Summer Fun!!

We did many fun things over the summer. Besides T-ball and baseball, which kept us busy all through June, Easton and Paisley took 8 weeks of swimming lessons. We went to a movie once a week at a local theater. We went to a lake near us a couple times. The kids love love love playing in the sand. Here are some pictures from one of those trips:





We went to a couple of water parks with friends a few times:






We took a trip to the splash park with my sister-in-law and her 2 kids. It wasn't the warmest day and so the kids got chilled pretty quick.





So, we turned to plan B and rode the carousel, played on the playground, and got cotton candy.








It was a fun afternoon!

At the end of July, the kids finished up their swimming lessons with a swim meet. It was great to see how much they have improved this summer!








They each can swim 5 different strokes with ease and each won a few of their races! We were definitely proud parents!!!


On August 19th, Dave turned 34 years! The kids were very excited to buy their own gifts for him this year. They used their own hard earned dollars and bought him a stash of chocolate that I was very jealous of! :) Dave loved it!






That night my mom took the kids over night and Dave and I enjoyed a nice night out without the kids! What a great gift! ;)

Happy Birthday, again, to my best friend!! I love you sooooo much!




Two other accomplishments that happened this summer.

1. Easton learned to mow the lawn.

Dave is pretty particular with the lawn and how it is mowed. But, he agreed to let Easton learn how to mow, as long as he learned the "right" way and was able to do it in straight lines. :) Easton picked it up really quick and is a mowing pro now! He has become a great help to Dave. They have become quite a lawn mowing team! And, the best part is that Easton REALLY enjoys it!






Accomplishment #2: Avery learned to ride a bike without training wheels!

One night, we were out front and we looked down the sidewalk to see that our neighbor was walking alongside Avery who was riding her daughter's bike with no training wheels! We were very surprised and excited! Avery was so proud of herself. It took her no time at all to get the hang of it. So, we promptly took the training wheels off of her bike and she has been going strong! I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

The summer went by super fast because we were so busy having fun! I love summer. I am grateful for great friends and family who are willing to hang out with us and make it that much more fun! Can't wait until next summer!!!

Virginia City

In July, Dave took off a day of work and we took a little day road trip with his parents and Uncle Dennis. We decided to go visit the old "ghost" town of Virginia City.

On our way up we stopped in Island Park at Warm River to feed the big fish that like to hang out there. Unfortunately, for some reason, there were hardly any fish. But, it was beautiful and nice to take a little break from the drive.









Farther on down the road we decided to stop at this great little park that we happened to pass for a picnic.



The kids had a ton of fun playing in a little log house they had and some big tires.










Virginia City is a fun town filled with old shops and buildings. We had fun looking through the old shop windows looking at the replicas they have displayed inside. Easton was super excited that grandpa bought him a cowboy hat.






We also were able to go see a melodrama in this really old theater.




That was really fun and the kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit!

We had a fun day. We were very worn out by the time we got home! The kids were awesome during the long car ride. Thank goodness we have DVD players!



Thanks, John and Shirley, for the awesome day!

4th of July!!

This post is better late than never, right?


We had a great 4th of July this year! The only down side was that Easton was missing from our activities this year. He went with my dad to southern Utah for a big family reunion. He was gone for 5 days, the 4th of July being one of them. He had a BLAST with grandpa, so I was really glad that he was able to go. We sure missed him, though. It just feels weird to have one of the kids gone on a holiday.

We have developed traditions that we do every year. We always start with the parade.
I was able to snap several cute pictures of the girls:




They sure love each other and are great buddies:




Dave:



My mom:



Dave's mom and dad and Uncle Dennis:



We had the unfortunate experience of having the horses go to the bathroom right in front of us. Avery was appalled at that! She couldn't quit plugging her nose and had this horrible look on her face.




It was so funny!

That afternoon we had a yummy BBQ at Dave's parents' house. Then we headed home for a much needed rest. After dinner we took a little walk around the neighborhood and then headed to the fireworks.



The best part about the 4th for me is all the good quality family time that we spend together. It is always a fantastic day!

Little League and T-ball

Dave has been waiting for this year for 9 years. He has been anticipating the year when Easton would be old enough to start Little League since Easton was born! Dave loves baseball to say the least. He helped coach a Little League team several years ago and LOVED it. But, with that and playing softball, he was gone way too much. So, he decided to wait until Easton was old enough to play before he coached again.

So, now that Easton is old enough, he played this year and Dave coached. I think they both had a great time. They had a really young team and struggled the first half of the season. But, they really improved throughout the season and ended up winning a couple games! :) Easton had a lot of fun. He learned a lot and improved tremedously throughout the season. He even got to pitch a bit in one of the games.




I am really happy that Easton and Dave had this experience together.

Avery played her first year of T-ball this year.



She enjoyed it quite a bit. She did get quite distracted while she was in the field by the dirt and rocks. She would sit right down and play in it until her coach or her mother yelled to her to get up. :)

Here are a few pictures that I snapped at the last game. (I am super bad about waiting until the last minute to take pictures!!)

End of the Elementary School Year

The end of the school year was very busy. It seemed like there were many activities to occupy the month of May.

One activity was the first grade field day. I volunteered to help with that. Unfortunately, it was raining that day and so they held the field day indoors. I was able to take Paisley and a group of other first graders around to the different stations that were set up. The kids had a lot of fun. Two of the stations were musical chairs and "belly ball" which was interesting!





The 3rd graders put on a program that Avery and I were able to go watch one morning towards the end of school. They did a very good job. Each child had some kind of speaking part and they sang several songs. Easton did a great job. Unfortunately, I was too far back to get pictures during the program, but here is one right after:



Paisley had a great year in first grade. Her teacher said that she was a big help to her and the other students. She made several new friends and had a lot of good experiences. She excelled academically and was at the head of her class. When she finished 1st grade she was reading well above a 4th grade level. We were so proud of her and her accomplishments! Her teacher, Mrs. Brian, was absolutely fantastic! I wish Paisley could have her every year. She is very kind and patient with the students and really cares about them. Paisley LOVED her. On the last day of school she SOBBED when she had to say good bye to Mrs. Brian. It made Mrs. Brian and I both tear up! But, Mrs. Brian was kind enough to give Paisley her phone number so that they could keep in touch over the summer. :)



Easton had a great 3rd grade year. He also met new friends and had some fun experiences. His teacher, as all of his teachers, described him as being the class clown and a very social boy. While this was okay at times, it also got him into a little trouble at times. :) He did very well academically. His report card was usually A's, with some occasional B's. He was able to memorize all of his multiplication facts and did very well with all he was asked to do. His teacher, Mrs. Boren, was a good teacher. He got along with her and seemed to enjoy her class. Unfortunately, when I helped in his class at their party on the last day of school, I forgot to take a picture of him with his teacher. :(

I can't believe that I will have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader next year! Time is going way TOO fast!