The Birthday Boy

The first week of July means lots of birthdays in the Rockwood house.  Eric turned 2 just a few days after Meg's birthday.  He definitely got into the birthday thing this year.  He loved opening presents.  He loved cake.  He loved all of the attention he got and he loved all of the cars.  Notice that in all of the pictures below, his cars are present.  This boy loves anything with wheels, particularly cars, trains, and tractors.  He is a ball of energy.  Always running and on the go.  He loves playing with his sisters and loves when his dad wrestles with him.  He is learning more and more words everyday.  Some of my favorites these days are "thank you, mama" and "what?"  He says "What" anytime you say his name.  He is such a sweetheart, we love him to pieces.

Notice the cars on the seat...

This is an old lawn mower that doesn't have the mower attached that Steven fixed up.  It goes really slow and Eric loves to drive his "tractor" all by himself because he is a big boy.

One of Eric's very favorite people.  Steven wouldn't take a picture with him (imagine that), but he loves "Teve" too.

Helping himself to seconds.

The Birthday Girl

Meg celebrated her 12th birthday this last week.  Yup.  That's right--12.  She is now officially a young woman.  Earlier in June she got to go to Girl's Camp and Sunday got to go to Beehive's for the first time.  It is all very exciting!  Meg is an amazing girl and a great big sister to Brinn and Eric.  She did so well in school this last year and is getting ready for junior high in the fall.  She is still playing the piano and is enjoying having her own room now.  We love having Meg in our family!

Meg and her awesome 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Sumsion.

Visiting the Farm

The kids and I went to the Baby Animal Birthday Party at Thanksgiving Point at the end of May.  Having grown up in real farm country, I wasn't super impressed, but I think the kids had fun.  We even got to ride in a wagon and on a little cow train.

Dance Festival

So this is really late, but here are some pictures from Cherry Creek's Dance Festival at the end of the school year.  It was a lot of fun to watch.  Each grade learned a dance and then they all performed the last week of school.  If I remember right, Brinn's dance was to the Beach Boys, "Surfin' USA," and Meg's was the "Electric Slide."

Hallam Family Reunion 2013

Over Memorial Day weekend we got together in Burley, Idaho for our family reunion.  It was a lot of fun to be together.  Here are some of the highlights:

• The grandkids got to go fishing with grandpa
• Frisbee golf--with only one frisbee to the head...
• Yummy dutch oven cooking
• Cousin sleepover in the tent
• Hot showers while camping :)
• New church clothes made by grandma
• A cousin scavenger hunt
• S'mores by the fire
• Raccoons stealing our marshmellows
• A fun "did you know" game
• Rock climbing in City of Rocks
• Eric falling in a cactus

And here are the pictures.  I was impressed that everybody tried climbing, even grandma and grandpa.  I don't have the pictures of Maria climbing because that is when Eric fell in the cactus and we were trying to pull out all of the needles, but she did it.

The only picture we could get of all of the grandkids in their new grandma clothes...

Frisbee golf 

City of Rocks

Kyler exploring and being brave with grandma's help

Meg being an awesome climber.  She holds the cousin record for going the highest.

Eric post cactus encounter

Everyone's favorite Aunty Nel

Meg the baby whisperer and Addy

Brayden did a great job climbing.

Eric and Kyler racing down the rock "slide" on their butts.

Brinn was the first cousin to climb.  She set a high standard!

Elise's first climbing adventure.

Brandon at the top.

Steven and Nel teaching the kids to climb on every rock.