Visit to Sacramento

On our way to the Higbee Family Reunion in Oregon in July, we stopped at my Grandma and Grandpa Patton's house. It was so wonderful to see them. Luckily, Michael got some pictures of that day. We are so grateful that they let us come and stay and even though it was a short visit, it made all the driving to Oregon worth it! This is a priceless picture to me. My kids love Grandma and Grandpa Patton and it was wonderful to take them to the home where I enjoyed so many wonderful visits as a little girl. They loved the back yard and run around it while we were there.

The kids with their Great-Grandpa Patton. I feel so blessed to be his granddaughter. He is such a kind and loving grandpa and I love his hugs.

This picture and the one at the very top are of my boys in the tree in the Patton's backyard. I was there when this tree was brand new. It was fun to see my kids climbing in it so many years later, just like my brothers and sisters did over the years.

We went out to dinner on Friday night and the girls went with Grandma Patton and Auntie Karen. Laurel commented that "they were going in style." Thanks Auntie Karen for giving them such a fun ride!

Visit From Auntie and Time Outside

Jonathan decided to use the girls' flowered rain boots to explore the backyard. These matched so well with his muscle man shirt that says, "I Love Danger" and his shorts.

Auntie came for a visit and we had so much fun. Evan is very teary eyed. He does not like it when Auntie leaves. He has such a sweet heart. He even cried last Thursday when we left for CA and he had to say good-bye to his dad.

Jonathan loves his Auntie too. We love spending time with Auntie and wished she lived closer!

Memorial Day 2009

The kids went to Grandpa Hickman's grave for Memorial Day. It was a beautiful day and the cemetary had a lot of flowers everywhere.

Brothers and sisters who love each other. This is what I like to see!

Early Summer Fun

This picture was taken last May. I am going to have to spend some time catching up. Luckily, Michael has been taking pictures so we have a few to share.

The kids enjoyed a BYU baseball game with Dad, some family, and friends. They loved it and would like to go again next year.

They ate giant blue popsicles. They were enormous and the kids could not stop talking about them when they came home.

Here's Evan with his cousin Isaac, Uncle Joseph, Aunt Angela, and baby Elijah.

Trip to California

For the Fourth of July we went to California for a Stewart reunion. The kids spent the whole week in the pool. They loved swimming in Gram's and Grampa's pool. It was great to see lots of family members and eat lots of yummy food.

The kids loved to swim at night. Evan likes to wear goggles to explore the pool and keep his eyes from hurting.

Even Jonathan could get around really well with a life jacket. Laurel and Lindsay are really good swimmers and had a great swim teacher that helped them develop good techniques.

Here are the kids having a fun night swim. Jonathan, Lindsay, and Laurel are all hanging onto noodles and having a great time.

It was so great to see the Peterson's. I think Jane and Josh look a lot like their mommy and they are super cute and cuddly.

Jonathan poses for the camera. He is all sunscreened up and ready for fun.

Father's Day

I figured I should probably do a tribute to Michael for being a fantastic father. He loves his kids and wants to spend time with them. He is a great storyteller, fun to play with, and keeps us all in line (in a good way). We decided to get him a charcoal grill, but we have not used it yet. I think I will have to make it a goal for this weekend!

What a smile. He is really this cheerful most of the time. I think he is already imagining the steaks he can grill up soon.

These kids love their dad and were so excited to give him his presents. Laurel even earned enough money to buy her dad a really nice card from the store.

Springville Parade

Once again I am really behind on blogging. The kids were in a parade in June for clogging. The boys rode in the trailer and the girls took turns clogging along the way for the people lined up. It was pretty hard work, but they did a great job. Michael and I were assigned to walk along with the cloggers and pass out candy to the parade watchers. It was actually a lot of fun.

The boys started clogging in June. The clogging teacher offered free lessons to any boys that were interested for the summer. They seem to be enjoying the lessons and are a lot of fun to watch.