A day in the life of...

Easter (backtracking again...sorry)

2010-05-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday

I found some fabulous fabric in cute spring colors and decided to make coordinating dresses for my girls and Natalie Kate's best friend Brianne Schwendiman. They looked so sweet.

All four of my kids in their Easter attire. Good lookin' bunch, huh?

George, trying to escape . ( I caught him midair. Goofy kid!)

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt with Adam Mortensen

Last year we had an Easter egg hunt and George's buddy Adam came to join us. We decided to make it an annual occurence. The kids had a good time and got their fill of candy without us having to break the bank and buy Easter baskets.

Henry, grabbing eggs out of the tree

Natalie Kate, looking in the playhouse

George, grabbing an egg off the window
(I love Wonka Zero Gravity Eggs)

Adam, continuing his search

Claire, surveying the yard to find more.

(Turn around! There's a green one hanging on the sign!)

George with his big haul

Adam, wondering where all the eggs went

George, pulling Tootsie Pops out of the flower bed

Natalie doing the same

It's Spring (almost Summer!) in Dixie! Woo! Hoo!

2010-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Back at the Spin Park, enjoying the wonderful weather before it disappears

Henry at the balancing swings

Natalie, trying her hand at the balancing swings

Henry & George ice-blocking

Henry & Natalie climbing the rock wall

George, hanging out

Henry rolling down the hill

Silly Claire Goofy George

Pretty lil' Natalie Kate

Funny Henry

My kids sliding down the grass hill on ice slabs

More ice-blocking. Woo! Hoo!

Happy Birthday from Darth George

2010-05-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Darth George sings Happy Birthday in his underpants

A Visit with Great Gramma Luce

2010-05-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

In January we made the drive up to Salt Lake to visit with Great Gramma Maxine Luce. We hadn't seen her since her 95th Birthday Party in August. It was time for another visit! The kids love to visit her place. In the spring, the whole yard is in bloom with flowers of every kind.

And in the winter, there's SNOW! Knock knock! Coming in!

George, chillin' on the sofa with Dad and Great Gramma

Claire playing with gramma's toys

Group shot! Everybody smile!

There was plenty of snow for little Natalie!

Kindergarten Graduation!

2010-05-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

The pictures are out of order but I couldn't get the top two pictures to go to the bottom to preserve proper order. (Duh.)

Walking thru the graduation arch in her super-cool Zoo Keeper dress

(heh heh) :)

My little graduate

April 27th was Kindergarten Graduation (even though they still had a month of school left!). Each child was assigned to a profession for their "When I Grow Up..." program. Claire was the Zoo Keeper, and a darn cute one at that!

This was the program opener, with her neighborhood buddies,

Josh Hardy (the farmer) and Drew Foster (the athlete).

I love this little song (even though I only got part of it).

Isn't she the sweetest little Zoo Keeper ever?! She brought some stuffed animals with her but forgot to take them up to the microphone with her. But clearly she is wearing a Zoo Keeper dress and hat. There's no mistaking who she is!

This was my Crybaby Moment. They were all so cute, all dressed up. They all did a great job! Mrs. Olson's managed to do a great job wrangling all these 5 and 6 year olds again this year. (She was Natalie and Henry's teacher as well.)

Claire's First Day of School

2009-11-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

(OK OK, so I'm about three months late on getting this entry done,

but I'm a busy girl! Gimme a break!)

So... funny little Claire started Kindergarten! (Our friend Marjean had taken each of the kids on their very own school-shopping trip. Claire saw this little "school-girl dress" and simply HAD to have it. Marjean was kind enough to oblige.) She was so excited about kindergarten. I think a lot of that was rooted in the fact I wouldn't let her wear her new dress until school started. (She cried and cried at the Kindergarten Round-Up when the kids get to meet their teacher and familiarize themselves a bit with their classroom.

Cute, new clothes make all the difference in the world! Thanks, Marjean!

Standing in line, listening intently to Mrs. Olson

A moment of hesitance

Sandwiched in line between her two buddies Josh Hardy and Drew Foster

"I Dressed Myself"

2009-11-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

George had jumped in the shower. When he got out, I threw him his underpants. He wanted to dress himself. moments later, he walked in the kitchen and announced that he was ready for school. He's got on a clean pair of pajama pants, a clean (but inside out and backwards) pajama shirt, his boots (on the wrong feet) and NO UNDERWEAR. My baby's going commando!

He's saying "I dressed myself." And indeed he had.

Back Where It All Began

2009-11-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

In the Middle of October when the leaves were changing colors and the temperature starting to cool slightly, we decided to take a drive up to Zion National Park for the day. We packed a lunch and packed the kids and headed back to the place it all began.

Here's the whole family standing in the same spot where

Trav and I got married nearly 14 years ago.

Miss Natalie Kate climbing around

The men-folk hiking around

George, Natalie, Henry and Claire

a perfectly good spot to take a photo

(Zion is SO beautiful!)

Same spot, same kids, looking in the same direction this time

Halloween is finally here!!

2009-11-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

The girls both had their dance recital on Halloween. The little girls danced to The Monster Mash and the big girls danced to Thriller. It was Claire's first time and she was all-smiles. They both did a bang-up job! Natalie, in position
Claire and Lexi McInnes, hanging out to watch the bigger girls

Brett and Tiffany Reynolds at the Trunk-or-Treat. Tiffany is their dance teacher but moonlights as a mad scientist/balloon bender. It's nice to be friends with talented people!!

Cameron McInnes and our little George

The little buddies found each other at Trunk or Treat adn decided to stop for a snack.

The Trick-or-Treaters on their way out the door

Natalie = Taylor Swfit

George = the Travelocity Gnome

Henry = the Secret Apprentice

(Star Wars, of course)

and Claire = Madeline

They had a fabulous Halloween and 3 weeks later, we're still trying to plow our way thru all the candy!

Natalie Kate's Baptism at Otter Creek

2009-07-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

A day to remember...

Paola Hawkins and Natalie Kate Stafford

Paola and Natalie

Natalie, testing the water

Natalie Kate

Natalie on bank of Otter Creek

It's a lengthy one, but with good reason. Our little Natalie and her cousin Paola Hawkins (my sister, Cheryl's little girl) got baptized yesterday in Otter Creek. Why Otter Creek? It was our Grandpa Fletcher's favorite fishing hole. The girls wanted to be baptized together, but we knew it would have to take place on neutral ground. Cheryl and I hatched a plan to have it all happen at the Creek and they went along with it. (Yeah!!) After much planning and plotting, the day finally arrived. When we got to Otter Creek (right by Antimony, if that helps. Ha!) it was a beautiful day. It was just before noon and the sun was shining brightly. As we waited for everyone to get there, the skies darkened a bit and big raindrops began to fall. The boats started coming in off the water. We were right by the boat ramp where they had been kind enough to reserve us a few picnic spots with easy access to the water and the restrooms. Things got pretty busy there for a few minutes as we rallied our troops and trucks came down to haul up the boats. Soon enough, everyone was there, the rain ceased, the sun returned, the Creek was empty save for one small boat that soon disappeared out of sight. Coincidence? I doubt it. I think it was just Grandpa Fletcher's way of letting us know that he, too, had arrived.

And so began a very special day in the lives of two very special little girls:

Natalie Kate Stafford & Paola Annabela Janice Hawkins

Natalie Kate on the bank of Otter Creek in her dress that she sewed, with a little help from me. She did such a good job as I coached her to "Sew with confidence!!" instead of being so afraid to do something wrong. It turned out beautifully!

Gary, Trav, Jeanette, Uncle John, Grandma Fletcher, Uncle Bill and Aunt Rosie, waiting for us to get started

James and his Dad talk as my Dad visits with Bishop George "Porg" Thompson and his daughter and son. (Porg is both my Mom and Dad's first cousin.)

Little George took "Gramma" Susan on a nice little walk around the hill we were on while we weer trying to get everything situated and organized.

Aunt Rosie Fletcher getting ready for the music. She accompanied the opening and closing songs. She also wrote a song just for the occasion. It was so incredibly beautiful. How much more special can a baptism get than having a song written just for you! Aunt Rosie's amazing that way.

Jeanette, Marjean (almost entirely behind Uncle John's hat), Grandma Fletcher, Trav with George, Mom, and Aunt Rosie

Bishop "Porg" talking to the girls about the importance of what was about to happen. He also reminded them that while there were many family members and a few friends there to watch, he was certain that there was someone special there, who they couldn't see, but who was very proud of them: their Great Grandpa Fletcher (his Uncle Clele). It was so beautiful. Anyone who wasn't already crying on account of Aunt Rosie's song went ahead and started.

Our dear friend, Marjean Beaman made the drive up with her friend Jeanette Barela. She bought Natalie the shoes of her choosing to wear with the dress she made to be confirmed in. What a gem! We have decided to adopt Marjean as our own!

"Uncle Gary" Goodman and little Miss Natalie Kate

As she walked out, her flip-flops floated off her feet.

The look on her face says it all: that water was C-O-L-D! (What a good sport!)

Natalie, retrieving her flip-flops before returning to dry land.

James and Paola Hawkins

I love this picture of James and Paola entering the water.

I just think it's so sweet.

Paola, giving Aunt Rosie a well-deserved hug

as Grandma and Uncle Rex look on.

Aunt Ellie and Uncle Bill Steeves: They live in Elko, Nevada. Ellie gave a wonderful talk on the Holy Ghost and gave the girls each a compass, a map and flashlight and a fuzzy blanket to remind them of all the Holy Ghost could do for them. They loved it!

Both Natalie and Paola were baptized in their daughter, Elke's baptismal dress. Elke passed away when she was only 18. It was our way of remembering her on their special day.

Uncle Rex Fletcher: He's the man in charge of all the fun! He brought his 2 Sea Doo's, life jackets and other assorted water-fun things. We've learned from past experience that, whether on land or on sea, it's always a good idea to put the fun in the hands of Uncle Rex!

Travis out on one of the Sea Doo's.

He and James kept themselves busy giving the kids rides.

Uncle Rex even brought a life-jacket that was just Claire's size!

She couldn't have been more thrilled!

Little Thad and Paola and Natalie getting ready to have fun

with a little assistance from Uncle Rex

Sam and Henry paddling around the shore on the Air Head

Little Georgie, walking up the boat ramp.

He's sunburned and his feet are prune-y. He's ready to go.

Porg and his boy, Shan, and their dog Boomer, talk to Paola and Trav after

the torrential downpour that followed our three hours of fun on the water.

Thunder, lightning and raindrops the size of golf balls.

(OK, maybe that last part is a slight exaggeration, but it was crazy how hard it was raining!)

Chelsea, waiting for her Dad (Porg) to decide if they are

going to wait out the storm or call it a day.

He doesn't look like he's going anywhere soon. But alas, he did.

It 'bout broke his heart to leave the Creek without any fish. Poor Porg!

All in all, it could not have been a more perfect day!

Thanks to all those who shared it with us, as well as those who participated in her confirmation today at Church. She was confirmed by our friend and Home Teacher since Natalie was just little, Heber Trunnell, accompanied by Brett Reynolds, "Uncle" Gary, Evan Cramer, Bruce Sanderson and the Bishopric: Bishop Ben Squires, Troy Olson and Brandon Dunbar. The Reynolds family (Brett, Tiffany, Bryson and Brooklynn) and the Mitchell family (Sky Scott, Jeremy "Moose" Mitchell, and Emma & Ashley) were all in attendance for her confirmation.

It was yet another wonderful day!

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are all dressed up for Easter. I made the girls new dresses. (Their dolls got new matching dresses, too, of course!! I made George a new dress shirt to go with his tie that I made many moons ago for Henry. Henry, well, he got a new shirt and tie, too, but he's all store bought.

Since I had time to spare and we were still a few days from Easter, I decided to make Natalie's best friend, Brianne, a matching Easter dress. We had Stake Conference on Easter Sunday so it was the only time the 2 of them would be at the Church at the same time, both in need of new Easter dresses. (I made her a little doll for her baptism and it needed a matching Easter dress also.) I LOVE BEING ABLE TO SEW!! It's just such fun!!

George has a monkey on his fever thing.

2009-04-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

The girls love to put stickers on George just to see how long he'll leave them on.

It usually takes him several hours to discover them. Well...

George hasn't been feeling particularly well. He's had the liqui-poos and then came down with a little fever. Poor little guy! So the other night, we're getting ready to eat dinner and Claire says to me, "Mom, George has a monkey on his fever thing." Huh?

I looked down and sure enough... there was a monkey on his 'fever thing'.

(I guess she had forgotten what a forehead was called. Hmmm.)

Hidden Valley isn't hidden anymore!

2009-03-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

We finally found the Hidden Valley Park. It's a bit of a jaunt from our house, but it's SO worth the drive! The weather was beautiful and the kids were out of school for 10 days. We spent lots of time at various parks! HVP was definitely the favorite! Claire in her new pretty pink cowgirl boots (and her skirt that I made out my old kitchen curtains) playing around at Hidden Valley Park.

Funny pics of Geroge Axier at Hidden Valley Park during Spring Break.

(He's wearing his Bilbao Athletic Club shirt that Uncles Axier & Luis bought him.)

Pick a winner!

Hey! This thing shoots out water! Watch!

2009-03-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

So, George finally caught on to the fact that our new fridge dispenses water in the door. This should seriously cut down on the need to bathe him every night!

Claire's a real V.I.E. in our family!

2009-03-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Claire was so funny. We were trying to have Family Home Evening and she kept raising her hand. I finally acknowledged her and she said asked when she would get to sing her song. "Fine... sing your song."

She was so cute about it that I asked if I could make a video of it. She whole-heartedly agreed and performed her number once again. (or 3 times again, I guess)

She a real V.I. E. in our family. For sure!

It's Christmas time!!

2008-12-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

TWAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS...

My Mom dropped in on us for a VERY surprise visit. We were all so surprised (except Trav who plotted with her to keep it secret). We are having so much fun with her!

We decided to brave the elements and head to the Spin Park down the road and see just how dizzy we could all get. (Gramma wouldn't even try any of the spinners!) Hmmm. The kids had tons of fun... until George and Claire both froze and we had to go. It was just as well since it started to snow not long after we arrived at home.

Henry and Natalie on the treadmill-of-sorts

(well, Henry on it, Natalie off it)

Natalie and Henry on the little double-decker swinging things, just relaxing after much spinning.

Henry, preparing to go down the super fast, tunnel enclosed slide

Natalie, inside the torpedo-shaped vomit-comet (this thing spins WAY too fast for my liking!)

Claire, just chillin'

Little George, staring as everything else in the park spins

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!

Henry, Natalie and Claire, playing with the Wii that G'ma and G'pa Sewell got the family for Christmas

Henry and Natalie "boxing" on the Wii

Giddy up, Little Georgie!

I bought this little horse at a yard sale for $2 (score!) Trav took it all apart and sandblasted it, I sanded and stained it and made it a new mane and tail, and Bruce (our handy neighbor) reshaped the face a little, attached the mane and gave it a new handle. It took a bit of effort but it's now the perfect rocking horse for our littel cowboy! AND HE LOVES IT!

Saturday Afternoon in Cannonville

2008-11-15T15:56:00.001-08:00

A few Saturdays ago, we went up to Cannonville to hang out with Grandma Fletcher, Aunt Rosie, Uncle Rex, Uncle John, Jack (John's son), Kristen (John's daughter) and her family: Aaron and kids Jaden, Josh, and Jenna. Kristen lives in Arizona and wanted to spend her birthday in Cannonville. Since Kristen is both my first cousin and Travis' (my Uncle John used to be married to Trav's Aunt Nedra) we decided we better show up and catch up on all the family news. We took along Henry's best friend, Tevin, just to show him a good time.

And a good time is exactly what we had!

When we got there, Aunt Rosie was already going strong, getting the Dutch Oven dinner going. Soon John & Rex and the crew showed up and a bunch of us took off to go hiking, with Uncle Rex as our fearless guide. We had a fun afternoon of visiting with family we don't see enough of and left after a delicious meal. It was a Saturday well spent in one of my favorite places on earth.

Never mind the sign. I just thought this was so cute of the funny red-heads bonding on Grandma Fletcher's couch.

Whenever we happen to plan things perfectly and Uncle Rex is in Cannonville, he takes us all up on the Red Rocks to go hiking. First it's up to the Merry-Go-Round, then down the slide. As a kid, this was all great fun. That was before I grew up and learned to fear. I barely made it up and I certainly wasn't going down any "slide" to get down.

(L to R) Jack, Aaron, Uncle Rex, Jaden, Natalie, Claire, Josh, Henry & Tevin

The brave ones moved on to bigger, redder rocks. George, Claire, & I stayed behind.

Natalie, a little too close to the edge, checking out the great metropolis of Cannonville

Uncle Rex, Tevin & Henry

Everyone up on the Merry-Go-Round

Tevin, skiing down the gravel. (I don't know where his other leg went. No wonder he needs a stick to walk!)

Natalie, Henry, Tevin, Josh, Claire, & Jaden on the gravel mound.

Henry, George, Claire, & Natalie up on Little Red Rock

The kids up on the "Merry-Go-Round"

Uncle Rex, being a good sport while George tries to feed him his glasses.

. George trouncing through the brush in his cowboy boots.

The Entire Spooky Crew

2008-11-04T21:21:00.001-08:00

Natalie was a 20's Flapper

Claire wanted to be Fern from Charlotte's Web. We found her a prize-winning pig for $.50 at the thrift store and I sewed a spider to it. Overalls and braids and she was good to go!

Showing our love for St. George's newest landmark, In-N-Out Burger, I made the boys In-N-Out uniforms out of a bed sheet and a yard of red fabric. Trav made them engraved name tags at work. In-N-Out was kind enough to provide us with paper hats. (I sewed George's to make it small enough to fit his little head.)

George was not having any fun at our little photo shoot.

After much time and many tries, this was about as good as it got. Not everyone is happy. Not everyone is looking at the camera. But everyone is in the picture. Good enough!

Sweet little Natalie Kate in her Flapper Girl get-up

Getting ready to catch the bus on Haloween. (That's Henry's buddy, Tevin in the tie.)

Lexi McInnes and Claire on their way to preschool at Mrs. Kathy's.

(Claire changed her mind on "Fern" and decided to be a witch instead.

Un-original, I know, but cute nonetheless.)

3 out of 4, looking for some treats at Carol's house

Hanging out with Great-Gramma Fletcher and Aunt Rosie in Cedar City

These are the many moods of George, all evident in a 4 second video.

Happy Halloween! (Did you want onions on that?)

2008-11-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, I took little George to In-N-Out for an early lunch. (Is 10:30 too early to eat I double-double...I think not!)

As soon as the grill crew caught sight of him, he was a huge hit.

It was hillarious!

Juan stopped working long enough to take a picture with him.

Taking a break from work, George chows down on some fresh french fries. Yum! Yum! (And an XL lemonade to wash them down, of course.)

Back to work for the little guy! Sweeping the floors...
looks like some kid has dropped a bunch of fries under the table.

Ashley, giving him some tips. Everyone was so helpful.

Summer Vacation 2008 (the 1st half)

2008-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

We started out our trip with a long stretch of NOTHING. We drove about 10 hours our first day, stopping only once (in Tonopah) before reaching our first of several destinations: LAKE TAHOE

Striking a pose by the fountain in front of our hotel

After lunch (at the Hard Rock, of course) we walked around and checked out a bunch of the little shops, looking for the perfect souvenir.
We spotted a bear and stopped for a photo.
Our hotel had a private beach, just a few blocks away. The kids played around. George found a bottle lid that he carried with him the rest of the night. It was really very cute.
After leaving Tahoe, we headed to Roseville. We stopped to visit some dear friends of mine, Elva and Lou Bosco whom I hadn't seen in 21 years (yikes!) not since their son Robbie's wedding reception. It was so good to see them again and get to show off the kids. Trav couldn't help but give them a hard time BYU since he's anything but a Y fan and they are True Blue (go figure!) We all had a really nice visit.

Simply couldn't resist the Forrest Gump shoes, just begging to be filled.
Man! That was one hungry starfish! (This was at the San Francisco Bay Aquarium)
Outside the Hard Rock in San Fran
(Isn't that a lovely hat Claire has on? Of all the things in a souvenir shop, she has to pick out the sparkly red chauffer hat. Ugh.)

The kids with Scuba Sam (the aquarium mascot)
This has to be my favorite picture of our entire vacation. This was Claire on the boat ride to Alcatraz. What a shot!

The entrance to Alcatraz

Trav and George and the audio tour
View of San Fran from Alcatraz
I so need a sign like this somewhere in my house!

I took these two in the little supply room.

We drove north a bit and went to see Old Faithful and the Petrified Forrest

Natalie Kate, looking awfully sweet
Yep... Old Faithful

Claire and a Petrified Bear (can you blame him?)
at the entrance to the Petrified Forrest, by a ginormous, very old tree

3 out of 4 out on Fisherman's Wharf
Trying thier hands at the pulley lift

Waiting for our boat cruise around the Bay
Claire wanted to take a picture with her and the "Archies". (She call them that since that's what they say... obviously! "Arch! Arch!")

After 5 nights in San Fran, we headed south. On to Santa Cruz,Monterey Bay, and Fontana, before heading home.

Summer Vacation 2008 (the 2nd half)

2008-07-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. We played a few games...
and went on a Killer Whale (think "Dumbo") ride...
and then got on the road toward our next stop... Monterey!

Once again we got a hotel with a beach, this one just right outside our door!

George turned 1 the day we got to Monterey, so we went to Safeway, bought him a big piece of cake (and candles... and a lighter) and had watched as the fun began. (There's video in the next entry if you haven't seen it yet.)
He was very neat about it and only got a little bit on his shirt.
He made sure he got plenty in his mouth, that's for sure!
Henry, on the patio, enjoying the view.
The California fires made for some great color in the sunset.

Playing in the sand after sunset
Natalie in action!
Digging their way to China

Next day, same beach. This time, with a little sunlight.

There are few things my kids love more than the beach. (Too bad we live in a desert, huh?)George was a little braver than I wanted him to be. This was taken right before the wave that swept him over (and consequently... under). I grabbed him by the leg as he sputtered. That was the end of his happy times on the beach.

Claire was determined to bury someone.

Ready, set... here comes the WATER!
Natalie was always trying to get the impossible picture. (These were taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Little George loved to wander around pointing at everything.
Needless to say, the Aquarium at Monterey Bay was a huge hit.

After 2 nights in Monterey, we moved on to Fontana to see G'ma Palmer & Aunt Cheryl's family. We stayed 2 nights with Gramma and just enjoyed seeing our cousins again. and jumping on Uncle Scott's trampoline.

Our last night on vacation was the 4th of July. The Hawkins crew bought some fireworks and we set them off in front of Grandma Palmer's house.
Since we'd be on the road, homeward bound on Natalie's birthday, we decided to buy a cake and celebrate with the cousins the night before. (Sweet little Natalie is now 7.)

OH.....Here's the bay

2008-07-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday George!!!!!

2008-07-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Well here we are a year later and George is 1. What a better way to celebrate your first birthday than with cake at Monterey Bay, CA.

Spring Break

2008-04-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

We went to Fontana, California for Spring Break... just me and the kids. (Quite an adventure!) We stayed at my Mom's house and just hung out with "Gramma Palmer" and my sister Cheryl & her family for the better part of a week. I got to see some old friends that I hardly ever get to see. (Thanks for hooking up with me, Sue & Lynn!) It was just really a nice visit. And the kids all had a great time playing with Cher's kids: Harrison, Sam, Paola, & Thad. Here's some pics! Henry and Sam, walking from Sam's place back over to Gramma's

Cheryl's always nagging at me to put a picture of her on my blog, so, here it is!

(OK that might not be entirely true.) Gramma & Cheryl

Little Thad, showing me how big he can smile

Little George & Uncle James (Classic photo, wouldn't you say? One feeding his face, one cleaning it off.)

Paola, Natalie & Sam at the park

Harrison chillin' in the grass

Claire & Natalie poking around at the pond

George gets his first taste of In-N-Out. YumYum!

Science Fairs, Soccer Games, & Staircases

2008-04-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Natalie entered the Science Fair for the first time. She planted grass in a pine cone to see if you could have plant life without soil. She was very diligent to water her experiment and worked super hard on her report. She really did a great job!

Her efforts were rewarded... SHE WON 2nd PLACE!! Yippee!!

Henry just finished city-league soccer this week. He and his buddy Bryson Reynolds played for opposing teams, but they tried not to let it get in the way of their friendship.

Going up... Little George has figured out how to scamper up the stairs. (Unfortunately, going down isn't nearly as graceful.)

All the Whos down in Who-ville...

2008-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

In March it was Dr. Seuss week. One day was "Hair-like-a-WHO Day". This was Natalie's Who-Do.

2008-03-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

Natalie's little Dance Class (taught by our friend Tiffany Reynolds) had their first public appearance. They performed during half-time at a youth basketball game. They did so good and looked so cute!

2008-03-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

George, chillin' like a villain while Trav reads the news.

Claire turned 4 on February 15th.

She wanted to have a Batman Party (such a girlie-girl!) I was happy to oblige and whipped up some black capes for our attendees.

Claire & her little Batman friends: Little Lexi had no burning desire to dress up as a super hero. (They say every party needs a pooper, right?)

George vs. the Sippy Cup

2008-02-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics from Henry's baptism last June. (Hey! I've got a lot to catch up on!) Here's one of the whole family. (I'm 12 and1/2 months pregnant in this lovely photo.) Our home teacher, Brother Trunnell baptized little Henry.

It was a great day.

The MTC Graduating Class of 2018

Ashton Olson, Henry Stafford, Parker Finklea, & James Rasmussen

2008-01-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

In November, my dear friend Axier Uzkudun from Spain came to the States for the first time. He and his husband, Luis, flew to New York then to Chicago. I so badly wanted to be able to see him! It had been 13 years since we parted ways at the Bilbao, Spain airport. I also wanted Axier to meet his namesake, our little George Axier Stafford. My brother Scott lives in Chicago and said we could stay with him. So as an early Christmas present, Travis bought a roundtrip ticket from St. George to Chicago, and George & I left for our 3 day vacation in "the windy city". It was so much fun to see my brother again (it's been about 5 years). He's got a nice little house in the town of Grayslake where he lives with his sweet sharpei, Sal, and his vicious mean scarlet macaw, Beleza. It was nice just to hang out and catch up (and eat!!)
And I can't even explain how great it was to see Axier again after all these years. He's been such a good friend to me both during and since my mission. (So much so, I had to name a kid after him!) It was nice, too, to be able to finally get to meet Luis. They are so well suited to each other. They are both just wonderul people.

It was a great trip... truly an adventure. And one I'll never forget! Here's some pics.
(Above is: Uncle Scott with little George.)

George Axier Stafford with Axier Uzkudun

George playing around with Axier & Luis

George & Luis

Axier, me with George, & Luis

Bidding an old friend good-bye: Me & George & Axier

2008-01-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here's sweet little George sporting his Bilbao Athletic Club soccer shirt that Axier and Luis brought him from Spain. I'm very anti-prop when it comes to pictures, but I couldn't resist throwing a little soccer ball into the picture.

Hi Goober Gus!

2008-01-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Henry kept running up the stairs and jumping in front of George's car seat, saying, "Hi Goober Gus!" George was surprised each of the 48 times Henry did it. He has such a funny laugh for a little guy. He's only 4-1/2 months in the video.

2008-01-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Sweet little George with his Gramma Palmer

2008-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun, but.........

What could be better than Christmas at Sea World!!!

2007-11-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

A month has gone by since I set this up for Jen and she sure is filling up alot of space here on the web, so I will add a little. Today we put Jen and George on a plane to Chicago (sorry anyone who is flying today!) It will be a quick trip but well worth it to see uncle Scott and Axier. Mabey Jen will take some good pics we can post when she gets home.

Wow! I have a blog!!

2007-10-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

I figured it might be nice to show off some of my pics o' the kids. Since I am incapable of emailing attachments and too lazy to print photos for everyone I want to share with, Trav is trying to teach me how to do a blog. So far so good!

2007-10-07T20:09:00.000-07:00