Time to Catch-up

OK, so I have been camera-less for bit of time and extremely busy. WARNING: There are a lot of things to catch up on as my sisters continue to tell me. They have been requesting, quite incessantly, that I update my blog. So, Janine and Joni...I hope you are happy now!!!

First Section: Matthews' Family Reunion - Uncle Tom's cabin is so wonderful and it is fun for me every year to see the currently updates. This year, there were some wonderful new lights in the eating area. They fit the feel of the cabin so well! The setting of the cabin is beautiful. I could spend a lot of time up there just reading out on the front porch in the log rocker. It is so peaceful up there. Perhaps sometime I'll have to see if I can arrange something with Uncle Tom. A week up there would do more to recharge my batteries than anything else. What is it about being up in the mountains? So peaceful. So serene. So wonderful!!

This year was a little different. It was supposed to be Susan's year but with Chris's wedding a week later and Amanda due, Susan knew her stress limits and opted out this year. Because of this, each of the remaining 3 families just picked up a meal and an activity. Here are some random pictures from our fun time up there.

As my contribution each year, I make cookies. There was an abundance of cookies this year so for the most part mine were left uneaten. Janine, however, found that I had made the Andes mint cookies. She grabbed one and ate it all, including licking her fingers free of the chocolate.

Lucas was hungry so Jason fed him. Janine wanted pictorial proof of this happening so I took a couple of pictures. Lucas's hands were going crazy. He loves the rice cereal.

Lincoln found the snickerdoodles. He sat there eating while dancing in his seat. It was so cute. He bounced back and forth, huge smile, savoring every bite.

There were a couple of scrapbooks that Grandma had that we all looked through. The next three pictures were little things she saved in these books.

This one we found to be so funny. My grandpa got a Certificate of Award for neither being tardy nor absent for the month of October. If he got it for one month, how was he the rest of the months. Kind of makes you go hmmmm... We all giggled over it.

This is Spencer after eating his brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce. See it all around his mouth?

Lincoln loved his as well:

Look and Janine's "Lil Blue Eyes". His eyes are so blue. I hope they stay this blue when he is older. He will melt some girl's heart.

OK, let me explain the next photo. Janine was holding Lincoln and rocking back and forth with him. Eventually she ended up laying down between the benches. Lincoln moved up onto her belly and was pretending he was a cowboy. Then he said, "Oh, I don't have my hat. Oh...here's my hat!" Then he put that foam bat on the top of his head. It was so funny that he came up with "his hat."

Lincoln has the funniest expressions. He can go from this...

To this...This is his "Who broke my window?" face. His angry face...Isn't it funny? 

So Friday morning, after getting Lincoln ready, he came out to where I was talking with Janine and Jason. He sat down on the mattress, pulled his hat all the way down to his nose, and then laid back like he was out of it. However, ever so slightly, we saw a smile.

Larena planned a pinata for the kids. Every kid got a chance to have a few swings at the pinata. I think Uncle Tom was enjoying pulling the pinata up or letting it drop and watching the kids marvel at missing it.

Check out Lincoln's tongue. Reminds me of Kevin who as a child seemed to have his tongue out no matter what he was doing.

Here was the final haul of candy...minus one that had somehow already made it into Lincoln's mouth.

Saturday morning Lincoln and Spencer came down earlier than most. Lincoln and Spencer stayed under their blankets for awhile. Once they woke up a bit, I wrapped Lincoln up in his blanket. I told him I was making him into a "Lincoln canolli". Of course when he said what he was, he said "nanoli."

Before Jason left Saturday morning we grabbed a few family pictures.

Look how cute these three boys are. No wonder they melt my heart and make me smile!

This is a great picture of Janine and Jason.

I got a lot of cuddle time with Lucas during the reunion...at my request of course. Look how limp he is. He was so close to falling asleep. Too many distractions.

Kevin, Tenille, and Kambry came up later Friday night. Look at this ADORABLE picture of Mommy and Daughter. It is so much fun to watch Kevin and Tenille with Kambry. It is as I always imagined. I would love to see them with more kids. I guess time will tell.

Kev loves his time with Kambry. He is such an awesome father...just as I knew he always would be.

Janine brought up things to make candy necklaces. The kids (of all ages) had a great time.

Here are the end results.

In addition, Mom brought up wood crafts for everyone to paint. It actually took two painting sessions. Here's Tena and Zachary working on a couple. Bri, Tena, Cory, and Zachary came up late Friday night. It was so good to have them there. They took off shortly after her crafts were done. She had a bridal shower in Evanston that they were all going to head over for and then overnight there. It's always fun to see the boys. They are growing so fast and are such great YM. They're a lot of fun!

Here's our family photo. We decided to take it on the front porch. Great place to take it however no way of getting level with the group. But, it's kind of fun to see both the cabin and the reflection of trees in the windows. It really is such a serene place.

After the family picture, I snapped this one of Janine and her boys. Unfortunately, it was the only one I could get. Little Lincoln wasn't in much of a picture taking mood by this point.

 Not exactly sure why this picture is side-ways. It's not saved out on my computer that way but for some reason when I uploaded it for the blog it flipped it. Sorry Kevin and Tenille. Look at Tenille looking at Kambry. Aren't they so cute?

By the time Kevin and Tenille left, Kambry was done. She was out. Look at the hand on the forehead. It looks like she is saying, "Oh this reunion wore me out!!!" Joni loved that she was holding her when she fell asleep. She really misses out on niece and nephew time being in St. George. I think this is one of the only pictures I have of Joni. She tends to dodge out of them. Good thing Kambry was asleep so I could get it. Don't they both look cute?

The reunion was fun! It was great seeing the family and catching up. I have a lot more pictures and will post some of them in the future but for now, there it is.

A Week Never to be Forgotten

It all started on Monday. I met Kevin and Tenille at the courthouse. It was time to finally finalize this adoption! It was an exciting and, at moments, stressful day! Kambry was so cute. We first were in the courthouse. I snapped a few shots. Unfortunately, once in the judge's chamber, I used Kevin and Tenille's camera. The judge was very kind. It was a wonderful moment when he declared this adoption done and the file closed. The joy on the faces of Kevin and Tenille was priceless!!!

Friday we were again gathered together. This time in the temple. My boss performed their sealing. As they were made a forever family, Kambry stared right into Kevin's eyes. It was wonderful. Kevin was accused of hogging all the attention to which Tenille said, "He always does that." It was funny. Afterwards, we went outside and took pictures. It was a beautiful Spring day!! Here are a few of the pictures. Look at the proud parents and grandparents:

 Quick Bowler family photo (minus a couple of cute boys who were off having fun with someone):

Spencer had a pretty flower when we came out. I wonder...did he find it on the ground or pick it off the plant. I guess we will never know.

 After I took the picture of Janine, Jason, and Lucas, here is where I found Spencer and Lincoln. Brian was having fun tickling Lincoln's neck with his goatee...

 Kevin and Joey have been friends since they were old enough to know what friends are. Behind Joey and Colony is Justin and Tiffany, another one of Kev's friends. Chad and Jenny were also there. Kevin and Tenille had a lot of friends and family there for their special day!!

These are a few pictures I snapped while the photographer was setting up her shots. I think they turned out pretty good. Please ignore if they are a bit blurry. As Kevin often points out, my camera is REALLY old and has since died on me. I guess it's time to get a new camera and one with definite sure shot so that my shaking, which is getting much worse, won't cause the pictures to mess up. Regardless, I think these next few pictures turned out great.

 Aren't they just so cute??

Look at this one. I snapped it on our way back into the temple. Like I said, it was a beautiful day!!

After they were in street clothes, we went up on the COB Plaza and took a few. I like this one a lot. I love the looks on their faces as they look at each other. Do you think they are a little bit happy???

Thought I'd include a few outtakes:

Joni took a lot of amazing pictures on Temple Square while she had my camera. Eventually I will post them. But for now, I'll show you her favorite spot. I snapped this shot right as we were going in to the entrance for parking. I thought I would post it for her.



Perspective Gained

I have heard no end of complaints lately from many people about the weather we have had. And I'm sure what we woke up to this morning didn't help. Here's how my yard looked this morning:

You got it...covered in 4-inches of snow. It was absolutely beautiful. Although being that it is April 30th, I'm sure people were not exactly seeing it as beautiful as I. I always love snow. It's a beautiful blanket of clean over the ground and, as the song states, it becomes a "Marshmallow World." This seemed to be a heavier snow. Look at my poor Japanese Maple struggling under the weight.

My crabapples are getting ready to bloom which, I have often said, is their one redeeming feature. I love these trees in Spring with their bright magenta blossoms. They are absolutely beautiful. Give it a couple of days and they will be blossoming like crazy...that is if the snow didn't harm them.

And as yet, Spring is alive and well.

As I was leaving for my temple shift, I could see how fast it was going to melt. There was a slope to the snow where the sun had already started to melt it. By the time I returned this afternoon it was all gone.

Spring here in Utah has brought snow, sun, wind, and rain all in the same day. We have had many grey days. The tulips and other flowers are later than usual. My plans to put my garden in this last Thursday did not come to pass due to the wet ground making it impossible for me to get out and till.

However, when we look beyond the immediate surroundings, what is a little snow and cold temperatures when others in the Southeast are struggling? The tornadoes that came through a couple of nights ago wiped out homes, neighborhoods, and cities. So many people died. My heart aches for those in the affected areas. Please keep them all in your prayers.

It's official...Spring has sprung!

Well, the first glimpses of spring came a few weeks ago with my flowers starting to bloom. Aren't they pretty?

Spring is full of rebirth of everything...including grass and weeds. Other than fertilizing, I have been successfully ignoring my lawn, but last night I could ignore it no longer. I broke down and got out and mowed my lawn. Doesn't it look so nice? (Don't look too close.)

Next steps...getting serious about getting my garden shaped up. I see the need for a few days off in my near future. Maybe next week I can do that while my boss is away, that is if the ground dries out enough to till. Any thoughts about what I should plant?

It was and all-in-one kind of day

WARNING: This is going to be a long post. Too many things happened in one day.

So, April 10th was what I would term an "All-in-One" day. Lucas was blessed. There was a luncheon afterwards which was great. Then we had our monthly get-together with an Easter Egg Hunt. It was crazy. People coming and going. Brian and Brett both surprised us and were there at the festivities. It was wonderful!!

Here's the group after the blessing. Too many people to list and some faces are hiding (not on purpose...I think).

I caught this cute picture of Neens with Lucas. She kept him in his whites for awhile afterwards. Gutsy to say the least but there were not any mishaps so it all worked out.

Look that furrow. She's looking at the camera as if to say, "What  you looking at fool?" Still cute though. You just have to smile!

 It was a cold day. Joni (our little St. Georgian) was not prepared for it. She had left her coat at her place in St. George. Somehow she conned Cory's suit coat off of him. She wrapped up in it and was good. Joni's friend Beth came up with her for a weekend away. Look at Brittney. She looks like she is freezing as well.

Spencer was showing me his little flower he found. Really, there is one there. Isn't he such a handsome little man?

Look at this other handsome man. He kept hiding from everyone by going around this little pillar. Both Lincoln and Spencer are such great big brothers.

This was right as we returned from Church. Micah, Spencer, and Sam were all out playing on the rocks in front of Mom's house. Micah is wearing her "Tangled" dress.

 Lincoln loves to talk on the phone now...real or play. I think during this call he was talking to Joni, even though Joni was sitting right there.

 Little Lucas asleep in his white blessing outfit.

 Check out beautiful Becky! Kambry really was having a good time. I must have caught her mid-blinking.

Look at this handsome couple. Brett had surprised us all by coming for the party. He had just flown in from Florida where he had been for training. It was unbelievable to have them all with us.

Janine had planned an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. She had a ton of eggs all filled with various candies, toys, and other items. To distract them while we set up the hunt (i.e. throwing the eggs around the backyard), I put "Tangled" on my iPad and gave it to Micah and Spencer to watch in the other room. It was so cute to watch them cuddle up on the sofa. One thing was certain: Micah knows "Tangled" by heart. She was saying the lines right before they were said in the movie. It was so cute.

Here's Bri with his new toy. He has bought a new camera. He was poised and ready to get a picture of the kids coming out. I decided to get a picture of that. He ended up turning the tables on me. Drat my slow camera.

The next few pics are of the hunt. There were a ton of eggs all over the backyard.

I took a ton of pictures while we were out there. It's hard to really describe but these kids were going crazy! They were running all over sometimes passing eggs just in the frenzy of it all. Look at Spencer's basket. It was full and not all the eggs were up yet. I think Janine went in and grabbed him another bag.

Even Zachary got into it. Joni had put a few eggs together that sounded like baby rattles. They were filled with loose Nerd candies.

Lincoln saw others shaking their eggs and started to check it out for himself. I love this photo. At least my camera caught it. I would have been sad if I had missed it. He walked around the backyard crouching down, picking up eggs, and shaking them.

Look at the haul!!

A good time was had by all, including the adults who snitched some of the candy as the eggs were being opened and emptied. Thanks Neens for the fun time.