Bear Lake 2008

Bear Lake is always so much fun. There is plenty to do and the kids along with Chris and I love getting to see his family. Each morning a crew goes with Grandpa to the marina to get the boat for water skiing or wake boarding. The rest of us head to the beach to play in the sand or catch some rays. Around lunch time we head to the house for some grub. After that we usually get cleaned up and play an array of things including: the slip in slide,going to the resort pool or playing card games or puzzles with the kids. Each evening their is usually plans for each night of the week. Mondays we have family home evening. Which this year it was Chris and I who got to teach. Every evening after that we have an array of activities like Cody and Ron's birthday celebration, having Raspberry shakes, playing softball with everyone, the men playing golf, and reading books. When the kids go to sleep the adults pull out the card games and we play our hearts out. It is always so fun but tiring. On Friday our family had to get back in the van to at least get to Cody WY. The rest of the family always heads back to Provo for a day at Seven Peaks water park and eating dinner at Tucano's along with a visit to the temple for the adults. Chris and I always hate missing out on those events and hopefully when we move a little closer we will be able too. We love our family and we miss them already!

George Castle Family

From left to right : Cody,Emily,Melissa,George,Caleb,Steve,Trina,Justin,Wesley,Miriam,Ron,Ainsley,Sarah,Hayden,Chris,Alec,Alyssa and Rochelle.
All the grand kids starting at the top is Miriam, Alyssa, Justin, Wesley, Caleb, Alec, Ainsley, & Hayden
Trina, Emily, Sarah, Melissa, and Rochelle
The Girls: Ainsley, Alyssa and Miriam
Grandpa reading to the kids.

Wesley, Chris, Rochelle, and Alec eating raspberry shakes and ice cream
Alyssa and Alec at the pool
Cody, Chris Ron, Grandpa, Alec and Caleb on a golf outing
Alyssa up to bat playing softball
Hayden running from Aunt Trina to home plate. He was laughing so hard!!!!

Caleb, Alec and Wesley on the boat
Hayden playing on the beach
Alyssa and Miriam riding the sea do with Uncle Ron who rented it for a while
Chris took Hayden wake boarding this year and as you can see he did not quit like it that much. But aren't they cute.
Ron and Cody with their b-day cake that Trina made.
Happy Birthday guys!!!!!!!!!

Leaving Snowflake

It is always hard to leave home for me since I only usually get to go there once a year. We left on Sunday morning the 10th and headed to Provo, Utah to see Aunt Deb, Uncle Rich, Kelly and Lindsey. Deb flew home from the wedding and made it home a little before we arrived in the van. We had fun at Deb's. They let Chris and I sleep in their bed and the kids slept on some air mattress's in the living room. The next morning Aunt Deb made pancakes with sausage and fruit it was delicious. Thanks Aunt Deb it was so nice to get to stay with you. We then got in the van again and headed off to Bear Lake for our annual family get together with the Castle's!

Present Opening

On the morning of August 9th we all met at my mom's house to have Kera and Paul open their gifts. My kids loved this part and would not leave the newly weds alone.

They received two beautiful quilt made by my Grandma and Mom.

After they opened gifts and we had lunch it was time for the love birds to leave for their honeymoon. It was an emotional moment for me. I loved getting to meet my new sister and it was hard to see her go.
Alec was also having a hard time. During the week he would see either Nana crying or Papa along with myself. So I had to explain to him that we were not sad but happy for Uncle Paul and that Nana was going to miss having Paul around. He kept saying that he did not want to get married because he still wanted to see us. He thought that after you got married you would never see your parents again. So, needless to say he thought he would never see his Uncle Paul or Aunt Kera again.
The kids with their Uncle Paul and Aunt Kera. We love you guys!!!!

Wedding Day

August 8th was the big day. It was a really nice wedding. The ceremony started at 6:30 and Kera and Paul looked awesome. Alyssa got to say the opening prayer and Hayden was the ring bearer. He loved walking Jayde down the aisle he. The kids made it through half of the ceremony and then they both decided they had to use the restroom so they joined us after that. The room was beautiful and my brother looked very handsome!!!!!
Jayde and Hayden had a lot of fun and Hayden thought it was not fair that Uncle Paul was the only one that would get to kiss that day. He wanted to marry Jayde, which who can blame him she was a cutey.
Everyone was so happy that day and I just had to post this picture of Hayden and Chris because it is just to cute.
Once the dancing had stared they had a mother son dance and since I have two sons I had the opportunity to dance with both my boys. It was a chore but I loved seeing how much fun they were having.
I will never forget would a great evening it was. It was so nice to get to see almost all of my moms family and to join a new one.

Crazy Week

After we returned to Snowflake things were so busy. I had started a scrapbook of my brother a couple of weeks before we left and most of the week we were there I was scrap booking. In between all of that was of course last min. preparation including, baking cakes and table preperations for the rehearsal dinner along with chatting and having family come into town. Chris was amazing and was truly a stud. He was so understanding with all of the stuff going on. He pretty much played the role of Mr. Mom the whole week while us ladies were running around with our heads cut off. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband. I love you babe!! I finally finished the scrapbook on Thursday morning right before the rehearsal dinner.

The dinner was great Hayden loved practicing to be the ring bearer. He loved hanging out with little Jayde, he kept saying that it wan not fair that Kera and Paul were the only ones that would get to kiss. He thought he would be marring Jayde since he got to walk her down the aisle. Each table got to say something that they knew or remembered about Kera of Paul. I was so emotional that I had to have Chris do it for me. He did great with a story of him and Paul involving a golfing and a hard hit from a ball.

After the dinner My Aunt Deb, Mom and I stayed to help finish up the decorations for the big day to follow. Before Chris took the kids home for bed we could not find Alyssa anywhere and I started to really panic. I started looking down basement window wells and crying. Alec was with me and he kept saying why are you scared mom? I tried to use the moment as a teaching tool to show Alec how important it is to always be by Mom and Dad. We did find Alyssa of course she had been playing on the stage the whole time behind all the greenery where we could not see her. Boy was that something I will never forget.

On To Snowflake

After our farewell's to the Albuquerque gang off we went to Snowflake. HOME SWEET HOME!!!! I was so excited to see my family and be there for my brother Paul's wedding. I finally got to meet my new sister to be and boy did I luck out because she is wonderful. I could not have asked for a better sister-in-law. I love her!!!!! We spent some time with the whole family including my grandparents and family that weekend and then we attended church in my mom's ward. Alyssa wanted Kera to do her hair and it was absolutely adorable.

We wanted to go to the Grand Canyon while we were home but we did not have the time but we did go to Flagstaff on August 4th and 5th. We needed some more things for the wedding including a dress for myself so my mom and I got to go shopping with Alyssa while Chris and Papa took the boys to the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. Chris loved it and said that there was so much history of Flagstaff in that place.

We stayed the night at Ft. Tuthill in an A frame cabin which is always fun. The kids like to go hiking behind them where all of these little forts are built. Which look like little houses to them. We got to eat at Olive Garden while we were there too. YUM!!!!!!!!

We left by lunch on the 5th so that mom could get home on time for her hair appointment.

Vacation 2008

It has been so long since I have updated. It might take me a while and I will probably do a little at a time so you will have to bear with me. So I guess I should start with the beginning of our trip starting on July 30th. We left that afternoon after Chris worked for half a day. We headed to Lusk WY where we stayed that night and then continued on to Albuquerque the next day. On our way we received a phone call from Chris' work stating that we had received orders to move to Denver at the beginning of this next year. YEAH!!!!!!! We were both very excited and thrilled that Chris would get to change to a different task.

This is at a gas station on the way. The kids got pretty tired of being in the van as you can see!!!

Need less to say it was really nice to arrive at Ya Ya's that night where we were able to stay for the night and into the next day. The kids always like seeing there cousins and playing with them. We at least had some time in the morning to do so until we went to Nick's restaurant (Ragin Shrimp) for lunch.

YA YA always gets the kids a little something and Hayden received a little monkey which he named chewy and he would not put it down. Thank you Ya Ya for a nice visit.