More Fun with the Girls......

These pictures are from March 23rd. I know I am way behind but I wanted to post them because I think the girls look adorable (as always)

April's family came over after a doctor appointment. When I got home from work I found that Howie had planned a little picnic right smack dab in the middle of my kitchen floor. The blankets were laid out and he was cooking up some chicken. What a GREAT guy! After dinner I decided to help my "girls" make leprechauns.

Karah absolutely loves any kind of art project.....

Lyssi showing off her work of art!

Hey where did Boo go?!?

I love my granddaughters......

Since the blankets were already out for the picnic, the girls begged for some blanket fun. If you have been following my blog then I know you have seen a million "blanket" pictures, BUT it is a huge part of the fun at Papa Howie's house. The girls and boys love it and I love to hear the laughter that comes from it.

Wish I would have captured the "giggles" as they were being taken"UP" the stairs. It was hillarious. They were laughing SOOOO hard. I finally got the camera out but it was too late. You can still see and hear a bit of the fun they had as they were coming DOWN the stairs. These girls sure enjoy this activity.

Lyssi's hair is so thin that she always gets so much static from the blankets. Look how her hair sticks to it. I love her smile and her bright eyes!

We had another March snow storm and so after playing with the blankets Howie decided to take the girls out to make a snowman. The snow was absolutely PERFECT!

The girls did not have snow clothes with them but that did not matter. A pair of socks on the hands worked just fine!

Lyss with her Papa.....

TaaaaDaaaaa!

As they were out making the snowman Karah decided it would be fun to start a snowball fight. I love how the socks on her little hands are just dangling down - barely on! Also notice the snowball just about to make impact on her Papa Howie.

She just kept at it- throwing snow even though Papa just ignored it at first. She is just like her grandma....Always looking for a "FIGHT" :)

HEEEEYYYYY!!!! You got me!

Oh no! Here come Lyss! Look out Papa Howie!!!

She copies EVERYTHING her big sister does!

Papa is out for REVENGE!

He chased the girls around with this GIANT snowball!

HELP GRANDMA "T" .....SAVE US!

Hey it's FREEZIN" out here!

Time to finish up the snowman.

Here is the last ball for the head......

Technical difficulties..... The stinkin' nose would not stay in!

Each time they tried to get it in, more of the snowman's face would fall off. It was beginning to get dark so there was not enough time to really work on making this snowman COOOOL! No arms-No buttons- No scarf!

But Boo insisted on having a hat made from two kitchen bowls. Now it is finally finished and we can go inside and get warmed up :) BUUUURRRRR!

First thing Alyssa went for when she got inside was a nice warm blanket. She wanted to be bundled up to snuggle with her mom and dad. She was Freeeeezing! Her poor little hands were like icecubes!

As soon as the girls found out that it was time to head home they started crying for Papa Howie's popcorn. Almost everytime the grandkids come over he pops them up a batch. Karah is so cute how she is always looking out for her little sister Lyss. Each time Steve makes it, she reminds him how Lyssi can't have butter because she is allergic. But then tells him to pile on the butter for her. Yep, she's my granddaughter! I love butter too!

Almost done!

Time to take these crazy girls home to bed!

Goodnight hugs from dad.....

All packed up with their bags of popcorn and ready for their blanket ride out to the car! Good night girls, we had fun with you today. We love you! This tradition is going to be hard when they get to be teenagers. We will have to invest in some pretty sturdy blankets!

Conference Visitors.....

We had a nice visit this past week with some of Steve's family. They had come into town for Conference weekend from New Jersey so we met at Jan's house for a get-together. She made the most delicious soups and Dustin made some yummy rolls! :) We had fun just sitting around and visiting.

I had never met Randy's family before so it was nice to get to know them a little bit. The visit was only a few hours but once again I felt very relaxed in their company. Steve's entire family is so easy going and always makes me feel a part of them.

Howie with his little sis, Jan & big brother, Randy (Elmer)

Will came with his dad 2 years ago when we got married so I was able to meet him then. I can't believe how much he has grown in two short years. He is 15 now (I think) and he loves dirt biking! NOW WE'RE TALKIN' !!! I LOVE THAT TOO!!!

Kellyn is attending BYU and studying to be a school teacher. Poor thing! Just kidding. That's just the way I feel about school at this time of the year. The kids are crazy and you wonder what you were thinking when you thought it would be fun to teach kids!!! YIKES! She's a cutie! She reminds me a bit of my own daughter April. Very sweet!

Paul was being camera shy. I guess he was sick of strangers flashing their cameras at him. He had gone to conference on Saturday and had several people come up to him to take his picture. They asked how old he was where he lived and so maybe he will be in one of the upcoming church magazines. We will have to keep our eye out for him. He may be FAMOUS!!!! :)

Paul opened up before too long and shared with us his interest in base jumping. (maybe that is not exactly what it is called- I can't remember) Jumping off of really tall things and landing on all fours! WOW!

The visiting inside with the adults was boring him to tears so he headed outside to play.

He was having fun with Dustin as they played baseball with a STUFFED DUCK! Notice the duck flying through the air......It's going to be a strike! Sssswiiiiing batta, batta, batter!

Kendra is a doll and I love her to pieces! I think she is looking more and more like her mom! She is an amazing dancer. She took us into her room and showed us her competition dances. She's got TALENT that's for SURE!!! I am excited to see her dance recital in a month or so.

Sarah and Kellyn watching Kendra dance. By the way... her room was decorated so dang cute. Notice the puff quilt on her bed! Very cute. I also loved the way her room was painted. She said that her dad did most of it. It looked really nice!

Cute shot with mom!

I also think that Steve's daughter Heather looks a lot like Jan!

The guys relaxing outside......

Kendall hiding from the camera. It's contagious with this family I guess. They don't seem to like their picture taken but OH WELL....DEAL WITH IT..... whenever I am around you can probably always expect it :) You never know when your loved one will be gone and I want as many pictures of family members and friends as I can get. By the way, I personally think that Kendall is an amazing person. He is so talented, happy go lucky, FUNNY, friendly and just an all around good guy. I have really enjoyed the times we have spent together with his family. They are always so happy and make me laugh. They are awesome and I love them a ton!

Here is Kendall helping Bailey to do some dog tricks.....

Bailey is an important part of their family. She likes to bark, sniff people and eat anything you put in front of her. She actually settles down a bit after she realizes who has come to visit.

Bailey checkin' out Howie..... It's okay Bailey, he's a good guy!

Well when it was time to leave all the cameras came out and everyone was snapping shots.

Hey Kendall put down the stinkin' cameras and get that handsome "mug" of yours in these family pictures! He always volunteers to snap the pictures to avoid getting in them.

I thought this picture was funny of Dustin. He is so tall that his head was lost in the tree. Say CHEESE, Dustin!

We finally asked one of Jan's neighbors to come over and take some shots so that we could have the whole family together. This is pretty far away so you really can't see much detail but oh well! Everyone was in it!

We got a picture of all the cousins together and it was looking just WAAAAY too serious for my taste!

Now that's more like it! CRAZY COUSINS :)

I feel bad that I didn't get a close up shot of Randy's son Chris that day (the guy in the middle on the back row) Not sure why but I have some from our Easter party that I will be posting soon. He lives in West Valley and I am looking forward to getting to know him better. Hey, he has some easter ears going on there, (compliments of Dustin) maybe he could have been the Easter bunny on Sunday :)

Dustin and Sarah stayed with us for the weekend and it was nice to visit with them. They are so cute together and soooo in love! I love being around newlyweds because they are always so happy. They both treat each other with kindness and respect. Sarah has the most beautiful smile and I love the way it lights up her whole face. Steve and I were able to go to California and see them married in the Redlands Temple. I will never forget how much joy and happiness filled that sealing room that day. Sarah and Dustin still have that happy glow about them. It is so refreshing (especially in these times) to see such a happy couple. The love they share reminds me so much of the love that Howie and I share. It is the BEST. It was a beautiful weekend and a wonderful chance to get to know them better. Come back anytime to visit. You are always welcome. We love you a bunch!

Howie's 55th B-Day....

Howie's birthday is on March 1st. This shows how behind I am on posting this. OOOPS!! For some strange reason I thought Steve was turning 55 years old this year. Not sure where I got that number from but it did not make Howie too happy when he heard me telling my daughter that. He actually was turning 52! I guess at that ripe old age every year matters. He doesn't want to be any older than he has to be. I just figure that your actual age has nothing to do with how you feel. Howie acts and looks like he is a LOT younger than he is. (that is precisely why we get along sooo well- two young spirits in love) I am constantly watching him and wondering where he gets all of his ENERGY!. He is a WILD MAN sometimes!

I decided to have the kids come over for a birthday celebration for him. Karah had made her Papa Howie a homemade birthday card with glitter paint. Those homemade cards are alway the best because you know how much time, effort and creativity went into it. She is a sweet heart!

She also made one for Uncle Ty. His birthday was a week earlier.

Here is Luke smelling my beautiful roses.

My crazy boy Brayden jumping on the bed!

Hey.... NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!

Luke found the Legos.... As soon as the kids come over to our house they head downstairs to play with the toys.

Hugs for daddy.....

April with our sweet Alyssa....

Ash trying the DS... Hey Dawn, What is your Brain Age?

Ty playing games on his new phone......

Our little Brayden was put into time out a few times that day.... Poor guy.

Here is daddy Ty talking to him to help him understand the importance of making better choices. It was cute to watch these two together. Usually he gets sent to time out and has to stay there with no one around and no attention. After he settles down Ash or Ty talk with him about what he needs to do to stay OUT of time out. Cute parents....

The kids really enjoy the Wii game we have. They are pretty good at it as well. It is unbelievable how quickly these small kids pick up on things. They can almost beat me in those games.

Here is Brayden bowling from the couch....Look at his style!

Jack-Jack playing Wii bowling. He has quite the arm. It doesn't show it here in this video but this boy can really WING it!

I love the style and grace Boo shows as she bowls. She looks just like her mom! I think it is funny part way through the video clip Ash had mentioned how Karah had a great spin (meaning the spin on her ball) Then Brayden starts spinning around in circles. Like.... "Mom, do you like my spin too?

I didn't have time to make a homemade cake for Howie this year. This one will have to do! Sorry Steve! I did remember however to buy the right candles. The BIG 5-2

Our grandkids have a problem when it comes to birthday cakes. They fight everytime over who gets to blow out the candle. I had some pretty funny videos of them as we took turns having each one blow them out. Lots of pushing, shoving and crying. We even ran out of matches so we had to find a lighter so that each one got their own turn.

It is sweet to have our grandkids share in these special days with us. Sometimes it gets crazy with all of the crying and little tantrums that they have but for the most part they get along great. It just seems like everytime I get the camera out the fighting begins. Too Wierd! They will have fun watching it when they grow up. FUN WITH COUSINS!

I enjoyed just chillin' with the family this night. Not much planned, just laying around visiting. It is so nice to have my girls living so close to us. I wish Steve's kids lived closer and we could include them in our parties. We both miss them so much.

Happy 55th Howie :)

(or however old you are)

I love my Old Geeeezer!

I notice that the past few sets of pictures that I have taken have NONE of the two of us together. Something is wrong with that! I need a picture of me with my MAN!