Camping at Red Cliffs Memorial Weekend

Aunt Ashley, Uncle Cortney and Hallie came to Red Cliffs and joined us for dinner and a hike to the Anasazi ruins on Thursday.
These are some of the ruins they kept corn in.

There are Cortney, Ashley, Hallie, Kari and Kya on the trail.
Karla, Sam, Nicole, Danielle and Clark came and slept over . We made tin foil dinners in the fire.
Kiera LOVED getting as dirty as she possibly could. She would put dirt in her hat and stick it on her head.
There are the coals and the tin foil dinners. Yum!
We put Kolden in the hammock and then we would weave a rope through the top so he wouldn't fall out. Sometimes he looked like a bird in a cage. It kept him safe, comfortable and away from the fire ants.
Kade, Kari and myself went on a hike to find the waterfall. It was so cool that we decided to bring everyone with us and go back.
But first, Grandma Beth came up and we made homemade ice cream. She also brought homemade fudge sauce. We love fudge sause.
Nicole, Danielle and Clark playing games at camp.
Karla and Sam on their love sack taking an afternoon nap.
We explored the creek to play and keep cool in the water. Kolden loved the rock and even ate some along with the algae.
Kade offered the girls a dollar if they would lie down in the water. Kari jumped at the offer and got all wet.
Grandpa Brian, Grandma Creta, Uncle Pete, Aunt Brittany, Halley, Daycee, Ben and Cloee came up to have dutch oven potatoes and cherry-pecan-coconut cobbler.

The kids were climbing on the red hill.




Kolden shared his hammock with Grandma Creta.

Everyone came on a hike with us to the waterfall. (Yes - Kari is wearing Kiera's clothes and they are too small.)
All the kids (and Pete) in a little cave on the trail to the waterfall.
We found the water..

...and because it was starting to get dark we just stopped at the first little waterfall and the kids were able to get a little wet.Kolden and I found a seat in the red rock.
Kade and Grandpa Brian
Time to head back to camp.
Before we ended the weekend we had to squeeze in a bike ride. Kade had Kya on the tandem bike behind him.
Grandma Creta tried out my bike with the bike trailer behind her. You can see Kolden trying to stick his head out of it.
We had a great camping trip and we loved having family come up and join us for hikes and yummy food. We love camping and Red Cliffs is a favorite. (It is closed unfortunately for renovations to the road until August this year.)

Playdate with the Campbell's

The Campbell girls Emmie, Payton and Hadley came over for a play date! Kari, Kya and Kiera had so much fun each having a friend their own age.
They played dress-up in the playhouse and then came inside to do their hair. They had a parade in the back yard in their dress ups.
The girls played in the playhouse a lot and then decorated cupcakes after dinner. For dinner we had cheese casadillas.
Silly face photo! Kiera was having a rough time when we were taking these photos.

Thanks for coming and playing! We will definitely have to do it again!

Update on the Garden

This is Grandma Creta's grow box for Mother's Day. Her peas are growing right along.

Our garden is coming along quite well too! Kade put in the soaker hoses for me to finish it off. Now I don't have to use the hose and water weeds too.

Kolden's FIRST Birthday!

Kolden just had his first birthday! He has eight teeth, four on top and four on bottom and his smile is enchanting. He loves to laugh and he has recently really started to crawl and follow everyone around the house. (We are having his pelvis x-rayed because he acts like it hurts when he tries to stand or put weight on his legs. His muscles are not as developed as they should be in his legs so we will have some tests done to rule out anything like MS or MD.)
Kolden loves to sing and tries to sing along with whatever we are singing. He says dada and mom, GO! and "uh-oh". He tries to say love and more. He is a very independent eater and will only eat if he can feed it to himself.
Kolden LOVES his sister's attention and wants to be involved in whatever the family is doing. He gives loves by cuddling in a close hug when he is sleepy and if you are lucky then his "kiss" is when he puts his cheek up to your cheek and says "ahhh" or he will touch his forehead to your forehead. He loves to follow me to the kitchen and play with wooden spoons and pans. All his toys have a grunting or car noise. He is such a fun boy!
We made two cakes, one for the Cheesman's like best - the banana cream cake and a chocolate ice cream cake that Cottam's like best.
This is Aunt Ashley with sweet baby Zoe. She is so cute and Kolden will have fun playing with her as they grow up.
Kari and Kya are posing with Kolden.

Kiera gets her turn to take a picture with Kolden.
Cake time! Haylee, Daycee, Hallie, Ben, Cloee and Zoe were there to help celebrate!
Kolden liked the fire and all the kids were eager to help him blow out his candle.
Kolden preferred the chocolate cake. He wears it well.
Hooray for cake!
After we cleaned him up Grandma Creta and Grandpa Brian gave him presents, so did Grandma Beth.
Sisters and Mom and Dad gave him presents at home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOLDEN!!!!

"The Doctor of America"

Kari came in with a play Doctor's Kit and announced to me that she was "the Doctor of America" and she could make anyone better.
She told Kiera that she had an "ear egg" and she needed to look into her mouth to see it. So, Kari looked in Kiera's mouth and assured her that she did indeed have an "ear egg", but not to worry because she just needed to give her a shot on her tongue and she would be cured.

We are really lucky to have "the doctor of America" at our house. I love how cute the girls are!

Wedding Balloons

These are some balloons I made for a friend and co-worker of mine for her wedding shower. They turned out pretty cute.