I wish you could see this better... maybe you can click and check out the larger view of the girls' hair! Can you say STATIC??? :)
Being a kid just has to be such a hard job, huh??
Watch out Ella... you're going in head first! Eeek!
Eeew! Don't you just hate it when this happens?? Ha! Just mud!
This is the only way that Ella starts to have fun in the water! SWING!!! And SPLASH!!!!
Ella is checking out how William is going to touch the water without falling in head first!
Swinging her legs and splashing more water off the little bridge!
She braved it and waded across the river to come and get me. This is a major thing for Ella to attempt on her own, because as much as all my kids LOVE the water... in any shape or form, Ella has reservations when it comes to stuff like this, the ocean, and sometimes even the pool.
Very proud of the brick damn they built... before some other boys ripped it down.
And when you run out of rocks and energy, your bum works well, too!
And SURPRISE!! Auntie Leslie and Uncie Josh, aka. Joshlie, were coming through town on their way home from the Salt Lake area. They had been visiting Josh's family up there and happened to call at just the right time, so I told them to quickly get off the freeway and come and play with us for a while at the park. They were going to stop at my mom's anyway, but this was better! And it was a surprise for my kids!
This is another that you'll have to look at full size! Ella and Josh were chasing each other around this tree for a while!
And to top it all off, my mom just happened to be in town, too, so we told her to come up and meet us! Yay! And as for Ella, well, this is how you have to carry her when she doesn't want to come...
Apparently I'm never going to get everyone to smile all at once and look in the same direction... at the same time. I think I'm giving up for a while!
Then we all went to lunch at Hermies! I love the food there. And that's serious because I used to be a cook there... and if you see all the things that a cook sees and will still eat the food and love it, that's pretty good! With quarters from Gma Pam, and help from Auntie Leslie, the kids chose some songs to listen to on the jukebox for lunch!
You can't see it too well, but not only does she have the phone, but Gma Pam's purse, too!
I was able to get away from the kids a few times. Once to have my hair done, to go to the play at the Shakespearean Festival, and below, when I went out with 2 of my childhood girlfriends! Grandma Liebhardt, above, and I saw The Secret Garden. It was better than I thought it would be.
We had the hardest time taking our own picture and getting all three of us in it. We are retarded... and we looked retarded that night, I'm sure. But we had fun! We went to the Pizza Factory! Paige, on the left, is the only one of us that is still in Kanarra, and has access to all the local restaurants! (Except Darcie, who couldn't come because she was here in California at Disneyland... we missed her!) Saige, in the middle, now lives in Virginia. We always have a good laugh when we all get together!________________________________________
We built a little fire pit in my mom's backyard, and decided that it was time to make good on our promise that the kids could roast marshmallows. So we invited Nick and Eric down, and they had a couple of friends come, and we had dinner and some fun around a fire... on a day too hot to be roasting anything!
It appears that Ella likes roasted marshmallows! MMMM, num... as she would say!
Gma Pam, Braeden, and Nick. I'm not sure about the face that Nick is pulling, but it is not uncommon... as you'll see in the pictures to come!
Lexi is trying to hold her breath because of the smoke. It always follows beauty, you know, but she was intent on roasting that marshmallow!
See what I mean about the faces?? In the bowl he is holding are Rolo's. It just happened to be the only chocolate things we had for making smores... but smores are good with a little carmel!
Eric and Nick are so good with my kids! And the kids love them because they are so good at PLAYING with them. It's funny to watch just how much like little bitty kids anyone can be when they are playing with little ones!
And here we all are... minus Eric, who was capturing the moment! Braeden, doing who knows what, me, Gma Pam, Nick pulling another face, their 2 friends whose names escape me at the moment, Ella, and Lexi.
Ella went around the circle giving hi-5's!
I don't even know how to explain this, but it makes me look old. You can see all my wrinkles. Boo-hoo!
And Eric took this of Nick after I had gone inside to give the kids a bath. Smoke makes one very stinky! Eeewwww.
I took this to show how Ella eats noodles. She doesn't really chew them, just puts one or two in and sucks them down as hard as she can. And yes, we have had to pull a couple out when she doesn't get it all the way down before she starts to gag. Lovely, eh?
Ella's favorite food is... RANCH. Just ranch, and that's all. Gross, huh? She'll dip almost anything in it, but likes a good spoonful every once in a while by itself.
After the 4th, Colleen got to stay with us while John went for a day trip up north. Here we are at dinner!
And John made it just in time... right before it got too dark to play outside! Yay! He got caught in the swing trap!_______________________________________
My cousin Eric was getting sealed to his wife, Jenny, and just in time, too before the birth of their son, so we went to the temple with them. But what's very cool is that it was not just their own day. His mom and dad were sealed together (and my mom got to be the proxy for her sister, Mareta), then all four of their boys were sealed to them, and then baby Conner was sealed to Ryan and Ronni! Yay for eternal families! It was such a neat experience. And even Ryne got to come into the sealing room when Conner was sealed to his parents! Very neat, special, and very spiritual experience.
And I hired Uncle Eric to come with us and keep watch over my children during the sealings. And this is the result! Braeden's face in the background looking up at the temple is just priceless. That's how I feel each time I go, too!
And I got a lot of random foliage pictures. Thanks Lexi and Braeden... and probably Ella, too!
And Braeden actually took this shot. Not bad for a 4 yr. old, eh? After the sealings we went all together to the Pizza Factory and had some yummy food. Thanks again Marge and Dave... for picking up the tab... even if it was against out will.______________________________________
This is how I found Ella one day after I had left the table and was still waiting for her to finish her breakfast... already out of her shirt, and feeding NOT herself, but the Cabbage Patch doll.
Here's a closer look. Dolores got a mouth full of pretzel sticks. Just the right size for her mouth, where her binkie usually goes. Thanks Ella for your thoughtfulness. We're glad your concerned about the nutrition of others, but wish you were a little more concerned about your own diet._______________________________________
The following pictures are of something very SERIOUS that happened while we were in Utah! It just happened. One day Lexi took off, and the next day for FHE we went over to the park and the church parking lot, and Braeden was off and FREE, too! This is a major accomplishment! Yay for bikes minus training wheels!
We took the tricycle over for Ella, but this is what she spent most of her time doing... swinging!
And Lexi did my hair for the special occasion! Isn't it lovely? I would say that I should have never gone out in public like that, but I don't think anywhere in Kanarra is considered "public".
And Lexi's friend, Caleb, came for FHE with his mom and brothers. We even had ice cream bars for dessert! And this was his first night learning without training wheels, too! What an exciting night for all 3 of them! Good job, guys! They were riding by the end of the night like it was no big deal and they had been doing it for quite some time!
Sisters going up and down the BIG slides! These slides still scare me. They are huge! But seriously fun! They are the ones I grew up with... just on the other side of the block!
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We took the tricycle over for Ella, but this is what she spent most of her time doing... swinging!
And Lexi did my hair for the special occasion! Isn't it lovely? I would say that I should have never gone out in public like that, but I don't think anywhere in Kanarra is considered "public".
And Lexi's friend, Caleb, came for FHE with his mom and brothers. We even had ice cream bars for dessert! And this was his first night learning without training wheels, too! What an exciting night for all 3 of them! Good job, guys! They were riding by the end of the night like it was no big deal and they had been doing it for quite some time!
Sisters going up and down the BIG slides! These slides still scare me. They are huge! But seriously fun! They are the ones I grew up with... just on the other side of the block!____________________________________________
And below we are capturing our second Green Show at the Shakespearean Festival. It was gypsy night, and I conned Uncle Eric into coming with us! And we took Caleb with us... and after it was over we picked up Nick, got dinner, went to the park, and then went and got ice cream! Caleb's family laughed about the youngest of them being the one who needed a curfew. Nice! It was very late when we got home, but oh, so worth it!
Caleb is one very rambuncious kid! We all had a very hard time sitting still and paying attention to the show this night!
See what I mean? They started out by poking each other with pine needles, and then it escalated into a grass fight.
Ella love sunglasses... so much so that she breaks them, after she has worn them upside down!
I look like an upside down Easter basket.
Fortunately this was after the show. They were yanking on the blanket and running with it... until...
...down the hill they all rolled! Ha!
Caleb, Braeden and Lexi.
And Eric... well, after the show he was being just as rambuncious as all the others! Right here he is wearing Ella's headband around his neck and playing the hunchback!
King, princes, and princess of the ROCK!
The only way to tell who he has captured is to look at the shoes. This picture shows Braeden, and the daring rescue attempt by Caleb.
Kids have such wonderful imaginations. And they are so not afraid to just let it all out! You can do LOTS of things with a blanket, a couple of friends, and a lot of space to run around in.
A not-so-synchronized summersault!
I'm telling you... he's cukoo!
Poor Uncle Eric... it's as bad as it looks... maybe worse! We literally had so much fun, and were so loud with squealing kids, that the Festival staff had to ask us to leave the grounds because a performance was starting in the outdoor Adam's Theatre. :(
But it turned out okay... we found another place to play! The city park! With SWINGS!
Uncle Nick entertained Ella by swinging her AND blowing bubbles!
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I just think this picture of William trying to get a drink is priceless!
And we always find friends there when we go!
Watch the progression...
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And our final day... I hired Nick to come and help me paint my mom's sheds before we busted out of Utah! And after we ran out of paint, he played with the kids for a while before saying his goodbyes!
Even he's confused. And he wrote it, but doesn't seem convinces himself! J/K Nick is awesome!
Ella seriously didn't want him to leave. When I gave him his money, she came up in his arms, grabbed the cash, and the keys, then pointed to the car. She was ready. And she would NOT come to me! Yay! I know that sounds bad, but any milestone of her getting over her separation anxiety is WONDERFUL!!!!
Braeden hugs are the best kind of hugs you can get!
So we gave in and let her go with him around the block. Since this is what they had been doing almost the whole time anyway. Only in Kanarra, right?
And then they went for one last ride down the lane to check on the horses, sheep, and cows with Gma Pam!
Playing peek-a-boo in her favorite place to be. The driver's seat! Silly Ella!
The saying bye to Eric was just as hard... she had a death grip on him... see?
We went to visit Gma Liebhardt our last night, took her and Eric to Hermies for dinner. She had NEVER been!!! I couldn't believe it... but was glad she liked it! We even ran into one of her other grandchildren while we were there... small world!
Caleb is one very rambuncious kid! We all had a very hard time sitting still and paying attention to the show this night!
See what I mean? They started out by poking each other with pine needles, and then it escalated into a grass fight. 
Ella love sunglasses... so much so that she breaks them, after she has worn them upside down!
I look like an upside down Easter basket.
Fortunately this was after the show. They were yanking on the blanket and running with it... until...
...down the hill they all rolled! Ha!
Caleb, Braeden and Lexi.
And Eric... well, after the show he was being just as rambuncious as all the others! Right here he is wearing Ella's headband around his neck and playing the hunchback!
King, princes, and princess of the ROCK!
The only way to tell who he has captured is to look at the shoes. This picture shows Braeden, and the daring rescue attempt by Caleb.
Kids have such wonderful imaginations. And they are so not afraid to just let it all out! You can do LOTS of things with a blanket, a couple of friends, and a lot of space to run around in.
A not-so-synchronized summersault!
I'm telling you... he's cukoo!
Poor Uncle Eric... it's as bad as it looks... maybe worse! We literally had so much fun, and were so loud with squealing kids, that the Festival staff had to ask us to leave the grounds because a performance was starting in the outdoor Adam's Theatre. :(But it turned out okay... we found another place to play! The city park! With SWINGS!
Uncle Nick entertained Ella by swinging her AND blowing bubbles!
__________________________________________Then we met Helen and William at the Canyon Park again.
I just think this picture of William trying to get a drink is priceless!
And we always find friends there when we go!
Watch the progression...
________________________________________And our final day... I hired Nick to come and help me paint my mom's sheds before we busted out of Utah! And after we ran out of paint, he played with the kids for a while before saying his goodbyes!
Even he's confused. And he wrote it, but doesn't seem convinces himself! J/K Nick is awesome!
Ella seriously didn't want him to leave. When I gave him his money, she came up in his arms, grabbed the cash, and the keys, then pointed to the car. She was ready. And she would NOT come to me! Yay! I know that sounds bad, but any milestone of her getting over her separation anxiety is WONDERFUL!!!!
Braeden hugs are the best kind of hugs you can get!
So we gave in and let her go with him around the block. Since this is what they had been doing almost the whole time anyway. Only in Kanarra, right?
And then they went for one last ride down the lane to check on the horses, sheep, and cows with Gma Pam!
Playing peek-a-boo in her favorite place to be. The driver's seat! Silly Ella!
The saying bye to Eric was just as hard... she had a death grip on him... see?
We went to visit Gma Liebhardt our last night, took her and Eric to Hermies for dinner. She had NEVER been!!! I couldn't believe it... but was glad she liked it! We even ran into one of her other grandchildren while we were there... small world! Braeden and Lexi sat on the couch with her for a long time looking through picture books. Gma would look with Braeden, he would ask who they were, she would tell him, and he just hung on every word. That kid has a heart of gold... well most of the time, anyway!
Guess who took this? It was time to go after this! Ella was having a hay day... and not just with the camera!
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Guess who took this? It was time to go after this! Ella was having a hay day... and not just with the camera!______________________________________
After we got home, we planned a day trip to the beach with our friends. Here is our day camp...
Kaleb, Lexi, and Braeden behind. My kids are also really pretty good at boogie boarding now, too!
Oh how we LOVE the beach!
But I must admit that the WE that love the beach doesn't usually include Ella. At least not until we've been there for several hours. This is what she does... Oh... it's just soooo tragic!
But she had her friend, Ashlyn, there, too... and she still wasn't happy for the first 3 hours. Literally! I even broke out the bubbles... and that didn't even help.
Snooty...
And than back to crying!
The Coast Guard got up close and personal. Just flying by... but very close!
Now... the reason for this picture is what is in my friend, Danielle's hand. She is the new anti-junk food, bad for you food, poster girl, but this is what SHE brought to the beach and gave to all the children. Chocolate covered marshmallow ring things! I make fun of her a lot, but she is a great mom and really tries hard to keep her children healthy. I shouldn't be so mean.
Yay... venturing out and not crying!
Just kidding... back for more snacks in the shade.
Lexi and Kaleb met in primary and school. They are good friends and have a great time together! They laugh a lot!
Don't even TRY to steal her popcorn. It doesn't matter if you're her best friend or not. She won't give it up easily!
Even I'm not sure what's happening here. Jayden is picking up Kaleb... but in a very awkward position. And Lexi is just laughing!
She did FINALLY give in and have a LITTLE fun!
Good friends lounging at the beach enjoying some popcorn and capri suns! Oh, the life!
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This is Ella's survivor wound. For those who didn't hear about the shopping cart experience... well, it's a DOOZY! On our way IN to Henry's Lexi and Braeden were walking on either side of me and Ella was in the cart. Well, Lexi tripped and fell on the hot asphalt, so I turned for a split second to help her up, when Braeden decided that he would do something he's been asked to do only EVERY time we go into a store... climb on the side of the cart. Only this time there wasn't enough weight in the cart to sustain the climb, and I had let go to help up a pouting Lexi, when I hear a loud CRASH!! Yep... it tipped over on him, trapping him underneath, and slamming Ella's head on the concrete, pinching her thumb, arm, and thigh. Oh... what fun! I had all three crying in the parking lot! And I was so furious at Braeden... we had to pull up on the sidewalk and have the SERIOUS talk about not doing that EVER again!! No MATTER WHAT! It was so sad that one of the ladies from the kids' hair salon right there came running out to help me. Oh... the JOYS of motherhood! Some days I wonder how much more joy I can handle!
Braeden as a submarine! I love watching my kids in the water! They just have so much fun, and even more so because they can swim fairly well on their own!
At the pool with the Blackburn's. They are friends we met at church, too!
Ella thought it would be more fun to stack and climb the kick-boards than to actually go in the pool.
___________________________________________
Kaleb, Lexi, and Braeden behind. My kids are also really pretty good at boogie boarding now, too!
Oh how we LOVE the beach!
But I must admit that the WE that love the beach doesn't usually include Ella. At least not until we've been there for several hours. This is what she does... Oh... it's just soooo tragic!
But she had her friend, Ashlyn, there, too... and she still wasn't happy for the first 3 hours. Literally! I even broke out the bubbles... and that didn't even help.
Snooty...
And than back to crying!
The Coast Guard got up close and personal. Just flying by... but very close!
Now... the reason for this picture is what is in my friend, Danielle's hand. She is the new anti-junk food, bad for you food, poster girl, but this is what SHE brought to the beach and gave to all the children. Chocolate covered marshmallow ring things! I make fun of her a lot, but she is a great mom and really tries hard to keep her children healthy. I shouldn't be so mean.
Yay... venturing out and not crying!
Just kidding... back for more snacks in the shade.
Lexi and Kaleb met in primary and school. They are good friends and have a great time together! They laugh a lot!
Don't even TRY to steal her popcorn. It doesn't matter if you're her best friend or not. She won't give it up easily!
Even I'm not sure what's happening here. Jayden is picking up Kaleb... but in a very awkward position. And Lexi is just laughing!
She did FINALLY give in and have a LITTLE fun!
Good friends lounging at the beach enjoying some popcorn and capri suns! Oh, the life!________________________________________
This is Ella's survivor wound. For those who didn't hear about the shopping cart experience... well, it's a DOOZY! On our way IN to Henry's Lexi and Braeden were walking on either side of me and Ella was in the cart. Well, Lexi tripped and fell on the hot asphalt, so I turned for a split second to help her up, when Braeden decided that he would do something he's been asked to do only EVERY time we go into a store... climb on the side of the cart. Only this time there wasn't enough weight in the cart to sustain the climb, and I had let go to help up a pouting Lexi, when I hear a loud CRASH!! Yep... it tipped over on him, trapping him underneath, and slamming Ella's head on the concrete, pinching her thumb, arm, and thigh. Oh... what fun! I had all three crying in the parking lot! And I was so furious at Braeden... we had to pull up on the sidewalk and have the SERIOUS talk about not doing that EVER again!! No MATTER WHAT! It was so sad that one of the ladies from the kids' hair salon right there came running out to help me. Oh... the JOYS of motherhood! Some days I wonder how much more joy I can handle!
Braeden as a submarine! I love watching my kids in the water! They just have so much fun, and even more so because they can swim fairly well on their own!
At the pool with the Blackburn's. They are friends we met at church, too!
Ella thought it would be more fun to stack and climb the kick-boards than to actually go in the pool.___________________________________________
Then we got to go to Chino Hills for the weekend, and went swimming over at SAmberie's! Fun stuff!
Colleen got Ella smiling AND kicking! Yay!
Turns out the Wright brothers were... RIGHT! Humans can fly! Thanks to Uncie Sam, anyway!
The tricks got pretty serious, too!
You'll have to click on this and get the larger picture to see that what she is really doing is spitting water at me... and my camera! Stinker!
I wish I would have caught this in time. Not only did she have her one leg all the way through, but when she tried to push up and get it out, both arms went through, too! Ha! It's not nice to laugh, but I did giggle a little. She just looked so... silly. I have to say, in her defense, that I'm sure all of us at one point have been caught by a lurking lawn chair!
She's hanging on for dear life, and Sam is wondering how to get rid of such a creature!
Ella was trying to hide from me because she KNOWS she's not supposed to be in the spa by herself. She's a warm pool brat. She would soooo much rather sit in the WARM water and just lounge than get in the regular pool and just have some fun!
Amberie met us after she got off work, but didn't swim. It was almost time to head back to Colleen's for dinner. We pulled our best silly faces!
Ella just chatting with Amberie! Still in the spa.
Poor Sam. He just got abused. At one point he hands were over his eyes.
Whoa... JUMP...
And SPLASH!!! Silly kids! Sam is such a kid at heart. He will make a great dad!
This is one of Ella's favorite things to do: sit by the sink and play in the water... I mean "help" with the dishes!
Ella gets rolled around like the new Queen of Sheba, spun, and doted on while we work hard on our charity/service project!
Here we are getting ready to put together the kid packs for the children in Afghanistan. We sent them to Damian, and hopefully he'll get them sometime this year so that he can distribute them to those that need something light and fun in their life. The pack included a notebook, coloring book, markers, colored pencils, stickers, a pencil sharpener, a ball, granola bar, and a bag of candy. Then there we also 12 fleece blankets, not necessarily for the same children, but whoever might need them. Plus we sent a whole load of stuff for the soldiers, including socks, jerky, rice crispie treats, mints, trail mix, and LOTS of gum!
Hopefully Damian can take a picture or two of those he gives these things to, so that the reality of the service our children provided can be known to them. I think it would really make it... well, real, for them if only they could see someone who received it.
Colleen got Ella smiling AND kicking! Yay!
Turns out the Wright brothers were... RIGHT! Humans can fly! Thanks to Uncie Sam, anyway!
The tricks got pretty serious, too!
You'll have to click on this and get the larger picture to see that what she is really doing is spitting water at me... and my camera! Stinker!
I wish I would have caught this in time. Not only did she have her one leg all the way through, but when she tried to push up and get it out, both arms went through, too! Ha! It's not nice to laugh, but I did giggle a little. She just looked so... silly. I have to say, in her defense, that I'm sure all of us at one point have been caught by a lurking lawn chair!
She's hanging on for dear life, and Sam is wondering how to get rid of such a creature!
Ella was trying to hide from me because she KNOWS she's not supposed to be in the spa by herself. She's a warm pool brat. She would soooo much rather sit in the WARM water and just lounge than get in the regular pool and just have some fun!
Amberie met us after she got off work, but didn't swim. It was almost time to head back to Colleen's for dinner. We pulled our best silly faces!
Ella just chatting with Amberie! Still in the spa.
Poor Sam. He just got abused. At one point he hands were over his eyes.Whoa... JUMP... And SPLASH!!! Silly kids! Sam is such a kid at heart. He will make a great dad!
This is one of Ella's favorite things to do: sit by the sink and play in the water... I mean "help" with the dishes!
Ella gets rolled around like the new Queen of Sheba, spun, and doted on while we work hard on our charity/service project!
Here we are getting ready to put together the kid packs for the children in Afghanistan. We sent them to Damian, and hopefully he'll get them sometime this year so that he can distribute them to those that need something light and fun in their life. The pack included a notebook, coloring book, markers, colored pencils, stickers, a pencil sharpener, a ball, granola bar, and a bag of candy. Then there we also 12 fleece blankets, not necessarily for the same children, but whoever might need them. Plus we sent a whole load of stuff for the soldiers, including socks, jerky, rice crispie treats, mints, trail mix, and LOTS of gum!
Hopefully Damian can take a picture or two of those he gives these things to, so that the reality of the service our children provided can be known to them. I think it would really make it... well, real, for them if only they could see someone who received it.
And there you have it! Whew! Now I just have to catch you up on all the stuff that's happened while I've been trying to edit and get this beast finished! Yay!
1 comment:
So fun to see all the pictures! If you weren't doing so many fun things, then you wouldn't have to post all of those pictures. Although, I think the fun out ways the blogging time. ; - )
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