Party (x4)

 June was party month for my side of the family. My youngest brother Trent got married June 14 and we crammed all the fun and parties we could into that weekend while we were all together.
Party 1 was the annual Grandkid B-day party where my parents celebrate all their grandchildren's birthdays in one day. My parents took everyone to Toys 'R Us and all the kids got to pick out a present. They look forward to this with great excitement! The older ones get cash, but everyone has fun seeing the kids pick out their toys!

 All the kids took a turn hitting the pinata! My Mom made these darling elephant and giraffe cakes and my bro Tyrel altered them a bit...

Grandpa held a bow and arrow contest.

Of course the kids played with their new toys. Quinn picked out a princess carriage.

 We did some night jumproping! Super fun and a great workout. The adults had as much fun as the kids. Mack tried jumprope for the first time and loved it!

 Party 2: Trent's wedding. Already having so much fun, here are Hunter and Quinn on the way to the wedding. This is a definite warning sign of breakdowns to come...

 The wedding was beautiful. Marriage is a wonderful thing. I am so happy for Trent and Kenzi

 Here are my 4 brothers! 2 older, 2 younger. I should have gotten a pic of me in the middle. That is how I grew up- surrounded by crazy boys! I love them dearly.

 The happy couple sealed the deal with a serious kiss!

All my parents' grandkids in one place. Quinn was the most darling flower girl.

Party 3: Aubrae's Utah reception. I went to her wedding and reception in Hawaii. While decorating for this one, I said I was having major deja vu and my bro-in-law said, "Yeah, the only bad part is that we can't go play at the beach afterward!"

Cousins make the bestest friends!

3 generations of sweet and/or spunky girls!

Party 4: Sawyer's baby blessing. My brother Tyrel gave a beautiful blessing to his first baby and really shocked a couple of my kids that he could be so serious/spiritual. He is usually such a goofball and always joking around. He is a fun dad, borderline crazy. This is a picture of baby Sawyer underneath my Mom's glass table with his nose pressed up against the glass- totally Tyrel.

Tyrel is one of my favorite people. I love his happy and adventurous personality. He is also creative and can build anything just like my Mom. He built this cool old looking trunk for Trent and Kenzi and we all filled it with gold Sacajewea dollars for their wedding present.

We had so much fun and packed in so many special events. My sister came from Florida, my brother from Alaska and my sister from Idaho came. Also my niece and her husband came from Hawaii. It was so neat to spend that time together with each other. I took my kids to Cowabunga bay with some of their cousins after the main parties were over. I had good walks/talks with my sisters. My dad had us do a marshmallow shooting war (he's the biggest kid of all). When I pulled out of my parents driveway to go home, I got choked up. It was hard to say goodbye. It may be another year before we are all together again. I am grateful for a wonderful family that I love dearly and for my parents for raising us all those years. I miss my sister Tiphanie that left us in 2001 but I know she watches over us. Looking forward to giving her a big hug some day. And looking forward to the next big family party! Until we meet again!

RING in the New Year

We travelled to Bountiful to see Dax's brother and his family after Christmas! They took us to their fun rec center to swim. We had just arrived, changed into swimsuits and walked out of the dressing rooms and toward the fun kid pools/waterslide and everyone was evacuating that pool area. The pump had stopped working and the water level was dropping in the pool. The lifeguards said we could swim in the lap pool. Upon opening the doors to enter the lap pool area, a shreiking, high-pitched alarm bell was ringing so loudly. The alarm was so uncomforable to listen to. I snapped this pic of my husband and it makes me laugh because he looks like he wants to kill something.  All the guests at the rec center were just trying to carry on and swim but everyone had such a disturbed look on their face. And no one I asked knew how to turn it off or when it would get turned off or when the fun pool would be opened back up.

Dax is having a relaxing swim!

 

Here is a much happier picture of the crowd! 

Fifteen minutes later, the "maintenance guy" showed up and deactivated the alarm and it was the best kind of relief. Apparanly he fixed the pump in the other pool; it then opened back up and we had a great time!

Fun to be with family! Adorable kiddos!

Sunday we drove over to my parents' house and Dax cooked dinner for my parents, 3 brothers, 1 Sis-in-law, a girlfriend and my aunt plus our 6 people. It was to celebrate my Mom's birthday coming up. I love volunteering my husband to cook for people. It makes them way happy. And I don't have to do much.

 

It was great to be with my family. My Mom is a wonderful lady and everyone loves her dearly. My Dad gave my Mom a nice DeWalt drill, which she loved. I myself have inherited a love for power tools from my Mom, I believe.

 

The next day was New Year's Eve. Mid-morning, my youngest brother Trent came walking in the house and handed me a box. a RING box. I opened it to behold a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ring and knew he and Kenzie would take ringing in the new year to a whole new level! YAY! He spent the afternoon in the garage building a sign out of lumber that spelled out, "MARRY ME".  He took his girl shooting at dark (below zero temps BTW) and my brother Tyrel and his wife set up the sign for him on a hill near where they were shooting. After assembling the sign with minor mishaps, Tyrel doused the sign in gasoline and lit it on fire. And the rest will be history. Yay, Trent and Kenzie!

My New Year's Eve date was much more relaxing and low-key. I went to dinner with my man and it was a perfect way to spend the last evening of the year. I am deeply grateful for all I've been blessed with in 2012. I feel like my cup is constantly overflowing.

 

New Years day, my Dad took me and my kids over to my Uncle's house. He has trained his dog to pull kids on a sled!

 

So fun to see so many family members this trip! A happy way to start a new year.

spring break/Easter

Preslie had 2.5 days off for spring/Easter break so we celebrated in Santa Clara with Dax's folks. The kids were so excited. They started packing Monday and we left Thursday. I love celebrating with baskets and eggs on Saturday and celebrating Christ's ressurection on Sunday. The separation between the two helps me. And I hope it helps my kids. Saturday we colored eggs, found baskets, made foil dinners, and went on Grandma and Grandpa's egg hunt. That evening, Dax and I went on a date to Olive Garden. It was SO nice to leave ALL the kids, including Mack. We don't have that luxury too often. Sunday we attended church and recounted the last days of the Savior's life and His resurrection. We also had a lovely Easter dinner. Mack PUT IT AWAY. He ate and ate and his belly was huge afterward.

People in Southern Utah landscape so differently than those in the North. As I am at a total loss in the landscaping department, I looked around for ideas. I spotted this and fell in love:

On the way home, we stopped in WJ for a rest at the parents' house. My little brother, Trent taught Preslie to ride his mini-motorcycle. Yeah, of course I rode it too.

Mack was so into it and kept saying "Preslie, motorcycle" ("Bah-Bah, Adee-Adah") over and over.

Results of the 4-way inspection...

We passed! Bring on the insulation. A four-way inspection includes framing, heat/air, plumbing, and electrical. Besides a few minor details that can be taken care of easily, we are good to move ahead. My little brother Trent wired our entire house including the basement and let me just say he did it on the weekends in the pouring rain and in gail force winds. He is a wee 20-year-old lad, and he hasn't stepped foot in a college classroom. AND he did it for a measley Arby's sandwich, a quarter pounder with cheese, a few slices of pizza, and a big hug.

When he first volunteered, I had NO idea the amount or complexity of work that would be involved, but watching him over the course of 4 Saturdays, I am beaming with pride cause my baby brother Rocks. Also a big thanks to my Dad, brother Tyrel, Dax, and Craig for coming to help.