Trip to the Farm

Our last weekend in Idaho, we were able to take a trip down to see grandparents. Lacey and the boys and I left Saturday morning and drove down to Grandma & Grandpa Haworth’s place. It’s been over 2 years since I’ve been there and I’ve sure missed it. I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth, and it is honestly one of my most favorite places to be. Not much has changed since I was a little girl and I love it. The boys love it also. They had so much fun with Grandma & Grandpa; they loved going for rides on the 4-wheeler, seeing the cows, feeding the horses, and playing with all the fun toys. Lacey and I had fun taking the boys for a walk around the farm to see everything. They were definitely in need of a good bath when we got back. We had a yummy dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and later on Mom, Dad and Cole got there.

(Trying to get Matthew to look at the camera)

After we put the boys to bed we enjoyed staying up talking with Grandma and Grandpa. I’ve sure missed them, they’re so sweet and loving. It was fun to sit with both of them and just enjoy being together. The hardest thing about the trip was that it had to be so short. We left the next morning for Ogden so we could get to my Grandma & Grandpa Tanner’s mission homecoming talk. I was excited to go to it, but also so sad to leave. I used to cry when I was little because I didn’t want to leave, and I guess some things never change. I’m grateful for the time we were able to have, but I can’t wait for the day when we live closer and can go and visit more often than once every two years. We sure love Grandma and Grandpa and their wonderful farm.

Memorial Day Weekend

For Memorial Day Weekend we decided to stay around and enjoy time at home. Kristie and Tom came up for the weekend, it was so fun to see them again. They got in late Friday night and we started off the holiday by playing some games. We had some pretty intense games of spoons!
On Saturday we went boating with some family friends, the Wagstaffs. Even though the day was a little overcast and cool, it was still a fun afternoon. Jacob, and Caleb absolutely loved being on the boat. They thought it was just about the coolest thing ever. Matthew would have enjoyed it more had he not been forced to wear a life jacket, he was determined to get it off and was so upset when I wouldn't take it off him. I was a little hesitant to get in the water because I really haven't had much experience water skiing, wakeboarding, etc and it's been years since I've even been. I ended up trying out the surf board and didn't do too horribly, even though the first time I got up I had the board backwards, with the fin in front. I couldn't figure out why it was so hard, but still managed to stay up for quite a while. It was much easier when I turned the board around the right way.
On Sunday we went to church and had a nice dinner. It was fun to have the afternoon with nothing to do except sit outside and enjoy the evening.
Monday morning at 8am, we met up with the Wagstaffs and some of their friends to play ultimate frisbee. It's been forever since I've played and I'd forgotten how much I love it. We played for a good couple hours and were pretty tired by the end. Some of the people were pretty intense so it was a competitive game, and lots of fun. The kids had fun playing at the playground too. I didn't realize how much sprinting I haven't done over the years, I was definitely feeling the soreness the next day!
When we got home from the park we had a BBQ at home and played games out in the yard. Dad set up the volleyball net, we set up the kids' pool, and we got out all the water guns. I wish I had taken more pictures of everything, but we were too busy having fun.
It was a nice weekend, and actually fun to just stay around without having to go too far. I'm glad Tom & Kristie were able to make it up and spend it with us.

Family Pictures 2009

Last Thursday night when we went to the park to meet up with everyone who was fishing, I ran into a good family friend, Dawn Yorgason. We chatted for a while, and I found out she had been there taking pictures for her sister. I mentioned that we should have her do our family pictures while we were in the area. As it turned out, she called the next day to tell me that she was actually going out of town the next day, so we decided to hurry and fit them in that day because Jeff was also leaving soon. I am SO glad we did!
Dawn is an awesome photographer! We did about a 30 minute session and I was hoping the kids would cooperate long enough to get one family picture good enough to hang on our wall. (Expectations can't be too high with three little boys and pictures :) Dawn did a fabulous job and now I have so many to choose from! I've only put a few on the blog. If anyone is in the Boise area and needs some good photographs taken, family/wedding/engagement/etc, Dawn is an excellent choice! Her prices are great and her photographs are amazing. I have a link to her site on my sidebar, and you can also see more of her work at: http://dawnyorgason.zenfolio.com/

Missing Jeff

Jeff had to leave to go back for work last week. I knew from the start that he wouldn't be able to be here for the whole time, but I ended up extending our vacation (long story....lets just say that once again we're searching for a home....which means we don't have a place to go back to....which means I'm staying with my family for a little longer...) Anyway, we miss having him here with us.
We did get to spend time together and having some fun times. Last weekend we went out with my parents on a date. It was fun to have a night with adults. We had dinner together and a movie night. It was a lot of fun. It's fun being here with family, but I'm also anxious to see Jeff again so in a way I'll be excited to head back to see him again.

Ultimate Frisbee Family Night

Last Monday for Family Home Evening, we decided to do a game of ultimate frisbee. My parents have the perfect yard for it, and although we only had 7 people (and an invalid at that...Kristie:) we had a fun time playing together. We wish Tom could have been there, but he had to go back for work. Ultimate is one of my favorite games and it's been forever since I've played. I love having activities together where we can be outdoors, active, and having fun.
Afterwards we enjoyed just sitting together and talking. Of course, we started getting a little silly, making faces, and being funny. By the end of the evening, we were all just a little crazy. :) It was sure fun though! And if anything, we've gotten some great laughs over the pictures we took. (Not all of them are on the blog:)

Fishing with Grandpa

On Thursday afternoon, Grandpa Stevens came to get Jacob and Caleb so they could go fishing. They'd been talking about it for a while and were so excited to go. Grandpa took them to a nearby park that has a nice pond for fishing. As a bonus, it also has a nearby playground so they could play if they wanted. Both boys had a great time. Caleb tends to loose interest in things where waiting is involved, so he got some good use of the playground; but when it comes to fishing, Jacob has all the patience in the world. He was happy to be sitting there chatting with Grandpa, waiting for the fish to bite. He did a pretty good job, Grandpa said he caught a couple fish all by himself. Jacob was Grandpa's little buddy. Jeff and I came down a little later on. We picked up Kimberly and baby Tyler, and along with Matthew, met up with Grandma and Grandpa at the park. It was fun to watch them catch a couple more fish and enjoy the park. Baby Tyler was such a sweet baby and for the most part was content to just sit sweetly in his seat. It was fun to visit with Mom and Kimberly while the boys fished. It was sure fun to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa, the boys haven't stopped talking about it since.

Lunch and Longboards

Kristie and Tom came up for Benson's farewell, and Kristie was able to stay a few extra days. We haven't all been together in over a year, so it was fun to stay up late talking, and laughing like we were back in high school again. We thought it would be fun to do a 'Girls Day' together, so on Tuesday we went out shopping, and then to dinner and dessert. I haven't done that in a very long time. We all found a couple things, but even without shopping, it was just fun to be able to spend the whole day together without any rush. We had some fun times and good laughs. For dinner we went to the Cheesecake Factory since Lacey and I have never been. After dinner we got some ice cream and picked up a movie to watch at home. Jeff was sweet enough to take the boys for the whole day, and I'm pretty sure they had a good time too since they spent most of the day with cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.
How cool is Aunt Lacey? After doing her yardwork, she brought out her longboard and gave the boys rides down the driveway. They loved it. The only hard thing was when they had to wait for their turn.