A Quick Christmas Vacation Review

** A collection of memories that didn't make it to Instagram **

The Idaho Falls Stake Relief Society Presidency in costume as the "Local Leaders."

The entire cast of the inspirational film, "Nehemiah Builds A Wall".

Kenna and Kylie continue the Haws kid Christmas cookie tradition.

Kristie-Mouse helps too.

Paper crowns from our crackers for Christmas Eve dinner.

Bubba really know how to rock a crown.

Kristie checks out her gifts on Christmas morning in her favorite chair.

Kylie shows off her new horse.

Kenna shows off her balloon-tying talents.

Mindy models the fruits of Kenna's balloon animal kit.

Bubbs was nothing but a blur as he played with his remote control car from Grandpa and Grandma Haws.

Ruby introduces Pa to the best chairs in the world during our post-Christmas shopping trip in Utah.

 Ruby finally got her long-promised trip to Build-A-Bear. She picked a Chubacca!

Mindy got in on the fun and made her own Toothless the Dragon.

Ruby got to play with her Chewy...

... but Mindy didn't get much time with Toothless.

Alton kind of adopted him for the duration of the trip.

Hot-Tubbing at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa.

Watching the Doctor Who Christmas Special!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

This summer, I got to hang out with the family. Or more specifically...

I got to spend time with my K-Rae and the Monchichi.

I quilted a blankey for the the Kristie-Mouse.

There was a June sleepover with the girls...

... and a July sleepover with the little folks.

Bentley caught another hat at the rodeo.

Max got into a staring contest with a rabbit at the fair.

Jonah and Alpha moved into my guest room and read until 11:45 p.m.

Ruby bonded with Shadow.

And Milo discovered the sweet smell of rural Idaho.

It is a good thing school is starting. I could really use some rest!

One Big Happy Family

 For the second year in a row, our official family photos will be wedding photos. With folks spread out from Buffalo, NY to Oakland, CA, it takes an occasion of eternal significance to get us all together.

But while the whole family was able to attend the actual wedding at the Salt Lake City Temple, not everyone was able to make it to the Idaho Falls reception the next day.

Original Jenny was only able to bring two of her half-dozen offspring; her sweet hubby John stayed home with the rest. Mikey and New Jenny were also unable to attend the IF shin-dig.

Mikey's absence threatened to derail our plans for photos of the Original H Family... until Ben, the Super Photographer, came up with a Plan B.

Ben is Spencer's brother-in-law and husband to my blogging buddy Kar. Creativity runs in their family (for proof, check out Kar's blog, Here! )

Spencer grabbed Kristina's most littlest of brothers, Ben snapped the photos, I e-mailed some shots of a tux-clad Mikey, and then Ben worked his Photoshop magic.

The result was priceless.
I am seriously recommending that my parents use this as their Christmas card photo this year.

The photos are extra fun for anyone who knows Mikey, who happens to be freakishly tall... and incredibly proud of being freakishly tall.

The moral of the story is, "Never, ever skip out on family photo opportunities."
Especially not when you have spent the last 8 years flaunting your excessive height over your older, shorter brothers.

Karma can be rough... especially when Karma has access to Photoshop.

Wedding Day

A wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life, and it was... for Ruby.


 Ruby got to leave extra early in the morning to ride to Temple Square with Grandpa, Grandma, and me. While the grandparents were in the temple giving Greggie oxygen, Ruby got to have pancakes and hot chocolate in a mall, while her brothers ate Kix at home.

Then she pretended to fall into every single fountain on and around Temple Square...

...flirted her way into the visitors center before it was actually open...

... and played with her Idaho cousins.

The highlight of the day was helping the Bride with her wedding dress. All in all, the day was a dream-come-true for little Rubistar.

Oh, and speaking of the Bride, I think she had a pretty good day too.

It's a shame little Ruby doesn't get to attend the reception in Monterrey this weekend. She would have a blast posing for photos  pretending to fall into the ocean.

I guess I will have to play in the ocean for her.
Am I a good aunt, or what?

Happy Anniversary!

June 1st was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.

Tonight, a few of us put together a fun little video tribute.

We think they will like it but, if not, we will try again for their 50th anniversary.

We love you Mom and Dad!

April was a Busy Month

So April started out with a Relief Society road trip for some SLC-style instruction and inspiration.

 

 One week later, SLC-style instruction and inspiration came to Cow Town for our Epic Stake Relief Society Conference.

 

 Then, to keep from resting on our Relief Society laurels, we decorated forty tables for the stake High Priest's dinner...

 

...and put together a very sweet auxiliary training meeting.

 

And now I am pretty sure most of May will be spent napping

(although I'm sure we will be napping in color coordinated jim-jams).

 

In between Relief Society events, I made a quick trip to Utah.

I went to Bentley's baseball practice...

 

...and then got a make-over from a fairy-mermaid-cheerleader named Ruby.

 

But the real reason for the trip was to meet this little guy...

Oops.

 

Sorry about that. 

 

I didn't go to Utah to visit Grumpy Cat. I went to visit my new niblet, Alton.

 

But I'm sure you can understand how I made that little error.

 

 Why is Alton such a grumpy baby?

 

Nobody knows.

 

It's a mystery....

 

He did seem to cheer up a bit when he got to take his first spin in a TARDIS.

 

He also got to take a little nap with Uncle Warren... luckily he had the right attire for the Uncle Wo Nap Dress Code.

 

April was a good month.

 In May, I'm going to see how he looks in a fez.