PIctures for Mom

A couple of pictures I've taken (or had taken by someone with my camera) in the last couple of months:

Mom and her little brother, Uncle Gary.

Me and James at the big family reunion in Heber.

3 Little boys snatched from blissful bug-catching.

A snapshot of Danielle at the park.

 

Love ya Mom!  Don't despair, eventually I plan on posting pictures of Palmyra.  :)

Surprise! Surprise!

We just had a lovely visit with James' parents--Wayne and Sandy. 

It was the very best part of Christmas, in my book.

And the best of the BEST was this:

Imagine you live a billion miles away from your children, who each happen to live in separate states.  Then you rustle up the frequent flyer miles to go visit one of them.  Then while you are there, the doorbell rings unexpectedly, and THERE right before your eyes is one of your OTHER children with their 5 beautiful kids.  I bet you'd be surprised.  I bet your face would look just like this:

First you would be shocked to your foundation

(although the fact that your daughter-in-law had been wearing her camera for at least an hour might have given rise to slight suspicion, if you're the suspicious type).

Then you would probably begin to feel great joy.

Beloved grand-daughter Megan is now on the scene! (Wonder where she got her red hair?)

 Then you might realize that your mouth had been open REALLY wide.
 

 Then you might get kind of teary and say something like "Oh You...[sneaky sneak beloved daughter-in-law]."  Although the whole thing was probably organized by your sneaky sneak twin sons, if you have them.

And if you DO have grown-up twin sons, then you probably wouldn't be too shocked that within 30 min. they'd be discussing fart apps for their smart phones.  As in, you jiggle your leg and the amazing motion-sensitive thing makes *ahem* a noise.

Families--gotta love 'em.

James on the left.

P.S. Here is a lovely picture I got of Sandy while she was here.  Hopefully it will make her forgive me for the goofy ones I posted earlier.

Isn't she lovely?

P.P.S  Wayne was surprised too.
 



Joey Takes the Big Dip

Joey was baptized on November 11th.    He was soooo excited!

Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth were able to come all the way from New Mexico for the event.

It was a very sweet day for me.  There were 7 kids getting baptized in the stake that day, so there were a LOT of people.  The chapel and the over flow area was full.  James and Sam sang a special musical number.  It was an arrangement of "Come Follow Me" and "How Great the Wisdom and the Love" that I wrote for the event.  (Which made me crazy, but nevermind that.)   It was so precious.

  

After the baptism Joseph was asked in Sacrament meeting how he felt while he was being baptized.  He said he just felt "really peaceful."  I felt really peaceful too.  I was relieved, *whew* another one safely in the protection of Jesus' atonement.  But one person did not feel peaceful AT ALL.  Guess who?

Danielle screamed bloody murder when he went under the water.   She couldn't understand how we could let him drown like that.  (She never saw him come up cuz she was too busy pitching a MAJOR fit and they closed the curtain.)  Kind of nice to know you are loved, I guess.

How to Handle a Summer

At first there is trepidation...oh no, here comes another Arizona summer with its 100+ days of 100+ degrees.  How will we ever survive?  (The real question really should be how the heck was this valley ever settled before air conditioning?)

But it takes you firmly in its grasp, and you learn to love it for what it is...HOT, which is perfect for swimming, so what's the harm in that?!  It also makes snow cones, popsicles, and ice cream more wonderful.

And then all too soon it is coming to an end! 

(But don't worry, it will be hot for a while yet.)

Better enjoy it while you still can!

Check out how James can part the waters.  How very biblical of him.

Hope you are enjoying your summer as much as this little girl is enjoying this swing!

"Neigh-h-h-h-h-h!" 

Her favorite word is now the horse sound, FYI.

This Beach is NOT for Sissies

We went to a really interesting beach while we were in California.  It wasn't the kind of beach where you wade in up to your waist and splash around.  It was very rocky, and exciting!

From what I could tell, it was mostly just a natural photo shoot--a haven for women who want to use their new cameras.

Sometimes it was peaceful, like this:

I love this picture!  Expand it, so you can see the water running.

But then a big swell would come in and explode against the rocks, like this:

You can't possibly grasp how big this wave is.  Here, I'll include a husband to show scale:

Expand this picture!  It is more impressive.

Joey loved the drama.

I like the airplane.

Sam loved the opportunity to explore.

"I hear the siren call of an adventure..."

He would have waded in if we had let him.

Adam said the hermit crabs made him "uncomfortable," and so that's why he kept trying to smoosh them.

We had to talk about tolerance. 

I love the halo he gets in this picture.

Danielle mostly beguiled other beachgoers.  Every time she sees a new person, she tries to catch their eye, dazzle them with her special smile, and then act bashful about it.  Here she is in action: 

(Some random lady is walking by.) 

What a flirt!

Probably she gets it from James.

The setting sun turned everything golden.

School glue has many uses, btw.

Overall, a good time was had by all.

But I think that my trigger-happy-picture-finger and I definitely had the the most fun!

Achievement and Reward!

We interrupt this rousing game of "cops and dragons" to bring you a very important announcement:  The jar of magic beans is full.  (Actually, they are pinto beans that I spray painted gold.)

So you know what this means, right? No?  Well then, you must not be a child in our home.  All little kids within my jurisdiction are required to get dressed, put away their pajamas, eat breakfast, put away their dishes, and brush their teeth every morning (hopefully without reminding).  When they complete their morning routine, they get to put 3 to 5 magic beans (depending on accuracy and speed) in the jar.  I told them that when it was full we would take them someplace REALLY cool.  They were thinking Chucky Cheese.  

I was thinking DISNEYLAND!

WEEEEEeeee!

They were very excited just by the tram ride to the park.

Watch out, Disney, here we come! 

 Prepare your security forces to look for lost little blond boys...

Adam wisely passed on many of the scarier rides.

But he still had fun!

Sam is not afraid of heights.  I sometimes wish he were.

Joey loved charming the locals.

"Calmly Waiting for Death"

After this shot, Adam asked me why Darth Vader didn't try to kill him. 

Then we had to have a rather painful discussion about how Star Wars isn't real.  He was quite shocked to learn this.

"Fuel for Future Therapy Appointments"

I'm sure Danielle will remember this trip forever.

Joey was so tough.  He didn't scream once during the "Space Mountain" ride, and even proudly announced that it "wasn't even scary."  I screamed the whole way.  I suppose I don't get out much.

"Lybi's Main Attraction"

James and I were just really proud of the fact that at the end of it all, we still had 4 kids, and we knew their geographical location and all.

I loved Disneyland, but my favorite part of the trip was probably getting to hang out with my beloved best friend Shae, who very conveniently lives close to Disneyland.

P.S.  Overheard the night before:

Adam:  Dear Heavenly Father, tomorrow we go to Disneyland.  So please bless that it will rain so I can use my new umbrella...

BINGO!

It totally rained.  All day.  But it kept the lines really short...just the way we like 'em.

Self Portrait

Feeling a bit down these days...

It is normal, but not pleasant, for me to feel this way when I have a 6 month old.

Anytime you can cry over things like dishes in the sink, it is appropriate to blame hormones.  It's temporary, and part of the price of having a whole new kid.

James has a kind face, don't you think?

Whoever said that laughter is the best medicine has never been hugged by this guy.