Cache Valley Weekend

We finally took a trip down to Smithfield over the weekend, and it was so great to see everyone! Wes and Megan blessed baby Cole on Sunday, so we took a long weekend and tried to fit in as much as we could. We got to see all of our siblings except Jeff's family, and we missed them!

On Saturday we took the kids to lunch with Wes and Meg's family, and then we went to see Dustin's sister's new house. Good job, Laney and Rod! They have done some remodeling and it is darling. We are so excited for baby Halle to come, and for her to see her cute pink room!

After lunch we went to Darin and Trina's to see McKenna's kitties. They were so darling, and it was cute to see the kids lovin' on them, especially McKenna.

McKenna is a true animal lover, definitely her mother's girl. Apparently, when the kitties were born, one didn't make it, and McKenna tried giving it mouth-to-mouth. Whoa! That is real love! It was also pretty funny to see the kitties with Trina's boxers. They were so VERY interested in every move the kitties made.

My parents, Jenna and Preslie drove up to Smithfield to meet us and Garret, Trulie, and Jace for dinner on Saturday night. We thoroughly enjoyed Callaway's with them. We hadn't been there in so long, and it was delish, as always.

On Sunday, Cole's blessing went very well. Wes did such a good job. I know you always say that, but really, it made me cry. My hubby comes from good stock, I think! However, I'm really disappointed with myself. By the time I got around to pictures, he was the only one who was still in his "outfit." No picture of him and daddy on his blessing day...oh, well, I guess that happens when you are number 4 of 4 crazy kids! I was so happy that we got to stay at Wes and Megans, they are such awesome hosts and I got a little extra time to enjoy this little angel. He is so sweet and roly-poly, I could not get enough of those cheeks! And just look at those little legs! He could make anyone baby-hungry. And I was not a hard sell...

We had a great time afterward at their house with yummy food and good company. We were so happy to have a little bit of sun that afternoon so the kids could play outside together. They made a trip up to the barn to see Wes' new little mule colt, Sunset. Isn't she adorable!

Hudson has SO MUCH fun with his little boy cousins. He tries to do everything they do.

Kennedy was so happy to see Sunny again, she is so impatient for Dustin to get our pasture ready so she can come up to Rexburg.

Kennedy is pretty jealous that Taft, Seth and Katelyn can just walk up to Grandpa's anytime they want and see him and the animals. Taft cracks me up around the horses. As Wes says, he thinks he is the man from Snowy River and doesn't hesitate to hop in the corral and try to show off.

Here is Dustin, trying to have a little snooze after lunch, and some of the girls decided that while he was vulnerable they would try to get in a little payback for all of the teasing.

(having a nap in the middle of the floor in that position? He does kind of look like he's asking for it...)

Jami, you'll be happy to know, they fared no better than you usually do... :)

On Monday we went down to Bridgerland and had breakfast with Wes in the cafeteria. He really talked up the breakfast burritos, and they were awesome. I really should have taken a picture, it was huge and delicious. It was so great to be in Cache Valley on a relaxing Monday. We stocked up on our Utah faves: We hit Pepperidge for cookies and goldfish by the pound, and Lee's for Casper's Dressing and DeVerle's seasoning.

Monday afternoon, we picked up Jacer and met Garret at Bluebird* for lunch. Jami, Jenna, Preslie and my mom came too, and it was just another party. We were a little early, so we took the kids to the park to get out a little energy. Let me tell you, having two of the sweetest people in the world for parents and being the littlest guy on the playground did not stop Jace from being the biggest bully there. He was hilarious, growling at everyone and pushing the kids who stalled on the slide. What a guy! I loved having a little time to play with him. Don't worry, G&T, he will be fine. Hang in there a little longer... :)

All in all, a GREAT weekend. OK, I can come back to Rexburg and be happy again. For a little while anyway....

*Ahh, Bluebird. You know, we've lived in the 'burg for about 5 years now, and we get to where we think, "we're fine up here with our Bajio and Papa Kelsey's and the Backyard and Fong's Chinese, and every sort of fast food you could ever want, and let's not forget all the yummy dessert places," but then we actually drive through Logan. Bluebird! Juniper! Mandarin Garden! Hamiltons! El Toro! That's not even counting Callaway's, Firehouse and Feng Shui in Smithfield. We even miss Chili's and El Sol. JEEZ! If you live there, please enjoy it!

Easter...Finally

We had such a great Easter Weekend! Trulie and Jace came up to visit and we were so happy to have company for the holiday. Jace is just the funniest little guy, I could listen to him "talk" all day. He turned two on the 15th so it was fun to give him his present here and see him so close to his birthday. That is the absolute worst part about living here: missing pretty much all of my nieces and nephew's birthdays...anyway, Happy Birthday Jacer!

They came up Friday night and stayed till Sunday afternoon. They all played here while I did some engagement pictures Saturday morning and then we all went to the Easter Egg hunt at our church. It was the PERFECT hunt: Didn't start till 1:00 pm; they had tons of fun prizes along with the candy filled eggs; they let the little kids' group go first, then the older kids, so I got to watch both of my kids run; and to top it all off, Gorgeous weather! So warm the chocolate candy in the eggs was a little melty.

Hudson was totally into it this year, and, being 2 1/2, was one of the older kids in the 0-3 section. He loved it! Especially since he realized before hand that there was candy in the eggs! The worst part was holding him back until the starting whistle!

Kennedy loved it, too. She was so fast and her basket was overflowing by the time she was done. Doesn't she look proud of herself??

Analyzing the loot...

The Hunt was organized by some awesome girls in my ward, they did such a great job, Thank YOU! We had so much fun!

Trulie and I even managed to sneak out during nap time Saturday afternoon for some picture-location-scouting and some sweet shopping. She is so fun to hang out with, we try not to get into too much trouble together...I love her tons!

Sunday morning Kennedy was so excited, she woke up at probably 6 am(not sure, too tired to look at the clock), but we made her go back to sleep about three times between then and 7:30, when we finally dragged ourselves out of bed. She loved her surprises from the Bunny...


But I think Hudson gave the best reaction. The bunny sure knows that kid...Lightning McQueen everything...

And of course, the OUTFITS...

We had so many eggs around, so we had another little hunt at our house on Sunday afternoon. I am so mean, I made them pose again before we said go.

"Can I have a pin-cess egg, Mom? Can I?"

Jace loved chasing Tahoe around, or as he called him, "Ruff-ruff."

Hudson even got a chance to try out his new wheels. He can't quite pedal on his own yet, but loves to sit on it...Plus, new Lightning McQueen shirt from Trulie plus new Lightning McQueen bike and helmet equals HEAVEN...

Thanks so much to Trulie for coming up and spending the weekend with us. I loved being able to see Jace and the kids loved playing with him. We sure missed you Garret! Garret, my little brother, has diabetes, and does really well most of the time, but gave us quite a scare last week. I know Heavenly Father hand-picked Trulie for him so he would have a guardian angel here on earth. We love you guys so much and are so glad everything turned out OK. Can't wait to see you again soon!

So I won't forget...

I couldn't ask for a more perfect little subject! She loves to pose for me; whenever there is something I want to try, she more than happy to help out! She is a great big sister to Hudson. Yes, they fight, quite a bit, but when it matters, she is so protective of him, and loving and helpful. She loves teaching him things and secretly loves it when I bring him to school, so she can show him off. She loves to color, draw, practice writing and spelling things. She is so smart! She can now read pretty much everything, and is constantly pointing out signs and the like. She makes me so proud! She loves school and comes home happy and exctited everyday. The only thing she doesn't like about school is "the white milk. It tastes disgusting. When I have to have a white milk, I don't drink it and try not to throw up if I smell it." Hmmm, she usually likes white milk, so I think this is funny...This is what her teacher wrote on her last report card: (please don't tell me if it is what they all say!) "Kennedy is an attentive hard worker. She is friendly and makes friends easily. She performs well in everything she undertakes."
She loves dancing and is getting to be such a cute little performer. She loves to be on the stage and smiles the whole time. She loves riding her bike and playing with her dolls. I want to remember how she is such a detail oriented person, even at six. She loves to dress her barbies in just the right outfits, and set up elaborate settings for their adventures. She loves to accessorize her own outfits just right, and arrange the pictures and knicknacks in her room over and over. She is such a joy to be around and I love her so much!

The last picture...

...Of her beautiful little baby teeth smile! Her front top tooth is so loose it's crooked right now, so I took these just in the nick of time!
This one is my very favorite! More to come...

Monster Trucks!

We had such a fun weekend! My parents came up, and we had so much fun hanging out with them. We went to the temple with them on Friday morning, and then of course Kennedy and Grandpa made a Cal-Ranch run for a new horse. Don't worry, he makes her give him a foot massage so she won't be spoiled....yeah, right.

Can you tell how much Hudson loves the Cocoa Bean? I swear, I only go for my kids... and my mom... :)

I try to not go to the cupcake store unless we have company. Good thing my parents come up quite regularly, or I might be in danger of getting skinny...

We had tickets to the Monster Trucks in Pocatello on Saturday, so I let my Dad have my ticket and mom and I shopped and saw a movie (Duplicity...OK) together. I have to say, I enjoyed that so much! Especially the shopping-minus-kids part. It is Easter-outfits-crunch-time, so that time was well-spent! Dustin and Grandpa were less than thrilled with the Monster Truck show, it was not enough car-crushing and too-much amateur motor-cross racing and exhaust. The kids, especially Hudson, LOVED it. He talks about it constantly, so I guess it was worth going...Plus Grandpa bought them each a fun souvenir, so that's what counts, right?

Grandpa Jay, Hudson, and Kennedy. Don't they look excited?

This was, obviously, Kennedy's favorite. It had a girl driver, yeah!

And of course, yummy ice cream after....

I think she is adding "monster-truck-driver" to the list of what she wants to be when she grows up...after rodeo queen, president, dentist, and easter-egg-artist.

Thanks so much for the visit and fun weekend, mom and dad! Love you!

Babies, babies...

Last weekend we took the kids to see some baby goats at our friend's farm. They were so adorable! Hudson had been talking about going to see them for days, and he was so fun to watch with them. He was nervous at first but got comfortable and loved holding the tiny ones.

Kennedy loved them, too!

This one was only about 45 minutes old! I just might have to get one for my pasture...

Kind of wary...

Getting braver...

And he's got it!

Who knew how adorable and fun baby goats are? Seriously, like puppies!

But this little angel was Hudson's favorite baby. Isn't she gorgeous? He held her for about 5 minutes straight. Thats, like, FOREVER for him. He got mad if any of the other kids tried to get to close. What a big boy!

Thanks so much for letting us play, Campbells!