**Water Park with the Ashton's!!**


We were invited by our best friends the Ashton's to go to Ross Park last Thursday. It was a really nice day to go and the kids had SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

Cambree and Sadie got to have a water slide wrist band and they did a really good job going down it alone.
The boys were pretty good for the most part...is it ever fun to take a 2 year old ANYWHERE?!? Here they are sharing and enjoying snacks together.

Brinlee and Tess got to go around the lazy river a few times alone and they were feeling pretty big. Little Piper was my big helper for the day and she helped me babysit Aidan. I paid her a whole quarter...that she ended up leaving in my car...

It is quiet around here this week. My kids are "vacationing" in Utah with my sister "Mi-Mi" and my dad and brother. (My mom is at Girls Camp and I am going to our Girls Camp tomorrow.) I am enjoying the quiet and freedom that is mine this week, but I sure do miss C, B and A!!

Cam and Brin's Minute of Fame!

**And other random stuff....**

Cambree and Brinlee were in the 4th of July parade and it was so much fun for them. Brin debated back and forth whether or not it would really be worth it...you know, because it would be sacrificing a chance for LOTS of candy!! In the end, we explained that chances of being in a parade aren't very often so it is something that she should do while she could.

This was the float from our stake and the one that Cambree rode on. The theme of the parade was "Sweet Land of Liberty". Our float won "Best Theme".
Brinlee rode in the car that leads the "Ray's Crew". (The Ray's crew dances in the parade every year and it is a big crowd pleaser.) She was able to sit in the back next to Santa and throw candy. When they ran out halfway through she said "Santa, did you eat all the candy?" She can't remember what he said back to her.

This is the Ray's Chevron crew. They dance with drying mitts on and put on quite the show. It is hilarious!

These were the shirts the girls wore in the parade, but since it was something like 58 degrees or so and windy, they had to wear jackets and sweatshirts. I wanted a group shot with Aidan...but we know how that doesn't work out EVER! A-Dawg's shirt says Mr. Independent... You think?!?! Last week my friend Rhonda brought her cute kids over for a little water fun--slip n' slide action. While they were here, we got this nest out of our tree that we thought had been abandoned and it had an egg in it. It was fun for the kids to see.
Last week, Mike was a little stir crazy, so we rode with him to a nearby lake where he could put a line in and fish a little. The kids loved it and it was a beautiful day. This is across the lake (pond?) where they took a little walk to. I was instructed to sit on my chair and read and watch the pole in case it moved...It never did... :)
Summer is flying by and it feels like we have had 2 nice warm days. :( Today is 73 or so but it has a cool wind going. Maybe it will warm up again?? Hope so because I saw school supplies being sold today and it made me sad....

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRINLEE**

Brinlee is now 7 years old! Her birthday was on Sunday (Father's Day) and we celebrated it on Saturday/Sunday. She was asked to speak in Primary on Sunday so it was quite the eventful birthday for her.

Here is Brinlee and MJ on Sunday. She is sporting her birthday headband and MJ is wearing his Father's Day ties he received from the kiddies....
Sunday morning we had to get up and open presents immediately!! On Saturday MJ's mom came for a barbeque lunch and gave Brin a new scooter. It was a hit!!

All Brin has ever wanted in life is a snow cone maker. In kindergarten she wrote a little story that when she grew up she wanted to be a snow cone seller and has never let the dream go. Now, she is in "business". She would like to sell snow cones daily for 25 cents. (She looks thrilled doesn't she?)

This was the cake I "attempted" on Friday. It was supposed to be for our party on Saturday, but the cones kept falling over and the repair work was too hard so I gave the cake to the kids to eat on Friday night.... They loved it. (Then on Saturday I made a "Sand Pail" cake off of the Family Fun website and it was a succes!!)

These are sunglasses that our neighbor got for Brin's big day. The kids thought they were hilarious!
And, to finalize this post...I have waited and waited and waited for the weather to cooperate so I could take pictures of my kids in their Easter clothes...Yep. That is right: Easter clothes. The weather has been terrible pretty much forever here. So, after church I tried really hard to get just the right pic of the children. Aidan once again foiled these plans. Here are the results... (Brinlee's is at the top of the post...)

A face only a mother could love.... :)

Yep...It was super fun....
This was actually at the beginning of the photo shoot.... It was all over before it began!

*Where have all the bloggers gone...and the blog posts??*
I haven't been blogging much lately...Probably because I have been busy with the little things in life. (And the little people in my life.) And, while I do feel a little guilty about this, I must say that I notice there are a lot of my "blogging buddies" that are also a bit behind on posting. (So, don't judge me too much.)

Catching Up!
Cambree was able to once again perform with TaVaci. This time at the Playmill Theater. They did the preshow performance and it was spectacular! Then we were able to watch the play "Beauty and the Beast". The girls absolutely loved it. Brinlee sat by Tess and Mic and Mic's mom Julie. Cambree sat by my mom, and Sadie and I was able to sit by my sister Emily. It was a great girls night out.
*Side Note*: Cambree is loving summer and reading a ton. She decided that she should read "Where the Red Fern Grows" because they read it in school last month and she LOVED it. So, she is reading it on her own now. I am happy that she loves reading so much.
At the end, the cast greets you as you leave the Playmill. We were able to get a photo with Belle and the Beast (Prince)? They thought this was quite the highlight to the night!

My best sister in the whole world decided that we should stay the night up in West Yellowstone after the play, so we did a little swimming, a little shopping and some walking. It was so great to spend time together with just the "girls"! Thanks for making it happen Em!!

(My mom must have been missing my dad "Jer-Bear" or something. She looks like she is on a date with this bear!)

Brinlee is missing 4 teeth right now. She looks so silly with her gaps in her mouth. This is a really cute stage and she is loving all the $$ the tooth fairy brings...You know 10 cents a tooth or something. :) She is about to turn 7 so she is very much looking forward to that. She thought for sure her birthday should have been a week ago, but we were able to explain the days of the month to her and now we are counting down until Father's Day/Brin's Birthday!

Aidan is still Aidan. He is talking more and more. He is ALWAYS outside doing his thing. You know...getting into stuff he shouldn't...walking around the corner to the neighbors...screaming bloody murder if someone gets on the trampoline with him. The regular spoiled rotten two year old nonsense. He is energetic that is for sure and he has decided that his dad is the only person he wants around. I apparently rub him the wrong way and sometimes the feeling is mutual.

END OF (school) YEAR REVIEW
We have one more week of school...HOORAY! So, to show what we have been doing the past month, here is a brief summary:
The girls did their dance recital almost a month ago. It was so amazing and the girls did really well. This is my BFF Michelle who is the dance teacher and these are her girls: Sadie, Tess and Piper. We all love dance!! Thanks for a great year Mic!

Cambree did TaVaci this year and loved it! She asked for a speaking part for the spring recital and did a great job. I was really proud of her for getting up there and speaking in front of such a large crowd. She gets to go and sing at the Playmill in a couple of weeks and she is really excited for that. (We get to see the play "Beauty and the Beast"!)

This is the excitement Mike has for going to events such as these. He gets to be the Aidan-sitter while I video or help where needed. He doesn't love this arrangement, but it's part of the parenting territory right?

And, to keep a two year old occupied between numbers, why not take digital pics of him and his grandma to show him? It worked for about 2 minutes and then the aisle seemed to be calling his name...

Grandma Judy and Aidan...This is where my kids get their AMAZING blue eyes!!

My Bad Mom Moment (one of many...)

Today Aidan and I went to lunch with a friend and when we were leaving Aidan ran out of the restaurant and straight to our car. He was still very much in my line of vision and so it wasn't too scary. (Mistake #1...he ran away from me and I didn't grab him quick enough.) He then tried to open one of the doors on the car and when that wouldn't work, he went to the other side. (Mistake #2...still didn't have a hold of the little independent fellow.) So, after a quick good-bye to my friend I started on my way to get him. Well, here comes a man and a lady and she is holding Aidan's hand...Aidan is so thrilled to see me that he starts saying "Mommy, Mommy..." (Mistake #3....holding hands with stranger....) When I get up close which took about 2.5 seconds, the lady says "Is this your mom?" In a disgusted tone of voice. I say "Yes. Thank you for bringing him back to me." And then I picked him up and started hauling him back to the car. She says "Well, I just didn't want to have him get run over by a car since he was running all over the parking lot by himself." (Okay, point taken.) I said "Thanks again". Then her husband says "We could have just run over him for you if you wanted us too." WHAT?!?! I just stared at him, turned away and got Aidan in the car super quick like and took off. Who says that?? Am I REALLY the one with the problem here? Anyway, I get it. I am a mom who has some bad moments. He is at a hard, independent age and I made a mistake. But really? Do you tell someone you are going to run over their child? Now I feel like a complete failure and that I don't deserve children. But, it also makes me mad to think that someone would be so rude to actually tell someone else that they would run over their child. So, today I am loser mom....Hopefully my kids live another day so I can be a better mom!

**Sharing a Message**

I love Mormon Messages. They are found at the bottom of the http://www.lds.org/ homepage and they are so inspiring to me. Today I was on the website and the recent Message was about a girl that I have never met, but have read her blog from time to time. She survived a terrible plane crash and she has kept a blog. She is AMAZING and her story is incredilbe! It was so touching to watch her video clip...
Watching this was a tender mercy for me. It made me realize that even though things aren't the way I pictured my life would be I am so blessed to have a functioning body and to be a wife and mother. I am so thankful for so many things that I won't be able to list them all here. These are just a few of the things I am MOST grateful for!

**Like I said these pictures were just to show a few things I am grateful for (and to catch up on the old blog...) I am thankful for many, many more things!

I hope that my grandma and my mom and my sister Emily have a Happy Mother's Day!! You mean the world to me and I LOVE YOU!!