Enigma

One of the great mysteries of having long hair... Losing more bobby pins IN my hair than out of my hair!!

Baby Maylee

Loving this new little face! Congrats to the Hancocks :)

More this spring!

A little bit of Mae Mae time 

3D sidewalk chalk art 

Slippery slopes

Gorgeous blooms!

 Mother's Day Outing

... and LOTS of Bella hair everywhere!

Springtime in the A of Z

Means....

Family wrestling, of course.

Allergies

Family fun at the Marm (Farm)

Mothers' Day flowers from my in-laws

Jake gets beat up at basketball???

Switching out the comforter (thanks, Meagan!)

Gorgeous temple grounds.

The Days of Babysitting

On the first day of babysitting, the Parrys gave to us...
Training as the drivers of a bus.

On the second day of babysitting, the Parrys gave to us...
A good fight against Zach, who is tough!

On the third day of babysitting, the Parrys gave to us...
Good luck on final tests for us.

On the fourth day of babysitting, the Parrys gave to us...
A puking family and we've all had enough!

By the eighth day of babysitting, adventures were supreme!
Together, we had survived...
A ten year-old with a field trip bellyache (thanks, Mom Carter for saving us that night!)
Friday afternoon "accountability jobs"
A fixed washing machine... no more floods!
Several Barbie movies
Fathers and sons and shooting for the boys
A barbeque and pool party with the Carter girls
Seminary graduation with singing Barbie

Man, life is exciting with six great kids!! Jake and I love being together more than ever.

Running away to the Fair!

Last weekend, Jake had a campout with the Boy Scouts down at the Ranch. I declined his invitation to accompany him, and instead took the opportunity to go on an adventure with the Hancocks!

The preschool I work at (and currently have my clinical rotation) is all about literacy, and told me months ago about the Tucson Festival of Books. I had NEVER heard of it before, but got pretty excited to go when I found out that there would be book give-aways, concerts, science experiments, and opportunities to read to guide dogs. I was so excited when Meagan, Dustin, and Mikayla wanted to come, too!! They even drove me down to the U of A. Wow. What a treat!

Here are some pictures of our adventures.
...Well, there were going to be pictures, but the internet here at the Shack is TOO SLOW! So, until further notice, you can imagine the pictures. Read on!

The book festival was pretty overwhelming (with over 400 booths and not very effective maps), but we spotted some pretty amazing things, including a "volcano eruption", dry ice bubbles, a giant teeter-totter, the Bernstein Bears, a mini circus, formaldehyded fish to touch, and lots of people who were willing to give Mikayla "stuff" (she takes after Granddad and I on loving junk). It's definitely going to be a tradition... now if I could just convince my husband to go :)

Catching Up

It's been a busy few months...

1. We graduated from working in Primary to working with the Young Men and Young Women at church. Can't figure that one out...


2. Bella finally caught that rascal of a ground squirrell... and we were glad she didn't lose an eye in the process! Cholla cactus? No problem for that tough girl! Don't worry. She's found another :)


3. We enjoyed two weddings involving three cousins (figure that one out!).... and all the perks associated!


4. Jake (well, his dad, really) took me to my first Pima County Fair. I do not like the Star Wars ride. However, Audrey and I outdid everyone on bravery and went on the swishy-swirly-upside-downy-egg-beater-of-nastiness. Did I mention Jake didn't go on it?


5. I also got to go to Lake Powell on a houseboat for the first time. Jake and his dad murdered carp, I read an entire book, and Jake jumped off an insanely high cliff. He's promised never to do that again.


6. We learned that being "poor students" but "meat eaters" means buying cheap steaks in bulk and freezing them. Then marinating for hours... or shredding... or cubing... so that you can't tell how tough and flavorless it really is.


7. Jake killed and grilled us a rattlesnake. First and last time eating that nastiness for me! Jake's family's friend, Ammon, left on his mission to Brazil! Zech, Jake's brother, had outstanding football and basketball seasons. Jake didn't force me to be a Mountain View fan. Thank goodness.


8. Trips to the pond whenever possible, including (for the first time) Christmas in October.


9. In November, Seth came home from his mission and joined us on those trips. In December, Chelsey came home from Utah and joined us on those trips... In January, Seth and Chelsey got ENGAGED!

10. Jake and I celebrated our first Christmast together. We decorated the Love Shack, but spent most of Christmas week with our families, cuz that's where it's really at.

Whoa, how time flies!