This Is Summer!

We had a great day today at the beach with our friends, the Ellsworths. Wish you were here with us!

Preston Had A Great Birthday!

Preston has been excited for this day for a long time. Well, we didn't do anything grand, but he did get treated like a king. We love Preston for his smile, his fun attitude and the love he gives everyone. Preston was a great 6 year old and I'm sure he'll make a great 7 year old as he prepares to be baptized in one year.

Happy Birthday, Preston!

We love you, buddy, and hope today was a great day for you!!! You're getting so old!
See you in 4 days!
love, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Derek, Ethan, Reid and Luke

Don't Worry, All is well

We know you are all worried about mom's surgery and whether she is in pain and how it all went. Oh that's right, you all forgot and noone called her to wish her well or to see how it went this morning .....lol..... Nevertheless, she was concerned and somewhat worried about the long recovery time before she is back on her feet, but at least the surgery is over and she seems to be resting well. It was about two hours long and they let her come home, so here is a picture of her recovering.

Stewart Family Reunion

Preston Muttin' Bustin'

CONNOR HOT DOGIN' AFTER HIS RIDE!

Well, we've been gone for the past couple of days here in Nevada. It is a great experience. Our kids do things that I have never done. Get this. Connor rode a steer and got bucked off about 15 feet face first into the mud. He got off and did the touchdown sign to the crowd. All of the sudden he's some cowboy. The next day, Preston did some Mutton Bustin' and rode a sheep for his 6 seconds. Adin was about to do it until he saw one of his cousin's get thrown off and was crying hysterically. Adin looked at me and said, "I'm not riding that sheep today Daddy." We come home on Tuesday. We're going jack-rabbit hunting tomorrow.

Never posted pictures from Bear Lake!!!

We had a great time on our trip to good ol' Bear Lake! The scenery and activities that I remember are all the same. The Lake, however is still really far away and not so easy to access. Do I remember correctly, that as a child the beach was just beyond the grass and then water?
We were the only tent sleepers in the mix with at least 10 trailers. The toilet is now real plumbing so you can flush it every time you go. So I guess some things have changed! The sitting in a circle and watching aunt Judy bake part is still the same:)

Bicycle Built for Four

Well, it's no triple-hauler, but I did get all of my kids on the back of my bike. Derek was at the hospital tonight with a friend from our branch, so the boys and I took a ride to the bay. (That's my shadow waving.)

Happy Birthday, Shelby!

We love you, Shelby! We hope you have a fun birthday!
love, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Derek, Ethan, Reid, and Luke

Temple Day

We went to the Detroit Temple Saturday so I could do baptisms with the youth and so Derek could attend an endowment session with Bill Gannon, a man he hometeaches (it was Bill's first time.) Bill's wife, Therese, was just baptized on Monday, so it's been a big week for them!

This photo of the boys captures the general sentiment between Luke and Reid-- Reid adores Luke, a little too much, and Luke just tries to dodge Reid's gestures of affection. It's getting better, though, as Luke gets older. :)

Crazy Bike Ride

On the 4th of July we went on a bike ride. I put the Trail-a-bike on my bike and Mia's trailer onto Adin's Trail-a-bike. It was quite the train. I started something that the kids don't let me forget. Now, Mia and Adin want to go for a bike ride everyday!

Happy Birthday, Hannah

We love you, Hannah-Banana! We hope you are having a fun birthday!!! Here are a few adorable pictures from back when you were 5! You're growing too fast! We love you and can't wait to see you later this summer. Love, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Derek, Ethan, Reid and Luke

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMI!

I called Cami and woke her up yesterday for her Birthday just to make it her best birthday ever! She was going to a spa for her big day! I hope that it was a great birthday Cami! You're older than me now (I'm staying at 33)!

Safari Luke

This is the adorable outfit Grandma Nori gave to Lukey for his 1st birthday.

Check out more 4th of July photos on the Hatch Family site (I've added a link to the right).... also, scroll down to "June Photos" and look at the photos of Luke and my Aunt Krissy-- it was really amazing, how much he loved snuggling with her.

A Weaver Racing First

Luke can now say something that even Uncle Adam can't say; he's the youngest Weaver to have competed in a race! At 13 months old, Luke competed in the Cherry Festival Diaper Derby... if you can call laying at the start line "competing". My friend Mikaila held Luke until it was time to start, and I was certain he would bolt toward me. He was rearing to go, too. But by the time they finally started, Luke was content to lay and look around, wondering what was going on.I'll email all of you the video-- it was hilarious. :)
Reid was supposed to run in a toddler trot, but the whole event was so poorly organized that we'd already been waiting an hour and a half when we decided to cut our losses and leave... by that time he told me he wasn't going to run anyway.
The part that I probably shouldn't admit is that I even got butterflies in my stomach before Luke was supposed to compete. :)

Cami and Jason........Where are your Bear Lake Pictures?

The Other Pictures That Didn't Come Up.

I AM WAY TIRED!
AFTER THE LONG RIDE MY FAMILY STILL LOVES ME!

Triple Bypass

Chalk this one up as an experience of a lifetime. Yesterday, I got up at 4:30 am to go do a bike ride from Evergreen (7900 ft.) over Squaw Pass (9807 ft.) on the way to Juniper Peak (11,140 ft.) down to Idaho Springs (7500 ft.) then up to Loveland Pass (11,990 ft.) down to Keystone, over Swan Mountain by Lake Dillon, then up over Vail Pass (10,560 ft.) and down past Vail to Avon. It was a 120 mile ride which, by itself is daunting, but it got worse! There was a light mist at the start of the ride and grew into rain by Squaw Pass. It then got freezing cold at the top of Juniper. I was in my little bike shorts and a short-sleeved bike shirt and I was freezing. Luckily, there was a little store at the base of Mt. Evans and I stopped in and bought a sweatshirt and a gore-tex jacket. I got back on the bike and kept going and so did the rain. Just imagine going 45 mph on a bike in the driving rain. I couldn't wear my glasses because then I couldn't see at all, so the rain pelted me the whole way like little bb's. By the time I got to Copper Mountain I didn't know if I was going to make it. I was already late meeting Alyson at the end of the ride and still had 30 miles to go. I stopped and called her and told her that I was on the verge of death and that she needed to postpone my massage appointment for later because I was still at least an hour and a half from the end. I charged up Vail Pass and cruised all the way down past Vail (that is where Alyson took these pictures) and into Avon where I collapsed. I ate like a horse and then went to our hotel (we stayed at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa) and I had a great massage where I got worked over. The ride took me 8 hours, but with 2 hours of stopping during the ride it was a 10 hour journey. The best part of the day was going out for pizza in Vail Village and throwing rocks in the overflowing river with my crazy kids (minus Connor who is with his grandparents in Nevada). The picture below is of us by that river. Believe it or not, I want to do this ride again with Derek and Dad, just not in the rain!

In your room. What would you do?

At 1 AM on the morning of July 5th, these two characters entered the bedroom of keith and gail huntsman. They stood at the foot of the bed for several minutes and finally shook the bed. Keith screamed and grabbed for Gail. Gail was so terrified she could only gasp and finally uttered a small scream. Then for what ever reason she said, "fred???". The two personages said not a word, handed Gail a note and left. They were carrying flashlights and had entered through the garage and laundry room. We have denied any involvement.
The note simply said, "Happy 60 years old woman, we will be back."

New Grill'n Recipe...

PIZZA ON THE GRILL

1 pkg. (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 T vegetable oil
2 t. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2-3/4 to 3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir in enough remaining flour to form soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

On floured surface, roll dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a greased 12 inch pizza pan. Build up edges slightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from grill. Combine chicken with B-B-Q sauce, spread over crust. Add veggies and top with cheese. Grill, covered, 5-10 minutes longer or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. (4 servings)

Another day on the water with the Dream Weaver

Well as per usual, we had an exciting day at the lake even though it was very crowded. The little weaver's dominated the water weenie until Dan and Adam began the water circus and then I think Dan won with more victories over Adam. A wild day that I am sure did not compete with Cherry festival, however we did eat cherries.
The best part was getting the mighty Tim Bob back on board for a ride. He seemed to love it and it has been too long since he was in the boat.

Grandma Nori and the Princess

Well at least the princess let grandma nori hold her on the boat. And after a little unhappiness she actually konked out. We can not mention that the majority of the time on the boat she was life jacketless and we had to hide her when the shore patrol came by. Of course she just did not want the jacket on until grandma insisted.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Here's our yearly 4th of July photo of the kids! Hope you all have a great 4th!

The Thrill of the Slip'N'Slide

Just a reminder of this classic summer pasttime, brought to you by Ethan.