Memorial Day Weekend

We traveled up to the cabin for Memorial Day weekend.  The Friday before was Max and Ben's last day of school.  It was a half day and we spent it getting ready for the cabin.  I can't believe I only took a few pictures.

Ian played UNO with the boys alot.  He had to help Evan and it was hilarious.  Evan really does not grasp the concept of UNO.

 Of course Ben caught a caterpillar.  And a lizard.  And Max caught a lizard.  I love that the boys spend so much time outside when we are at the cabin.

More UNO.

It's always so relaxing for me to be up at the cabin.  I'm so thankful that my parents are always such gracious hosts and happy to see us.

Did you miss me?

I haven't posted in over a week, which is so lame of me.  Even if I only have 2 readers on this blog, I want to post at least 3 times a week.  It's a goal.  Anyhow...June has flown by and these last two weeks have been some of the best of my life.  Especially after one of the crappiest years ever.  I still have trials in my life, and maybe that helps me appreciate the good times all that much more.  

I am way behind in my blogging (I still haven't posted about Evan's preschool graduation which happened over a month ago!) but I wanted to blog about a girls trip I went on.  As usual I was stressed about going, about leaving my family.  But my mom and Ian talked me into it, so I went.

We left late Tuesday night.  I was grumpy, but once the girls got in the car and we started talking I forgot I was in a bad mood.  We laughed and talked the whole way (3 1/2 hours) and finally got at the cabin at 12:30am.  My mom waited up and we chatted some more til almost 3 am!

Robin wanted to see why I love my pillow so much.  Adrienne kept punching it to see if it would bounce back.  Of course it did!  After 3 1/2 years my pillow is still awesome!

 The next day I got up and ran and my mom made us an awesome breakfast.  She took Drea and Robin on a ranger ride and then we all piled in the car for an adventure.  We stopped for lunch in Springerville.  We googled restaurants and this one came up as 4 stars.  It was ok.  Let's just say the company was better than the food :)

 After lunch we drove to Greer.  We parked by Amy and Brian's lodge - which is beautiful.  Then we walked down to the river and watched kids playing in the water and posed for pictures.   It takes so little to amuse us.

 We had to stop for some ice cream.  Adrienne amused us with Utah stories.

 That night my dad made us steak, sweet potatoes and asparagus.  It was divine.  Then we stayed up late watching Downton Abbey and made jokes about how much Bates and Anna kissing upsets Adrienne.  And ate the yummy caramel popcorn Adrienne made.  Seriously good.

 The next morning Christy, Adrienne and I woke up and did Jillian Michaels.  Then we made a schedule for the day:  eat, watch Downton, eat.  And that's pretty much what we did all day.  It was awesome.

 Later my dad took Adrienne and Christy for a Ranger ride where they saw lots of wildlife.  We'd already seen tons of elk on the way up.  Drea was more impressed by the cows though. :)

It was such a fun two days.  We had no schedules.  Nothing to do.  We sat on the porch and laughed.  Ate. Watched Downton.  Talked some more.  We never did get around to playing any games.  It was one of the most relaxing and fun times I've had ever.  I love these ladies and am so thankful for their friendship.  And I love that we all have the same sense of humor and we crack each other up.

When we got to Adrienne's house the Chandler High bus was in front.  I told Adrienne that we need to take it on our next adventure.  

So thankful for my parents who took care of us.  My mom was one of the girls and my dad pretty much catered to us.  I am lucky to have them!

Fall Break

Ian had the first week of fall break off work so we traveled to the Lodge to spend a few days there. We didn't do much - just hung out and enjoyed each others' company. The boys played 3 flies up:



Evan packed all of his toys in his backpack and went exploring outside.
Xander called some elk. As soon as he heard them call back, they all jumped on the ranger to find them.
On one of the days my mom took us to the campsite my dad was setting up for the Super Activity he was preparing for.



Xander found an elk jaw bone.
The boys played some more football.

Grandma and Grandpa searched out fire wood.
Xander helped out :)

Later me, my mom, Xander and Evan took a walk. We were interrupted by a rainstorm and my dad had to come pick us up. We were all so excited to see a double rainbow.

Proof of fall in Arizona:
Another day my mom and I took Xander to Sheep's Crossing to fish. It's one of my favorite spots in Arizona. It was freezing that day so my mom, Evan and I stayed in the car.


Evan and I got out briefly to go for a little walk.

We saw a snake. Thank goodness it was NOT a rattlesnake. Been there, done that.

Evan got warm and cozy in my sweatshirt. Also, I think he might have brown eyes? Where in the world did he get them? His eyes are constantly changing from green to grey to brown.
On the ride back I spotted a porcupine by the side of the road. Of course I stopped so Xander could get a closer look. He took a quill. We found out later that porcupine's quill's have a natural antibiotic in them. Also, if you look closely you can see Xander isn't wearing pants. He's actually wearing his sweater on his legs. His pants got wet fishing.
It was a fun trip. I spent a lot of time with my mom. We talked, did puzzles, went for walks and watched Little House on the Prairie. Xander and Ian shot a little bit too. We love it up there.

Weekend at the Lodge - buckle up!

I'm pretty sure I won't be blogging much this week so I hope this extra long post makes up for that. Or you may all get lucky and I might blog every day! Anyhow, for Labor Day weekend we went to the Lodge. Man, I love that place. Can I live there? Please?!?

We arrived late Friday night. We thought there wouldn't be water (the pump was acting up) but my dad is AWESOME and we had water all weekend. Woohoo for water! I'm embarrased to say that I slept until about 9 am on Saturday morning. After I drug myself out of bed and got ready - Trina, me, Xander, Michael and Joe all headed to Blossom and Wal Mart. We won't talk about what happened with the boys while we were in Blossom. It is gross and Trina still doesn't know about it. What happens at Blossom, stays at Blossom. I got a couple of cute shirts, btw. I love shopping with Trina. Wal Mart was crowded and crazy. And that's all.

When we got back, Ben had already caught a horny toad. I don't think that's their correct name, but that's what we called them when I was a kid and that's what my boys call them. So deal with it.

Ian got his panties in a wad because I got that wrong kind of ribs. Whatev! He cooked them on Sunday and there were delicious so I must have done something right. Then the older boys and Ian decided to go shoot. I can't remember if this was the day that Joe accidentally shot a bullet through the roof of the cabin. Concidentally, Joe is banned from guns. Poor Joe.


And guess what? I shot a gun! Twice! It was a glock (I think). And I'm pretty sure I totally missed the target on account of me closing my eyes when I shot it. Looking at this picture I realize clinch my butt when I shoot too. I'm working out and having fun at the same time! I think I need to go shooting again- anyone want to come?
Ian is so good that he can shoot one handed!
In the meantime, Max led the other kids on a search for creatures. I'm pretty sure they found a lizard or two. They also found the perfect spot for a fort! But seeing as I was a gimp (I sprained my ankle) I never hiked up the hill to take a picture of it. I'm still mad at myself for that.


That night my mom made the best dinner ever. We had chimichangas, rice and refried beans. All homemade and all delicious! Afterwards, grandpa built a bonfire and we all roasted marshmellows and made smores. We spent Saturday night watching tv and reading through the slang flashcards that Kim brought Darrel for his birthday. We were laughing so hard. I love my family.

The next morning after church we came back and relaxed. I took a nap. Go ahead and judge me, I don't care. Ian made the ribs while I was sleeping. Ro, Evan and Beck played DS. Evan loved Addie's DS. I think he was playing some Barbie game?
Aaron caught a horny toad and put it in this can. Ruby carried it around like it was her own little pet. After a while we let it go - we figured it had been tortured enough.
Max and Ro played DS. Max was so good with the Ro and Ruby on this trip. They loved him and followed him around.


Sunday was cold and rainy, so after riding the ranger Addy, Katie and Sami insisted on a fire. It was weird but awesome.Ian spent a lot of the day making swords out of wood for the boys.


The boys roasted marshmellows outside while they were waiting.


Darrel, Trina, Aaron and I played 5 Crowns. It was funny because Darrel kept score and declared Trina the winner. However, after Max reviewed the score card he found a mathmatical error and declared Aaron the winner. We will never let Darrel live that down!

This is pretty much what Brian did all weekend. He's smiling because he had just berated me for yelling too much and waking him up from his nap. Whatev, Brian!

For your viewing pleasure: (btw I actually have about 100 photos of Ruby at the cabin)


Ben with his sword:

Xander with his sword:

FYI, there was ALOT of Star Wars talk and light saber fighting at the cabin. The girls were just as into it as the boys.


So, we were inside hangin out when Evan came running in and told us that Ruby got in the mud. Apparently Ruby HATES to be dirty:

Sunday night we celebrated Aaron and Darrel's 33rd birthdays.
Also on Sunday night my dad gave an awesome FHE lesson.
Monday we all just hung around. Except my dad, Ian, Xander, Ben and Micheal got up early to go dove hunting. Ruby was so excited to see grandpa when he came back. She loves grandpa.
Xander got a dove so they fried it up for lunch. Now I've eaten caribou, elk and deer, but I draw the line at dove. They are the symbol of peace, afterall. It seems wrong to be shooting them.

Ben chilled out with his music.
Evan played with all of the bullet shells.
Micheal horsed around with Ben.

We made everyone gather around for a photo in front of the cabin. Ian and Aaron were the only adults who would be in it. For some reason Rowan was sad.In case you didn't know, Micheal is a character.
Ian, Michael and Xan played hot potato with the ball.
Katie found a humungous dandelion.
By 2 everyone but us, Aaron and his kids and my parents had left. Ian took the boys on one last ranger ride.

After the ranger ride, they went to the shooting range and Ian found a rattlesnake. Aaron picked it up. This picture is grainy because my camera battery was dead and I took it with my phone. It was crazy! But what's more crazy was that is that they "relocated" it and didn't shoot it. Huh? They kill doves but not a rattlesnake???? It makes no sense!
My mom was dying to take me to what she calls "Christmas tree lane" on the ranger. Ben and Max came along. I'm so glad we brought a blanket. It was freezing and rainy. But gorgeous. The road was flanked by Christmas trees on both sides. It was a wonderful way to end our trip.
On the way home my mom texted me that it was one of her favorite weekends at the cabin. I totally agreed :)