Camping: not basement style or even tramp style...

This weekend rolled around and we realized we didn't have a whole lot to do, just the Elders Quorum moving a family this morning... that is where Steve, Ky and John are, and why I am doing this on a Saturday morning...
So what to do with an almost free weekend?! We went camping! The real kind, not sleeping bags in the basement or even on the tramp; tent, forest, the works. Great part about living in the forest, you don't have to drive too far to camp!


Leo's "camp chair." :) And his new trick, pointing. It is so cute, he points, does his sign for want/more and babbles. We usually figure out what he wants pretty quick!




When we pulled up and I saw this log I thought how cool it was, I think it must have been the kid in me remembering...



My silly kids! I have an empty picture frame on display in my living room... yes I do and yes Beave teases me about it. I keep trying to find the perfect picture to go in it, here is another try...




We camped right next to this meadow, Ky and John were so excited to run and play and use their butterfly nets! We got these when we went to Cali, for the beach I guess, probably a case of the "I wants" at the dollar store... When we got to the beach we couldn't find the nets, I figured they fell out somewhere along the way, turns out Steve put them in the storage spot in the back that we didn't open between leaving Flag in April and yesterday... Worked out pretty well, the nets were perfect for our camping meadow!




And in the middle of the meadow?! A POND! We told Johnny we were going to camp by a lake, we didn't find a good spot by the lake and went here instead, we didn't even see the pond until after we were out of the car... Lucky dad!




Leo was so excited about it he decided he would try standing, on his own for the first time!! He made it up, but only for a second. And somehow Steve had the camera on him, maybe it is more than luck...




Awww... I'm getting that teary eye response again... I just love my kids!!




LEO




The area we went to is SO pretty! I love this action shot of our little fam!




"No fire S'mores." Camp fire restrictions meant no fire for us so we made these yummy chocolate covered marshmallows instead.



Leo liked his too! If I didn't LOVE s'mores I might do these all the time, way less mess, at least at the camp... we left the mess at home... :)




Full Moon! It is a good thing we were forest camping and not too close to any other campers... we ALL howled at the moon!




Once they got to sleep Ky and John slept like champs, they even slept in a half hour after Leo was awake and making noise. Leo didn't sleep as well, it was his first camp and he is not used to sleeping anywhere besides his own bed... next time he'll have it down I'm sure!




Thanks to Steve who had the great idea to go for a quick camp, by the way one night is perfect for me... :) I love the beautiful area we live in and I LOVE my sweet family!

Our Own Private Beach

We doubled the size of our sandbox this spring... we needed more space for more kids. Johnny now calls the sandbox "the beach." They love the sandbox! I love that they play in it for hours, I have less love for the sand that gets tracked in, Johnny always gets some sand in his pockets and leaves little piles of it all over the house.

Diamondbacks

Last month we went down to Phoenix to watch a baseball game. We went with friends and met some more friends there and had a great time! Steve said it didn't feel like a real game because they closed the roof... I was ok with it, the temp. outside was 108!!

And the D-backs won! They played the Rockies and according to my Bro who lives in Colorado it isn't a huge accomplishment to beat them this year... but we still thought it was cool!

Johnny thought these hats were super cool, he called it his "watching hat." He is pretty literal, he watched the game wearing the hat, therefore it is a watching hat...

Leo. He did great! We were there for the first pitch and watched the last pitch too. No ducking out after the 7th inning stretch for us! :)

We met some friends there who recently moved to Phoenix, good thing Ky had some silly girls to play with, she wasn't as into the game as Johnny and Dad.

Johnny kept asking to go down to the "gate", we were on the first level and the field was right there... I told him we would go down after and take pictures. After the game I forgot, he did not.

Glad he reminded us, we got some cute pictures.

We went down to Phoenix a couple hours early and played at this fun splash park. Leo was the only one who wanted to get wet... Not surprised with Johnny, but Kyla? She said it was because she didn't have a swim suit on. I tried to explain her clothes would dry super fast in the HOT sun, but she didn't go for it. It was a huge park with lots of fun things, not just the splash part, so Ky and John roasted themselves playing on the other things.

The Gallery

I have been wanting a sign for this spot forever and finally found one I really liked. Steve calls this hall the gallery...

These are a couple of my favorites. Beave got this picture for me from Jackson Hole. Yes it is a barn, I love it!

The Beave and I as kids.

My Mom and Dad. My Dad with his Grandpa on main street in Price, Utah around 1950. My Dad looks a lot like this grandpa! My Mom on her Grandpa's new colt, Cooke City, Montana 1950. The family still owns the ranch land in Cooke City, it is cool to go to the same places my Mom went to when she was a kid. I just love these pictures of my parents.

My all time favorite pictures of Kyla and Johnny! I am still waiting for the amazing one of Leo, lots of great ones but not "the one" yet.

Leo's Party

On Leo's birthday we had some friends over for presents and cake.

Leo's new farm Lego's, Ky and John thought they were pretty cool too!!

A monkey for our monkey. I had to buy two bags of m&m's, there was only ONE brown in the first bag... darn now I have to eat two bags of m&m's... :)!!

I got him close for the picture and he got close enough to get a finger in the frosting... YUM!!

Happy Birthday to LEO!

Leo blew out his candle... on the second try, after all the other kids had a turn blowing out the candle...

CAKE, YUM YUM YUM!!

And what do you do with your empty plate? Wear it on your head of course!

Leo's birthday landed right in the middle of girl's camp... I was so disappointed I couldn't go for the whole time. I went Friday morning after Leo's birthday. I actually do feel bad, our president was the only one who went the whole time... luckily it was a stake camp.

So Leo had his first night away from mom the day after turning one... Steve says he did great! Not surprised, he is so easy going!

Leo is ONE!

My baby boy turned one!!! We can't believe how fast this year has gone! Steve jokingly said that if it was up to us, Leo wouldn't be here yet and here he is one year old... Good thing somethings aren't up to us! What a beautiful surprise Leo has been!


Leo one week old. I love this picture, makes my want to cry a little, and I'm not even a cry-er... :)





Leo one year old! His monkey had a one year birthday too... :)







Blowing raspberries.

On the go Leo!

Happy Boy!

Yep he crawls!

Blahh!!

"Mmooomm" Silly lady stop taking pictures of me and pick me up!

We love love love, our happy easy going number 3!
He has 2 teeth. Crawls and scoots. Goes up and down stairs. Pulls up on furniture. Yells "DA" when he wants dad. Follows Ky and John all over the house and yard. Says mmomm when he wants mom to pick him up. Is super ticklish. Smiles at everyone. Plays peek-a-boo. And lots more this busy mommy can't remember it all at once, don't worry though the kid has a journal... :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LEO!

School's out for SUMMER!

Kyla finished preschool! She loved her class and teacher and learned so much. I thought she would really miss school but she has been playing hard with Johnny and the neighbors and hasn't asked about it once... yeah for summer!



Kyla the first day of school last fall.

Ky the last day of school this spring.

Ky and Miss Steffanie. Kyla loved her teacher, she was lots of fun and pretty laid back. Miss Steffanie really appreciated how creative Ky is... Ky loves to color and draw, she always drew more pictures on the back of her homework pages.

Now it is on to sandboxes, riding bikes, swinging and jumping on the tramp... Kyla has a busy summer ahead!

giving in

Steve has been telling me we need a new computer for a long time. I have been telling him the one we have is just fine, yes it is 5 years old and has been plagued with problems since the UPS guy dropped it in delivery but... there are too many other things I would rather spend the $$ on... :) So now the "old" computer is interfering with my hobby... it won't recognize the USB ports so I can't get the pictures from the camera to the computer that way and it won't recognize the card reader either...

OK FINE, BUY A NEW COMPUTER!!!

It was already on the list for Father's Day (that is all he asked for... sneaky guy!) But it got bumped up a little and he is getting an early Father's Day present.

Be warned once I get the camera and computer communicating there will be lots of pictures to share!!