Summertime Fun

The kids and I have been enjoying our summer so far. We started our summer vacation off with a definite treat. Grammie and Grandad came to visit! Woohoo! They came to do a little visiting and to see 2 of their grandbabies be baptized.

Zoe and Carlee, cousins, were baptized on Saturday, June 4th.

It was so much fun to have them celebrate their big day together and to have both sets of grandparents (for each child) able to attend. Afterwards we went to lunch for some gourmet pizza with our group of 20+. FUN!

The following Monday we went to the beach with the Arnolds (cousins) and Grammie and Grandad. We had a BLAST! The bigger kids played in the water with, which was surprisingly calm, with the dads and Grandad. The little ones hung out with the mamas and Grammie and Carlee's grandma Jackie near the shore.


I think the most memorable part of our trip was when a fisherman caught and reeled in a 4 1/2 foot long SHARK!
Needless to say, we left the beach shortly after the man released the shark back into the water! EEK! I was completely freaked out!


Since Grammie and Grandad left, we have been keeping busy. We have been doing alot of swimming at our local YMCA and neighborhood pool. We've also been visiting the library and recording in our reading logs.


Cole turned 6 yesterday! We had a fun eating contest for dinner. The kids ate their spaghetti and meatballs while wearing trashbags, eating like dogs (no hands). Dallin won, with Zoe in second place.


Dallin made Cole a yummy Oreo cookie cake (Sorry, Grandad! We must repent! Remember, I was raised in a heathen household! But seriously... since there is no longer a suitable substitute, like Hydrox, what are we to do?) that Cole absolutely loved. We also flew kites last night for fun. Cole will be having a fabulous birthday party next week!!!


Despite all the fun, naughty food, and the yummy cake, I am still losing weight, albeit slowly. I am currently down 15 lbs. I am gonna have to get myself back on track with my diet and exercising. Hopefully I can accelerate my weight loss!

A Trip to the Beach...

Our family went to play at the beach on Friday evening. We played in the sand and in the waves. Dad and the big kids (Dallin and Aubree) did some fishing and even caught a baby shark (about 2 feet long)!

The little ones (Zoe, Cole, and Emma) and I played mostly on the shore, building castles, wading, and looking for small sea critters (hermit crabs, small clams, etc.).

We also were attacked by seagulls (or sea rats, as I call them). But don't worry. Haddocks are hardy. The kids made sure to chase and scare them away!

Seeing Reese and More

Last Thursday we were able to pick up Aunt Sheila and Reese from the airport and take her to Aunt Sharon's house. It was fun for all the cousins to play. Emma and Reese are getting along well and will be the best of buds someday. We even got a chance to visit on Friday, too. Fun.

While Mommy is in the hospital, Reese is staying with Sharon. It seems to be going well. A baby could NOT get any more attention anywhere else. She has constant entertainment and lots of people to love on her. I hear that she is eating well, sleeping well, and even went to Nursery class on Sunday. Big girl.

We will be beginning school on Friday, so I have been trying to ensure I have it all together. I am also trying to make sure I have the house more in order. My largest task is laundry. Yuck.

This past week we have had some "fun" mishaps that will NOt be fun paying for. Our AC went out on the van, after having had it "checked" one week prior. Isn't that nice? Last night our AC unit in our house leaked all over our brand new carpet. We tried using the carpet cleaner to suck up all the water. It was mostly dry, so we are hoping there will be no mold formation. Life is interesting, with never a dull moment.

Our babies:
Emma is a ham and a pincher. Last Friday she flirted for Evan every chance she got. Of course, he wanted to hold her constantly. She would bat her long eyelashes or laugh and ham it up. He didn't seem to mind. Her latest thing is to pinch and hit when she doesn't get her way. I am trying to teach her not to, but now she only hits back again. Isn't that precious?

Cole is working on "Potty Power" and not succeeding. I rented a video called "Potty Power" and he seems to enjoy it. We watched several times yesterday and I am hoping that today he'll be ready to put it into action. We will see how it goes.

Zoe is READY to start school. She cannot wait. She can read short vowel a words (3 letters). Her math is more advanced. Everyday she looks longingly at her school stuff and asks how many more days until she starts. She needs stimulation, or else she "finds" some elsewhere. (Like flour and water paste on the laminate floors or using permanent marker on her dolls faces.) Cute.

Aubree is sweet and pretty. She has been reading alot to win our summer reading contest. She has also been enjoying our swimming times. She has really become a little fish. She needs to be taught technique now. She has a true love of the water. Aubree is excited about school, but she really wants to start Co-op. She cannot wait to get her new Recorder.

Dallin loves to play video games and likes to swim. He has also been reading alot. He is excited about playing the Alto Sax this year. He has been driving me nuts with his constant desire to help me cook. I have been allowing him to help with breakfast and lunch. Soon enough he'll be helping with dinner.

That's about it.

Our Summer Vacation

Okay, so I have not been too good at blogging this summer. We have been busy. We started with a long drive to Utah for a wedding/reunion with the Haddocks. Our Sandy is a married woman! Yeah! On the way up, our van bit it. We were able to drive it to Grantsville, UT (Dan's parents) & its still there. Sorry, Carol. The wedding went beautifully and the reunion was fun. The kids were with their cousins and Dan was able to wrestle with his brothers. Fun times.
Since our trip we have been entertaining ourselves at home. Alot of swimming. Alot. We have also had a few chances to play with Sharon's babes. We've been to the beach with our cousins and the pool. The 4th of July was fun. All ten kidos watched fireworks together. Emmy was brave, she loved it. Fireworks rock!
I have been busy entertaining kids and getting school materials together, because we will start on August 1st. I will be homeschooling Dallin (4th), Aubree (2nd), and Zoe (k). Wish me luck.
Love you all. Take care.