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!

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.

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.

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!

Sundays are the Sweetest

HY just loved playing with Grandpa S today. They sure were busy---go outside, then in, then out to see the new trees, then in, then out again...then down stairs to play with the truck. Grandpa S was more than happy to tag along. HY had found his new buddy!

Grandma Suz & Grandpa S came to visit for the day. Mini E got to meet Grandpa S for the first time. She and Grandma gabbed for a bit while Grandpa was busy "entertaining" HY. We sure love them!