Memorial Day Weekend

We kicked off our summer 100 Mile Club this last weekend with a 13 mile hike on Mnt Baldy. Big thanks to G& G and Liz for hanging out with Hyrum! Mom, David, Ammon, Jo and I made it to the plane crash just as Jo had about taken his last step. But he kept a quick pace leading us down the mountain! It was beautiful! We are going from Memorial Day to Labor Day and would love for any of you to join us! Ammon and I set some goals with my family while we were together. When we get to 100 miles Ammon and I are going to reward ourselves with some new running shoes!

Ammon has been wanting to fish Cyclone Lake for a long time. He set up this trip with some of his coworkers several months ago. He fished Friday, then Monday we got to go out with him. His parents, Liz, Rachel, and our nephews, Sean & Taylor came. All the kids caught fish and Hyrum had a great time playing in the dirt and exploring the shore.

That's What I Love About Sundays

Sunday April 22, 2012 I can’t imagine a time when my life was sweeter than it is right now. I’m treasuring the moments, hoping never to forget the sweet beauty of this time. I love the little slap of Hyrums’ hands on the tile as he quickly crawls to get to an open dishwasher. Right now he and Ammon are asleep on the couch. Hyrum is laying on Ammon’s chest both of them still in their sunday clothes. Ammon knows I love Relief Society so he usually takes Hyrum. Sometimes they'll walk home. This is how I found them today.

May 16, 2012 The other night Ammon, Hyrum and I sat down for dinner. I slid Hyrum in his high chair, one Grandma Driggs painted for my mom and siblings years ago. I tightened the soft belt we use to keep him in the chair and slid him up to the table. We’ve been having a hard time getting him to eat solid food regularly, so every time we sit down we try new ways to entice him. I tore pieces of the rotisserie chicken he and I bought at Costco (one of our favorite things). He kept grabbing them with his little fingers and stuffing them in his mouth, working so hard to chew. He’d laugh at Ammon making faces at him and reach out to grab his sippy cup and take a drink. This time I put a little lemonaide in his cup and he goes crazy for lemonade. As he ate he got more and more sleepy. He’d close his eyes and nod off a little, laying his head on the dirty table in front of him. If it weren’t for Ammon and I laughing he’d probably have stayed there sacked out. As it was we put him to bed early and had a nice quiet evening.

HaPPY BiRTHDaY aMMoN! and HaPPY ST PaTRiCK’S DaY

Saturday, March 17th

What a beautiful day. I love being a family, having Ammon and Hyrum. It’s the most beautiful thing, better than I could have imagined. We went o Joe’s Farm Grill for Ammon’s b-day lunch. Everyone smiles at Hyrum and he pretty much always smiles back. I watched him and Ammon in their Lucky St. Patty’s day shirts and I felt pretty lucky today!

AZ Game & Fish Outdoor Expo

Yesterday was the AZ Game & Fish Outdoor Expo at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/showcase.shtml. We totally had a great time! We went to meet "Box Call Bill" as Ammon calls him and to chat with the guys from the NWTF. What a fun family expo! I talked to the guys at Pinetop-Lakeside Tracks and can't wait to go try some of the trails around my folks house. They had all sorts of animals and activities for kids. We definitely plan on going next year! Mark your calendars for March 23 & 24, 2013.

Hyrum, wearing his new "spud muffin" shirt from Aunt Liz, checking out a golden eagle. You can't really tell from the picture but this guy was as big as Mr. H!

This little guy was so stinkin' cute!

We spent most fo our time in the NWTF booth. They were great and totally loved Hyrum. Ammon talked with them for awhile. He and Box Call Bill worked out a trade so Ammon gave him a nice aluminum call. Ammon showed some kids how to work some of the calls. I really enjoy hanging out at this type of thing. Hopefully we can get more involved and help out in the future.

Our Little Big Guy

This last month has been so fun and full of first and new discoveries for little Hyrum.

It was fun to have him in Nashville. He is a happy baby with a lot to say and a fabulous smile! He loved going out to eat with us and enjoyed being a big guy sitting in a high chair at the table with us. He loved playing with straws and silverware, feeding himself pieces of biscuit or French fries, and sharing our mashes potatoes or scrambled eggs.

He used to just cry in his car seat. Now he does better especially when Aunt Liz hangs out with him in the back and entertains him with video clips on her phone.

Just as we were leaving Bass Pro Shops and heading to the Airport in Nashville Hyrum started crying and we couldn't console him. Finally he fell asleep and we were thinking this would be one LONG day with two tough plane rides. We were so relieved when he fell asleep just after we got on the plane. What a great time to start teething. He popped his first tooth on Valentine's day! So exciting! Hyrum started crawling in January, but is really taking off. Last Friday was a big day as he started to realize more fun places to explore. (Ammon and I are quickly figuring out what in the house needs rearranging.) We cleared the book off 2 bottom shelves of our upstairs bookcase and replaced them with toys! Hyrum helped me clean out some low kitchen cupboards moving glass items up higher and putting Tupperware down low where he can play with it.

Phoenix Zoo with the Carrolls

We've been wanting to do something with Shiloh and Kara and their fun girls for awhile. The other day Hyrum and I got to go the zoo with Kara and the girls. What a treat! It was a perfect day. The weather was great, the animals were out and active, and the company was fantastic. I really enjoyed hearing listening to Kara as she told me about her dissertation on the history of the American west. Hyrum really enjoys the girls too. We spent the day strolling around the zoo. Hyrum loved seeing the animals. The meerkats were a lot smaller than I thought and after watching Meerkat Manor it was fun to see some in real life.

One of the best parts may have been just after we saw this peacock strutting. We were sitting at a little table near the petting zoo and the Little People playground (SO CUTE!). I was holding Hyrum and he started pulling me back. I looked over my shoulder and there was a mallard duck inches from Hyrum's reaching hand. He was so into it. I started giving it little pieces of bread and Hyrum got such a kick out of it! He was laughing as the duck came stayed right by us for probably five minutes or so.

Happy Birthday Tucker

Today my buddy Tucker turns 5 years old!

Nashville: Hello Music City! I'm here and I ain't never leavin'!

What a great trip!! We've had this trip booked and have been looking forward to it since before Hyrum was born! As HUGE country music fans, we couldn't wait to visit the home of country music and the place that made country music famous... and to eat some good bar-b-que! The first joint we hit was The Bar-B-Que King of Nashville, Jack's Bar-B-Que. The pulled pork was TASTEY! Ammon and I shared a three meet plate and triend their ribs, brisket, pulled pork and yummy mac & cheese. Hyrum loved the mac & cheese! Liz was awesome at finding all the places to go and supplying us with fun info as we went along! http://jacksbarbque.com/

After a yummy dinner we enjoyed walking in the shops of downtown Nashville. We saw some of the fanciest boots and guitars I've ever seen. Next on our "must try" food list was The Pancake Pantry. It was featured on Man VS Food and I guess is one of Taylor Swift's favorite places. YUMMY!

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was awesome. It was filled with treasures from classics like Patsy Cline and Chet Atkins. Elvis' gold piano is there as well as memorabillia from new stars like one of Taylor Swift's dresses. I really enjoyed a video they had palying about controversial songs. One was Tammy Wynette's Stand by Your Man, that came out during the big feminist movement. She got a lot of flack for it. It was interesting to hear her side as she explained she wasn't saying women should be doormats. Some of the other songs included Loretta Lynn's The Pill, Martina McBride's Independence Day; Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue; Okie from Muskogee by Merle Haggard who was sick of the pot smoking hippies. The list wouldn't be complete without a Johnny Cash song. the Ballad of Ira Hayes talks about an Indian WW2 vet.

Taylor Swift's Dress & Brad Paisley's guitar

Country Music Hall of Fame

Cooter's Garage This was a fun Dukes of Hazzard Museum. we learned they used over 300 Generel Lee cars during the 7 seasons the show aired.

The Bluebird Cafe Another place we had to go to was the Bluebird Cafe, where songwriters play. Garth Brooks and other stars were discovered there. Many of the people who play have written hit songs for big stars too. We were all pretty excited to go!! This cozy cafe pretty intimate setting where songwriters take turns talking about their music and playing and singing. We saw Carly Pearce, Bonnie Baker, Jenn Schott and Carolyn Dawn Johnson (CDJ) sing in the round. Carly is an up and coming star. Bonnie and Jenn are writers. Carolyn Dawn Johnson has some big songs like Complicated. and Georgia. She has been on tour singing back-up for Martina McBride and had just sang with her in Phoenix at the George Straight concert. During the show Hyrum was making some noise so I stood up with him and found a corner. Bonnie was the next to go and commented about the added vocals to her song. Then CDJ talked about how much they love kids and about her 2 and 3 year old. After the show we talked with her and she said she was hoping we wouldn't leave and said she and Bonnie are moms and they love kids. she loved Hyrum and siad she just wanted to kiss his cheeks. It was pretty awesome. I told her hearing her song, Complicated brought back memories of when a roommate of mine shared that song with me because it totally described my situation. ...side note -- I am so glad to be married and to have Ammon!

The Grande Ole Opry Definately one of the highlights of the trip. I didn't realize that it's a radio show. It was pretty amazing to be in this historic place that is so significant to country music. We saw Diamond Rio, Montgomery Gentry,the Farm, Bill Anderson, Josh Turner, and others. This was one place where it was tough to have a baby along but everyone was SO kind. People in Nashville were so friendly. What a great night, even though Ammon and I felt like we had lost a wrestling match!!

Our last "must try" place was the famous, Loveless Cafe, It was amazing! Ammon ordered smoked, then grilled pork chops topped with peach jam that was unlike anything I've tasted. My mouth was so excited!

I'm bummed we didn't take any pictures, but we had a great time visiting my cousin, Robynne, and her family. We went to church with them then headed over to see the Nashville Temple. It was small and beautiful.

What a fun trip! Lots of good memories made! We're so glad Liz could join us...anyone up for Settlers. We are addicted to the travel version!