Moab

Oh how we love our annual trip to Moab with Grammy and Grampy. Now that we have the Ranger, we might need to go in the fall as well as the spring.  This was a particularly wonderful trip.   The kids did great and the trails we rode were fantastic!!  The first day Grampy took us on Chicken Corner and we stopped at the Catacombs--the kids hiked and played in the caves for the longest time.  The girls hung out in the shade.  There was enough open space with no traffic that Cam was able to drive the Ranger for a bit.  Oh how he loved that.

Spencer playing in the Catacombs

"Abby's rock"--oh wait, everything is Abby's

She took great naps both days on the trails.  I had to hold her head once we started up again.

The seatbelts were bugging Spencer's neck.

Hiking with Grampy to Millcreek.

The pools at Millcreek.  We have been wanting to hike here for years and finally made it.  We will definitely be doing this again!!

BRRRRR.....

Abby and her Mickey Mouse pancake.  Too bad she won't actually eat it.

The boys took turns riding with Grampy in his Razr.  The other got to ride in the front of the Ranger...they thought they were pretty hot stuff.

Mom and I loved talking and laughing in the back of the Ranger...we were pretty agile climbing in and out of it as well.

The top of the 3D trail---beautiful.

A couple of spots were a bit sketchy, so Dad put on the tow strap and we all bailed out and let Chad brave it himself.

This section is called "the wall"   Grampys Razy crawled right up it, but Chad was really nervous with the Ranger.  Right before he went up he called out to me, "I don't feel good about this."   I yelled back,"you don't feel good, like the spirit is warning you?  Or are you just being a wuss?"  He went up smooth as can be.  This was a good trip for Chad to know his rig and gain confidence.  And the sketchy parts are fun for everybody.  The men love scouting out where to place their wheels.  The kids love crawling around on the rocks, and the girls love looking at the beautiful scenery.

Eating lunch in the shade....or in Abby's case, watching the ants carry the crumbs.

Family Pictures 2012

I am so grateful to have a wonderfully talented sister that takes our family pictures!! And all it costs me everytime is whatever I'm into making at the time... this year is a knit maxi skirt (my new obsession) and some earrings and a necklace. Darn good trade if you ask me. I asked Natalie to come help with pictures--she's great at being goofy, so I was hoping Abby would smile...but it was not to be.  Abby was AWFUL!! enough that the adults were getting really frustrated,,,,well on the way home we stopped at Brookside for a well-deserved Pepsi and while waiting in the drive-thru Abby pukes.  I mean pukes like none of my kids have puked before.  Nat is sitting right next to Abby and in her 5 week pregnant sick state thinks she's gonna lose it too.  We are boxed in and the line is moving slowly.  Nat and I change seats, she gets some paper towels for me, Abby screams, we finally get the pepsis, and the car stinks for the next week.  At least we knew why she was so horrible for pictures!

Loving our little Abby-Kat!! She is 2 and is full of "it".  She is shy around others, but lets it all out for our family.  She speaks very well, until she gets really excited and has something very important to say then we look at each other like, "was any of that english".  Lately her favorite sayings are, "mommy, wanna rock a minute" when she needs some snuggle time.  She loves to tell her brothers to, "stop it!" Spencer has taught her, "I'm sexy and I know it" with a little dance.  She will take monster naps, but not want to go to bed until 10:30, and the next day no nap and go to bed happily at 7:30.  This would drive me nuts with Cameron, but by #3 I have learned to just go with it.  I'm up late every night anyway, so 10:30 is ok, since she is so adorable and behaves so well, because she knows if there is one misstep it's back to bed.  She LOVES to be read to and we go through about 20 books before nap time each day.  I love to hear her "read along".  Oh we are enamored with this little one!

This kindergarten year has been so good for Spencer-he is 6. He has blossomed with his reading and LOVES school.   I love watching him when I am mothers helper twice a month.  He is a little clown, but when teacher speaks, he listens and obeys--now if we could get him to do it that consistently at home.  He is getting a bit of attitude and shows his frustration, but we have had long talks about respect and control and I see him really trying to control his emotions.  He loves his mommy and asks to snuggle several times a day. 

I swear Cameron is a little man. He is 8 1/2 yrs old and is understanding things way beyond his years....good and bad.  We have to watch what we say, because he understands many words, and what he doesn't understand he can figure by context.  He's always been a reader especially at night, but lately I hear the tv on and I will go check and he's on the couch with his back to the tv, reading.  School is really easy for him for now, but I'm wise enough to know it probably won't always be like that and it will be really interesting to see how he handles it.  He is trying to figure out how and who he fits in with at school.  There aren't many boys in the neighborhood that he can play with and sometimes he gets tired of having to arrange playdates, so many days he just chills or plays with Spencer.    I am enjoying his sense of humor and wit lately.. he's just like his daddy!

This was one of the last pictures we took...look at abby's little face--pure misery. Poor baby!

Richele caught on of Grandma's bubbles in the picture...made me laugh.

St. George

In March we went to St George with Grammy, Grampy and Shell, Greg (the Cooks-haha).
We stayed in a great condo with tons of room and a huge kitchen (very important to not be on top of each other as breakfast and lunch are being prepared simultaneously). I didn't get any pictures of the Ranger ride, or the 3 1/2 hours each day the boys spent in the pool, OR the Gypsum mine that I gathered a slew of gypsum that I have had a ball making jewelry from. Not so good at chronicling our lives in photos...oh well.

The outdoor patio looked out over the pool. Abby would yell "Hi" to passer-bys, and her brothers.

Grampy and Mini-me watching TV

Abby was such a trooper. It was a 3 mile round trip to the lava tubes and Abby walked most of the way---that's a long way for those little nubbin legs.

LOVE this picture...just need Mantha and Alex and I would have this framed!!

Inside the lava tubes. The kids were so excited that Daddy packed their headlamps.

Goofy smile

Chilling on the patio.