Independence Day: Family Parade

Josh, Hayden, and Tyler all ready to go on the Clark Parade around the neighborhood.  We can't stop all our traditions!

Tony, Josh, Averee, Megan, Hayden, Julie, and Tyler before the Clark Parade.

Allie wanted to sit right here on the trailer.  I tried to get her to sit with me and she got up and sat right back down righ there.  She likes the freedom and wind in her face.  She liked the ride.

After the trailer parade the kids decided to do a running parade and throw candy at up adults.  Josh was first up.

Allie ran in the parade too.  She was the cutest one for sure!

Tyler was tricky and threw two pieces of candy.  Silly guy.

Megan thought she was hilarious throwing her candy.  So funny.

Independence Day: Murray Fun Days

Since my family decided to break with tradition and go up to the cabin we decided to go to Murray Park and check out all the festivities.
We first went to the "Money Find" for the kids.  They had already done Megan's age by the time we got there so we waited for Josh and Tyler to have a turn looking for coins.
Josh found one nickle, but poor Tyler didn't find anything.  They had fun though.
After that they had a fishing booth for fifty cents.  So we let the kids go fishing.  I thought they'd get one little silly toy, but they actually all got a bag with three or four toys in it and a flower necklace.  I thought that was cool and well worth the money.
After that the kids wanted to play on the playground.  It is a pretty fun one, so we let them play while we waited for Grandma Margie and Grandpa to meet up with us.
Once they came we started seeing all the different things that they had to offer.  We came across a both for the ice rink.  They had a line for hitting a puck that Tyler really wanted to do.  So we got balloons for the three younger kids and then let them go see how much tickets were for the rides.  I stayed with Tyler to let him hit the puck.
Tyler did really good and when he was done we met up with the others who were looking at what to eat for lunch.

We made our lunch choices and then found a place in the shade to eat.  The food wasn't very good, but now we know for next year.  After lunch it was play time.  Each of the kids had some tickets for the bouncy houses and rides and they had no problem using them right up.  They each got to do everything that they wanted and had a super good time.

Their was a soccer one where if you kick the ball in the whole you won a blow up soccer ball.  Tyler really liked that one and played it twice, winning two soccer balls.
They had mostly bouncy activities that the kids really liked, but a couple others.  The had a little kids swing that went around in circles that was powered by a fan.  It was pretty cute to see all the little kids riding around in circles.

Allie LOVED this ride.  She could not get enough of it.  She went on it at first by herself because the other kids were on other things.  She wasn't scared at all and just sat in her little swing soaking in the fun.  She looked so content in her swing and just enjoyed going around and around.  This girl loves the wind in her hair.

The other kids came over and saw how fun the swing was so Megan and Allie road it again together in a little side by side swing duo.  On Allie's third time on the swing Josh decided he wanted to swing too and found him a swing.  It's amazing how something so basic is so fun for kids.

I think Allie went on the swings one more time before we had all the kids go on the train together.  We thought that they would like it.  It was a cute little train that took them down and around a portion of the park.  We had just enough tickets for each kid to go.  Lucky the girl let Tony go with Allie.  I was concerned that sending her just with Tyler might not be a good idea.  If she decided to stand up or moved around too much Tyler wouldn't know what to do.  So it worked out.
The kids were not amused by the train.  Tyler said he likes the bigger and faster rides.  Ah well, what can you do.  After we got the kids snow cones and cotton candy (kettle corn for mom).  We then drove home to put Allie down for her nap.  She took a good nap and we decided to eat at Leatherby's for dinner.  Grandma Margie joined us and it was super yummy.  After that we headed to my parents for the evening festivities.

Independence Day: Murray Parade

Tyler, Josh, Allie, and Megan waiting for the parade to start.  I love going to the Murray Parade!

Tyler, Josh, and Megan waving their flags proudly at the parade.

Grandma Kim and Papa G.

Allie with Daddy (with grandma Margie in the background).  I didn't get a picture of me this year.  I didn't even think about it.  Darn it.

Patriotic Sunday

Sleepy Tyler

Before heading out to dinner with the Steenblik's Tyler came outside to wait for Grandma Margie to come pick them up.  I went out to dinner with some of my friends from my ward so I didn't go out to dinner with them.
Tyler decided to lay down while he waited and fell asleep in the swing.  When grandma got there he said he was just closing his eyes, but he was totally asleep.  Too much fun at the sleepover at Margie's the night before. 

Waterfight!!!

Our pool water was starting to get pretty gross so the kids and I got out our buckets and started collecting water from the pool to dump on the dry spots on the lawn.
Allie followed me for the first half thinking she was some how helping.  She really liked it when I would dump out the water all over the grass.

Tyler and Josh got a good amount of water each time and were really great helpers.  Megan would get some water and most of it would fall out of her bucket by the time she got to the dry spot.  I am pretty sure she is the one that started getting wet first.
I told the kids that it was okay with me if they got wet, so then they stopped being so careful about staying dry and started getting very wet.

Josh would go to the dry spot and just dump out the bucket of water on himself. . It was pretty funny to watch.  It didn't take long before the kids started getting each other wet.
I told the boys they could not gang up on Megan and get her all wet, but beside that they could pretty much have at it.

They thought that was the best thing ever.  I did tell them to go on the lawn to get each other wet so we weren't just wasting the water.  Occasionally I would make them all come to a  dry spot with their buckets of water and then I would count to three before they could throw the water.  Megan wasn't super good at getting the boys wet, but really good at dumping out her water.

They were all really good helpers and Allie did good at hanging out with me.  She wanted to go for a ride in her little car so I pushed her around while the kids got each other wet.  That kept her away from getting wet and she loved watching the silly kids.

New Backyard Pool

Our old pool had a slow leak so we decided to get a new pool.  It was suppose to be 100 degrees yesterday and today I really wanted to get the pool out and filled so that the kids could play in the water.
So yesterday we went to Costco and got this really cool big pool.  It has two seats on each side and four cup holders (not that we really need them, but they work nice for holding goggles).

So yesterday Tony pumped up the pool and filled it with water.  The three older kids immediately got into their swimsuits and jumped into the cold water.  It is way too cold for me out of the hose, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all.
Allie wanted to get on her swimsuit but wanted nothing to do with the pool.  She just kept shaking her head no.  So we decided to pump up her little pool and see if she would go in there.  No such luck.  She didn't want anything to do with that pool either.

So Allie and I sat on the swing watching the kids play in the water.  Tony got out a chair and sat in the little shade that we had in the back yard.  Tony did get out the beach umbrella and set it up next to the pool so that they kids would have a little shade in the water.  Smart move.
After a while Tony and Allie got hot and went into the house to cool down. I decided to stay outside and put my feet into Allie's little pool.  I could tell that her top ring of the pool had a leak because it was slowing deflating.

I lasted about 20 or so minutes of putting my feet in the small pool while holding an umbrella to keep me shaded before I headed into the house.  It got to be 101 degrees yesterday.
After dinner however, I did get in my suit and sat in the big pool.  The water was warmer, but still really cool.  It felt oh so nice.  Megan got back on her suit and played in the water with me.  It was fun.  I love the water.

So today after a busy morning of going to my parents house, Megan said she wanted to go swimming this afternoon.  The boys had just gotten home from summer school and wanted to join in the fun too.
I changed all three kids (Allie is napping) and sprayed them really well with sunscreen and let them go wild.  And wild they did go.  They are so noisy back there.
Allie's pool water is super warm and the kids pretend that it's their hot tube.  The top ring is definitely deflated, but Megan doesn't seem to care.  We have all the pool toys out and the kids are having a wonderful time.
Megan also liked stacking the floaty rings and then throwing the diving rings in the middle.  She kept doing different things and then asked for me to take her picture.  I hope she always likes me to take her picture.

It is so much fun to see the kids having fun in our backyard and not just playing on the electronics.  I wish that they would fight less, but that is all part of being a sibling.  Conflict resolution skills.  They are so lucky to have each other to play with.  I love me kids so much and am so lucky to be their mama.

Grandma Camp/Cabin Fun

My mom decided to have a Grandma Camp this summer up at our cabin.  It was this last weekend and the boys had so much fun.  My mom did it for the grand kids who were six and older.  A couple of the older grand kids couldn't go, so my mom had four boys up at the cabin.
Sherri was her assistant and was instructed to "just spoil them".  My mom had the boys shoot a BB gun, taught them to use a bow and arrow, they rowed the little boat in the pond, and even built a bird house.

My parents picked up the boys Friday morning and took them up to the cabin.  The boys all spent the night and then we went up to the cabin Saturday afternoon to have a BBQ and to take our boys home.
The boys wanted to show us how they did the bow and arrows.  It was Josh's favorite activities of Grandma Camp.  Josh did impressively well at shooting a bow.  He hit the target most times that he tried.  Tyler did good too, but I think Josh had him beat.

Tony helped Megan shoot the arrow once and she got it super close to a bulls-eye.  It was pretty impressive.  Tony had a good time trying out the bow and arrows too.  It was pretty fun to watch them doing something new.

While the others were playing with the bow and arrows we went down to the pond to play.  Allie loved playing on the bridge and running around the pond.  She was totally freaking me out while she ran around the pond because some of the sections are tilted and I worried that she would misstep and fall into the pond.  Oh the worries of a mama.  She loved it, so that was very good.
Megan was going around the pond holding Gavin's hand.  She has learned that she can boss around kids that are littler then her and she loves it.  It was pretty cute to watch.

Allie's most favorite thing this trip was going for rides in Boyd and Julie's Rhino.  We had gone on a four-wheel ride before Julie had gotten there and she really liked that.  When Julie got there we went for a ride in the Rhino and Allie was hooked.

After our first ride we all got out and then Allie pointed towards the Rhino grunting.  It was pretty funny.  We went on two more rides before we went home that evening.  Allie loved it all.  We would go over a bump and get some air and Allie was giggling and so happy.  She just took in the air blowing threw her hair and it was adorable.  I hope she keeps up this adventurous side because I think that she's going to love roller coasters.

The boys finished up their bird houses while we were there.  We tried to leave the campers alone while it was still officially Grandma Camp.  But I did take some pictures of the boys building their bird houses.  They had some mad hammering skills.

Allie never misses an opportunity to swing.  She has figured out that it is pretty awesome.