Garrett's new bed

About 2 weeks ago we moved Garrett to a toddler bed. He started climbing out of the crib a few weeks after he turned 2. I don't think I ever remember my other kids climbing out that early. Once he started climbing out that was the end of my sleeping in. He is my little alarm clock and it is pretty much the same time every morning. He wakes up right around 6:00 and comes into my room and climbs into bed with me. It would be nice if he would just lay there, but he doesn't. He stays for about a minute and then he gets up and goes wandering around the house, and then he will come back again for a minute and then will leave again. He is also the one that usually wakes up the other kids.

Twilight

My sister-in-law, Jocey, is a big Twilight fan. I hadn't read the book yet so she made me read it while we were up at the cabin. :) For the most part I enjoyed the book. I guess I am a little curious to read the next book to know what happens, but I am not sure it I will ever get to it. I think I will have to go on vacation again for a week to be able to do it. If I am at home I probably won't read it. There is always too much stuff to be doing. If I have time (which is never) I would rather be doing crafts. Anyways, I just wanted to put this post out to those who have read Twilight and let you know that I have read it. :) Now I will be ready to watch the movie when it comes out.

Green's Peak

A couple of weeks ago we went on our annual trip to what we call Green's Peak in the White Mountains. The cabin isn't at Green's Peak, but it is the closest big mountain to it. This is Stefan's family's cabin. This is the one that is out in the middle of nowhere. It has no electricity, but we have a generator that runs the lights. We have to bring water to drink, and we catch the rain water for showers. We also have to use an outhouse. When we go, we always go when his parents are there, and Stefan's siblings come around the same time so we have a full house. Each family gets a little room to sleep in. If the kids wake up too early - which mine did- we have to take them outside for a little bit so they don't wake up the others. Usually we take them to the car and turn on a movie for them. It is nice and relaxing. The weather was really nice. It rained several times, but it wasn't too much. Pretty much each night we were able to sit by the fire and roast marshmallows. I think that this was my kids favorite part of the day. Since we were there for a week, I split the trip up into parts. I did take a lot of pictures. If you need to, you can take a break in between each part (because it is so long). :)

Green's Peak - Part 1

Saturday was really our first day there since we got there late Friday night. The kids were excited to go out and play. I didn't know it at first, but the pants I put on Garrett were too loose for him. They kept falling down. I didn't have enough pants to put on another pair since I had to have enough to last a week. My mother-in-law rigged something up for him using a high chair strap. He looked like a little country kid. I guess you do what you gotta do!




Stefan put on the duct tape because the straps kept falling off.



Since Pioneer Day was coming up soon, my mother-in-law got really ambitious and made skirts, aprons and bonnets for the girls, and made vests and bought hats for the boys. She even made a skirt and apron for my 17 month old niece. On Sunday they got to wear the pioneer clothes and we had a little sharing time with the kids. We told the kids a pioneer story and sang pioneer songs. The kids enjoyed being in their pioneer clothes. Below is a BUNCH of pictures of them in their pioneer clothes. We all took a lot of pictures.

Green's Peak - Part 2

On Monday we went for a drive to a spring, and to see some petroglyphs. The kids got to ride in the back of a truck. They thought that it was pretty fun since it is something that they never get to do. (I remember riding in the back of a truck a lot of times when I was a kid - how times have changed).



We saw a corral right by the spring. The kids went inside and were mooing like cows.



Looking at the spring.



Keslie with her cousins Kamryn and Abbie.


My crew.



My father-in-law showing us the petroglyphs.


Our outing got cut short because it started to rain on us. We had to walk a little ways back to the trucks. I loved how green it was at the spring.

It rained for quite a bit. When it stopped raining the kids wanted to go out and play. Garrett ended up getting into the mud. I had to get some pictures of him. While I was taking pictures he was making some pretty funny faces. I thought they were cute!





He even got his back side muddy.

Green's Peak - Part 3

Wednesday we took a little drive to a mountain. Stefan's family calls it "Sound of Music Mountian". It is bald on on side of the mountain and could look a little like the hill on "Sound of Music". We don't know the real name of the mountain, but it is the mountain that the youth in our stake climbed on the trek. It was called "Rocky Ridge". Luckily, we drove up the mountain and didn't have to climb it. It would've been a tough climb. I realized up in the mountains how quickly out of breath I became when I was walking around because of the altitude. My in-laws stake did the same trek and they went up their with their stake. My father-in-law showed us where they walked on the trek. It sure didn't look easy!

My kids and my niece Kamryn




Garrett getting a free ride


View looking towards Springerville and Eagar.


Great background for a family picture.


That's Stefan up on the rock




We drove down the road where the girls did the women's pull (they hiked up it). I can see how it would've been exhausting. I don't think I would've done very well. It may not look very steep in the picture, but it seemed like a pretty good climb.




This was the sunset that evening. I thought it was really pretty so I took a picture of it. I love sunsets!

Green's Peak - Part 4

On Friday we went to Carnero Lake for a few minutes with Stefan's brother and his wife and kids. I think it was mainly for my brother-in-law to get a cell signal and call his friends. :) The kids played around for a few minutes.



Garrett was trying to walk on a log. It was cute watching him try to balance.





Later in the afternoon Stefan and I played croquet with the kids. It isn't very easy playing on bumpy ground.





Garrett relaxing in the hammock.



Saturday we left the cabin and went over to the real Green's Peak. We met my bother and sister-in-law there. It was so pretty looking out at the scenery. It is so interesting to see the arrangement of the trees. There is a big group of trees and then all the sudden the tree line stops, and it is just grass. I thought that the contrasting colors of the trees and grass was pretty, and it was neat to watch the storms all around. I love the outdoors (when it's not hot)!