At least six pair of ears...

My mom was never a "you shoulda'...you oughta" kind of mom, never saying you oughta' do this or you shoulda' done that. It boggles my mind how a person, let alone a MOM, could be so accepting and nonjudgmental.

It wasn't that she was unattached or disinterested. The woman was totally engaged and had at least 6 pair of ears. She was a listener!

She remembered every word I ever said. I could mention a college roommate's name years after I'd graduated college and she'd bring up where their parents lived and the name of their dog!

When the Mr. and I learned we were going to have a baby girl, that beautiful little blue-eyed Mom of mine asked what we were going to name our girlie. We excitedly told her our short list, Madison...Lauren...Sarah...which were good names and had links to ancestors but mom was quiet for just a minute and then in a gentle, soft voice said "You should name her Emily."

The Mr. and I about fell right off our chairs. Mom just said..."you SHOULD"! We were speechless, wide-eyed and in shock when we nodded our heads and said "okay".

Mom's grandmother had been named Emily. My mom was born after her grandmother died and never knew her. I don't know why Mom felt so strongly about the name but I believe there are ties that bind families together, real ties, eternal ties, important ties that I don't understand but I feel their importance in the center of my being.

My mom named our one and only little girl and she named her Emily. Then just to put the icing on the cake, Emily was born on Mom's birthday.    :)

Today is their birthday! Happy birthday girls!! We love you and are blessed by your sweetness.    :) xoxo

The little birdhouse by the garden...

We had chicks last May in the little birdhouse by the garden here.  Just after the two hatchlings flew away it appeared the parents laid more eggs and indeed they had. A few weeks later we saw these bright yellow beaks peaking out the tiny opening of the birdhouse.

The parents were just as stellar this time at tending to the incessant cheeping for food.

 

Then, faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind, they were flying through the trees, eating our juicy raspberries, and in a blink they were gone...

...until next year.   :)

The magical game...

It's been said that soccer is a magical game. Maybe that's why we so totally love to watch our twigs play. Maybe it's just that they love it so much and their enthusiasm bubbles up and out and all over.      :)

Our missionary twig sent this picture the other day. We haven't yet heard the back story or why he's holding a football but his hairy smile makes me giggle! We do know it was their "p-day" or "preparation day" and that between grocery shopping and doing laundry, they played chair soccer. Zac says chair soccer is a blast!

Our blonde twig is using a soccer ball in his soccer games.    :)

He had his first bad case of leg cramps. Ouch!!

He'd try to run but just couldn't so he hobbled out of the game to stretch. A teammate's great dad helped him out.

He misses his bro playing along side him but is loving his team. Any day is a good day to play the magical game!

Labor day...because of him

Our Labor Day weekend itinerary was all because of Zac (aka. Zac Man, Zacaroni and Cheese, Zacharias, Zac Attack, Snacks, Greyson, and most recently Elder Branch.)

Ever since his bunches and bunches of friends came to visit just prior to his departure to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in North Carolina, our 14 year old white carpet hasn't looked the same. We decided it just wouldn't get clean by vacuuming, so we'd better shampoo it. That brought the next choice...either pay someone to clean the carpets OR use our good ol' 1987 Kirby carpet cleaner attachment on our vacuum and do it ourselves for three hours WHICH would leave our carpet clean but sopping wet for the night WHICH would of course mean we'd have to sleep somewhere else, like Snowbird.   :)
You with me?    :)

That means, because of Mr. Zacaroni and Cheese, we got to stay the night at Snowbird. Thanks Zac Man!!
We gathered things along the way and sent our favorite missionary a "Because of You" package.  :)

The next day, while our carpets were drying, we enjoyed the beautiful mountains...

 
...played around...

...and stalked the wildlife...

...until they decided to stalk us back!

We'd worn out our welcome so we headed down to City Creek Center in SLC.

This guy is so nice to his little sister. He's totally a keeper!

The icing on the cake was ending the night at the Assembly Hall...

...listening to Paul Cardall tickle the ivory in a piano concert.

And all because of our Zachary Greyson. Love that boy!

Oregon...family, friends, and spicy cheese

One of our favorite parts of our Oregon vacation was visiting family and friends along the way. When the Mr. and I graduated college, our first jobs out of school were in Washington/Oregon. We met so many people we loved and are blessed to still have as a part of our lives. Here are just a few.

The Staley's were just newlyweds back then. They're such a blast to be with and have a family of awesome kids (missing two of their kids cause one was taking the photo and the other was at college). They took these pictures - too funny!

Old age and treachery beat out youth and skill this time. Bah ha ha ha!

Next we got to visit my niece's family, the Davidson's. I totally forget to take pictures of people when we're visiting. It's just so much fun talking and hearing stories that I never think of it! I did happen to catch a picture of her adorable little boy on the slide with Hunter. Loved this little boy!

Last we got to see Danielle, my co-worker from back in the day and though the Mr. and I moved away after three years in Washington/Oregon, we got to come back to see her and Michael get married. Now they have an awesome family and are the best parents two kids could have. Thanks Danielle for thinking to ask Michael to take this picture!

Amidst all the driving that it took to get out to the coast and back, Hunter got a little driving practice in this cheesy van.

Got to love Hunter's face in this one. Crazy Zac!

The Tillamook Cheese Factory had fabulous chocolate ice cream and seriously spicy cheese. Yum!