More Utah Fun...

Happy Birthday Jude! 

While we were in Utah, we got to help Jude celebrate his 5th birthday at a jumpy house with some cousins. We didn't want to spend the extra cash to use their party room so we had a "picnic party" in the parking lot!

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Garner!

We also got to visit with extended family & attend our nephews wedding. It was super fun to see all the Garner nieces & nephews. Paul's parents & siblings were there, too! Congrats to Riley & Katelyn!

Happy Birthday G'pa Fudge!

Paul's dad turned 85 - nice birthday present to be in the temple with all of your children & spouses! 

The Holyoak Hotel

The Holyoak Hotel is a great place to visit! I'm going to be sad with Mac & Pip feel like they're too big to play this cute little game with us! I love checking in to the front desk at the top of the stairs! The staff is so friendly & the service is amazing!!!

The next day, while the girls were at school, G'pa told the boys "scary stories" complete with his scary voice & a flashlight to give it a spooky feel...I don't think the boys were scared, but they did enjoy his crazy made up stories!

We played a lot of games & had fun hanging out with the kids. Macy is showing me something outside, I can't remember what it was, but it doesn't really matter because look how cute she is!

We thought the static in our hair while we were playing on the trampoline was pretty funny...

We got to see Roman's T-Ball game & Crapaw Glade was there, too...

We went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather but the water was calling us so we had to go throw some rocks!

Jill & I are demonstrating how much we look alike...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful family with us - we love our Holysmokes!

Miss Finley June

I left the Holyoak's & went straight to SLC to meet Miss Finley June. Christi's mom was still there so Ty picked me up & dropped me off at the Horner's to crash for the night. It was fun to wake up to cute little critter snuggles...

Christi's mom was on her way home, so Ty came back to get me the next morning. I was pretty excited to meet their cute little princess...she was so tiny! I can never decide if I want to snuggle a newborn or stare at them!

I enjoyed a few days of playing with these cute little Carter Critters & helping out around the house...of course, Trey is a pretty good helper himself!

Trey kept G'pa busy building stuff & playing with his train...

Trey seems to like his little sister...

...she is pretty dreamy!

Thanks for letting us hang with these cute Carter Critters, Ty & Christi! We love them & we love you, too! You have a beautiful family!

Springtime is here!

Easter
The local family gathered for Easter this year. I set out a table with one of those fancy wooden puzzles...it was a big hit!

Don't let these grown kids fool you, they still like a good Easter Egg Hunt - especially because G'pa Paul fills plastic eggs with $coins & cash$!

Take silly pix on my phone & I'm gonna post them...

Wild Flowers
Spring runoff is fun to see in the river...it really starts to roar this time of year with snow melt. Mt Murphy (across the river from us) is bright green in the spring but it only lasts a month or so before it turns brown again. One of our favorite hikes is also across the river to Dutch Creek. It usually has a little trickle of water coming down it but we wanted to see how it looked with the spring runoff so we headed up the hill...

Springtime is about the only time we see these little Sallys (salamanders) on the trail...

So fun to see water pouring over the rocks as they cascade down the creek...

Of course, flowers bloom this time of year, too. I get about a week or two worth of blooms from these daffodils in my yard - they make me happy...

 

But the real star of this springtime display are the wildflowers that bloom on the hillsides - it's quite a show!

Conference Weekend 
G'ma & G'pa Fudge joined us for April Conference so the local kids came up for dinner.

It was Carson's birthday & Kaden's a couple of weeks later so we celebrated those two knuckle heads while we were at it! I gave the boys their quilts while they were here - Carson was happy to finally have his "football blanket" like his brothers & Kaden chose this fun Mine Craft pattern.

A rare photo opportunity - 4 generations of 1st born sons...

Ryan

Ryan Daranni is healthy & happy. It's always fun to visit with her - she's so sweet & cuddly! Her mom's a cutie, too!

Finley June
Finley June Carter was anxious to get here & couldn't wait to meet her family!  She surprised her mom a whole month early! Born Apr 4, 2016 at 10:51pm, weighing 5lbs 8oz, 18 inches long. She looks a lot like her brother so far. She had a little trouble breathing so, to be safe, they put her on oxygen & kept her in the NICU for about 10 days. It was stressful for her parents, but she improved rather quickly & was able to come home strong, healthy & happy!

Carson's Baptism
It's GREAT to be 8! Carson was baptized on Saturday, April 9, 2016. He was pretty excited & I was pretty excited that he asked me to participate & give a talk on the Holy Ghost. We are very happy that he has chosen to follow our Savior by being baptized...