Road Trip

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Arizona with Sam's family. Our trip included a day on the rez--driving on some bumpy dirt roads, exploring old abandoned buildings, getting sandblasted by the wind, taking in the beautiful scenery, and eating frybread at Anasazi Inn.  

I ignored the camera most of the time on the trip, but I'm glad Sam brought it along on the rez portion. Here are a just a few of my favorites.

humming bird nest

Dinosaurs & "Timber!"

We recently took a weekend trip to see dinosaurs and cut down a few trees. Obviously the dinosaur thing was for Cohen. Sam made the mistake of telling Cohen our plans a few days before we left. The next few days it was all he could talk about, accompanied by several tantrums. Three days is WAY too long for a two year old to wait to see "real live" dinosaurs! He was pretty excited about chopping down trees, too. The lumberjack portion of the trip was to find enough lodge pole pine to finish the stair rail in Sam's parent's log home. The town we went to also happens to be the place Sam's great grandparents lived, so we also spent some time tracking down their house. 

Staying at a hotel just isn't complete until you've jumped on the bed!

Excavating some fossils.

Picking out a present at the gift shop to send to our favorite sister missionary.

Then up to the beautiful mountains we went. I don't think I've ever been to this particular part of the Ashley National Forrest before. I can't believe how thick the trees were in some spots. Seriously, in some places they were so packed, I don't think I could have walked through them without a chainsaw handy. I thought we'd be finished in no time, but we could only cut down dead-standing trees, and those proved to be a little harder to find.

Cohen "helping" dad haul logs through the woods.

Here's Cohen and me practicing our funny faces while Sam was hard at work:

Okay, so I'm totally embarrassed to have this photo of me out here on the web, but Cohen's face totally makes it worth it.

Just as we were getting ready to leave we found this darling little thing. I was so tempted to bring him home with us, but with Cohen's bug squishing skills, I don't think it would have lasted very long.

I have to give serious props to Sam. I spent most of the time playing with Cohen and napping in the car. I hauled a few logs back to the truck, but Sam pretty much completed this task by himself. He's a stud!!

A trailer full of logs and a very happy little boy. Mission accomplished!

Little Climber

I'm a little behind in getting to his post, but better late than never, right? We spent Labor Day weekend with Sam's family at his sister Marci's house. We enjoyed a lot of the same things we did on the 4th of July with a few additions: Sam's sister Charlsia who lives in Colorado and her family joined us this time, giving us a total head count of 24; we actually drove the four-wheelers this time; we set up a projector outside and watched a late night movie under the stars; and we went hiking and rock climbing. We brought our camera with us but didn't take a single photo the entire time. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and take it all in without thinking about the lighting or which lens to use. 

Charlsia took a few pictures of our climbing adventure, which is a good thing since it was Cohen's first climbing experience (not including the climbing wall in our garage). 

All ready to take on the wall. Notice the tape around his hands--that was his idea.

Taking a breather and enjoying the three foot view. 

Gotta love the juxtaposition of his taped left hand and diaper peeking out the top of his pants. 

Family Reunion

Last weekend we headed south to spend some time with Sam's immediate and extended family. His dad has 12 brothers and sisters, so there's a lot of people to keep up with! Facebook helps, but only so much. I remember the first reunion I attended was about a month before Sam and I got married. I'll admit it was a bit overwhelming--so many new faces and names, everyone having a sense of humor that was a little unfamiliar to me (lots of inside jokes and phrases spoken in Dine (Navajo), and I had terrible allergies from the rodeo grounds next door. But everyone made me feel like I was part of the family and I was so excited to know that I would officially be a part of this family very soon. 

We arrived Friday afternoon and spent the day with Sam's immediate family. It was good to see Sam's brother Cooper and his family. They live in Albuquerque and we don't get to see them very often. Cohen was very excited to play with his cousins and didn't want to miss a minute of the action--a nap was definitely out of the question! 

We spent most of Saturday at the lake. It was HEAVEN!!! Perfect weather, warm water, and great company. It doesn't get better than that!

"No mom and dad, I am NOT tired!"

Shooting the breeze with everyone on Sam's parent's front porch.

Our nephew, Mitch, trying to do a gainer--OUCH!

Me being a dork. The cliff was the perfect jumping platform--only about 5-6 feet from the water, it hung out a couple of feet past the the other rocks, and the water was clean, clear and DEEP below. 

Sam's cousin doing a back flip. (nice shot, Sam!)

I LOVE it when he wrinkles his nose like this. Katrina does the same thing.

The weekend was far too short. See ya'll next year!

  

Happy B-Day America!

We spent the 4th of July weekend at Sam's sister's. They live on about 10 acres just outside of a small town. Their property includes a seasonal stream, swimming pond and several out buildings like a gazebo, outdoor kitchen and a small cabin. They also have these little flower, vegetable and sculpture gardens, and sitting areas peppered throughout the property. It's seriously a work of art.

We attended the town parade which began with a 5k fun run that Sam and our nephew ran in. We also went to the firework show that was pretty darn amazing for such a small town. We had such a great time we've decided to make it a tradition. 

Cohen on the bounce-a-line (he gave it this name--why isn't it called that already?)

Cohen can ride this thing for real when I'm dead--ha, ha.

Cohen and Grandpa

the swimming hole

Cohen hangin' with the guys

Playing with glow sticks while waiting for the fireworks to begin:

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with Sam's family at his sister's new house. We arrived to their small town after dark, and when we got Cohen out of the car he looked up into the night sky and said, "Wow!" The sky was ablaze with stars! Cohen's attention quickly turned to the colorful lights strung across the front porch. He pointed and let out another enthusiastic, "Wow!" Then we went inside to find a Christmas wonderland! Lights, music, bells and a warm crackling fire. 

 

Our nephew/cousin Rio showing Cohen the bell elves. 

We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal complete with Sam's family's traditional noodle gravy. Yes, I know that sounds like an easy way to ruin the meal, but believe me, it is YUMMY! 

It was FREEZING but that didn't stop us from going sledding a few of times. Cohen looked like the Michelin Man in his snow gear.

Sam's sister Adrianne and me relaxing on the couch. Cohen was so busy playing with his cousins that I read an entire book!

What a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! THANK YOU to Marci and her family for your hospitality. We love your new home!

Road Trip

Last week we took a last minute road trip to the pacific northwest.  We both have family there and we love this area--if we were to move to a different part of the country, this is definitely where we'd want to go.  But our main purpose of the trip was to visit Sam's grandma who lives near Seattle.  Sam's mom and sister Emily also came along for most of the trip.  

We were very lucky to get to stay at this awesome bed and breakfast owned by my dad's cousin.  It's located right on the beach and the property is filled with award-winning hydrangeas--it's magical and oh-so relaxing!  

Light House at Long Beach

Puget Sound

Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium 

Exploring the boardwalk--nice face, Cohen!

Mission accomplished!  Cohen and I finally got to meet Sam's mom's mom.  

Cohen with one of his Auntie Em's (he has one on each side).  Do you see Emily's white streak of hair? It's  a rare family trait from Sam's dad's family.  Cohen has the same thing but further back on his head.  Of course he didn't get it from Sam--Katrina's brother has a white streak in the same place as Cohen. 

On our way home at a rest stop in Pendleton, Oregon.  We had perfect timing to watch this beautiful sunset!