Lamb Family 09: Heber Valley Reunion

This Independance Day weekend we went to Heber Valley to have our last family reunion before Kyson leaves for his misson. It was so fun- more of a relaxing trip, but well worth the time and effort. We stayed in a HUGE cabin (two stories high, and two stories deep=four floors altogether) that had 8 bedrooms and a nice layout. It was a really adventurous trip!

Below is me and Hailey on our last day. She said to Sarah, "hey, mom, can i get a picture with Addie?" I love this girl! There was the foursome that always stayed together-

Lizzy, Emma, and Rachel.. we are missing Arden in this picture :-(

The little girls in the hot tob. This became quite a hit after it was opened.

(Hailey, Lizzy, Emma, Rachel)

We saw a ton of animals hanging everywhere throughout the house. The main attraction (or I guess, the main scare) was the bear in the front room. I'll post that in a moment...

Nate and Chelsea got the master bedroom. Personally, I'd hate to be in there! There was a small cougar overhanging their bed. Nice pair of eyes to watch you in your sleep...

Nightmares!

A little more of the huge bucks in the game room...

Me, Morgan, and Hailey put on a little "preschool" surprise for the younger girls. Audrey had singing time and a puppet show, and I was the secretary and the desk clerk and helped them sign in and set up. They had a great time, but it was extremely difficult to keep their attention. We lasted 10 minutes before they ran their seperate ways.

A bunch of little kids attempted to set up traps to catch the dozens of squirrels (I mean, dozens) that wondered around the backyard. They tried everything- empty soda cans, boxes, duct tape.. their attempt was the only thing that seemed to work. Their success...didn't. But it's okay. They had a jolly good time setting up their traps.

Such a beautiful world we live in...

L-R: Aunt Lizzy, Chelsea, Audrey, Ali, Chris, me, Nicole.

We played round after round of Nerts, and in the end, team Addie and Nicole striked victorious. Well played, team!

Mitch and Nate made such an effort to get us out there before we say goodbye to Kyson. It was so much fun- everything, even the endless rounds of pool and air hockey; the delicious home-cooked meals; the kayaking on the Uinta Overlook; Kyson's hilarious fall and Mitch's fear of cold water; and all of the intense games that never failed to impress.

What a vacation indeed!
We had the entire gang there night 1, but missed out on Mike and Mandy, and said goodbye the next day to Matt and Corie and Katie and Tom and their kids.

All in all, two thumbs up.

Anziano Shelley è a casa

Last week on tuesday Elder (anziano) Steven Shelley came home from his Italy Catania mission. Kristen is done with the missionaries! And now we can take a break from the farewells and homecomings too! Until Kyson!

It was great that our beloved cousin came home. It was very suspending when he came down the escalator! So many tears and camera flashes and EEK! just so much to keep track of.. it was a really exciting time. Nick wanted to be the first to welcome his younger brother home....but Stevo was busy hugging other family members to notice! So.. Nick put on a show.

Great to have the mish back! Nice work in the field, Anziano Shelley!

(oh, and Melissa and Liz, I stole these off your blogs. Thanks!)

Anyone need one?

Emma and I had a little sister-sister time together. She had been beggin to "Play Sweet Streets" and I was not up for doing that. I know that she's beyond photogenic so I thought, why not spend a nice day outside shooting pictures?

Yep. My plan worked. Take a look at the verdict, and if you want more from previous dates, click here

**(PS--take note on that link that names ARE NOT real..it's a public blog and I don't want it leaked to stalkers and such so I used fake names. And don't mention the fact that I am a child :) thanks!!)

If anyone needs a superfiesty, amazingly gorgeous model...we've got one right here!

Some Qualities of this Model:

--she's got a fierce attitude and burning desire to be in EVERY picture

--if she's not number one, you're in trouble.

--she is great at putting up with crap talk. she just gives you a taste of your own medicine :)

--she's GORGEOUS

Whoa.

"Y?"

The Lewis family kindly invited us to spend a few hours burning calories up in the mountains. So, of course, we hiked the Y. Today was a crazy day and the trail was extremely busy, but we managed to enjoy it. Eeep!

Here's the view from the car. I snapped a few shots just to remind myself how tiny the Y actually is from a distance. Yes, I know what's coming :)

Here's the pre-hike. Yes, pre-hike. Cars were parked all down the road and I'm pretty sure that just tacked on an extra mile to our list :) oh, PS, happy Memorial Day!



Tal and Jake joined the 30-Minute Club getting to the top. They ran like dogs! I must say, during that entire thing, I didn't break a sweat or even gasp for air like I was dying. I have endured much worse. But, when Sarah and I found the boys already sitting at the top of the Y, we were shocked! Well, in terms, I was. He was really excited to show me his giddy face for this picture. Lovely!!

Sorry it's all mixed up - this is the "Y" gate at the beginning of the trail. Go, Cougs!

I tried to get a good picture of my dad walking with Ethan. They trudged alongside the entire time and got in some great father-son bonding. And now I can prove to all you Arizona people that YES it's green and snow-less here! Beat THAT! :) :) :) Sitting on the Y - we were on the very tippy top! Sarah and I had to literally climb from the very base of the "Y" all the way to the very top ledge and just sit there. At first I was pretty disappointed, but glad it all worked out. We got to chill and drink water and chat. It's a really great view, actually.
Look at that! Utah Lake and MORE! I was really proud of myself for accomplishing such a hike. It felt great and the reward (a Roxberry and some Barbarcoa salad..yum!) made the hike well worth my time!! Glad I came! Thanks Lewis fam!

Isabel Ann Lamb

Here are some of the ins-and-outs between Izzie's labor story. She was a very good baby - still good, avid sleeper, short and chubby :) just the way we like them! --yes, her official name is Isabel Ann.

--she's got bird legs, and a chubby face, and she's already smiling :)

--she was born exactly May 11, 2009 5:54pm

--she's beautiful, but is always really sleepy :(

--she enjoys being held, cradled, and wrapped up.

--she's not even a full day old! :-O

My mom got induced at 9:30, and between 3pm-4pm dropped to a 6. At 5:54 she had a beautiful baby girl! What more can you say about that?

Easter Weekend

Our Easter weekend was hectic - these pictures don't even do it justice! Aside from the business calls, late dinners, television shows, and relaxation, we were eating up every chance we could get to spend some quality time together. Henceforth the Easter egg hunt, egg-decorating session at Kristens, Hannah Montana movie, and Easter Day dinner. For squeezing all that in a three-day timeslot, we're considered LUCKY.

First off was the Lamb family easter egg hunt at the Rose's. Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Scott can throw quite a party! At first nobody seemed too interested in ditching the backyard and heading to the front to give us some time to hide the eggs, but after much persistance, they were off. Talmage did exact calculations to see who-got-how-many, and without a flurry, the competition began. here's us on Easter day. How cute!! Two minutes before church, straggling around, yelling and screaming. I don't know about you, but I DETEST being late to things. It's embarassing and you feel like an idiot walking in even twenty seconds into it. Ugh!

But otherwise, we're cute and sweet and this picture is adorable :)
Here's the little girls at the Easter Egg hunt. We had to comment on how a) everyone is wearing pink or a very close shade of pink..and b) how it resembles the Cingular bars!
L-R: Susan Lamb, Arden Lamb, Rachel Rose, Emma Lamb.. cute cousins!!


This picture is irresistable: Ethan and Emma are so darned cute!!

Aside from that, our Friday was spent at Kristens decorating eggs! We love dying easter eggs - it's such a thrill and too much fun for the kids. Kristen is a great aunt! And we all got to see baby Roman! Melissa is one heck of a mother!

During their fun hour, I was at the Hannah Montana movie with my friends, Kaitlyn, Hannah, Cebrina, Taylor-Ann, and Jessica. Thanks girls!!

ARIZONA!

Although here there's no solid evidence I went to Arizona, I'm telling you right now how idiotic I was just to forget that I brought MY digital camera along and didn't bother to crack it open until I unpacked. But then it was too late - I was back home and my only option was to forget about the event. How sad? Yeah, I know :(

However, Arizona was no mistake. Audrey and I packed up, bought tickets, and choked up some extra cash within four weeks to fly down Ar.i.zon.a! For most the trip, the weather was great, apart from some nasty wind that whipped up some minor dust devils... ack!! The plane ride? Okay, I guess. Normal, no movie, get your drinks, sit by a mysterious stranger, enjoy the psychotic "view" of the window, while sneaking obliged handfuls of Tropical Flavored Skittles (Audrey insisted we sit closeby emerengcy exits on both plane rides.. safety first!!).

I'll go through our daily events a little slower. We got into the airport at.. 7:20?? About.. then we were met up at security by grandma and grandpa. Audrey and I embraced them both, expressed excitement, and made our way to baggage claim. After picking up our suitcases we got in the car and hurried back to Grandma's. Moments after settling in, the long plane ride came back to me and I snuck into the bathroom. Sitting on the counter sink were two neatly approachable baskets: one labeled "AUDREY" the other labled "ADDIE"... here are the contents, which included: a neatly descriptive letter from grandma and grandpa, facial mas bar, two razers, a small deoderant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small chicken box filled with large jelly beans, a large pack of Ice Breaker mints, and a small bag with lotion, shower gel, and perfume all with the scent of Warm Vanilla... mmmmm :)Day 2 - sun shining through the slats on the large window, and nice, light dainty room (smells like summer out there!) with the sound of sprinklers outdoors. Perfect. Glance down on my phone for a brief moment, only to realize that, of course, I stuck to Utah time. 6:30 am?? These people aren't joking! To get a good start on my day, I woke up and got out of bed alongside Audrey. Us two went out in the kitchen and were welcomed with a delightful breakfast (along with Grandpa's ultimate treat, donughts). The morning went by quickly. We watched Fried Green Tomatoes with grandma and got an early start on our day, by dressing up and hitting the malls. 8:30?? Wednesday? Puh-lease! School in session, and Audrey and I hitting Santan for some partying! Here's the verdict: two shirts for a screamin' deal at Aeropostale, along with bermuda shorts 50% off? Really? Heaven on earth - we just got a bargain! We met up with Lizzy and her darling kids, London and Everett. Can you say a.dor.a.ble?! Psh!!

That night we went to mutual with Abbie and Zach and Jake. Thanks guys!! :) :) I'll just skip ahead a few days to Friday (yeah..I'm really skipping events here!) Although the older girls had school, Alex and Sydney agreed to stay back with Audrey and I and McKinley decided to go to school, but agreed to sleep over. So the next morning, Aunt Katie walked in at 7:00 am, waiting for us to get in the car. Pull on church clothes, straggle in with recomends, head temple-ward. It's odd not having a temple in reaching distance here. It was a pretty hearty drive.

Grandma and Grandpa work willingly at the the temple, so they had been up and moving at a very early time in the morning. Us girls piled in (along with Jake- the only boy, this being his first baptisms for the dead experience) and got there.

The experience was phenomanal. It was a great time, thanks Grandma and Grandpa (and Syd and Alex for bringing it up). Sorry that the order is all wacky. You got a taste of our Friday and Wednesday - now embrace yourself for Thursday, which was another great day, which we got to experience the thrill of the new movie Seventeen Again-- the new Zac Efron movie that left us screaming for more. The movie was pretty good, I guess. Worth watching, but not for little kids :-/ it was really funny, with great humor. Zac Efron looks GREAT (as always) and the movie had a fun story. :)

What could the experience be without some little Arizona fun? No.. we never went swimming. Like I said - there is a certain temperature you need for swimming to be enjoyable. This week just wasn't that way. The weather was fabulous, but the wind was horrific. It didn't take away tallies about how FUN this episode turned out to be, of course. I hope you catch my drift :)

We also got to see Mattie play baseball and watch The Wedding Planner and 27 Dresses over and over.. and Twilight! Movies satisfy :)

Thanks grandma and grandpa!! We loved it and we love you :) :) :)

Gadgets and Gizmos

My family agrees that electricity is very.. used in this family. I can't really justify it any way else to be honest. Well I disagreed. But you tell me.. is our family overpacking on the electronics?Above is Daddy's iPod. Throughout BlackBerry's he's recently owned, he doesn't bother to buy a newer iPod. Sticking with his faithful first-generation 50 GB orginial is a smart choice. Saves us money!
Here's my phone. Sleek, shiny, nice. Yes. Although I yearn for an iPhone or something fancier, I exceedingly agree that I am quite lucky. That's item #2 that has been so faithful to me. I love my phone :)

Here's Daddie's new BlackBerry. One of the many in his collection. His BlackBerry Bold. No, not the Storm (which, in my eyes, is the neatest BlackBerry yet). It's the second-nicest BB to the BBStorm. Good enough for me!

Here's my iPod. So far, this has been me and daddie's show. Just wait. I love the many features on this-- including the color change. In the sunlight, or gray outside light, it looks royal blue. In normal inside light, it's dark purple. Not only that, but when you shake it up and down, it shuffles the song. Suh-weet!

Here's mom's iPod Video. It's a nice music player/video watcher/tv... whatever suits you. Love it!

Last but not least, Tal and Ethan's (but mostly Tal's) iPod Shuffle. Cheap, quickbuy.. bingo.

Think we're too electronic? Please tell us if we are.. we must know!

Happy Birthday, Lewis Ethan!

To celebrate being Seven on October 5th (tomorrow), Ethan and his cousins, Sam and Jon, partied hard at Jump-On-It along with Tal and Max. The Rose boys, the Lambs, and Jon Neeleman are three great kiddos! Afterwards, they hit McDonalds and... well, just see for yourself.

Serious Jumpers

The Slide Masters

The Wedding

This defines our group...well, that only looks like half the McGhie grandkids, but oh well. It's still a picture.

If this becomes our Christmas picture, don't be surprised :) I looked and thought, "Hey, that's a cute picture!"

The cute ladies chilling out

Nick and Heather got married....FOREVER AGO!!! But sorry I am slow. At least I posted, though!

Pedi Cure Everything

Here's our lovely footies - this is going backwards. Sorry.
Here's a small portion of our rally. It's not over, yet. Aw, I can feel my toes tingling again!!

Yes, that's my leg. I wanted a manicure, too, so I HAD to have one...I was the only one who got one, but no one can turn down a pedi!!!

Here's our group (L-R: Kristen, Liz, Me, my Mom, Melissa)

Thanks, ladies, for the wonderful mani-pedi date!