2013 Family Photos

We finally got around to having this years family pictures taken.  The kids did really good, but Lilly got tired of it pretty fast.

 

I think that we are a pretty good looking group... but I may be biased.  :-)

2013 Mother's Day Photos

Each year on Mother's Day our church offers free family photos.  We have had one taken for years and it's been fun looking back to see how we have all changed.

 

This year's photos came out great.  Here are the highlights.

 

When we were done with the family as a whole Lilly wanted more taken of her and Grandpa.

Family Vacation

This year our extended family took a trip down to Sedona, Arizona to visit Aunt Kendall and Aunt Patricia.  We'd never been able to make the trip before and we wanted to go see them before they moved someplace else.  Rhonda and Bob make an annual trip down so we all went together.

 

On the way we decided to stop at the Grand Canyon since Paul and I had never been there before.  We made a short stop at the North Rim, just long enough to get lunch and take some pictures.

 

On our first full day in Sedona we did a bit of site seeing. There are a lot of great galleries and plazas to walk around.  The kids loved throwing pennies in the fountains.  Lilly kept asking Grandma for more money!

We spent the second day lounging around the pool and playing.  On the third day we took the kids to a fishing pond just outside of town where you pay $1 to use the fishing pole and then pay for the fish you catch based on their size.  Grandma Rhonda and Lilly caught one right away, but the flopping fish and spraying water made Lilly cry.  I managed to catch 2 more straight away, and then I helped William catch one.  Paul and Bob aren't that into fishing so they helped us with nets and as hook pullers.  Once you catch the fish you take them to a little shack where you pay $0.50 each for a man to gut them for you.  The kids stood on a bench and watched him through a window.  Both of them were enthralled by all the gore.  Kids!

 

 

On our way back to Utah we stopped at the Cliff Dwellers site.  The sign said that back in the 1930's a lady driving through the area had a break down and had to camp nearby while waiting for help.  She loved the area so much that she ended up buying the property.  Not too long afterward they built these structures under the boulders. The kids liked crawling and climbing in and out of the rocks.  Paul found an old, broken car (leave it to the car guy).  Grandpa Bob and William decided to climb up the mountain side a bit to see the view.

We finally got home after being gone a week and spent a day recovering.  We had a ton of fun and I promised the kids that we could take another big vacation next year.

Lillian's 2nd Birthday

Lillian turned 2 on May 26th.  Since we were leaving town on vacation that day we had a party for her the day before.  Most of the family came to celebrate a "Dora the Explorer" themed day.

 

 

Lilly got a lot of toys and some very cute clothes from Aunt Elaine and Jane.  She loved her new purse from Grandma Rhonda and wanted some money to put in it.

 

 



After presents we had cake and ice cream.  Both of the kids approved.