A little of this a little of that!

The 4th of July has come and gone along with a lot of other things. I have tried to catch up today on a months worth of blogging (not an easy task). Our summer has been busy and fun - just how we like it! We are finally glad the weather is feeling like summer instead of raining every day.


Off to the famous parade where we see lots of horses. What happened to the motorcycle guy this year? He never showed. Mikayla was in the parade with her violin buddies playing and singing lots of fiddle songs.

Cousins, Kara & Alex

Rad & Wendy and their 4 girls got to spend the 4th with us. Our kids were in heaven as they got to have a sleepover with cousins. We enjoyed Dave's BBQ shrimp, staying up late, and just hanging out with family.

Cade is the best sport ever. He was so outnumbered by girls this firework night!

We enjoyed the fireworks by the river and then decided to buy our own at 11:30pm! I think we may have woke most our neighborhood by starting our own firework show at midnight. I am always pleased at the end of firework night if nobody has been burned or caught on fire.

Ross Park

Dave came home on a Friday at noon ready to take the family to do something fun. We were shocked but quickly came up with a fun idea to go swimming at Ross Park. When we first got to the park there were millions of people and then it got cloudy and started raining. We decided these people haven't been at enough baseball games to know the storm usually passes and then the weather is fine. Good thing for us because the pool cleared and we were one of a few families left with the place to ourselves.


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Hailey has been in a week of swimming lessons and decided she was going to be brave enough to try out the waterslide. She will finally put her face under water!

Mikayla and Ashley loved the lily pads. Mikayla has also been in swimming lessons this year. She is so happy that she can swim across the pool and pass the test at our public pool. She can now join the older kids in jumping off the diving board!

First Time Summer Moments

Cade and Dave got to spend some alone time fishing and camping while all the girls packed up and went to Idaho Falls to stay with friends, shop, and play. I can't believe how fast Cade is growing up. Dave even let Cade shoot a real heavy duty gun - a glock I think it is called. Cade leaves for scout camp tomorrow for a whole week. Is he really old enough to do that? Isn't that where they start learning all sorts of things that I don't necessasrily think he needs to learn? Regardless of what I think, he is excited and ready to go have an adventure. I think Valerie will miss her Cader quite a bit. The two of them are buddies.
Hailey has been busy this summer learning how to ride her bike all by herself. Her legs have the battle wounds to prove it! She can now do it all by herself! She can even stop and start alone. The only problem is she has one speed and one speed only and that is very FAST!

Is it really over?

The four nights a week at the baseball fields plus practices have finally ended. Actually, I rather enjoyed watching Cade and Ashley's games but its the dirty messes my little kids become that I don't really love. I don't think I will miss the sticky snow cones mixed with dirt that seem to become a part of Valerie and Hailey's attire. Or the millions of tootsie roll wrappers we end up picking up after each game. But who doesn't love a game when you can use the same umbrella for both extreme heat and a wild rainstorm all in one game!

Mimi, Cameron, Ashley, Jaida

Ashley's good luck socks! She bought them with her own money when I had taken all my girls on a girls shopping trip to Idaho Falls. She just had to have them!

This was Ashley's first year of pitching machine softball. Their team should have got the award for most improved. They lost most every game all season long and then turned it on at the end of the season and in tournament. It was fun to see her grow and learn. She became quite the little first baseman. I guess we will be heading to more games next season as Mikayla decided she would like to play too.


I don't have the best pics of Cade as my daughter was my photographer. Cade also enjoyed this year of baseball meeting new friends and playing picture and 1st base. One of his favorite things to do was get himself in pickles. Luckily, he usually got himself out of them and added an extra base. It made me a little nervous watching him on the sidelines.

A big hit!

Cade

Mikayla

Tori, Syndey, Ashley, Marli

The kids had been counting down the days until our ward summer party. Hailey got taken out by a flying body while she was getting off the waterslide which ended her time but the other kids just couldn't get enough! The candy cannon couldn't even detour the older kids. We will for sure be back next year. This place in such demand that our ward gets reservations 2 years in advance!