Jackson turns 3!

Eric's little Jackson is 3 years old!  We had his party at our house again so it's easier for Randa's side of the family to get here (they live in Springville).  He was so cute...he doesn't talk much yet but he came in saying "mine! mine! mine!" and pointing to himself.  He knew it was his birthday and he was so excited!  Eric barbecued for us and then we had cake!  And presents!  Jackson always wants to play with our Hex Bugs when he comes, so we got him a couple of his own.  He was very happy about that!  They had him close his eyes while his grandma brought in her present which was too big to wrap!  So it was very fun having them here and helping him celebrate his big day.  I am excited to see him take off talking once he gets started with the speech therapist in preschool.  He is a smart little kid and so dang cute! Happy Birthday Jackson! 

Pioneer Day...

We were driving home from Idaho on Pioneer day and really didn't do much to celebrate.  We were pretty tired from the whirlwind Idaho trip!  But on Saturday night, I picked up my cousin Jeanine and we drove out to Eric's for his big "end of fireworks tent season" show.  He does it in his cul-de-sac and calls it Farnsworth Firestorm!  It was an AMAZING fireworks show!  He has really upped it since last year (all computerized and stuff) and there were some great fireworks.  We got out there before dark and Uncle Bobby's Hawaiian food truck was on site (his friends own and operate it).  So we got dinner (Teriyaki chicken) and had shaved ice while we waited for it to get dark.  The shaved ice was HUGE!  And oh so good.  Then the amazing fireworks show...we did get some debris showering down on us throughout the event...we will sit a little farther away next year!  I took a picture of some of the debris on top of Dave's car which was parked at the end of the street...kind of dark and hard to see, but messy! Nothing harmful though and it was just such a fun show.  My cousin really loved it and I'm so glad she would go with me!  (She's really my mom's cousin so not sure what that makes us, first cousins once removed?  who knows!)  She is Great Aunt Edna's daughter and I am really enjoying getting to know her!  Dave was out of town, and the boys were with their dad for the weekend.  I was glad to have a date!  Amanda brought a date too and they drove out a little later.  It was a very fun night!  The next night, Sunday - the official last day to shoot off fireworks, we did our own tiny little show in the back yard after the boys were ready for bed.  We did some sparklers and some fountains and then finished with a few aerials.  They were pretty cool!  The pictures don't do them justice.  The boys watched from behind the benches out on the basketball court.  At first Jacob was staying up on the porch, standing in a little box by the ice chest.  That was his "safety zone."  It was so cute.  The little cars were fun but very short lived!  They sped fast and were done!  Thanks Eric for directing us to the right fireworks for us and we will be sure to visit your tent again next year on "buy one get one free" day!  Happy Pioneer Day!

BYU-I Graduation...

Wednesday morning we left bright and early (okay not so much) and headed to Rexburg.  We took the scenic route a couple of times which delayed our arrival time.  But it was all good.  We got to Clif and Lindsay's and they already had the U-Haul truck and had a bunch of stuff packed up so we started loading the truck!  We did what we could before time to eat dinner and get ready for the graduation.  We brought Clif a graduation gift and were congratulating him.  Right before time to leave, we realized that Lindsay was graduating too!  We didn't think she was going to be able to finish before they moved so we were shocked when Clif posted a pic of him and her online in their cap and gowns!  We made a quick stop to buy her some flowers on the way to the ceremony!  Boy, was Clif in trouble for not telling us she was graduating!  Turns out, she told him not to tell because it was "his" night and she didn't want to take away from it.  Silly girl.  She finished enough to "walk" but still needs to do some work online.  We were sure happy that she was able to finish!  The graduation (Commencement) was very nice, Bonnie Oscarson was the main speaker.  The building we were in was a replica of the conference center.  It was amazing!  After the graduation we took a few pictures and visited the the kids before their ceremony (Convocation).  We tried a few pictures with the telephoto lens. Some turned out better than others, but it was still fun to see them walk across the stage, shake everyone's hands and get their diploma "cover."  With married students, the spouses can walk together, they don't have to walk with their specific department.  So that was fun.  Afterward we took a few more pictures before the sun set.  Then we went and did a few fireworks to celebrate!  The next morning we finished loading the truck and sending Dave on down the road with it - headed to Sacramento where they would all spend the night at Terry and Barbara's.  We helped get the apartment cleaned up for inspection and then we all went to lunch at Costa Vida.  We said goodbye to Clif and Lindsay and they headed for their next adventure in Clovis!  Clif is scheduled to begin pharmacy school there in August.  It was a whirlwind visit but we were sure happy to be there!  The boys did very good sitting through both meetings.  Jacob had fun sticking his hands in his socks and having them "fight."  Cute kids and grandkids!  We now have two college graduates in the immediate McKinney family - Dave and Clif.  And Amanda is coming up close behind them!  Exciting times!  Lindsay gave Jacob a spiderman lunch box and he did not let go of it for all day!  He held it all the way home.  It was so cute.  Congratulations Clif and Lindsay!  We are so happy for both of you!!

Post reunion recovery...

Right before the McKinney reunion I got this cute bag from my cousin Diana as a thank you for all I did for the Brown family reunion (the history of my grandparents and the little life history of her sister that died at 6 weeks old).  It's a darling bag and I used it a lot during the McKinney reunion!  A nice large tote!!  Now the reunion is over, Terry and Barbara came to Sacrament meeting with us and then left for their long drive home.  Clark's friends Tyler W. and Mark N. came over to play Acquire on Sunday evening.  They let Dad join in and were all a little upset that he won!  ha ha.  All the times they played it in Clovis Dad never won, but this time he did!  Tyler brought his wife Sarah and their little baby Tristan.  It was fun to hold him and take a picture to send to his Grandma Ann who hasn't seen him in person yet.  Tyler and Sarah had been in a bad accident (he hit a moose going to Idaho!) and were still recovering from their injuries.  Thankfully Sarah was in the back seat with the baby and only needed stitches in her lip.  Tristan didn't get one scratch or piece of glass on him!  He was 2 weeks old when the accident occurred.  Tyler had the most stitches in his neck and face, and a very deep cut on his finger.  They had to cut the top off the car to get him out!  What miracles that took place that they weren't worse off than they could have been!  Anyway, it was fun to have them here and Ashley had her friend Rachelle over to do some crafting.  It was fun to just relax and not worry about anything.  The reunion is OVER!  The next day Jacob helped me fold towels. I love his organizing nature.  Then it's get ready to go to Rexburg for graduation!!!