Albuquerque

Close your eyes.... now try to spell.... Albuquerque!

Its HARD!!! How many "qu"s can there be in one word!?!

Since Blake got a new job... well internship... we decided it would be a good chance to go on a family vacation!  (He purposely told the golf course the last day he could work was a Wednesday so that we could take the weekend and go)  So we have heard that the zoo in ALB (for short) is awesome! We decided to check it out...

Just so my family knows we DID start the morning off with breakfast and I let Blake hear the entire 10 minute song titled, "Albuquerque" by Weird Al. Larry I thought you would appreciate that the most :)

Others: If you haven't heard it, it might just be worth listening to but you HAVE to listen to the whole thing if you do.  You can find it on youtube.

We arrived in ALB on Thursday afternoon, got some lunch, and checked into our hotel.  Checked out a little of the town and a near by park.  We also, before dinner, made sure to pick up some redbox movies.  We stayed that night in the hotel. Of course the girls did those "normal things" kids do in a hotel room... 

Jump on the beds!

The next morning we made sure we were at the zoo before they opened. We were there 10 min. early and it was like a ghost town. We had the park to ourselves!

We all loved it! There were so many animals to see and we could "see" them all!  They weren't off hiding like they are at some of the other zoo's.  The zoo was very well priced too.  With our entrance fee we also were able to ride 2 different trains as much as we pleased. One went around the zoo and the other took you to the Botanical Garden/Aquarium.

 

Here we are on the zoo train!

Through out the day there were different feeding times for different animals it was really fun to watch. Here we are at the Seal and Sea Lions home. They did some fun tricks to get their food.  These were Lydia's favorite!

 Anything that was swimming in the water Lydia was enthralled with (can't tell from this pic). This cat fish was HUGE!

Maycee really enjoyed all of the animals.  She didn't really seem to have a "favorite", she was so excited about each one!  This giraffe was really close for a bit, that was neat.

looking back through the pictures, they really don't shown you how close we really were to all most of the animals. This giraffe was just feet away.

Another cool feature this zoo had were the FREE RANGE PEACOCKS!

 They had about half a dozen males that just hung around the middle of the park (where all the eating takes place)  and these guys were not shy at all.  Any chance they had they would open up there beautiful tails and let you take a look.  They were very domestic, some people would even touch them and it didn't really seem to bother the birds one bit.

We weren't able to do all we wanted in one day so we came back the next day too!

One attraction Maycee did get a kick out of was the dessert tortoise. This guy was big! Can you see him in the back, he kinda blends in.

One of the animals I was impressed with (impressed that they had it) was the Polar Bear!

Can you see it?

 Here is a better shot.

Train ride to the Garden/ Aquarium

Bad pic. The aquarium was super neat! 

They had several HUGE viewing areas.  They also had some different things on display you don't get to see to often like a sea horse and a school of jelly fish.

The trip was definitely worth the money we spent and we said we would do it again. Lots of fun!

Whirlwind

Well I don't even know where to start....

I hate starting blog posts with that phrase.  Because that means that I haven't posted in a while...

However this time is a little different... I feel like I have a pretty dang good excuse for my absence on the blog, lets see if you agree...

Last you heard for us was Easter...  Oh how those were the nice "slow going days".....

*Since then Blake has received a full time job at the golf course here in Kirtland.  He has loved this job!  So have us girls!  If anyone knows Blake they know that besides his wife and kids the golf course is his true love.  The job hours worked perfect with his school hours and now that the semester is over he is home early every day :) We have loved going to have lunch with him and ride around and the course!  (we will miss him having this job, details to follow)

*At the begging of April I found out that my Grandpa (Brown) was all of the sudden going in for open heart surgery.

*Around that same time our landlord, Betty, asked me to paint her bed room.  That meant taking down all the wallpaper before painting. WHAT A HASSLE! Took me 3 days! Finished Saturday, April the 21st.

* Sunday the 22nd,  I was on my way to the valley to go help my mom.  Grandpa's was not recovering from the surgery, and to allow my mom more time at the hospital I went to keep the house running so she could be at the hospital as much as she wanted.  I was there for a week. And it was alot more work than I thought it would be when I left my house.

* The day I got back from that I found out that our good family Friend Laschelle had passed away and starting making preparations to turn around and head back to Snowflake (this time with Blake) to attend her funeral.

* The night before her funeral, May the 6th, I learned that my Grandpa passed away.

* Monday, the 7th we attened the funeral for Laschelle and as soon as it was over I drove on to the valley to be with my family.

* Grandpa's funeral was Saturday the 12th. Blake was able to make it for that.  It was nice to have him there. Grandpa was a wonderful man!  Can't wait to see him again :)

* I stayed a few more days in the valley to visit with my siblings that came in from out of state.  (cool thing was both my families that came from out of state were already planning to be there for other things, so timing really was great for that.)

* Came home Wednesday the 16th.... I had basically been gone for 3 weeks straight and I WAS DRAINED!  Physiacally, Emotionally, Spiritually.... and any other way that you could think of... but I didn't get a break....

* When I left it was still cold enough that, no grass, no leaves, no real growth had emerged... I came home to a front yard, knee high with weeds, more loads of laundry than you can count, and a garden to prepare to put in the ground....

* Did I mention that I am and have been pregnant... 16 weeks this Saturday...

* The "TO DO LIST" was made and I began to get to work.....

* I am proud to say my house is almost back to where it should be.  The weeds have been pulled.  The winter close are finally put away. Laundry is now flowing at a manageable pace. And the garden is in the ground!  Hope you guys are hungry because we have 42 tomatoe plants, 18 chile plants, 18 jalapeno plats, and all kinds of squash, zucinni, watermelons, cantaloupe, honey dew, lettuce, spinach, and a whole separate entire field full of CORN!!!

* I am preparing to gather my quart size freezer bags and more bottles for canning :)

*Some other big news... Blake is getting a different job!!! (its his favorite thing to do to me, keep me on my toes... since we have been here (it will be a year in August) he has manage to have 4 different jobs and this will be the 5th! yikes!!!) .....
       A natural gas company called, Williams, came to the school and asked the head director of the instrumentation program to pick his top 5 guys that were half way through the program to be interviewed for an internship.  Naturally Blake was selected.  You guys should hear what the teachers say about him. He is amazing. And I am not Bias ;).  Blake was interviewed.  Really at that point all he knew about the internship was that, 1.) He would be getting hands on schooling... 2.) They would pay for the rest of his school... 3.) On top of which, it is a paid internship.... 4.)Downside: its an hour and a half drive ONE WAY to the plant that he would work at...
       He got a call last week that he was the guy they wanted!  We got a call yesterday that said they had moved the location of the job and now it is only a 45 min. drive one way (huge blessing).  Still no real details about pay or benefits (if any) but we a super excited for this opportunity.  It will put Blake far above the rest when he graduates because he will have had a whole years worth of experience under his belt!

* Sorry but my list goes on....

* Maycee turned 3 last week!!!!!  Oh how she loves to be 3! We had a small party with the neighbors that included cake and ice cream and a few gifts (wish I could get the pictures off my phone to share).  Mom and dad got her 2 goldfish, which she has been very interested in... unfortunately we found them dead yesterday and it was a very dramatic experience for us all... that is a whole other blog post entirely... but there was a quick trip to Wal-mart to get some more...

* Yesterday I also had well checks for BOTH girls. I'll NEVER do that again!!!  Maycee was a trooper and only needed a booster shot.  Lydia on the other hand, poor girl, needed 6 shots!  Not 6 vaccines, 6 SHOTS!!! (they combined several vaccines)  She wailed like a banshee and for good reason too. We were holding her down and everything!  Thank goodness for the suckers that I brought, they made all the tears disappear :)

* Also at that appointment found out that BOTH of my girls need SURGERY!!! :/  Not looking forward to that :(  Lydia has a lump above her eye, that we have know about, but it is now in need of being removed :(  Maycee has huge tonsils. I have thought she might need them removed for a while. As soon as the dr. saw them he said "those are coming out"!  So now I have 2 specialist visits scheduled for my girls... :(

WHEW!!!!!  Is that all?!?!  I hope it is for now....  Until the tomatoes start coming off the vine.  Then back to busy busy busy!

Love you all!  Come visit!!!

Maycee's Tender Heart

As many of you know our neighbors have chickens. We share the eggs and a little of the responsibilities with them. The chickens used to roam the back yard but we have more recently been keeping them shut in the coop (due to me being frustrated of the poop every where). We also added another small fenced area for them to roam. It's just a simple fence that is only about 3 feet tall or so.

Well one of Maycee's favorite things to do is feed the chickens our table scraps. We have a milk jug with the top cut off that we fill with our scraps after each meal and then we will feed it to the chickens (they are more like pigs because they really eat just about anything).

We had an early dinner this evening and we had taken are scraps out, well I did. Maycee didn't have shoes on so I just quickly went to take care of it. When I came back in Maycee was so sad that I done "her" job. I noticed a small bowl that I had forgotten and Maycee asked if she couldn't take that one out. I agreed and she hurriedly put her shoes on.

She happily went out to toss the contents of the plastic bowl over the small fence to the chickens. I went back to the sink to finish some dishes. Not soon after I heard a small voice crying and knew that it was Maycee. I started to walk to the back door to see what could be the problem. I met her there with tears in her eyes. Of coarse as I opened the glass storm door I asked her what ever was the problem. She responded with a whimper in her voice, "I dropped the bowl over the fence!"

I knew at that moment that she was worried that those chickens were going to eat that bowl too and that she might never see her little purple plastic again! Maycee has this idea that chickens have an evil side and could eat even her. And her sweet little innocent tender heart couldn't bare the thought that might happen.

She quickly asked me to hurry and go get the bowl. I finished some things in the kitchen and then went after it. She watched and waited by the door. She was going to make sure that I got that little purple plastic bowl!

The wind was blowing and cold so I made quick of my task. I reached over the fence and grab the bowl. And here is the best part....

As I turned around I saw Maycee standing in the door way behind the glass of the storm door. She had her arms raised high in the air, V formation, fists clenched, cheering "hooray"!!! She was so excited I saved the bowl!

For that short moment in time I was the super hero of the day! It was a wonderful feeling!

I just love my little girls. I love that Maycee has this sweet little heart that cares about so many things, even little purple plastic bowls. I love that she thinks I am a super hero! I love being a mom and so grateful that Heavenly Father has given me the chance to do so. :)

Easter Weekend

We all quite enjoyed our Easter weekend....

We had a few different things to attend...

A sweet lady from our ward called me earlier in the week to invite us to their families Easter egg hunt. Its something they do every year and they always invite all the families from the ward that are "egg hunting age". That was held Saturday morning and they had plenty of donuts and juice for everyone afterwards. I am slowly starting to realize that most of our ward is related in some way or another... There was easily 150 people there. It was so sweet of this lady to think of to invite us. Here are the girls enjoying themselves.....

later that afternoon we went over to Betty's house to color eggs. She loves to always be involved with what the little kids are doing so we try to do things at her house most of the time....

Here is our loot....

Maycee helped me make an egg for each member of our family.....

Lydia was napping during all the coloring...

That evening we had an Easter dinner with Betty :) her idea :) We had a whole turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, stuffing, rolls and of coarse dessert. No pictures :( But it was beautiful and yummy!

Sunday morning the girls woke up to a few treats from the Easter Bunny... nothing big, a few toys from the dollar section....

Church started at 11 so we got read a little early and got pictures in our Easter Oufits :)

I had these wings that just happened to match (Thanx Gramma Kimmy)

Unfortunately, Lydia was not feeling good and you can see it in her eyes :(..... None the less, I still got some pretty good ones....

Church was great of coarse! And everyone oooed and awwwwed over our cute little girls :)

That evening we were invited to dinner with the extended Manning Family (Grandma Danene's side of the family). They had ham, funeral potatoes, sladas, rolls, dessert, THE WORKS! It was delcious!!!

And of coarse an Easter Egg hunt followed. They split up the children into age groups and had 3 or 4 differnet hunts... All hunts included eggs with money! Not just change.... $5 bills and larger!!!!

Each of our girls mad $10!!!

They even had an adult egg hunt, about a dozen us all looking for the egg with the $100 bill in it! I was close too!!! It was right under my nose and I missed it.... maybe next year.... Blake and I still did manage to find $15 each!!! Its going to be a great date night this week!!!

It is a fun time of year to see all of the new life outside. Your thoughts can't help but turn to the Savior. How grateful I am for his sacrifice for me. I love you all and miss you all more! Lets get together soon!

Where to start?!?

So much to feel you in on!

Maycee, lately, has been loving this outfit. She calls it her "super spin" outfit. She loves to put it on and twirl and spin all over the house. (for those familiar with Little Einsteins, she thinks she is June)

We spent St. Patricks day in Snowflake. But before we left, Betty wanted to have a big dinner for us! So a few days before we left Megan and I helped prepare our IRISH/ GREEN feast...

Betty used to own a restaurant. Every time we have a get together she insists on a table cloth and REAL dishes! No disposable is allowed!

a green salad...

Green Chile Dip, and guacamole (not pictured), and honey butter for our...

Irish Brown Bread!

green koolaid/ sherbet mixture....

and for the main coarse.....

CORNED BEEF HASH, which I have never had before yet enjoyed, and veggies...... including cooked cabbage (a must from Betty)

It was a wonderful dinner that turned out very well.... We seam to be having more dinners like that. Betty likes to get together with us. I think she is pretty lonely. We like to have her around though...

Well like I said, St. Patricks day was in Snowflake, mostly for these guys sakes....

This is half the crew. All the brothers and Keith got to enjoy a guided fishing tour for their birthdays all thanx to Mama Kimmy! They had a blast!!! So while they were gone on green day the girls all got to gether with the kids and had our own day of sewing and fun!!!

St. patricks day was also a birthday for the girls little cousin, Miss Kimee Tink!!! She is the cutest little Irish Princess you have ever seen!!!

I made matching bibs for the girls for Kimee Tinks birthday and had to get a picture!

It was a fun Saturday. We had all sorts of little things for the kids to discover and enjoy..... green foot prints from King O'Riley (king of the leprechauns).... green biscuits and gravy for breakfast..... and a scavanger hunt with a pot of gold at the end! It was a fun day!

Here are pictures as promised from the last post.....

"Popcron Trees"

Blake in his birthday get up!!!!

He is sure lovin' to ride!!!

.....and he looks pretty good too :)

This is a fun spring craft I recently made!!!

Had the basket....

got the flowers at a yard sale (they were the wrong color)

painted them....

added grass....

and sewed together a coordinating place mat...

We had an unexpected trip to Round Valley this last weekend....

Blake's sweet sister lost a baby...

We went to show our love and support at the funeral...

It was a sad weekend... but so full of love at the same time. We both have a greater love and understanding of what it means to have an eternal family. I am so grateful myself to have been married in the temple so that I can be with my family forever! We love you Kelepolo's, and are so excited for the chance that we will have to some day really meet Baby Bryce!!!