a fabulous wedding, a birthday party, and lots of car work packed into a few days!

We're happy to announce that the friend that helped put us together forever got hitched himself on Friday, March 14th in the Bountiful temple. Steve Alsup and his sister Jen, who is married to Christina's cousin, are the matchmakers behind our love story. So we are so happy to see that Steve has his own love story with his match Tammy.

We also were able to enjoy a fun birthday party for Mike's mom, Cheri who turned 51 years young this year. We enjoyed some fabulous Pho at our favorite place Cafe Trang. Then we came home to open presents, eat yummy cake homemade by Dan, and a new favorite of a Peach Fresca float. You should try it. They're way tasty!

Then mixed in with all these occasions for really the last two weeks has been car trouble galore! On our way to Cheri's birthday party our little green machine's alternator went out. :-( We barely made it to get a new alternator, which was extremely expensive, so part of the birthday party Mike spent replacing the very inconveniently placed alternator. Then Mike's truck has been acting up again and we just finally figured out out the problem hundreds of dollars later.

One good car work that has come in the last couple of weeks has been redoing the Land Cruiser's lift and suspension. Mike and Dan have absolutely just loved buying the right tools for the job and doing it themselves. The Cruiser really does look amazing and now you have to jump to get into it! We're way excited to take the Cruiser on our trip down south this Spring Break.

BEFORE....

NOW...

The Habels' had a very sad last week to endure. Christina's 18 year old cousin took his life on March 1st. It has been a very trying time for our family, but with the knowledge of the gospel we are greatly comforted. Quite a few of Christina's siblings as well as her dad made the drive to be at the funeral. It was amazing to see how many people were touched by Garrick's life. His funeral was the size of a Stake Conference, and you could just feel how much he was loved and admired.

Garrick Jamison Habel
1989 - 2008

Our beloved son, brother, uncle, Garrick Jamison Habel, 18, passed away early Saturday morning, March 1, 2008 at Willow Pond in Murray, Utah.

Garrick was born June 20, 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Steven and Jeanne Baker Habel on a bright, sunny day.

He always loved the sun and the warmth of it. He enjoyed many things in his short life and certainly made the most of every minute here.

He excelled in sports, some of those being wrestling, soccer, cross country and being a football kicker. He also loved his technology, any U of U athletic activity, the family cat, Jack, and the backyard pool and hot tub. He also enjoyed camping and fishing with his family and friends of which he had many.

He was an Eagle Scout and enjoyed the scouting activities to the fullest, i.e., repelling, swimming, biking and camping.

He was in his freshman year at Utah State and loving every minute of it. He graduated from Murray High School in May of 2007.

Garrick is survived by his parents, Steve and Jeanne Habel; brother, Richard Steven Habel (Amanda); and three sisters, Jeri Dawn Drury (Cary), Andrea Marie Greenberg (Carl) and Marissa Lee Whitehorn (Jon); and a grandmother, Fern “Gammy” Nelson Baker Leavitt (Lug); a nephew, Trevor Drury; and two nieces, Kylee Drury and Arcadia Habel; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Alec Bryant Habel; and grandparents, Richard Sanders Baker, Richard and Lucille Hansen Habel. He was also preceded in death by his many pets – the family dog, Amber; his guinea pig, Buzz; and his Beta.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at Noon at the Murray North Stake Center, 5200 So. 700 W. There will be a viewing Tuesday evening from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 So. State St., and also one hour prior to the services on Wednesday at the church.