June & July were as friendly as May...

We loved visiting with family and friends in May and got lucky enough to have a repeat with more family and friends in June & July!

Jason, Natalie and their family were here first. I even remembered to get a picture or two - yahoo.

It was so much fun to catch up with them.

The guys and their youngest sons. 

Love these faces!    :)

Next came Jason, Natalie and their family again. I know, how did we get so lucky! Jason's mission companion and his family who live in Norway were visiting the US and made it to Utah so Jason and his family drove down to meet them and our house was in just the right location so they all came here.   :)

I could have listened to those beautiful Norwegian accents for days. They were a great family and their oldest daughter was totally a phenom. You name the game, basketball, ping pong, air hockey, and she dominated. Pretty impressive!

Next, Rusty, Michelle and their sweet family came. We were so involved with visiting that we never got one picture - rats. They had great stories of their adventures in Kansas like their research on tornado shelters that would accommodate Nate, and Rusty's latest film projects which included a Trek experience with Scottie.  Rusty Chain Productions  

Their little baby, Naomi, is growing so fast! Rusty sent us this picture recently of both girls.

We never get enough of them!

Then, the next day, we got to have lunch with Grandma Branch, Wilson and Angie. Yet again, no picture. Wilson actually snapped one of Grandma when they arrived and totally surprised her at her front door but I forgot to get a copy. It was super cute though.   :)
What a blessing to have your kids just show up at your door and surprise you. She loved it. Happy 4th, Grandma. 

Thank you, everyone, for traveling and making time to see us. We love you all!!   xoxo

A grandpa, a boy, and the American Legions' Boys State...

In June, Hunter had the opportunity to attend Boys State. Zac got to attend Boys State two years ago. We have a wonderful administrator at our High School whose late husband was a veteran and she's an enthusiastic proponent of Boys State. We've been grateful for the opportunity our twigs have had to attend and hope our girlie gets to attend Girls State when she's old enough.

Hunter had a great time getting to know amazing boys from all over the state and learning about the process of government.

A huge "thank you" to all the American Legion Veterans who gave their time and devotion to this program, to the next generation. The Veterans made all the difference!

All the boys at Boys State elected two of their own to represent our state at Boys Nation in Washington, DC. Hunter was one of the two, he's jazzed! (He's actually in DC right now as I post this blog:)

Grandpa knew all about serving with the American Legion as he did it for years. Grandpa was near us in spirit this week. He would be so proud.    :)

SBO elections...

At the end of May, Hunter decided to toss his hat in the ring for Student Body Officer elections. He ran for Vice-President.

His good Dad and a few other guys helped him get campaign supplies. There was a $30 limit on what candidates could spend to campaign.

The night of the election, the school had a pajama themed dance. They announced the new SBO's and these three are it. Congrats!

Last Jr. High Dance Performance...

Our girlie had a social dance class during her last semester that she loved. How she loves to dance!

They performed a salsa and a merengue.

Her young women's church group even came to cheer her on for her last performance. Love those girls and leaders!  :)

The friendly month of May...

We've been delighted the last two months to have lots of family and friends stop by for a visit!

In May we got to play with Tyson and Suzanne's Family.

 We're so happy they've moved nearby!

Sarah and Darren's Family came twice, on their way to and from "The Mighty 5."

They had us try Indian Food for our first time. It was yummy!

This little guy could have just stayed the with us the whole time his parents were hiking in Southern Utah! He's so cute!!

Sheila & Button came for a visit too.

 We played Tenzi and our girlie tried to shoot some pool with Button on her shoulder.

Sheila took us up on our offer to go on a ramble out yonder. It was a buggy time of year on the island but she'd never been there so she was game. As we pulled up to the ranger toll booth, there was a warning sign posting "no refunds because of bugs." You're so right, what were we thinking?

We decided to chance it and did fine the first hour. By the time we'd reached the top of the ridge, the day had heated up, the bugs had woken up, and we were the "spéciale du jour".

The second hour we kind of ran for our lives but it was all good.   ;)

Sheila caught this picture in the nick of time as a pod of pelicans flew over our heads and circled for just a minute. They were stunning.

 Thanks guys for the good times - come again!   :)

Great seats and jazzy feet...

Last April, the Mr. scored 2 tickets to the Jazz game against the Grizzlies. They were great seats - we were grateful!

It was an exciting game that came down to 1 point in the end.

The Jazz Bear put on a good show too.    :)

Spring Soccer Season Success...

Hunter's spring soccer season was a success - he had a blast playing and we had a blast watching the boy. That boy can run!

When I was little I dreamed I could fly. I'd stand on our fireplace hearth with a blanket spread wide behind me and jump into the air with all the gusto I could muster. On occasion I was sure I'd actually flown for a second or two. When I watch Hunter kick it into gear and take off down the field, I feel that same thrill go up my spine that I felt flying off my fireplace hearth as a little girl. Whee!

Thanks for the good times, Hunter.   :)

A near book burning and the last field day...

A few years ago, a friend I were discussing a book written from a parent's point of view about all of a child's "lasts". Agreed, some of a child's lasts are pretty great! I remember cheering for joy the last time I had to do up the twigs car seats. Yahoo! (It may seem like a little thing but it was a celebratory moment for me.) Then the book took a nasty turn, and right there in print, touted in everyones faces the END of all the delightful, endearing, precious things children do. We considered having a book burning! We both have "mother's hearts" and though you may have caught me grumbling during hard times, I totally adore these twigs and the crazy, fun things they do! I love being their mom!

Our girlie just had a "last" and we got to join her. It was her last field day at school. The last field day for our last twig. The twigs have loved field day over the years!

This was one of Hunter's favorite friends back in grade school and now they're at the same High School and still great friends - lucky boys.

We were so busy on this last field day that we didn't get one picture of our girlie - Ah!!!
She came by the booth we were running and got a few pics of us though.

We were making...

and wearing cotton candy on this last field day for our last twig.

Thanks, fantastic teachers and parents who have made field days such fun these many years!

Bye, field days       :)