Brothers Reunion Again

Jared and Mary came to visit a few weeks ago. We had a fun time just hanging out and laughing together. They had never seen our home so it was fun to show it off. It is great to have them only 6 hours away. I hope you guys make it over again before the summer is up. Love ya!!

The Exciting Conclusion

Here is the tail end of our trip. As we last left you, we were heading up to Idaho from Arizona. We stopped off at the Navajo Bridge. The boys thought it was so cool. It really was stunning. We finally arrived in Idaho Falls late. John’s sisters and I planned a surprise birthday party for John. We used “The Office” as our theme. We had poster size drawing of all the character from the show, a ping-pong tournament with yogurt lid metals, and our very own front desk with jars of candy. To top it off, Amanda and James put their gift inside a jello mold. It turned out hilarious. John was promoted to Regional Manger for 28 years of service. John’s mom and Jennifer were able to track down some of John’s old high school buddies. So he had a lot of fun catching up with them. The next day we were able to visit with our old neighbors, Ben and Lisa. We truly miss not having them around to joke and laugh with on a daily basis. Kindred spirits, those two. (a little Anne of Greene for ya) We went up to Rexburg to see how much it has changed, eat at John’s favorite Chinese restaurant (Fongs) and spent the rest of the night playing cards and hanging out at Terry and Trina’s new home. What is a trip to Idaho with out a stop off at Wingers. “Sticky Fingers”, the most glorious food ever invented. We were also able to see the newly renovated visitor center for the Idaho Falls temple. Beautiful. And we stayed up way too late every night playing Dance Dance Revolution. All in all it was a wonderful trip. The boys loved grandpa’s cows and grandma’s kitty cat. It was beautiful weather while we were there. We had a lot of fun. On the way home we stopped in Utah to visit our good friends Chad and Courtney. We were able to meet their cute kiddos and enjoyed being able to see them again. And as an added bonus we found a new Panda Express in Los Lunas on the drive home. Noah got really good with the chopsticks. I love vacation, especially when we get to visit our family. Hey Idahoans, tag you’re it. Come visit us anytime.

Idaho Pics

Family Vacation, Part 1

We had a wonderful long vacation. It had taken a while to get back into the swing of things. So here is some of my blog catchup. Our end destination was going to be Idaho. But we made a few pit stops along the way. On our drive, we had Thomas the Tank engine video repeating over and over in the background, we stopped in Safford so Rachel (my cousin) could cut my hair for me. Thanks again Rach! Next, we headed to Mesa to visit Jared and Mary. (Johns Bro and Sis-in-law). It was fun to get to know my nephew better. The kids had fun playing together. With a few pillow fights, throwing toys off the balcony, and fun in the sun. We went for a relaxing swim in their apartment complex and Jared, John and I got burnt. At least I don’t look like a vampire now! Hooray for skin cancer. (J/K) We went over to Eric and Andreas (my bro and sis-in-law) for a joint B-Day party for John and Eric. It was a fun get together and a fire hazard with all 28 x 2 candles a blazin’. Sunday took a turn for the worse with an unexpected pit stop to the hospital. After church we were headed back up to Jared and Mary’s place. John had Ashley strapped into her car seat and was reaching into the back of the van to get something and her car seat slipped out of the nook of his arm. The car seat landed on its side and then rocked back to its back. She had been sleeping, so we got her calmed down and she went back to sleep. No big deal, right…. Or not. After we all had dinner at Eric and Andreas we were fixing to head back when I noticed a gushy squishy spot on her head. Then panic set in. After a quick blessing we headed over to the ER leaving Luke and Noah at Eric and Andreas. Jared, Mary and Brody went with us to keep us company luckily. Well after X-Rays and CT scans the verdict was in, skull fracture. Who would of thought that could happen while secured in a car seat with only a few feet drop. Scary!!! So Ash and I took an ambulance drive to the children’s hospital in Phoenix with John following behind in the van. She only needed observation thankfully but we needed to be at a hospital with a neural surgeon just incase. We were so grateful to just have to spend one night there. And super grateful that we were able to continue our vacation, we just needed to spend an extra day in Mesa to ensure that she was doing ok Which she was. The Doctor even said she couldn’t believe she didn’t cry when she was touching her head. But I knew why she wasn’t crying, Thank goodness for priesthood blessings. She was a trooper thru out the whole process. It made me appreciate my mom and all the other moms who spend a good portion of their children’s lives hanging out in hospitals. Not something I would wish on anyone. We just look at it this way. If she turns out to be a rotten teenage we are going to blame it on the skull facture, not our poor parenting skills. hahaha To be continued………

Trip Pics

Minivan Mania

Yep, that’s right folks we are a minivan family now!!!! Yeah. A week before we headed out for vacation I changed my other mind about going up in the car. Luckily I had already done all the research possible about the best buy out there and ended up with a 2004 Honda Odyssey, and I love it. The trip was so much fun and easier with a van. Hurray for soccer moms!!!