Eden turns 5 - a little early!

Just look at all of that smoke from only 5 candles.  I think the chocolate teeth are a nice look, don't you?

Sarai was in a happy mood! The couch pillow hats are always good for some entertainment with Grandpa.

Before the Weavers headed back to the frozen north country we had dinner and celebrated Eden's #5!  This is starting to be a traditional event.  That way we get to be there for the singing, blowing and present opening.  I think it's a good tradition.  I think the dot-to-dot book and new crayons were the hit of this years presents.  Happy Birthday Eden!  We love you. 

First post of 2012 - Grand "Edventure" at Kayenta/Hell Hole Canyon

We decided to get out one last time on the school break and take grand kids along with us.  Too bad the Smiths were sick and couldn't join in.  We missed them.  Bean came along and it was a good thing.  We got to the point in the trail where we have always stopped and turned around, but with his help with pulling/pushing people up and finding good routes we went on quite a bit further and enjoyed some pretty sweet scenery including going through some cool rock fall caves.  Since the water was down this time of year, we didn't encounter some of the slick, mossy spots that have stopped us before either.  It was a great day with shirt sleeve weather and blue skies.  The kids, especially Gaige, did great.  We did what is becoming a tradition at the end - stopped by Arctic Circle for some "squirrel cones".  We are helping these kids get the good out of those new walking sticks that Grandpa gave them for Christmas, and in the process they are keeping us in shape!

2011 - the final post of the year

There has been a lot going during the final days of 2011. December birthdays were part of the goings on.  Brynnli, Paul and Gaige did the shared party thing a little late for some and a little early for others. We love them all.  Happy #12, 59 and 6!!!

Next on the agenda - Paul and I went up and saw Ellie in her first dance recital. There was quite a bit of the recital that I would have been OK with missing, but it was worth sitting through to support Ellie in her debut on stage. I'm not sure she was totally thrilled about debuting, but she did it and we were proud of her!

The Friday afternoon before Christmas Christie invited the girls to get together for lunch at Bear Paw and then to go over to her house for manicure/pedicure fun. I also brought along a make it yourself Christmas craft.  We had so much fun at lunch, eating of course, but also playing a fun game that Juge came up with.  We had Christie, Brynn, Weed, Ferf, Juge, me and Grandma.  Wish Lou could have made it. Too bad someone forgot the camera for this activity.  I have a really sweet looking crackle fingernail polish job and some very soft, well-soaked feet too.  Thanks for putting such a fun time together Christie :o)

This is the only picture I got of this activity and it was with my phone.  Notice Christie's beautiful curls.  Brynn showed us how to do that with a flat iron.  Sweet! 

Next is Christmas!  It is so hard to get pictures of all the goings on while so much is going on.  Jay, Brynn, Madi and Supe were here at the house with us for the holiday.  The Weavers were down from the frozen north too.  Everyone came over for Christmas afternoon and the kids put on such a nice nativity program.  They also thrilled Grandma by singing her remakes of some Primary songs...brought tears to the eyes.   After that we all munched on all the good things everyone brought, played games and visited.  Thanks to all of you for putting it all together.  Jay and Brynn gave us all a really nice present...the announcement of #18 grand baby in July.   The holiday continued with more eating, visiting and game playing.  Paul and I made a real haul for Christmas with so many thoughtful gifts from everyone.  Many thanks to everyone for all the gifts and even more for just being the wonderful people that you are.

Juge planned a fun game for the adults to play!

One afternoon after Christmas Lance put together a nice little hike for those that could make it.  Some of the kids got to try out their new hiking sticks in the process.  We saw petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks and old ruins (Babylon) along with enjoying all the beautiful scenery, water and sand along the river.  It was good to get out in the sun for a while.

The petroglyphs

Actually, we didn't have to hike very much to see what we saw.  Mostly we rode. 

 

Babylon ruins

One of the tracks we saw

The good times continue despite this nasty cold I picked up. Paul, Bean and I went bowling with the Weavers and the Sheffields for Eden's birthday.  She decided that bowling was what she wanted to do.  I haven't been bowling since Lou was a baby and my skills haven't improved any since then. Paul was pro.  It was a lot of fun and I may have to do it again for a date some time.  It can only get better at this point!  Maybe the third time will be "the charm", and I will do a lot better!  (I will add bowling pics when I can get some from Juge.)

Merry Christmas from the Lillywhites 2011

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Thanksgiving activities...

The Thanksgiving holiday was very full this year even though it was "outlaw year" with all of the married kids free to join with their spouse's family.  We had just barely gotten Bean home from his mission and trying to get all of his plunder moved back into the house and get him settled.  Then on Wednesday the 23rd Paul and I celebrated our 37th anniversary.  As usual, things are too hectic about then to do much, so we plan to do something fun and call it our anniversary when it warms up and cash isn't so tight.  We did go out for Chinese for lunch...mmm good!  Later that day Brenden came over and we took him over to feed the ducks.  He's quite the little hiker and doesn't want anyone holding his hand. He can do it himself! He had such a fun time laughing at the ducks and throwing bread more at them than too them!  They were very hungry and more than happy to see us.  He spent the night with us after spending the some time playing with his good buddy/cousin Zade for a while.  It was a bit of a sad day as Moss and Christie spent it at the hospital losing their little baby.  We are so sorry for their loss.  We are also so thankful to have the Gospel to help us cope with all of these hard things that come into our lives.  We were excited for this little one, but we will hope things work out another time. Supe, Bean and Paul and I were the only ones here for the big feast since Grandma had gone to join Lou and Bryan.  Later that day other folks came over for games and the eating of leftovers and pie commenced and was continued for the next few days.

 Friday Supe and Bean treated us and Ferf  and kids to a hiking/climbing excursion to Black Rocks.  Everyone except Koen and me went up the wall at least part of the way. (I used the excuse that it was getting late and would take way too much time for me to get up.  I'll do it another time...promise.) It was a fun outing with perfect weather and so good to get outside for a little while. It was also nice that they had all the gear and know how to help everyone be successful. I don't know how we did it, but we missed getting pictures of Paul altogether. Oops! In the evening there was more eating, visiting and games.

Koen was "fast asleep" atop Grandpa until I offered gum to everyone.  His eyes popped open and he said he wanted some because it would keep him awake!

Supe setting up the climb

Brynnli went first

Tavin and some other guy heading for the top

Bean just about there

Gaige all geared up

Ferf just about there

Koen got hungry and bummed some V8 juice off Bean.  He pronounced "de-li-see-us".  None of the other kids shared that opinion.

Falls Park stop off

Saturday afternoon, despite still being somewhat lame from a turkey bowl injury, we went on a drive and beautiful hike with the Weavers.  We stopped by Falls Park outside Virgin just to take a look and then went up on Smith's Mesa and hiked around in a little canyon with an arch that they had visited over Halloween.  It was pretty cold until we got down into the canyon.  It was amazing that Eden had written her name in the mud on the Halloween hike and it was still there this time.  She thought that was pretty neat.

Other fun around the house

Family - even though I was not as relaxed as I would have liked to have been through the holiday - too busy worrying about my upcoming leadership meeting and getting Bean settled - thanks to all of you for a great Thanksgiving.  You are top on the list of things I am and always will be thankful for. 

Scenery en route to Lava Point dinner date

The other evening we were both itching to get out for an evening.  We grabbed some sandwiches and drove up to Lava Point to eat dinner and see the scenery.  It was really cold when we got there, so we ended up eating in the car, but it was still just a nice get out of the house evening.  

Fun at the Lillywhite "hotel"

Jay and Brynn getting a house has taken some of the burden off Juge and Lance as the "up north hotel" when we go up that way.  They've been good to provide us with a place to bed down for the night on a very last minute basis recently.  In the process, we have had a chance to enjoy seeing Madi on her own turf...it's been fun!!!  Thanks, Jay and Brynn, for being such accomodating hosts...good company and good food!

Let's take that hike one more time...

The Saturday after our Halloween bash we got to go on a beautiful hike with the Weavers, Ferf and Koen and Dorothy.  It was the perfect day for a hike.  Eden is an amazing little hiker for her age.  She just kept trekking along.  Noah and Koen did fine too, but had to have a little bit of carrying...Koen took a nap on Paul's head on the way back. Sarai was just chill and cute the whole time in the pilfered plig bonnet (she forgot her regular sun hat). We had our lunch at the top and the kids kept me scared running around too near the edge.  They also had fun throwing rocks in the little pond and hiding in a cave.  Eden carried a Halloween bucket full of this and that all the way up...pretty funny.  When we got back to the stream the kids had a grand time catching moss.  I'm glad the Weavers finally got to take this hike with us.  I think everyone in the family may have been there now.  If not, we'd be happy to go again!

Halloween Party Extraordinaire + Tasia #7

Happy #7 Tasia- we love you!

Thanks to Juge and Moss and Christie, this Halloween Scrooge enjoyed a fun evening.  Everyone contributed something to the effort and it was a blast.  Thanks to all of you.  The party included tasty food (thanks to Brynn for sending cookies even when she wasn't in town to enjoy the fun), pumpkin carving by the men, banner making for the women, slime making for the kids, and games - bingo, cake walk, and Minute to Win It.  That was my favorite.  We tried to knock down card targets with rubber bands, stack golf balls, put together puzzles, order cups by how many pennies were in them, balance a marble on specific holes in an ironing board, and toss a bottled water on a table and have it land bottom down...all with a minute time limit to get the job done.  We also did a quick birthday sing/present opening for Tasia.  I feel bad that more of the pictures didn't turn out.  The lighting was difficult to manage.  Sorry that Ryan and Derek missed the fun.  Thanks again to everyone for a Halloween party extraordinaire!

If you aren't in the picture it's not because you weren't cute.  Picture taking is hard in the house. 

Monster fingers, it's hard to eat in a grape costume, a red-eyed ghost helping her dad, candy corns are not just for eating and pumpkin carving results.

Granny and Gramps Smith - these two really go all out.  Derek even shaved off some of his hair to make it realistic...and right before parent teacher conferences too!

Since I didn't get a good picture of "Thor" aka Zade at the party, Derek was good enough to share one with me.  Looks pretty cute, I mean tough, doesn't he?