Another place, another grandkid (again!)

Thayne, Natalie, and Tyson joined us at Sam and Rachel's. We took the boys over to a park on Sunday evening. Even the big boys got in on the action!

Jett tours like his mother used to! (Only
she was a teenager when she'd go to sleep
while we went into museums!)

George Washington was quite the
innovator; he built "The Necessary"
(an outhouse) at his Mt. Vernon estate.
Here's Jett depositing his donation.

Ady and "mama" looking at the turtle on shore at the Place of Refuge.















Kasey helped Ady put on some lip gloss. Then Ady helped herself put on some mascara (boy! do you have to be fast to keep up with this one!)













We took a ride in a small airplane over the volcanoes and Hilo area.







While the volcano is still actively flowing, there is no safe viewing of the lava coming out. But we flew over Pu'u O'o and saw the steam close up.












You can kind of see the explosion that is made by the lava and the sea water when they meet; black sand is made instantly.











We thought this sign at the front desk of our hotel was quite funny.

Another city, another grandkid

While in Buffalo we went to Niagara Falls a couple of times. This year we went over to the Canadian side; it really is more impressive over there. In addition to catching rainbows over the mist, we also got to go down below and behind the falls. WOW! Talk about awesome!







One of the last things we did while in the Buffalo area was attend the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra. Out of all of the thousands of people there, we were pleasantly surprised to run into Ben (our nephew) and his cute family.






Our favorite part, though, was getting to play with Tyson. He is such an adorable, fun little guy. He is really happy, and just loves playing outside. Gramma and Grampa both especially liked getting him up in the morning and just having him to ourselves for a little bit.

We left Natalie and Thayne's and went on to Rachel and Sam's (they're living in Landover, MD this summer). Washington, D. C., is such an absolutely amazing place! We've been to Ford's Theater, the Old Post Office (even clear up to the top of the tower to view the city from above), the National Archives, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Arlington Cemetery, and some of the Smithsonian museums. We are learning how to use the Metro system to get around; it's quite the system! Tomorrow we are going up to the top of the Washington Monument.

And, of course, the best part -- Jett! He still has lots of hair, but it is lighter underneath the dark tips. He's been a real trooper as we've hauled him around.

Buffalo!

So, here we are on our first stop of grandparent
heaven -- Buffalo, New York -- with Tyson (and
Natalie and Thayne). We went and picked straw-
berries with Tyson's play group the other day.
Walking down the uneven furrows with the straw
was a bit tough for Tyson, but it did provide
something fun to hold in his hands. He LOVES
strawberries, and fortunately, this place allows
the little kids to eat as they pick (some even
gets inside!).

The next two pictures are just to show
how he looked before and after the picking.

Brent actually started this trip out by
meeting Adam in Minnesota for a canoe
trip. It was a good trip -- although very
tiring! Brent then joined us in Buffalo
with this scruffy look:

Jett's Blessing

Today was Jett's blessing. Brent and I drove down to Cedar City this morning (it's about a three-hour drive) and Sam's parents and Jake (his oldest brother who lives in Colorado) and his family got there on Friday. Jett is now seven weeks old, and is getting cuter and cuter as he is responding to people around him.

We thought it looked really cute that he looked

like he was praying while he was sleeping.I was way excited that I got him to smile several times.

And now just some random cuteness.

Jett

OMIGOSH! I was in seventh heaven this weekend! Jett (along with his parents) came to visit, and I just couldn't get enough of him. He makes the funniest sounds and faces. I can hardly wait until they come again next weekend!

He is almost out of his newborn clothes.

Holding on to Dad's shirt to keep from sliding off.His touchdown pose while sleeping.

Now if I could only get Adyson and Tyson here again!

Spring

While it's officially spring, I'm not sure the weather knows that. We have been having warm and cold weather for the past month or so. Last week was so encouraging for nice spring weather, and then last night the wind really kicked up again. It's trying to rain right now and it may even snow tomorrow. Oh, well, we knew that was how spring was in Utah when we returned. At least the birds are coming back. Even with snow still on the ground and ice on the water, a gray heron put in an early appearance a few weeks ago. Then just recently, a white crane reappeared. The following two pictures were taken from my bedroom window. (The thistles are on the slope going down to the walking path just below our backyard.)

This following picture is mostly for Adam and Kasey. There are all kinds of things (in addition to Key Lime Pie) that are made from the small, tart key limes. One of our favorites when we lived there was this key lime soda. Last week I was picking up some case lot sale items at Macey's, and when I went down the soda aisle, this jumped into my cart. I surprised Brent by bringing it home. Our Key West friends can get it all the time, and those of you who have never had it don't even know what you are missing!

Of course, one of my favorite things right now is our 2-week-old Jett. This picture is a week old, but I still think it's adorable. I can hardly wait for him to come spend the first weekend in April with us! Sam has a National Guard weekend scheduled then just a few miles from here, so Rachel and Jett are coming up here, too.