Another Trip to Gilbert, AZ

Since Mike and I went on the River Rafting Trip with Allie and our Young Women, Amelia and Anna needed someone to tend them. Thank you Mom, Dad, Cheryl and Janette for all taking care of my kids. Looks like they had a great time until I could get "down there" to pick them up and spend a few days, too.

I was able to arrive just in time to attend Maren's baptism. It was nice to have Steve and Janette there.

Janette's daughter, Bella, and I hit it off. Of course, I loved every minute of it! Having a little puppy to help her warm up to me doesn't hurt either.

Mike helping Bella get ready for bed by singing Mairzy Doats.

Can you see why I married him? Bye everybody!

Rafting the San Juan River in Utah

Rafting the San Juan River was a blast with our Young Women. It was a privilege for Mike and I to chaperone. We carried EVERYTHING on two supply rafts, all our camping equipment – tents, air mattresses, pillows, the pee pee tee pee (which doubled as a shower tent – a shower never felt so good!), food, camp stoves. You know, all the important stuff! We kayaked, played in the water which made me feel like I was in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie. The water was so silty and brown. I was really leery about going in. But once the day heated up, it was a refreshing dip in the “watered down chocolate”. We had fun splashing and capsizing each other, camping and seeing Indian ruins. It was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, all the pictures from the river got lost. I have a few before we got started. Maybe you can see how dirty the water was.

Quaint Christopher Creek

Christopher Creek is a quaint little town here in Arizona. It is about halfway between here and Phoenix. We were invited by our Kerr Cousins to go with them to their cabin for a few days. It was a fun girls retreat! We stayed up late, ate great food, went to “the candy store”, “the car wash” (an area where creek water runs over the road), crawdaded (we didn’t catch anything), did crafts, watched movies….just had a great time. It was paradise and it was hard to leave. Thanks, Christine, for inviting us. Let’s do it again sometime!

Making Borax Crystals

The Crystals

There's a cool story behind these boots but I can't remember it. They are Christine's dad's. They are a decoration in their cabin, now.

Summer Vacation to Utah

One of our three “valley” trips in the month of June was tacked onto the beginning of our trip to Utah. Mike had a 3 day CE course in Scottsdale. We opted to stay at a hotel, instead of staying with my parents, since it was right down the street from The Center. We loved swimming and just hanging out. Besides swimming a lot, we slept, ate and watched a lot of The Price Is Right and SpongeBob (it was the only thing on).

Anna, Allie & Amelia watching Spongebob

We arrived in Utah the very same Saturday that Anna got baptized. It was a treat to have all the Snow Family there as well as some from the Petersen side.

Front -Maren (cousin), Amelia, Samuel (cousin), Anna

Middle - Allie, Cheryl (sister), Jen

Back - Mike, Dad, Jeff (brother), Mom

The only pictures we got of our Snow Family was from the Sunday family dinner, the day after the baptism. Jeff was able to join us. As you can see, the kids had a great time playing "Kill the Candy Bar". One of my favorite parts of Snow Family dinners is sitting out on the deck and talking.

Allie stuffing her face with chocolate

Mike's mom and dad, and of course, Mike himself

Jen & Jeff One day was devoted to the cutest and funnest tea party ever. Yes, I said funnest! I felt like a little girl again. We all wore our cute little hats, played games, painted nails and ate great food! It was a blast! See for yourself. The night before the Tea Party, the girls had a special sleep over with Uncle Jeff. They didn't get to bed until 2am. Crazy kids! You included, Jeff. You're a great uncle, Fred!

MarGene, Mike's Mom

Anna (in the pink hat with the white bow)

Allie, wishing she could have a cookie before lunch.

Allie, Amelia and Emma (cousin)

This is what Mike and his dad did during the Tea Party....watch TV and sleep.
Another day was devoted to boating at Pineview Reservoir with the girls’ favorite, boat owning Uncle. The girls swore Uncle Mark was trying to kill them by pulling them behind the boat on a tube through the boat’s wake, bouncing them every where, including into the water. A great time was had by all. I’d do it again! Allie and Amelia got the surprise of their lives when they got to go to Lagoon with Uncle Matt and Aunt Elisha and cousins Ryan and Kyler. What a pleasant surprise! They got to hang with the cutest cousins for half of the day and the other half they hung out with another cousin, Chase, unchaperoned. How grown they felt! Thanks Matt and Elisha.

Temple baptisms were a highlight even though I only accompanied Allie to the Bountiful temple. It was nice to be there in the quiet, peaceful, air conditioned atmosphere. I was able to get caught up on my Sunday School lesson reading.

Since my in-laws have their house up for sale, I didn't know if we'd be back to this house the next time we visited. I took the opportunity to take a few pictures. This is probably my favorite wall of their three story house. There are alot of family pictures, both old and young, color and black and white. It's pretty impressive.

Mike would love to inherit this painting....hint, hint