Cabin Fever

One of our favorite things to do while we are in Arizona is to visit the cabin in Payson. It's such a peaceful, relaxing place. I wish lived much closer to this little piece of paradise. What a blessing to have it in the family.

HY had to give the tire swing a try. He was sold! I don't blame him. Looks like a lot of fun.
Wish it were big enough for me.




Mini-E took her turn as well. She seemed a bit reluctant at first --

but then... she was all smiles {except when HY tried to get back in}


We put HY to work cleaning the fire pit.



And Daddy was in charge of starting the fire. More than happy too!



We enjoyed a few night around the campfire talking, taking pictures and eating smores. My favorite!


And of course, we finished a puzzle as always. One of our favorite past times at the cabin. It was a lot to do for just a couple of days.

52 blessings: 6 INPO

Yesterday, Farmboy's parents came to visit our family. They brought Uncle A with them. This is the first time that he's seen HY in over 2 years(he's been on a mission) & the first time he's met Mini-E.

I am so grateful for these 2 individuals. They are such fun grandparents. They love to get on the ground & play with my kids. I am so grateful for the love they show them. What a great blessing they are.

Today, they took my little ones and I got to spend some time alone. I accomplished more than I thought I would. It's been a dream! So I made this page in honor of them!

HY's Request

Dear Grandma Suz,

I have a bit of a problem as you might be able to tell. I love the slippers that you made for me when Mini-E was born. They have been with me for almost 1 year now. I've slid, I've slidded, & I've slipped all over the house. But lately, I've been getting way too much traction. I hardly ever go crashing into chairs or walls like I used to. Can you please help me? My mamma says that I should just stop growing, but have you seen her lately? What would she know about growing? Thank you for reading my concerns. I love & miss you very very much.

xoxo, HY

(your growing grandson)

A lota lota lota...

As you can see we are revamping the look of the blog. Starting off the new year with a different look. And, in honor of doing things differently, you are gonna need to start at the end of this post if you want to read the events in chronological order. If you don't care, start wherever you'd like.

HY loved jumping on Grandma & Grandpa's trampoline. If you look closely, you can see he's black from head to toe. This is the way all boys should look.

Church on Sunday is always a joy in AZ. We run into lots of friends from a different time in life. Here's Mini-E looking fabulous in the dress that Nonna bought her for Christmas. I love it!

Girls' Night out! Yea baby. Love these girls. Thanks so much for coming to see me. You make me feel like a million bucks. Friends like these make it very hard to live in another state. I wish I could see you more often. And Crazy Mamma.... You are a super Star! Crack me up. And that's hard to do. Thanks Tina for making this night possible.

A trip to the Zoo! Tina & her kids showed us the ropes at the Phx Zoo. HY was in little kid heaven. I need a Sweet G at my house. Thanks for letting us tag along.

Hiking "A" Mountain. As a kid, my dad would always take us to the "A" for a little hike. It's just perfect for an Arizona afternoon. Farmboy's family had never done this...so it was the start of a great tradition.

Self portrait...I took a piece of the "A" as a souvenir. Grandad will be so proud!

Grandma & Grandpa made life so much fun. Thanks for always being willing to watch the kids while we were off & about. Hope you love your Christmas present from HY & Mini-E.

The flight up. This is Mini-E's 1st plane ride ever. HY was showing her how it's done. I'm so glad that my kids are good on flights. HY zonked right after we took off & Mini-E loved the snacks & drink.

Grandma Suz was right there to pick us up. HY gave her a big squeeze.

'twas a fine weekend

This weekend, we had the opportunity to spend time with family! Farmboy's cousin was married in the Salt Lake Temple. Here's a picture of the new bride & groom at their luncheon.

Not only did we get to spend time with family, but we got to see Grandma Suz & Aunt little S (since it was her 19th birthday) this weekend. She is so much fun! I just had to get a few shots of her & her 2 grandkids. They sure love her.

Then as a very big surprise, we ran into THIS family on the temple grounds. We became good friends in our last ward before we moved & then they moved--- to Idaho. HY & their oldest boy Ro are the same age & good friends. What a surprise to see them & their little man Zay whose the same age as Mini-E. We wish we lived closer---we sure miss them.

Not bad for a busy weekend. Can't believe that Thanksgiving is coming up this week & that we don't have a bit of snow on the ground. Strange...but I'm enjoying it because I know that it can't last.

Catch me up!

I have really good reasons for not posting until now. Here are JUST a few:

Last Thursday, Farmboy & I showed Little S around BYU. We even ran into a few of Farmboy's cousins. These girls are "official BYU students".Here's a picture of Little S & here new roomie ---Sweet C. She is such a nice girl. These girls are going to have so much fun together.

On Friday, we went up to Midway to SWISS DAYS! Seriously, so much fun. Last year was the first time that I'd been. We couldn't resist the urge to go again this year--only this time, we brought along another set of grandparents. Grandad Grey showed us around & made sure that we ate all the right food. Here's a picture of us (& A-cousin) in some silly hats. The booths at the Swiss Days are to die for! Grandpa S couldn't believe how much things had changed since he'd lived there as a boy. Here's a sweet picture of him protecting Mini-E from that hot sun!

Saturday & Sunday were filled with running around & spending time with family. Here are a few of my favorite moments: {Aunt Little S & Mini-E showing off that red hair. HY playing peek-a-bo with Grandpa S in the background. Grandma Suz swinging HY one of the million times she did! & giving Mini-E lots of kisses.}

Special thanks to Grandma Suz & Grandpa S for spending so much time with the yahoos--especially HY. It gave me a moment or two to relax & more importantly, he loved every minute! We miss you & love you.

Mini-E's Blanket

Grandma Suz has been patiently awaiting these pictures. So, I put Mini -E back in her blessing dress and placed her on the very special blanket handmade by Grandma Suz. Here are a few of my favorites:
Lovin' the bonnet (Aunt Runnie made this beautiful dress)
Cutie Patutie
I call this: "Whachu talking about Willis?"
Here's the "F" that Aunt Runnie had embroidered. So gorgeous.

Definitely gonna have to get braces

The other day, Farmboy and I noticed that Mini-E was sucking on her two middle fingers. We thought that was kind of cute and call Grandma Suz. She ASSURED us that it was "just a fluke"!

Then I spotted this the other day... looks like I'm in big trouble!Thank you Auntie T for passing on such an endearing trait!

Oh ya, and she's losing her hair too. Guess I'm in good company.

Temple Square

We left the kiddos and went to see the Tabernacle Decicatory Concert last night. It was super cool to sit in the newly renovated Tabernacle and listen to the Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. Incredible. We even got to see Pres. Monson (from a distance).

Thanks to Grandma Suz and Grandpa S (Papa) for getting such cool tickets for us. What an incredible concert.

Too tired to think of a clever title...

I love it when my sisters kids are on Spring Break! We get to spend time together and HY gets to play with all the cousins. He is simply in love with Aunt CC and her kids. What would I ever do without my family. Today we went to the dollar movies and saw Night at the Museum. We thought it was fabulous. Even little HY enjoyed it, until the very end when he zonked. Thanks Aunt CC for being one of the best sisters, mothers, and aunts I know. I can hardly imagine what you'll be like as a grandmother. Here's a picture she took of HY and his new buddy Puppy "Caseys."

Speaking of grandmothers...Grandma Suz and Grandpa S are coming into town late tonight. With them will be Uncle D and Aunt little S. HY will be so happy when he wakes up and sees all the new faces in our house. Goodnight!