Trip up north

We headed up for a couple of days to get out of the heat and go visit grandma and grandpa.  

When we got there Grandpa had the table covered with tons of necklaces.  Just one of the many neat things about my grandpa is that he has spent years finding and collecting pottery. He has some bowls and pieces that are completely in tact, but most of it is in small pieces that he has collected over time.  He and Grandma have smoothed out the edges and added chains to them to make them into jewelry.  They are beautiful.  

He told us that he wanted us to each pick some out to have.  Me and my girls were so excited and Emma quickly picked one out for herself.  She wore it everyday we were up there, and kept telling me she loved her "special necklace" that papa gave her.

The boys got to pick out key chains and Hunter was quick to find one that he really liked.

Mom and I spent a long time trying to decide. Just when I thought I had my choices grandpa would bring another new batch over to the table.  There were so many I had no idea and each one so unique and different.  We sat with him and looked them over and over and asked him about the meanings of the different symbols on some of them and which tribes they originated from.  It was really fun to just sit with him and hear stories about where and how he found some of them.  I finally decided on these two, I really like the striped one.  

Moments like this with him are so special to me.  I love special things like this that I will always have from him that are a part of who he is and his talents.

They still have a huge pile out in the yard of more pieces that have yet to be shaped.  It was fun to again take the kids out and let them look through all the different pieces.

Hudson played captain in the old boat in the yard,

spent a lot of time talking with the "he he's"....

Within minutes of getting there I heard the front screen door and Hunter was out on the hunt for creatures.  It was so nice to be outside, the kids couldn't get enough of being able to play and run and find things.  He found all sorts of cute little guys including this little grasshopper.

We spent all afternoon visiting, enjoying the weather and looking at pottery.  A storm came in and forced us all inside where we started playing games while Deke braved the rain to grill us some dinner in his really cool rain poncho :) :)

Hudson chased the cat who actually tolerated him and let him pet him.

The next morning we got up and made some mickey pancakes, then headed to the park for a water balloon fight and some sidewalk chalk drawing.

After all the park fun we drove through and grabbed up some vanilla cones from McDonald's.   I guess by the time you are #4 you get to have an ice cream cone by yourself in the carseat.

He was so happy, and made a giant mess.

Seconds after finishing he drifted off into a blissful sugar coma...

We came home and Deke gave quad rides to the kids.

Then I grabbed up my book and laid on the grass and read while I watched the kids blow bubbles for Hudson as he chased them around the yard.

Fresh air, cool breeze, just a small taste of vegetation.  I've gotta get out of AZ.  Sometimes you just have to slow life down for a little bit.

*** Sidewalk chalk art

One of our last few bucket list items to mark off, was to do some sidewalk chalk art scenes.  I realized after we made the list how difficult this one was going to be in AZ in the summer, when every outdoor surface is scorching.  Up at grandma and grandpa's the weather was considerably cooler, we went over to a park and had some fun drawing.  I wish we could have had a darker surface like blacktop and getting pictures from the right angles was trickier than I thought but we still had a lot of fun with it.  Hunter and his skateboard ramp....

Ave and Eden going for a swim...

This one cracked me up.  Emma wanted to be a fairy princess, riding on a giant snail.  Looks fun to me!!  I LOVE the ladybug she drew sitting on the leaf.

Lifting weights :) :)

Again I couldn't help but laugh at this scene that Ave came up with.  She drew a bunch of balloons and wanted to hold Emma like she was hanging upside down over a shark in the water.  It's sort of hard to see it because its light blue, but see the fin...nice Ave.

Ave and Em, smiling in the rain

Seriously it was fun and I tried so many times to get Hudson to do some but he wouldn't hold still long enough. Since then I have thought of a ton more fun backgrounds to try, we will definitely be doing this activity again when it cools down around here.

Ave's baptism

We have been talking about Ave's baptism as a family for a few months now.  Gearing our FHE's towards being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost.  I felt like we had really spent a lot of time preparing her. Ave was so excited and as we got up and got ready that morning I could tell she was also a little nervous.  We talked again about what was going to happen and she told me for the twentieth time that she hoped her ponytail didn't float up.  We headed to the church and took a couple of quick family shots.  

 Deke and Ave got into their white jumpsuits.  Avery could not stop grinning she was so excited.

 It was a stake baptism and there were several other kids being baptized that day but Ave was the only one from our ward and was the first to go in and be baptized.  As all of our family and friends filled the room I couldn't help but feel so much gratitude for the amount of support there for Avery and our family.  As the little kids knelt by the font to watch I couldn't help myself and got right down there with them so I could see her and Deke closely.  She grinned the entire time.  The entire time.  I hurried through the door to be there right as she was stepping up out of the water. I reached out to hug her and across the font I saw Deke standing there staring back at me.  I can't even explain the love and attraction I felt for him in that moment being able to hold the priesthood and baptize our daughter.  Ave and I went in and dried her off and started getting her back into her dress.  We talked about what feelings she had as she was being baptized.   "Do you remember what is going to happen next Avery?" I asked her.  "Yep, dad is going to put his hands on my head and give me the Holy Ghost."  We talked again for a minute about how special receiving the blessing of the Holy Ghost is, "Avery I want you to really sit still and think about what you feel when Dad confirms you and what feelings it gives you."  She thought about it for a minute and then took my hand and said she was ready to go.  Ally had been playing piano music while everyone filled out note cards with messages for Avery.  Soon Deke had her coming up to sit as all her uncles, grandpas, cousins and friends came up to place their hands on her head.  There were so many of them they had to make more of an oval than a circle and I could not help the tears that started to fall.  All those hands holding the power of the priesthood on my sweet daughter's head blessing her, it was overwhelming to me.  Deke gave a beautiful blessing that had me already emotional and afterward no one moved from the circle.  I waited a few seconds and none of the men were moving.  I looked between them and saw Deke kneel down next to Avery who had tears streaming down her face.  The spirit was so strong in that room and I don't think there was a dry eye in that circle.  Tears just kept coming and coming and they all stayed circled around her for a few minutes until she was able to stand up and hug everyone.  Once they started sitting down she hurried over to me and buried her head in my shoulder.  I could tell she was a little embarrassed that everyone was watching her.  As the primary president stood up to say a few words Avery whispered to me, "Mom, do sometimes people just cry when they are really happy?"  I looked at her as her tears again started to fall.  "Yep, people do cry when they are really happy" I reassured her.  "I just don't know why I just keep crying and crying but I just feel warm inside" she added.