Moments from Midway

For several years now we have been having a fall

get-away for all the extended family that could make it.

in the past we have gone to Jackson Hole, but this year

we decided to try Midway to eleviate the longer drive.

The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good idea...

but judging from my pictures...I think it was a success.

(warning: this contains picture overload)

We rented a home by Soldier Hollow so we drove the

Alpine Loop to Cascade Springs and then took

the road to Midway. Beautiful drive that drops you

down into the Heber Valley and the house was great!

And the weather....couldn't have been better...

In betweeen Conference sessions,

there were lots of walks and hikes that took place

unfortunately my camera didn't make it on several of them!

And there was the trip into Heber for lunch at the

Dairy Keen "Home of the Train".

We won't talk about what all went on there,

but suffice it to say that it looks like we

had more fun than we did!

Adorable Greta!!

Actually, the kids had a GREAT time!

The Homestead was having a Scarecrow

Festival, so we all got to enjoy that.

So glad that Paige and Brig made the HUGE

effort to join us

(and believe me, I KNOW it is a HUGE effort on her part!)

Us girls did our annual Christmas gift project and NO...

we did not consume all that vodka!

Brig and Sully...the Newbies...worked on

solidifying their BFF status.

And it was discovered that a little fishing

truly is an activity for ALL ages!!

Check out the scenery!!

What did we do before Baby Bjorn's??

And here we are practicing a little family "togetherness".

Dustin and Abe were successful in bringing home dinner.

Sorry Abe...I didn't get a shot of your gorgeous

rainbow trout!!

And a little playground time with a

breath-taking backdrop!

The home we stayed at requested that everyone

remove their shoes before entering. This was

the pile at the back door and there was a similar

one at the front door!

We checked out on Monday and made our way down

to SLC for a quick visit to Gardner Village and the

Witch Festival. L-O-V-E this place this time of year!

And the Lamoreaux crew wanted to see it before

heading back to St. George.

Overall it was a great get-away but we learned a few

things from this experience.
Stay tuned for next year to see if we improve upon

our gathering skills.

But ask any one of the kids and they will tell you

they had the time of their lives....

So really, what else matters???

I'm gonna chalk this one up to a success!!

Two Brazilian Beauties Have Birthdays

The last week in September two of the most beautiful

girls I know celebrate their birthdays. Vanessa turned

25 on Monday, Sept. 27th. We originally planned a

"last outing" up the canyon but settled for a picnic

at a "child friendly" park in SLC.

Unfortunately, earlier in the afternoon, Bella

hurt her arm so Brad had to take her to the Insta-Care

and they missed most of the party!!

Of course, as soon as they got in the Drs.

office, her arm felt better....

No worries though...

Vanessa just gets more and more beautiful!!

And their girls....well, see for yourself!

But the party must go on....and this group

has a fine time regardless of the occasion!!

These two really can't get enough of each other!

And it may not have been the best birthday party

Vanessa has ever had, but we can't let her day

go by without a celebration....because let's face

it...we are lucky to have her!!

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And then on Sept. 29th, this little princess

celebrated her 4th birthday with a gaggle of

cute little friends and Chuckie Cheese!

Talk about beautiful.... AND the best part is

that Gabi is every bit as sweet as she is beautiful!!

Brad is one lucky guy.

Chuckie Cheese is SOOO lucky that Gabi

chose to join him on her special day.

She made the whole place sparkle!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET GIRLS!!

XOXOXOXO

September Birthdays with "Old" Friends

Yesterday two of my oldest and dearest

friends and I made a date to celebrate our

shared September birthdays in one of our

shared favorite locations, Sundance.

Jeanne and Connie have been my buddies through

thick and thin. We have shared all of the good and

bad times together over decades. We raised our

kids together, shared confidences, celebrated successes,

cried over heart aches together and laughed until our

sides and faces hurt. Even when we haven't been together

for ages, we get back together and it's like we have never

been apart. My only complaint is that we don't get

to be together enough because....well, life happens!

We took the time to ride the lift up the mountain

and take in the view of the seasons changing...

and talk and laugh until the world called us

back to reality. We had a wonderful leisurely

lunch on the patio of the Foundry Grill and

shared dessert.

I love these two gorgeous ladies and I'm so grateful

that I have had their friendship over the years.

Friends fill a void that others just can not.

Thanks, my dear friends, for a wonderful day!

Let's do it again soon....

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

And Baby Makes Three.....

I got the sweet privilege of meeting Mr. Cash Harrison

yesterday and oh how sweet he is!!

Can't you just smell that wonderful scent of heaven??

He is beautiful and definitely belongs to Mark!

Here you see Cash cradled in the arms of his

Grandma Eileen who has been waiting for this

moment for eternities.

I've said it before but one of the most amazing
miracles of the arrival of this new little life is
how two people suddenly become completely
devoted parents. There is a kind of love that
comes with a new baby that is beyond earthly
explanation and I am always so touched when I
witness that miracle. Mark and Tiff are so totally
in love with Cash and will be fantastic parents.


A little side "perk" was getting to play with these two
cuties, while their Mom and Dad made a run to the
hospital to meet Cash and congratulate his parents.

We had so much fun playing outside
and letting Miss Minie's imagination
dictate our activities. Poppy was
happy to follow along as big sister was
her ballet teacher, escorted her to the hospital,
helped her learn how to dive off the board at
swim lessons, went to the movie theatre,
hunted for the wicked witch, found the
poison apple and had several naps. I'm telling you...
It was a very busy 90 minutes or so!

Here they are....watching the imaginary movie intently!
They are more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

And I just like this picture of Poppy and Greta in
a moment when they were not fighting. These
two love each other to death and can squabble better
than any couple I know. As time goes by I'm sure
this will work itself out as they learn to share and
communicate better. In the meantime....it's pretty
funny to watch. Part of the joys of Grandparenting...
you don't have to be the referee!

Once again....good times all around!

For Robyn...Swiss Miss

I sure hope you like it and I sure hope it

fits!!

Love you, Miss Gwynnie!

XOXO

Two Little Duckies...

Brooke was sweet enough to accompany me out to

Gardner Village last week while I applied for a

job. These two little duckies were just out

sitting under the tree. As

Brooke followed them and I watched Poppy and

Minie "waddle" after her, I saw a certain

similarity.

It reminded me of a certain elementary teacher

who used to refer to her class as her duckies.

Sweet moments....

Birthdays, Blessings, Babies, and Bathing Beauties

WOW!!! What an amazing weekend we had in
St. George. It started off with a great birthday

party for Gilly Bear who turned 4. He was

thrilled with what Nannie and Grandpa got for him.

Let's hope he doesn't break anything! :(

Four seems to have come awfully fast for this

little man...

Gil's cousin Gagey-boy has a mini-skate board too!

Brig and Sully got to know each other on this trip.
Robyn got them matching outfits too.
Sully is almost as big as Brig...they are
destined to be besties in the future!
There was a couple of rounds of golf for the men
and Bob took the boys craw-dad fishing.

Grandpa Mike made lots of brownie points by cooking up
some of the craw-dads for the neighborhood boys.
Yummy???

Then came Sully's special day. Bob gave him a
beautiful blessing. These are the men who stood in the
circle.

Connie and Lyle drove down Sunday morning
so as not to miss the BYU game and then Lyle
so graciously invited us all to Amy's house for
some of his famous ribs. Definitely YUMMY!!!
Proud parents of this beautiful boy!

Beautiful Mommy and beautiful baby boy.

Just so you know I was there too :)

How wonderful that these girls are such a great support

to one another. Love them one and all!!!

And then Monday was pool party time! Brig had his first

really ENJOYABLE time in the pool.

Kiddie pools are where it's at!

Sweet Greta, doing what she loves best...getting

a little something to snack on!

The peanuts with their peanuts (plus Gretsie).

Brooke with her ever challenging job of keeping

track of the pink tornadoes at the pool!

A group of the ladies in the hot tub.

Kennan was running a pre-school in the kiddie pool.

Here the kids are all buckled in the van and

Kennan is taking them to Target, Costco and WalMart.

Mr. Sully in his amazing swimwear.

It was a really, really fun weekend packed with

lots of activities and even more love.

Thanks, Robyn and Bob, for always making

our visits so fun and memorable.

XOXOXO