Sun sets, burned potato chips, and more!

Knock knock, who's there? A sunset a sunset who? A sunset at night!

Hey! You! Yes you I have a riddle what tastes burnt and is really salty? A burned potato chip!

What is cute, And sticks it's feet in the air? A Tommy Aunty April picture!

Here is a photo collage of all three.

This was posted by Amara!

Memorial Day/ Goodbye Party for Joe and Missy

Aloha Oe, Aloha Oe, Until We Meet Again.

Joe with Jayden on his shoulders, Missy with the sunglasses with her hands on JJ's shoulders so he doesn't run away, Maizie up front pulling her hood off, and Malia smiling at her sweet baby brother

  

This family- I love them so.  They are now living in Hawaii, on a new adventure, and I'm sure it's paradise.  I prefer to say that they are on a nice summer trip or vacation, thus tricking my psyche into thinking I'll see them soon and often.  

They made a special trip up to visit us in the Spring, knowing that they would be going far, far away for a long, long time.  After I said goodbye to them from my house on that trip, I just couldn't let them go.  My insides ached.  I hadn't had enough time with them.  I had to see them at least once more before they made the big move, so I'm so very glad it worked out and that they made time to venture up the canyon on a somewhat stormy Memorial Day for a goodbye party.

 Dad and Deb made dutch oven chicken and rice in 2 gigantor dutch ovens.  Everyone else brought sides, drinks, and desserts.  You've heard me say this before, but to me there is nothing better in this life than family, food, and outdoors combined.  And my dad's cooking- what can I say- I miss it desperately.  I'd rather eat his food than a restaurant's any day because it's dang good and it feeds more than my belly, it feeds my soul.

 The sun was out for a few hours, then a cold breeze came through and brought rain later, but it didn't spoil our BBQ.

 The portions I ate probably amounted to an entire day's worth of food.  It all was so yummers and really difficult to stop eating.  Perhaps you've heard it said- "Hawaiians don't eat until they're full, they eat until they're tired."  Guess it was the Hawaiian coming out in me.

 I couldn't get enough of this next scene.  Babies feeding babies.  It's pure bliss to watch.

 Jayden was such a big helper feeding Tommy his rice.  And Tommy?  He was such a good cooperator and opening wide for each tiny grain.

 I love all these little faces.  SERIOUSLY LOVE!

 We had a nice fire going, so why not bust out the marshmallows?  The kids foraged for sticks and did a good job toasting/incinerating their puffs of pure sugar. 

 Maizie did an excellent job toasting.  I was surprised how she was so patient and didn't just set the mallow on fire like her brother liked to do.

 Tom even drove down for the day.  He wouldn't want to miss saying his goodbyes.

 Micah somehow corralled all the kids, not just his kids, ALL the kids, and set off on a nature hike where there were no trails.  I wanted to get in on that adventure, so I followed along.

 We were "trip-trapping" over to the troll's house.

 Soon we came to a fence, the edge of the property, and we saw where people were keeping bees.  I can't imagine a lovelier place to keep bees than there.

 Then, I asked for a picture, and it was Micah's idea for everyone to show their muscles!

 Our time with everyone was short, but well spent.

 These sweet girl cousins are going to be growing a lot before they see eachother, I just know it.  Before the BBQ was done, we forced Joe and Missy's family to pose for pictures.  :)

 Love you guys!

We will see you again soon.  Have a nice "trip!"

Happy Birthday Grandma Bobbie!

So, we actually celebrated my mom's birthday weeks and weeks ago, but I'm finally getting around to updating my blog a bit, and I didn't want to forego this fun occasion.  I got up early to make my mom a quintessential continental breakfast.  The girls and I took Steve to school that morning and we snuck over to my mom's house and surprised her with this birthday breakfast.  Tom had left for work already, and their front door happened to be unlocked (lucky us!), so we gathered the breakfast we had brought and quietly went into the house.  We could hear mom upstairs, so we tiptoed up the stairs and went into the hallway.  That's when we started singing "Happy Birthday."  Mom was in her closet choosing clothes for the day, when she popped her head out and saw us holding breakfast goodies.  She was so happy and surprised.  We all went downstairs to enjoy the food together.

 We had ham and cheese scones with honey mustard, orange and almond scones with orange honey butter, and blueberry muffins.

Uncle Geoff joined us for breakfast and it was so good to see him and enjoy his joyful personality, since we hardly ever see him anymore.  After we ate, mom had to get ready for work.  So, we left her and went home to do homeschool.

Later that evening, Amara had a softball game.  My mom got to join us for that because she got off work right on time.  Afterwards, we took her out to eat at China Star for her birthday.

 Amara said that she likes when Grandma comes to her games because she gives her some really good tips.

 This game, Amara got to play first base, and grandma was teaching her what to do while the other team was getting ready to bat.

I feel so blessed that we got to be able to spend time with my mom for her birthday!  She is very special to all of us!

Excursion Experts At It Again!

Today we took Steve's parents out with us on an excursion to find birds to take pictures of.  We went to two places- the Ouray Refuge and Bullock Reservoir.  What fun times we had exploring together.  It was a beautiful day for it too. 

 Like the lizards, we climbed the rocks to get a better view of Bullock reservoir.  There we saw a cool group of pelicans, some different ducks, and some birds with bright yellow heads and some with bright red spots on their wings.  Steve got some pics with his camera, which I'll have to post later.  I mostly took pictures of our group having a good time.

 I love how pretty the clouds were today.  Cloudy days are my favorite for being outside in the summertime.

Steve and his mom pose for me on our little hike around Bullock Reservoir.

 At the Ouray Refuge, there were about a bazillion aggressive mosquitoes just waiting for fresh blood to feast on, so we mostly stayed in the car and did our bird watching and photography from there.  Steve saw 3 juvenile golden eagles in a tree and braved the mosquito air to get some better shots.  Steve's mom and dad also had to get a picture of the flowering prickly pear cactus plants, which were stunningly beautiful with their bright, bold colors. 

 Lily and Amara took pictures with grandma's camera of the prickly pear.

We had just taken some cactus picture at Bullock reservoir a few days prior.  The ones we saw were orange and yellow on that day, but there were bright pink ones at Ouray Refuge today.

 The other time everyone (except me) braved the mosquito air in Ouray was to climb the telescope tower to see if they could view any cool wildlife.  Amara spotted some wild horses, and we also saw some on our drive.

These little excursions are so fun and we're thankful we get to spend time together exploring nature.  It was fun having Steve's parents down for the weekend.  They were kind enough to bring boxes to us so that Steve could finish packing his classroom for the big move this summer!

Lily's 10th Birthday at Chuck E. Cheese

 Lily wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday this year.  The last time we went was when she turned 5.  Later, I discovered that Lily and Amara made a deal- if Lily went where Amara wanted her to go on her birthday, then Amara would go where Lily wanted her to go on her birthday.  Amara chose Chuck E. Cheese for Lily, and Lily chose the Heber Creeper Wizard's Train that just happens to be running during Amara's birthday week.  It's a Harry Potter themed train and Lily has really enjoyed those books, and has read each of them multiple times!

I invited all the nearby family to Lily's party at Chuck E. Cheese, and we had an awesome turnout from both sides of the family!  I know I didn't get pictures of everyone that was there, but here's a few that I did take:

 Our family, grandma and grandpa Christensen, grandma and grandpa Lauret, grandma Bobbie, Heather and her boyfriend Landon, Laurel's family, Bev and Eva, Micah's family, and Joe's family were all there.  We filled the entire back section with our group.  Everyone ordered what they wanted and played games and earned tickets at their leisure. 

 Lily has grown a lot since the last trip there.  Here's a side by side comparison on the clock ride she adored at age 5:

 Lily is so very loved!  She's the oldest cousin on my side of the family, and one of the youngest on Steve's side.  She has a very nurturing personality and radiates happiness.  She has a strong desire to always do what is right, and she is stunningly smart.  She is inquisitive and loves to read, draw, blog, craft, sew, sing, and pick out songs on the piano.  She likes her outfits to look put together, she hates brushing her hair because it hurts so much, and she likes her nails painted.  She loves broccoli cheese soup, steak, pizza, McDonald's hamburger happy meals, and sweets!  Her favorite animals are dogs, cheetahs, leopards, lions, horses, birds, and dolphins.  She is an animal lover and is taking horse riding lessons, which she absolutely loves.  She wants to have a horse someday, and I told her she'd likely have to marry a farmer or a man that wants horses because I have no experience or interest in having one.  Lily is intrigued by the body and asks for books to read about it and how it works.  There are a few out there suitable for really young children and then some for adults, but I'm not finding any in between.  If you know of any, let me know. 

Lily got 850 tickets to spend, thanks to the many cousins and aunts/uncles/grandparents that contributed to her stack.  She had a lot of fun.

Burger-Jealousy

The sole purpose of this post is to boast about this burger.  It is made by my step-dad, Tom, and it is the best burger in the world. Period.  No, exclamation point!  He takes ground beef and mixes a packet of Knorr French Onion Recipe Mix into it.  Then he forms these fatty patties and grills them at the front of the grill, not directly over the flames, at a low heat until they are done.  Kissed by flame, and bold with flavor, this burger invokes envy and brings out passionate burger-jealousy.  And I got to eat it! 

Amara and I joined my mom and Tom for dinner earlier this week while Lily and Steve were at a daddy daughter barbeque for Activity Days at the church.  Tom grilled up these bad boys while Amara and I put together the salad mix.  When my burger was all ready, it was almost too pretty to eat, so I took a picture.  Then I opened wide and took an immediate vacation to flavor-city. I took a bite of salad here and there, but I never once put the burger back down on that plate.  Even after I was full, I had to finish that burger.  It does something to you- kinda like a dessert- when your taste buds keep begging for more even though you've already had enough.  I'm salivating now as I reminisce. 

Are you jealous?