5, 4, 3, 2 and...2 months

That's the ages of the cousins we got to play with in Colorado this week. Yes, we took that long trip back to Durango, but this time it was for fun. No work! Colt (5) & Bryce(3) got to play Adrey(4) and Cru(2). If we had kept the every other year thing going, I'd have a 1 year old now and Becky would be due...but for my own sanity I only have a 2 month old and Becky is due in 1 month.

Cru, Colton & Bryson

Baby Anna
Colton & Adrey - swinging monkeys!
Look at the camera, Colton.
The best horsey ride ever!

Aren't they the best lookin' grandparents? Pretty good lookin' kids, too.

On to Silverton

We've been going to Durango all the time since we moved to AZ in 2003 and we never made it up to Silverton and the jeeping trails--we were always working on our houses. So, this weekend was all play and no work. Silverton is a great old mining town high up in the Colorado Rockies - absolutely beautiful

Durango-Silverton Steam Powered Engine

Thanks Nate & Becky for being great hosts! Glad we didn't have to entertain the bear (stay tuned for future post regarding the bear for those who don't know the story)

Kids at "Handlebar's" Saloon in Silverton

Colton posing in front of what remains of Animas Forks, an old mining town that used to house 450 people - even with 10' high snow winters

Colton made a game of counting how many marmots he could see on our 4x4 trek

My dad took his Lexus where no Lexus has probably been before...a jeep trail loop that took us to at least 14000 ft...above tree line. It was incredible.

Old mining cabin
Waterfalls were everywhere
It was a great trip. Thanks Mom & Dad, Nate & Becky!

Colton's First $Tip$

Ben took the boys to the shooting range and enlisted Colton to be the Clay Pigeon launcher. For his efforts, the shooter in the middle gave him a $1 tip. Dan Norris (right) and his own dad (left) gave him nothing. Way to exploit a kid, guys! J/K.

" What mom?"

"I look important, don't I mom."

"What Mom?"
I wish I could wear some of those around the house sometimes.

Petzingers at the Lake

July 4th. Anderson Ranch Dam. David Petzinger's Birthday. Great shady setup in our own little private cove. It was a beautiful day.

Ben's two brothers, John & David, and their families joined us, as well as Ben's mom & hubby, Joe.

Someone needs a bath! Meet Rocky, mom & Joe's dog.

Meet Joe. Obama? Hmmm...I doubt it.

Colton & Cousin Ethan rowing awayDavid & Shelagh all the way from Bend, Oregon.
4-yr old cousin Henry - ready to get in the boat

What we really came for - 2 Tubes (Cousin Ethan & Colton)
1 3-Person Banana (Aunt Raquel, Ashley, and Cousin Erika)It is the boat against the riders...how bad can we make them crash or fly through the air?

Thank goodness for Grandmas. We love you.

Elepahants, Lava & Ice

Dinosaurs

Turtles

A lava rock trail leading to...

Ice
Yes, the Shoshone Ice Caves
A lava tube formed from the dormant Black Butte Volcano between Shoshone and Bellevue which was mostly sealed off at both ends and created an area for ice to form.
Right now the ice is 35' thick and you walk right over it
Nice little local adventure for a Saturday

Treasure Your Loved Ones

I attended a viewing last night to support two of my jr. high/high school friends, Ryan Hibler and Cris Mower Westerfield. Cris was in an car accident on the way home from Lake Powell on Sunday and lost her husband, Darin Westerfield, her 15-year old son Tyler Hibler (also Ryan's son) and her 7-year old daughter Alisa. Cris has one surviving child, 10-year old Mark, and Ryan lost his only child.

I hate to post such as sad story; but in this tragedy, we are reminded how precious and delicate life is. We are reminded to love our family unconditionally and not take them for granted. We never know when the Lord may take them home.

My prayers are with Cris and Ryan, the Westerfield Family, the Keep Family and all those affected.

Anna's Blessing

Sunday was Anna's special day...or I should say Mom and Dad's special day. Everytime I look at her, my heart aches with the love I feel for her. I am so grateful I have been blessed with such a sweet, beautiful little girl. I am also so grateful for a wonderful husband who was able to give her such a beautiful blessing. She was still blessed to have a sense of humor (just like the boys)...but there was still a very special spirit that I felt as Ben was speaking. The full name she was given is Anna Lenore. Lenore is my mom's name - so Anna has a wonderful namesake to look up to during her life.
We were very grateful for all the family who joined us on this occasion: My parents, my brother Curtis & Shae, Ben's mom & husband Joe, Ben's brother David & Shelagh, Ben's brother John & Raquel, Ethan & Erika. Thank you for joining us. Some family are just too far away. We missed you.
Here are some pictures I just have to show off.

Happy Birthday Nana!

Today is my mom's birthday. My mom...my best friend since I was about 12 years old. It probably helped that she is so young...she always joked that she'd be taking care of me in my old age before I'd be taking care of her--and she's probably right, considering she always has things under control, unlike me. She has ALWAYS had everything under control and practically perfect--except maybe when it came to old junker cars we always drove when I was a kid. Those cars were the only thing I ever saw rattle my mom.

She has always been there for me. She was the first (besides my husband) to see each of my babies after they were born. She has come to my rescue at a minutes notice many times. Just last year when I was building this house, I had a painting crisis - she was here in a day with one of her best friends and helped me repaint almost this entire house.

So, in tribute to her today here are the TOP 5 things I love about my mom - these are all things I wish I could say about myself. I'm still working on it.

1) You can always tell her anything and trust her completely. I've always felt like I can talk to her about anything and she'll understand. She always keeps confidences. She thinks before she speaks (unlike me). She is an incredible listener.

2) She has a way of calming any situation and calming me down if I'm upset about something. She can always get me thinking logically and realistically before I do something I will regret.

3) She is NEVER idle. Ever since I was a little girl she was taking classes in something. She has become good at so many things. There was tole painting, quilting, floral arranging, caligraphy (which she let me go to classes with her), teaching, carpentry, welding, gardening, painting, singing, piano, etc., etc., etc. I don't think I can even remember them all. And now, she builds shutters in the shop of her own business: Clearview Shutters. She has no problem getting her hands dirty. (I'll do a post on her paintings one of these days - they are beautiful)

My mom's yard

4) She is an impecible housekeeper, list maker, planner, accomplisher and cook. Luckily this one she passed on to me, too--mostly. Meals are always planned ahead of time and done on time. The house is always clean - even when we were kids. No activity is just "thrown" together...and if it is, you can't tell.

5) And still at 52, she looks amazing. She always looks great. I don't think I've ever seen my mom on a regular day without her hair done, makeup on, and a great outfit - unless we are doing some construction project, which happens a lot in our family. Even then, she looks good in paint clothes. She takes care of her body and keeps her weight in check (not that hard with her genes--but she still does).

My mom with Bryson at Curt & Shae's wedding last summer

Nana & Pop with my kids