The Ranch

The kids and I go to my family's ranch in Northern New Mexico almost every summer. We really enjoy it we get to spend some quality time with Aunt Sissy who I love and the kids adore. The kids get to play in the dirt all the want. And I get to share some of my family history with them. My family has owned the land since the 1800's when my great grandparents homesteaded the area. My dad has very fond memories of the ranch from his childhood and that was something that my dad shared with us and now I am glad that I can pass it on to my kids, I hope they grow to love the land and history as much as I do.



This is a cool old building on the way to the ranch I love these old buildings. One of these days when my kids are big and don't need me so much Mom and I are going to tour the country and I'm going to take pictures of old buildings and mom is going to write and we're going to write a coffee table book.


Aunt Sissy has a little park behind her house with a swing set and bouncy horse. the kids always enjoy playing in it.

Ben pushed this dump truck all around the yard. He would get tired so he would sit in it and want one of us to come push him back to the house. And of course Hailey or I would give in and go push him back.

Church

The big kids and I went to church at the LDS Church in Raton. It was a totally different experience. The church is so small here that they don't even have a Ward they only have a branch. Everyone was really nice to us. I felt bad though 3 different people came up an introduced them self to me and were so excited when they asked if we were new. When I told them no we were only visiting you could see the disappointment in there face. Hailey went to primary which she really enjoyed but it was new experience for her since there were only about a dozen kids in the entire primary. Jacob refused to go and came to class with me. It was really nice to go to Sunday School and Relief Society for once. Jacob fell asleep on my lap we did fine until he started snoring in Relief Society that was a little embarrassing.

I'm a mean mom and I left Ben home with My parents mainly because I don't have church babies they are horrible during church, so he stayed home with Grandma & Pappy. He didn't appreciate that very much, got mad and fell asleep on the floor. He woke up and was mad so Pappy picked him up and loved on him and he fell back asleep on Pappy's chest.

Uncle BooBoo & Aunt Kristen

I have this very good friend who lives in Pueblo Colorado. I know what all of you that aren't familiar with the area are thinking. Your thinking hay I thought you were in New Mexico. But where my family lives is right over the Colorado boarder. So anyway Mom and dad were going to Pueblo which is only and hour and a half away to run some errands. So we caravaned up there and we all went to lunch and then we went to the duck park so the kids could feed the ducks and then we went back to their house and visited. My friend Chet-AKA uncle BooBoo and I have been friends since I was 13 so what is that 17 years, wow that's along time when you look at it that way. Anyway in November it will be 2 years that he and his lovely wife Kristen got married and in December there going to have there first baby. It's a girl, I tried to talk them into naming her Vicki but there going with Madison Grace. I'm really excited for them. My kids just love Uncle BooBoo. I think it's because he's on the same mental level as them. =) I really like his wife, It's always awkward when someone you care about brings someone into their life there's always that worry what if I don't like her or what if she doesn't like me and then it makes your friendship awkward, but Kristen and I get along really well. In fact I talk/email/text her more then I do Chet. Well anyway this is our day with them.


Aunt Kristen, Jacob, Hailey, & Uncle BooBoo


Aunt Kristen, Uncle BooBoo and Benners


Hailey and Jacob feeding the birds



Hailey feeding the huge geese that came up on shore. She was a little nervous. To be honest mommy was kind of nervous too. I wanted her to keep all of her fingers just where they were.


Ben was a stink at lunch and refused to eat anything we offered him at lunch, so when uncle gave him bread to throw to the ducks he would eat it instead of throwing it.




Aunt Kristen and Uncle BooBoo. Ben really thought Unlce BooBoo was funny. Same mental age and all





Ben liked the Trampoline until the big kids would start bouncing and then he'd go from laughing to crying in ten seconds flat.

Nursing Home

We went to the Nursing home in Springer to see Grandma Nona. The kids made picture frames and bookmarks for the other "grandma's & grandpa's" as the kids call them, and we handed them out but I didn't get any pictures of them handing them out.

After we took dad to dinner for his birthday we took grandma back to the nursing home and took the kids in the back yard so they could "run the stink off" as grandma says. I told grandma there wasn't enough running room in the world to run the stink off of my kids.

The kids found a puddle and and got all wet.















Dad/Pappy/Kent, Mom/Grandma Carol, and Great Grandma Nona watching the kids. Who needs TV when you got little trouble makers to entertain you.







So we had to stripped them down and make them ride home in there unders.

The kids with Great Grandma Nona. I am so glad my kids get to have a relationship with my grandma. I have very fond memories of my great grandparents, and I'm glad my kids are getting to bond with her.




Jacob last summer formed this strong attachment to Grandma. He refereed to her as "his" grandma Nona. and for weeks after we went home he would cry and say "I want my grandma Nona." and would tell me "she's the best grandma Nona in the world."

When we first got there I Had Ben on my hip and I leaned in to hug grandma and she leaned in to give Ben a kiss and tried to hit her in the face. He's such a stink. But he really liked her necklace and as long as he could play with it he would sit with her so she could love on him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPPY!!!!!

Mud Soup

The kids wanted to make mud pies, they kept telling me they need one more cup of water


I got sick of filling up the little cups of water. So I filled up a pitcher of water and gave it to them.




And instead of making mud pies she made mud soup and bathed in it.





Once they were done I hosed them down as best I could in the back yard and then threw them in the bathtub. They were so gross but they had so much fun.

Ryan's Birthday

Poor Ryan he didn't get a big party this year. We went to the movies, and then to Cheesecake Factory. I was so glad he picked that for his Birthday dinner. I love that place.

We gave him his presents. I bought him a bunch of little gifts and spread them out on the floor and let the kids pick what they wanted to give daddy they thought they were pretty cool.

Hailey is really into Home made cakes, so this year we made daddy one of his favorite's yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

The big 33. I think he looks really good for an old man. =)

Fathers Day

Sunday is a busy Day for us. So it was pretty low Key. I'm a bad wife and forgot about breakfast in Bed so I had to run over to the mother in laws and barrow some groceries to make breakfast for my wonderful hubby. Then we gave daddy his presents and went to church. I had asked Ryan what he wanted for fathers day dinner and he said nothing special because by the time we got home from church at 5:30 it would be midnight before we ate. I felt bad but said OK. But the night before Jammie aka-mom in law IM'd me and asked if we wanted to come over for dinner to her house. So I told him his mom wanted us to stop by after church, when he asked why, I told him I think she has a little fathers day present for you, so we surprised him with one of his favorite meals Roast and mashed potatoes. Thanks Jammie







This has nothing to do with Father's Day this is just Jacob's Funny Face

Ben's new trick

Some mornings Hailey would get Ben out of his crib so he could play with her and Jacob. Then one morning I asked Hay did you get Ben up this morning and she said No. So I thought oh no he's climbing out of his crib. At this point I was hoping it was still a fluke then Hay was still sleeping and Ryan brought me Ben in our room and said look who I found wandering down the Hallway. So I put him in his crib to see what he would do and this is what happened. He's barely 18 months old. Doesn't he know he's my last baby so he needs to stay little?