Mountain Men

The boys had a Cub Scout Day Camp today and it had some kind of a "Mountain Man" theme. They brought home these pictures. Apparently the knife that they are both holding in the picture is REAL and that is soooo "Awesome"!

Aren't they cute!

I'm not sure what look Jake was trying to achieve here??

Father's Day

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy in our family. We tried to show him how much we love him by giving him some really cool gifts. The boys made him ceramic mugs that they formed and decorated all by themselves out of clay and Haley bought him a really nice card. As a family we bought him a new wallet that is made especially for pilots. It has a special insert to carry his pilot's license and medical certificate.

We also gave him and all the other daddy's in our family, including grandpa, a three day fishing trip -- just the guys, no kids and no women. They were all very excited. They spent an hour around the table planning and deciding where they were going to go. We heard places like Colorado & Mexico (they're dreaming) but I think they finally decided on someplace up on the Rim (that's more like it).

They boys also went to a primary activity on Saturday where they decorated ties for him. This is what he looked like in church.

His ties were pretty mellow compared to some of the other men who had big bright feathers on theirs.

We love our daddy very much and we hope he had a wonderful Father's Day!

Weekend in Greer

We spent the weekend in Greer for my sister Kelly's wedding. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful and the bride was gorgeous!

The wedding took place at the Greer Lodge so we rented a couple of big cabins there and squished the whole family into them. It was crowded and chaotic, which is about the norm for us when we get the whole family together but it is also a lot of fun. We got there Friday evening just in time for me to slip out the door and across the street to the Bachelorette party -- my first one ever -- which I will definitely not go into detail about. Saturday morning after a big breakfast, thank you chef grandma, we did a little decorating. Because the wedding was outside we started to worry when it got windy & rainy. As far as the weather goes, in general, it was awesome -- 70 degrees & overcast with light sprinkles -- I loved it, but for an outside wedding, not so awesome. After the decorating we had a few hours to have a little fun. The girls stayed in the cabin and played games and the boys went fishing. The Lodge has several ponds that you can fly fish in. They stock them so the fish were plentiful and hungry. I think each of the boys caught about 8 or 9 fish.

Jake wouldn't touch the fish so he used a net.

Nate wasn't afraid. He loved his little fish.



I think Larry won the prize for catching the biggest fish. Too bad we had to throw them all back.

My cute kids hanging out at the cabin. They are so goofy!

When it was time for the wedding miraculously the sun came out and the wind died down (a little). Kelly looked so beautiful and happy. The whole wedding was just perfect.

These are her four boys. They walked her down the aisle. They were so sweet in their little tuxes, it actually made me cry.

My sweet little family.


All of my sisters except for Sarah. One of her boys had fallen asleep during the ceremony so she took him back to the cabin. We took another picture later at the reception with her in it but I didn't get one on my camera.


My man in Black.


The reception was in Springerville at the rodeo grounds. We had lots of good food and great music. The kids danced their little hearts out.




Haley danced with her dad.


And I danced with my boys.

And I think they had a little too much fun with the sparkling cidar.

After the reception we took a dip in the hot tub back at the cabin. The air outside was cold and the water was hot.


The next morning while the adults were packing and cleaning up the kids were having fun in the hot tub again. There was a small river that ran right behind the cabin and the kids were running and jumping in the river and then back in the hot tub. Crazy kids -- that water was freezing!

And then a fun game of baseball before the drive home. Isn't that scenery just awesome! I could definitely live up in these mountains. I love the smell of the pine trees and all the green. It's just beautiful.


Congratulations to Kelly & Gerard. We are so happy for you and are grateful that we were able to share this special day with you. We love you!

Yikes!

This is how Nate looked when he went outside to play this morning. I don't know who taught him how to dress but it surely wasn't me.

Yes, those are his pajamas and they aren't that short in the leg just because he's sitting down. I think they are about 2 sizes too small, not to mention they are flannel and it's June, in ARIZONA!

I told him to go get dressed and this is what he came upstairs wearing.

He ditched the mismatched p.j.'s but kept the black baseball socks (heavy sigh). White shoes and black socks are SO not cool -- he just doesn't get that. I guess we have to let them be their own self and make their own decisions but I sure do hope this fashion RETARDATION is just a phase that he'll grow out of quickly!

Canadian Bacon!

Larry has had a couple of overnights in Canada lately (Calgary I think) and he really doesn't like going there. We refrain from using our cell phones when he's out of the country because it costs extra -- yes, we're cheap -- and he hates it when he can't talk to the kids and tell them goodnight.

So we were talking about it the other day and Nate chimes in and says "Did you have the bacon?" We started cracking up. He wasn't joking either, he seriously wanted to know if he had Canadian bacon while he was in Canada.

I wasn't sure why or how Canadian bacon actually got its name so I did a little research on-line. Yes, I googled Canadian bacon. I found that what we call Canadian bacon is actually just ham. What the Canadians call "Canadian bacon" is something called Peameal or Back Bacon.

So I don't really know how ham became "Canadian Bacon" but it sure is yummy!

Lunch with my sisters

My sister Kelly who lives in Springerville and is getting married next weekend was here to do some last minute shopping. We took advantage and met at Applebee's for lunch. Getting together with all of my sisters is definitely a rare occasion. Meagan was the only one missing but we'll all be together next weekend in Greer for the wedding. I can't wait!

Shark Bite

Meet the 3-D Shark Bite Water Slide -- the scariest slip-n-slide in the neighborhood.

It came with a pair of 3-D goggles that's supposed to bring the shark to life as you're sliding into its mouth. Don't think they worked very well. That's OK, the boys invited several friends over and they had a blast.

When they got tired of sliding they broke out with the water guns & the hose. I was in and out of the house so I didn't get very many pictures.




Another fun day in the sun.

Sleeping Angels

I ran to the grocery store tonight and was only gone about 30 minutes and this is what I found when I got home.

And it was only 8:30. Amazing! It was so quiet & peaceful I just had to take pictures. Of course Jaxson can't be normal like my other kids and fall asleep on the couch or the floor. He has to fall asleep on the kitchen counter -- at least he had the sense to get his pillow. I guess 2 hours of swimming right before dinner is the way to tire them out. Too bad we can't make it a nightly ritual!

Memorial Day Project

I took advantage of the Holiday and a day off from daycare to paint my kitchen/Dining area. I've wanted to do this since I moved in but I guess I've been a bit nervous about it and kept putting it off. I don't have much experience in this area (painting wood crafts - YES, painting walls - NO). I have to give all the credit to my friend Bekki. She said she would help and that it would be fast and easy. She brought most of the supplies and spent a couple hours of her holiday to get me started. The finished product is awesome. Red is my most favorite color and it looks great in my kitchen.

Before

My faithful helpers - Haley, Tammie & Bekki

I think for once Larry was happy to go to work. He missed out on all the fun. He looks heartbroken doesn't he?

The finished product

Now I need to decorate those flashy new walls which I am even worse at than painting. Anyone out there have a knack for home decor on a very small budget? Give me a call.

Thanks again to all my helpers. Couldn't have done it without you.