FAIRY TALE TOWN!

While in Sacramento we we kidnapped the Aunts (mindy and cat) stole their coupons, and went to fairytale town.

I have pictures of me going to this same park when I was little.

It is a beautiful park with beautiful grounds covering most of the common fairytales!
King Aurthurs throne in front of the round table

Mother Goose Time!Listening to the stories on her lap

There was an Old Woman (ME) who lived in a shoe...

who had so many children she didn't know what to do (ME)!

Old McDonald had a farm..with a moo moo here

The cow wanted the kids to pet him-he kept walking up to them so they would pet him!

Owls house slide

Three Blind Mice

Peter Rabbit on his way to McGregors garden Tortoise and the Hare

watering farmer McGreogors garden

..after a few hours of visiting, walking, and playing in the sun

visions of sugar plums danced in their nap-time heads!! (for Dacie that is)

What a Beautiful Life--

This past week while I have been in California celebrating with my family, Dan's uncle quietly slipped away from this earth life. It has been a long battle and in fact, his last words to his family written on a pad were "what's the big deal?"

He will be absolutely missed on this earth life (particularly by Dan's dad who only had one brother and they were best friends).

I have fond memories of Sunday afternoon dinners at their house while Dan and I were at BYU..

We are grateful to know we will see him again.

And although I have been home for less then 24 hours I find myself unpacking and then repacking bags for Dan and I.

Dan was raised with these cousins and so he heads out to the graveside service in beautiful Ashton, Idaho .

While I have commitments that would be hard to back out of-I am going on our stakes pioneer trek with the youth.

Although both of us are heading out on trips that will be hard emotionally for Dan, and physically for me-BOTH these trips will conclude with peace, reunions, friendships, and stronger testimonies of the Gospel.

(I am not sure my sister watching our kids will end with the same results.)

We will have lots to share next week!

~

Here is Uncle Steve's obituary below:Steven Ray Sorensen was born Oct. 18, 1949, in Mesa, AZ, to Bert and Raeola Sorensen. His early years were spent at the P.Z. Ranch near Winkelman, AZ. By age five, his family had located to Phoenix, AZ; and at age 14 to Winslow, AZ, where Steve graduated from Winslow High School in 1967.Steve began college at Northern Arizona University on a music scholarship. He interrupted his education to serve as an LDS missionary in the Kentucky/ Tennessee mission. After his mission, he continued his education at Ricks College in Rexburg, ID, and later at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where he earned a B.S. in history and a M.S. in library science.Steve's greatest loves were his family, LDS church history and fishing a dry fly. In 1974, Steve married Mareen Peterson in the LDS temple in Provo. In 1980, he began a distinguished career as an archivist for the church, serving many years as the Director of Church Archives, a stimulating job that took him to many areas of the world. Steve's significant contributions to the preservation of the church's history were acknowledged by many, including the Mormon History Association, which awarded him its highest distinction in 2006. At the time of his death, he was an editor of the Joseph Smith Papers.Steve's earthly life ended May 29, 2009, at the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA, where he had been a lung-transplant recipient following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He slipped quietly away surrounded by his wife and seven children.Steve is survived by his wife Mareen; seven children, Dane (Cassandra), Kirsten (Jason) Carson, Andrew (Merilee), Ernest (Melanie), Jon, Annikka (Jason) Fluckiger, Curtis (Emily); 11 grandchildren; five siblings Douglas, Susan Bryson, Andrea Rhoton, Gwen Higginson, Jean Zufelt; and his parents.Steve's family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses at the Stanford University Medical Center, including the Heart and Lung Transplant team, as well as Dr. Tracy Hill in Provo, UT, who worked tirelessly to allow Steve to spend more precious time with his family and loved ones.

Graduation Day!

The Culminating EvEnT of Vacation was the graduation of THE LAST (out of 9) Hutchings (my family) from High School

on Tuesday (June 2nd --MY MANS B-DAY)

~Breanna Noelle Hutchings ~


Dacie trying her darndest to jump in the air
As many of you are well aware--my family takes any opportunity to celebrate and make a PARTY!! Today was NO exception
Graduation Breakfast at my parents

The Decorations

The Family enjoying breakfast out front

My entire family was TEXTING during the ceremony...including MY DAD!!! The world definitely has changed since I was in H.S

My boys enjoying the musical numbers, speeches and over 400 READ aloud names in ARCO arena-even after they charged us $7 a person(including kids) and took all of our bottled water and threw it in the trash

HURRAH!

My parents and Breanna

The kids

Breanna with her oldest 2 sisters!!!

We were ALL having a FUN time celebrating- even the NEWLY WEDS--Shaun and Cat

*I did NOT get a picture of dinner afterwards. We had to wait in line for over an hour and it was well past 10 when we were finished--we all had our TOO TIRED to lift a camera faces on!

We've Been Hit!

WE've been HIT....WITH THE STOMACH FLU

we went relatively unscathed with minor tummy issues this winter

BUT Dacie got a FULL BLOWN case LAST NIGHT!

She has not had the flu badly since she was a few months old...and we just got hit with the diaper part of it then--

BUT NOT LAST NIGHT

I have never had to worry about hair getting in the way with the boys.
I was trying each time to get her hair up and out of her face

AND to stay that way while she got sleep in between--

AND this is the rubberband, headbanded, clipped mess I came up with!

Not old enough to EVER make it in the bucket we kept close by...
SO we went through four loads of laundry last night alone
AND we are suppose to go to Grandma's tomorrow
AAARH!

We INTERRUPT this MONTH and a HALF...

(Colton's first and only game to pitch)

We interrupt the regularly scheduled program (LIFE) for a month and a half...

for Emergency necessary BALL playing

(Colton hitting the ball-this was his first year on coach/kid pitch--he played on a team with his good buddy Dallin, and much sought after coach)

(Colton pitching UNDEFEATED Sidewinder-his team name-style)

The SORENSEN FAMILY could be found on the ball fields, at 2 games, at 2 practices, at parks, team pictures, preparing team snacks, taking their shift at the snack bar, attending 2 end of season parties, in the car, coordinating schedules, earning money for 2 team pictures-trophies-and coaches gifts, IN THE DIRT,
EVERY NIGHT for the last month and a half...
IT'S BASEBALL SEASON!!!
(Sterling was the TALLEST kid EVER in T-Ball)

SORRY if you have been the recipient of the Sorensen's negligence during this time-
THEY STILL LOVE YOU!

(Dacie being pushed by her pal Addison at Sterling's end of season party at the park)

(Sterling had the GREAT experience of being on a team consisting of ALL of our favorite church and playgroup buddies--I certainly did NOT mind going to watch him play!)

We can now return to our regularly scheduled program

(of SUMMER chaos)

The video below is for all our grandparents out there--who could not make it to a game--it is Sterling's final hit of the season (Colton's is on our cell phone)

HAVE YOU SEEN ME...

LOST:

One School Library FABLEHAVEN BOOK

Last seen in the hands of this boy on the playground, last seen being enjoyed in this clubhouse

If FOUND please contact this boys piggy bank--its funds are in the negative since he loses pretty much most ANYTHING!