Soaking Up Every Last Drop of Summer!

We spent one Saturday morning at one of our favorites... "The Castle Park," then decided to venture down in the "woods" behind the park.

I was so surprised to see this awesome trail system and we had a fun little walk; it felt like we were up in the mountains! This picture stresses me out... Jet literally about squeezed Ike so hard he gagged... We need to work on gently hugs, apparently! 

 The kiddos had a fun time at the Bluffdale rodeo! Uncle Bridger helped Jetty on the money run and gave Ike some winnings too! 

 And because Summer break can't be ALL fun and games.... a little child labor was called for! They actually are good little weeders! I bribe with otter pops!

 A Summer outdoor concert with the YW... aside from the far left being a YW, the rest of these ladies I get to serve with as leaders! 

 Random mall stop and they begged to ride the dumb ride for .75c... I told them they all had to get on together! haha! We MAY have exceeded the weight limit as the car slowly lost power during their ride. oops! 

 Momma and Emri time. This girl LOVES Menchies!

 I braved taking all 3 kids to Classic Waterslides... at least my friends and their kids were there to help! Cute Kylan taking Ike down the slide.

 Emri on left, Jet behind her on left, Louisa on the right.

 The kiddie area was perfect for ike, but he preferred to be on the big slides, of course!

 Louisa and Jet

 Momma and Ike!

 Me and Katie behind me, Emri on the right! This was right after I smacked my head on the side of the slide coming down. There aren't too many rules enforced at this ghetto water park! When you put 2 people on a mat you get going dang fast... probably not the safest idea!

 No shirt? No problem! 

 Splash pad with some friends in Riverdale

 I think there's definitely a theme to our Summers! I'm so glad our kids love the water as much as I do! We went to the Clearfield Aquatic Center one evening which is indoor ... and I froze! I like the daytime outdoor attractions better! :)

 Soccer started up at the end of August. Jet's first year... they are the Sharks. Emri's team is the Purple Princesses. Go figure! 

 Emri and her cousin Tabitha are on the same team this year, with uncle Jared as their coach. 

It's been fun having cousin time each Saturday!

 Towards the end of the Summer I'm about ready to be back to a schedule! The kids can't seem to keep their body parts to themselves. It always starts as fun and wrestling... then someone ends up made or crying and I'm sick of refereeing! 

 My YW Laurels and Mia Maid group... we did an end of summer activity down at Station Park in Farmington-- Fiiz drinks and shopping. I sure love these girls! 

While Daddy was away for a few days on his annual Fantasy Football Draft Weekend with the boys I thought it would be a fun idea to take the kids into Ogden one night for some delicious Farr's icecream, then go across the street to the temple and spend some time there. 

The icecream was a HIT!!! 

Temple... not so much! haha! Ike all of a sudden turned into a sourpuss, Jet was over being photographed but at least Emri was cooperating! 

 All the poor people that were coming out of the temple on a spiritual high got a little dose of ornery kids! haha!

 So I snapped a few pics and we gave ourselves some distance from the doors. :) We ended up finding a nice shady spot on the grass and the kids got to run around for a bit which made them all happy again. 

 Girls Night... when Daddy's away, mom enjoys girl talk once the kids are in bed! 

 More park time with friends--Ike, Adrian, Jet.

I've loved Summer nights in the yard... the kids just love to be outside! We have a gorgeous view of the mountains!

Ike @ 23 Months

Time is just flyin' by with this sweet, silly boy! 

These days he can't be found without 2 very important items... his "no-no?"s. Meaning "don't know?" His little green blanky and binky both go by "no-no?" because he's usually looking for them and when we ask him where they are he shrugs his shoulders, puts his hands in the air and reply's "no-no?!" See that tiny little tag? When Ike was having all of his ear infections this past spring, he started tickling the inside of his ears with the tag, I assume for some pain relief. Well now, even after his surgery it has become a habit. He loves to tickle himself with the tag... eyes, nose, ears, fingers, toes... it's quite a source of comfort for the little guy, especially when he's getting tired.

 We had his first official ride in the chair at Daddy's office.... and he let dad take a peek in his mouth! Don't worry... if you come to the office as a new patient, Brett promises to wear gloves and not fish-hook your cheek with his instruments! haha!

not sleeping... just working on his abs with momma!

 Cardboard boxes are more fun than you'd think! This slide provided at least 30 minutes of entertainment!

 Cutest little Bear Lake beach bum!! His new accessory has to be worn in all water that isn't chlorinated (it holds his ear plugs in) until the tubes fall out. 

 Relaxin with his buddy Thea! 

 He's obsessed with sharing Daddy's protein shakes... while wearing goggles??! It's a great way to sneak fruits and veggies into his daily menu. Parent Win! 

 Picking cherries with Gpa in Morgan

 Shirts off... enjoying creamies in the late afternoon Summer sun! Does it get better than this?

 Bluffdale Rodeo...uncle Bridger was the best sport and went out to the money run with Jet, and brought Ike back some winnings! 

At 23 Months, Ike:

• has mastered drinking from a cup without making a complete mess down the front of himself... tipping it over when not actually drinking is a different story!
• only likes eggs or oatmeal for breakfast and most of the rest of his meals are liquid for the majority (Pediasure).
• loves to run, dance, listen to music, read books, and scream at his siblings (ususally to get them in trouble)!
• naps once/day for 2.5-3 hours
•  loves to be in the water and has had such a fun summer, being at the lake, splash pads or in the kiddie pool or slip n slide at the house!
• is such a chill little guy still! For example... once the older kids woke up from naps they wanted out of their crib/room immmediately. When Ike wakes up he is content to just hang out in his crib...and sometimes gets upset with me when I come in to get him out!
• is obsessed right now with getting wipes or tissues out (ALL THE TIME) and "blowing" his nose then tossing them in the garbage. 

Other July Shenanigans Worth Mentioning

There's nothing quite like Summer nights in Morgan... the kiddos are waiting for their turn on the 4-wheeler. 

The babies didn't care about a 4-wheeler ride... they just wanted to slide down this awesome cardboard box! 

 We took the kids to Cherry Hill one evening... it was our first time ever! They loved it! Grandma Max even met us there! 

 On the 24th of July we invited a few families over for breakfast... this was the only pic it took. Pretty darn cute though (Ike and Thea)!

 We layed low for most of the day, then took the kids to a really fun park/splash pad in Kaysville. They loved it! 

 Oh you know... just a normal morning, drinking protein shakes from the blender while wearing swim goggles!!

 Another night in Morgan... picking cherries with grandpa...

 Then Gpa let Emri try out her hand at flying his drone!! 

 The boys were only interested in the motor-car and creamies. :)

 Then it wouldn't be a complete night without Grandma reading a story before heading home. 

 Cute little Emri got her first cavity!! Oops, I sort of feel like we failed as parents in this situation! Moral of the story... even kids of dentists/hygienists need to floss daily!

She was a champ and sweet Daddy dentist took good care of her! 

 Just a usual lunch break on the counter...

 We spent several days in Morgan during the week of the Morgan County Fair... Gpa/Gma too everyone (that's a lot of people) to the "Jr. Rodeo" 

Then back to the house after to celebrate Gpa's birthday with not just ONE, but THREE cakes!! haha! She knows how to throw a party! 

 The next night we were back in Morgan for the ATV rodeo... this was our first time at that one and it was actually really entertaining. I won tickets for our family by entering a photo contest! Pretty exciting that they picked my photo! The kids had begged for cotton candy the night before... so tonight we gave in to their requests. 

 Another day during the week I took the kids up to see the animals, and play the games and activities they have. 

 We enjoy this outing each year with our cousins... too bad it's always SO DANG HOT!! 

Brett and I celebrated our 10 YEAR Anniversary July 30th... We dug out our wedding video and let the kids watch it with us. My heart melted when I looked over at Emri, watching our temple footage just after we had been sealed and she was all dreamy-eyed. She said I looked like a princess! Such a sweetie!