500 miles

After being cooped up in my house for five straight days I decided we all had to get out of the house. I had three moaning children, that refused to move from off the couch, that were driving me mad. Kev had flown late Thursday night and therefore got Friday off. It was conference weekend and so we where determined to find refuge somewhere other than our house! Both our parents had headed north to Utah to enjoy conference so we took the opportunity to spend the weekend with my grandmas. We had a fabulous time.

In the seven years we've been married Kev's never even been to my Grandma Miller's house and we usually only see my Grandma Brady for a little bit when we're in town at my parents. The kids loved every minute of it and loved having the grandma's around.

Grandma Brady's house was like a petting zoo. The neighbors have almost every animal you could imagine and they we're extremely accommodating with the kids.

Here is the goat that Kev caught so the kids could pet it. In the back ground there where chickens, doves, turtles, a dog, a cat, and a couple different house birds. Then across the street there were two pigs, 5 or 6 calves, horses and a mule. Ryley and Ben were in 'pet' heaven. (On the ride up we listened to Charlotte's Web, book on tape, so Ryley and Ben we're ecstatic about the pigs.

It was so fun to hang out with Grandma Brady, I love her stories, and the food was so delicious. (Nate, I wanted to let you know she whipped up some cornbread and I thought of you the whole time.) We enjoyed watching conference with her and got to visit with my Aunt Dorene and Uncle Tim. I think one of Ryley's highlights was mowing Grandmas lawn. She'd never seen a riding lawn mower and of course her dad let her drive it.

Before we headed out on Sunday

Saturday morning we headed north to see my Grandma Miller in Flagstaff. We swung by her place and visited, then all jumped in the car for a ride out to the lake. (One thing I remember from my child hood is all the 'drives' we took. Quite often we found ourselves in the car headed out somewhere in nature. It was a Sunday afternoon tradition.) Grandma had said that upper Lake Mary was over flowing into the lower lake and so we figured it would be a fun drive.

We'd just come from 82 degree weather so the fact that there was still snow on the ground was crazy. The wind was so cold coming off the lake that we stayed long enough to skip a couple of rocks and that was it. (It was about 40 degrees out) We then headed back to town got some lunch with Grandma Miller at a local Mexican food joint and headed back south.

Kev teaching the kids to skip rocks

Trying to get this picture was next to impossible,

my Grandma hates having her picture taken.

All in all we had the best weekend ever! It was so laid back and the kids just did as they pleased. Plus I figured what precious times these where for my kids to spend with their great grandmas.