Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hiking with Friends & FHE

Hiking with Friends
Last Saturday we went hiking with some friends up in the Sandia Crest area.  I was loving the shade coverage, because most  hikes we do are in the wide open and the sun glares right in your eyes.
Daddy and son tackling the hike with their bare feet.
Graham happily rode in the "pack pack" (as Miles would say) and just giggled in my ear the entire way.
Best buds holding hands.
After hiking about 2 miles Graham began to have a melt down.  He wanted to walk, but his little legs couldn't keep up.

F.H.E.
Before singing our regular song, "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" and briefly discussing anything church related for family home evening, we colored and finger painted these wooden masks.
Tim even got in on the fun.
I think Miles had more fun taking all of the crayons out than he did actually coloring with them.
Overall, I must say it was a successful FHE activity.  Now I just need to make sure Miles doesn't use the wooden masks as weapons.  Anything with a handle these days is some sort of weapon.  The life of a boy! *sigh*

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Destin Family Vay-Cay!

A-mazing!  That one word sums up this family vay-cay!  After much anticipation and lead up to this vacation it did NOT disappoint.  We met up with two of our dearest friends and their kids and rented a beautiful home on the beach in Destin, Florida.  Seriously, the funnest vacation we've ever been on.
We basically swam in the ocean, played in the sand, built sand castles and man-made swimming pools on the extremely fine and soft white sand, flew kites, boogie-boarded, caught crabs and jelly fish with our nets, watched the sunsets every night and hung out with our friends after the kidlets went down. Does life get any better?  I think not.
Miles LOVED the beach!  He was a little timid of the water, but still enjoyed playing in the shallow areas.  Graham chilled in the shade most days on the chairs and dug in the sand under the umbrella.  He's such a mellow kid and most passer-byers would comment on his laid back style.
After taking a gazillion sunset photos we got a little silly by pulling out some of the high school dance poses.  Not that I ever grabbed any of my HS dates' chests, but hey I couldn't resist my hubby's new and improved bod.
The boys enjoyed running around the beach naked while watching the sunset on one of our last nights.
While on this trip we managed to gain 7 pounds while maintaining our pastey-whiteness.  Thank you sunscreen for allowing our family to enjoy our vacation without any sunburns.
So sad to say good bye to the beach and our friends. We hope to make annual trips with this group of friends a tradition.  Such a fun and relaxing week.  Thank you Klc's and Lilyquists.  Miss you and your kiddos already.  :(

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Grandma Wade Visits

My mom came to town to visit for a short weekend and sadly we didn't pull out the camera until hours before she left so these phone images are really all we have of this little get together.  Oh well...
Anyway, while she was here we checked out Heritage Farms (which reminds me a lot of Wheeler Farm back in Utah) and Miles LOVED it.  Miles was a little scared of the animals, especially the chicken that came sauntering towards us clucking and cockadoodle-dooing.
We also relaxed and went to the gym together.  Then on Saturday, Tim surprised me with a cooking class in Santa Fe for my birthday and my mom watched the kiddos while we played the day and ate delicious food.  Actually, this the was the first time I've been able to leave Graham for longer than a few hours because he was still nursing.  While my mom was here, Graham miraculously weened himself at 13.5 months.  Sad day, nonetheless, but I have a bit more freedom now. Yah!
It was a blast having my mom in town-- wish she could have stayed longer.  Come back soon Mom.  We sure do miss you and all of your snuggles.