Cousins Spring Breaking With Us!

 Smile!  That's what we did when we found out that Missy's family wanted to come and visit us for their spring break.  Missy braved the drive without Joe, since he had to work, and brought us COUSINS!  Yay!  We always have so much fun with them!

Lily, JJ, Amara, and Malia were good beetle catchers.  They caught over 50 beetles and even named them.  Some of their names were Stephen, Reafly, Griffindor, Diamond, Ruby, Polkadot...

They used sidewalk chalk to make a sign to sell the beetles.  It said, "5 beetles for 1 penny. 5+5=10 (comes w/ food."  The food was a handful of weeds.

No one bought the beetles, except grandma.  She actually purchased all of them.

Malia and Amara were both sporting missing teeth, so I asked to get a picture of them together.  Since they were facing the sun, their smiles were a little unusual.

You're gorgeous, Malia!

 We played at a few parks while they were with us.

 The hill was just as fun as the playground!

 And Jayden found his own toys at the park.

My neighbor just happened to be thinking of us and she made us some adorable Easter treats.  She said she was going to invite my girls over to make them with her, but she ran out of time because she was caring for her elderly mother.  I love my neighbor, Anita Peterson.  I believe us to be kindred spirits :)

 Aren't her creations cute?  She used twinkies for the body of the car, 2 fudge-covered marshmallow cookies for the wheels, a couple gum drops for the headlights, and peep bunnies for the driver.  She didn't know we even had visitors, but she had made us 6 of them, which was perfect for all 6 kids!

We also ate out at China Star and Lily got a pretty funny fortune.  It says, "Blessed are the children for they shall inherit the national debt."  What a downer.

Grandma spent as much time as she could with us.  She'd spend her lunch breaks from work with us and every waking hour before and after work.  I'm so glad she lives close to me and can play with us!  I love the pictures of her and Jayden playing together.

 Grandpa Tom came over too.  Maizie was in an imaginary world with her bird and we were all sitting back and being entertained by her and her repetitive play.

She played with Steve and grandpa for a long time!

 JJ thought he could beat grandpa in an arm wrestle.  That was entertaining, too!

We're so glad they chose to spend their spring break with us!  We had a great time together.

My Dad Finally Stays A Night! Yay!

This is my dad.  He deserves the mansion they are building him in heaven!

 At the beginning of April, my dad came with his 2 foreign exchange students (Yuta from Japan and Hok from Thailand) to do some sight seeing in our neck of the woods and of course to visit us!    We packed plenty into that weekend (conference weekend).  My dad and the boys arrived in the morning and we headed straight to the Dinosaur National Monument.

We went to the coolest quarry ever and admired the fossils of the dinos!

See the bone behind them?  It's still embedded in the mountainside.  It is a little darker brown.

This is a dino bone that you can touch.

Small fossil.  I don't remember what it was of.

Some bones are BIG!  Bigger than 6 yr old Amara!

Not sure how many people have ever hugged a dinosaur bone.  Yuta has.

Then we picnicked and we hiked.

Grilled hotdogs of course, because the Hok and Yuta love them.

What a view from the quarry!

 We hiked around at Josie's Cabin, where we also picnicked.  It's a short hike, but with stellar views.

This is Yuta singing like a girl at the top of his lungs non-stop.  Hilarious.  It echoed and echoed.

My dad wanted a chance to stand atop what he labeled as "Pride Rock."

He likes to climb rocks.  He's pretending to hold baby Simba from the movie Lion King.

Still singing on that rock.

Hok pulled this face last second.  :)

We decided to make a quick trip to see the impressive petroglyphs at McConkie Ranch before we headed home.  It was another nice hike, and a must see for anyone who loves history or seeing the ancient.  These date back to around the time of Christ.  If you want to read about the people that lived in America at that time, you've got to read the Book of Mormon.  It is a compilation of the ancient records of the inhabitants of America, and their account of Jesus Christ's visit to them after his crucifixion.  Really if you haven't read it, request a free copy here, and read it.  It will change your life.

Daddy Daughter Selfie

When we returned home, it was time for my dad and Steve to go to the priesthood session of conference.  They went while I made dinner.  We had a delicious chicken piccata pasta that I prepared following my dad's instructions.  It was so good and easy.  I need to ask him for the exact recipe because I can't remember it anymore, and it's only been 2 months!  Sad.  I do remember it tasted delicious!

Later that evening, we played the board game, Cranium (a fast version), with Yuta.  He had been begging to play a board game.  It was fun.

And, the next day before he left, my dad made us some lemon bars using fresh lemons he had brought back from my Aunt Cheryl's tree when he visited her in California only days before.  Look how yummy!  I had a bite and it was DIVINE!

 I love how my girls watched and helped, just like I used to when I was their age.  My dad is the best!  Truly the BEST EVER!

Yum.

Amaras Guest Post #2

A free digital slideshow by Smilebox

Signs worth the reading

Earlier this month, when Steve and I were on our anniversary getaway in Park City Utah, we saw this unique sign for underage drinking that had a skier pummeled into the side of the building.

So we took a picture. You're welcome.

This past weekend, when my sister and I were driving home from the Lauret family reunion in Antimony, Utah, we saw this sign for overalls, and we just had to turn around and take a picture. You're welcome.