Spring Break in Arizona

For spring break, Brent & I decided to take the kids on a special trip to Arizona.  We had two important reasons for going: first, to visit Brent's Grandma & Grandpa Ashcroft, which Brent had been feeling like we needed to do for a long time, and second, to visit with Bill & Aftin before their move to Michigan.  We also took advantage of the opportunity to spend a day at the Grand Canyon.  It was a great week!

 

The Grand Canyon

The first day we drove down to Arizona and stayed at a hotel in Williams, about an hour south of the park.  Since we don't stay in hotels very often, the kids really got a kick out of checking out the room, exploring, and eating breakfast at the hotel.  On Tuesday, we packed a picnic and drove up to the park to spend the day.  We started out at the visitor's center, checking out the exhibits.  Then it was on to the views!  We didn't do any hikes down into the canyon-- this time, we just went the family-friendly route along the top.  They have buses that take you from place to place around the park, which was nice when they weren't super crowded.  As the day went on, the lines for the buses seemed to get longer.  We really had to keep all eyes on our kiddos near the top.  It was seriously a full time job!  But it was so beautiful and majestic, it was worth it.  I loved seeing the historic train station, lodges, and buildings. 

 

The kids were anxious to cash in their hard-earned trip behavior points for souvenirs from the gift shop.  Whenever we travel, the kids can earn 2 points per hour for excellent behavior, 1 for ok behavior, or none for poor behavior.  If they earn a certain amount, they can pick a souvenir of their choosing.  It really motivates them to be good in the car!  I wish we'd come up with this idea years ago.  Matthew was thrilled to find an ocarina (a little flute) since he loves the video game Zelda.  We found a wooden train whistle for Joshua, and Elizabeth got some rocks to add to her collection. 

 

Once we were all good and tired, we headed back to the hotel and picked up pizza for dinner.

 

 

 

On to visit family!

On Wednesday, we headed down to the Phoenix area, where we first stopped at Brent's brother Bill & Aftin's place.  They had just had an offer to sell their house, since they were getting ready to move to Detroit with Bill's work.  Being Phoenix, it was around 90 degrees, perfect weather for playing in the water!  Aftin pulled out the slip n slide for the kids, and we tried taking them to the park for a few minutes until it got too hot.  It was great for the kids to spend time with their cousins Aliyah, Spencer, and baby Russell.  Then we met Brent's mom at his grandparents' house in Mesa.  She had flown out from California.  We checked into our nearby hotel where we'd stay the rest of our trip.  The next couple of days we spent lots of time with Brent's grandparents and other family in the area.  Thursday was Emma's 8th birthday.  We had brought out all her presents, and had a fun birthday party and dinner at Bill & Aftin's.  On Friday, we visited the Mesa temple grounds and visitor's center, then drove to Gilbert to visit the new temple building site there.  They had a construction trailer with a missionary couple for visitors.  They did a great presentation on all the detail, expertise, and craftsmanship that goes into building a temple.  It's amazing how the Church goes to the ends of the earth to acquire the very finest materials for its temples.  It really is a testament to the importance of temples.  The kids each were given a small piece of temple stone to take home as a souvenir. 

 

At G&G Ashcroft's house, the kids had fun playing under their amazing orange and grapefruit trees.  We all enjoyed delightful fresh-squeezed orange juice.  Matthew had an amazing opportunity to talk with his great-grandpa Ashcroft about his military service on an aircraft carrier during WWII, since he was preparing a presentation for school.

 

Friday evening, all the Ashcroft extended family met at Steve & Marla's house (Brent's aunt & uncle) for a get-together.  They have this amazing brick pizza oven in their backyard.  Everyone got to make their own pizza, then watch it bake in the pizza oven.  It's quite an experience!  It was great to see Brent's cousins, aunts & uncles.  The kids had a great time exploring and playing.  Then early Saturday morning, we began the loong drive back home.  It was such a great trip full of memories.

 

 

Matthew with great-grandpa Ashcroft

 

Elizabeth & Aliyah

Emma

water fun at Bill & Aftin's

 

 

Russell

 

This was once Brent's great-great grandma Natalia Farr's house in Mesa.  Pretty cool!

 

 

 Emma's 8th Birthday

 

It was a little different doing one of our kids' birthdays away from home, but ended up being pretty fun.  Emma received new scriptures, an Our Generation horse to go with her dolls, and some jewelry for her upcoming baptism.  We picked up a cake from a bakery, and Aftin made yummy pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.

 

Joshua loved that their Cozy Coupe had a trailer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Brent's Ashcroft grandparents' house.  The kids loved it there!

Easter Pictures

Easter Egg Hunt

 

Here are the kids enjoying an Easter egg hunt at Lisa and Steve's.  They hid something like 200 eggs in their backyard!  Luckily the weather was beautiful.

 

 

Rachel

 

 

 

Emma

 

 

 

Ethan pointing out a find to Rachel

 

 

Joshua

 

 

 

Elizabeth

 

 

Matthew holding a Darth Vader-shaped egg-- awesome!

 

 

Easter Sunday

 

 

 

Rachel's hair in a Dutch braid wrapped around her head.  She was so patient while I did her hair, which is no small feat since it's curly like mine.

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua all spiffed up for Easter Sunday

 

 

 

 

 

 

February-March 2013

Elizabeth's 10th Birthday

My sweet Elizabeth is 10!  Her birthday fell on a wintry school day, but we tried to make it not-so-ordinary for her.  She is really growing up so fast!  She is already getting into clothes, friends, and wanting to get her ears pierced.  I have to keep telling myself to enjoy every moment!  Elizabeth is such a sweet, responsible, talented girl.  She is a great friend to everyone and wants to do what is right.

 

She was so excited to wear her new sweater to school!

 

Sorry I don't have pictures, but these were taken after returning from an evening at Jump On It, an indoor trampoline place.  It was way fun!  I totally felt like a little kid there!  We left when Elizabeth started feeling some asthma to go home, get her inhaler, and finish the evening having cake with cousins.

Sibling presents are some of the very best kind.  Above: Emma made a melty bead turtle and hung it on yarn for her.

 

Matthew even made her a wrapping paper snowflake. 

 

With her new ladybug pillow pet.  Those make great mommy pillows when I read to them in bed.

 

 

The Sweetest Surprise

 

             During January and February, Brent and I took the illustrious "Strengthening Marriage" class at church.  Wow, what an experience!  I don't know which was better, the fun we had with the other couples (an amazing sanity booster for an adult-interaction-starved mom), or the relationship booster it was for my sweetheart and me, but of course I would have to say the latter.  We started and ended the class with two pretty epic dinners at the bishop's house (his wife taught the class, and he sort of co-taught whenever he could join us).  During the last dinner, both spouses were secretly assigned to do some special things for each other, including writing a very special letter.  Brent's was so amazing that I was almost embarrassed by my typed, printed on scrapbook paper note tossed in an envelope.  What you see above is no ordinary red blob.  The camera simply doesn't do it justice, so let's see if words can. 

            Let me take you back to our dating days in 1997.  As part of BYU Preference, we had dinner at this darling restaurant above an antique shop called Kristy & Jo's.  As we went to pay for dinner at the register, we noticed a dish full of antique keys for something like a dollar, and we immediately bought two "keys to each other's hearts".  I know, cheesy but so sweet.  Brent remembered those keys 15 years later, and searched craft stores far and wide for a wax seal for his letter.  He ended up finding a rubber stamp that very much resembled our keys, then used a lighter to melt a dark red crayon as the wax to create the seal.  This was all his own creativity!  I can't (and won't) begin to describe the letter contained within such a beautiful, thoughtful opening.  Let's just say that he loves me.

 

 

Other Goings-On

 

Rachel's--and all of our kids'-- first experience with stitches not of the dental kind.  She fell off the neighbor's tree swing onto I don't know what.  It seemed so little at first, that I simply treated it and let her be.  But during dinner, it kept opening and gushing.  So we asked a neighbor who happens to be knowledgeable in this area for an opinion, and he took care of it right then and there.  On his kitchen table.  With three other adults holding her down.  Sounds traumatic?  Afterward, she happily reported, "I got to get donuts from the gas station with Daddy!"  She had no idea that she'd had a shot to numb the area.  7 months of Mederma scar cream later...it's barely noticeable.

 

 

Elizabeth & Emma then.... (2009)

 

 

and now (2013)

 

Same library book, same chair, same sisters...totally unscripted.  I grabbed the camera.

 

 

Matthew's first science fair project.  Here he is a sixth grader at a private school he attended for a little over a year.  30 hours of fun, but he did it!