Is summer ever going to get here??

Well, today it is supposed to get up to 63 whopping degrees! And be really windy, too. This has to be the longest spring on record. It stopped being really cold here in NY about 2 months ago, but it is having a REALLY hard time warming up for any prolonged periods of time. Maybe it's just because we're kind of in limbo here in this little apartment, and I just want to get on with life, or maybe it's the weather, but it seems like summer is taking it's sweet old time getting here!

Last weekend we had a fun trip to Millbrook. We drove down on Saturday afternoon after Bekah's dance class. Our plan was to stop in Millbrook at Dave's folks' house, pick them up, and then go to Amy Brown's wedding reception in Poughkeepsie. Unfortunately, Grandma Field had fallen earlier in the week during a walk down Crescent Lane. Her foot was really hurting, so on Friday afternoon she went to the doctor for x-rays, and they told her it was broken. So they decided they'd better not go to the reception since it would likely involve a lot of standing. So we went on to the reception without them. It was fun to see old friends again - we saw the Wileys, Clarks, Stratfords, Berardis, Browns (of course), Bro. Albrecht, Malcarnes, Bro. Prettyman and his new wife, and probably a bunch of other people I'm forgetting. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. We also attended church in Poughkeepsie on Sunday, and that was fun too. It was almost shocking to me to see what a tiny little ward that is. I guess when we lived there I had gotten used to it being so small. But to see it again after being in a large ward was really kind of surprising.

Anyway, lots of good memories from Millbrook. Oh, and for the kids - Dad and I walked up the driveway to our house in Millbrook, and two things struck us: the hedge in front of the house is HUMONGOUS!!! (she needs to hired Ducky back - or Jake to do some trimming big time), and the huge old tree by the house is practically dead. That is going to be one monster tree trunk to remove - but she'd better do it soon, because one of these days a good old tornado is going to rip through there and leave that old tree sitting right on top of all my hard work!

Trip to Utah

We just returned from our last trip to Utah before becoming residents there later this summer. We had a great time! Here are some of the highlights:

We got to meet Preston - and what a cutie he is! Amy was very patient with us as we all took turns holding him and getting to know him a little bit. It was wonderful to be there for his blessing, and I thought it was really nice that it was held right at Matt and Amy's house. Everybody was there, and it was a special night.

We had fun getting reacquainted with Abby and trying to convince her that she likes us! I don't think she buys it yet, but I'm sure that will come once we're out there and get to see her more often. She was lots of fun to play with and has grown a ton since we last saw her!

It was really nice to get everybody together a couple times while we were out there. We took the opportunity to have a family photo taken since the family has grown by 6 members since the last time we have a professional shot done. We've already seen the proofs, and they came out nice!

We visited Matt and Jake's motorcycle shop in Orem, and that was fun - they are very ambitious!

We spent an afternoon with Rachel and Bekah at the Nickel Arcade in Orem and sharpened up our arcade skills.

We got some things taken care of at the house, and made some progress with the commercial buildings in Heber were we are hoping to get start on renovations soon.

Most of all, it was nice just to spend time with the family. All in all, it was a great trip!

All the latest

Well, we have big news in the Field family, and that, of course, is the arrival of Preston Matthew Field, born on March 21, 2008 to Matt and Amy. He's a hefty 9+ pounder, and adorable to boot. We can't wait to meet him in person.



Another milestone...in January Abby turned 1! It's hard to believe that she's not a little tiny baby anymore. But she sure is a cutie, and we're all crazy about her.



In other news - right now I'm working on sewing a prom dress for Rebekah. Here's what it looks like so far.



As you can see, I'm not very far along - in fact, the front is just pinned on, there's not even a back yet! The most interesting part is going to be inventing sleeves, since the pattern doesn't come with them.


And other than that, there's not a whole lots happening here in upstate New York. We are finally getting some sunshine, although it's still pretty chilly out. One of these days I'm hoping we can break out of the 40's!

Man Hugs 101

Since we have 5 very manly men in our family, I thought that this information on man hugs might be helpful. You know, it's always a parent's responsibility to teach, and I'm trying to do my part. So, you male members of the family, just in case we didn't teach you properly in the art of the man hug while you were living at home, here is some very constructive advice: (be sure to watch the video - it's the best part)

http://artofmanliness.com/2008/03/07/the-mechanics-of-the-man-hug/

Trip to DC

Last week was winter break for Bekah, so we tried to do a few fun things. First Bekah had her cousin Heather come and stay for a few days. They had a fun time hanging out together. They helped host a Veggitales party, and also went bowling for Mutual. After Heather left, we drove down to Washington D.C. It was a good trip, and we had a lot of fun. We saw the White House, the Washington, Lincoln, and WWII Memorials, Arlington National Cemetary, a couple Smithsonians, Mount Vernon, and the Washington D.C. Temple. We also spent a fun evening with Kathie and John Baardson, who are living in D.C. right now. (In case you're wondering about that second picture....that's Dave and I with Albert Einstein.)

Oh, and I can't forget the stop in Scranton, PA, The Electric City, on the way down. I think that was a highlight for Bekah!

A Snazzy New Look

As a little birthday treat, Bekah and I decided to go to a local salon and get our faces made up professionally. We thought it might be fun to see what someone impartial would do to our faces. I know all of you are fans of The Office, so I think you'll probably remember the episode where Michael decides they should split into pairs and make some good ole fashioned sales calls. Do you remember how Phyllis chooses Karen and then takes her to a beauty salon where they do an ever-so-lovely makeover on them both? In case you forgot, here's a reminder:

Well, I don't think that Bekah and I fared much better than Karen and Phyllis. At the end of the day, we wished that we had just gone out for a REALLY big banana split instead.


Yep. We actually paid money for that.

Livin' it up, Dave Field style

Well, it's a big weekend here in the Dave Field household. We have two VERY big birthdays this weekend. Actually, one of them is a biggie, the other's not quite as exciting. Dave turned 52 on Saturday, and I hit the big 5-0 tomorrow. As you can imagine, we've been celebrating in high style. Per Dave's request, here's where we went out to dinner on Friday night.



Yep, you read it right - it's Mike's First Prize (and World Famous, I might add) Frankfurters in downtown Schenectady, NY. I'm sure you can imagine the ambiance of such a place. Actually, we just stopped at Mike's on the way home from the Stake YMYW Volleyball tournament. We're doing the real celebrating tomorrow night at a much higher-class establishment.

We loved getting birthday calls from all the kids - it's always a treat to talk to you all! We also got a lovely e-card from Matt and Amy that I thought you might enjoy. I don't know how long it will be available, but hopefully you'll check the blog in time to catch it - it's a real treat! We have some very talented children!

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/icgVEP8wuio6rjKOTc6bNvEk