Tidbits

Okay, so Nathan has been saving up for a long time, and he was finally able to purchase a new bike. More specifically, "a mountain bike, with gears." Did I mention that he's been dying for this bike for a really long time? It was getting dark, so the first picture isn't focused well. Here he is, going for the first ride....





Also, by popular demand, here's a picture of the cross-stitch that I've been working on. Let me just say that this picture doesn't do it justice. The resolution just isn't right. I'm also including a picture of the bag because it shows what the cross-stitch is supposed to look like when it's done. If you can't see it well enough you can go here to see it. Hey!! I just hyperlinked for the first time!!! :) And I didn't even have to ask Archie to show me how to do it!

Happy Birthday, Rebekah!

Rebekah decided to have a party at the house this year, and the main event was the "Bigger or Better" scavenger hunt. If you've never played it, it goes a little something like this. There are two teams, both of which start the hunt with a paper clip. Then the teams go around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and asking people for something bigger or better than the paper clip. If the neighbor has something, then the team trades the paper clip for the item. And the process continues like that, trading for bigger or better until the time is up. Here is what the teams came home with:

The birthday girl's team brought home a working bike (which you can't see because Joanna is riding it and the whole team is surrounding it).

The other team came home with a grill and a training toilet. Apparently the people at the door right after the training toilet didn't want to trade....they just wanted to give the bigger or better item. I can't say that I blame them.

Now this might sound like a really fun game, right? Yeah, it was. A smarter person than me might've thought it all the way through to the point at the end of the hunt when there are these huge items on the front porch that she didn't know what to do with. But not me. And then there was the part about how do you decide what's bigger or better between a grill/training toilet or a bike....which team wins? Luckily some quick thinking solved both dilemmas. The answer was, the first team to get rid of the stuff wins. Hehe.

In any case, the party was fun, and I think Rebekah had a great time. I'm so proud of her and the young woman that she is. She is so smart and capable of doing anything that she sets her mind to. She is very determined and eager to do the right thing. She is loyal to her family and friends, and I'm so happy to be a part of her family!

The next day...

After the Polar Express we all stayed at the hotel in Williams before heading home the next morning. Some of the family was able to get together for a impromptu birthday breakfast for Rebekah. Of course then we had to have a snowball fight with the snow in the Denny's parking lot. What else could we do?

And then on the way home we stopped to let the kids play in the snow one more time. Nathan and Joanna decided to build some snowmen.

The Polar Express

The big Christmas gift this year was from Grandad and Gramzer, and it was tickets to ride the Polar Express. It is a train that starts in Williams, AZ, and it goes (via magic tunnel) to the North Pole. It was so much fun. They served hot chocolate and cookies on the way, and read the story of the Polar Express. Then when we got to the North Pole, Santa got on the train! He passed out silver bells to all the kids (and do the grown-ups that asked for one). The train by itself was great, but it was even better that we were able to do it with all of the Runyans. We took up most of the car that we were in, but it was such a blast. We were quite a sight in our PJ's! I highly recommend this for families of any age. Make reservations early though, cause they sell-out quickly! All of these pictures were taken on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive.

Nathan with Gramzer.

Da boyz

Da Girlz

Me and my dad. :)

Grand Canyon

We had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon just after the New Year with the entire Runyan family. All 33 of us! I'll have a pic of the whole family to add sometime, but for now these shots will have to do. We had a blast!


We rode into the park together, and apparently Nathan was just a little bit excited. He's sitting in the back of Grandma's car with Joanna and 2 cousins.

6 peeps at the Grand Canyon.

Archie and Jo

So, we're at the Grand Canyon....one of the 7 wonders of the world, and here are Archie and one of my sisters on their cell phones....doing what? Surfing the internet? Texting? Who knows?

What a view, huh?


Have you ever played the "animal game"? It's a family favorite of the Runyans. We played it when everyone was in Yuma for New Year's Eve this year, but the fish kind of evolved, and I'm not sure it was an improvement.... you decide. This clip is only a few seconds long. That's Nathan on the left, and next to him is T. Believe it or not, she was the origination of the changes.... just thought I'd give credit where credit is due. Enjoy.