Memorial weekend trip to St. George

We love going to St. George over Memorial weekend ... the weather is just starting to get hot (but it's not usually 100 degrees yet), it feels like summer is officially here, and we usually get to go with Grandma, Grandpa, and the Mounteers, which makes a good trip even better.

We packed so many fun things in to those three days, we came home totally worn out, but with lots of fun memories.

Baseball games at Mathis Park:

Even grandma got in on the game:

With grandpa nearby, keeping a close eye on all the action:

My mistake.  Grandpa wasn't watching the baseball game. He was swinging a golf club. (As usual.)

Of course there was swimming:

And we spent one afternoon hiking:

And there was lots and lots of golfing with Grandpa:

And a bonus ... Emery turned 14 while we were there.  Nice three-day-long party, birthday boy.

spring break

We spent most of spring break in St. George.  The weather at home was cold and rainy, which made the St. George warmth and sunshine feel even better!

We played lots of baseball at the park,

Tried out some new kites,

Hiked to some petroglyphs,

Swam in the pool,

And went shooting.  Yes, I'm nice enough to share the .22 that Ben gave to me for Christmas a few years ago.  An interesting gift since my rule was that we wouldn't own any guns.  But, I have to admit, shooting is pretty fun.  :)

January

There are only 10 days left in January and I'm pretty happy about that.  January is just sort of, blah, if you ask me.  And, what's the whole "inversion" all about, anyway?  I've lived here almost my whole life and I still don't understand why that happens every year.

On another note, now that the holidays are over, it's time to focus on a few projects around the house.  We assembled this little arrangement in the entryway.  And I must say it's much more welcoming than the empty space was. 



Also working on a few framing projects to be hung around the house.  I'm most excited about this one ...

My mom painted this cute picture years ago and I'm re-framing it in this new frame with a burlap covered mat.  I'm having a little trouble getting the burlap to attach to the mat (note the air bubbles), but not to worry, I went and bought some new adhesive spray yesterday.  I'll give it a whirl and hopefully this will be hanging in my kitchen before the weekend is over. 

The boys were out of school last Monday and Tuesday, so we went to St. George and thawed out.  (Did I mention it's been a cold January?)  The boys golfed a couple of times and I visited one of my favorite knitting shops.  I haven't knit anything for quite a while now, years in fact, so I loved looking through new patterns, seeing all the soft and beautiful yarn, and envisioning all the projects I want to knit.  First up ... a baby hat for a neighbor who's expecting.



Emery's going snow-caving tonight with the scouts.  I hope he survives.  Of course, I feel that way every time he goes on a scout camp-out.  My (totally valid) concerns this time are:  1)  what if he freezes to death, and 2) what if his snow cave collapses during the night and he can't get out.  Emery and I always say a prayer together before he goes on a camp-out.  Maybe today we'll say two.  At least I know he won't starve to death.  He's taking enough Cheetos Puffs and beef jerky to keep him alive for a loooong time.

Ben's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Wow ... the big 4-0!  I seriously can't believe that we met when you were 17, and now you're 40!  And the amazing thing is, you just keep getting better! 

We love you lots.  Here's why ...

• Emery:  "I love Dad because he takes me golfing and he works hard and because he's my Dad."
• Sam:  "I love him because he plays Mario Kart with me and we watch football together."
• Luke:  "I love him because he beats me at Mario Kart, which is unbelievable."
• Mom:  "I could spend all day listing all the reasons I love you. But here's what I love the most ... you have the best sense of humor and you always make me laugh, and you truly are my best friend. You're the best! (Plus, you're smart, you're witty, you're kind, you're generous, you're compassionate, you serve, you're righteous, you work so hard, you have this amazing ability to make people feel good, you're the only person I know with water-repellent hair, etc., etc. See? I really could go on and on!)"

We love you!

spring break

We spent spring break in St. George with my parents, my sister, and her kids.  What a great week!!  Really, what could be more fun for my kids than having an entire week off of school and spending that week with their cousins and grandparents?  Not much!  We packed a lot into that week, too.  Swimming, golfing, tennis, frog hunting, bike riding, ripstik riding, kite flying, Easter egg hunting, and eating out (of course!).  We even managed to squeeze in a little "history tour" one afternoon as well.

The kids started off the trip with plenty of candy after having an Easter egg hunt on Saturday afternoon.

Luckily, the Easter bunny found us Sunday morning even though we were out of town.

The first few days were a little cool and windy.  Perfect weather for hunting for frogs by the river ...

riding bikes and ripstiks ...

and flying kites.

Even Grandma Net got in on the kite-flying action.

Monday it rained.  Hard.  So we went to the Sand Hollow indoor pool.  The kids thought it was fabulous!

One afternoon, my mom took us on a little tour about my great great grandfather ... James Montgomery Whitmore.  He was in the first group of settlers sent to Dixie by Brigham Young in 1861, and he was killed by indians in the St. George area (Pipe Springs, AZ) in 1866.  We visited the land where his home was, his gravestone, and the encampment site for the early settlers.  There is now a monument there that tells about the "Dixie Pioneers."  Very cool.  (And Luke's favorite part of the whole trip, I might add!)

The rest of the week was spent playing at the park, swimming, and playing tennis and golf.

  

All that, plus: one kite stuck in a tree, one trip to Instacare, one lost ripstik, one new ripstik, daily visits to see a hog, and lots of great memories!