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.

Bear Lake

We headed to Bear Lake one day for Casey's birthday.  It is a fun tradition!  There was a sand bar where we spent most of our time this year.  Caleb is getting braver and braver in the water.  He keeps asking me when swimming lessons are going to start.  Rylee said her favorite part of the day was burying Shayden.

Little Miss Makayla cracks me up.  I have never seen someone perfect the 'glare' at such a young age!  She WOULD NOT smile at me.  Her and Lexi got a long good though.

My babies had a blast.  Luke loves throwing sand, and Lexi thinks she is a model.  I got them some fun floaters which the both loved!

Out of everyone, I think that Taylor had the most fun.  She was always in the water.  Always content no matter what the activity.  She was just a happy little beach babe.

My cousin's husband let us a use a paddleboard for the day.  I got a 8' one so that it was easier for the kids, but I guess adults do better on a 10' one.  At least I know that for next time.  Tyson was a pro at it!!  Mona even braved it and did awesome.

Kids and seagulls.  They just want to catch one so badly!

My beach baby, with his beach blonde hair.

The group!  It was a fun day.

Annual Bear Lake family photo.  One year everyone will look at the camera at the same time.

I win mother of the year with this kid.  I used the spray on sun screen for him...I guess it does work, but it might be beneficial to overspray a little next time.  It didn't seem to bother him to badly, for that I am grateful.  (smallest butt - E V E R)

Hyrum Dam

We packed up the kids, the towels and a lunch and headed to the small beach at Hyrum Dam to play one day.  It's a lot of work to pack up for all of these tiny people!  BUT-it was a fun outing, and close to home too!  I think we only got asked, "Are we there yet?", twice.

My pretty posers.  Taylor has really been getting into it lately.

Casey loves to swim.  I love to sit on the beach.

My cuties found a log and some shade to eat their sandwiches.

Luke is my kind of kid.  He just liked staying at the shore line throwing rocks into the water.  It got pretty hot, so I kind of forced him to get his body a bit wet to cool him down a bit.  After that, he would go about knee deep.

The boys were cracking up splashing each other.

Caleb found some crab pieces.  Because that was a normal thing to find at the dam.  He insisted that we took them home.  He loves to collect ANYTHING.

Little miss sassy pants.  She would walk out into the water until it was up to her neck if I would let her.  She hated the life jacket and the water wings.  Collecting sand at the water floor and throwing it was her favorite thing to do.

My mom said that when I was little we would go to Hyrum Dam to play with some ward members quite often.  It's sad that I don't remember it, but I am glad that she does.  I mentioned wanting to take my kids to the ocean next summer and Casey's brother said, "Why?  They won't even remember it."  I thought about that for a couple of days and it hit me, I know that they may not remember it, but I will.  I still matter.

June!

We had another visit at Grammy's to visit the kittens.  Babies with babies....so cute!!

Taylor & Rylee love them so much.  Caleb loves to watch them and pet them, but not hold them.

 Do you see this cuteness?  He was holding his gun and said, "Mom, come here.  I have a surprise for you."  I didn't believe him.  I figured he was going to shoot me, but Jordon said, "He really does."  Then, my heart melted.

My neighbor, Toni, invited me and the kids to go to the pool with her & RJ.  She said she would help me watch my kids.  Getting someone to come help me with such a task is half the battle, so I had to make it happen.  We went on a Saturday morning and it was perfect!!

RJ came over one morning to show the girls a snail.  They have them in their yard every year.  I haven't seen one in ours ever.  I think that is weird.  I'm not complaining...I'm just sayin.

My twinsies.  All of them.

Baseball season has started!  Caleb's swing is perfection.  His stance in perfection.  His contact just isn't happening yet!  I am so excited and anxious for him to connect with the ball and knock one clear out there.  I love that he always tries his hardest!

 

What?  Anotehr pool day?!  Diversity Dance had a free pool day for all of their dancers and anyone they brought with was only $1 each.  So, again, I made it happen.  In this picture we have Casey's cousin's kids, Canyon & Taylr, our neighbor Mallori, my Taylor, neighbor Allie, Rylee & Caleb.

Somebody got a pack of mustaches at a birthday party.  He tries a new one every day.

Sing Hallelujah!  Rylee lost her first tooth!  Look at the joy on her face.  She even ended up in tears because she was so excited that the tooth fairy was coming to put money in her pillow.

Super Lexi!

When we would go to my parents house to visit the kittens my mom would have everyone sit in a circle and put the kittens in the center.  The girls got out a bunch of stuffed animals the other day, sat in a circle and put them all in the middle.  I thought it was cute.

This little guy loves to brush his teeth.  I really think he just loves to splash and make a mess, regardless of the reason - he's pretty cute doing it.

I had the girls help me move all of the chairs and barstools one day so that I could mop.  They were pretty pleased with the set up they had made for themselves and insisted that I take a picture.

My baby...not being very babyish anymore.

This one loves to color!

This one enjoys it also...but a lot ends up all over the countertop if I don't keep a close watch.

Father's day happened!  This adorable picture happened too!

My little cherry pickers.

Weird.  I took yet another picture of these two sleeping!  I know - they should be in beds by now....but I don't have any :)

Caleb still LOVES his puppy that he made a build-a-bear for his birthday.  The other day he had an Oreo cookie.  He came to me and said, "Will you please take a picture of me and my Oreo with my pet Oreo?"  I came home from work one morning and saw Oreo sleeping in my bed.  When I got closer, Caleb was in there too.