The New Project:)

Mom and Dad have been wanting to redo their driveway for the last few years and thanks to Elena they were able to replace it and also the walkway.  Dennis is also covering their existing steps with stone and actually adding a step so it's not such a high step for Mom and Dad.  Here I captured the "crews" all busily working a few Saturdays ago.  Lexi, Dean, and Dave came over and everyone got to work.  Lexi and Dave and I shoveled all the gravel out of the walkway path, and then Lexi and I shoveled the cement evenly (as evenly as we could) after Dave dumped wheelbarrow fulls of the cement that Dennis made.  Dennis showed Dean how to grind down the huge cracks on the carport.  Even the little boys got involved and helped push the gravel back in the dump truck:)  It started to pour on us at the end so most of us bailed but Dennis and Dave stayed at it until it was smoothed completely!

Eli :)

Eli enjoyed his first nectarine and he loves to sit in Pip's bed and Pip of course tries to get it back and ends up dragging Eli all over!!

Another Mr. Basketball

Eli loves basketball just as much as Ethan did at his age.  This boy would play ball all day long! I love the shot of him reaching for the ball under his bum:)

Deseret News Marathon

Here is my hubby at the Deseret News Marathon in Salt Lake City.  He was so excited to do this marathon and really wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  The last marathon he ran he was just shy of this goal.  He ran it in 3:24 and you have to run it in 3:15 to qualify.  So he started off this marathon really strong and right on target for the first 13 miles but then his knee gave out and he wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to finish the race.  He had to sit for about 20 min and then hobbled for a bit and finally he was able to trot the last of it.  You can tell by his face he was thoroughly disappointed but he has another marathon coming up so I'm sure he'll be trying again:) I sure do love and admire his sheer determination!!!

Sass goes to School:)

Ava started school a week after the boys and she was so nervous! Her stomach hurt and she was worried but she came home excited and happy.  I really hope she has a wonderful year and a good teacher! Oh, the first three pictures were early that first day before school.  Ava was still asleep but Eli was more than awake and he gave his sis some big loves before she got ready for the day.  He sure loves his sissy!!

Another Year at Lakeview! (2013)

I'm a bit late, but here are the boys on their first day of school (August 15th).  They were both ready to start school again and excited to see their favorite friends and teachers. Jake said he is feeling really short and can't wait to hit his "growth spurt" like Brad did when he turned 11. What cute boys!!

Morgan Leaves for the MTC

I was able to go with Lexi to the airport to pick Morgy up and then take her to the MTC.  (We drove through an In-N-Out Burger on our way down to Provo.) Ellie met up with us at the MTC field where we all got to say good-bye to Morgan for 18 months!  As we started driving into the MTC parking lot, Morgan said she had butterflies in her tummy.  There was a huge long line of greeters there to help make the new missionaries at ease.  We had to drive along the curb and park for just a bit to help get Morgan's luggage out and give her our last hugs and then we had to drive on.  Lexi got emotional as we drove away as it hit her that she would not see her best friend for a year and a half!! It was so touching to see how close those two are.  I hope they will be able to go to college together for a bit so they can room together and have some fun!!

Indoor Surfing

When Ricker came to town he tried out this indoor surf place and loved it.  (I'm not sure but I think Lexi, Caden, and Blake had done it before he got here and told him about it).  Anyway, they all wanted to do it again and invited all the other cousins as well.  I went in to take pictures but because I had Eli and Ava I wasn't allowed to stay for long.  I did get this one.  Brad and Jake did the boogie board and loved it.  I think Brad tried the surf board once and then went back to the boogie board:)  So nice of Ricker to let all the munchkins go with him!!

Mom with Her Kids

Cute little Mom! I love how she opens her eyes really wide sometimes.  Again, it's about time we each had a picture of us with our Mom.  We need to do this every year from now on when the girls come home for summer. 

Dad with His Kids:)

When the girls came home this summer, we thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of each of us individually with Dad and Mom.  We don't really have too many of us with just our parents and since Dad will be turning 80 next year we thought it was about time!! So cute!

4th of July 2013

Joan called me up the week before the 4th and invited us to have a BBQ on the 4th.  The Ralphs have always gotten together to have a meal and watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire together. But the last couple of years people have been staying closer to home as it is murder trying to fight the traffic and they don't get home until 2 a.m.  So we decided to go to the BBQ and then drive to Thanksgiving Point to watch some fireworks.  It was fun and the kids really do enjoy seeing the show. (Dennis and I were so tired we debated going but I'm glad we did for the kids;)

Our Little Merman

Eli was asleep when I left to go grocery shopping and this is what happened while I was away.  Jake dressed him up in Ava's mermaid tail and of course took pictures.  Quite the figure I must say;)

Farmer Joe and the Missus

Eli was so animated for these photos! He loved being held up by Autumn and peeking through these cut-outs.  Ava looks like she enjoyed it just as much:)

Kanab

We were all so excited to go to Kanab and I sent Lexi  a text telling her how fun it was going to be.  Let's just say Lexi will never trust me again!! 5 hour drive and things didn't go as we thought! No one talked to us at the 70 year anniversary of Art and Rose (except Larry's wife). We only spent an hour at Bryce Canyon because we didn't want to be late to the anniversary party.  Then that night at the hotel, poor little Ashlyn got sick all over one of the two beds (this room had Ellie, Lexi, Ty, Tanner, Justin, Ashlyn, and Annaka). So Ellie ended up in the bed with Tanner and Justin-with Tanner's feet in her face, Ty and Annaka on the floor and Lexi curled up with a towel on the floor.  Rachel had Grandpa, Grandma, Hunter and Autumn and she couldn't sleep with Grandma's snoring.  And then in our room we had Dennis, me, Brad, Jake, Ava, Eli, Dillan, and Jess.  Eli would not go to sleep and then when he did he kept waking up and crying and then he would try to pull Jake and Jesse's hair.  So each room had a sleepless night.  We were going to go to church and then back to Bryce but with Ashlyn being sick we decided to just head home.  What a trip!!