Schofield...party of SEVEN!

our fall break...

First stop...Bend, OR. Our dear friends, the Birnel's have lived there for a year now, and for a year and a day, we have wanted to visit. Brittany is the most amazing hostess. We were tired from the 11 hour drive, but when we walked in, I could already smell dinner. We had so much fun catching up. I haven't seen Ryan in years. They really are some of my favorite people. The kids got along smashingly! Ryan pulled out his photography lights, and we went nuts. I don't remember who took these 3 pictures, but aren't they the sweetest girls? Ryan is so talented...I was so happy to have a mini-tutoring session with him. :) Thanks Ryan!

Emily, Brittany and I. Gorgeous house, gorgeous kids. Just LOVED our visit.

Our next stop was Tacoma to see Laura and her family. I can't tell you how much I love going there. It is rejuvinating for me. I love their family, I love the area, I love it all. Charlotte and Emily. I know...she may be the most gorgeous baby ever.

On Friday, my cousin Matt and his family drove to Tacoma from Moses Lake. He is a dentist there. I am so proud of him. I don't know if there are even words to describe how much I love Matt. And Sarah is just as great. I am SO glad they made the drive. Now the Malones and the Gehrings plan to hang out...and I must say...I'm a speckle jealous.

The Matt Malone family. LOVE them.

The Schofield's...taken by the gorgeous and wonderful Sarah. :)

I can't get enough of this guy. I really can't. You meet him, you love him...it's as simple as that.

Aren't they great? I'm glad we are related and have forever to strengthen these relationships.

The Vashon ferry. Quickly becoming a tradition.

Molly and Elsie were the cutest. They were a bit overwhelmed at the beach with all the cousins and noise, but here...they had eachother, and that was all they needed. :)

Some of my absolute favorite people...in the WORLD! Their new house is so beautiful. Laura has the best decorating sense. She's able to take any given space and make it feel like a cottage. Cozy and happy and warm. She's hilarious too. We laugh A LOT when we are together. I think that's partly why I love visiting so much. I love Gunnar. He is so great for Laura and for our family. He is mellow...and if you know the Temple's, you know we're NOT. It's a good balance. Their girls are so beautiful. They are so happy and pleasant. Laura cooked for us. I know, that may not seem like a huge deal, but it is. It was GREAT too! I'm so proud of her. I love and miss you Laura. Thanks for having us. :)

home...

We got home late last night from our trip to WA. I am SO tired. So...I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about it. :)

away...

Somehow my summer got away from me before I blogged about this trip. There are GOBS of pictures here, but there needs to be so I can document it for my kids, you know? We went to the Brady's cabin somewhere far from Provo, although I can't quite remember where. The Young's went too. Basically a primary presidency get-away with our husbands and all our kids. SO MUCH FUN! I have to say, I was quite hesitant to share a room with a member of our bishopric and his family. We snore...pretty bad. But it all went well, minus the outhouse. :) Games into the late hours of the night, LOTS of laughs, hikes, a zip-line! The kids (including our visiting niece, Annie) had a ball. The Brady's are wolves in sheeps clothing. So quiet and mellow in church, but absolutely hilarious! And I just love the Young's...love them. Love their kids. Dave had my camera quite a bit on out hike, so most of those pictures are by him. He's pretty darn good with a camera. :)

An "antique" budweiser can Dave found. He thought this picture was hilarious. I think it is too. :)

grandpa movie...

The other day, I was in the kitchen...I'd like to say doing dishes, but I think I was actually eating. I heard her turn on the television. She came in and told me: "I wanna watch a grandpa movie." A grandpa movie? What one could that possibly be? It was C-span. :) I need to start video taping this little girl more often. We have photos coming out the nose, But I don't record her voice enough...her vocabulary, her mannerisms. She is hysterical. She makes me laugh many times a day. LOVE her.

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Molly was up 12 times last night.

movies...

Molly and I just watched Nanny McPhee. I'm trying to sit with her and cuddle before her naps. I want her to know how much I love to be with her. It seems to slow down my day which is exactly what I need. I've seen this movie at least a dozen times. I still cried. If you haven't seen it...you've got to. It is such a beautiful story. I love beautiful stories. I love when movies come together in the end, wrapped up in a pretty little bow. Don't get me wrong, I can handle drama, "real" stories that don't end magically...they just don't make me feel as good. I like to cry. Some day, I am going to make a DVD of all the perfect endings to my favorite movies. The parts where the music swells, you can hardly breathe. You know the ones...August Rush, Ever After, Sense and Sensibility, Dan in Real Life, In America (another MUST see), Notting Hill, About A Boy (yup...a huge Hugh Grant fan), I could go on forever. Wouldn't that be a treasure? Flannel PJ's, hot chocolate, a warm blanket, and happily ever after.