Megablog: Yuma visit

We love being able to go and bask in the warm sunshine and to visit family without all the craziness of the holidays. This year was no exception - I even managed to remember to avoid Quartzsite and it's awesome annual Rock/Gem festival with it's 1hour wait to get through the towns' 1 stoplight.

Our first order of business upon arrival was to join the Yuma Stake Pioneer Days (yes they decided to hold theirs in January instead of the scorching July heat). So the kids and I and Grandpa Wade trekked with a handcart for over a mile. This was not as fun as I thought it would be. I actually broke out in a sweat and had to resort to singing to get me through. Everyone was lined up and if you stopped your cart the people behind you might not stop in time and run over you - so when children decide to jump out or get back in it was a little tricky. Indy asked me stop singing - I believe his exact words were "I prefer to suffer in silence mom".

Grandpa Wade decided to throw in 100# of chairs at the last second - good thing we had Ella-power to help us.

The boys were done. DONE. They were quickly revived by the 10 ice cream cones they had.

Grandma Great and my mom met us at the end (they had the right idea to park at the end and welcome the walkers (if I had only known....) After eyeing those carts for awhile my grandmother wondered out loud if she could hold one (I no longer wonder where I get my tenacious drive from). I made her get up and helped her hold it - I'm guessing she was envisioning having to cross the plains as an 85 year old - I have no doubt that she would have done it.

If we hadn't had such awesome ice cream cone makers my kids probably wouldn't have lasted the day. They served 600 cones in about 3 hours (I tried to stop them from giving my kids more but Carol wouldn't listen.) We loved seeing the Lundgrens and Jeff!

And no party would be complete without Craigy-baby!

Sunday we got to walk with the ladies around their track. My mom and Marsha leave my grandma to fend for herself (yes they're cruel - but they walk too fast). I was able to keep pace with my grandma and enjoy some good conversation.

On our way out of town we stopped for citrus. We should have done this the day BEFORE they irrigated since the water temperature was about 33 degrees (one degree above freezing? okay so I didn't actually measure it, I just know that my feet hurt from standing in it).

This picture is going in their room...it makes me smile.

I made Grandma Great take another photo so I could be the holder of this gem. And just to "one-up" Amanda's photo...we had 4 generations to her 3 (and my neon pink nails too.)

BACK TO PRESCOTT...

We arrived safely back in Prescott and started in on our week. Ella and Lucy surprised me with some beautiful lip-gloss artwork on the windows and mirrors. You have to look really close to see the windows covered with their little hands.

After a month of wearing shoes with no insoles (because he lost 2 pairs in a week) McLaren finally worked hard and earned the money to buy the shoes hanging from the candle-holder.

Tia came to town and we celebrated Bree-bree's 4th birthday. I experimented and tried a stacked Texas sheet cake...don't try that experiment...it was weird.