August

Apparently August was boring because I don't have many pictures to share!

 

Once there was a snowman!

This girl. She is going to keep me on my toes.  She LOVES to have her 'lips'.

My mom got the girls some new dresses.  They look adorable!!

Keeping toddlers entertained without a screen in front of their face is challenging at times.  Beans anyone?

My budding little artist is fascinated with killer whales.  This drawing makes my heart smile.  There is a lot of detail!

Lexi is Taylor & Rylee's long lost triplet.  My big girls don't look super identical in this picture.  I can't decide how I feel about that. :)

Anderson Family Vacay

My parents were able to get a couple of timeshare rooms in Bear Lake for the end of summer.  It was pretty PERFECT weather!!   Casey would say perfect, I would say add on 5 more degrees.  There isn't a whole lot to tell - so the pictures will do most of the talking.

 

We played on the beach for 2 days.  The kids were so content.  Except for Luke - I love that kid, and he REALLY loves me.  I can't leave his sight.

 I had this cheap inflatable sting-ray form Smith & Edwards that was a HUGE hit!  I should have bought a million more of them!  Lexi was Grammy's sidekick the whole weekend.  They were besties.

 Eva is non stop energy.  No wonder Ashley stays so skinny!  She was having a blast and is chill to do whatever.  I think Taylor had the most fun on the beach.  She was always smiling.

 On day 2 there were a couple of frogs on the beach.  They were a fun surprise.

 Brad & Angela got a boat this year.  EVERYONE was excited when it was their turn to go for a ride.  Blake loves the boat.  I didn't really see to much of Angela's family because I was taking care of the littles on the beach.  She said that Taylor & Rylee loved finding new spots to stop the boat and jump into the lake.  I am so grateful that no one had a life jacket malfunction.

 Angela's family had to pack up and leave, Dylan left too.  But the rest of the boys rented jet skis for a bit.  Caleb loved it.  I think the rest of the boys did too.

 We had a couple of pools to choose from to play in at the timeshare.  It kind of seems silly to play in the pool when you have a beautiful lake right next to you - but it was nice.  Lexi was a pro.  I'm not joking.  By the end of the trip she was kicking and maneuvering around in the water - I was shocked at how quickly she caught on.  She's one smart cookie.

 Taylor & Rylee love their Angela.  I guess they are little back seat drivers on the boat sometimes though.  They kept telling Brad to slow down.  I'm so proud of Caleb for trying something new!  He had fun on the tube.  I guess at one point the tube was completely vertical and Derrick & Griffen were thrown off, but Caleb held on for dear life and didn't fall in! 

Ashley, my mom & I took some of the kids to the arts & crafts center one afternoon.  Caleb LOVES his shirt that he got to color.

It was a fun vacation.  It must have stressed me out a bit because the day after we got home I had a giant cold sore brewing.  I'm grateful for the memories that were made and happy that my family still likes each other enough to hang out like this!!  Thanks ma & pa!

Lagoon

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for my Caleb Bo Baleb to be tall enough to ride some rides at Lagoon.  He BARELY passed this year.  We called in a babysitter for Luke and Lexi and headed to Lagoon!

 

Taylor & Rylee were just a couple of inches shorter than Caleb, so they had to have an adult with them for most rides.

This ride started out with smiles...Caleb & Taylor were in tears by the end of it.  Is it okay that I find it sad and a little bit funny?  Finding a smidge of humor in my kids sadness is being a bad mom.  Oopsie.  They just get so dramatic!  But I also know what it is like to be scared...so I sympathize, honestly - I do!

Caleb is just as content as can be in the little kid rides.  Nothing to crazy for this boy.  He did go on the Flying Aces and was screaming the whole time, "AHHHHH!!!  I'M GOING TO DYE TODAY!!"  But when it was over, he said he loved it.  It's a good thing he's still little so he can fit in the seats of these little kid rides!

I love that in this picture - my kids all of their hands up in the air.

I thought we could bust out Lagoon in a few hours.  Well...we were there for almost 7 & didn't even do everything that we wanted to do.  On our way out we ended with the merry-go-round and some cotton candy.  It was a fun day & the kids had a blast.

I got DRENCHED on rattlesnake rapids.  It was so cute...we were getting on the ride and Casey said, "Now you guys, watch out for rattlesnakes!"  Rylee replied in the cutest voice ever, "And the rabbits?!?!"  (rapids and rabbits sound so much the same!)

Happy Birthday!

At the end of July we all got together and celebrated my dad's birthday.  He's a pretty decent guy :)  I like him.  Here is a shot of most of the group getting ready to play a game.

I didn't manage to get a picture of the birthday boy wearing his gift - but the siblings all got together and got him this awesome t-shirt.

We had plenty of fun playing catch!  Eva was hilarious - she would put out her Velcro mitt and scream, "Catch it to me!"  It was adorable.  Rylee even got to play some catch with her favorite boy, Griffy Poo.

Jordon buddied up to Luke with the bubbles, Jackson ventured onto the grass for a bit, Taylor & RYlee loved their chocolate cake and ice cream, and Eva & Lexi managed to drench themselves.  It was a nice night!

A couple of weeks after my dad's birthday, Casey's dad turned 60!  It's weird how young 60 seems to me now.  When I was in my teens...60 was ancient.  We went in with Mona on a metal art sign for his birthday gift.  We thought that he would take it out to Dove Creek...but I guess he loves it so much he is hanging it in their basement.  Mona got a piñata...look at little Lexi's face in that top picture.  She cracks me up.

My kids were excited to beat the unicorn to smithereens.  Wonder if they will need therapy one day.

Caleb managed to decapitate the creature.  He was mad that the whole thing didn't explode out with candy...but he got over it.

Mona made Brad a cobbler for his birthday treat.  Luke's face in this picture makes me happy.  That little boy loves to eat.

Happiest of birthdays to a couple of really great guys!

July

A lot of our July was taking kids to tball and machine pitch practice and then watching their skills on the ball field.  Taylor & Rylee were cute.  Typical little girls...scooping up dirt, tagging people out with the ball in the other hand, and barely hitting the ball off of the tee.  Caleb has improved a LOT!  He always swung the hardest, had the perfect stance, and the last game of the season he got a good piece of the ball.  I was one proud mom!

I packed up the kids one night to meet my mom & Ashley in Logan to watch the fireworks.  Caleb was obviously excited and drew this picture.  Him & me are sitting in the chairs.  Taylor & Rylee (stick figures with pony tails) are on the blanket with Luke and Lexi running around.  Does it get any cuter?

For Brigham's fireworks we stayed home.  Lit some snakes and sparklers and smoke bombs.  Casey then let the big kids get on the roof with him so they had a fantastic view of the fireworks.  Lexi is taking after her sisters and starting to pose for pictures.  And Caleb's smile in this one is adorable.

Luke loved the snakes.  I wish that I could've gotten a better picture...but I was also on fire patrol.

Poor little bug has a wart on her finger that we can't get to go away.  She was being really brave in this picture letting Casey check it out.  We've been putting freeze away on it, but no such luck.  And she HATES it.

Baby butts drive me nuts :)

Rylee loves our bed.  There is maybe 1 night/week she doesn't end up in between us.

So fresh & so clean clean!

I made cookies one day.  Luke was in HEAVEN.  I may have let him think he was being sneaky and steal a couple.

Caleb hasn't ever been very adventurous...but one day he said he wanted a bike that was his size.  We had to make that happen.  Maybe by winter we can get the training wheels off.

Annual birthday breakfast!!  We had a good crowd this year!  Sandra let Taylor & Rylee put on their own makeup at Sephora - so of course Aunt Sandra is the best person EVER!  Caleb has been into cars lately and the girls spotted a Jaguar in the mall and wanted their picture by it.  Future Price is Right girls!  I got Caleb a darling jacket for school and a fabulous purse for myself...but it's a birthday gift so I have to wait until December to use it.  A little something to look forward to!

While the girls were in SLC, Casey and the boys went with his parents to a small Freeze family gathering at clear creak campground.  It looks like a nice spot!  There was water & rocks, so you know that Luke was happy.

This beautiful ray of sunshine has been potty training.  She is doing really well!  A couple more weeks and her brother can attempt it.  I hope it's smooth sailing with him too.

My grandma is out of control.  She had my kids, Ashley's kids and Blake over one afternoon for some water fun and treats.  It was in celebration of her birthday.  I hope to be half as energetic as her when I am that age!

Swimming lessons are complete!  This goober has gotten so much braver in the water.  One day he had to use his sisters goggles...I thought it was funny.  He gets to be in Level 3 next year!

These girls did amazing.  Their teacher appreciated that I didn't have them in matching swimsuits.  They are much more confident in the water this year than last year.  They get to move to Level 2 next year!

Family Time!

Casey switched schedules!!!  He is now working a NORMAL shift.  I think this is the first normal-ish shift he has worked the whole time that we have been married.  He will work Tue-Fri from 5AM to whenever he finishes.  It will be so nice!  When he was transitioning form one schedule to another, he ended up with a whole week off.  For one of those days we went for an adventure.

 

We started at the dog park in Logan and walked along the Logan river walkway all the way to Willow Park.  Caleb & I definitely should have worn different shoes.  It wasn't necessarily a long, strenuous walk....but it was H O T.  I think it was a little over a mile walk...but with 5 kids, it took a while.

I wish that my earring didn't look so weird in this picture.  But I just wanted to document that I did exist on this day.  The river looked so refreshing!

Taylor & Rylee rode their scooters most of the way.  They only needed a couple of breaks.  Caleb says that when we go on walks his ankles start to hurt.  I hope that he didn't inherit my fabulous ankles.  We stopped at a great shady spot right before Willow Park and ate our lunch.  I love when my kids tell me "Thanks for lunch!"  :)

My little posing Taylor.  She sat on this tree and insisted that I take her picture.  This is the pose she chose.  She was cracking herself up.

I attempted a family selfie.  I guess with this crew, it wouldn't be a bad call to get a selfie stick.  I can't believe I just said that.

The goats were definitely a highlight of the park.  Rylee LOVES little animals.  Luke loves them also...but he doesn't get to close.  We also got to see the turtles get fed.

We were FINALLY just about back to the car and decided to walk down to the river bed and stick our feet in.  It's crazy how hot the day was...and how ice cold the river was.

This baby boy & his rocks.  He could've stayed there all day long.