End of summer fun & back to school

We use to LOVE the Zoo...when there were only 2 kids! (something about being outnumbered, at the zoo, with small children, has not enticed me enough to go regularly like we use to) We were invited to join our cousins and I thought, why not! there will be another adult there to help with the 8 children when combined! My children absolutely LOVED it! They keep asking when we can go again. I must admit, the zoo has changed so much, I kind of didn't know where we were at times.

Our favorite part was the dry splash pad...and then the water finally got turned on and we could NOT get the kids away from it!

The last week of the summer, we spent at the cabin with our cousins. All the kids had so much fun, they didn't want the week to end! It rained a lot of the time we were there so we spent it indoors. Which was not fun for Remmy, but when the weather was nice, we took advantage of it and went out to play.

 

 

Amelia found my makeup while we were there and while we were packing up to leave. At least she knows that the eyeliner goes on the eye! (unlike the lipstick...all over my bed!)

 

 

And now it's back to school for Landon!

 

I can not believe I have a 2nd grader! Where did the time go?!

 

He's such a sweet and thoughtful big brother.

 

 

1 week later Calvin started Kindergarten. Oh they grow so fast! He was so excited to start school. I'm not so sure.

The following day it was Maddie's turn to start Pre-school. Why drag it out over 2 weeks. Just give me the shock of having 3 children in school all at once!
She was really excited to start pre-school and to wear her Dusty Crophopper backpack. Such a cute little girl! She didn't even cry at all. (I'm sure it helped, having her 2 cousins in her class!)

Maddie's back to school haircut!

Pre-school orientation

And one of the many 100 random photos I found on my camera. All of them are of the tablet and a child playing a game on my phone! (Thank goodness for digital cameras!)

More summer fun!

We had a busy week this week. Here are a few of the things that I actually documented that we did! (I don't know if the more kids you have, the less pictures you take...but I sure am horrible at documenting events now days!)

We had the opportunity to attend the Ogden Temple open house. It was amazing to bring my kids and show them how beautiful the Temple is/was. They were so excited to go! One of the first things Maddie said to Jared the morning we were going was, "Daddy we are going to the Temple!" It was just neat to see how excited all of them were. (They were also very excited because Grandma and Grandpa were joining us along with one of their cousins and my sister.)

We took the kids for a hike around Silver Lake. When we told the kids about going hiking, they weren't too thrilled to go, but wanted to see the lake. Once we got there...they absolutely loved it and kept asking when we could go again! We are already planning our next hike as a family!

Landon hiked to the top of the rocks!(white)

Cal had to do the same(green)...which means the girls wanted to follow.

And then, one of our favorite things to do in the summer.....SWIM and LOUNGE IN THE SUN! Jared found our hammock and set it up so he could use it, but the kids had other ideas for it.

Homemade fun

Sometimes I wonder why we waste our money on toys and why I waste my time cleaning them up day after day. When really my kids can have so much fun with nature and their imaginations!

Sunbathing on the "Pirate ship" deck!

Hours of fun playing with a "roly-poly" potato bug!

Making "food water" out of Remmy's dog food and water bowl.

(with my new kitchen spatula)

Homemade snorkel for the backyard swimming pool.

Oh how I love my children!! 

Catch up!

So it has been a little while...ok so a BIG while since I last posted. I think about our family blog quite often and wish I never let it fall behind...and eventually off of my "to do" list. First of all I had baby #3 on May 7, 2011. Before I left the hospital, either they recently had a meeting about the safety of newborns or all the nurses had recently had a bad experience with the wee little ones, they were ALL so very good at telling me the importance of keeping my baby safe. (Which they were very good at doing with my 2 previous children, but never this persistent and frightening) They specifically mentioned, "do NOT post pictures on the internet".

So here I am, being sent home from the hospital and so excited to share my little bundle of joy with friends and family, yet so very frightened at the same time. I decided not to post any pictures for a while...then I was still frightened so I decided to wait a little longer. Before I knew it my baby girl became a big sister and the fear came back just the same. So, again, I waited to post. As I mentioned earlier, I thought about it a lot and really wanted to get back to posting on our blog. So I am actually going to work at getting regular posts again! HOORAY! I am going to try to catch you up on what has been going on in our family for the past few years...er...at least start where we are now and fill you in if as I go.

We usually have family pictures taken in the fall. 1. So, we have a recent picture for our Christmas cards (yes, I am old fashioned and still mail Christmas cards!) and 2. A few years ago we had a death in the family and I promised myself that we would always have a current family picture incase anything happened to any one of us. Sometimes, they don't always happen in the fall, but they happen before Christmas! Anyway, these pictures are from our family pictures taken by Ali Brown, Jared's cousin's wife and so they aren't the most recent, but they are more recent than my last post! I must add that I love how she was with my kids and the fact that she included their ideas.-we got some pretty interesting shots. She was good to keep them involved and make them feel important.

Landon is now turning 7years in July. What a great big brother he has been. He just finished up 1st grade and is very excited to be moving on to 2nd grade.


 



Calvin just turned 5 years old. Boy, how they grow fast. He just finished up his second year of Pre-School and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. He is very excited for this and he gets to have the same teacher that Landon had in Kindergarten.
 

Madelyn just turned 3years old. She is now old enough to start Pre-School in the fall and she is very excited and ready for it. She is a great little helper to me and loves her sister...sometimes a little too much!







Amelia is 1.5 years old and she is such a curious girl. She loves to climb EVERYTHING! She is learning new things everyday.

 

So now I have at least updated you on how much we have grown. We have baby #5 due in October, actually the day after Amelia's birthday! We'll see when this baby actually comes. We still live in our home that we love dearly, play in, and "live" in! We love spending time together and love to play in the water. Summer is my favorite time of year so therefore I assume it is my families favorite too! We enjoy going for walks/bike rides around the neighborhood. Time goes by so fast I hope that we can take advantage of the time we have together to grow and learn and make memories!