Sunday, July 10, 2016

July 4th weekend with the Beachy's

My family takes turns hosting the whole gang every 18 months. This year it was my sisters turn and we had a wonderful time. I have a boatload of pictures and most are pretty self explanatory so I'm not going to write a book :) . Brian and Michelle have made a pretty little pond and picnic area on their property and we spent a lot of time there. He even made a zip line over the pond so that and the canoe got used a lot!

Mom with the 2 youngest, Ethan and Alex. Ethan is none to sure about Alex.

Grilling chicken. It was delicious!

Most of my zip line pictures are blurry :(

Logan and Makayla roasting marshmallows.

We made this for Michael since it was close to his birthday.

3 of the 5 grandsons.

Eldon made pancakes over the fire Saturday morning. So good!

It decided to be rainy a few times so we crowded under a tarp.

Love how you can see the rain rolling in.

More cuddle time and avoiding the rain :)

When fishing, be sure not to cast over the zip line. That would be dumb.

Wet sand makes the perfect place to practice flips.

Michael and Nakita making a town.

Saturday night we went to pizza hut.

They surprised me and had cake and 30 presents for me!

My presents......see, they know how practical I am! Love every one of these things!

It sure was nice to have dirt bikes and 4-wheelers to run back and forth with from the pond!

Sunday evening Michelle had invited anyone who knew our family to the park. Everyone brought finger foods and we had a fantastic time seeing people that we hadn't in years!

Makayla with Mrs. Cunningham, a lady I worked for one summer when I ran her produce store.

Me with 2 of my friends, Emily and Stacy. Remembering the good ole' days :).

There was a lot of people there! And the food! It was all so good!

Chet, dad, and Phil. Anyone who knows these guys knows that trouble is just around the corner!


Monday we enjoyed a Fourth of July parade then wandered our way around the mountains and ended up in Ouray to watch the fireworks. 

Lots of cool cars in the parade!

I  liked the loud ones :)

Antique firetruck.

They misted the crowd with water and it felt so good!

Patriotic horse.

Black Canyon was our next stop!


It's as majestic as I remember it when I was little.


The lovely young ladies of the family. 

Painted wall.

Our family. We really were happy, it was just bright and hot. And who wants to stand by mom and dad when you could be with your cousins?

Marrow Point Dam was another stop. Love the way these rivers meet.

Lunch time!

Katelyn and Ethan at the top of Owl Creek Pass.

That sky! And mountains! It's so gorgeous it makes my heart hurt.

Bear Creek Falls, partway up Red Mountain Pass.

Another waterfall near Bear Creek Falls. It was so cold and windy here!

We did the short hike to Cascade Falls again.

My men. 

Feeding the fish at the Ouray Hot Springs.

Evan and Kaylene doing.....something :)

Eating again. What else would we do while waiting for dark?

Emily with Michelle and Brian.

 Makayla with Grace and Eugene

And Michael with Kaylene and Evan. Amused me how they all wormed their way next to a couple :)

Tuesday we spent the day at Evan and Kaylene's. They recently bought a house that needed a lot of clean up and it was SO fun to see the difference it made with so many people working.

Ethan and Alex trying to stay cool.

Alex and Kaylene

Some of the moms and little girls picked cherries in the morning while Eldon and I ran to town for more food. Tuesday was an extra day that had not been planned but we're so glad it worked out for us all to stay!

They were so good!

Eldon and Ethan running the skid steer. Ethan kept trying to drive :)

This massive bush had to go.......

Dallas and Logan hauled trash and brush pretty much all day long with this thing!

"Just wading". They were soaked within 10 minutes :)

More junk headed to the pile.

The trash pile. It was.......big! Eugene said he didn't know green sagebrush burned so well :).

Some people played most of the day.

The kitchen crew. Genea and Katelyn are typical oldest girls and were more responsible then I expected. They washed piles of dishes and made us iced coffee.

The adorable crew!

Michelle made ice cream for supper. Michael attempted to help :)

Grace decorated a cake for dad and Michael with many onlookers.


Birthday boys

Mom and dad

By Wednesday Evan and Brian went back to work for most of the day and dads had to leave in the afternoon. We squashed in as much fun as we could though!

Water balloon fun!

They had a blast!

Eldon and Dallas fighting over the water hose!

One last meal together at the pond.

By the time it was over everyone was exhausted, I guess it's a sign of a good time! Family is such a blessing and I'm so thankful that we can enjoy being together. We have many memories to cherish and I'm already looking forward to Christmas 2017 at Eugene and Grace's!

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Happy Birthday Michael!

Michael joined our family 5 years ago, July 8, 2011. I still kick myself sometimes for being in such a hurry to have him. If he had waited 3 days he would have been born on my birthday, and I was born on my dads birthday. But you can't reason with a lady who's 9 months pregnant in July!

He was born in the evening so Makayla didn't get to meet her brother until the next morning. I could hardly wait for that moment. Like we expected, it was instant love. She was a little over 2 but a mother at heart and doted on him more then we wanted her to :) . 


Michael was by far our most laid back baby. He slept, ate and was happy. Nothing much got him riled. Obviously, his personality changed somewhere along the line!


He was the only one of our children who took to strangers and was happy to let his grandparents hold him without "knowing" them. 


As long as we can remember, Michael has adored babies. He wants 100 and is continually asking when we can have another. Or twins, that would be even better because he wouldn't have to share as much. 
Side note: He was only 16 months when Emily was born. I'm freaking out a little because Ethan is now 15 months and I cannot imagine having a baby next month!


Eating, O how this child can eat! He took us on a food allergy journey that was no fun and turned up no real answers but thankfully most have resolved themselves. As long as we keep a sharp handle on the amount of gluten and sugar he eats he is manageable. 


Around this age he began to change. Mischief oozes :). 


Michael was 3 when he finally got his baby brother. He prayed for many months for this to happen- long before I has ready! 


Even though he teases and fights like crazy with his sisters, they are still great friends.

Michael and Emily, partners in crime.

Michael and Makayla manage to play and be constructive together-most of the time!

We were SO proud of him a few weeks ago when he hiked to the Lower Blue Lakes, almost 7 miles round trip. Brian carried him about 10 feet but otherwise he went the whole way. He only cried a little once on the way down but at that point I had tears of exhaustion in my eyes too!


He doesn't get to see his cousins, Logan and Dallas, very often and they are much older but they have been his "best friends" as long as I can remember. He was so excited to be with them last weekend when my family was together. They do awesome at letting him tag along!


Michael and Eldon just hanging out on a recent hike. Michael loves to be with him ( I can see why!) and moans every day when Eldon has to go to work.


These 3 decorated this fruit pizza with just a little help from me. Nakita is 6 weeks older then Michael and Emily 16 months younger and they spend hours playing together. 


We got him a remote controlled truck for his birthday. He absolutely loves it and O the giggles he makes while driving it! Grandpa Beachy's gave him money and he bought a bike bell, level, and small socket set. I often hear him up in bed playing with the socket set. His aunt Michelle and family also gave him a box of fun things-water squirter, sunglasses, tracing book, and fruit snacks.


He's mostly all boy, loud, rough and dirty, but he's also got a soft side and is usually the first to notice a baby in the room and ask to hold it. He hasn't been the easiest child to raise but we wouldn't trade for the world!