Sunday, July 19, 2026

June Happenings

We packed June with as much fun as we could and it was a great month.  
We started out the month going down to our friends to see all their baby animals. Eliza is really hoping for her own baby bunny now. 
The lambs were also a big hit. Everyone got turns feeding them bottles and we filled them up. 
The boys also did some fishing while we were there and we had to eventually tear them away. 
The cousins also met us down there. We are so grateful for good friends that let us enjoy their animals. 
We loved spending time with Grandma
We kicked off the end of the school year with mini golf. Asa actually joined in this year and we were a little loosey goosey on the rules...just to help it not last forever. 
We had a lot of tornado watches this month. And some huge hail. 
We went to a new pond on our street and had fun exploring. 
Loving the beautiful views and neighbors that let us enjoy the fruits of their labors. 
The kids dressed up as royalty for a FHE activity
Eliza made Mulberry popsicles and mulberry juice. 
I got really stuck one day and with the help of a random man, got the van pushed out. There was so much mud. 
We went to the Snakenberg's one night and helped them clean out their arena and then Larry gave them tractor rides and they got to ride Redwing. Always a good time with them. 
Chet went to Young Men's camp and enjoyed exploring caves, playing capture the flag, and getting soaked at night, or at least he tolerated that last part. 
Mariah went to Girls Camp at the same time and had a great time. 
Tanner stayed busy that week going to both of the camps. We were excited to celebrate him on Father's Day with a Key Lime Pie. 
Vivi and Asa still love the ever-changing dirt pile. 
We headed out west and the kids loved swimming at the hotel pool. Tanner was a good sport; this picture makes me laugh. 
This was Asa's mood most of the drive. But we survived. He spent most of his time requesting random songs like, Monster Truck Soccer Boy songs. We had to get creative to keep him happy. At one point he requested a four wheeler song so we turned on Beach Boys 409 and just yelled "four wheeler!" every time they said 409. 
We made a little pit stop and if you zoom in on Asa's face it looks like he is plotting our demise. He really did not like the drive.
We stopped at Capital Reef State Park and went on a fun hike. 
Chet caught his lizard, it has to be done. 
There were lots of fun nooks and crannies to climb in. 
That night we visited my Uncle Paul and Aunt Kelly and my Aunt Dawnene was there too. It was so wonderful to catch up with them. My cousins Greg and Matt's kids were there too so it was so fun to see their beautiful kids. 
For months Tanner has been wanting to go to a hot springs that is on an Indian Reservation and is now closed to the public. But Papa Ralph knows a guy on the reservation council who could vouch for us if someone tried to kick us out, so we went for it. We had a wonderful time and no one made us leave. 
Levi didn't want to get in the pond so I took a selfie with him. It got a little sketchy when Brittany and I were the only adults with all the littles, but then Aunt Katie saved the day with life jackets and we could relax a little. 
We finally made it to Grammie and Papa Ralph's. Tanner captured the beautiful view from the cabin. We woke up the next morning to a flat tire, but we were in the right place for that. My dad helped Tanner fix the tire while Brittany and I took the kids down to ride horses. Chet spent part of the morning hauling hay with Trey and then they came and met up with us. 
Eliza didn't want to get off the horses. She was in heaven the whole time. 
There were lots of 4-wheeler rides
Asa and Papa Ralph
I was so worried about the kids getting sunburned so I kept having them go in the shade. But Brittany and I were out in the sun the whole time, and we got fried. 
Chet got to drive the side by side back to Grammie and Papa Ralph's. 
We had a pop party. There was an addition of pistol and gun target practice to the pop party, the grandkids are getting older after all. 
There were lots of snuggles and stories with Grammie. 
And lots of ice cream, obviously. 
Vivi and Evan had lots of fun together. Dan and Katie came up for dinner one night and it was fun to visit with them. 
I'm sad that I didn't get a picture with Brittany's kids before they left. But these kids had a lot of fun together. 
Tanner and I spent a morning driving through the mountains. The views were spectacular...
The roads were dusty...
Tanner tried to give me a heart attack on some of the roads...there were some sheep traffic jams...
But we had such a wonderful time. 
We met up at Kingston Lake and made a fire to roast marshmallows and do some fishing. 
But the only thing we caught were crawdads...
But that didn't ruin the fun. It's hard to have a bad time when there's water involved. 
And s'mores. 
We enjoyed Aunt Katie's strawberry patch. 
And made a cake for Tycen's birthday. 
It was fun to celebrate this sweet boy. It was a great way to end the month. 

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Eliza is 8!

 
Our Eliza Ann is 8 and she has anxiously been awaiting the day she would turn 8 and be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It finally happened and she couldn't be happier with the choice she made. She also reminded me repeatedly about her birthday interview so we'll start with that. 

Mom: What is your favorite color?
Eliza: Teal

Mom: What is your favorite food?
Eliza: Noodles

Mom: What is your favorite animal?
Eliza: horses (Eliza is always begging for a horse, sounds like someone I knew at that age. "Mom, you could tell us we were getting a cow so we wouldn't get suspicious while you had corrals built. Then you could surprise us with a horse!")

Mom: What is your favorite book?
Eliza: Black Beauty (She's reading that one right now)
She loves to read and is enjoying all the new books she can read by herself
Mom: What is your favorite movie?
Eliza: I don't really have one, any movie. 
        
Mom: What is your favorite song?
Eliza: Church songs  

Mom: Who is your scripture hero?
Eliza: Esther

Mom: What is your favorite dessert?
Eliza: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Eliza loves helping in the kitchen. She wanted to decorate her birthday cake all by herself and only needed a little guidance from me. 
Mom: What do you like to wear? 
Eliza: Skirts 

Mom: What do you like to do for fun? 
Eliza: Kickovers (which don't work very well with skirts. We love the ones with built in shorts around here.)

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?
Eliza: Go on walks.  

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?
Eliza: Have fun with him.   

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Mariah? 
Eliza: Read Books

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Chet?
Eliza: Wrestle

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Austin?
Eliza: Riding in the go-cart 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Vivi? 
Eliza: Play games with her. 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Asa? 
Eliza: Run around
This girl loves to love on her baby brother. If he ends up spoiled, we'll know who to blame. 
Mom: Who is your best friend?
Eliza: My family

Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up? 
Eliza: A Gymnast 
Eliza loves working on her tumbling skills. She does cartwheels everywhere she goes and can "do splits all three ways". 
The attributes her Grandma Crossley put on her blanket are nurturing, honest, observes, and serves. Those describe Eliza perfectly. She is a magnet to children younger than her because of her caring and fun nature. She doesn't miss a thing and is such a good helper. 
She is a creator. She loves trying out new hairstyles and is always creating new things. 
She made a purse out of yarn all on her own and has come up with multiple crochet designs. 
She has been crocheting clothes for Vivi's stuffed animals lately too. 
A friend from our ward made this headband. Maybe Eliza will be able to tat too one day. 
Eliza has loved playing the piano and she has done a good job practicing. 
She is busy. School can be hard because she is always moving, balancing on one leg, reading things upside down...it's really hard to stay patient through it all. We learned that when she gets especially antsy to take a jumping jack break. Ten of those and she usually can settle down for a while. 
We have loved watching this girl learn and grow throughout the years. She has done so many amazing things and we can't wait to see what she accomplishes this year. We love our Eliza Ann!