The Month of May

Phew! I know I haven't posted in a really long time, but as you will see, I've been busy having fun. We had family visiting, Nick's birthday, a trip to Arizona, a high school graduation, a court of honor, Nick's baptism, more family visiting (and being visited), a trip to Lake Powell, a trip to the Grand Canyon, and a long journey home again. I had originally picked out 72 pictures for this entry, but Jere told me that was way too many, and to my chagrin, I was forced to whittle it down to a mere five. Once I figure out how to do a link to the other really cool photos, I'll add that, too. Here we go . . .


Aunt Bessie, visiting from Australia, and my sister Natalie, visiting from Pennsylvania. This was the first weekend in May. Got way too much shopping done as Bessie will testify to when she tries to get all her stuff home!


Nicholas turned eight! We had a little celebration for him in Michigan and then left the next day for Arizona where Grandma Freeman made him a really cool cake. He looks so dapper in the birthday hat! He still refuses to tell me what he wished for before blowing out his candles. You'd think little kids would spill the beans a bit more easily! Oh, well. This won't stop me from unwrapping and rewrapping presents under the Christmas tree--preparing the correct response is essential, you know.


Turning eight is usually followed by a baptism (at least amongst us Mormons). Grandpa Parker conducted the meeting, Uncle Matt gave the opening prayer, Grandma Parker and Grandma Freeman gave really nice, spirit-filled talks (or tear-jerkers as I like to call them) on baptism and the Holy Ghost, then a few comments from the first counselor and Grandpa Parker, and then a closing prayer by Grandpa Freeman. Auntie Melissa did a beautiful job of accompanying all the songs and Auntie Tianna did a stellar job of leading the music. It was a great day to be surrounded by so many family members! (I love Jere's short pants. They were even shorter in real life . . . hee! hee!)


Then we were off to Lake Powell for some serious attempts to look as brown as the locals. This included a day of jet-skiing and a day of boating. There was also a really nice pool that we usually had all to ourselves. The unfortunate part was me having to wear a bathing suit . . . maybe that's why the pool was so empty!

We had a blast with Natalie, Aaron, Braden, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler, Bessie (when she wasn't capsizing the jet-skis), Anne & Dennis.


The last day of our trip was an excursion to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I don't know how we survived the heart-attack-inducing driving that Jere so kindly provided, but Bessie, Anne and I found good use for all those nifty bar-handles that Honda installs in their Odysseys. The North Rim is just fantastic! However, it's amazing how many times death crosses your mind on those skinny little trails. Just one wrong step and say hello to the bottom of the canyon, which is about a million miles down. A highly recommended adrenaline rush!

What a great month! It was so incredibly wonderful to have family around and the kids really enjoyed all the cousins. It was hard to come back to Michigan, but it has quenched a little bit of our thirst to be near those who are related to us.

Well, today is my thirteenth (yes, I said thirteenth) wedding anniversary, so I really must go. Wow! I must be getting old . . . I have an eight-year-old and I've been married for 13 years. The next thing you know I'll be posting a blog about Ashlee leaving for college.