{ 2 weeks } ...

...and this is what i have to show for  it!!  a whole lot of fun!
my kids exploded with excitement and then i had to piece them back together again
for another week of cousin fest...
Casa De Fruta with Lee and Merry near Gilroy CA. 

riding on trains, and searching for GOLD.

searching and searching for that gold...

we had a lovely dinner and overnight stay with Merry and Lee
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
{we love you tons}

the next day after our 8.5 hour drive to Gilroy, we had another 5 hour drive to
Lake ALMANOR. gag!!!
this was of some excitement though:)
i saw him/her on the side of the road on our travel thru the woods and made marty flip around for a closer encounter...
it was scary to even get near him for a pic
even though we knew he was dead i was just waiting for him to jump up and eat me!
ruby wanted one of his teeth for a souvenir but i just couldn't get myself to yank it.

Charlie became his own version of a bear and to fight the boredom
 {for the second day in a row}
 he began doing tricks like this...
eating animal crackers with his toes.  very impressive.

finally we made it. anthony was instantly charlie's best bud cuz he built him this model car
and ruby jumped right out on the lake to canoe with grams.

we played outdoor, organized games, thanks to bec and ryan
it was a blast. and hilarious.
and exhausting.  we are old apparently.

charlie still attached to anthony...AND his dukes, teddy, car.

oh luci, i love your red hair! will you trade me one day.?

i let liam drive. oh my. but i am still alive.

what beach bums!

they liked it for a minute!
ruby is totally pulling the teenager face in this bottom one! scary!
she was riding with a teenager{Caroline}, ryan and bec's exchange student from germany...
maybe that's why the attitude:)

bec and lydie sporting the aprons i made -for the lake-
and charlie eating the cupcakes they made -in the aprons-
it's all a circle of life

liam and lydia playing in the dirt...good thing there is water near by!
raquel and i not planning our outfits. but coming close to being twin sistas.

while out on the boat, grams pulls up on the jet ski!  you go girl!
marty catching some air. not really. but a little.
 him and ryan kill each other out there.



exfoliation facial is what he was going for i think.

eating shakes in Chester CA
ruby's best friend (aunt) kimby. 
they still love each other.

now we are at a cabin (just 5 days later) in Heber Utah with MY family.
oh joy. :) 
we did an olympic parade

olympic games...

oh yeah, bring it on ya'all utah hunter boys,
 my daughter can take down any buck now.

the kids played an array of olympic competitions
but the final was a water fight. encouraged by my dad
see exhibit on the left and then see exhibit on the right.
apparantely charlie can dish but he can't take... poor baby.

tug of war- all cousins against the all mighty Jared Palmer- michelles' hubs-
guess what, THEY won.
poor baby.
and ruby getting ready for the 2022 olympic gymnastics

lots of cousin bonding.
they were timed to do this puzzle and their braided little heads were working hard.
only because there was a treat involved in the end.

weird dance moves made weirder by the facials. nice charles. nice.

award ceremony and family pics with their handmade family flags.
all courtesy of my mom's over-eager and bless her heart, cute ideas...
she and my dad do SO much for these family get togethers. 
we all truly appreciate and love them.

then some down time for a couple days at my parents in Morgan while i worked.
thanks mom for watching my kids!
there was NO shortage of cousin time
at least my dad sat down for a while in the middle of the day
. so proud of him! this never happens.

face pancakes...made by my father .
i need to re-evaluate my 'fun' factor...

and last but not least, holding baby chicks at the Morgan County Fair.
then it was back to ST GEORGE-home sweet home
2 weeks. wow. no dead plants though miraculously!