Sugar Bugs

So Grandpa would have been proud! Today in Relief Society, we were given a little box of Hershey's Kisses. Dallin didn't ask for any, but stared at them longingly all the way home. When we got home, changed, and got Mia down for her nap, I asked Dallin if he would like one. His eyes got wide and he said yes. He gobbled it up and then set to helping me cook. I grabbed another and so I asked if he would like another. His eyes got wide again and this time he said, "Yes, please! And I'll make sure I brush my teeth two times to make sure the sugar bugs don't eat them." Haha!

Here's a picture of Dallin and Mia with Grandpa Baumer on a recent vacation.

Ideas

Hello family! I thought I would take a turn on Grandma's blog. My post has a two-fold purpose. The first is to tell you all that it is really hard to go 9 days without my cute kids!

Most of you haven't even met Mia yet! That has to be really hard. Don't worry, though, I have a solution. I have schemed to hold a Family Reunion. That's right. I've decided that I'm going to at least attempt to get us ALL together. So Dad has agreed to do most of the planning, and since my husband's families have a reunions every year, I'll be borrowing liberally from the better experiences there. That's not to say that they'll work with our family, just that I want to try. I would like to shoot for next year. I know that's a little ambitious, but I think a year's warning is pretty good for just a weekend together. 3 days is what I'd like to do: dinner as we all get together, one FULL day together, and then breakfast (and possibly lunch) together before we all scatter. I'll need help with much of it, since I am going to propose that we hold it in Washington and I live in Arizona. I'm thinking June 22-24, 2012. Anyone interested? To get you interested, I've got some great pictures of my children, Mia and Dallin, below with their grandpa (Ken) in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. My husband recently went up to their cabin the mountains to help Dad lay a flagstone patio. Now who wouldn't want to get to know these gorgeous babies? :-)

P.S. Check out more pictures of the family at Phillip's blog. He is getting to be a great photographer. http://phillipfloresphotography.blogspot.com/

Mandy's blog

I hope you'll take time to check out Mandy's blog (see the blog list at the side), because there are some really wonderful pictures - but the one of Mia asleep on Mandy is a real winner

Time to go Home

This is the traditional "family ready to depart" picture. Mandy with Mia, John with Dallin. And Mia with Bear. it was so nice to have family here two weeks in a row! We appreciate the effort it takes to come so far. There is no question that families are able to pick up the threads of past associations and relationships. It makes that time spent together very precious.

Dallin, Almost Six

Actually, Dallin will be six in November, but he's more than ready for Kindergarten. He loves to draw and write, as well as play ball. He and Mia were so tired of being cooped up in the car when they came, that they went out and just ran and ran in the big back yard.

When shooting baskets got a little old, this game was played - Sorry again about the blue shadows. Now I know how to correct it in future shots, but this one will stay blue.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

This picture story is backward, because this should be the last picture, but who cares? Be sure to enlarge these shots! The job begins - Mia is totally absorbed.

While John instructs me on why the video capability in my camera makes the pictures look blue in the shade, Mandy, the Industrial Engineer, plans and executes a Pippi Longstocking hairdo for Mia. The main focus for her is extracting the ice cream from the interior of the cone.

Visitors from Tucson

John, Mandy, Dallin, and Mia came north to visit us - the first time we've seen these delightful great-grandchildren. What fun, discovering the incredible personalities of these two forces. Dallin will enter kindergarten this fall (he knows all of his letters, can write, read, etc. - that will be a challenge to his teachers.), and Mia, at 18 moths is a force to be reckoned with, especially when she has a smile that lights up the universe. Judy asked me if I could understand why she and Bob get such fun out of baby-sitting their two great-grandchildren (Ben's and JoLin's), and I can see their point. However, I think I need a lot more energy to do that. There will be more pictures, but it's wonderful to know that grandchildren we knew in several important phases of their lives grow to be such caring, responsible grown-ups who we can visit with on an equal footing. Perhaps that's what eternity is all about. We'll have an opportunity to get to know people we've only read about, or seen on the genealogy pages, and be on an "equal footing". Life is good.

Easter with the McNeills

Hi family - I hope everyone had a great Easter.  I finally got around to posting some pictures on my blog and I wanted to show off my beautiful children to you too!  These are my favorites.  We also started a tradition of an Easter egg tree last year - so here are a few of the eggs hanging from a Mesquite tree branch as well.  Happy Easter!  

Modern Grandparents!

I am so excited that you started this blog! I am in love with this style of keeping in touch because I feel like it fills the journaling and scrapbooking deficiencies in my life. It's better than scrapbooking really, because you all get to see and respond immediately. (Plus, it's cheap!) So I'll post the first picture by bragging about my new little girl- for those of you in Idaho, it's still summer here. That's why she's wearing such a warm outfit ;o)