Summer Vacation, part two

It's been a very fun, very busy summer. First, Grami and Papa came to visit. We were so excited to have company! We took them to some of our favorite places -- Hudson, Rolling Ridge Ranch, the John Johnson farm. It seems I didn't take many pictures. But here's the men at the Ranch: Then my aunt, uncle and cousin came into town, so we headed to Cedar Point. Stetson was 36 inches tall, enough to try out all the kiddie rides -- bumper boats, carousel, and even a fairly fast train mini-coaster.
The guys rode nearly every ride. This was the craziest one! The Dragster took my breath away just watching it.My aunt and I were not quite so brave; it's not really our thing. But we all had a great time. I was very pleasantly surprised by how kid-friendly Cedar Point is. We can't wait to go back!We managed to pack all that in before we even left for Arizona, where we spent three weeks partying with family. Those pictures to come soon! (I promise, Walkers)

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

I've been really busy rehearsing for "This Is Kirtland." Performances start next week! The musical depicts the lives of the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they lived in Kirtland, Ohio. Lafe and Stetson have been so supportive! I feel like I'm gone all the time.
When I'm home, I've been sewing poodle skirts (for "Decade Day") and these bandannas (the theme is Bee an Example of the Believers) for Girls Camp.
I'll try to get some pictures with the girls wearing the poodle skirts. They turned out really cute! If anyone wants to know how to make a poodle skirt, I've got it figured out.

Before this chaos started, our family took a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Stetson was heartbroken when he thought the ride was over,
but we had just stopped for a little break in Peninsula.

Oh, happy day! The train pulled into the station again.

There was even a visit from Thomas while we were there!

And then Grandma spoiled Stetson by sending him a train set. Thanks Mom! He loves it.

School's Out For Summer!

Or rather, two weeks. We've made the most of Lafe's brief break by visiting different parts of Ohio. In Chagrin Falls, we window shopped, ate delicious ice cream and played at the park. We look forward to coming back to watch a polo game sometime.
We also visited Hudson. I thought it was so cool to see my brother's name everywhere (Hudson -- you have to come visit us!!) Our favorite parts were the fabulous Hudson Springs Park (which we can't wait to visit again!) and Handel's ice cream.

We loved this huge slide!This was Stetson's first ride on a roller-coaster! Just kidding, it's just a really awesome swing that Stetson fought a few kids over. Guess who won?

This about sums it up.........

Spring Break and PIZZA!

I know you're amazed that we're posting again. We spent three beautiful weeks in Arizona soaking up the sunshine. Since we've been back, things have been really busy and I haven't had time to take many pictures or to post the ones we have taken. But here's a few shots from the month of March:

This sums up our vacation -- water, sunshine and oranges.
Doesn't that look like a great spa retreat?

This handsome guy finally decided to make his appearance just days before I left.
How I miss him! I've been so fortunate to be at four of my sister's five deliveries (all boys, can you believe it? Stetson thinks it's the coolest house ever).

Stetson loved holding baby Slade. He's thrilled to have another boy cousin join the chaos.

This is one of my favorite things about living here. We buy delicious pizza dough 4 for $1 at a local bakery and then make homemade pizza once a week. It's our favorite Sunday dinner, and Stetson can eat as much pizza as I can!

We've tried a few different toppings, but as you can see, pepperoni is our favorite.

My Birthday Boys

We've been having a party. Two, actually. Lafe and Stetson's birthdays are only eight days apart, so we celebrate all week long!On Stetson's birthday, we invited a few friends his age over for -- what else?! -- a cowboy party. The kids ate lunch, swung at the pinata (that has a tilde but I can't get blogger to do it), and took turns riding on Stetson's rocking horse. Then Stetson opened presents that night when Lafe got home from school.This week, I was teaching dance on Lafe's birthday and he was studying for a test. So we celebrated at dinnertime with homemade lasagna (Lafe's favorite) and this delicious dessert:
{Anne, you should be very proud. I created a dessert with more than five ingredients -- your blog is inspiring me!}

Now we're looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day on Saturday. Who knew you could pack so much fun into two weeks?

More "Christmas Island" than "White Christmas"

We had a great time in Arizona hanging out with friends and family during Christmas break. Stetson was a very busy boy during the month we were there. He took care of his Grami, who had knee replacement surgery right after we arrived.
He spent lots of time around his Robles cousins and was ready to be adopted by my sister. Who can blame him? Four (soon to be five!) awesome little boys under one roof!
He also helped me babysit this Santa cutie one morning. Stetson called him "Baby Ho-ho-ho."
He helped clean up by lassoing the Christmas tree after the festivities were over.
And he spent tons of time outside, sometimes without a shirt or shoes! I love winter in AZ. And yes, that is dirt caked on his face. Stetson decided to lie down face first in a very little muddy puddle.
We didn't take nearly enough pictures while we were there, but a great time was had by all.