More Birthday Celebrating?!

Since I was busy taking pictures on my actual birthday, we waited until the following weekend to celebrate it our tradtitional way. And, by tradition, I mean that the last couple of years Todd takes me out of town for some great horseback riding. The first year we went to Sedona. The second year was spent in Pine. This year, we went to Rimrock...just south of Sedona. Above, is my favorite ride, Cherokee. Lots of energy. Lots of spunk. I love riding him....even if he gives me a playful buck every once in a while when we start loping. It was a nice overcast day....I think we were sprinkled on just a bit.

I set my camera on the side of the truck bed so that we could get a "us" photo. Me and my favorite man....even if neither of us look too pleased. What's up with that anyways?! Todd's trusty steed, Trigger, behind us.

I wanted a photo of us together on our horses. So, I tried to set up the camera and start the timer...and then rush to get on my horse and get ready for the picture...all in eight seconds....or whatever it is. My horse wouldn't stand still very well. oops.

Try again. Well, at least, this time you can see my face. So, we left it at this and went to enjoy a trail ride.

We got down to a beautiful creek.

Todd's horse is the dominant horse, so most of the time, I ride behind him. So, what was I to do but take pics:).

Yes, he's leaving me behind. That's okay. I made sure it wasn't too deep. I wasn't swimming with my horse that day. Isn't it breathtaking scenery though?!

Trigger, not so very conviently, lost both of his front shoes. We only had one boot, so we had to go buy another. Then, he even lost a boot in the creek. Here Todd is putting once back on.

What is he thinking? Look at the cheesy, but still cute:), smile. Do you think he is getting tired of me taking pics of him? (Believe me, I have even more pics than this that I am not posting). But, no, he didn't complain. Because it was my birthday trip. He let me take lots of pictures ....cause he loves me, right?! Even if his expression says something else...Like "I am going to ring her neck if she take another picture."

I had a wonderful trip with Todd. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast called Luna Vista. The food was delicious and the hosts were great. I loved my horseback riding and I loved spending the one on one time with Todd. Thanks to all who took our little ones so that we could "bond." I can't wait to do it next year for my 39th Birthday!!!

Life on the Street....Sesame Street, that is

So, back in May, my friend, Shala, and I took our two toddlers to see Sesame Street up on stage. I was excited. But, I wasn't sure what Wes would think of it since he is deathly scared of costumed characters. We walked in as the show was starting. I felt a little hesitation when he eyed the stage, but I pulled him along. As he sat to watch the show, I think he felt safe since those characters were a good distance away up on stage.

Here's Wes and Macey during the break. He was being a little silly and not holding still very well.

When I tried again for a better pic, he had to roll his eyes. OH, he's a goofball just like his brother, Zane. Or is he doing the teenager eye roll from his brother Lance? Hmmmm.

I know....he doesn't look too thrilled here, but he did seem to like to wave hi to the characters. The characters would sometimes come down into the audience....just to the first few rows, thankfully.

He's getting a bit more enthusiastic in his wave.

And, again.

I had to get a close up here. He kind of has that pagent wave.

Anyways. We had a great Mom n Wes morning out. Loved the show. It was probably a good thing to do with him to help get rid of that fear of his. Maybe next time, we'll see Diego or Bob. Hopefully, Shala and Macey will be up for it too. We had a great time with them!

It's Gotta Go

Here Wes goes again. I had put a new shirt on him in the morning. Not long after, I see him outside on the back porch. It's like a light bulb goes off in his head. He quickly starts reaching for the offending tag. I guess some tags are "soft" and therefore are okay. While others are not and have to be taken care of.

This one is the offending type, I guess.

And, off it goes.

Although, he then forgot to put the shirt back on. He looks a little distracted by morning cartoons:).

Never a Dull Moment

As any mother of boys would tell you, there's never a dull moment. I had my laurels (girls from church) over one night. Zane comes in from outside. He simply states, "Mom, I caught two grasshoppers, but one of them got loose in the house." nice. Hopefully, the cat with catch it.

Here's the one he managed to keep in hand:).

Celebrating My Birthday

Okay, so here it is over a month after my birthday, and I am jsut barely getting around to finishing telling about it. I shared the story of my cute little hunt for my new mac computer, but I didn't finish. Somehow, I have gotten very behind on my posting. Tonight I will try to catch up some. So, back to my birthday. That afternoon, I met my whole family for a huge family photo. My mom had been wanting one for a long time now. And, since my younger sister and her family now moved to the valley, this was the first open weekend we found that everyone could make it. So, on my birthday, I got to take photos of some of my very favorite people. We took shots quickly, trying to keep all the kids around. Above, are my parents, the wonderful people that started it all.

Here is our adult shot. My parents, my siblings, and their spouses. What a great group of people. I am so lucky to have them all living within 20 minutes. This is what life is all about. Sometimes when I tease about moving to a small town, Todd always replies that I'd never do it and leave my family behind. He is so right. I'd have to get them all to come too.:)

I thought I'd share the photos of my nieces and nephews cause these are the kids that will grow and change too quickly. These are the kids that my children love to play with. Above are Kathleen and Rachel...out of order cause when I did the initial uploading I forgot them. oops. What can I say?! There's a lot of little kids in our family. We opted to do small group photos of the grandkids. There's just way too many to get a good group shot of all of them together. Yes, I can admit my photography skills have some limitations:).

Theses are the older girls in our family - McKenna, Sierra, Hannah, and Maddie.

The Middle kids - Zane, Paige, Jordan, and Tim.

We used to call these guys the four little boys....but now there are two little boys younger than them. What do we call them now? Just the four boys?! Jackson, Weston, Justin, and Jonathan. Should Weston have been names with a "J" name?

And, then our four little girls - Charlotte, Grace, Kennedy, and Rebekah.

And since Lance is off on his own (he was the first grandkid born followed by all those girls), we grouped him with our little boys - Conover and Grant.

What a great bunch of kids!!!

After the photo session ended, we all ate dinner together. It was delicious and I loved the company. I had a wonderful 38th birthday!

Living the Ol' High School Days All Over Again

So, Saturday was my 28th Birthday. Todd decided to relive our ol high school days and send me on a hunt for my birthday gift. I was sure he was going to ask me to Prom at the end of the scavenger hunt:). First, he handed me a bday card that said "This card may surprise you....especially if you were expecting a gift! Happy Birthday" He then wrote inside "yep, not gonna be quite as easy this year! Follow these clues to get to your present. If we were pilgrims we would gladly set sail on the May_______ to celebrate your birthday with you." So, I set off the flour canister.

Inside was another clue " Today of all days, I hope you will fill "SAFE" in my arms." So, I went to the gun safe. Next clue " Let's yell and cheer....make a big "racquet". It's your birthday!" That one took me a few minutes to locate his raquetball stuff in the garage. There I found another clue "HAY - I could do this ALL day". I quickly went outside to the horse's hay pile.

The next clue stated "If you want to get your present you might have to me a little sugar (witha little cinnamon in it). So, I went back inside to the bowl of cinnamon and sugar. The next card said "Some people refer to diamonds as ICE (which I can guarantee you have nothing to do with your birthday)" Hmmm. Why not? No diamond stud earrings? I went to check the ice bucket in the freezer and found the next clue. I read, " If you were a dirty guest at our home, there is a very good chance you would run into your present very soon!" hmmmm. All the while Todd was teasing me about finding a Toyota Sequioa cause he really wants me to get a new car, but I say that I'm waiting.

So, out in the guest house's shower, I find a brand new Mac computer...perfect for editing photographs on. WooHoo. He spoils me. Thanks Todd. I love you. Thanks for reminding me how fun those high school days were too. Although, I still think he should take me out dancing, don't you?! Now, I just gotta figure out how to work on a Mac again. It's been 10 years since I was a teacher!

Happy Birthday to me! I have a great life....a man that loves me....four children that bring me great happiness....most of the time:)....and many family and friends that give me love and support. (Don't ya like our sunburned faces....snow skiing with the youth in our ward. And, I still love to ski with him...just as much as I did twenty years ago!)

Our Favorite Bird

Remember many posts back, I mentioned our favorite little bird that loves to come run in our irrigation? ....the killdeer. It's got a bad name, but it's a cute bird....kind of a mini crane with those long legs. And, they really have this cute little birdcall. Well, we had a whole family running out back today. Dad. Mom. and THREE little ones. Absolutely Adorable!

The babies are like three little puffballs running around the lot. The kids had to catch them and hold them for a brief few seconds. Then, they returned the babies to their Dad and Mom.