Reunion 2010 snippets

Time away, together

For the past week Griffin and I were able to spend some time with Nate, Heather, Ella, & Tank.  It was a lot of fun to spend time with them.

We spent many days at the park, and playing in the warm summer sunshine.  Can't believe summer is officially here now.  I've already got my first sun burn!!



For the most part Griffin and Ella get along quite well. However, Ella does not like it if Griffin is playing with Tank while she is playing with Tank.

Ella is growing up so fast.  The last time I saw her it seemed like she was still a baby, but now she has officially graduated to toddler hood!  She is talking a lot more and is very smart.  She knows what cows, ducks, doggies, fish, and kitties say.

Ella really reminds me of a little monkey.  She loves to climb all over everything and everyone!  She even goes up and down the big slide all by herself, I am still in utter amazement over that one!

Heather is keeping herself busy during the day watching two kiddos from the neighborhood.  She is up by 7:30 every day making breakfast, vacuuming, pulling weeds, mowing the yard, cooking, mopping, changing diapers, you name it she is doing it.  I don't think she really stopped for long to just sit.  I was amazed and motivated by her energy and ability to just keep going even though things weren't always going as planned.

Just realized I didn't get any pictures of Nate, but he is busy working as well!  I didn't see him, or him, leave in the morning, and a lot of the times he came home right before we were getting the kiddos ready for bed.  A worker man!

Time at Heather's house is always fun.  Griffin loves it there and he was really sad to leave.  He told Tank he loved him and would never forget him.  Just melted my heart.

I am sad to be back because it was fun to spend time with family and get away from our daily routine. Griffin did really well on the trip down and back and I am happy to report he stayed in his car seat the whole time!

Joe and LJ were busy while were away.  They both worked long days.  I think they did enjoy the quite, but they both were ready for our return!

Now onto my next big project for the summer, potty training Griffin!

Thanksgiving 2009

I need to do some catching up on my blogging...I am trying to use my blog as a journal and I am hoping to get it printed in a book each year so we can all enjoy it, so it is important for me to journal some of the happenings in our lives!

Thanksgiving was really fun.  We all went to Nate and Heather's house. I think it is becoming a tradition because we have been there for the last three years!  My mom couldn't make it this year but she was there is spirit.

Heather sent me a picture of our mom and I blew it up and then we put it on a stick just so she could be there with us.  Griffin loved the stick and took it every where, but he did end up getting in trouble with it, so the "mom stick" had to get put away.

Heather made a really wonderful dinner and the jello was my favorite, but I think everyone knows that!

Dinner was completed with magic juice. Griffin  and Ella really loved it!  I really like the glasses we used, they made the magic juice that much better.  Ella got so messy from eating jello she had to be taken out of her clothes.  She still looked stunning!

No Thanksgiving is complete without going thru all the Black Friday ads.  LJ was very excited about getting up early and seeing what all the fuss was about.  Joe and him went out shopping but didn't leave until around 6, Heather and I, well we woke up at 4:30 AM to head to Target.  Most of the items we wanted were at Target so we figured we would wake up early and get there when it opened.

Let me tell you it was CRAZY!  Crazy but lots of fun. When we got to Target the line was so huge, it wrapped all around the building.  We decided we would wait in the warm car until they opened the doors up and then we thought we could sneak in. We were wrong.  They had some really big mean security guards that made everyone go to the back of the line.  It took about 15 minutes until the end of the line finally came to where we were.

Once we got inside we divided and conquered.  Silly me forgot to charge my cell phone so I couldn't get a hold of Heather to tell her where I was.  She was trying to hold a spot in line but then decided to come find me. I decided I would just wait in the toy section and observe the madness, just hoping she would find me.  Eventually we did meet up and by the time we did the line was all the way around the store! It was so crazy!  People were just grabbing stuff!  The workers were trying to restock the shelves and people would just bombard them before they could even get out the door.

We waited in line for an hour, but it was very entertaining. I think my favorite memory was when the strange looking girl came over to the movie kiosk and rummaged around a bit.  All the sudden she looked up with this really giddy look and ran off with some season's of Monk.  It was truly hilarious!

LJ was even able to get some things on his list. However he was disappointed he didn't get the tool door buster he really wanted.  We tried to tell him to make a list and decide what was a must and go for it...but you know when you are a novice Black Friday shopper you don't always listen...

I am sure my mom would have loved to go shopping but I don't think she would have woken up to go with Heather and I.  She would have opted to stay home and watch the babies.

One day we went to a play place.  They had a huge jungle gym, laser tag, and all kinds of video games. Griffin had a lot of fun climbing around and riding some rides.  He used to be so afraid when the little quarter rides started moving and now he is begging me for more money!

Joe found the Dance, Dance Revolution game and was having a fun time.  We all were ready to go but he had to finish his game.

He was moving around a lot, so here is my creative attempt at showing his motion.

Here is my ever so fabulous sister sitting with Ella while we all went out and had a bit of fun.  After our play day we went to the Olive Garden where we had some of the slowest service ever. LJ was the one who reminded us to enjoy being together.  I think we were all just hungry and suffering from low blood sugar.

We made lots of fun memories this year and a good time was had by all!

Vacation Pics

Here is the handsome Tank.  He follows Heather around everywhere she goes. He is such a patient and loving dog.  Griffin pokes his eyeballs, pulls his tail, flosses his teeth, pulls him around, lays on top of him, and Tank has never growled or snipped at him.  Occasionally, Tank will retreat to higher ground so the kids can't bother him.

Ella loved eating food in her new high chair.  She was able to be at the same level as everyone else.  She is a super good eater and she gets the cutest little messy face and fingers.  I wouldn't think such a petite girl would be such wolf at the table!

Here is my cutie!  He loves to drink out of straws.  Since there is a Sonic's in my sisters town we had to go during happy hour to pick up a few drinks!

This photo just cracks me up.  Griffin was trying so hard to get inside.  He is actually hanging from the door knob!  If you look real close you can see some of the frustration on his face. LOL

We did a mock photo shoot with Ella in her cute little shopping cart. She is smiling so big because Heather was cheering her on.  We were pleased with how these photo's turned out. Ella was very photogenic and the lighting was superb!

So now we are back home again. I am getting over my head cold and almost feeling well enough to start working on my projects. I've got a baby blanket to finish and get mailed and some cards to finish.  Once these projects are done then I might try and use my skirt pattern to make a skirt, and I've got two pillowcases to make.

 Last night we made it to Costco so we finally have some food in the house, so I suppose that means I am back on dinner patrol.

Speaking of dinner Heather made some fabulous dinners while we were visiting. She is so good at planning meals and taking good care of her guests.  Heather's house is always fun! I just wish we could visit more often-

Four girls and one boy for the weekend...

Griffin and I are currently visiting with Heather and Grammy!  Nate is out of town for the weekend so we all decided we would have an all girl retreat this weekend, of course Griffin is the one expetion to our all girl weekend.

I've been working on my photography assignments and I still am not pleased with my shooting style, but practice will give me what I am looking for! (At least this what I am hoping for*wink*)

I wish I could have got this picture without the post right behind his head!  Uuuuggghhh.  Such a cute smile!

We are all having fun and Griffin is having an especially good time because he gets to ride his trike all over the neighborhood. He just gets on it and rides all over.  Grammy, Tank, and Ella all love to go with Griffin around the neighborhood!

More Vegas photo's

We had to stop and take some pictures of ourselves by the motorcycles just for Griffin. There were tons of motorcycles outside of the Hard Rock Cafe. We didn't go in just stopped to take some photo's on our long walk down the strip!

Can't got to Vegas without getting your picture taken with Elvis!

Joe and I went and saw the Blue Man Group. It was really neat and nothing like I expected. I thought they were going to playing their pipes more but they were kind of clowning around. It was fun and the theater and sound system were totally fabulous. I would recommend going to the show just make sure you get some discounted tickets. I think I would have been a little upset if I paid their full asking price for the show.

Yeah I know I have a funny look. The guy who we asked to take our picture was taking a really long time! There was a huge line of people waiting to get their picture taken with a blue man and he was just taking his sweet ole' time. At least we ended up with a memorable photo!

Las Vegas...my gambling experience

Joe and I were able to go to Las Vegas in July. We dropped Griffin off with my Mom and Heather for the week and flew out of Idaho. It really was a lot of fun for just the two of us to be away for so long. I totally forgot what life was like before Griffin.

I had a bit of trouble getting our photo's because Joe uploaded them to his computer which has some kind of funky bug, anyways I figured out how to network my computer to his so now I have access to all my stuff!! Yeah!

I will share a few pictures from our trip over the next couple of days!

This was my first time ever to sit down and play the slots! I totally do not understand how or why people like to sit and play these all day. I am sure there is a strategy but I never took the time to figure it out.I actually won something! I think my voucher was for $1.80, so I won .80. I called it good.

Again I really wasn't mesmerized by the slots...but it was fun and I won something.
I was a little disappointed that I got a paper voucher because I had a vision of me running from slot to slot with a cup scooping up my winnings. The paper voucher made it nice. You can take them from machine to machine or you can take them to the casino ATM and get real money. Totally fabulous! You can also put in a $100 in the casino ATM and tell it what kind of change you want back. Now that is one smart machine!

Ciao for now peeps!

Some Valentine cuties

My mom had such a fun time with her grandkids! We were able to go and visit with Heather, Nate, and precious baby Ella.

My mom wanted to take a picture with all her sweet hearts for her 2009 Valentine cards!

Griffin loved his little heart antennae's!
Ella is small but she has a big personality!

Here they all are. Too bad Tank didn't have any heart antenna's! It took awhile but this was the winning shot! Everyone had a smile and of course Ella was snoozing through the whole thing.

Griffin sure does love his Grammy!

Time with Family

Griffin and I are visiting Heather, Nate, and Tank this week! We picked up Grandma Wells in Butte and we all drove down together. Griffin calls my mom "Grammy".

Griffin and Tank also love playing with each other. They love running up and down the stairs and chasing each other around the coach.

Griffin found his old baby walker and has been having a blast climbing in and out of it. He loves putting his cars, helicopter, and blocks on the tray and then just playing.

He brings so much joy to my life. I love him. He has a real spunky personality, and he is smart. I know all parents say their kids are smart, but nothing gets passed our Griffin. He has a great memory and learns quickly.

And here is the newest addition to our family sweet baby Ella. We've been working on making the baby announcements so we had to take a few photos. They really didn't turn out too bad I don't think. Heather likes the black and white. Here she is in her blessing dress! Ella is so precious. I don't remember Griffin ever being so small and help less but I guess at one point in our lives we all were. Heather and Nate are wonderful parents. Ella is a very blessed little girl.

Pictures

I am finally getting around to posting some pictures of our trip to Spokane. I've got some more of Joe's family but will save them for tomorrow's post.

Aren't the leaves so beautiful! Fall is my favorite season I love all the colors, and the cool crisp air!

Cannery Trip Photos

I finally found some time to upload pictures from our trip last weekend!

Hope you all enjoy!

Sleep Deprivation

This past weekend Joe, LJ, Griffin, and I went on a trip to the cannery. We brought the truck and trailer and canned food for our ward with two other sisters.

LJ and Joe canned food the first night and the next morning, then Joe, my mom and I canned in the afternoon.

It was fun canning and getting to see my mom. However, Griffin did not sleep at all. Well he slept from 9pm-1:30am and then he was up. Since we were in a hotel I couldn't just let him cry. I tried rocking him, putting him in bed with me, walking around outside, warm milk, singing...everything I could think of. He just wouldn't go to sleep. So I was 2/3 asleep and 1/3 awake for the whole trip.

I walked all over the hotel in my pineapple bottom pjs and ratty old college t-shirt. The night manager felt bad for me but what was he going to do...he was busy checking people in and out and dealing with the drunk drag queens. The drag queens actually looked like women but then again it was 2:30 am and I was running so low on sleep of course they looked good. When I saw them the next morning in their full fledged man suits I thought I was dreaming because I could have sworn they were women. I only recognized them by the wigs they were so carefully carrying out to their car. They were at least friendly and did provide me with some entertainment.

Griffin and I enjoyed talking about the moon and the stars. We even watched Fox news. I still haven't figured out why he didn't sleep but I did learn I am not going on any more trips with him until I figure out how to solve the sleep problem.

It is now two days post trip and I think I am caught up on sleep. Now I've got laundry, food shopping, and unpacking to do. Oh and I've got to find my swim suit bottoms. I saw them before the trip and thought I packed them but they weren't in my suitcase...