Summer Soccer

Summer soccer has begun and it is so much fun.
It is super hot when they play at either 5:30 or 6:30 in the evening, but it is fun to watch.  It is fun watching Megan play.  She is tough and goes after the ball.  She gets lost in the circle of kids, but she is at least trying to go for the ball.  She even scored a goal in her second game.  Josh is playing on a bigger field now and I think that has been hard for him.  He still likes playing goalie and has a hard time staying motivated in the heat.  Tyler still has a great kick to him and tries hard to do his best.  Allie tries to stay entertained while her siblings play.  Some days that is harder then others.  Summer soccer is hot and crazy, but we love staying active and playing outdoors. 

Splash Pad Fun With Cousins

Julie invited us to go to a splash pad with them this morning.  It was a pretty fun water place and super popular.
Allie didn't want to play in the water, so she just hung out with Julie and myself.  Megan played for maybe 15 minutes and then was done.
Tyler and Josh played a good long time with Hayden and Averee.  They had so much fun playing in the water and with each other.  We had to tell Kimball and Tyler to come get dry so that we could go for lunch.  They loved it.

We decided to make Megan and Kimball happy by going to McDonald's for lunch.  They had a fun play place and everyone was happy.  Julie and I got to chat while the kids all played.  They love being together and it's so much fun for me to watch my kids bond with their cousins.

After we were all done we left Julie's family and McDonald's to go to Costco.  I had my tires checked because my light came on and it showed that one tire was a lot lower then the others.  So he told me I probably had a leak and should get it checked out sometime.  They had a long wait then, so I chose to wait until later to have it looked at.

We then went into Costco and did our shopping.  Once we were done we headed home.  Allie asked me in the car if she could take a nap and I said yes.  I thought she was just being silly but then after like a minute I turned around and she was actually sleeping.  She was a tired girl and ended up sleeping about an hour and a half.

Tony checked the tire when he got home from work and found a screw.  We decided to take it into our Costco and get it fixed.  The tire guy told us that the tire was not fixable so we had to buy a new tire and decided to replace both our back tires.
We then did some shopping while waiting for our car and then we headed home.  I am glad that we have good new tires and we should be all good for when we go on our long journey to Oregon.  It was a fun and very hot day!

Cousins are the Best!

Nate, Amy and family came into town Saturday night and we all got to have dinner with them at Grandma's house on Sunday.
We miss them so much and love when we get to spend time together.  Megan and Lydia are especially close and so adorable when they get together.  They love each other so much.  They held hands and hugged and dances around all evening.

Cora and Allie like each other too and are cute to watch together.  They aren't quite as close as Megan and Lydia, but I think they will be as they get older.
Landon was a super cousin and played so nicely with all the girls.  He lifted them up and flipped them around like doing a back flip.  They loved it.  They would jump from the coach into London's arms and then he flipped them over.  He did this many times and really spoiled the girls.  They all loved it.
We are so glad that Amy and the kids are going to be here for a few weeks and we look forward to hanging out with them as much as possible.

Fun at the Cabin

We finally had a Saturday that we didn't have plans so we headed up to the cabin.
We got there and got settled in before we got out the four-wheelers and went on a nice long ride.  We all loved it and had a wonderful time.  After our ride we came back to make lunch.  We grilled some burgers and then had a nice break hanging out in the cabin.
After Tony and I hung out for a while and then cleaned up lunch we decided we wanted to go on another ride.  None of the kids wanted to come so we left Tyler in charge and Tony and I went for another ride.  I love four-wheeling.  We had a great ride.
After our ride we went back to the cabin to finish cleaning up before we left for home.  It was a nice break from the heat to go up to the mountains and have some fun family time. 

Playing with Cousins at Grandma's

Grandma Margie is watching Cortnie, Brennen, and Gabe while Tim and Suzanne went on a vacation.  My kids wanted to play with them so we all went over for some fun cousin time.
They were cleaning the basement so we helped until they were done and then the kids got to play.  Margie said that the kids could swim in her hot tube if they had suits, so I went home and got all their swim stuff.

All the kids got into the water except Cortnie.  The water was warm and the kids loved it.  Allie didn't want to go in with the jets on so the kids turned them off while she was in the hot tub.  Margie sprayed down some of her plants while they were in the hot tub and then sprayed the kids.  They all love it, except Allie.  She was crying and whining even though Margie wasn't even getting her.  Silly little ones.

Allie was the first to get out and then the others followed soon after.  They all were super hungry after being in the water and then just wanted to rest in the cool house.  After their snacks and a rest we packed up our stuff and headed home.  It was a fun time at Grandma's with cousins!

Independence Day - Fireworks

Normally we would stay at my parents all day on the 4th and do fireworks there, but last year and this year my siblings have gone back to their houses so we have done the same.
We invited Tony's parents (and the cousins) and my parents to come watch our fireworks at our house.

Before they came we started off the fun with some Pop-its.  The kids all love the Pop-its but Koda hates it.  After the pop-its we did some awesome parachutes.  One of my personal favorites.  The kids love it too.  They love to chase the parachutes and it is fun to watch.
After we shot off all the parachutes we then waited for the rest of our family to come (and for it to get dark) to light the rest of the fireworks.

We had mostly fountains and they were pretty awesome.  We also saw many awesome areal fireworks all around us from our neighbors.  We bought one baby areal for our finale and it was perfect.  We all had a great time watching the fireworks and the kids playing with their cousins.  It was the perfect way to end our Independence Day!

Independence Day - Murray Parade, BBQ, & Swimming

We sure enjoy going to the Murray parade every year.  My dad got us our family spot and so all we had to do was come and pick our chairs.
We were the first family there (besides my dad) so we got first pick.
Kevin, Sherri, and Julie's families all came to the parade too.  Then Lloyd and Margie came and joined in with us with the cousins.  We were one big happy family!

It was a good parade with lots of entries.  The kids got tons of candy, like usual.  Megan really got into getting candy this year.  She kept cheering and yelling "Over here, over here".  It was pretty adorable.  She was motivated by all those yummy treats.
It warmed up quickly and we were ready to go back to my parents house after the parade was over.

The kids love playing with their cousins.  We got back to my parents and the kids started playing right away.  While they played I went with Julie and Boyd and Sherri to the store to get Averee her birthday cake.
Once we got back it was time to get ready for lunch.  After it was all ready we all had our fill of yummy BBQ burgers and hot dogs.
My parents got out their pool and filled it up and the kids really wanted to swim.  I didn't bring swimsuits for the kids so I let them swim in the extra clothes that I keep in the car, if they wanted to.  Allie wanted to swim but she didn't like all the big kids splashing around so she never did get into the water.  She is very picky and stubborn (luckily she is very cute and sweet too).
The other three kids got into the water and had a wonderful time.  They are all little fish in the water.  They all loved jumping into the water from the deck and seeing who could make the biggest splashes.  Conner and Hayden did the best and biggest splashes.

The kids all got out of the water to have cake and ice cream.  It looked delicious.  The kids played more with their cousins while I cleaned up and chatted with Betsy.  It is always so nice to be with family.  I love the 4th of July and all our family traditions!

Movie Fun

Grandma Margie invited us to go to the movies with her and Cortnie, Brennen, and Gabe.  She is watching them while their parents are in DC.
We went on Tuesday because tickets are cheaper that day.  We went and saw "The Incredibles."
Allie really wanted to see the movie but once we got to our theater she started crying and did not want to go in.  I had to make her go in and had to calm her down.  I think she was afraid it was going to be really loud.

She held her ears for a little while but then lowered her arms and started to relax.  It didn't take too long for her to then ask for popcorn and she was enjoying the movie going experience.  She did really good for the rest of the show and said she really liked it and wants to go again.
The rest of the kids really liked it too and did a great job.  Going to the movies with cousins and Grandma is the best thing ever.  Grandma Margie is so good to us!

Bear Lake - Sunday: Clean up & Go Home

On Sunday morning we woke up to the yummy smelling breakfast being made by Boyd.  After we ate the yummy breakfast we starting to clean up the house.  We packed up our cars and did all the required cleaning.
After everything was done we drove back home.  It was a nice drive and we made good time.  We were glad to be home (even though it was super hot).  We unpacked the car and all of our stuff.  We then got Koda from the Kunzler's and he was so happy to be back home with us.  We sure love Koda and the Kunzler's for taking such good care of him.
We had a great time at Bear Lake and look forward to this family reunion every year!

Bear Lake - Saturday: The Greatest Show "kid" Show

Averee had been planning to have the kids do "The Greatest Showman" for the adults up at Bear Lake for months.
She gave everyone a character from the show and then they performed the songs.  It was so adorable.  Josh was the main guy and announced each act before it started.  Tyler was his partner from the show and he and Averee did a dance together.  They both did a good job dancing together.  Megan was the singer and got to sing and dance.  She was super cute.

All the kids did very good and I was glad that everyone got to participate and had a great time.  Allie didn't want to dance so she played in the background on the chairs.  We all enjoyed watching the show and I am so proud of all the kids for participating.