Jerry & Stacy were so nice to take the kids after we moved in so we could get things settled and situated. Emma and Cal had a blast with Tayla, Kaison and Brody! They have been so excited about seeing them and ask me often to sing songs to them about their cousins.
Sweet dreams, sweet girls!
We have also been able to spend lots of time with Amber. She's a cutie and the kids love her!
Amy Lou was so excited to come down and I was so excited to see her for the first time since December! It's so much fun that she's expecting also and that we're pregnant together! She is due in October and is having a boy, so that will be so much fun to have our little guys be buddies! She came down to hang out, and we went with her and Mark, Mayela & Amber to see Monsters University, which was cute, then out to Cafe Rio for dinner. I love my siblings and their families!
These girls are two peas in a pod!
Water Wednesday - we went to go hang out with the cousins all day!
We also got to watch the kids when Jerry & Stacy went on Trek and Girls Camp. That was fun but crazy! We went on picnics, did a lot of activities at home to keep them busy. And we went to the park and splash pad in North Salt Lake. It was like having 3 sets of triplets! It was kind of hard to keep track of them all and at one point, Brody escaped our sight. We found him in the bathroom eating an apple he found from who knows where...ewww! It's fun they all have a buddy their age, we love it! And most of the time they get along great!
We've been able to celebrate some birthdays around here. The first one was Grandpa Dan - he turned the big 60 this year. For his gift, Dave & the kids and I wrote 60 reasons why we were glad he was born down on individual cards. There were some pretty memorable and fun ones and I think he liked it and everyone had fun hearing them all. "He tickles me!" "He was the only one who could tame Sue Hatch" "He's always working hard" "He plays with us" and more. He is a great father-in-law and we love him! We had dinner and pies and played games to celebrate.
Then we celebrated Kaison's birthday...I can't believe that little guy is 5! He had a Scooby Doo birthday, which was appropriate, since all of the kids love watching Scooby with Grandma Sue! We played some fun games, made Mystery Machines with egg cartons, and had a fun Scooby Doo cake.
We also have been able to do some fun family reunions. The first one was with the Wheelwrights, my mom's brothers and sister and their families. We had dinner and played sports the first night, then went to a patriotic concert in Bountiful. It was fun to see some of my cousins and aunts and uncles I haven't seen in years!
The next day, we had a pancake breakfast in the park, then we went on a hike up Mueller Park Canyon. It was raining like crazy at first, but cleared out pretty well and was a nice hike. Cal was running up the whole trail it seemed, and Lucy loved being carried in the back pack courtesy of Dave. Emma went with Aunt Amy & Uncle Kolby shopping, which she enjoyed.
Then we went to Gilgal Gardens in Salt Lake. It was very interesting to read all about the artist and how he came up with his sculptures and the way he reflected his faith through his art. We got a picture with some who were still around at this time by the iconic Joseph Smith Sphinx statue.
Then it was off to Liberty Park for a barbecue, games, and fun in the fountains. We had a great time, but it was a hot day and we were glad to go get Slurpees afterwards to cool off! It was fun to see everyone and catch up. Lots of missions and mission calls, weddings, and growing up going on! And the kids had a blast with some of my cousins, who aren't so little now! They are asking to go play at their houses, even 16 & 18 year-olds Bethanie and Rachel. :)
We also had the Stoddard Family reunion with the Stoddard's, my Dad's brothers and sister and Grammie. We went boating at Pineview Dam. These guys are all so great, it was fun to be with them! Almost everyone was able to make it, so it was cool!
Amy and I don't really have a pregnant shot together yet, so we did it. Beach babes!
My Mom started "Grandma Di's Book Club" this summer in order to encourage the kids to have fun with reading. Amber was kind of struggling with reading and enjoying it, so she though this would be a good way to keep everyone reading. She has the kids keep track of what they read and then she gives them prizes and incentives to read so many pages. She helped them all make book bags (Emma helped do most of hers), which turned out so fun! Then, each Thursday, she has a theme day and they read books and do a bunch of activities and crafts and games and snacks that match that theme.
This was the Bear themed day. We read fiction & non-fiction books about bears, played some bear games outside, played charades reflecting what we learned about bears, made pictures of bears, and made bear claw cookies.
We have also been going to the summer reading program at the Library this summer - the kids were able to learn about and do hands-on things about art, languages, animals, music, pioneers, and the environment. They love its, it's been really cool!
Then we've been able to get together with lots of friends. And not just the kids' friends. I got to attend my 10 year high school reunion. It was awesome seeing some of my great friends, many of whom I still keep in contact with, and some I haven't seen for years. We loved reminiscing and catching up and just being together again. It made me so grateful to have had good friends during my teenage years, who helped encourage me to make right choices. They are all such amazing people! I haven't been very diligent at taking pictures this summer, but I was able to snap one with Kristen & Camille. We also got together with the Haurands and the Mortensens, some other friends I know from way back in elementary school and their families. We had breakfast and played at the park with the kids. I love my friends!
We got to see some of our old South Ogden neighbours as well. We have had some great times in the past and look forward to many more. It's fun to see all of our friend's families growing!
We were also able to see our best friends, the Millers, who now live in Idaho, a couple of days as well. The kids picked right back up and played like they had never been seperated. Emma and Tavin were classic like always, Cal & Alec loved giggling and making trouble together and Lucy couldn't hug Kaleb enough. We also got to meet Declan, their cute new little baby boy. And we got to go to his baby blessing the next day. It was neat to be there for that. There were 4 baby blessings that day, and all 4 were boys! I guess it's the year of the boy!
We love our family, they are so good to us! And our friends! Thank you to all of you for your support and friendship and love. It hasn't been an easy summer for us, but you've all been so great and we love you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment