Happy Spring Camping!

Todd managed to ditch the shop for a couple of days so that we could get in some family fun in the great outdoors. We went camping up north of Strawberry. Weston was, of course, excited to ride his quad.

Wes was also excited to....I'm not quite sure....just simply be outdoors in the dirt with Alivia, maybe. ??? It looks like he was singing. He does have a bit of Zane's goofiness in him. And dear old Kota, our 13 year old lab, still puttin' up with the little ones. He's been the best dog ever. He simply hung around the camp with us. No more running along on the rides (Cash does that now). He simply takes it easy and grants us with his sweet spirit. We love our Takota!

Our collection of pine cones and the great gatherers that helped to collect them.

Lance giving his baby brother a ride.

Megan, Kelly, and I heading out for a horseback ride. Kelly was a little hesitant, but I think she had fun. At least, she giggled a lot when we loped. She doesn't have much horse experience, which is funny cause her husband, Jason, is an ex-rodeo guy. In fact, we talked him into showing us his stuff since he never joins us on trail rides. He jumped onto my bareback horse from the ground. We were all impressed. Some others had to try it after he did it. Todd actually made it once. I was too embarrassed to even try. I don't think there's anyway I could make it up that high. Maybe when I lose 10 lbs (aka never).

Todd and the boys target shooting. (l to r: Todd, Zane S., Brock, and Lance) The dads and the older boys actually spent a good amount of time paintballing out there. So, they all came home with bruises:).

Here's the young boys being cool - (l to r: Cole, Mason, Zane S. and our Zane).

Todd sighting it in.

Jason, the great white hunter, contemplating his next aim:).

Weston giving Kota a kiss. Simply precious.

Zane T., Cole, and Mason helping to gather wood for the campfire.

Dinner around the campfire.

Jason making the bonfire BIGGER and HOTTER!

We had a great time, although it would have been nice to have another day or two. My kids came home filthy dirty after 3 days up north. Here's to great camping, yummy food, and good friends.

She's Growing Up on Us!

Do you notice anything different about our sweet Sierra Dawn?

How about now? Look closely.

Okay, we'll make it more obvious and show you both ears at once. Now, do you see? Yes, at the ripe ol' age of 12, Sierra is old enough to finally get her ears pierced. It was a surprise to her. She had asked about it in the past and I would just say that she wasn't old enough. So, when we came up to the store to get it done, I was shocked to find her saying that she didn't want to. I guess she had talked to a friend or two about how painful it was. I couldn't believe it. I reassured her that it was no big deal, but that she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to. So then, of course, she wanted it done. And, she didn't even flinch.

Playing in the MUCK!

So, we got irrigation yesterday for the first time this year. And, of course, the boys were out in it today. Neighbor boys came from all over to play in it. The older boys were busy skimboarding in it. (Yes, once again, I missed the photo-op of Lance riding the skimboard...and what was the funniest was that for some reason he was wearing Wes' Batman Cape - see previous post - I really should have gotten that pic.) The younger boys just enjoyed running around in it. Here's Cole and Zane after rinsing the muck off in the outside shower. They had a lot of fun out there....and ended up with a little bit of a sunburn unfortunately.

Wes was avoiding the rinse off for some reason....gotta love the mud clot on his back...and especially the cute crack.

He decided to rinse off in the pool. The problem was that he only dipped his feet in the pool. As one can see - that left an awful lot of MUCK still on him.

To The Batmobile!

Somedays you know....it's just gonna be a Batman Day!

"POW!"

"KABOOM!"

"ZOOM!"

"BOP, BANG!"

Sunday Family Dinners

Below are some of the grandchildren playing on the swingset at my parents' home on Sunday.

At least once a month, my parents, Steven & Geneen, invite all of their children and their families over for Sunday dinner. My parents are soooo generous about it (generous with their time, their home, and their money to buy the food to feed everyone/the army). One would think that now that their kids are all grown up and all out of their house, they'd enjoy the peace and quiet. But, for some reason....they still can't get enough of us:) (I can't figure that one out yet - jk). My mom says now that they are retired, that this gives them one thing to do. But, I know she doesn't need another thing to do.

Even though we (the children) all bring a side dish, I know that it is A LOT to host everyone and to supply the main dish, drinks, and more. But, yet, they love to do it. And, we all LOVE to come. At least once a month, we all converge on their house (about 15 adults and 18 young children)...and I think that on the other Sundays there is a standing invitation for anyone to come back again and join them for dinner if they want to. I think some of my brothers go almost every week. But, that just shows how wonderful my mom and dad are. We all love to be together as a family. We all love to hang out together. We all love that our children are close cousins. Of course, I am biased, but I know my family is close due to how we were raised. I just hope that my own little family can grow up to be the same way. ....that all my kids and their spouses...and their kids... will come back to my house as much as I can get them....for Sunday dinners or whatever else it might be.

Zane - going the wrong way....UP the slide.


Todd brought along some entertainment this time....his shocking game. The men loved to see who would end up getting shocked.

Ouch! Todd got it this time.

And, then the kids joined in. Is that bad that we let them? I don't think they completely understood what was happening when they got the shock (for being the last one to push a button after the music stopped). It was pretty funny ...maybe a little mean....but again this is the family that let my Zane stick his tongue to the frozen stair railing on our Polar Express trip. Oh well. That'll make 'em tough. right?! :)

Piano Calvacade

After playing at the carnival all day, we got to come home and go to a piano calvacade that Lance and Sierra were playing in. They did a great job. Todd and I were so proud of them. Above, is Sierra's group but she is hidden in the back. Below, is Lance's group. He is in the black shirt. Sorry the pic. quality is horrible. It was pitch black since I was so far back, and so I tried to lighten it in Photoshop. Well, even if we don't have good pics, I wanted to post about it to let my kids know that they are AWESOME!!!

Sierra had gone to a sleepover the night before. After she played, she crashed in her chair. Poor girl. Too much playing....must be a rough life.

Houston Spring Carnival

Last Saturday was our elementary school's carnival. We had a great time together. I was in charge of all the games, so I had been preparing for it for about a week and a half before. I headed down that day at 7:30 am to set up. The carnival was 11-3 and so by the time I cleaned up, I was home around 4:00. It was a long day for me. But, it was all worth it because the kids loved it and the school earned a few bucks:). Here's Wes at the Frog Toss.

Here's Wes showing you one of his prizes....I can't tell what it is though. He's got quite the cheesy expression though.

Zane and Weston after bouncing in one of the inflatables.

Sierra and Wes going for a train ride.

Here they go down the big inflatable slide.

And, no carnival would be complete without a snow cone (and cotton candy for that matter....which they also had:).

Zane on his train ride.

My three cute kids with their snow cones (cause we missed Zane in the first shot when he was on the train).

Zane trying out the Ping Pong Toss.

And, lastly, the three of them trying the Tic Tac Roll. Lance did make an appearance at the carnival but he hung out with his friends....far, far away from my camera. I don't think that was a coincedence.

Here's a couple of movie clips from our fun at the carnival. The top one is Weston going down the slide. The bottom one is Sierra and Wes racing through the inflatable obstacle course.