Turn From the Past

The last night the George's lived in Massachusetts they stayed with us in our little yellow house. We went down to the beach for a spin on the carousel and down to the beach. The tide was high that night. We headed back to show the George kids the happy place of their youth.

And introduce Rose to her pony!

We can't pass by the dolphin without taking a ride!

The tide was high again, but that didn't hold us back! I didn't take many pictures because I had my hands full with a certain toddler who kept throwing himself into the surf.

Little rinse and back home again!

We love an adventure, but just hanging out at home hit the spot every time!

Little Chief was fast friends with Sandy. On the first morning, she came out of her bedroom and LC introduced himself by saying, "My name is LC and I love hugs!" Turns out she loves hugs too. A match made in heaven.

The girls spent days and days sewing little outfits for their stuffed animals.

And there was a little time spent poking at screens...

Blueberry Season!

I'm not going to lie. I've had a few rough blueberry seasons lately. Two years ago the blueberries were wiped out by the birds, major bummer. I like birds, but I hate sharing. But even worse than that, I've missed my favorite picking friends from yester-year. It felt like coming home to be back in the bushes with some of the ladies who have been there since the beginning! The kiddos were all wiped out from the beach so Sandy and I tip-toed out and snagged the Andrus ladies on our way to the farm.

It has been a drier spell for poor Sandy! She was like a kid in a candy store!

She even found a tiny bird's nest!

What a happy find!

Nothing like the full moon rising over the cranberry bog and blueberry fields. 

My happy place.

Party Pad

When word got out that the George's were coming, the ward family all wanted a chance to see some of our favs. 

We sent out the invitation and the fans poured in our home. 

Even the youth came!

It was such a fun night to sit and talk with some of our favorite families.

I love these faces!

We just talked and talked and talked...

It was really great to have the space to accommodate all of our friends and we even managed to keep the teenagers entertained. Who knew the airplane teeter totter would be such a hit (and so durable!).

It was really lovely to have our friends in our home, really a dream come true!

Beach Bums

No contest, the first day with the George's had to be a beach day!

How I miss those happy days of yesteryear chasing the tide with Sandy and the kiddos.

Ava and Abizella got straight to the business of transforming Abizella into a mermaid.

The kiddos loved riding the waves...

And we spent a good amount of time just digging...

Chasing birds...

Chillin' in the sand...

And just loving our time together!

We even made a few discoveries...

We need more days like this!

The George's Came Back!

I love the George's. 

There are many reasons why they are the best, but top of the list is that 

THEY DROVE ALL THE WAY FROM TEXAS TO SEE US! 

It was just like old times... except with at least 5 more kids between us, which just made it more fun!

This is the closest I got to a group shot...

Everyone just picked up like we have been best friends forever.

The girls spent days and days pulling together performances for us.

And the party didn't end at night! 

Slumber party madness... in the form of a giant book club...

 The biggest, all he way down to the littlest, we all just love each other!

Welcome Derek, Sandy, Ava, PJ and Rose!

Problem Solvers

We've got this little guy who is addicted to pillow cases, probably out of neglect. Turns out they are the perfect security blanket. They are plentiful and accessible. At first Jaws used to go grab a pillow off of a bed and drag it around behind him, occasionally wearing himself down until he curled up for a nap...

Jaws has since streamlined his pillow love into pillowcase love. No pillow case is safe. He loves to be swaddled in a pillowcase (think sleeping bag) and he loves to hop around like he's in a potato sack race, but mostly he likes to just drag them around behind him until he finds a place to chill and suck his sucky fingers while cuddling his pillow case. 

This is all fine and good and keeps him out of trouble until it is time to sweep and mop around here. Then the pillowcase wreaks havoc to crumb piles. Superkid came up with a great solution to keep Jaws out of mischief while he worked on his chores. He tied Jaws' pillowcases to the refrigerator.

Mission accomplished. Floors cleaned.

But Superkid has such a tender heart he couldn't stand to see his brother struggle... alone. 

So he tied his own beloved silky blanket to the fridge and told me that now was my chance to get all the floors done.

Ready, Go!

Easter Sugar

Little Chief is a major puppy fan. Ever since he was a little pup himself, he has named all of his stuffed puppies "Sugar" (pronounced "Shu-gah"). This year the Easter bunny left him a special friend. A puppy with bunny ears.

Little Chief named him "Easter Sugar". He loves this little pup and takes him everywhere. He loves to snuggle with Easter Sugar at night.

Shortly after this photo shoot Easter Sugar went missing. It was super sad. Then about two weeks later the kids and Pops went swimming at our friend's house and Tadpole found Easter Sugar in the box of pool toys at our friend's house. Reunited and it feels so good!