Thursday, November 30, 2017

Spring Break in AZ

Spring Break (whoo-hoo!) down to AZ to spend time with the Lovell's.
First stopped at this bridge, and turns out I'm really, really afraid of heights....

This was giving me butterflies in my stomach and a heart attack!
I kept saying "get back, get back!"  Nathan said "it's okay:)"


Another stop to explore this old place
 
How I love, love, love this boy when he holds his puppy like this and wants his binky to go to sleep.  I love this age, and he is so perfect, I love it!

Getting feet wet in the hot tub

Hot tub time.  And what is funny, is that my boys still swam in the big pool too... They loved it.

Naked baby in the bath is so cute always 

Riperian Preserve, all bundled in Daddy's jacket (it was deceptively chilly)



We did see a snake in a tube for water, a rattler?  
Well the kids will say yes for sure :)


Little cutie fell asleep for most of the walk

They FiNaLLy got to touch a saguaro cactus 

Just some funny shenanigans.
And Jonathan fell asleep at the top of the stairs!

Nathan of course found a race to participate in.

The Tour de Mesa.  
A lot of people, and a lot of people who have been able to ride all winter...
Any race that doesn't involve a crash is a good race though in my book.

 After his race the boys sent him on the annual scavenger hunt to find his present

Happy birthday to Nathan!  Big 33!  We went out with Jon and Heidi to a cajun food place.  So yummy with some of our favorite people :)



Playing outside in the beautiful sunshine

Wonderful day and a wonderful run to the temple with Heidi

Watching conference Lovell style

Syd the baby whisperer with Jordan


Roasting marshmellows with Taylor outside

Some quality time with Uncle Jon

Sunday conference...again, this girl and this baby :)

So comfy...
I mean look at that, Jack and Londyn holding hands and he's so fast asleep


My boys just adored their girls, and vice versa.
What a great visit, we did not want to leave

Little cutie giving mommy kisses as we stopped on our way home

We did stop at the Moqi Caves while heading home, and it is really a museum with a large gift shop.  It was a cave that the original owners many, many years ago carved out to make bigger, and they would have live performances in there.  A lot of mixing old and new things.  A (retired) bar inside, and they only let a few people through at a time, and you have to have the guided tour.
Anyway, kinda neat but not what we expected, and we had passed these things all those years of driving to AZ.  "And that's the rest of the story".

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

May 2017


May 2017 happenings: 
James played baseball this year for the Red Sox team.
So appropriate because Grandpa Haworth's favorite team was the Red Sox.
It is so fulfilling watching your boy really enjoy something.  His favorites were of course being up to bat, and playing catcher(wha?)

Bridger took home the trophy this running race series.  
Love that these two buddies like to do fun and active things together.


Just a pretty day, and boy is it green right now in Mountain Green!

Sleepy baby in a swing.  That is so cute!

Jack helped get him to sleep by pushing the swing

Emily turned 4 and we got to celebrate together!

Visiting Grandma Annie Hugh, and Jordan Hugh

Finally, FiNaLlY, FINALLY!!
Kirstin and Taylor got engaged!!!!
This was Memorial day weekend, and same weekend, Kira got engaged too!

Last day of running races for these two


My cuties after the running race 

What would May be without some biking?  Lee and Nathan

Going up to visit the farm...



Nathan captured it so perfectly
It is STILL one of our very favorite places on earth.
The cub river that runs through it was really high this spring, the highest we've ever seen it.  No way were were going to be crossing that this time around. 



My first feis!  That is an Irish dance competition.  Did great and loved it!

The same day as the feis was the day that Ryan was baptized. 
All the cute cousins that came.  Only were missing the Las Vegas Manwaring's.

These two boys, James is next!

My cuties in the bath

For one of the last days of school there was a "drive in movie" day.
The kids were encouraged to make a car to sit in during the movie.
All on his own James came up with the idea of making his into a fighter jet, complete with missals on the wings, a joy stick, and a control panel :)


Grammies came to visit for a few weeks too. 
Everybody loves Jordan!

James' baseball, and Grammies got to watch

Happy birthday to Grammies! 
Glad we could celebrate with her here. 


Jack's last day of Kindergarten with Mrs. Lake and Mrs. Lindley.
Dear friend's the Hymas' moved to Draper.
This little one is Jonathan's age, and they play so well together, I am seriously going to miss going to the gym most mornings with Katie.  She was my crossfit buddy.

Last day we got to see them.

These four all in the bed!

James had his last day of 2nd grade!  Wow is he getting to be so big and grown-up. 


With his teacher Natalie Reese
It was the sweetest,  James had tears after taking the picture.

Reading to his baby brother.

This sums up their friendship so perfectly...
just enjoying the simple things, together
And again, I think they just like making faces at each other, ha!


Jack with his teacher Denise Lake at Kindergarten assessments:

Tanner's track team made it to State (of course).  They already hold the record, and I was not going to miss this!  He won his hurdles race to be the State Champion!!!  Holy Cow!!

Also...track meets take for-ev-or!  
Walking with Nathan by the stadium between races for Tanner.


We ran into our neighbors while there!  Small world!  Actually their second oldest was on the 4x400 team, and it was great to watch him too.

Two of Tanner's races are towards the beginning of the meet (hurdles races), and then he runs the 4x400 relay, the very last race of the meet.  In between these races we have a lot of time.  We also came to both days (semi's and then finals).  What a better way to use some time than to go to the Bean Museum with free admission and see all the neat things there!

And Grammies came out from Colorado to see his meet :)
Jack again doing his gansta pose, ha!



 Tanner the starter for the 4x400
His team had currently held the state record, but they were hoping to break it.  Also, they needed to win to be able to beat Davis High to be the state champion entire track team.  It was all going great until Tanner handed off to his teammate.  That boy accidentally stepped onto that inner ring of the track (it's metal, and very slippery),  and he lost his footing completely, fell, and the baton flew high into the air.  Tanner threw it at him and the kid jumped up and started running.  It was a really close race though, and so now they were in last place.  Record wasn't going to happen, but that's okay.  Then the third kid ran his heart out, and even passed up one kid.  Finally, their anchor, Hunter (also a paraolympian who had both legs amputated below the knee when he was a baby due to a deformity), ran like I have never seen anyone run in my life.  He was gaining on the entire field!  If he had had even ten more feet he would have come back and won it.  This kid flew like the wind.   I was screaming, my boys were screaming, the entire stadium was on their feet screaming.  I get chills just thinking about his run.  It was truly inspiring.  As a baby, the doctors told his mom that he would never walk.  His life motto is that he learned to run instead.  I think not winning (but barely) was a good thing for them.  It taught that you aren't going to get everything that you work for, but it's the journey and all that you learn along the way, and that you are better for it.  It will be a defining moment guaranteed for those boys.  And I can't believe we were witness to that amazing race.


Hunter Woodhall, a paraolympian, and one of Tanner's best friends on his team.  He took second in the Rio games last year, and he was humble enough to meet my kids and show that no matter what, you can do really hard things.

This amazing boy, and he still thinks I'm cool enough to hug :)


This little cougar getting his practice in ;)
We all went down to the field after they won, and Jonathan was stealing the hearts of all kinds of girls.  I couldn't find him for just a second, and he was getting his picture taken with a bunch of girls from Davis High, who thought he was just the cutest.  

Three beauties
 
We met Jake, Kira's BF, again.  We had met him before her mission, and they were only friends, but he has had eyes only for her for years.  He is seriously great, and we are excited for their future :) 

After everything in Provo, Tanner invited us (yay, still cool!) to go eat with him and a few teammates.  Yes, we showed up to In-n-Out at 9:30 at night with our circus of a family.  And look who made sure to sit and eat with his cousins? 
Not only is he a great runner, but so humble, and down to earth.  Love this, and my boys look up to him so much!

Not getting up this yet...but it does show where all the run off is coming from, and why it is so green!! This might not be good for the summer with so much growth, but it is just so pretty right now. 

Jack finished up soccer and had a great team!

Mother's day with my boys!

And with my little extra Kellen!

Planned playdate at McD's for the last day of Kindergarten.

Our anniversary!  We had already gone to Europe in April, so we didn't need to do anything big.  Just a great hike up behind our house, where I found the biggest rib bone ever!  I think it was a moose rib!  I mean it is the longest!
Wow, just wow!