Going "Home" with Little Mama

Since Mom & I hadn't been back to the mountains where she grew up in several years, we decided we better make time for it this time around. We left Sunday morning with backpacks full of books, toys, and electronics to keep the kids happy.

Ruby & her seat pet from Grandma & Papa.

Entrance to Dad's uncle's property

There was also a promise of swimming at the hotel pool that kept everyone happy.  Mom & I had a fun time chatting it up and enjoying the drive & the kids were really good. We made it to Show Low in time for lunch and went to Subway, then we headed to Aunt Theresa & Uncle Keith's.  The kids LOVED it there, just playing in their huge side yard, and enjoying nature.  While Mom & Aunt Theresa were catching up, Uncle Keith drove me & Ruby-girl to Dad's property. He was really nice & told me a few stories about where they used to swim, ride horses, and work. We fond the "Old Homestead" that's on Dad's property & picked up lots of white quartz.  I love the distinct smell there, a mixture of cedar, dirt, pine, and I don't know what else. I always feel like I'm coming home when I'm there, I guess just because it's where our roots are.

The Corral

Uncle Keith

The Old Homestead, I think Dad's grandparents lived here at one time.

I think this is the top of the "root cellar."

Later that evening we stopped by the Show Low cemetery and left some flowers & petrified wood on Grandma & Grandpa Stock's grave. I was able to drive right there. Then we had a nice swim and dinner before we crashed for the night.

Fool's Hollow Lake is literally a few minutes walk to Dad's property. This is where we camped a few months ago & froze!

Dad's family used to own all the property from Old Linden Road up to the lake.

The well

Jack rabbit

  
The next day we went by to visit Aunt Geannie, Grandma's only living sibling. She's just older than Grandma, and she looked really good. She had babysat her great grandchildren the night before for a few hours and has a son come over for dinner every night. In some ways, she seemed in better health than Grandma, at least mentally. After our visit, we drove to Snowflake, where Mom was raised and had lunch at the ball fields. We played tag, then drove by her home, schools, ballfields & buildings Grandpa Branson helped make, and then the cemetery where he is. We walked and walked and placed flowers by our relatives graves. Mom said, "Love ya, Dad!"

 Snowflake home Mom grew up in.

 Building near the high school Grandpa helped build.

Grandpa's resting place in the Snowflake cemetery.

Ruby's Finally Four

Ruby girl has been counting down her birthday since Kaleb's. So it's been a while. We went to Disneyland for Kaleb's 8th, so she said at the time she wanted to go to a hotel for her birthday. We started by picking up Grandma at the airport on the way to Ruby's zoo field trip. None of the kids knew she was coming, it was pretty great!  It was a perfect day at the zoo, with beautiful weather & lots of fun animals. Heidi brought a zoo animal scavenger hunt & Ruby was loving it. 

Mom helped us run around, clean & get ready for a day or two beforehand. She also made Ruby a dress to match the ballerina barbie she brought for her and went to Ruby's dance class.
Super Grandma!  On Ruby's birthday, Dad went for doughnuts, and she had chocolate milk with the pink frosted & sprinkled doughnut.  We opened gifts & she was spoiled, of course. The boys each gave her a prince to go with her castle & princesses and even played with her that morning. She also got a Maximus horse from Rapunzel, and some cute clothes, of course. 
The boys helped with the balloon decorating & Kaleb dressed up like Flynn Rider. Then it was time to get ready to party! Ruby helped plan her Rapunzel party & it was so much fun! We invited all the friends from her princess preschool & her cousins, of course. Ruby & I dressed up like Rapunzel & the
mean mom, Mother Gothel.


We greeted our guests & started off by painting our own canvases on the back patio.

 
The weather was perfect!  We played Princess Rapunzel, What Time is It?and we got tangled up in Rapunzel's "hair," that was a hit! Maximus loves apples, so we had the kids bob for apples, which was really fun.  My favorite was the pinata. The girls each took a swing with a frying pan (who knew, right?) and I think the big boys busted it open. We ended the big day with oreo cake, Ruby's favorite, and opening presents.
 
Even Gramma-Gramma, Miss, Uncle Ron & Uncle Roger showed up.  We also let the kids decorate crown sugar cookies. Ruby especially loved her palace pet from Uncle Rog & Aunt Judy, her Lady from the Sherwoods & her little pink rolling suitcase from Grandma.

The next day we put all her favorite toys in her little pink suitcase and headed to Show Low & Snowflake for a few days. It was a BIG weekend, for my beautiful girl.

Ruby's favorites:
swimming
puppies
playing with dad
dad's tickles
playing with mom
playing with the boys
playing at Paige's house on the trampoline
dance class
spaghetti
pasta
lasagna
chocolate
oreo cake
Reese's peanut butter cups (the BIG ones & the tiny ones)
watermelon
cherry candy'canes
chocolate milk

regular flakes (Special K cereal)

ice cream sandwiches

tropical punch Kool Aid

root beer

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

 Our Super Girl

 costume sent by Aunt Dani & Uncle Jonny.

 It was the