Bryce Canyon...

There are just going to be a lot of pictures these next few posts. Most don't need any explanation. Lots of beautiful scenery, lunches outdoors, and cute kids. The weather was beautiful, we took several different hikes (walks) each day and just enjoyed being there! We sure missed Nate and Joel though!

 

 Thor's hammer...

 David racing Grandpa up the hill...

 We did NOT hike all the way down...

Butch Cassidy...

I had been following on the news a while back about the Butch Cassidy childhood home being refurbished or whatever it is they do to make it ready for the public to see it. I watched a video of the day they opened it to the public and it was all very cool! Then on our trip here, we drove right past it every day to go to Bryce Canyon! We stopped and had a look see. In the rental house there was a book about him that I had started to read a little bit. Fun part of history right here in this little place. Fun to imagine him as a teenager riding his horse up to the little barn and where else he might have explored and had fun (before he became an outlaw ha ha).

Spring Break!!!

Spring break was the first week of April and boy were we ready!  We went to Bryce Canyon!  Nate and Joel still had school and couldn't join us.  We missed them.  We rented my cousins rental house in Kingston and it was perfect!  We LOVED staying there!  AND, she brings her customers homemade bread! It was warm and wonderful!  She also brought me salad dressing when I needed it because it was the ONE thing I didn't pack!  Love you Camille and loved your cute house that was fully stocked with anything we might need!!  There will be a lot of posts and pictures about this spring break, it was a loaded vacation and we loved every minute of it!!

 Where's Walter?

 Two loaves of this yummy stuff!  Her mom was the best baker ever and she obviously taught her daughters!

 It isn't vacation without an Acquire game with Grandpa!

The view across the street...I found it very vintage and pretty!

9 months old already!

9 months and as cute as ever!  This little guy is so loved!

Adventurous kids...

When you get out of church by lunchtime, what do you do all day?  Our kids get their pajamas on.  Then if it's a little chilly outside, they put jackets on.  Then they grab shovels and go dig for treasure in our giant sandbox.  Today they found a dinosaur bone!  They are digging, digging, to get that thing dug up.  I know we will never convince them it is a tree root, so we just let them keep digging!  Maybe they will dig up a few weeds while they are at it.  Now the adults can take a nap!  ha ha.  

Mary Poppins Junior...

We went out to Saratoga Springs to watch Kamryn (my niece's daughter) perform in Mary Poppins Junior.  It was a grade school and they did an excellent job!  She was a statue.  Painted grey everywhere!  Her mom Holly got to do the make up for every performance.  It was really fun to go and see the cute production.  The picture is blurry with the kids, darn.  The one with just Lilly turned out a little better. Then we told Kamryn she looked like the statue of liberty so she struck the pose!  It was fun to be there and Dave's mom and sister were there too.  

DNA and a Family History Mystery...

Dave got a new plotter at work so he printed his family history fan chart giant size!  It is so great because we can read it so well!  For many, many years we have been having trouble with the McKinney line.  We can never seem to get past great great grandpa McKinney (William) who Grandma Vennie always said "His father is Nathan McKinney." Well, we can never find the connection - any document of any kind that substantiates that.  For YEARS we have been looking.  Well, several years ago John (Dave's brother) looked into DNA research and he had his DNA professionally done.  The results came back that he was not tied into the McKinney line, but rather a Gann line.  What? Of course Grandma Vennie was already gone but Terry (Dave's dad) knew nothing about any Ganns or how that could be.  We figured maybe someone was adopted?  It is a huge mystery.  So now Dave has done the DNA and is working on getting his siblings done too.  John has been helping with this "not so easy" project.  And of course Terry is gone now, why on earth didn't we get his DNA back when we could have!? And his only sister is deceased so that leaves one living brother (who was born many years later when Dave and his siblings were being born). It is a mystery for sure.  We think we know now why we haven't been having much luck on the McKinney line!  Dave's DNA proves the same thing, a Gann connection. So he is busy making charts and contacting descendants of Ganns and trying to make the right connection.  Who knows when we will ever get it figured out!  He thinks he has it down to either Grandpa McKinney or great grandpa McKinney that could possibly have been adopted.  We hope time will tell!  DNA doesn't lie and lots of mysteries are coming to light...In the meantime, here's a picture of Dave with his sisters Gail and Sus, Mom, and brothers Mike and John.  We were all together for a family get together out in Saratoga springs (where DNA kits were handed to siblings).  We love our McKinney clan!  Even if we really aren't McKinneys.  :)

A few cute pictures of Walter...

Walter is still the cutest baby and as popular as ever with his siblings.  He loves to watch them play video games. He sometimes will sit still while Lilly reads him a book. He is also getting pretty mobile and was scooting down the hall the other day!  Then one day, I was standing by the kitchen counter and opposite of me the stool started moving!  I ran around to the other side and there was Walter smiling at me as he was pushing the stool!  We are in trouble now!  He's just as cute when he's asleep!  I love spending my days with him and David still tells me how lucky I am that I get to be with Walter all day.  I call it blessed.  

 Grandma got quite taken back when that stool started moving!!

 Walter was pretty proud of himself!