camping

our ward had a campout may 13-14, so we went (what better is there to do on friday the 13th?) we had a great time, though i didn't take many pictures. here's a few highlights:


the sand volleyball made for a great sand box, there were always so many kids in it that no one could play volleyball, but they had a blast!



i didn't take this one, but everyone was impressed with rayna's bed head!

 

yep! that's a blanket you see there... that morning was COLD! crazy to think of now, just a few weeks later when we're over 80 all night long...

 

malachi had a blast... what more can a little guy ask for?! grass, mud, sand and a lake!




i know crazy, you weren't sure what i looked like anymore cause i'm never in pictures.
(ps, in my defense, paul NEVER takes any pics)

 

my favorite, the car ride home, chi was flirting with me around his seat :)
he's such a cutie!

i wish we'd taken more pics, it was a nice trip. the campground wasn't too far, and though most of the people that came were only there from late evening to early morning, we had a lot of play time too. there was baseball, catch, football, sand, wading in the lake, TONS of yummy food, and zillions of people around to play with. we also went on a little hike with some of our friends the next morning, about a mile and a half i think. our kids did great and i think we all had fun! (except poor auntie emalie, who arrived the morning of the 13th and was feeling a bit sick while we were camping :P fortunately she got better pretty fast and we still had a lot of fun over the next few weeks with her, more on that coming soon...)

silly girls with silly hair

afton's latest favorite hair style has been "horse hair" i actually kinda like it because it stays out of her face this way, though i must admit, it's a little silly ;)

one day rayna wanted to get in on the horse hair too

 


and those curls make anything look good!



of course, rayna's got a few of her own ideas for hairstyles that blow my mind completely... yes, that's a zucchini she's holding with her hair... what can i say, she loves her vegetables (though she's not a big zucchini-eater!)



and this one may not be hair-related, but i like it just the same. afton had a green mask and "crown" to hold back her hair :) i love this kid!

baby birds

remember these baby birds? they grew up!



they were really cute as they were learning to fly



watched this guy fly/fall from our bush to the neighbors bush

by the way, i looked them up and they are mockingbirds, i wasn't sure...  i'm not very well versed in avian identification. it was a pleasant surprise one evening (21 may) to sit outside with malachi and watch the babies practice flying... 2 days later i never heard/saw them again!

happy birthday rayna!

i can't believe how fast you're growing up!

and happy breakfast!

a couple more cute pictures

these were last sunday, seriously folks, what's not to love?!

little lady



big girl

 

hehehe...



hair cut

just before easter i decided to chop it all off... it took weeks of me thinking about it before i determined that i wouldn't cry this time (like i did last time i chopped it). it just seems such a shame to not cut enough for locks of love, that i feel like i have to, but chopping 10+ inches of hair can be traumatic if you're as vain as i am.

before:

after:

i didn't cry (didn't even want to, maybe that means i've matured?). i did go back and even it up a bit in the middle especially. and i did "hide" the cut for a few days in buns and the like, til i got used to it. no one noticed til well after i started wearing it normally again, which sort of cracked me up (it's 11 inches folks, that's a lot of hair for a trim!). i'm still debating getting it styled or shaped or something, though i don't really have any ideas. it seems the only long hair styles now-a-days are long layers, and my hair is too thick for that. please send suggestions! (especially if they come with pictures)