My Little Darlings....

One of the fun things about being a grandma is taking lots of pictures:)

Here's a picture of Rafe at the pool yesterday.

He is sooo sweet!

Kaitlyn and Haivyn were at the house today so I had to get a picture of her in this cute little outfit.

Dressing up girls is really fun!  

Love these kiddos!!

Ellerbeck Mansion

Last night Rick and I had a night out on the town!  We used up some gift certificates to Carver's Restaurant and had a fantastic meal.  I like Carver's because it has a nice atmosphere and good food.  I like to eat at a place that has music in the background and not at the forefront.  It is nice to converse while eating and not have to strain to hear what the other is trying to say.  Too many restaurants these days are just too loud.  More of a party atmosphere.  No thanks, to that.  

I'd rather have a quiet romantic dinner any day:)  

Rick enjoyed the ribs while I had chicken cordon bleu.  So delish:)

After dinner we drove downtown up into the Avenues to Ellerbeck Mansion where we stayed the night.  Yup, another trade voucher was used.  Those things sure come in handy!  We had an enjoyable evening in our Victorian Room...It was actually called the Autumn Room but was decorated in the Victorian style.  We had a huge king bed and a flat screen TV:)  I love watching the Food Network.  (Satellite is such a treat when we are staying away from home because we don't have it there.  We don't watch much TV and if we had a satellite I'm afraid it would be on every night)  Rick loves stations like Animal Planet and Discovery.  Truly,  I think we could really waste a lot of time if we had these channels to watch every night.   And no, TV wasn't the only thing on the menu:)  

Anyway, fun night with my guy!!  

How about that plate of ribs!!

They were gigantic!

Ellerbeck is a quaint little place in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by huge trees.

The front porch.

Our room is in the right corner on the second floor.

A view of the inside. 

The Cathedral of the Madeline is just 2 blocks south of Ellerbeck.  It was fun to hear the morning bell tower chimes playing a nice tune.  For breakfast the innkeeper made us each a Denver Omelet with a side of fresh fruit.  OJ and home made hot chocolate were a treat as well.

After getting ready for the day we took a drive around the area.  Our innkeeper told us that Elder Holland lives in her ward and that his home was just up the street so we had to go check that out:)  Driving around the avenues is nothing new for Rick and I.  There have been many times through the years after spending an evening in town that we have enjoyed driving around looking at the beautiful homes up on the hill.  It's great!

Haivyn's Blessing

Haivyn was given a name and a blessing by Rick in Sacrament Meeting today.  She looked very beautiful in this stunning dress that Lar Phelps (my sister-in-law) made.  Haivyn wore it well:)  She is a beautiful baby! (and of course I am 100 % biased)  Rick blessed her with good health and a character of kindness, compassion, and thoughtfulness.  He also blessed her that she would be a light and strength to her parents and family.  She started wailing in the middle of the blessing....  (Skylar was on binky duty and it completely fell out) so Rick cut it short:)  

Here are a few pictures of the little dolly!

It's times like this I had a really nice camera......

Full length

John, Kaitlyn, and Haivyn

Grandma Nell and Haivyn

A couple of close-ups...

Enough pictures grandma!!

Phelps Family Reunion 2014

Over the fourth of July we had our annual Phelps Family Reunion.  It was held at Deer Creek Reservoir up Provo Canyon just outside of Heber City.  Darla and Larry were in charge and did a great job.  We arrived on Thursday around 4 and set up camp.  We enjoyed visiting family members as they pulled into camp.  Kaitlyn and Haivyn came with us.  (John had to work)  Skylar and Sarah and Brach an Kendra each had a tent close to our RV spot.  

Some fun things that we did at this reunion are:

Roasted S'mores by the campfire

Games and Piñata for the kids

Flag raising ceremony

Midway City Fireworks show

Playing at the Reservoir

Fishing (The guys of course:)

Playing Dominion

Clothing Exchange

Bake Sale

Auction (to help with funds for next year)

Family Program

Visiting family that we don't get to see very often

It was a nice time although it was very hot!  Thankfully it cooled down at night.  Yes, I even needed a blanket in the trailer.  The mornings and evenings were quite nice.  Here are some random photos....

Rafe and Jack (Iris in the background)

Haivyn giving me a smile

Sarah getting out of the sun at the reservoir

Brach trying out Rick's new float tube 

Kaitlyn, Kendra, and Rafe getting their feet wet

Rafe shooing us his toothy grin

Rick and Sky in the raft

Starting the family program....

and more on the other side

Rick and I

Playing games at the pavilion

Some of the auction crowd

Auctioneer Blaine and Melissa as his assistant

Sky catching some zzz's after his early morning fishing trip

That's it.  I'm not the greatest photographer but at least I got a few pictures to document this year's reunion:)  We had a great time!  It's always good to be with family:)