the 5th

after the festivites in richfield we made the jaunt over to grover.

and boy were we glad we did.



the ranch looks so good with the latest improvements. the lawn makes it so nice.
and the rockwalls are awesome. the fire pit is fun too.




we kept busy. horse shoe tournaments, riding horses, playing sardines around the barn,
4-wheeling, lighting fireworks, roasting mallows and just relaxing (as much as you can with a 1.5 year old). we're so lucky to have such a fun place to visit!




the view from rachel's rock:


one of the best things about being down at the ranch is that you can wear whatever the darn you want. you can wear your pajama leggings with a skirt and socks with your crocs. wearing makeup is discouraged and showers are optional :) oh the simple life.

the 4th

it just doesn't seem right to be anywhere else but RICHFIELD on the 4th of july.

we arrived at the days inn thursday night. annie does not enjoy being in the car long distances and tried to houdini herself out of her carseat multiple times. we did make it to richfield in time to "go on a walk" with dad, aka light m80 firecrackers in the church parking lot.

the parade and festivities were the next morning. we had a great spot we had staked out the night before. the candy was plentiful and the sirens as loud as ever.

[saluting the flag]

the kids got their faces painted. we checked out the classic cars. we chatted with relatives at the park and enjoyed hamburgers and funnel cakes.

[cute cousin katy]

[brin examining her butterfly in the mirror]

[griff seems quite pleased with his spider]

[cool old yellow truck]

we stood in line forEVER for our funnell cakes. deep fried and delish.

in case anyone wanted to see a very up close picture of me eating my funnel cake.

here it is. thanks nate.

swimming was the next activity to avoid the heat. we're glad steve sr. and nancy have been converted to the richfield way for the 4th. we're happy to have adopted them into our traditions. after naps and showers we dined at wingers (and by dined i mean the family dined while matt and i took turns chasing after annie in the restaurant).

it seems to be tradition to play at the lions park in the evening. the boys played hoops with the local gangsters while the rest of us visited on the lawn. dad lit off another m80.

we got to myron and carolyns just in time for the firework show. we came prepared with alligators from the dairy (delicious pastry with pink frosting) and milk. it was a good show, a bit long but good. back at the days inn we put the kids to bed and munched on muddy buddies and other junk food since we like to eat at least every 20 minutes. the guys watched jaws and the ladies played 9-high. we called it a night and retired onto our days inn pillows which happen to be terribly uncomfortable and 10x too thick.

[photo of fireworks by nate. not bad for no tripod.]

part of the gang hiked up to bull's head the next morning, some slept in and some of us (the batemans) headed onto grover.

[2 photos by dad]

[nate leaping]

the 4th of july. completely successful.

between family reunions, youth conference, shooting my first wedding, family matters, swimming, get togethers, planning my high school reunion, photo shoots, visits to richfield and grover.....there's been NO time to blog.

i've got boatloads of photos to share. stay tuned. we're off to the pool for now!

youth conference

youth conference was a big success. wednesday and thursday were days of service. doing baptisms at the salt lake temple and serving at the humanitarian center. we spent ALL day friday running around downtown to different locations completing tasks at each location. my team won since we were the only group not kicked out of temple square. it was a hot, fun-filled, educational day that ended with sweet testimonies from the youth. i'm grateful to be a part of the youth organization and even more grateful to have the knowledge of the Gospel.

margo & bryan

i shot my first wedding.

piute reservoir

ahoy!

on our way home from the reunion we stopped at piute reservoir to try out the allen's boat. nate and mark met us from the george. the water rocket was a hit. brin was even brave enough to ride it. she had the look of terror after they crashed and was sure she had hit her head on the bottom of the lake!

there were only a few other boats on the lake. we had a few rain clouds but the weather was great. we ate left over cabbage salad. i may never eat it again. steve and ali's boat worked like a champ. we hit the dairy in richfield on the way home for slushies. besides wearing my swimming suit the whole car ride home, it was a perfect day.

it's a family reunion!

our matching bryce canyon shirts. thanks image point.

ruby's inn was our destination. and ruby treated us well. the whole extended family was there. a tasty bbq and a magic show by uncle mark started off our reunion. we hiked around bryce canyon the next morning. we loved having our meals catered during our stay and enjoyed the family slide shows and program on our last night. matt enjoyed schooling the young and old on the court. pretty much every cousin came up to me afterwards to tell me what a great ball player he is. tell me something i don't know. ha!

uncle mark and his magic...

grandpa sang his favorite vocal piece not once but twice for us. you don't have to twist his arm to get him on stage. grandpa has been in singing groups for years but his speciality is his solo,"danny boy" in particular. they would sing at retirement homes in st. george. he's had many old ladies on his tail. there's just something about a man that can sing...

grandma bev is performing one of her many memorized shel silverstein poems, complete with sound effects and actions. "how about another peanut butter sandwich!"

grandpa may not remember much these days but he's still sweet and we were so glad he was there. he married my grandma scott (my moms mother) years ago and took on her 5 kids and raised them like his own. my grandma scott passed away when i was only 7. he married my grandma bev shortly after and she has been an angel to our family. thanks grandma bev for taking such good care of him through this rough time. he is a good man and we love him.

last time matt and i were in bryce canyon together was in high school. here we are 10 years later...now three of us.


jon is so good with kids and will be a terrific father...someday...off in the distance. :)

hiking can just wipe you out. even if you've been carried the ENTIRE way.

thor's hammer. a famous rock in bryce. brin had just realized thor was on her shirt.

we made it. the navajo loop. hiked.

the severts wanted family photos taken while all their gang was together. so before we all parted ways i snapped a few.

the whole family

the lovely jan and mark

carson, aka mr. blue eyes.

greg and amber and their 3 beauties.

ryan and lindsay with tucker and luke, who couldn't be cuter.

natalie, paul and carson.

luke

the severt boys scored GREAT wives. besides being beautiful they are smart, creative, funny and they are great mothers. no pressure kev to find someone as qualified as lindsay, amber and natalie...

it was fun to see the extenders but our visiting was too short. seeing everyone only every 3 years is not going to cut it. cousins cruise anyone?

thanks sue for planning such a great reunion.

a bit about dad

i love my dad. he's the total package. he's smart, fun, faithful, gifted, handsome and an incredible father and grandpa. he loves beautiful things and has instilled that gift in me. his daughters inherited his expensive taste, i'm not sure if i should thank him for that or not. he is opinionated but knows what looks good, in a home, clothing or in a photograph. he's a hard worker and has always done his best to support his wife and children. he is tender and loving with his grandkids and like mom, acts like he hasn't seen annie in weeks when we have visited the night before! he is stylin'. he wears skater shoes and drives a bmw. he served a mission back east and we're going this fall with mom and dad to see the beautiful sights. we're so excited. he taught his kids to work hard. he keeps a tidy yard. he has always fulfilled his church callings and been a worthy priesthood holder. he is a good example to me and my family and we're so glad he's OUR dad.

happy father's day dad.

(this tiny bundle is josie. one year ago today she came into this world. we love her too! happy 1st birthday sweetness).

and my fabulous father in law. he's one of a kind. he may be the most generous man i know. he has a huge heart and such a great personality. he tells the best stories (although some stories may be fabricated, just a tad) but nonetheless he makes his family laugh. he is a hard worker and has taught his children well. he is a great supporter and his behind his family 100% in whatever they are involved with. he loves his grandkids and spoils them whenever possible. he loves to be with his family, especially in grover and will think of any excuse to get down there. he is a man of tradition and loves taking his family to cut down christmas trees off the boulder mountain, boating in lake powell or kickball in the arena. he is a family man to the fullest.

i've been lucky for six years to be one of his own.

happy father's day. we love you!