St.George for Halloween!

We just returned from our weekend trip to St.George for yet another baseball tournament. We got to do a little remodeling on the vacation home in Ivins while we were there. We tore out some carpet, got new carpet laid, and set up a bedroom. It was fun to have an actual house to stay in instead of a hotel. Home cooked meals, a yard for the kids to play in, and Lexi got to come! Here are some pix of our adventures....


We brought a few extra kids with us whose parents couldn't make it. This is Jake, Zac, Skiler, and Jordan playing Jenga in their 'man room'...



This is the bedroom before...




during...


and after....




Since there is no table and chairs yet we ate all of our meals picnic style in camp chairs...


We also managed to watch the Ute game white trash style, on camp chairs with the laptop propped up on the kitchen counter....





After a full day of baseball games the kids and I played some Halloween Bingo...


We had half a day to play on Saturday before games started so the boys went hiking up Red Mountain while Dad & Wade hit Home Depot, and Mom and I hit the furniture stores...


the boys playing in the 'Princess' jumping castle at the Tuacahn Farmers Market...



Lexi's first time at a Dog Park... (as god is my witness, Spanish Fork will have one of these before I die)



Jake at bat...


Rebel dugout...


Zac being Zac...


Zac sitting on Grandma Lynns lap keeping her warm during a sunset game...


My baseball stud...

The kids had a great time, played some good baseball, and we had some fun in the meantime. Can't wait to return. Poor little Zac didn't want to come home. He wants to live in Ivins now. I Don't blame him, it's gorgeous! High on the 'to do' list for our next visit is walking to Tuacahn on the trail, exploring some of the cute little shops in Santa Clara, more renovations (hopefully new light fixtures and some living room furniture), and having enough time to sit around an enjoy the complete silence.......

Summer 2010

As I reminisce on what made up our summer this year I want to believe that the entire summer was spent at the ball park. But alas, I have pictures to prove otherwise! We did manage to fit in some way fun things this summer. Here are some of my favorite moments.....

Pirates Cove...

Austin trip to see Lynsey...

Lake Powell pulling Wade on the surfboard ( I told him it's time to try some tricks. If I can drive the boat, look in the mirror, and take a picture without worrying that he'll biff it he's not having enough fun)


More Lake Powell (sad that we only fit in one trip this summer :(


Rebels summer-swim party at Payson Pool...


watching Zac eat an entire half watermelon in one sitting....bleh


Yuba camping trip...(do I need to remind myself about the wind? I think not)

Jake's city league team winning the Championship!

4th of July in Park City...( I highly recommend this, Their parade is da bomb)

Yes, it was a dandy. I keep reminding myself that this is probably the funnest time of my life. I have a big man, a medium man, and a little man. They are all vastly different at this point in their lives but are gloriously portable, fiercely independent, and can babysit themselves. I can only hope that somewhere hidden in all that fun there were some lessons taught, and some lessons learned, and that someday they will all grow up to be like their Dad!

Fall Fabulous Fall

Yesterday was our Annual Halloween Party @ Grandma Lynns. Is it really almost Halloween? Holy Moly the Fall snuck up on me. I guess 90 degrees in October will do that to you. Grandma always puts so much work into this party to make it fun for adults and kids alike. We love it!

All the Grandkids, dressed up or not, minus stubborn little Jett...


Grandkids waiting to bash the crap out of that Pinata...




The craziness that happens when a paper mache witch empties her innerds...



Zac posing by our families 'Haunted Gingerbread House'... (Best Gingerbread house kit ever. Came with black icing, two colors of fondant, and orange frosting!)


Wade taking a moment to bond with his new nephew Kole... boy's still got it!
Somehow I neglected to capture photo's of the infamous Bingo game, and our always yummy soup bowls! We also had lots of spooky foods and treats to eat. Love ya Grandma Lynn!

off to see Lynsey we go!

Time to blog about my recent trip to Austin, TX to visit Lynsey! She has lived there for about a year now so it was high time I made the trek to see what this place is all about. Lynsey and Nick seem to love it there so I was super excited to drag Haley along for the adventure. She was a super good sport about being just thrown in with the family mix, and even endured a little hard labor one day. What a gal! We started our trip with a hellacious travel day, up at 4AM not to arrive in TX until 4PM. Sucky layover. After that it was on to see where Lynsey and Nick work and live, and to go have drinks and appetizers at 'The Oasis' overlooking Lake Travis.


We were all very happy to see each other, so much kissing ensued.
Dad is not one to be outdone so he had to get in on the kissing action. Very inappropriate, but I did keep my promise to not post it on Facebook!
The next morning Haley and I caught some much needed pool time. We girls love our pool time.
Later that day I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of being able to watch my only Sister try on Bridal Gowns. What a thrill. Keeping with the tradition of not letting the Groom see the Bride in a gown before the big day I will only post this little pic of the 5 hour endeavor. Nick this is what you're Bride's torso may look like in a gown...
Happy females enjoying the Bridal parade!

We enjoyed a late late dinner, then it was off to the infamous Sixth Street. These old girls still know how to party!

After everything closed (at 2AM) the street vendors arrive to sell food. Best Brat ever!
The next day we had a lovely brunch at 'The Magnolia Cafe' and then did a quick sightseeing car tour of the city and the University of Texas campus. When Haley started to melt (tee hee) we retired to Lynsey and Nick's for some good old manual labor in the name of remodeling. No pictures allowed of sweaty people scraping nasty texture off ceilings and ripping down cabinets.

Austin City Skyline
A small corner of the HUGE Longhorn Stadium



After that it was off for a quick burger at 'P Terry's' and off to see the bats take off at dusk. Freaking cool. They only do this for a few months in the early fall but if you can imagine 1.5 Million bats taking flight all within about 15 minutes you can try to get the jist of it. I can only compare it to the black moving fog on LOST. (with a suspicious ammonia smell attached)

The next day we had to return home to get the kiddo's ready for the first day of school. Needless to say we were a little reticent to see our trip come to an end, hence the sad faces below...

But the happy face returned when I ran into an old friend...

That's all for now. Looking forward to many return trips to this lovely city!