6 Peeps and a Dog

Wow. Has it really been that long? Really?

2010-04-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a slacker. Here's a new post though!! Last November we all made the trek to Grand Junction, Colorado for a fun Thanksgiving. While we were there my genius photographer sister took some family pics of us. Here are just a couple of them.

Group Hug!!

Yes, I know this one is a little crooked. But the faces are so great!! We were all laughing because my sister, the photographer was hanging over the fence, trying to get the right angle, and she seriously looked like she was going to fall. She didn't though. :)

First Day of School!

2009-09-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I love the fall for so many reasons.... I love seeing the kids in their new haircuts and crisp clothes...all ready to start school. The kids all had a great first day.

I love Joanna's blue, blue eyes in this shot!

Nathan is such a cute little ham. He hams it up for all the pictures...I have to snap a million in hopes of getting a couple of usable ones! :)

Rebekah looks so pretty here. Her hair is getting so long, and she is becoming such a beautiful young woman.

Miriam is growing up so fast!! She is such a huge help and a fun companion these days!

I just really loved this shot of Joanna and Miriam. Both looking so pretty this morning!

Abney Reunion 2009

2009-09-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Abney reunion this year. It was at a wonderful camp in Show Low. Unfortunately, we weren't able to attend the entire event, but we loved the time that we were able to spend with the family!

The pictures aren't complete...we didn't capture all of the family members in attendance, but we did get some cute shots of lots of them.

When we arrived at the camp, there were tons of horses just walking around the camp. They were noisy, and spooked easily, but not too bad if we just moved slowly and quietly. The kids had a great time petting the friendly ones.

I love this silly shot....Miriam has got some great guns!

The look on Taylor's face cracks me up every time. If looks could kill....!

The canoe-ing was fun....definitely harder against the wind! But the kids managed the boats well, especially Miriam...she was a natural!

Rebekah was so sweet with the little girls. I think she looks so pretty with the wind in her hair in this shot.

The kids had so much fun on the swings. I love this one of Nathan and Joanna sharing a seat.

Don't they look beautiful!?!

Lots of the kids decided to swim, and Nathan had a really good time rockin' this island.... a little too good, maybe. It actually came un-anchored, and the kids swam over to help get it back into position and stabilized.

"Say cheese, Payton!" (and the eyes close...)

We had a great time with the cousins. So great, that most of our kids got pretty sunburned. The weather was just so pleasant that it didn't even dawn on us to put sunscreen on. They paid for that little mistake for a few days afterward. (Poor Joanna was even sunburned on her hands and wrists and knuckles!)

Exciting times!

2009-08-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

Miriam finally got her permit!! We are all so excited, and have mostly been keeping it to parking lots and the neighborhood so far. We'll graduate to bigger streets soon. She's doing great!!

Heaven on Earth...

2009-08-05T18:41:00.001-07:00

This year the DW Runyans ventured to Lake Powell for a family reunion. It has always been a favorite place for our family to hang out, and I was super excited to share it with Archie and the girls. Everyone had a great time. We loved spending time with family, especially in such an amazing setting.

We LOVE this place!!

Miriam, Nathan, Rebekah and Joanna at Rainbow Bridge.

Rebekah and my sister, Jen, lounging on top of the houseboat.

Archie and Joanna...day one....they were still getting a feel for the place.

Nathan, Becky, Rebekah and Jen.

Grandma, Joanna and Hannah. We had so much trouble taking this picture! I think we seriously had to try 4 or 5 times....someone was always blinking! That's why we LOVE digital photography! Turned out super cute, though.

The grandkids on top of the houseboat...most of Todd's kids weren't there yet. :(

Nathan, Becky, Joanna and Rebekah.

Archie and Miriam

Becky and Nathan...is he sleeping or faking? I still don't know for sure.

Becky and Archie at Rainbow Bridge. It was so nice that the water was high...made the hike bearable.

Some of our very generous family members arranged for us to use this houseboat every year. It is a great boat, with lots of room and some really cool features. It's amazing how many people we had on that boat and all the cool stuff that it can do!!

We started at Antelope Point, and headed up the lake for a while...almost to the San Juan. Our campsite for the first few days of the trip is pictured above. It was a great site...lots of afternoon shade, very protected from the wind, great campfire spot on the shore.

And we had our own little private bay which was the perfect size for skiing, tubing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, etc. If this pic extended just a little bit more to the right, you'd see the houseboat as pictured above. If I were technologically savvy, I might be able to merge the pics into a cool pano shot. But I'm not...so you'll just have to imagine it.

One of the great things about our campsite was the shore. There was a nice big area for people to hike and explore, still while in-view of the houseboat. The above pic is Rebekah, Tiff and Nathan..but the pic doesn't do it justice. They were WWWAAAAYYYY high on the rocks. One of the uncles was so nice to set up some geo-cashing courses for us...we had fun using the GPS and checking out the scenery.

Hanging out near the Minor's Ladder. The kids were having a great time playing in the water at this rock beach.

I'm aware that this post has a very obvious lack of tube/wakeboard/kneeboard/etc. pictures. Don't worry, we played hard on all of those toys, sustaining many a bruise to prove it. :) You can visit either of my sisters' blogs to see more cool pics, including some hilarious action sequence pictures (all photos taken by the beautiful and talented Jen).

Living with JMT and GDog has some great action shots and another great description of the trip.

JustRandi is always funny.... check out this post for a BEAUTIFUL pic of the lake and/or this one for some funny tube pics.

All in all, it was an amazing trip! We are so thankful for the generosity of our family, and that we are able to return each year. We already have a count-down going on the bulletin board in the kitchen..... can't wait until next year!!

It was a beautiful day!

2009-06-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful experience for all of us!! Many family members were able to make the trip, and it was so great to have so many people there. My sister in St George was so sweet to be our photographer!! Here are a few of the pics that she took:

The weather could not have been more perfect, and I thought the pictures came out really well. Thanks Jen!

St George, Here We Come!

2009-02-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

Archie and I are so happy to announce that we are going to be sealed for time and all eternity in the St. George temple on March 21, 2009. We'd LOVE to have any friends and family attend that are able to come. Just let me know if you can come so that I can give you all the details!!

Stressed Spelled Backwards

2009-02-23T11:25:00.001-08:00

Okay, so my adorable, beautiful, talented and sweet cousin (who also happens to be an amazing cook) has been kind enough to let us in on some dessert secrets. Check out her blog for great recipes!!

http://stressedspelledbackward.blogspot.com/

From fancy-shmancy stuff, to easy cookies, she's got quite the variety. Now I'm gettin' all hungry just thinking about it!!

Sorry, I'm not talented enough to grab a picture off of her blog..... you'll just have to take a leap of faith.... and click on the link.

Tidbits

2009-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

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.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T20:20:00.001-08:00

We had a really nice Christmas this year. We were sad that Nathan was in Colorado with his dad, but glad that we were able to take the girls to Yuma to spend Christmas with Granddad and Gramzer. On Christmas Eve we had a little program where we sang some songs, the girls played some Christmas songs on the piano, and we read Luke 2. Then, we opened the much anticipated Christmas Eve gifts....which are the ones from Great Granddad and Great Grandma.Checking out the gifts from Great Grandma and Great Granddad.

More books from Great Grandma and Great Grandad.

Ready for bed!

We are so glad that we were able to do stockings before Dad left for work....but we missed him the whole day!

Archie was very pleased with the "dolmas" that he got in his stocking. (Armenian food)

I love this picture of Miriam. I think the look on her face is so cute!! I'm not even sure what she's opening...but I love that excited, anticipating, happy face!

After we did stockings and presents we mostly just hung around together, playing games and figuring out the new toys. Man, I wish I had taken some pictures of that, but alas, I didn't. Then Todd, Blanca and their family came over in the afternoon to hang around with us. Tons of fun!

Becky is holding Sammy, and Joanna has Lexie.

Lexie and Joanna.

This is how Rebekah spent most of her day. Isn't she cute? Isn't Grig cute?

This was at the end of the day....we look tired!!

All ready for Christmas dinner. What a great day!

Aviation Unit

2008-12-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

In the 5th grade in Mesa Public Schools they do an aviation unit. The kids learn all kinds of things, among which is the basics of how to fly a plane. They spend months on this unit, and it culminates with a field trip to the flight center (and they all have to get 80% or better on the final exam, or they are not able to go on the field trip). I was lucky enough to be able to go on the field trip with Nathan and Joanna's class. Here are a couple photos. The kids had a blast!

They start out in the "sleds" on the ground, and the instructors walk around and make sure that the kids appear to know the basics.

And then they get to play on the toys. Joanna was first in the airplane simulator (above). It is a really cool little plane with lots of instruments and gadgets, and it actually turns and banks and moves around when they push on the stick or the pedals. They loved it. Nathan had a turn after Joanna (below)/.

Two people get in the helicopter simulator at a time. This little guy doesn't move around when they move the controls, but it's still fun. :)

Holiday cheer....better late than never!

2008-12-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a little Holiday cheer for you, elementary school band style. The first one is just over a minute long, and the second is about a minute and a half. Nathan is playing in the trumpet in both of these. The first clip is the 5th grade or beginning band he's on the right, closest to the camera. In the 6th grade or advanced band he's 3rd from the end. Enjoy!

Cross-stitch party!

2008-11-30T19:41:00.001-08:00

So, Archie bowls on Monday nights this year, and a couple of weeks ago we had a cross-stitch party! Rebekah is working on one for a project for YW, and the others are doing some Christmas decorations just for fun.

Rebekah, Nathan and Joanna working hard on my bed.

Miriam working on hers, while I hang-out and check out her progress. Yes, that's my graduation tassel hanging on the wall behind us. Pathetic, I know.

Joanna finished hers a couple of days later!! It reads "Warm Hearts."

Rebekah finished an ornament which reads "Joy" before she decided if she wanted to tackle a bigger project for YW.

Nathan and Miriam are still working on theirs...I'll post pictures as soon as they are finished.

I have to say that I have a really challenging cross stitch that I've been working on for seriously 7 years. When the kids were first working on theirs they wanted me to get mine out and show it to them. I did, and they really loved it. It's the kind of project that I work on for several hours a day for a week or two, and then I just have to put it away. This whole thing was during one of the "put-it-away" periods, and so I was bemoaning how hard and difficult it was. The kids were all so supportive, telling me "you can do it" and "it will look so good when you are done" and "look how much progress you've already made" and other sweet and encouraging things.

I have the best kids ever.

PS: Randy H.----I started this post with a "So" as a tribute to you. I've been keeping up with your darling blog, but I can't comment!! (I think the comments are turned off??) SO I'll have to do it on my own blog! :)

Fall Piano Recital

2008-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

The kids played beautifully in the fall piano recital, and we were happy to have Grandma Linda (AKA Gramzer) in attendance. Click on the clips below if you want to hear it.

Joanna

Nathan

Rebekah

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-11T16:11:00.001-08:00

From left to right we've got Shawn Johnson (Olympic Gymnast), Wizard (Merlin Type), Peaced Out, and Spongebabe. Yeah, lots of fun. Everyone loved their costumes, and had a great time. I made the 2 on the left from scratch, we bought the Peaced Out, and kind of pieced together the Spongebabe, trying to make a modest version of one we saw in a catalog. I really enjoy making Halloween costumes, and I'm happy when the kids let me do it for them.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (some of you, anyway)...

2008-11-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, so after graduation some of us headed up to Colorado to help Matthew and Kristi move and paint. And we did, but we also had a little fun. Of course, I don't have pictures of the moving and painting, but I promise we did. Here are pictures of some of the fun:

A little friendly backyard lacrosse is just what everyone needs on a warm Colorado afternoon. This is in Matthew and Kristi's backyard....isn't it beautiful???

Can you see the look on Tiffany's face?? Can you say A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E?? She was intense!! It's not all her fault though...it reminds me a lot of her mother's face when we used to play YW basketball....I'm just sayin. :)

On the way home we stopped with Dad, Murry and Mom to do a little rock climbing. We miss you, Murry!!

So, it turns out that Nathan and Rebekah really enjoy climbing. They are way up there, right? Yeah, the above picture is the camera zoomed as far as it will go. Below is the shot without the zoom.

Yes, they did make it back down safely. Would you believe that Rebekah was wearing flip-flops? If you know her, you won't doubt it.

Arrow of Light

2008-11-06T19:37:00.001-08:00

On October 16th, Nathan was awarded the "Arrow of Light" which is the highest award in Cub Scouting. The ceremony was so great, and the men performing it were wonderful. Nathan really enjoyed the evening, and was pleased that he had done the work to receive such an award.

Nathan throws a stick on the bonfire to contribute to it.

The medicine man explains what all the points on the arrow represent.

Nathan walks over the bridge, and his Boy Scout Leader (Grandpa Jim) accepts him into Boy Scouts.

The Chief was very sweet to pose for a picture after the ceremony.

I LOVE the smile on this kid's face!! He's been dying to receive the arrow that he's holding. He'll treasure it for a long time. Grandma Stephanie and Grandpa Jim have a special holder in their living room which holds the arrow that their son BJ earned before he passed away. Nathan has been looking at that arrow, and followed in BJ's footsteps by working hard to earn this award. Nathan is really lucky to have so many men in his family that he can look up to, those that still walk the earth, and those that have already crossed over, some of which (like BJ), he has yet to meet.

Grandpa Jim, Nathan, me and Archie after the ceremony.
Nathan, we are so proud of you! Keep up the great work!

I love fall!

2008-10-31T10:46:00.001-07:00

Nathan, Rebekah, Miriam and Joanna, ready to head out for the first day of school.
They look so great!

The 5th graders chose to ride their bikes today. It probably takes them longer to drop and lock the bikes than it does to get to school....but it's still fun to ride.

The Junior High kids walk to the bus stop.

Isn't she beautiful?

2008-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Miriam worked so hard to accomplish her goal of earning her Young Womanhood Award before her 14th birthday, and we are so proud of her for doing it! She earned the award in November of 2007, but her recognition night was in August of 2008.

Her projects included:

Faith:
Reading the Book of Mormon

Divine Nature:
Implementing a "scripture of the week" poster for our home

Individual Worth:
Learning about selling used books

Knowledge:
Making a blanket for her baby brother

Choice and Accountability:
Creating and distributing a list of YW who would babysit at no charge when parents attend the temple

Good Works:
Helping an elderly lady from our ward

Integrity:
Giving her all on a soccer team

Archie gave a little talk about Miriam at the recognition night.

Miriam was happy to get to celebrate with Grandma Linda and Grandma Stephanie. Lots of other family were in attendance also. Thank you to everyone who came!

Things I love about Miriam: Her ability to make people smile. She is so great with kids, and does so well with making them feel comfortable and happy. She is confident and not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right. She has a lot of knowledge of the Gospel. She is so good at being part of our family team, and I love knowing that when it is "us against the world", she is on our side. She has such a tender heart for all of God's little creatures....especially if they are furry or reptilian. She is a smart, beautiful, capable and sweet young woman. I love you, Miriam!!

Blog Title

2008-10-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

We can't decide on a title for our blog. Current options include:

6 Peeps and a Dog
The Up-Tempo Temps
The Temperant Temps
The Templegate Team
The Temp Troop
The Tempting Troops

Drop a comment, and vote on your favorite name! (Feel free to come up with your own suggestion!)

Graduation Day!

2008-10-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, one of the more exciting things that has happened to us in the last few months is my graduation from dental school. It occurred on June 14, here in Mesa. It was so wonderful to have family here and to get to celebrate finishing this huge undertaking.

The ceremony was pretty short for a graduate program (less than an hour). It was great for me to have Dad place my hood. At one point, after we all had walked the stage and received our hoods, they had all the graduates stand up and turn around to see our family and supporters. It was so wonderful. They were all cheering and clapping. I looked up and felt so lucky to have so many members of my family there. It was wonderful to have Runyans and Abneys alike. Call me silly and romantic, but what got me choked up was seeing Archie up there, cheering for me, with a huge smile on his face. It was so nice for everyone to come. And I know that there were other members of my family who were unable to come, but were thinking of me, and were there in spirit. I feel so blessed.

Me and some of my good friends (these are the LDS students from my class). Our school and class was so wonderful because we really worked hard and helped each other out. We all had strengths and weaknesses, and were willing to lend our strengths to help everyone push through their weaknesses. I already miss these guys so much!

Joanna, Archie, Nathan, Me, Rebekah, and Miriam.

I love this picture of me and my dad.

Dad, me and Mom.

Me with Jim and Stephanie Abney.

Gavin, Marissa, Jenny, me and Tiffany.

Me with Kaci and Adam Carlson.

Me with Jason and Mandy Leavitt.

After the ceremony we had a luncheon/party. Kneaders catered, and everyone LOVED the food. A friend from my ward did the decorating and planning, and it turned out beautifully. The colors were white, black and yellow, with sort of a Mediterranian theme. It was great. I loved being able to celebrate with the people who supported and helped me get thru it.

School was way hard, but as Grandma Althea used to say.... I can do things that are hard. Especially with a family as great as mine!

Starting again.....

2008-10-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

Well, I've decided that I need a place to do some journaling, and to keep the wonderful people in our lives updated. I ran into some of my cousins blogs the other day, and I really enjoyed spending the morning getting caught up on them. As a child I spent a lot of time with these cousins, but have hardly seen them at all as adults. It was so fun to see their families and to hear about what they are going thru. And thus, here I am.

I probably won't be the best about adding pictures, especially right now, but text is better than nothing, right?