"Pull Yourself Together"

....as grandad always says.

That's what I'm trying to do. So I would like to begin by sharing our trip to Houston.

Seriously in LOVE with these kids right here:








They are the BEST. Fun. Crazy. Playful. Exciting. Good. Loving.

My kiddos loved spending time with their cousins. We haven't seen them in over 2 years so pretty much Never considering Hy's almost 4 and Mini-E wasn't even born. We had a very relaxing time.

We saw a lot of this:


I mean A LOT (probably a dozen games or so). These boys are really great ball players.
We cheered them on and ate icys until we were blue in the face...literally.


When we weren't at a game, we were doing this...everyday!

Notice the pjs.

But most special thing we did was see this guy get baptized. Very special.

Nonna, Grandad, & Grandma J were all there for this very important day. It was a treat.

I am so grateful for wonderful family members.
I love that my kids have such great cousins and they they get along so well.



I couldn't ask for greater blessings in the world.

Thank you so much!

It would seem

that mini-E has picked up a few new freckles from our trip to Houston...


more to come...

I'm tellin' ya

Colorado has some of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time.



We spent the weekend on a spontaneous trip to Colorado. Up and back in 4 days.
We had a great visit with a couple of friends & sure enjoyed the warmer weather.
Here are a few things we did spontaneously!
(Be ye warned: A LOT of pictures, very little text)






I love it when we get to spend regular everyday time with Daddy. I think that Daddy loves it too.


And the kiddos got to attend a birthday party & they played a bit of baseball!

These 2 girls are the same age (A-bear is slightly younger). Can you believe the difference in height? A-Bear has gotten so big!

HY hit a ball for the first time. I was so pleased to see how fast he caught on.



Thanks so much Graffitti for letting us come so spontaneously! It's too fun to see you.


We did see Lise and her family, but wouldn't you know it...I didn't stop to take pictures, except for our very delightful FHE on keeping the 10 Commandments. (I was totally floored at how good the kids where for the lesson---not like the lessons at home that's for sure). I snapped this shot while the kids were leading the closing song. Notice Mini-E is multi-tasking.


The two E's really got into it.

Thanks so much for a fun weekend. Next time, I get a picture with Lise and me! It's been a few years.

Cut me some slack

Last Thursday we piled in the car and headed to Colorado for a little family trip. Farmboy loves to drive, and I love to not drive so it works out just right. The drive wasn't too bad. It was actually quite beautiful at times. And HY was in heaven--what will all the tunnels and trains. Plus he got to indulge in his latest craze. (Thomas the Train)


But what's in Colorado? Only some of our dearest friends EVER!

Talk about fun. Our kids had so much fun playing and dressing up (we don't have dress up clothes at our house, so this was a real treat.)
Mini-E was a princess for the first time.


(Big Boy J was a good sport and let me put a tu tu on & this red hat).

We visited the Cozy Cow & learned all about where milk comes from. And we splurged on some egg nog (mamma's fav) and chocolate milk (daddy's fav). But we didn't stay long because it was windy and freezing!

We made the yummiest meals ever. And Red E was her Momma's big helper.


Of course HY came to help "clean up"---

Mini-E favorite spot was in the retro high chair eating her usual 4 bowls of Cereal!
Yes, FOUR bowls!

gotta find me one of those cool chairs...

Hair courtesy of Lise

On Saturday, we were joined by another favorite family.

more pictures here.

We wanted the BYU game, ate hogies & just hung out. It was a fabulous reunion.


HY and Red E played all day and night with minimal problems. I'm not surprised, this little lady is such a sweetheart.

But Mini-E & Big Boy J were another story. A bit of competition there! But I'm convinced they love each other deep down inside.

more here.

A big huge Thank you to our Friends who invited us into their home and let us be apart of their everyday lives. It was such a treat! We love you!!!

Since being home, I've cleaned & cleaned & cleaned* & still my house isn't the way I'd like it to be. I've been busy with photos session, planning Thanksgiving, designing custom Christmas Cards, & trying to get everything in order for a Christmas Mini-Session. (watch for that soon)

*laundry, unpack, bathrooms, de-clutter, dinner, dinner, sweep, mop, kitchen...the list goes on

So, there you have it.
We have Christmas lights up, but not turned on (there are 3 people on our street with lights on--crazy)

And last night I was treated with the a girl's night out to the Cheesecake Factory and TWILIGHT! A true treat!

What a DAY...

Yesterday we got in the car around 9 am and headed to Idaho. Farmboy had some business to do & I had some friends that I was dying to see so the kids and I accompanied him. It was like a mini-vacation.

Here were some of the highlights. Sadly, I was having so much fun with our friends that I forgot to take a picture with them. I'm pathetic!

The kiddos at the Idaho Falls Temple.

You'd think Mini-E was in Alaska the way I've got her dressed.


We took a tour of the temple visitor center:




We listened to the Christus statue & HY remarked "listen Mom! That's Jesus talking..."

We took a walk on the grounds and Farmboy pointed out the squirrels in the trees. I think the kiddos loved that part the best. I know HY did.




Then we headed to Rexburg to visit one of my oldest/longest friends of all time--Raygon.
She was so kind to let us drop in for a few hours, eat dinner, play, and visit.
She had home made soup and home made crescent rolls. She's amazing!
It was WONDERFUL.
We sure wish that they lived closer so that we could do that more often.
She took a few pictures, so I may have to borrow one or two from her to post.
Thanks so much Raygon for letting us spend the evening with your family!

We headed home & got to bed around 12:30 this morning.
A very well spent day.

You can see a few more pictures here.

Arizona Vac-A

Our trip to AZ was fabulous. It's been since January that we've been there & we decided that January is definitely the best time to go. We forgot how nice and hot it can be, even at the beginning of September. I guess Utah weather has become a part of us.

The trip down:
Grandma Suz & Grandpa S made the trip down so enjoyable. They took the 2 munchkins in their car with them! It's the first time in ages that Farmboy and I have been in the car alone (Aunt Little S came with us, but that's practically alone). We got to read Breaking Dawn (Ashley we finished it on the way home---we can now discuss)and that made the trip go by much more quickly.

Pason:
We stopped in Pason to spend Labor Day with Grandma & Grandpa Great B. HY played on Grandpa Great's tractor. We just relaxed, did puzzels, & watched movies. It rained and rained so much so that we couldn't get out to get to church. Farmboy and I took a Sunday afternoon walk & got "rained out"...it was a short, but drentching walk. On Monday afternoon, we did succeed in getting up the muddy moutain but not without some serious skillful driving & a little help from above.

Look at this chair just hiding in one of the downstair's bedrooms...My plan was to take it out into the field and snap a few pictures, but the rain had other plans.

Mesa:
Oh--my. All the things we did in Mesa! I got to visit friends (2 girls night outs, that's a first), hang out with Ashley (although we didn't have time to squeeze in some photography---I'm still whining about that. We got to see Aunt Runny & her kiddos. A birthday party for our newest 8 year old---what a treat to see Uncle L the Great & his kids (especially their new baby Z). Of course we got to hang out with Farmboy's family. The kids were in love with Grandma Suz & Grandpa S's pool & trampoline!

A few pictures of Ike's special day.

Home:
And now, it's time to get back to the usual, whatever that is. We've got chores & joy school & church & friends...all the good things. It's nice to be back home & enjoy a bit of cool weather. I feel like Fall is upon us or coming quickly. It was nice to have one last Summer Fling.