Family Campout

We went on an overnighter with my family last weekend.  Less than two hours away, it was ideal for a quick getaway.  The boys had a great time with the fire and marshmallows – isn’t that the best part?  I think so, right along with snuggling down all cozy with your family in the tent – I love that part too.  (Until I wake up in the middle of the night freezing and needing to go to the bathroom.)  Okay, so maybe the stars were the most spectacular in the middle of the night when I went on my lone hike to the breezy throne.  (I think you know the kind I mean).  Though I must say it was the cleanest I have ever encountered and totally bug free!

The men went on a short hike.  They found this stick which Grandpa said is either a snake skeleton or a Cholla cactus skeleton.  Stephen said it is a snake skeleton so we are sticking with that.

Closer up look of a live Cholla cactus and a cholla skeleton

 

My handsome boys:

     

I can’t look at this picture without smiling.  I love this boy!

My cutie sister, Celsea, is going to be a great mommy someday.  She is so attentive to my boys and really watches over them!


On the way home.  For some reason I love these “dirty” pictures.  They pigged out on snacks the entire way there and back – I am sure you agree it is worth it to keep the peace.

Fake sleeping picture.  Okay, Boston was almost out but Stephen was totally faking sleep in this picture!  See the little grin?

Diamondbacks Game

An anonymous benefactor gave us a set of these…Diamondbacks Baseball tickets:

This is where a $175 ticket puts you - home plate is just over yonder – the girl in white is going to sing the national anthem – we could hear her real voice which was at least 1-2 seconds behind the sound system – so weird!

  Cute couple on a real date night.  Can I just say how weird it was to be somewhere without my kids?  So relaxing – I suppose that’s why date nights are so important.

 

$6 soda anyone?  They will deliver it to ya’ for only a 20% markup!

         

Baxter the Bobcat (Chase stadium used to be called Bank One Ballpark or “BOB,” hence the bobcat mascot even though they are the Diamondbacks)

 

Souvenir baseball helmets are a big hit at our house.  Now we have one for each boy.

These are some of my favorite pictures of my boys together.

They both love to carry these step stools around the house – it makes me a little crazy sometimes but they can’t seem to live without them!

They are saying “cheeeessse!” In every single one of this pictures.

The new swing set

Grandpa Quist decided to put a swing set in his backyard for the grandkids.  It was a great day of hard work for the men in the family.  My dad, Scott, Stephen and Boston spent half of Saturday digging holes, mixing concrete and generally getting dirty and tired.  (Or watching said activities while playing).  The weather was some of the coolest we have had in several months (when I say that please realize that we are still talking mid to upper 90s) so it was a good day for the project.  We are so excited for the concrete to cure so that the boys can try out the swings and slide!  Thanks Grandpa!  I have to say that Stephen and Boston both ADORE my Dad.  He is their favorite person in the whole world – moving dirt around the yard with Grandpa has to be one of their top choices of activities. 

 

 

 

These pictures are of a superior quality to those that I normally present on my blog.  That is because my talented, sweet sister, Celsea, took them!

Blueberry Obsession

Boston is taking after his brother in his extreme love for frozen blueberries.  I am not sure but he may have his big brother beat in the messiness!

Here is Boston recently:

  

Sometimes the “blue” comes off easily and sometimes he goes around with stained hands and face.  If you ever see him with dark/dirty looking fingernails it may (or may not!) be residual blueberry stain-age so please give us the benefit of the doubt.  :)

 

Here is Stephen last summer – he was almost three.  He eats he blueberries with a spoon now he says “because I am almost four!”

Aunts and Uncles Rock!

The day Chery came home from London she brought all of us lovely souvenirs.  Stephen received a fun “Kinder-Egg” which is chocolate molded around an egg shaped container with a little toy in it.  He was totally thrilled with it!  Thanks Aunt Chery!         

 

Boston is obsessed with this Diamondbacks baseball helmet my brother Allen gave him.  He walks around in it striking poses and making silly faces.  Thanks Uncle Allen!

Well that was the silliest tea party I ever went to! I’m never going back there again!"

Quote from Louis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland).  This quote keeps popping into my head whenever I think of the afternoon tea party I had with my sisters and mom.  It is, of course, entirely inaccurate and I would go “back there again” right now!

My cute sister, Chery, was incredibly lucky and went to BYU London study abroad this summer.  I missed her terribly and when she came home she indoctrinated us in the customs and the food (especially the Cadbury chocolate – I am drooling right now) of Jolly Ol’ England.  We had an afternoon tea party with my other cute sister, Celsea, and my Mom.

On the table: cucumber sandwiches, cheddar scones, and sticky toffee pudding (I learned that in England pudding is cake).  It was all very yummy!  I know, we are maybe a little old for dress up tea parties but to be honest I never had a tea party with my sisters growing up because I am so much older them!  Here we are, enjoying our “tea” (aka lemon aid).  Really, we mostly enjoyed the sticky toffee pudding – it was sooo yummy.  I am sorry I don’t have the link to share the recipe with you!

 

    

Celsea and Mom

Chery and Celsea

Me and Chery

 

We listened to the sound track from “Pride and Prejudice.”  What else would you listen to for a little background music during an elegant English tea party?  Now Chery is gone again, though not so far this time - she is back at BYU in Provo.  More than likely, Celsea will be joining her at BYU next year.  Good for both of them but way too sad for me!

Illness and Injury

My blog wouldn’t be complete without the full log of illnesses and injuries of each family member.  Boston had a particularly rough weekend when he gave himself a fat lip and cut his gums on the bathtub faucet, only to split his eyebrow open a few hours later on the corner of a bench.  He was one sad baby that day.  Here he is with a butterfly bandage on his eyebrow – thank goodness he didn’t need stitches.

I’m okay mom.

Tough guy.

 

Then, of course, with school starting, we also see the sickness that runs rampant through all children everywhere.  No one is exempt from this, even my two little guys who aren’t even in school yet.  All I know is that only a few days after a new school year began they both came down with fevers and were not sleeping or eating well for a few days.  Then it morphed into a nasty cold with snot everywhere – you know the drill.  They were both content to sit and veg most of the day.  They have snacks in this picture, though they really didn’t each much.  Even sick, they are still little cuties!  (Don’t worry, since this photo was taken, I whipped up a BLUE fleece blanket with monkeys on it for Boston to use so he wouldn’t be stuck with my pink one.)

Happily, they are both on the tail end of this and they are back at full energy!