A Visit With Mr. and Mrs. Hartman

I've just had the best few weeks, beginning with the Chones Expedition and ending this weekend with the Balloon Fiesta. My mom (aka "Cutesy"), and dad came up for the Chones Exp. and my mom stayed and played with me while my dad camped with the boys. (He had a great time, was hailed as a fantastic cook and invited to every campout from now on, and was adopted as a surrogate grandpa by all boys in attendance.) My mom and I shopped and crafted. (As per usual - she helps me spend all of my money and then we just have to hunker down and craft.) It is so fun to have three kids in school and just Marianne to tote around. She's a handful, but she actually likes shopping (Beau hated it), and she can hang in there for a full morning before crashing for an afternoon nap. My mom and I shopped thrift stores the most, hunting down wool sweaters to transform into pumpkins and witch boots.
When it was time for Cutesy to head home with Grandpa, she just wasn't ready, and my dad found sympathy in her tears and decided to leave her here on condition that she find some way home soon. So she called my brother Tyler and asked him to come visit. As he and his wife are newly, albeit temporarily unemployed, they were able to make the trip to visit and take her back to AZ when they left. We had a great time - Tyler and Gina and my Mom were all able to go on Beau's field trip to the pumpkin patch, and we ate good food and played at the park and they visited the temple. Gina was working on some super cute baby/halloween sewing projects and got me itching to make a candy corn skirt for Marianne. Tyler was so fun with the kids, especially playing on the playground with Jacob. I'm so glad they came!
Then a few days after Cutesy, Tyler, and Gina left, Rus' cousin Tom and his wife Suzy came to visit for the Balloon Fiesta! These two newlyweds are some of my favorite people!
(Here they are checking out the aspens in Santa Fe. I love that Suzy always poses so Tom looks a little bit taller than her...)

They flew in Friday morning, and the kids held a private "kid meeting" before they arrived. Bekah and Beau determined that they would make Suzy bracelets, and that they would make Tom and Suzy's bed every morning and put mints on the pillow every time. (They totally did it, too!)
We had lunch and visited for a while after they arrived and then decided to take advantage of the afternoon and go see the fall leaves in Santa Fe. Thankfully the leaves were still there, but we were surprised by the SNOW! It was cold! Especially for Suzy's bare feet in flats and Tom's in Chuck Taylors. But the colors were beautiful and the kids enjoyed throwing their first snowballs of the season.

I love this picture of myself and Bekah...with our pink noses (it was cold!)

Rus took this great shot of a little stream in a canyon

Saturday was a super busy day, and it started early, early. We went to the Balloon Fiesta, leaving at a dark 5am (and sitting in mild traffic until arriving at a great parking spot). The mass ascension was a flop, but a bunch of balloons still went up and Tom and Suzy were still impressed. I showed Suzy how to run between the balloons as they were being inflated, and that was her favorite part (mine too!).
We met up with Officer Steve O. at the Tag Your Tots truck.
 
 Don't Suzy and Tom look so great here with their two children?

 There was a classic-style fire truck chase vehicle there, curiously named "The Gentle Stripper." Tom had to have a picture with it, of course. He wants to be a fire truck when he grows up...
 
 Kudos to ARIZONA!

The rest of Saturday was a blur of soccer games, piano lessons, a birthday party for one of Jacob's friends...culminating in a great date night with Tom and Suzy. We ate at a dive - but it was tasty! (Mary and Tito's cafe on 4th street - New Mexican food - You've never had a "turnover" like this one...) ...And had dessert and ran some errands and talked and talked.

I'm so grateful for good friends and family (especially when they are one in the same!)