Hyrum House

Thanks to the Morris family we spent a few days in Hyrum having a lot of fun.  Their cabin is right next to Hyrum Dam and so we played at the lake each day.  The kids favorite thing was digging holes all over the beach looking for clay.  They were covered with mud, but they made pots, balls, and all sorts of clay items.  They also loved the boat rides.  It wasn't the fastest boat on the lake but it got us all around, even to peanut butter beach or whatever they called it, where when you got out you sank in over your ankles and there were perfect skipping stones.  

The house was great with plenty of room for everyone.  The kids had fun playing soccer in the yard and I only made them stand in front of the cool barn for pictures for a second.  One of my favorites parts was staying up late to play Killer Bunnies.  I even won a round against all odds.

  

The Skidmore Cousins

Grandpa Ray and Nana

He LOVES his Daddy!

Show Time

Here is a little project the boys were busy with this afternoon. I have to say that I am really grateful for the scouting program. On a day like today it helped me to stop and help the boys do something that was fun and worthwhile. Plus, what a great use for those soccer socks that we have sooooooo many pairs of. Nate is a Webelos scout now. The time is going fast and before I know it he will be in boys scouts with Matt. I'm glad I can enjoy these days when they like making sock puppets and getting help from Mom.

Little Miracles

We have something amazing on our patio.  We were working outside and I walked by the patio table and a robin flew out from the umbrella.  Some robins built a nest earlier in the spring but they left after a big thunderstorm.  

So, I was excited to see them back today and I crawled up on the table and peeked in.  There were two baby birds opening their mouths-AMAZING!  I ran and got a camera and the boys.  (They were my look-outs in case the mama bird tried to peck me.) After we went inside I was worried that the mama wouldn't come back, but she did.  What a little miracle to watch!  

Camping with Dad

The first weekend we were in Utah we went camping up Big Cottonwood Canyon with my Dad and the Merrills and the Cheneys.  The idea made him nervous at first but then I could tell he was excited about it.He bought all the kids fishing poles and as usual he brought tons of food and equipment.  We had to be flexible with our camp sites but we felt lucky to even get one-the Spruces campground is really popular.  

On Saturday morning we had to take down camp by 9 am and wait for another site to open.  We were still eating breakfast at 8:30 and my dad thought there was no way that we would all be able to clean up in time.  But, we got the kids helping and soon the tents were down, bags to the cars, chairs folded, and we were done.  He was impressed!  

We hiked to Donut falls that morning.  Well almost, we got a little lost in the brush trying to avoid crossing through the river.  We did end up with a nice view though.  Hill and Tom joined us Saturday afternoon.  The cousins played and played and we enjoyed sitting around the fire, eating good meals, walks, bike rides, and naps.  I was so glad everyone was able to come.  I love family activities when we get to spend all day together and it makes me happy to see by boys having fun with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents!  I especially loved being in the mountains with the crisp air.  Visiting the Brighton area feels like home to me. 

Home

I've been MIA for awhile, but now we are back home and I have a lot to catch up on. We had a great trip to Utah and so coming home has been a little sad for me. The flight was good and when we got to the airport we were even able to see our dear friends the Robertsons, who were on their way back to India. Check back later for more posts. We miss you all already! B

Cam Take Two

I fell in love with this little cowboy hat and had to buy it for him. So today we went back to our sweet spot in a parking lot in Old Town to redo his pictures. He looks so cute with his hair covered up! Now the trouble will be picking which one to print...

Portraits

I finally got the boys out to do some pictures. I especially liked how Nate's turned out today. I'll put more on my photography blog when I get them edited. I am not posting any of Cam right now because I didn't get ANY good ones. Poor kid-his mother has given him several bad haircuts in a row! I am hoping to pick one of each of them to get LARGE prints made for the basement.

Dirty Cam

This boy loves to get dirty! We have had a big pile of topsoil in our driveway for a couple of weeks and every time he goes outside he heads straight for it. I forget and then come around the corner to find him a total mess! It is the blackest, stickiest dirt I've ever seen here in Virginia. You have to work hard to wash it off in the bathtub. Oh well, he's happy. Especially when he is dirty and swinging! Love him!

Memorial Day

We kept to our Memorial Day tradition and woke up early to go to a memorial. This year we chose the Manassas Battlefield two reasons. Nate has been interested in the Civil War lately, and Matt had to be back at 8:00 to go to the temple with the youth of our ward, so we needed to be close to home. We literally dragged the boys out of bed at 5:15, but once we started our walk they were awake and having fun. It was a beautiful morning and we walked along a boardwalk and then up to a meadow. Nate told us a little about the battle of Bull Run and we talked about how blessed we are to live in this country. We really are so thankful for all who have sacrificed so that we can enjoy so many freedoms.

Cam thinks he is 5

Cameron turned two recently but he still says "fie" when you ask him how old he is. On his birthday we went to the zoo. It was a little rainy but still busy. The highlight??? for Sam at least was seeing the big gorilla eat poop. I liked seeing the young tigers and it was so long ago that I can't remember what Cameron liked the best (snacks probably). I am still behind is posting our recent events. It was nice to have Hill and Tom and their girls with us. We had such a busy day (zoo, driving, baseball) that Cameron was too tired to eat any of his cake. He did have fun opening his presents. He is kind of a monster sometimes but we sure love having him in our family!