Game of the Year

Kanien and I used to play Scrabble at least once a week, and I always won. Then we stopped playing, I think it must have been the arrival of Marcella that changed things, but can't really remember. Anyway...we recently resumed our Scrabble, but Kanien, after a series of pagan sacrifices to the Scrabble Gods, beat me 4 out of 5 games, and one game she beat me by over 100 points. I was totally getting schooled by her. I don't think I really cared that much, but then we played last week. She started the game with a really high-point word, and I thought, "Oh man...here we go." And that's pretty much how it went. She led the entire game, until I played my last word.....Banality! It got me 92 points and I beat her by 100 after subtracting her letters from her score and adding them to mine. The best thing about it is if I hadn't gone out, she would have used her X on a double letter score....to spell TWO WORDS, so she would have gotten like 60 points. Victory is sweet, but it's that much sweeter when you snatch it away from someone right at the end.

Capitol Reef

Mom, Dad, Miriam, Kristin, Marcella, Kanien, Miriam's friend Chris and I all went to Capitol Reef a few weeks back. Kristin already made a post about it. These are some of our pictures. There are four posts in total. Picasa only lets me post four pictures at a time.

This is the picnic table at our campsite, after we emptied the entire Suburban, including the roof carrier, onto it. There was quite a bit of stuff, and my picture doesn't really do it justice.

Marcella quickly stared familiarizing herself with the campsite, and immediately took a liking to Grandpa's camp chair. She claimed it as her own, and used it the entire time.

This is a group picture from Sulfer Creek, a little out of order.

Cohab Canyon

The first day, after we unpacked, we ate lunch and decided to go hike up Cohab Canyon. It's right next to the campground, and leads to the Fruita overlook. To get to the canyon, we had to hike up seven or eight switchbacks. Dad explained how the canyon got its name because during the Church's polygamous years, men would flee to the canyon with their wives to evade being arrested for plural marriage. The story has more details, but I can't remember them.

Grandma found Marcella this walking stick. She took an instant liking to it, and kept it with her on every hike. When we'd gone about halfway to the overlook, she asked if she could get down and walk. I obliged, an easy choice as she was riding on my back. She walked the rest of the way to the overlook. She'd stop every four steps and dig in the ground with her stick, or look at a rock, or tell us she just saw an ant. She really had a fun time.

The wind was blowing hard up on top of the plateau. The closer we got to the edge, the harder it blew. On the edge, it was all we could do to keep our balance. I think Kanien tried to push me, until she realized my life insurance policy would only buy her about six gumballs.

The Top

Miriam on the way back down

Cohab Canyon II

Coming down

Marcella obeying our wishes and posing for an odd photo op

Sandstone

Desert Bloom

Sulfer Creek

Any seasoned Capitol Reef hiker knows Sulfer Creek is the crown jewel of the park. In the six times or so we've hiked it, I don't think we've ever encountered other hikers. It has some narrow sections (though it isn't a slot canyon), beautiful vistas of the variegated geology, and simple wet sections where you've got to go in the creek. This year, though, some of us finished without the water going much above our ankles. I didn't even fully dunk my boots.

Kanien is a master hiker. She did every hike with us and enjoyed them all. I can't think of a better hiker!

Mom caught Miriam attempting to push Chris off this cliff.

Here's another group shot

Last Few

Marcella in the carrier

Kristin

When we woke up in the morning, it was cold enough to keep me in bed. The campground is surrounded on all sides by mountains, situated in a natural bowl. The sun wouldn't hit until 9:00 or later, so breakfast was pretty uncomfortable.

Miriam and Chris

Dad's Birthday!

We all had so much fun at Dad's birthday Dinner, I just had to post a few pictures from it. Here is the whole gang.

Marcella was being a good sport. She thought it was funny to try to pretend she was sleeping, only I caught her trying to eat and sleep at the same time. Silly girl.

Marcella took the biggest bite of cake I have ever seen. I wish i had a picture of her trying to fit it in her mouth. It was so funny. We still laugh about it. Kids are the best ever!

Sick again?!

While I am yet sick again, I think this year alone has killed me a couple times, I am feeling a little better. Since Jon is at the store trying to find something for me to keep down, I thought I would post some cute pictures of the past couple weeks to try to cheer me up. So I hope you are in for a picture over load cause here goes.

We had a very fun and exciting Easter. Saturday was filled with lots of Easter Egg hunts and the Annual Grandma Wallin Easter party. We were on the go all day. At my moms house we colored Easter eggs, and Since Jon was gone I wanted him to color some with us when he got home that night, so we kept debating on whether we should do it because it kept getting later and later. Finally Marcella said I want to color them, so I started to round up some newspaper or something to put down so we could dye the eggs and not everything else we own. Out walked Marcella from her bedroom and sat down on the kitchen floor, pulled out her washable markers and said ok I'm ready. So here starts our new tradition. It was pretty fun and less messy.


This is Easter Morning, Marcella found her basket under the desk along with a baby doll and some treats. She loved it. She is going to be a great big Sister!



I think this is the only peep she ate and then she decided she didn't like them, I was down with that since I love Peeps, they are the best ever!

This would be Kristin, She spent the weekend with me since Jon was gone and so on Easter she got to find her Easter basket. It was pretty hard to find though, thanks for being a good sport!

Here is Marcella in her Easter outfit, I love it and I can't wait til we can go to the Tulip Festival to get some cute pictures of her in it, hopefully this week will be nice enough we can go out.


At my moms this year we did a pinata. Marcella had fun giving it a couple hits. She afterwards told me, "I don't like Bulls." It is a long story maybe for another time, but the pinata was a bull and she was a little freaked out.

This would be my husband Jon right before he did this:

Yes for a second time, breaking a hockey stick while trying to break a pinata. We all had a good laugh, especially because it was Jason's second hockey stick that Jon broke and Jason wasn't even there to see it.

Marcella enjoying some Easter Chocolate. Her mouth looked so much worse before this, but we were all laughing so hard at her that by the time we took a picture the chocolate was all gone from her mouth. She was being so funny!


Last week I had Hannah for a few days while her mom and dad were in Hawaii. We had a lot of fun. The first night we went swimming here is the before picture


and the after. I felt bad I forgot the camera, because they both had a lot of fun. And the big key, they both went right to sleep after we got home, it was perfect!

I love this picture of Hannah. She is so dang cute! She has the biggest eyes out of anyone I know, and I love that she loves wearing necklaces. She is so cute!


We thought it was warm enough to play outside, but Marcella said no way. We had only been out for a couple minutes when she said we had to go in, it was too cold.

Hannah on the other hand would have stayed outside all day long. She was having so much fun running around, that it was hard to get a picture of her in focus. Let's say after a few minutes Marcella won the battle and we had a sad Hannah on our way back inside.

We went up on Sunday to listen to conference with the family, and in between sessions the kids went outside to play on the tramp.


This would be Marcella watching Jon jump and do funny tricks. I thought Marcella was being funnier about it than Jon though hence all the pictures of her and not him.


Hannah kept getting sad because she wanted to jump on the tramp, but it completely freaked her out, so she didn't want to jump. Life is so hard sometimes! Poor Girl.


Last but not least, Marcella. Here she decided that instead of running inside to go potty it would just be easier to pull down her pants and go on the cement. It would have been great except she got her pants and underwear wet. This is when life is hard being a girl!