Fourth of July

One of our summer traditions is to do fireworks at the city's Fourth of July celebrations. We usually hang out at the grade school's field and watch the fireworks with family. It's been a fun tradition and we usually go a little early to save a spot and play. The kids loved it and it's close enough that we can put them to bed right after. I even made my kids take a nap before fireworks so we didn't have to deal with some of the drama. The kids loved it and got to play with their cousin and aunts and uncles. This year, the big thing was to play with Bre and Jordan. I don't know why, but apparently the funnest toy to play with was an used Subway cup that they would place in the cup holder of a camping chair. They would hit the bottom of the collapsible folding up, and shoot the cup into the air and the boys would try to catch it. They had a ball and played for a long time. The other favorite was a ball they were able to make with glow sticks. They had a blast and played with that until it broke. It was a fun night and the kids really enjoyed it.

For Addi's birthday, my friend found the following shirt which she thought fit Addi well and was perfect for the Fourth of July:

Family Photos

We recently did family photos, due in part to an awesome deal. As part of the deal, I was able to get a CD of the photos and wanted to share photos of my cute family. They weren't quite as amazing as I would have liked, but I'm still very happy with them:

"The Summer of Water"

We've owned part of a boat for the last couple of years, but this year we sold the old boat and bought a new boat which was a very nice upgrade. We really didn't spend that much on it since we found a really good deal. We spent many a days on the boat, but not as many as Jeff would have liked. His schedule has changed for the better now, so hopefully we can spend a lot more time next year. This was an awesome summer where I learned how to water ski, kneeboard, wakeboard, and get much better at driving a boat. Jeff did the slalom, and got a ton of air on the kneeboard and wakeboard. The boys got to love the water and both have, kind of, learned how to kneeboard. we'll work on that one next year. By the end of the year, both of them were jumping off the back of the boat and loving it.
One of the most impressive things was in August. The boys had been trying to get their dad to do a back flip off the boat forever and he just didn't want to do it. He would do a front flip, dives, and all sorts of things but wouldn't do a back flip. One day they were really bugging him about it and he told Nate he would do a back flip after Nathan did. The next thing we know, Nate went to the back of the boat and said, "Hey Dad, watch this" and proceeded to do a back flip. We were all amazed and Jeff realized that he now had to do a back flip since Nate had done it. Nate did it again at least once or twice, and then Jeff had to do it so Nate didn't totally show him up. That kid just amazes me. When we were in Lake Powell at the end of the summer, Zach even did a front flip off the back of the boat.
Overall, it was a fantastic summer and we're pretty sad that the boat has to be winterized and put away. We may have to buy wetsuits so we can start the summer off early next year....

Addi and Mommy hanging out:



Jeff driving:



Zach and Grandpa tubing:



What a place to take a nap!:



Nate and Daren tubing:



Nate and Zach:



Addi "driving":

Addi's 2nd birthday

I know I'm very behind, but I have a free afternoon so I'm trying to make an effort to catch up. Addi turned two this summer and boy, is she a two year old! I have to remind myself almost daily that drive and determination are very good characteristics that will get her far in life. She had an opinion, and knows what she wants! Even though it was the middle of summer, she insisted on wearing her pink jacket and I wasn't going to fight her about it! I love her dearly and I can't imagine life without my little girl. She absolutely adores her older brothers and is doing her best to hold her own. She has her daddy wrapped around her finger and I am so glad that he got to have a little girl. She says things, or runs to the stairs when he comes home from work and his heart just melts. She loves her family dearly and we are so lucky to have her in our lives. She loves playing with babies, my little ponies, dolls, and just about anything her brothers are doing. She likes to play with blocks, color, run races, ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, and dance. Since she was a baby, she has loved pigs. I'm not sure why, but she does. She has a piggy bank that her grandma found for her that oinks and wiggles its ears when you put money in and she adores it. She loves to show me anything with pigs on it, and loves to wear a shirt that had pigs. If she gets a chance to, she'll pick up my phone and beg for "piggies", which is an app with the three little pigs story.
She insists on doing anything she can on her own. "My do it" is one of her favorite phrases. She's also a very independent child and tries to do anything she can possibly do. I'm hoping to guide her in the right direction and let her know that there are boundaries. However, I think that most people who know her also know that she will likely be a leader among her friends as she gets older!

One of the funniest moments of the night was when we were doing cake and ice cream. Instead of a bucket of ice cream, I bought ice cream sandwiches, since they were on sale. I gave each of the kids an ice cream sandwich and Addi was thrilled. I gave each of the kids cake as well, and then sat down to eat an ice cream sandwich of my own. Addi came over to me with a handful of cake and handed it to me. Not knowing what was going on, I put my hand out and accepted her handful of cake. She then proceeded to take the ice cream sandwich out of my hand and walked off eating it. She apparently had traded me cake for the ice cream sandwich. Yes, my daughter knows what she wants!

Awesome supportive family that came!

At the beginning of the summer, we took the kids to the aquarium since we thought they would love it. Addi had a book with fish that she would pour over and we thought she would have a ball. All the kids really enjoyed it and were sad when we had to leave. Nate really liked petting the sting ray, but Zach and Addi wouldn't touch it. The boys saw an anaconda and spent a good 10 minutes with one the employees asking questions about it. We came across a crocodile and one point and Jeff, before seeing the sign, said he didn't know if it was an alligator or a crocodile. Without a moments hesitation, Nate said it was crocodile because it's teeth were on the outside of it's mouth. He was completely right. We were pretty blown away. They had a lot of fun and we'll have to go again soon!

A photo of the kids and Jeff watching the fish:



The boys were totally camera happy:





Nate and the ray: