Montana and Katie Visit

Montana and Katie came to visit us during their break between semesters. We were so excited to have them here. It was Katie's first time here and it had been 16 months since Montana had been home! It was definitely time for a visit. 

They came late on Saturday night, after spending most of the weekend with Katie's family. (Her brother got married) We enjoyed a nice, peaceful Sunday together, with a little Strawberry shortcake to sweeten the day.

I LOVED this! The boys wanted me to get out all the family pictures so their wives could see how cute they were as kids. I loved that we all sat around and looked at pictures and reminisced. Perfect activity for my little T2 heart!

Everyone chowing down on strawberry shortcake...

It's a favorite springtime treat :)

On Monday we decided to play tourist and go to the Needles Overlook and then to Moab to the Rock Shop and lunch. The last time I was at the Needles I was incredibly nervous that one of my little guys would be running and slip and then slide right under the fence and off the edge. It was very nerve-wracking. This day we only had one little guy with us and he is now big enough to allow me to be a little less overwhelmed when we're out in nature. It was a beautiful day weather-wise and it was fun to show Katie some of the amazing places near our home. I think I need visitors more often so I can get out and enjoy them too.

Montana and Katie taking a selfie

James loved all the rocks and lizards and 'hiking' I had a hard time keeping up with him and Curtis 

         It's a long way off the edge….Here you can see the Abajo mountains in the background

We just circled around the point following the fence line and looking at the immensity of the desert below us

 Looking over the edge. It makes me dizzy, as its hard to tell where the ground is, 

since everything is the same color

We went on to Moab and ate lunch at the Branding Iron. It's become our favorite place to eat there. Then we went to the Moab Rock Shop and meandered around. It was my first time there and there is SO much to look at. I found a few beautiful rocks but didn't buy them because I had no idea what I'd do with them if I bought them. Montana bought a couple and James bought a crystal arrowhead. It's a great place for those who are enamored with rocks. 

My mom and Hugh were just coming back to Bluff from Price, so we stayed at the Rock Shop and met them there so they could say hi to Montana and Katie. We had had a plan to go to Bluff that morning, but then found out they weren't even there, so we headed north instead. And I'm glad we did. It was a great day.

Montana and Katie left to go back to Rexburg the next day. I am so thankful that they took the time and made the long drive to visit us. It was wonderful to have them here! Thanks for the visit!

Montana and Katie's Wedding - At the Temple

I finally got some of the photos taken of Montana and Katie and entourage at the Rexburg Temple on their wedding day. (post written in April but backposted to be with the previous wedding post.)

Montana and Katie with Montana's siblings. As you can tell, the little boys were not too excited about standing in the cold for pictures. Charles pose is classic Charles. Oh, my.

With Mom and Dad

With Grandma and Grandpa Welch

With the Welch clan…Michele, Haley and Justin, Kyle, Nicole and Alyson, Nate and Lori, Allie

I'm so thankful that so many made the effort and took the time to come support Montana and Katie on this special day.

*I should have cropped these pictures but I'm not going to go back and do that. We'll just have to enjoy the pictures of purses and bags and coats on the benches. ;)

Highlights of May 2014

Just a few highlights from the month of May:

Surf and Slurp opens- first shaved ice of the year!!

Charles the Insect man...6 pairs of eyes.

Soren gets awards at Pack Meeting. Good Job!!

James has a bout with stomach flu. Poor little guy.

Ford and Shiala bring Kami down for her first visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Why Yes! That is snow. In May! we asked for it.

Curtis gets to play grandpa again when he goes to the BYU Invitational. I am jealous!

Love this one! She looks pretty comfy there!

Montana has had a pretty good time in Idaho. He has gone to lots of fun places with his roommates.
He also had some heartbreak and it was very hard on him. Life lessons. They always hurt a bit.

Cambria, the shoulder angel?
You should have seen the process to get her up there. Oh, my!

The boys helped me plant some seeds in the garden. These are peas.
They were excited thinking about eating them when they grow.

Our little apple tree has lots of blossoms on it. We hope it will provide lots of apples in years to come.

Off He Goes Again...

Just after the new year Curtis, Charles, James and I drove Montana up to Orem so that he could hitch a ride to Idaho with Kyle and Allyson.

It has been nice to have him home for nearly two months but I knew that if he stayed long enough he'd get too comfy and it would be very hard to get him to go to school later. I'm glad he realized that as well and chose to go to school now.

We have talked to him a couple of times and he seems to be doing well. I'm thankful he's there with Jordan and Lindsey as well as Allyson. Maybe that will help them all be less lonely and homesick.

On a Sunday afternoon...

Even though church is from 11-2 this year, there are still plenty of afternoon and evening hours to fill. This is one activity that hasn't happened around here much in the last two years, so it's good to see it again.

A father/son chess showdown...

Both seemed to be a bit rusty from the extended absence but they played a couple of games and enjoyed their chips and salsa as well.

Are chips and salsa brain food? 

It sure is nice having Montana home! 

Our new jungle gym!!

Curtis is really glad to have Montana home, because he has temporarily taken over the job of jungle gym. I'm not so sure Montana's all that thrilled to have the job but he's a good sport and lets the little guys climb on and beat on him. 

He's on native ground again!!

The long awaited day finally arrived. It was the day to pick up Montana at the airport because his mission was over. 

He was supposed to fly into the Cortez airport at 4:03 pm. Mom and the little boys and I went early to do some shopping at Walmart. Curtis brought the school kids and came later.

As luck would have it I got in the line of the slooooooowest checker at Walmart and we were cutting it really close getting to the airport. There was a plane there when we got there but it loaded up and took off. We all settled in to wait and after 20-30 minutes the workers finally! Asked us if we were waiting for a passenger named Barton. We said we were and they told us that Denver had notified them that he had missed his connecting flight and would be coming in on the next flight at 8:30. 

Well, how to kill some time was the question. We went back to Wslmart and wandered, we went to KFC for dinner and then back to the airport to wait. 

These photos show how we spent the time. Lots of snoozing, Solitaire playing, running, game playing, crawling under chairs, petting the airport cat, screeching and yelling. I'm so glad no one else was there.

Finally we saw the plane land and so we got out our sign and anxiously waited to see his face. Of course he was almost the last one to come into the building. 

He barely set foot in the door before his sisters attacked him! 

It is SO good to have him home. We are thankful for his service, for his example and for his personal growth, but it is Sooooo nice to have him back!