B-13 Reunion...

I love going up to the Ranch in Pinedale, AZ for the Stapley/B-13 Reunion. There is a feeling of peace and serenity there that is palpable for me. You can feel it, breathe it, taste it! Time with cousins we see once a year or once in a blue moon is just FUN. Let's face it... I'm pretty sure I've got the most HILARIOUS cousins and aunts/uncles in the whole world. Proof positive because I had to use my inhaler after reluctantly retiring to bed past midnight because my body begged for rest even though my funny bone craved more hilarious laughter that I'd miss out on by going to bed :) I always have to use my inhaler after some intense laughing. Funny! I just wish that we'd had a audio recorder as we sat around that campfire savoring Brett's yummy cobbler and busting our guts with laughter as Uncle Van, Uncle Lee, and Aunt Dorothy relived their childhood memories.

The only regret I have about going is the fact that I came back with literally 8 pictures taken - and not one with any of my cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents! As tradition would have it, the men-folk gathered willow branches and made whistles and bows/arrows. Jared was quite the hit with the little people, teaching them the ways of holding and shooting the bow and arrow :)








The THREE PREGNANT SISTERS! We've left an open invitation for Holly and Mindy to join us... but it's not looking promising :) Ha! I love babies! And I LOVE cousins!


Grandpa's Tractor:









We borrowed our Bishop's popup trailer for the reunion and we had some issues towing it back home on the Tahoe. Apparently our hitch is too high (or too low, I can't remember) which activates the brakes on the trailer. Burning brakes and then a flat tire on the trailer made for a long ride home. Luckily we had three strong guys to solve the problem and some super sleepy boys :)

Library and the Bounce House...

I have fond memories of participating in the Summer Reading Program offered through the local libraries growing up. So it was completely logical for me to enroll Garrett and Brexton (for the second year in a row). For kids 2-5 they only expect them to fill 35 spaces, each representing one book. I personally hope that reading 35 books would not be a challenge or something that could take all summer. We easily read 35 books in the matter of 3 or 4 days. We adjusted the "rules" to where each space represented closer to 7 books.

We love to go to the library. Garrett regularly pulls up one of the rolling chair/stools and will thumb through books and Brexton sprawls out on the ground. They have story time for little toddlers on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is a great activity for AZ Summertime! The added bonus of the occasional culture pass was a big plus, too :)



As one of the rewards for the Summer Reading Program the boys got free admission passes to a Jumping Bounce House - the perfect activity for boys with endless energy! The indoor AC feature was quite inviting too :) Once they worked up their courage for the huge slide, nothing would entice them away from going again and again... and again.

First timer...

After visiting my cousing Kourtney and seeing the amazing quilt she made through taking a class at Scrapbooks Etc., I was so inspired. I love trying my hand at new crafty things so with several Joanns Fabric coupons in hand and at least five trips to the store I was ready to go.

The quilt pattern I followed only had 35 squares and Jared said that I should "go big or go home" and since I had the material, I did. I ended up completing a quilt top that is 90 squares. With the borders sewn on I'm pretty sure this quilt is big enough for a king sized bed - although I'm not sure about having orange incorporated into my bedroom decor :)

Now all that's left is having it machine quilted - either by myself or hiring someone else. I do have a little guilty secret to share about my crafting hobby (or rather, obsession). When I start a project I allow myself to get consumed, much to the dismay of my husband and children. I've got to learn to pace myself. In all honesty this quilt top was completely finished in the matter of 8 days - from buying, cutting, sewing, pressing, trimming, piecing, bordering, etc. You know it was getting bad when Garrett would say the morning prayer completely unassisted and pray that Mommy could finish her quilt :)

Snow Day at the Zoo

On Saturday July 17th the Phoenix Zoo hosted its annual "Snow Day" for the animals and guests. 26 TONS of snow was brought in. It was comical to watch the animals play in or completely avoid their piles of snow.

With the crazy temperatures of an AZ summer day and the added humidity of the day plus all the snow... it was muggy and blistery. Like sweltering hot. I was wishing that they had a snow area just for me. As it was, we grabbed huge balls of snow every time we passed a snow pile to take and carry with us - rubbing it on our arms, neck, forehead, etc.










The firefighters came and gave the elephants a refreshing shower... LUCKY!

More fun in the sun...

I guess after having half of your Popsicle fall to the ground at the "awkward ending" you learn to put your hand underneath it - that way you don't lose out on any icy/cold goodness...

Imaginations...

It's so fun to watch their imaginations developing. They make "houses" and "castles" quite frequently now and are ALWAYS playing puppies. A frequent activity they do is put each other to bed - apparently that is a very well rehearsed routine and they know exactly how to do it.






I really should sweep my house a little more often because when all the chairs are in the living room they are set to play for hours with their fort/house.

Rare sightings...

A few rare sightings must be documented because it's a real treat...

Garrett came home from Sunbeams complete with "Listening Ears" on. I had to take a picture because often it seems like he must be immune to my voice :)



My kids aren't "deep sleepers" by any stretch of the imagination - and they certainly wouldn't be caught dead falling asleep in strange places or telling me they were tired and wanted to take a nap. Strangely enough, this phenomenon happened on the same day at the same time for BOTH boys!

Natural History Museum

Thank goodness for Library Culture Passes that enable us to visit local museums for free (after paying your dues of standing in long hot lines with no guarantee that you'll actually get a pass). This time around it was the Natural History Museum. Boys and dinosaurs go great together so it was a hit!












"Panning for Gold" must be code for "get yourselves soaked from head to toe"

Classic...

Well our garden has done significantly better this year than last, but it's still got a long ways to go in the way of improvement. I'm pretty sure my garden just gets too much sweltering hot and direct sunlight - at least 12 hours a day. Regardless we have harvested lots of little carrots (which Garrett LOVES and will eat all of them by himself), radishes, loads of lettuce and spinach, zucchini, unbeatable tomatoes, and a handful of strawberries.

While I did have a picture of Garrett holding the carrots without his finger up his nose, it was just too classic to pass up!

Women's Conference...

The Women's Conference experience this year was nothing short of fabulous - gabbing and giggling girls, late nights, tasty food, uplifting talks, amazing music, etc. All of my sisters and I got to go this year (shocking to have no nursing babies) along with my BF Andrea Gunnell and some aunts and cousins. Didn't get a picture of all of us, but here is a small grouping...



Some hilarious things are bound to happen on a "Girls Weekend" but perhaps the funniest thing was our crazy excitement over shopping the "grand opening" sales of a local grocer. Let's just say that all of our suitcases were FULL of Guittard Chocolate Chips (milk, butterscotch, mint, etc). We even got to try our hand at the prize spinning wheel and ended up with a complete meal of white bread, 7up, and twinkies!







Who wins the "Best Bow" contest? Seriously these headbands were crazy huge at Forever 21...



Crafting is a must on a Girls Getaway.



Staying at Grandma and Grandpa Loveland's really is a special treat. Accomodations and proximity to BYU is seriously hard to beat - a 3 minute walk and you are at the Mariott Center! On the crazy day that it decided to snow on us Grandpa loaded us in the van and drove us the .2 miles :) Grandma was always sure to have a yummy breakfast (with the most delicious homemade bread and apricot jam) and food to pack for our lunches. After a late night of shopping and dinner out at Carrabba's she surprised us all with a huge batch of potato salad at 11:00 pm! Ha! Grandma is such a night owl and Grandpa is the early bird.



This was potentially our last year to enjoy a stay at Grandma and Grandpa Loveland's house for Women's Conference because they are going on a mission... Honolulu, Hawaii!