The Unwin adventures in "our" Fast Lane...

September found my mom and me traveling to St. George to go visit James, Kristin and Annie and to go see Little Mermaid at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. It was incredible and we had a great time!

Tiffany's Birthday dinner

Megan

October found Peter and me celebrating three birthdays! Megan, our oldest granddaughter, became a teenager and her mom became a little bit older. 

October also found Peter and I flying to Pasadena to celebrate our youngest granddaughter, Lucy's first birthday!

Lucy wanted french fries for her birthday dinner

Lucy taking her bike for a test ride

Happy 1st Birthday Lucy!

Annie, James and Kristin came to visit and stay with us a few days.  

Luke is awesome!

November came and it was birthday time again and this time for Luke who turned 10! He is such a great help and works as hard as a grown up.

Luke helping clean up 

Thursday Thanksgiving fun with Casey, Cindy and Lucy flying up to join all of us.  Black Friday sees us staying home and having the annual Cousin Gingerbread House Decorating Party.

Family, food and lots of fun

   

Cousin Decorating Fun

The handsome lawyer and Lucy

Lucy

While we were being blown away in Utah...Casey braved the San Anna winds and was officially sworn in to the California Bar!! So proud of their hard work.  

Then December 1st and 2nd brought hurricane force winds that left us without power for about 38 hrs. We lost a fence and had to take our big pine tree down but thanks to great neighbors, friends, and family the clean up went very quickly.  Tiffany summed it up best on her blog here

Last weekend found us going on another road trip to St. George.  This time Megan and Ellie came with us so that we could go wish Annie a Happy 2nd Birthday.  We had a great time.  Megan the family's official cake maker and decorator pulled off another of her cute cakes with minimal equipment that made Annie so happy to have a Yo Gabba Gabba Brobee cake.

Road trip fun

Ellie & Annie snuggling

How could we not mention the garage door adventures!

Annie loved her Brobee cake!

The birthday girl...the party wore her out!

Well that about catches us up.  We are excited that Christmas is just around the corner but for now, the vacuum is calling my name and I really need to get ready to go to tonight's Last Chance (the Band) Christmas Gig!!

Peter is 60!!!

Happy Birthday to my best friend!!!

London Temple 2007 (shocked the picture takers!)

Peter has asked me several time if when it was his birthday would he be the "Family Friday" post.  So here it is a Wednesday but we will count it as a Friday cause after all it's his birthday!

He was born in Sutton, Surrey, England and there is a mystery around his birth as to whether he was a twin. That doesn't surprise me because he can be a mystery on many occasions. 

Famous Peter Quotes:

• "I do wish you would be more careful."
• "Use your indicator!"
• "I can make that."
• "Let me check with the guys at work."
• "Sshhh...I'm watching this."

Famous Peter Stories: (umm you will have to ask him!)

• The bicycle chain story.
• Guitar and the customs man.
• Heads and toilets being flushed
• One day he can find his way to Hampton Court Palace and the next day he is lost!
• His dark years of classical music (no don't ask on second thought)
• Chasing a would be "burglar" down the street with an empty milk bottle in his hand at 1 a.m.

Things Peter is passionate about:

Last Chance Band - Lehi Round-up 2011

Yup, that is a bullet proof vest! 

• Guns 
• Guitars (both of which he thinks you can never have enough of)
• People smoking in public
• Where he sits in a restaurant.
• His children and if everything is going well. 

As with each of us there are many things we would change...eating pizza and hamburgers with a knife and fork for example...however there are many things we wouldn't change and that is his wicked sense of humor and quick wit but most of all his love for his family and their well being!  

Happy 60th 

to 

Peter Roger Unwin Hobbs

(that story you will have to ask Casey & Cindy about)

Kind of busy....

Wow is all I can say to the summer rushing by.  We have been busy and have enjoyed the summer for the most part...

Kristin, James & Annie (not in St. George)

We moved James, Kristin & Annie to St. George and I wasn't even in St. George's 105 degree weather long enough to get hot or take a picture. (600 and a bit round trip miles in one day...but that's another story!)

Two days later was the July 4th big big Water Baseball Game and BBQ at Tiffany's. Water Baseball pictures here

The next day Casey, Cindy, Lucy and I headed off for Pasadena, California. Casey driving the moving truck and Cindy, Lucy and I driving their car.  We stopped in St. George to visit James, Kristin and Annie in their new home that I had been to 3 days prior to this trip.  We stayed long enough to eat a take out Thai dinner and let it stink up their house.  We then hit the road and traveled as far as Primm, Nevada where we spent the night.  It took me three times to the front desk to get a room that the key opened and a room with air conditioning.  The next morning found us leaving early to get to Pasadena so that the movers Casey had hired could unload the truck. Boy, did they ever work hard!

I enjoyed playing with Lucy and going to the beach when really I should have helped with more unpacking but we had a great time doing both.  We played in the water and ate on the Huntington Beach Pier.

Nana & Lucy

Cindy, Lucy and Nana - July 7, 2011

I flew home on Friday night in time to fulfill a Handcart Day calling that required me to help with an Art and Craft show exhibit and to watch the band, Last Chance, participate in the event.  The police were very nice when the complaints from the neighborhood rolled in.  The Mayor was called and the Chief of Police.  As it was a city event they just asked the band to turn their speakers away from the audience and the people who lived across the street and to aim them towards the library and the Police Station. (next time the event organizers will get an "Amplified Noise Permit")  

Kort, Matt & Peter - July 9, 2011

Last Chance - Art Show July 9, 2011

I was relaxing on the Sunday evening when my mom called to say a friend of the family had died and that Paula, my sister in law, was taking her to the funeral the next day.  Not to miss out I said "Count me in!" and off I headed with them to Nampa, Idaho. (this time only a 5 1/2 hr drive)

Mom & Paula - Glenns Ferry, Idaho - July 19, 2011

We managed an impromptu birthday party for my dad, a working FHE, a birthday picnic in Mueller Park Canyon, Amber's birthday party, a street party with the band playing again (yes we really like Last Chance!) and over 125 friends boogieing, chatting, eating and laughing the night away.  I'm ready for a vacation....oh wait that's coming soon!!

Summer Fun 2011

Cousin Camp 2011 Memories

In 2009 I got a bee in my bonnet and thought..."Let's have a cousin camp. Invite all the grandkids for a day, a night, and a day." So we did.  We just completed our third year. The first year we had trouble with rain so a few of the things we planned ended up indoors.  The last two years have been hot and perfect. (a parent's perspective 28 Hours Cousin Camp, Glorious Cousin Camp)

2009 Silly Face Picture...Awesome shirts!

2009 Indoor movie as it rained

 2009 Ellie and Chloe doing hair

2009 Caleb, Megan and Chloe

2009 Megan, Ellie & Chloe

2009 Indoor Rain gutter ice cream Sundaes....dang rain

2010 Tie Dye Shirts

Hanging and drying

2010 Outdoor Movie

2010 They rolled down the hill in the night and ended up in the flowers

2010 Smores up the canyon - Megan

Ben

2010 Rain gutter ice cream sundaes

2010 Picture with our new Cousin Flag

We start with a snack (well this year we didn't get around to it because we were so busy making our shirts)  The first year we used fabric markers and decorated our shirts and then signed our name on each other's shirts.  The next year we made tie dye shirts.  This year we made stencil spray shirts.  They turned out so cute.

We have our traditions: we play chalk games, blow bubbles, draw on the sidewalk and driveway.  We have watched movies, eaten snacks, had pancake breakfasts, made a cousin camp flag, root beer floats, rain gutter sundaes, smores, glow sticks, weenie roasts, BBQ's, water slide, hot tub antics, picnics in the canyon, picnics in the park, hikes, pictures, photo albums, disagreements, laughter, giggles, and cuddles. The grandchildren have grown...just look at the pictures.  This year we added two two-year-olds to the day activities and our cute Lucy joined us for the closing events.  Oh what fun!

2011 T-shirt creating

2011 Haven't they grown

2011 - Aren't we clever?

2011 Luke and Ben hiding from the squirt gunners

2011 - Drew and Annie and giggles

2011 Hot tub fun

2011 - Lazing in the park

2011 - Joshua playing hide and seek

2011 - Lucy's first Cousin Camp

Annie & Drew playing with the ducks

Drew just chill'n

Luke drawing his goat Hank

Girls being girls

Caleb...showing us his artistic talents

Annie and the bubbles

"Can we just start the movie?"

Kristin showing the kids how to hula hoop

2011 Rain gutter Sundaes

Pick up time

 2011 Ellie, Nana & Lucy

2011 - Sometimes Joshua just doesn't want his picture taken

Annie had to go home a day early so this is her shirt picture

We have hopefully created bonds of love and have helped make memories that will last a lifetime!

We love you, Caleb, Megan, Ben, Joey, Luke, Ellie, Chloe, Joshua, Drew, Annie, Lucy & ?