It was more fun when I was a kid....

Every year when I was growing up, we would float Big Springs with our cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. It was so much fun and we loved it! Mike and I haven't floated since we had kids because...well, I am not sure what the excuses were. Anyway, this year, my aunt Rosalie and uncle Ryan and my cousins Lane and Megan and their families invited Mike and I to bum along on a river float! It was really fun, but I remember it being a lot more fun and way less work when I was a kid.
This is what we looked like starting out. Aidan wasn't much fun at first. He kept crying and whining and so I thought it was going to be even more miserable. However, halfway through, we figured out he just wanted to put his feet and hands in and play in the water...not float in a canoe!
Mike thought the kids would have fun in a raft to float down, with us pulling them behind. About half way through the trip, he said it was like pulling an iceberg and so he deflated the raft and they rode with us. This is how Cambree rode most of the way in the raft...

Soon, we were able to adopt out one of our children to another canoe. This is Brinlee hitching a ride with Jaxon, Courtney and Megan! She rode the rest of the way down the river with them. (Thanks you Anderson people!) Megan is due to have a baby in about 3 weeks!?! Crazy isn't she?

This is my aunt and uncle and Mikayla... she is Lane and Chelsie's little girl. My girls love playing with their girls!

Chelsie, Lane, Makenzie and Mason... (Ryan and Rosalie in the background along with everyone else in the state!)

Here Aidan is at the end of the trip kicking his feet in the water.
At the end we just played in the river while we waited for the boys to shuttle back the cars!

Free Weekend at Yellowstone National Park!!

This past weekend it was free to get into national parks. So, Mike thought it would be the perfect time for a little ride up to Yellowstone. (Who can argue with free right?) We saw several animals...Elk, Buffalo, a bald eagle in a nest and the occasional chipmunk. It wasn't the most animals that we have seen there, but it was enough to satisfy!
The elk below had antlers that were in velvet. Didn't mean a lot to me, but Mike thought they were very nice!

This buffalo was so close to the road and lying on a dusty hillside... You can actually see the road on the lower left corner along with the photographer in the mirror.

Mike thought this was one "healthy" looking elk. Always fun to go to Yellowstone with a hunter!
We had a picnic and Brinlee was our official scout. Actually, she just thought these were cool rocks that would make a great picture. Not sure why she is posing like that...

We kept making stops to get the kids out for a little stretch and to take little hikes to see what was happening with the good old hot pots and geysers. We stopped at Yellowstone lake so that "Aidan" could throw rocks. However, I guess we really know who the rock skipper in our family is....



A few years ago, when we were on a trip with my family, we happened upon a fun hike to the "Artist Paintpots". It has these really cool pots that spurt up muddy clay stuff and make super great noises. Definitely worth the hike to see. (Sorry you missed it Sean...we missed you.)

On the way home, Cambree had to use the restroom, so we stopped at a little wayside rest stop and there was a spring that you could drink out of. So, Cam took full advantage of that!
That sums up the adventures of Yellowstone that we had last weekend...I only wish we could have seen a moose...Right Dad?!?

Family Reunion and two special birthdays!

Every year for the 4th of July, my Grandpa's family has a reunion. This year, we took the kiddies camping and it was pretty fun. The mountains are SO green and full of beautiful flowers...which my girls picked and picked and picked. They couldn't make enough "boo-quets" as Brinlee was calling them. It was a nice weekend...even if we didn't get to see some fireworks!

This is my cousin Lauren. She is such a great sport to play and entertain my kids!

My grandpa and grandma waiting for the big surprise celebration that we had for my grandpa while we were at the reunion! We had cake for everyone and showed a slideshow of pictures from his life that my soon to be sis-in-law Kristin put together. It was so good! My cousin Jordan also sang and played the guitar for my grandpa and it was really nice...
This is my Aunt Tammy and Uncle Paul and two of their four sons...Justin and his wife McKenzie and Jaxon who made this shelter and actually spent the night under it! What a special person he is!! Best Cousins Forever Jax!

We found snow not to far from where we were camping... The kids thought this was great fun in July! I could cry just looking at the cold white stuff in the summer!

Aidan's shirt says Mr. Independent. Which is just what he was while we were there. Taking babies camping is NOT my idea of fun!!

The Birthday Boys!!

My grandpa's 80th birthday is actually today! He is truly an amazing grandpa and an example to his whole family. We hope he has a very wonderful day and many more great years to come!! Love you grandpa!

Sean's birthday is this coming Tuesday, but since we wouldn't be there, the girls and I wanted to have a little party with him. It is a little joke in the family to have "Happy Birthday Stupid" written on my brother's birthday cakes every once in awhile. This year it got to be Sean's turn. My kids were horrified that we would call someone that and put it on their birthday cake!?! And so what was funny to me, soon became a lesson in humility. I guess I am not as funny as I think...(Do as I say not as I do right?!?) Love you too Sean!!

While I have many, many more pics I could share, I will just share these pics taken by a little stream we found that was so pretty!!

Jack Attack

While we were at my parent's, my sister Emily had a whole agenda planned out to do with the girls... One day we took them to a place called Jumpin' Jacks. It was great fun for the kids and a perfect way to get rid of some energy. The whole place is filled with a bunch of inflatable toys.

Another night, Emily took them to a Bees baseball game and they were SPOILED by their Auntie. They came home with souvenier shirts and it sounds like they ate and ate.

They played in my parents little wading pool almost everyday and we took them up to a big rec center that has amazing pools for kids to swim in...(because they didn't get enough water at swimming lessons)! There was hardly a free minute while we were there and now we are in massive recovery mode!!

Swimming Lessons...

Every summer for the past 3 years, we have stayed a week at my parent's home and attended swimming lessons at the pool just down the block from them. (There isn't a convenient local pool around here that does swimming lessons, so this has worked out perfectly!) We just got back from this years swimming lessons and it was a great week! The girls LOVE the water and are getting to be great swimmers. I am amazed at how well they can do. Cambree is getting so good at the back stroke and a front stroke and this year even learned to swim like a dolphin! She also is great at climbing down a pole in the deep end. Brinlee is getting those swimmer basics down! She loves to be in the water and is getting pretty good at floating on her own. What cute little fishies they make!

T-Ball Summary...

T-Ball ended this year on July 2nd. It was a good season and the girlies had some fun. We were glad it ended when it did because the weather finally decided to get warm!! This is most of their little team...they are all kids from the neighborhood/ward, so it was really fun!

This is Brinlee thinking that the person on 3rd base was not too cool. She didn't want to be touched.

Check out those throwing skills Brin has. I think she learns this from me! ;)

Cambree was always prepared to catch the ball when it came her way...NOT!

Waiting for the pitcher to put the ball on the tee. Cam was actually a little big for t-ball this year, but it was okay with her and okay with me to have them both play on the same team, so we did it!