Grove Creek Hike

The kids and I went on a hike today with Mimi and Bear.  It was hot!  This was the trail that led up to the trail we were hiking.

All these pictures are in random order.  So, here is Jackson at the top.  

Cam and Bear at the bottom when we were done.

He hates having his picture taken.

A selfie to prove I was there.

See that dot back there...that is Mimi.  We all finished quite a bit before her.  The kids loved that.

My dear Cam has the cheesiest smile EVER!  He tries so hard to do a good smile, and this is it!

And Sunny, who doesn't know how to take a bad picture.  And who also chose to hike in a lace coral colored tank top and her new overalls and a full face of makeup.  It's all about the fashion for her.

Overall, the kids did not like this hike very much.  Jack, Sunny, and Lila gave it a thumbs down, while Griffin and Cameron said they loved it and would do it again.  I love that we have all summer to explore and try new things and have adventures!

Fun Friday

Ryan had to work a late shift today, so we spent the morning at the splash pad.

Sunny wasn't too excited to go, so she decided to bring a book and a pen and paper.  That way she could read and brainstorm ideas for youtube videos she wants to make.  All while getting tan :)

She did actually end up playing in the water and having a great time.

Cam likes to to tan too.

See Sunny behind all the water.

Can you see us?  After Ryan left for work, the kids and I went to see Lego movie at the theater.

It was adorable and all the kids really liked it.

Seven Peaks

 We took our first trip of the season to Seven Peaks Water Park.  I have really been dreading it for few reasons.  Number one is that my big kids are not very good swimmers and number 2 is because last year was a nightmare with a 5, barely 4, and 1 1/2 year old.  It was just a lot of kids to try and keep alive around tons of water :)

I was so surprised when we took the kids yesterday to find out that a lot has changed over the past year.  Jack is an okay swimmer, not great, but better than I thought.  Sunny is actually pretty decent and I don't worry about her too much.  Lila and Griffin still can't swim, but they are both tall enough to do some more things and besides the no swimming part, they are really good in water.  

And then there was Cameron.  That boy has a death wish!  He jumped right on in and said, "Look Mom, I wimming, I wimming."  He is such a water baby, but he is fearless.  He liked the baby pool okay, loved the three foot deep section where he could barely keep his head above water and kept swallowing it, and was over the moon when we went to the giant wave pool.

Yes, my 2 year old prefers the huge wave pool and he wanted to go out as far as everyone else.  We are going to put all the kids in swimming lessons this fall and I think Cam will be swimming before G and L.  He is a natural in the water.

So, it was much more fun than last year and I can't wait to go several more times this summer.

First Pond Trip This Summer

We took our first trip to the pond this year last night.  It was a spur of the moment idea that we sprung on Ryan as he walked in the door from work.

We loaded up, stopped and picked up a couple pizzas, and headed out to have a picnic dinner and to do some swimming.

When we got there we were surprised to find that there was hardly any beach to play on because the water was so high.  We had to sit back on the grass and the kids only had a couple feet of sand.

It didn't bother the kids at all and they had a blast.  Because the pond was so full, it meant that it was also really shallow for a long way out.  The kids loved being able to play in it.

The water was freezing.  I dipped my toes in and I was done.  

The beach will always be my favorite place in the world, but these Utah mountain are growing on me.

Cameron was adorable.  He played by himself most of the time and it was clear he was deeply involve in a story.  He was running all over the place and we just caught a little bit of what he was saying.  Something about islands and bad guys.

You have to admit, that is a pretty nice view.

Summer Book Club

Every Monday during the summer a couple of ladies in our neighborhood have organized a kids book club.  Yesterday was the first day and it was so fun.  We read books, learned how to give an oral book book report, made crafts, and played games.

I have no idea why, but all the pictures I took are in black and white.  I think the kids must have messed with the settings on my phone.  Even so, Griffin is adorable doing the limbo.

Summer 2014 -- Day 2

Day 2 of summer started with the kids filling up the pool at 9:00.  They were ready for some more backyard fun.  Lila caught tons of roly polies (which are called potato bugs in Utah...weird right?)  She loves to let them crawl all over her.

After lunch we met up with Mimi and Bear back at the children's museum.  There is a great children's garden there that has a cute splash pad and tons of outdoor stuff to explore.  It is one of our favorite places.

Love this one of Mom and Dad and the kids.  

Playing in the water.

We took a quick detour back inside the museum to do some building.

Then we headed back to the water.

Finally, last night's dinner.  Fajitas.  They were so good. Red, yellow, and orange peppers sauteed with garlic and onions, plus beans and rice.  All topped with tomatillo ranch dressing 

They were seriously delicious.  I love peppers and so do most of my kids.

Basement Tour

I am finally attempting basement pictures.  It has been finished for about a month (6 weeks maybe?) and we are in Heaven!  It makes all the difference for our family.  We used to be crammed on top of each other with every closet overflowing (which is saying a lot, because we are definitely minimalists).  Now, we have room to spread out and enjoy our own spaces.  

This first picture was taken from the bottom of the stairs looking to the left.  Basically you come down the stairs to a wall and make a left through this little hallway.

I have been meaning to hang the curtains forever, and when I finally went to do it, I found out I had bought the wrong size rod.  So, for now, no curtains. 

We love our family room.  We thought it was going to be really small.  The original floor plan for the house called for only 1 bedroom in the basement so the family room was huge, we cut it in half to make a room for Jackson and it turned out great.  

I need to hang a few more pictures, the curtains, and get a coffee table and it will be finished.

View from the family room down the big hallway that leads to kids rooms and the bathroom.

This is the opposite view from the hallway looking back toward the family room.  That is Jackson's door on the left.  On the right is the door below which is under the stair storage.

Jackson's room.  We knew when we wanted to add a 2nd bedroom downstairs that it would be small.  We asked Jackson if he would like a twin or full size bed and he had to decide if he wanted the smaller bed and more floor space, or a bigger bed.  He choose the full side bed and for awhile I was scared his room was going to be way too small.

In the end, it turned out perfect.  It is definitely small, but it is really functional and he loves it.

If you continue on down the hallway, it turns to the left and that is where the bathroom is.  We LOVE this bathroom.  It is the biggest one in the house and I am so jealous.  Sunny is putting it to good use!

Past the bathroom at the end of the hall is Sunny's room.  Her room is the original on that was on the floor plan and so it is a pretty good size.  I still need to get her curtains hung up.  That is on my to do list.

Sunny's room look like this...perfect...always.  She makes her bed every morning, she shuts her closet, she puts everything away.  She is a neat child.  We joke that she would fit in so well at Mok and Pok's house because she is so orderly, just like they are.  Everything in her room has a place, and everything is always in its place.

She loves her mirror that we put a vinyl quote on.  It is a Bruno Mars quote that says, "When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change.  Cause' you're amazing just the way you are.  And when you smile the whole world stops an stares for awhile, cause girl you're amazing just the way you are."

Well Mok, I hope my tour gives you a good idea of what our basement looks like.  Wish you could be here in person to see it and hang out with us.  We love you.

***Up next:  a tour of the main level that we redid.***