Summer of the Nieces and Nephews!

These pictures and videos make up one of the best summer weeks I have had in a very long time. My dearest hope is that I will always be able to see all of my nieces and nephews every summer like I was able to this year! I really love you kids!
~~~~~~

Okay, so my first stop was at my older brother Joseph and his wife Mary's house. (Our younger brother Hyrum was also with me, so you'll get to see photos/videos with him, too. Yay!)

Joseph & Mary
Rexburg, Idaho 2009

Don't let them fool you!

They are just getting started!!

Ha ha haaaa!!

Matthew was excited to play with the boomerangs

Aunt Bonnie sent over for everyone to play with.

Here's the wind-up...!

...And the pitch!

(Nice form, Matthew!!)


Darling Dallin


Eliza is always the life of any party!


Adorable Andrew
I love how his red scarf ties in with his T-shirt frog's red tongue.
The man can DRESS! I'm serious!

Hyrum, Baby Penny & Mary

Cuties all around

Dallin, Matthew, Eliza & Andrew

Puttin' the "hey, hey, hey!" into Haeberle

Makes me smile every single time I see these little faces.

When you're the best of friends...!

Joseph and his pretty Molly girl

And now for your viewing pleasure, we proudly present:

"Racing Uncle Hummy"

Runners on your marks...

Get set.....



GO!!!!!

YAY!!
Everyone's a winner when they're racin' Uncle Hummy!

Eliza hammin' it up in Uncle Hyrum's hat

Beautiful bouncin' baby girl!

Love you, Miss Molly Sue!

Andrew proves that with the right footwear,

it IS easy bein' green.

Dallin havin' a ball (so to speak)

while we played "keep-away"

Uncle Hummy crackin' up at the kids' antics

Uncle Hummy plays for Andrew (and the rest of us, too)

The Too Talented Hyrum Martin Haeberle

Awesome Andrew

Baby Penny, Mama Mary, Matthew, Eliza & Dallin

Say, "CHEESE!", girls!

Pretty girls all in a row

I'm not sure if the levels of fun we all experienced together were actually even LEGAL. Honestly. Whether it was watching Joseph try to retrieve the boomerang from the unsuspecting neighbor's roof or playing "keep away", tag , or "duck, duck, goose", we used every, single, tiny, ounce of energy Aunt Autumn and Uncle Hyrum had--and then some! Every minute we got to spend with the kids was like a tiny piece of Christmas, and we soaked it UP!

Thank you Joseph, Mary, Dallin, Eliza, Andrew, Matthew, Molly & Penny!! We love you!!

~~~~~~~

Our next stop was at my younger brother Miles and his wife Bonnie's apartment in Boise. I was really excited to see them and to FINALLY meet my nephew Clayton John Haeberle!! So here we go:

The lovebirds, Miles and Bonnie

Boise, Idaho 2009

Milo and his Bon Bon

! ! ! ! ! CLAY! ! ! ! !
We meet at long last!!

Profiles don't get much cuter than this!

Too cool for school,

Mr. Clayton John Haeberle

No words do this amount of cuteness justice.

Oh Clay....!!!

The Little Clay Man

Yes, he's adorable.

Yes, he knows it!

Havin' a swingin' good time!

Bonnie & Clayton

Loving Mama Bonnie & her Clay Baby.

Clay & his big balloon

Watch out! I'm mobile and these cheeks mean business!

Mommy tickles Clay

>sigh<

Just cuteness.

Climbin' Clayton John

(I love Uncle Hyrum's little interactions at the end. Classic.

Clay sure does love his Uncle Hyrum!!)

Hyrum, Miles, Bonnie and Clayton

It was REALLY hard to say goodbye and begin that long journey home! I wanted to stay a lot longer than the hour or so I was able to stay. Bonnie loaded me up with goodies and drinks and PERFECT driving directions though, and Miles burned me a bunch of SWEET music, and that made everything seem less overwhelming.

Thank you Miles, Bonnie & Clayton!!!

~~~~~~

After leaving Miles & Bonnie's place it was time for me to drop Hyum off, too, which was really, really hard to do. (Getting choked up thinking about it again!) What a week we had had together!! And we made some truly special re-connections with each other and our family members. I hope he and I can make a tradition of spending our family Relay for Life weekend together every year from now on.

Love you, Hini Whiney!!

Thanks for an unforgettable week!

~~~~~~

Oh! But I'm not finished yet, guys! Nope. Not by a loooooong shot! 'Cus you'll never guess who was waiting for me at home in California....

My little LoRe nieces and nephew!

They were visiting from Murfreesboro, Tennessee and it was so stellar to be able to spend some time with the kids and their parents, John & Michelle, while they were here, too!

 

Thank you John, Michelle, Cianna, Tyela, Zakiah & little Levi!

~~~~~~

Man, what a week that was, and what a wonderful way to spend those beautiful summer days!

Hope you enjoyed all the beautiful little faces as much as I did!! My life is truly enriched by each and every one of my nieces and nephews. If you want to feel God's love, just hold a child, and you're there. I can't wait to get these kids back in my arms again soon!

Love,

Aunt Autumn

Labor Day Weekend 2009 with Our Family

The amount of love I have and feel for my Family is so vast that it often becomes difficult for me even to express it. When Mike, his parents and I travelled up to Idaho last month for our Temple Sealing, I was able to show Mike and his parents just how special my family truly is. Or rather, they demonstrated it themselves with their usual gusto. The levels of generosity, caring and just flat out love which were shown to us was honestly amazing. Even writing this now, over a month later, my eyes again fill with tears and my mind with priceless memories. I characteristically forgot to capture most of what happened that weekend with my camera, but here are a few pictures I managed to take our last day there, Sunday, September 6th, 2009.

Grandaddy John Haeberle with great-grandson Clayton John Haeberle.

Grandaddy & Clay Baby

Clay had been making motor sounds for his toy car and was

intrigued at how well his Great-Grandad could do it, too. Do you

love this picture, or what??

Also of great interest was Grandaddy's watch.

The famous loving look from Granddad


Clay demonstrating that with the right amount of cheek chubbiness,
a neck is really quite superfluous.

L-R: Hyrum & Miles w/our Aunt Janie chillin' in the back.

Classic Hyrum & Miles

This is another of my new favorite pictures.
Mulverhill's, Haeberle's, Stangers, oh my!
L-R(ish):Helen Stanger, Miles, Bonnie, Hyrum, Jane, Clay, Jocie, Rosa & Pete.

Lovely Mesa Falls

Still purdy, Mesa Falls!

Papa Pete surveys the gorgeous sites.

Like father, like son!

Mike catches me surveying HIM! ha ha ha! Oops!

Hyrum makes any landscape that much cooler. :)

And he knows it! :D

My nephew Clay in all his perfection.

Miles, Bonnie & Clay Haeberle

Mesa Falls, Labor Day 2009

More Miles, Bonnie & Clay

Rosa & her Jocelyn at long last

Mama Rosa & Aunt Jane

Jocie, Janie & Mikey

Watching the family procession at Mesa Falls.
Something about this shot fills my heart with ennui...

Mesa Falls through the sun and mist

I love this picture because of the blend of family members.

Pete is standing next to Bonnie, Clay and Miles.

When does THAT ever happen?!

Truly one of my most favorite places in the world.

I love you, Mesa Falls!!

Papa Pete soaking in the goodness & grandeur

Clay was being adorable and while everyone else watched him,

I, of course, watched them.

When you think of blending families together, there is always the possibility that something or someone won't flow or fit in. Such was definitely NOT the case with our family's time together. It seemed like the moment everyone met, they had known each other for their whole lives. It was perfect. Seeing my father-in-law beat a quick path to hang out at my Aunt's and Grandparent's house warmed my heart more than I can say. Seeing my best friend Helen cozy up to my mother-in-law and my Dad and my Grandparents was just like old times. She flew all the way from Maryland to be with me that weekend, and my entire weekend--and my family's weekend--was made richer and better for it. I watched as my little brother Miles invited Mike to go on a drive with him to pick up our other brother. They had never met before, but hey! off they went anyway--like family does. My stepmother, Sheryl, recreated my mom's wedding bouquet for me to use in our sealing pictures. I don't know if anyone has ever done a more thoughtful thing for me in my whole life. Unless it was my Gran greeting us as we pulled up and taking us to the hotel rooms she had gotten for us to make us more comfortable during our stay. Our rooms even overlooked the river passing by below. And my Aunts were all amazing, too. I found out later that my Aunt Jocelyn had even missed one of her primary student's baptisms in order to prepare and provide our luncheon. There were just a million little things I watched happen while we were there, and each one showed me what I imagine heaven must be like:

Families without border lines.

HAPPY AUTUMNAL EQUINOX!

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Happy first day of autumn, everyone!
I hope it's a blessed and bountiful season for one and all.

Love,

Autumn

Mike & Autumn's Temple Sealing: 9/05/09

Hi Everyone,

This is a copy of an email I am sending out this morning. Due to server issues at work, I recently lost a LOT of my email addresses for family and friends. In an effort to try to reach as many loved ones as possible, I am repeating my email for those I may have missed, here:

Hi All!

As most of you are aware, Mike and I will be traveling up to South East Idaho later this week to be sealed for Time & All Eternity in the LDS Rexburg, Idaho temple on Saturday, 9/05/09. We are very excited and appreciative of everyone taking so much time and effort to be with us on our special day. Please contact me if you would like to join us, and I will get you any further information you might need/want.

For those who are planning on joining us, here is the official(ish) schedule for Saturday, September 5th:

9:45 A.M. Autumn’s Endowment Session (approx. 2 hrs.)
12:00 P.M. Marriage Sealing (approx. 30 minutes)
12:30/1:00ish Pictures with family and friends
3:00ish small luncheon reception in St. Anthony (@ Church bldg. across the street from my Aunts’/Grandparents’ house).

Our hearts are full as we anticipate spending so much time with our dear friends and family and also in being able to finally introduce everyone to Mike’s parents, Peter & Rosa, who will be making the trek up with us. I also want to thank everyone else who will be traveling to be with us this weekend. The more I think of it, I realize that most of those joining us are making significant sacrifices to be able to do so. If you are traveling to be with us, please know how much this means to us. Your presences will be cherished and not forgotten.

For those not able to join us, please know this: If you are receiving this email, you are Family to us and we couldn’t have gotten to this special point in our lives without you. Thank you for all your love, support, advice and generosity over the years. Thank you to each of you. We love you.

Thank you everyone!


Love,
Autumn

SAVE THE DATE

Mike and I are headed to the Rexburg Temple on Saturday, September 5 to be sealed for time and all eternity!!! 

Please let us know if you think you'll be able to join us! 

This is the Saturday of the long Labor Day Weekend, so we hope everyone will be available. We plan to arrive in Idaho on Friday and leave on Monday. Mike's parents, Pete and Rosa, will be driving up with us, too! We are all so excited and can't wait to come up and spend time with family and in the Lord's holy house. 

Let me know if you need any other information. I'm so excited I may have forgotten something. Ha!

Love, 

Autumn

Good Day, Sunshine

....pretty things make me smile....

So yesterday was just an all around fabulous day. The sun was shining and it was HOT (103!) and we actually got to get out into the world instead of watching it from our workplaces.

Mike and I both took the day off from our jobs as he went for his second interview at another Mercedes Benz dealership where he used to work, called Keyes European. The interview went really well, and some of Mike's former co-workers and friends even popped in to praise him and encourage the boss to hire him. It looks like he's pretty much got the job, and as soon as the mandatory background test comes back on Tuesday, it'll be official!

This will be such a blessing to our little family, and more especially to Michael. He will be working closer to home, which will save him time (personal, sleep and drive types especially) and gas expenses. He will be receiving a bit of a raise in pay. He will have more work in general, too, because Keyes European is a busier dealership. It's just looking to be a really great change all around.

We really believe all of this has happened because we are paying our tithing and also a generous fast offering. Suffice it to say that everything has lined up like a row of dominoes for the past week or two, and as we have prayed the Lord has opened doors for Michael to progress and also escape from the intensely negative situations at his current job.

After Mike took his drug test, we set out to spend the day taking care of a long list of Overdue To Do's. Can I just say how great it felt to have time and energy to do all of those things finally? And to be able to enjoy each other's company all day, too? Simple pleasures are my new favorite thing, I'm telling you. We shopped for groceries; we replated and polished my ring; we went to Mike's favorite pet shop; we had a healthy lunch together; we did a Wal-Mart run; we went to TJ Maxx looking for house stuff; we hit Costco and we went to dinner with Mike's friend Brett. It was just a fun day. Oh! And as I was going through some papers the other day I found a paycheck from June 1st that somehow I had never deposited, so that was great to take care of yesterday, too.

After we got home, and got all our purchases put away and organized, we just got to relax (me with the final Twilight book Mike bought me yesterday). I can't think of a way to spend a better day than doing things with my sweetheart and enjoying the gorgeous Southern California weather.

I'll be sure to let you know once Michael's new job position is official! Wish him luck!

Little Ol' Update

Hey Everybody,

I just wanted to take a few minutes and tell you some of the latest with Mike and me: nada mucho! ha! Just kidding, but this may not be that exciting, so consider this my disclaimer.

One of the first things I want to say to my relatives in Idaho is that I really am going to blog about my trip up there last month--I just need to buy a new chord for my camera/computer first. I don't want to blog without the pictures and videos, so that's why I haven't said anything about my trip yet. I love ya and I do plan to show you off, so don't give up on me, okay? Okay!

Secondly, here's the latest on Mike and me getting sealed: we started temple prep classes two weeks ago...and we're still on lesson one...! So, we might not finish the classes and interviews in time to be sealed on our one year anniversary after all. I'm going to talk to our teacher and possibly our Bishop to see if we can move things along a bit quicker, but for now, just know that we might not make it up to Idaho until late September or early October. I'll keep you posted as we figure things out. >sigh< In the meantime, will you please keep us in your prayers? We can very definitely feel the adversary's dislike with our target of the temple. Prayers serve as such a balm and buffer to us! Thank you!

We are headed to "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" tonight and we are STOKED!!! I'm sure there may be a few people who are possibly more excited than we two, but you'd be hard pressed to find 'em! Laugh if you will, but we are total HP fans in our household. We're even taking the movie lines into consideration. Knowing how long the line and wait may be, we plan to take dinner with us and eat as we wait. Hey, why suffer anything besides sweet anticipation, right? So off we go and we plan to love it with all our hearts! Woooooo-hooooooooooo!!!!

Hope this finds everybody doin' really great. Please keep us in your various loops, as it's where we love to be!

Love to you,
Autumn