Summer Vacation 2010

I realize that these few token pictures do not remotely do justice to the hundreds I took on vacation, but if I feel that I have to post too many, I will not do it at all. Clearly. As was recently pointed out to me, I have not blogged in months. So here's a quick recap.

This was in front of the Albuquerque temple. We visited Michael's parents first for a few days. We did some hiking, saw some prairie dogs. Morgan is not in the picture, because she was at Grandma's house with pneumonia. Lovely vacation, no?

At Hole In the Rock in southern Utah. There's a rest stop, and we always go up the rocks a little way for a picture. Later in the trip, the kids were telling me how they never saw the hole in the rock. At this point I had to explain to them that the rest stop was right behind it, that the store in the front with the painted words "Hole N the Rock" was where the hole was. All this time we've been stopping there, and they never knew.

Our friends, the Gibsons, from Michigan were in Utah at the same time we were, because their oldest daughter was going to EFY with Morgan. We got together at an arcade/bowling alley. Their kids and our kids seem to match perfectly and get along so well.


After the bowling, we had lunch, and then we went up Provo Canyon to Vivian Park. The kids were making their own fishing poles and exploring.

Morgan spent the next week at EFY, but then on Saturday, we went to the Robinson reunion. Hiking again -- which we love! This time it was up Big Cottonwood Canyon up at Brighton Ski Resort. We hiked around Silver Lake -- and even saw a baby moose!

On the mountain side of the lake, we found some rock climbing we could do. Kellen went all the way to the top. He figured if the other kids could do it, so could he.

Later that day -- all the grandkids togther for more than likely the last time. It was impossible to get a picture of everyone behaving themselves, so I just picked the best one.

Olivia's blessing day. It was so nice for me to be around family and fun for the kids to see all their cousins, uncles, and aunts.

After Utah was the trip to Idaho Falls for my high school reunion. We stayed with Richard and Gini, fed the ducks, played the drums, ate raspberries and cherries off of Grandpa's trees and bushes. A short trip, but the kids enjoyed themselves.

And back to Albuquerque on the way home. One day only, and look what happened. The kids had a blast with more cousins, the Bohns -- Michael's sister's kids.

Such a great vacation! We did so much, had so much fun, went so many places, and saw so many people. I even got to see one of my roommates from my freshman year of college. Thanks to everyone who let us crash at their places! We love you!

Texas Snowstorm

Yep, we actually got 12 inches of snow last Wednesday and Thursday. In ten years we've never gotten that much snow -- like all together I don't think we have. I'm not going to look it up. I'm just guessing.

Kellen was sure the snowman needed ears and arms. Liam kept going up and knocking them off. I don't think Kellen minded putting them back on, though.

When the kids got home from school, they had to go out in it too. Yes, even the big ones. There was no school on Friday due to the snow.

Morgan was trying to make snowmen like Calvin from "Calvin and Hobbes." She was surprised how hard it was.

Looking down our street.

My angel making a snow angel.

Of course, we don't have any sleds. We tried cardboard, but the snow was so wet that it disintegrated too quickly. We saw people in laundry baskets, but the corners kept getting stuck. Like a flash it came to me to use the pool toys to go tubing. Perfect!

Oh, we had ourselves a blast, but I think the kids were glad it only lasted two days. They were tired of it by then, I'm sure.

10

Overall I have not been a good blogger lately, but I have especially neglected this family blog. Makenzie turned ten on December 1. I can't even believe that. She was a month old when we moved to Dallas. So we've been here ten years.

This was three days after we moved into the house we're in now. She was 5 1/2. She started Kindergarten a few months later. Look at those blue eyes, that perfect skin!

And here she is now -- this was taken 2 days before Christmas. Such a young lady. She is a good big sister. She loves to take care of everyone's babies in the ward. She's going to be an excellent babysitter. She's a good seamstress and is in the midst of making a very complicated quilt. Makenzie gets excellent grades, is in the chess club, the school choir, the Battle of the Books team, is helpful to all her teachers, and is a pleasant and easygoing girl. She has a huge vocabulary and always wants to work above her age level. Sometimes we forget (as does she) that she is just a little girl. But she's growing bigger and more capable each year. She'll be in young women's before I know it. Yikes.

This is my four-year-old Makenzie -- beautiful, perfect features, talks up a storm, singing and dancing all over. She still loves to sing and can't wait to be in the ward choir with Mom and Morgan. I could not do without her, that's for sure. Love you, Kenzie!

New York, Days 2 and 3

Day 2, which was a Thursday, was the day Michael had a meeting with Norm. We thought it would be all day and perhaps into the night, but truthfully, it was just the afternoon. Anyway, so I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Molly all morning and then to the fabric district in the afternoon. I was very good and only bought two pieces of fabric and a few beads for bracelets. Molly was astonished, since she spent just a little more than I did. You can't take pictures inside the Met, and I forgot to take one outside. And I didn't think you would want to see pictures of any of the fabric stores. Even Jill -- they're not that thrilling. It's just blocks and blocks of little hole-in-the wall places stuffed FULL.

Anyway, Molly had to go have dinner with her in-laws, so that left Michael and I to do whatever. We walked up Broadway, took some pics in Times Square. (This is for those of you who doubted that Michael came with me!) = )

On Day 3, Friday, we wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but we slept too long, and by the time we got there, it was late and there were no tickets left for that day. Plus the line was insane. We decided to try again REALLY early the next morning. So instead, we walked around downtown, which is right by Battery Park (which is where the ferry for the islands is located).

Michael in front of the New York Stock Exchange.

The other side of the NYSE.

A look down Wall Street -- you can see it's blocked off -- no traffic allowed.

Looking back the other way -- the Trinity Church is at the top end of Wall Street. It is beautiful! It has a small cemetery on the premises, and there are so many famous names with gravestones there. I don't know if that means they're actually buried there, though. Someone told me that some of them are just monuments to great statesmen (Alexander Henry's is the one name I can remember right now.) We didn't go to the cemetery this time -- maybe next. The stones were crumbling and moss-covered. I love those historic things. Wall Street was definitely for Michael.

The Hall of Justice

I don't know that this building is used as a courthouse now or not. I must confess that I don't even know if you can go in. The only building we went into was Tiffany's, and we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Of course.

The Trump Building was empty and gutted at the time, but they're planning to put retail shops in there. Michael likes Donald Trump, though, and has watched "The Apprentice" from the beginning. I'm sure he would like to own a piece of New York himself someday.

More to come -- hopefully not another month from now!

Jabberwocky!

Morgan's theater group did a production of Alice in Wonderland: Through the Lookingglass. Last night was the final show. It was very good -- funny and creepy. Alice was a little angry for my taste, but other than that, very good. Because of band conflicts, Morgan wasn't able to be at all the shows, so they gave her a part where there were four of them. Others of the girls were in band too, so they were Jabberwockies with her.

Next up -- Grease!

New York, Baby!

This is just Day One, so I hope you won't begin to be bored with the next few posts. For those of you who don't know, Michael had a business trip to New York in August, and I got to go with him. Our flight was earlier in the day than the hotel expected, so they stored our baggage, upgraded us to a suite on the top floor, and then asked us to come back in a few hours. So we went for a walk.

The pond in Central Park.

That's the Plaza Hotel in the background on the left.

Random people getting their pic taken with "The Statue of Liberty."
(You guys know it's not the real one, right?)



Looking back into the park.
The trees are so old, it looks more like a forest than a park.




Carriage ride around the park, anyone?

Or perhaps a cheap, knockoff purse and a bicycle carriage ride?

Michael just thought this building was cool.

We walked up Avenue of the Americas.

Blurry Radio City Music Hall.

Inside Grand Central Station.

It was a very hot and humid day to be traipsing all over the city.

More Grand Central Station.

It was two blocks from our hotel.

You can catch any subway line from there.

Finally back at the hotel.

My feet were KILLING me.
Can you say, "Blister"?

The "other" room in our suite.

Starbursts instead of mints on the plates that were hidden in the table.

Soup dumplings in Chinatown with Molly.

Yum!

This place was in a tiny, little alleyway, and it was packed! The hostess barely spoke English, and she was very abrupt. We had no idea if we were supposed to wait and or come in or what. We followed her in one time, and she chased us back out -- good-naturedly -- well, somewhat. Anyway, it was worth the wait. The food was EXCELLENT.

Gelato in Little Italy for dessert.

Stay tuned for more New York posts. Or don't. I mean, if it's boring to you, you don't have to check back. We had a blast, though. I would totally go back again!

He's 6!

I have been waiting on his birthday post, because I wanted to put a baby pic on here too. Apparently the discs with all my pictures are lost, and I'm going to have to go burn them again. Anyway, you can see what he looks like now. He's an old soul, this one.

But full of mischief nonetheless. Cade, when he learned to walk, ran everywhere instead of walking, and he still does. He is not afraid to try anything (although he does get shy around grownups at first). He is a perfectionist -- truly. He has great desires to do everything right. He's very distractable, so he forgets a lot, but he always responds when you ask him to do something. He is not defiant at all. He can do flips on the trampoline and hand stands against the wall. He is an excellent reader and good at math. He is a good big brother. He is always willing to give things up to his younger brothers if they want something he has. He has a testimony and wants to do what's right. He has very sweet and tender feelings. He told me that sometimes he gets so excited that his eyes get watery -- like when you bear your testimony. He is all boy. He loves lightsabers, dart guns, legos, pizza, wrestling, making noise, Star Wars, Bionicles -- you get the idea. He's kind of afraid of dogs, but he wants one. I think he needs one. A dog is about the only thing that can keep up with my him. Look out world, because he's going to make his mark on you. Can't slow HIM down. Love you, buddy!