Moab

We had a family reunion at the beginning of June.  I was in charge this year and I picked Moab.  No one in my family has been there much and Mike has fond memories growing up, so I thought we would give it a shot.  I can't believe I have never been there!!!!  It's so close and so beautiful! I was worried there wasn't going to be enough to do for the little kids.  Not sure why I thought this, sand, rocks, outside....really what is there NOT to love!? Not everyone was able to make it this year and we were expecting that with some big family changes in a couple siblings and Melanie living in Italy for now.  

Anyway, so it was my parents, Danny's family, Jill's family, and our family.  Both sets of my grandparents were there as well!  I'm so lucky! I still have all 4 of my grandparents.  My dad's parents are 95 and my mom's parents are 85 (my grandma had a birthday while we were there, turning 86). I'm so grateful they were able to come and I was able to spend time with them and my kids got to see them again. Kid wise there were 8 kids.  My 4 and then a cousin matching age and gender of my 4 kids.  It really was perfect. 

We rented a couple 3 bedroom condos. They were great! They had a big sand back yard and a community pool and a parking lot big enough for bikes. We had lots of fun just hanging around in our down time. Monday everyone arrived in time for dinner and we stayed close to "home" 

This was the backyard.  I had taken all our beach toys from Florida.  The kids lived out here  just digging away.  

The first whole day we were there, we went to Arches National Park.  It was beautiful!  I was a little leery about my knee and had to be careful, but there are SO many short little tiny hikes perfect for 3 year old legs and broken knees. :)  

We got to one point at this hike where I had to stop, so I kept Spencer with me.  This kid is SO stubborn and determined.  He climbed up this massive rock by himself crying and trying to follow Dad and the big kids.  It's that sandy rock, so it's super slippery.  That kind of stuff is easy to make it up, but tricky to get down if you have a bum knee. I couldn't believe he did it all. Of course I had to follow, which meant some great rock sliding on my bum to make it down safely. 

The sand arch, I also took beach toys to.  It was a great place to take a break in the shade for a bit.  we were here for quite a while.  

The next day we did Canyonlands and Deadhorse Point.  You can't help but be in awe at this beautiful earth we live on when you spend time with outdoor adventures.  Spectacular views and cool changes in scenery. 

The next day was kind of a random day.  Some went on a river rafting trip, some went on a little hike to a river to play in.  Lots of in and out from the condos and just hanging out as a family.

Friday we hit up Arches again and then headed for home after a great hike.  

It was such a fun vacation! I can't wait to go back again another time.  Kids had a great time with cousins and all the grandparents and I enjoyed the time with lots of my family!  

Kid Shenanigans

Apparently my kids had fun with my camera at some point I didn't know about.  Found these gems. I think it's safe to say, Isabelle was the photographer.  Love these selfies! Haha!

A Special Occasion in Boise

So for a few weeks we had some serious crazy going on.  Everyone was gathering for our family reunion in Moab.  I had visitors the week before.  My little sister, Jill, and family came (Jill, I have ZERO pictures from when you stayed here!!!!  "Gasp!!!") for a day on their way to spend time with her husbands family.  And my parents stayed a few days. I had a day to rest (really, why don't I sleep when family is around?  It's too fun to visit!!!) and pack for a short trip for the weekend to Boise Sydney's baptism.  I picked up my parents Saturday morning and we drove up to Boise. It was nice to have extra adults for the long drive up. Thanks to an episode with Jake, we barely made it in time.  We got to Danny's in enough time to change and get back in the car.  I forgot dress shoes for everyone (including me, tennis shoes and a Maxi skirt look awesome together), and I forgot something else major, like tooth brushes or something. I don't remember. 

 I didn't think through the whole "6 hour car ride and then kids needing to sit still for a baptism" thing.  All 3 boys were HORRIBLE!!!!!!  At one point I literally dragged Michael to the foyer by his ankle. Spencer wouldn't go to anyone else, and good ole Luke was just crying about everything.  It was awesome. Ha! I'm still glad we got to go and show Sydney how much we love her.  Isabelle enjoyed it and it was special to her. So it was worth it. We enjoyed the evening BBQ and hanging out with family.  We spent the night and then left early Sunday morning. 

This is the ONLY picture I took!!!! Sunday morning breakfast together. 

We made it home Sunday afternoon to unpack, rest a little, and pack for Moab Monday morning! It was a stressful couple of days, but so worth it!  I love seeing my family!

Refreshing Summer

I realized I recently mentioned how much fun we are having this summer, but it needs it's own post again.  I love not feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or cranky.  All things that have consumed our previous summers. This summer has been so refreshing! While I have plenty to do, the only thing on an actual schedule is my calling and the bills.  Other than that, it's all about a few chores in the morning, and then fun for the rest of the day.  I'm pretty sure my kids have lived in their swim suits this summer. Either water balloons, the water hose, or our slip n slide in the back yard, or the neighborhood pool or neighbor trampoline with a sprinkler, we have had lots of water fun this year.  I have also found the house tends to stay slightly cleaner if they are outside. :) 

Dance The Night Away

Isabelle and her cousin, Sarah, got to go to the same dance place this last year.  It was so much fun. They loved the extra time together and always having a buddy.  Too bad we just live too far apart to make it a long term thing.  It was a great place to decide if Isabelle liked dance, but it's also a great place to never get very good.  She is enrolled at a new dance place just a few minutes from my house with lots of neighbor girls.   At the beginning of June, they had their final dance recital for their old place. The theme of the recital was "Night at the Theater." So all of the stuff was from musicals.  It was fun music to pass the evening.   Isabelle and Sarah had three dances, Hard Knock Life from the new Annie, Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera, and Hairspray from Hairspray.  

Last time I took kids for the dress rehearsal and it was a train wreck.  This time I got smart and had a babysitter for both nights.  I made it a special mommy/daughter event.  It was great! For the dress rehearsal, Mike's mom came and watched the whole show.  Then Isabelle and I went to Chick Fil A for a special dinner out. 

They only danced even remotely close together a tiny bit (which I'm betting has something to do with the amount of chattiness, giggles, and silliness that came from them together).  I took lots of pictures of them before the dances.  Pure entertainment watching these two. 

We had some special visitors for the final performance!!!!!  It was just a couple days before our family reunion.  My parents and my dad's parents (who are 95) were able to come!  Since my parents live so far away, they miss alot of this kind of stuff, It was awesome they were here to make it! Mike also made it for her last two dances. She was so happy to have lots of spectators.

After, we met up with Sharon and Joe's family and Mike's parents (who were all at Jonathan's graduation) for a celebration dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  I had just the two girls to help get ready and drove them with me. It's fun being a girl mom. They were being super silly in the back seat.  They colored all over their faces with lipstick.  It was hilarious!  They were super embarrassed to go into the restaurant. We went straight to the bathroom to wash it off, but it didn't come off well.  Isabelle made a bigger mess of her face than Sarah and cried when she couldn't get the tinge of pink off her entire face. haha! Then we enjoyed the evening.  Such a fun couple of days! We will miss dancing with Sarah, but look forward to many more years of dance to come.  Isabelle really loves it.

Family Night Out

Mike had a goal at the dealership.  When he reached it we had a special family night out.  We went to Del Taco for dinner, Chuck E Cheese for fun, and then stopped at Baskin on our way home for a treat. We don't see Mike alot, so it was a fun to have him along for one of our adventures.

This is the only ride Spencer liked.  It was the first and it went downhill from there.  He cried for the rest of it and every other ride after that.  

No matter what we tried, he was not a fan.  

I love when we get to spend time together!!!!!!

The last Day of School

The last day of school was such a fun day.  Our neighborhood does an end of year party at our neighborhood park and pool where the kids get off the buss.  Everyone brings water balloons to ambush the kids as they come off the bus and then there's lots of treats to share. 

Michael and Spencer helped me fill up water balloons in the morning and we had some early balloon fun.

It was super fun party for everyone but Isabelle.  She was NOT a fan of the water balloons.  She ran away and hid.  She cried.  I told her it was a fun surprise.  I got a very snappy response, "Water balloons are NOT a fun surprise!  They are only fun if you know about them!" Haha! Not to self, don't ever surprise Isabelle with water balloon. :) 

She happied up with lots of cupcakes and treats. 

Then we all went swimming for hours. The mom win of the day...I did an excellent job with the sunscreen and none of my kids got sunburned. :) Personal fail of the day, apparently, I didn't get any of that sunscreen. I got burned worse than I have in YEARS! 

We came home and had more fun with water balloons. 

We had art time 

The kids made clay creations 

And had a dance party.  From the looks of it, we spent the entire day in swim suits.  I'm sure there was more water play at some point.

This was the beginning of what has so far been a really great summer. This is the first summer I haven't been moving or pregnant since 2008.  I have been determined to make it a fun summer for my kids (I feel like they have gotten the short end of the stick on previous summers).  I have been able to give my kids lots of attention and a pleasant attitude. We have done lots of art time, science experiments, fun read aloud stories, and fun adventures.  I've taken some pictures, but not as many as usual.  We have just been having fun. 

Family Time

The beauty of summer is getting to spend lots of time with family. This particular day, with Sharon and Joe's family and Mike's mom, we went to Chick fil a for lunch, Baskin for ice cream, and then played at a park.  It was a perfect day.  We missed Mike while he was working, but we still had lots of fun anyway. 

They had a fun pick up soccer game.  Sharon's big boys are always so nice with my littles. They include them and my kids just love it.

These two crack me up! They are both definitely pesky toddlers and it's the funniest thing to watch them interact.  I just so happen to catch Josh picking on Spencer and Spencer tattling on him and Josh feeling not so sorry. They love each other and get so excited to see each other.