Backyard Movie Night

After we sent Jackson off camping with Bear and after the rest of us spent the day at the Aquarium, we headed over to our neighbors house for a backyard movie night.

We started the movie at 9 and it was still pretty light outside.  I love that about summer.  It didn't take long though for the sun to disappear.

We watched Turbo and the kids seemed to really like it.  We have fun neighbors who do this several times throughout the summer and it is so fun.

By the end of the movie it had gotten pretty cold outside, so Ryan and I had our laps full with Griffin, Lila, and Cameron, who all wanted to snuggle.  

Aquarium Trip #2

Jackson is gone camping with Bear, so we thought the rest of us would go to the aquarium with Mimi.  The kids all loved the rope bridge.  Cameron was fearless and we had to tell him he was done after crossing it three times.  He was really fast and barely had to hold on at all.

Even though he is the youngest, he is often times the leader of the group.

The aquarium has gotten lots of new animals since the last time we were there.  Our favorite was the octopus.  We also got to watch them feed the penguins, which was fun.

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.