Pioneer Day Parade in Fairview

For Pioneer day we went down to Sanpete County to join in on some small town fun.  Mike and Hunter were at Scout camp so I took the rest of the kiddies down to Fairview for the breakfast and parade.  Problem was, the breakfast seemed to be shutting down when we got there.  I piled the kids back into the car and we quickly drove down the rode to the diner for pancakes, french toast, and bacon.  The kids were entertaining themselves by making straw wrapper mustaches.

 We finally made it to the parade and was it hot!  This is why I detest parades, I can't stand sitting out in the heat.  The highlight of the parade was the candy for the kids.  The "parade" consisted of a bunch of trucks and cars driving down the road throwing out candy.  I saw maybe one float, one marching band, and a handful of girls doing dance routines.  Not quite my idea of a parade.  The kids enjoyed getting sprayed by the fire truck.


 I loved the missionaries' sign, it was totally Napoleon Dynamite.

After the parade we went over to the house in Mt. Pleasant and hung out with all of the cousins.  We had a yummy lunch.  The kids had fun playing and I enjoyed talking to everyone.  We headed out a little early,  because Laina refused to take a nap.  Of course she was asleep within 5 minutes once we hit the road.  Shakes were calling our name so we ended the day with thick delicious shakes from the Shave 'n Cream on the way out of town.

Hang Time with the Cousins

On Sunday we got together at Grandpa and Grandma Staker's house.  Mike's sister Megan and her family are here from Oregon for about a month.  We had a fun evening together catching up and planning some fun activities for their time here.  The cousins had a blast playing outside on the trampoline and running around the backyard.
The kids made a human pyramid.

Daynen tried to get on but it ended with quite a tumble.

The kids were all trying to show off on the trampoline.

Jaida and her new pal Aria

Bronson, our little superman!

Laina is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

At one point Logan came walking in crying that he had gotten hurt on the trampoline.  His Dad asked him what happened and he said, "I think someone broke my leg."  We all had to hold in our chuckles and smiles as he wailed.  Nothing was broken, but he adopted a little limp for the rest of the evening.  It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt!

Memorial Day in Mt. Pleasant

We took a nice little trip down to Mt. Pleasant on Sunday for dinner with Mike's family.  It was fun to visit Grandma's house, but it was a little weird not having her there anymore.  Mike's parents want to buy the house and move down there.  It seems like they will be a long ways away, but maybe it will be more fun to stay there for a little while so we can have a longer visit.  We played card games and the cousins had fun outside in the backyard.

Weston, Chase, and Gage

Hunter in his tree fort.

Aria shooting pretend arrows.

The kids were all excited to play with the rotary phone.

 We stayed over night and helped them with a few things around the house Monday morning.  After that we headed over to the cemetery so we could visit the graves of a few Lowry and Staker relatives.

 It was fun to see the flags lining the roads and all of the beautiful flowers left on the graves.

 Grandma and Grandpa Staker's headstone is the cutest.  On the back it lists all of the names of their kids and it says, "We had the best!"

We said our goodbyes and with a quick trip to Subway we were back on the way home.  It was a fast trip but we had a lot of fun hanging out with the family.

Easter Sunday

Our kids are so lucky.  They get 2 easter egg hunts every year.  The first is in our basement, you never know what Utah weather will be like on Easter, and the second is at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  Every year I color code the eggs for each child so that no one gets more eggs than anyone else and so the little kids can find their eggs without too much help.
This year we had church at 9:00 so we decided to wait until after church for the Hunt.  We had a couple of unhappy kids, but I was not going to wake up little sleeping girls when they could do it later.  After church I made them take a family picture before they trashed their Easter clothes.  I made skirts for the girls and ties for the boys.  Love how they all color coordinate with each other without being too matchy matchy.

Then it was on to the Hunt!

Hunter was just a wee bit excited.

 First they have to find their baskets.  Hunter and Michela's are getting harder to find each year.  Love making them work for their stuff!  

They got shirts or skirts in their baskets, a book (of course), a big bubble wand, and some chocolate.  Laina's eggs were all in plain sight.  After finding one she just wanted to open it, she didn't really care about finding more.  Most of her eggs had puffs or yogurt bites, but one had jellybeans.  She tried to cram the entire pile of jellybeans into her mouth at once!

Chase found his eggs quickly.  I think he and Hunter
sneaked down for a peek in the morning.

Time to open the Eggs.

After a few short hours it was time to go to Grandpa and Grandma's for dinner.  Of course they couldn't wait for the Easter Egg Hunt.  The Dads all go out and hide the eggs.  And then it is time to let the cousins loose.

Chase found a Golden Egg.

Hunter finding some eggs hidden in the bushes.

Aria is trying so hard to reach the eggs in the trees.

Laina adores her Daddy.

Michela searched high and low for the eggs.

Mindy, Grandma Peggy, and Laina.

My sweet kiddos.

 Thanks to Peggy and Lynette for the awesome Easter Egg Hunt.  The kids were in candy bliss the whole ride home.

Grandma Staker

Yesterday we attended the funeral of Mike's Grandma.  Waiting in the room for the family prayer I glanced over at her and thought, she needs her glasses!  She just didn't look the same without them.  It was a wonderful service, full of fun stories, laughter, and tender moments.  So many memories of her were shared from her love for the Jazz, her amazing pancakes and pies, her funny sayings, and her great love for her family and friends.  I was impressed with what a strong woman she was.  She helped raise her brothers and was without her parents at an early age.  She was a strong member in the church and raised six beautiful children.  She lost her husband when she was just 69 years old and has lived independently since then.  She was an amazing woman who will be sorely missed.

Grandma with Chase

Some fun memories I have of Grandma Staker:

Mike brought me down to her house when we were engaged and we spent the night there.  Before he went upstairs to his room for the night he warned me that there were bats in the attic.   I hate bats, so I looked at Grandma Staker and asked her if he was joking.  She laughed and said, " it's true, but I don't think they'll come downstairs."  I closed my door tight that night and kept an eye out for the bats just in case.

She made me a beautiful quilt for our wedding and the whole Staker clan signed it at my bridal shower.

Staker Family gatherings at her home down in Mt. Pleasant.  The Memorial Day parties were the best.

Staker Family Halloween parties.  She always dressed up and loved seeing all of the great grandchildren in their costumes.

Her laugh.

"Cute, cute, cute."

When you asked her a question she would always start her reply with, "well..."

Signing her guest book at the house.

She had a wedding to attend that was just around the corner from our house a few years ago.  We drove down and picked her up from Mt. Pleasant and had such a fun drive back to Provo chatting away.  That night after the kids were put to bed we asked Grandma if she wanted to watch a movie.  I don't know how we ended up deciding on "Napoleon Dynamite", but she seemed interested.  I was worried as to what she would think but she ended up giggling through the entire movie.

I just loved this sweet lady.  She made me feel so welcome in her home and in her family.  I truly felt like one of the grand daughters and knew she loved me and my family.  I will miss her sweet face and her hugs.  Love you Grandma!

Peggy's Birthday Dinner

Peggy's Birthday was on the 11th, but we celebrated all together on Sunday.  It's pretty sad that she had to make her own cake, but she said she wanted to make sure it was something good.  Ha, ha, ...  No one can bake like she can.  I haven't had pumpkin squares in forever, and these were so yummy!  Michela and I made her a necklace.  Peggy loves autumn colors so we made a fabric covered button necklace for her.

The big surprise was a big family picture.  We had taken pictures in the summer when Megan was here but Sara had to do a lot of head swapping to make the perfect picture.  Peggy loved it!  It's been nine years since we've taken a family picture and we've added ten grandkids since then!  I hope Peggy had a happy birthday week.  I have to say I sure lucked out in the in-law department.  I couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law.  She is a great friend and is so supportive of her family.  Love her to pieces!

Pool Party

Every year when Megan's family comes to town we try to do a Pool party for the July birthday boys over at Matt and Sara's friends' pool. It is always so much fun. Their pool is amazing. There is a big slide, waterfall, and a cliff that the kids love to jump off of. I looked up at one point in the evening and saw Chase take a flying leap off of the cliff. I was so surprised at his fearless spirit. Then there is Hunter who is the complete opposite. I watched him slowly walk himself out to the edge, peer down, and then finally jump off.Hunter was also such a sweetie with Laina. He took her for a little swim.

Unfortunately Michela missed the party, she was at Girl's camp, and Mike was off hiking with the scouts. I had my arms full with Laina, she wouldn't sit still for a minute.

Thankfully Peggy was there to help me out with the kiddos. She and I alternated between Laina and Aria.

It was fun hanging out with the family. Cutie Pie Bronson.

Mindy was there with her boyfriend Dustin, his kids and Alyssa. Aren't they so cute together!

Logan was too scared to jump off the cliff, so Megan hung him out over the edge and dropped him to Russ down below. Jaida and Jenna were loving it all. Aria was being a social butterfly. She kept wanting to hang out with the big kids. It was a great evening and everyone had the best time. Thanks Matt and Sara!