bAnDoN DuNeS!!

Brian made a trip up to the renowned Bandon Dunes last week with his good friend Brandon. Brandon's wife gave the trip to him for his birthday and asked if Brian would like to go with him. Brian never passes a chance for 3 days straight of 36 holes of golf!?!? I think he is crazy! I also wondered why when you live in AZ and people come down here to golf in April he went to the warm and sunny place of North Bend Oregon!!! So we pulled out all of his warm clothes and off he went. All of that aside he had a great time! It only rained on them for the first 18 holes on the second day.....which I hear is a record from what the group said that has been going for many year. So lucky them!? On the course there are no carts allowed and they are not very easy courses to walk so I was proud that Brian actually rented a pull cart which was much appreciated on the 15th hole of the first day!!! "Charlie" really got him there!! We are glad that you had a great time but we are really glad that you are home!! We Love you!
Brian and Brandon on the course!
This is one group that they played with. The guy in charge had an entire schedule worked out like they were playing their own little Ryder Cup. You can definitely tell who lives in Utah and who in AZ. Shorts.....it was not that warm! I think the warmest it ever got was in the upper fifties. So every one that lives, say in Park City, thought it was nice and warm, while Brian hasn't seen those temps in quite some time!
"How many times have I hit the ball already? I keep losing track with the sound of the ocean right there!!"

T-baLL!!

Dax is playing T-Ball this year and is very excited about it! At first I was a little worried that he would get my ball playing abilites but from the looks of the first practice he is already better then me. I have some scarred memories from the year that I had to play ball with Hailey and she had to take French lessons with me. I HATED T-ball!!! We were the only girls on the team and Hailey was actually good which only made me look worse. I think that I struck out all year (how do you strike out??) until the last game. I finally made a hit and started running.....what I and everyone else didn't know was that the helmet was way to big for my head. I ran to first and the other team overthrew the ball, so they had me run to 2nd, where the ball was overthrow again. So on to 3rd I went, as I am running, the helmet had rotated and I was now looking out of the ear hole!! To my surprise and probably on purpose, 3rd base missed the ball again and I was headed home! The first hit that I ever made and it was a home run!!!! The crowd was cheering and my mom was crying in the stands!! Her little girl finally made a hit and ran all the bases looking out of the ear hole! Just makes a mother proud! I also never paid attention to the game itself while I was out in the field, it was always dancing and picking flowers for me. I did catch a ball out there one but only because the ball fell into my mitt that was laying on the ground. I was also the kid that would throw that ball and still be the closest one to it, so I would have to run to it and throw it again, and again and again! So I started just running the ball in every time. I am sure that the other kids on the team just hated it when a ball came to me. Well I hope that Dax has other experiences that make me proud! So far so good!!
He was playing 3rd base this time. I love T-Ball because it really doen't matter where the ball is hit the entire team goes for it. GOOD LUCK DAX ON A GREAT SEASON!!! I will be proud no what the outcome!!

EasTeR EgGs!

This year we were invited over to decorate some Easter eggs at one of our friends houses. She is seriously crazy to have wanted our crowd to come over!! She works for Brian and she has no kids yet and after this day she may never!!! Actually it was not to bad, they were on their better behavior besides getting a little wild by the end of the night. Avery was very serious at decorating this year and Dax was in and out of the decorating scene. He thought that it was also fun to go outside and chat with Tobi's friends. Poor them! He thought that he was very cool!!
Of course by the end of the night Brian was playing Rock Band and the kids were just making themselves at home!! Dax played the drums also and was actually pretty good! I was impressed!

Anther favorite past time for Brian and the boys....eating a bowl of Doritos. I can't believe that Dax was not in this shot, when chips are around he is never very far!!

This is Avery, Dax, Tobi and her niece. Again, Avery looks very serious! Again, Dax is hangin' with the girls!! Thanks Tobi for having us over it was very fun and great birth control for you and especially Jeff!!

cRaFtiN' FuN!

EASTER!! Dax didn't have school the day before Easter weekend and all he wanted to do for his day off was to do some crafts!! So we did! We made bunnies out of Styrofoam and pike cleaners. We made a bunny candy house. Marshmallow bunnies, and tissue paper flowers!!! What a great day! The kids had fun and that is all that matters!
These are the St. Patrick Day crafts this year. We made green cupcakes, and then we (I) cut a shamrock out of a potato and stamped pictures. Fun times!!

a HiKe aGaIN!!

We we decided to go on another hike since the kids liked it so well. But it all started out wrong on this hike....the car is only parked by the fence that you can see. Avery and Trace were crying already , but Averys defence she did have a fever and didn't fell well, Trace felt fine just whiny!! After a while sick or not the kids had to walk!This bench was half way up on our hike and don't you think that the kids look like they are having a great time!?! We should do this more often - I can see the excitement in their eyes!!
We made it to the TOP!! It was really a kind of hard hike but kids did great! The lady next to us I thought was going to have a heart attack, honestly I was worried! She keep asking us if the kids really walked up the trail? It took all I could do not to say "Nope we had them helicopter in to meet us up here?" Some people are crazy! I will say that up was easier then down because it was steep.
It is mostly a race between these two to see who can be the leader. At least they are walking instead begging to be held!
I love it when they are actually friends!! They are too cute!

If you ask the kids it is more fun to play in the dirt and rocks!

bAcK wHen ArLeiGh cAMe

Who in the world wouldn't be excited to see these cheeks!! My kids were so excited when baby Arleigh came to see them! (They were excited to see Mason & Anna also but they have been replaced by Arleigh!) We were so happy that they made the effort to come and see us a few weeks ago! Avery had decided before they got here that Areligh was going to sleep in her room in "Twelve's" bed and she would push her in her stroller and hold her on the bench and it would be just great!! Well we talked her out of those things but she did get to hold her and love on her alot!!
Trace and Avery just could not get enough of her!! What a good little baby!! Too CUTE!! Poor Dax must have been at school when ever we got the camera out while holding Arleigh. Sorry bud!

We went to the mall and Trace LOVED these glasses! It was a real fight to get them from him, but he is to cute in them!

We went to Amazing Jake's while they were here and the kids had a great time. This a spinning ride so the big babies volunteered to watch the little babies!!

Our family on the Merry-Go-Round. Again Mason opted to take the picture instead!

This was at the mall again when Mason was encouraging the sunglasses for everyone. Can you even call them sunglasses? Does anyone really buy them? Who thought that they were a good idea at all?

This was a very intense train ride at Amazing Jake's! I think we are moving in this picture! That's my kids - that still at a worms pace think that arms up is how a ride should be ridden!!

Thanks for coming Mason & Anna we had a great time with you! Kiss those cheeks for me again! Love them!!

a LiTTLe CrAzY EyE!

So it's the beginning of the summer and we are still working on the goggles. We have a little crazy going around!
Avery seriously is convinced that her head is under the water! She is so proud of herself that she can go under now!?!

I don't even know what to say about this crazy eye!!!

Clean Up & a Hike

Brian came home from church a couple weeks ago and told me that he had signed us up to clean the flower beds at the temple at 8:00 Saturday morning. WHAT TIME on a SATURDAY!?!? I have several thoughts going thru my head....YOU signed up, what time, what day, what for? Even on the weekdays Dax doesn't have to be to school until 8:45 and most of the time Trace and Avery are just barely out of bed. The temple is a good 30 min away and I am adding up what time we are going to have to be up and ready with smiles on ready to whistle while we work. WAY EARLY!! So we got there and they sent us back to this area that clearly had been neglected (surprising at the temple) it was a jungle. I thought what in the world are the kids going to do, I could hardly pull the weeds? I was so impressed that this gardener came around and found a job for each of the kids! The men were cutting a banana tree down and she had the kids yell TIMBER as loud as they could and they thought they were so cool. Then she took Dax and told him that he looked like just the waterer that she was looking for, she got him the BIG hose and had him water all of the potted plants that hadn't been planted yet. Then she had Avery and Trace and eventually Dax carry an entire stack of the plastic pots over to another area. They worked so hard. She did take time to show them a worm and a bug some of the different things growing! What a great experience for our entire family. Who know maybe next time I will sign us up!

This is the kids stand by the PARTY TREE that we all met at when the work was done. It was hard to get Avery away from the Temple because she just wanted to walk around and see all of the "princesses" that were getting married! She wanted to get in and have a picture with them. I think that she was getting the temple and Disneyland confused!
After we left the temple, we decided to take the kids and go on a little hike. The kids had a great time and the weather was great. See I am preparing to be the camp leader!!

Trace loves being outside and going on hikes!

This is the tallest catus that the kids could see but they clearly could not see me because of the sun!

Taking a break on the trail!

Vroom, Vroom

This is the other reason that Dax loves going to Colton's house! MOTORCYCLES!!!! It is the perfect place for the kids to learn to ride and have a great time.

Preface - This is not the order that I put these pictures in....again, so stay with me as I jump around!

At the beginning of the day Dax was a little hesitant of riding because Brian was a home working and he didn't think that he had any help. So being the kind son that he is, he asked me until he saw me help unload the bike from the back of the pickup! Not pretty and not a lot of help! I assured him that help from Grandpa would be the better thing. The other real reason he was a little gunshy was the pink helmet!! But he got over that when the other choice was not riding at all. So with a quick lesson from the pro and pep talk to build confidence he was off. He really did such a good job, not to fast not to slow, just right! And the riding began!
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it!

Trace thought that riding was very cool also! I bet we could have left him sitting on the bike all day and he would have had a great day!

Dad took all of the kids on a big boy ride with wheelies and all! Dax thought that it was awesome! This is at the start of the ride. Hold on!!!

Here they are zoomin' past! Looks like a smile to me!

Now it was Avery's turn to ride by herself!! She on the other hand loved the pink helmet! I will say that I hope that she doesn't love motorcycles like the boys! Where there are bike you can count on guys with long hair and cut off jeans! Big trouble!!!! I guess most of those guys turned out pretty darn good, but you can never be to careful.

We did find out later that she prefers biking if the kickstand is down. She was really not impressed that she got a turn with Grandpa! What a face! If looks could kill........

As you can plainly see Trace was not so sure about the fast ride either! What a good mom I am to force them to go on a motorcycle ride and laugh while they are pulling away! Hold on little buddy, it will be OK!

SEE!!! Mothers never lie! Trace ended up loving the ride. What a different child in the matter of a few minutes! Oh No....what have I created, boys that love motorcycles! Some poor mother will think the same things that I am sure Grandpa Ralph thought! I just hope that my boys turn out so be so good as my dad!! Wild and crazy but good as gold!!

So now you get to see what the rest of us did while the boys bikes around! Waited and waited! But what better company to hang out with on a nice day! Thanks Hailey for letting us come and ride motorcycles at your house! I swear if you didn't know it you would think that we have two sets of twins! To fun!!

And finally......Avery never did turn the corner and love the fast ride! She left crying and that is how she got off. And she got off as fast as she could! So the worry of her being a biker chick is gone for the time being! At least Grandpa was having a great time! Thanks Dad!!

Ride'um Cowboy!

Now that is one happy cowboy! We went o Hailey's for the "branding of the cows" and Dax thought that he was in heaven! He was so excited to be able to ride a horse all by himself this year. While we were out there he told me that he did want to go to Disneyland for his birthday but that he had changed his mind to going to Colton's house because "THIS IS AWESOME!"
Avery and Kylie just a chattin' in the horses. Yes - they are also riding all by them selves! When we get these two girls together there is NEVER a quite moment! They are tooo fun!

Trace is just hangin' out on the horse! What a cute little stink!

I love this picture of my dad with all of my kids! I think that they get the love of horses from him. Thanks dad for taking them out on the horses!

I really don't know how many times they went around. All day would have been fine with all of them I think! LOVE IT!

So the kids all switched places and I wonder who thought that it is was good idea to let all of the little girls try to walk. This is how it went....step, giggle, fall down, get up, step, giggle.......! What a great Grandpa to put up with it as long as he did!

I just think that this picture of Trace and Kaycee was just tooo cute! They are just a the cutest stage in life. Love them! I just wish that they would figure out that they are good friends already! It will come someday....I hope!

This is what I call a fun game that wasn't thought thru! They hold on to the fun swinging rope with a metal clasp on it, and throw it. I wish that I had the picture of the end of the game when it first came back and hit Avery in the forehead. Then trace thought that he could get it and it hit him in the head too. Maybe next time we will think it thru.....maybe not!