Summer Fun!

I can't believe that school starts next week! Wow this summer flew by. We had a really fun time this summer. With my new job I was home more than I ever have been before. We spent a lot of time at the pool and playing with our friends! We also did some fun family activities.

In June we went to Lagoon with Steve's work. We had so much fun. The weather was GREAT! Usually it is sooooooo hot, but this year it was perfect. The kids loved the rides and nobody even got grouchy! :) Jed was still able to ride the rides in kiddie land, but he's getting pretty tall. It may have been his last year on some of the smaller rides.

Blake loved the whales, the cars, and the helicopters. Kate loved the big swings, Puff, and she really loved the Tidal Wave.

Late in the day I talked Jed into going on Colossus with me. He did not want to go upside down. I had to bribe him to get him on there with me. He absolutely loved it! We got off and he wanted to go again immediately. So he and Steve went again. It was tons of fun. At the end of June we went to Park City and spent a few days at my Mom's condo. We had a great time. The month of June was pretty cold and it had finally warmed up so we could not get enough of the swimming pool! We spent almost the whole time at the pool. The kids had so much fun and so did we! It felt so good to finally be warm and in the sun! :)

Over the 4th of July, Matt and Brandy invited us to go camping with them. We told them that it sounded fun but we were done sleeping on the ground. A few days later Matt showed up with this. He told us we could use his tent trailer for the weekend! What a guy. He's always ready to help out a friend. :)

We had a great time. The kids LOVE camping. They had fun riding bikes, playing cards and games, and running around in the dirt! On the 4th we went down to Liberty to celebrate Liberty Days. It was a great place to spend your money. There were the usual booths and rides and face painting and stuff. The kids had fun, but I think Steve and Matt were the smart ones, they stayed behind and boondoggled.

Jed and Gunner in a heated game of War.

Blake and Remy had so much fun together. They crack me up! :)

The bobsy twins.

The Long ride home!

My extended family has been going to Bear Lake over the 24th of July for as long as anyone can remember. This year was no different. We stayed in a cabin in Harbor Village. We had so much fun. The weather was great on Wednesday and Thursday. I can't believe how beautiful the day was on Thursday. We didn't want to leave the beach! Steve came up on Friday and brought the jet skis, too bad it was so windy that we didn't even launch them. Saturday was a little better, but not much. We rode the jet skis and boated for about 6 hours, then the weather was done cooperating. But we still had a good time! It was fun just catching up with my cousins and spending time all together. :)

We had a great summer! I can't believe it's over! :( Guess it's time to get back to our routine! Go Midland Panthers!

Blake turns 3!

Happy Birthday Blake! Blake turned 3 this July and he had a great birthday!Blake's birthday started the day before. We all met down at Union Station to ride the Front Runner down to the Gateway. The kids were excited because they only know one store at the Gateway... Build-A-Bear. Jed and Kate have been saving money and they were excited to use it. Blake was excited because he was going to get his very FIRST build-a-bear for his birthday.

My sisters and their kids, my mom, my aunt Susie, and my cousin Kristen and her kids made the journey with us to Salt Lake.
After we arrived in Salt Lake we got on the Trax train and headed to the Gateway. We were all a little grouchy and hungry so we headed straight to Jason's Deli for a fun and yummy lunch! After lunch we all felt better and now the festivities could begin. Yea! Build-A-Bear here we come!
Our first order of business was to pick out his stuffed animal, but Blake had other ideas. He ran in and followed Charlie right to the Batman outfit. He was so excited. He grabbed it and wouldn't put it down. I think he thought that's what he came for. I told him to find a stuffed animal and we could put the outfit on the animal. Blake decided to get a panda bear. It's so cute. His favorite movie is Kung Fu Panda and he also loves Batman so this was perfect! :)

Next, they stuff your animal. Blake got to push the foot pedal. He thought that was great!

Then you make a wish on a little fabric heart and put it right inside your animal.

After his panda was complete he headed over to the bathing station. This was his favorite part. He spent a long time washing (with air) and brushing his panda.

When I finally got him away from the bathing station we put panda's batman costume on. It was so cute!

After he was dressed we went to the computer and gave him a name. Blake chose the name Batman. Shocking I know.

Jed and Kate had fun too. Jed got a new horse named Spirit and Kate got a new bear named Sparkles. They all had a great time!

After Build-A-Bear we headed to the splash park at the Gateway. The kids had fun and got cooled off. It was a great end to a fun day.

Then we headed back to the train and the LONG ride home!

That night my family came over for pizza and cake and ice cream. Blake got a lot of fun presents and we had a great time.

The only thing Blake wanted for his birthday was a Batman cake so he could blow out the candles. I thought that wouldn't be that big of a deal so I frosted it when we got home from Salt Lake. It turned out really cute. The problem came while we were eating dinner. Kate lifted Olivia up to see it and Olivia pulled it down onto the floor. Face down. I gasped and tried not to cry. Shannon calmed me down and we scraped the cake up off the floor. I couldn't believe it! I was getting ready to go to Winegars and get a cake when she said "it's ok we'll fix it." She scraped all the frosting off while I made more. Then we hurried and decorated it again. I can't believe we saved the cake! I also can't believe my family ate it! Thanks guys! I don't think Blake even knew the difference. He got his Batman cake and it only took 2 tries to make the cake and 3 tries to blow out the candles! :)

The next morning was Saturday. We all slept in late then got up and Blake opened his presents. He was so cute. He loved ripping each package open and then wanted to immediately play with what was inside.

Dad made us waffles for breakfast and then we got ready and went to see Ice Age 3. We ate 2 buckets of popcorn for lunch! It was so much fun. Everybody had a great time. When we got home Blake helped me make cupcakes. He had frosting EVERYWHERE. He was so funny. He was eating more than he was getting on the cupcakes!

On Sunday we headed to Papa's house for cake and ice cream. Jake's birthday was on Monday so we celebrated both together. We had a great time.

Papa gave Blake a new baseball T. He loved it!

More candles! Hooray!

What a fun birthday weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped make it special! We love you Blake! :)

Last Week of School

The last week of school was great. The kids had fun activities every day. On Tuesday Jed got an award for having outstanding handwritting. Way to go Jed! On Wednesday he recieved several awards in his classroom. He got awards in spelling, math, writing, reading, and an athletic award. He took 3rd place in running and even got a white ribbon. We're glad that he takes after his dad in speed and not his mom! :) We are so proud of him!

On Thursday the whole school went swimming. They walked from Midland to the Roy Pool. It was so much fun. Too bad I had to work because I'm sure that 600 kids walking 3 blocks with a police escort would have been something to see. Kimi said it was awesome!

Friday was the last day of school. Jed had fun signing yearbooks and spending one more day as a first grader. He's excited for summer and looking forward to the 2nd grade!

Kate had a great last week of school too. On Wednesday her class performed for their parents. She did such a good job! They sang a whole bunch of songs and Kate knew every one. She also had a speaking part and she did a terrific job on that too. Way to go Katie! :)

On Thursday Kate was able to go swimming with the school. Kindergarten didn't get to walk with the school, but still got to go swimming. She was way excited to get to go and had a great time.

The last day of school was fun for Kate too. She got a pillow case with her class picture on it and the whole class signed it. She also got a CD with the songs she learned this year. She loves it and has listened to it at least 50 times already. She loves music and makes sure we all get to enjoy it with her. :) Kate had fun in Kindergarten this year. She loved her teacher Mrs. Winter. She also made a lot of new friends. She is going to do great in first grade next year!

We had a great school year and everyone is EXCITED FOR SUMMER!!!!! Happy summer everyone! :)

P.S. I'd like to thank Kelly Burnett for jumping into Kate's picture with Mrs. Winter. It wouldn't be the same without her! :) jk

New Hoop!

We just got a hoop in our driveway. It is so much fun! The kids love it! We've been having a great time touching up our b-ball skills. Jed is doing awesome. He's hitting 10 footers like there's no problem. Kate loves her pink ball, but will only shoot when the basket is all the way down. Blake loves anything outside and anything to do with sports. He has a ball just his size and Dad even brought out the hoop from his room so he can reach it. What fun!

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter this year. Jed woke up really early and decided it was time for everyone to get up. He was ready to see if the Easter Bunny had left him a basket. After a lot of searching and finding Kate and Blake's baskets Jed found his basket under the kitchen sink. That EB is sure tricky! :)

Dad was a little bit sleepy, but he caught most of the festivities. Kate found her basket full of fun things. She loved her new Webkins and DS game. She also got a caboodle full of nail polish, press on nails, and lipgloss! She's really growing up! :)

Blake's basket had fun suprises too. He found a laser gun, a Fur Real Panda, and a Batman costume. Thanks to his BFF Charlie, he LOVES Batman, so he wore his mask the rest of the day! So Cute!

Jed found that the EB loves Bakugan's as much as him! He got some new Bakugan balls, a shooter, and a game to play them all on! He was so excited that he squeeled in delight. It's pretty awesome to see your 7 year old that excited!

After things settled down and the Easter Egg hunt was over, we got ready and headed to church. The kids all looked so cute. The problem was trying to get a picture of them. Blake did not want to cooperate! He was way too busy to pose for us, so this is the best shot I got.

After church my family came over for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. We had a great time. Mar Mar brought everyone a fun gift and also a bunch of eggs full of money!! What a fun suprise for the kids!

We had a great day! We just wish there would have been time to go see Papa! We sure missed him! Hope everyone had a great Easter!