Summer Kickoff.....

Our summer anticipation is in high gear this year.  

 It rained a lot but I still pulled out the Summer Kickoff supplies I had put together. Sunshine sugar cookies, new water pistols, new chalk, new bubbles.  All things that will be completely ESSENTIAL.

 Backyard Chalk Gallery

 We had fun tracing our bodies and coloring weird faces and clothes on ourselves.

We get some crazy wind and have seen a few mangled tramp enclosures.....but we wanted a little more safety.  Jason cut some of the length off the tramp legs and it's PERFECT for the kids.  I can even still do a backflip on the little tramp without touching the ground.  Since we decided against getting an enclosure this has turned out to be a great option for us. 

Happy Summer. 

In the End....

The last week of school was a great week.  I was determined not to overschedule and be too busy....I actually said "no" a couple times to things I was asked to help with....it felt good and kinda liberating. Someone brilliant with West Haven Recreation decided not to schedule any baseball this week.  It was the most I have ever enjoyed the last week of school for sure.

 Erin let Jerrett and Grady come over for a while to play so I could go watch the 3rd grade program.  It was so nice to actually be able to watch and enjoy it without the little ones....thanks Erin!  They did a cute Wizard of Oz themed program.  Austin had a speaking part that he memorized beautifully and the songs were great.  It was a really fun surprise when Austin got a special recognition.  He got to stand and take a bow because he got 100 percent on the language arts Utah state core test.  I was SOOO proud!

 Jerrett, Grady, and I all got to go to his last day of preschool.  We all took treats to share and all the mommas visited while the kids played like crazy.  We got out the wagon and enjoyed a nice walk to preschool.  I told them I was taking a picture and they both shot up some big victory arms....it was pretty funny.

 I got sick of the towel bar....it doesn't work well with little boys.  I found this great hook board online and Jason put it up for me.....I love it and it works so much better for the boys to all have their own towel and their own hook.  I used some vinyl to label above the hooks so there would be no hook confusion.  I love it.

 The third graders were having a drive-in at school and the kids were supposed to make a box car.  We didn't plan ahead and we ended up starting it the night before.  It was simple but it turned out good.  Jason and Austin did a great job and I think they had fun.  

The new playset is up and the kids are enjoying it.  We ordered the rubber playground bark but it hasn't come yet.  The new slide is actually kinda fast and Jerrett decided to try going down it on his feet.  He started on his feet but ended up on his face.  He was one sad little boy and his little face is pretty torn up but I think he learned a good lesson about playing safely.  

What's a "Tent"?

Jason took the boys to our ward's Father Fun Campout (all the kids are invited rather than just the sons).  Austin had some camping years in the tent but Jerrett and Grady didn't.  Jerrett started asking questions.

"Why would we want to leave the trailer at home?"

"What happens when we want to watch a movie?"

OH BROTHER.   Its seems we are raising up some wilderness wimps!  :)  It was HIGH TIME for them to enjoy a little bit tent camping and they loved it.  Thankful that Jason took them.

 Late night Slim-Jim tent snack time is something every boy must do with his dad. :)

No movies but they could still crowd around dad's phone in the dark.....cant completely abandon all forms of technology, right? :)

Another Round of Happiness......

Happiness abounds this week and the pictures are flowing constantly.....

Grady loves to cuddle up on the couch and hanging with him is always very funny!  On this day I felt like begging anybody who would listen "PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP HIM THIS SIZE!!!!"  

Braves vs. Giants - Love his readiness, the fence, the barns, and the mountains behind him!

My tenderhearted little Jerrett making faces for me.....he's such a sweetheart and it's very apparent that Jerrett wants everybody around him to feel happy, good.  He is very observant of others feelings.  I adore him so much.

We debated for weeks and weeks about what to put in our empty backyard corner.  We had narrowed it down to a playground with a Lifetime playset or a no-maintenance putting green.  We truly changed our minds daily and had so much trouble deciding.  Austin, who's been enjoying his clubs in the backyard lately wanted the putting green and I was leaning that way too.....since I thought it would appeal to them for a longer span of years.  The little boys wanted the playset.  Jason finally got some addresses of clients who had had the putting greens installed so he could really look at them up close and talk to the owners.  Thankfully, his trip finally helped end the debate.  He found that the quality of the putting greens didn't exactly match the amount of money that they cost to install so.....the playset was ordered.  Jason is super handy and has plenty of tools to assemble anything.  However, when I saw the crate this thing came in, the amount of boxes, the seemingly billions of pieces of hardware (not kidding there is a garbage bag sized bag full of just screws, nuts, washers etc.), the instruction book that was SCARY thick.....I felt totally and utterly overwhelmed.  It's going well though.  We have seven phases to build and we just finished the second one.  Jason assembles while I hold things and read the book.   Hopefully it will be done this week and we'll still be glad we didn't pay to have it installed. :)

And below.....a hit Austin got in his last game.....all the kids are getting better and more comfortable with each game...... His base-running was great, he got an RBI, and scored twice.  Love you kiddo and proud of all that you are doing and learning in all areas of your life!

Little May Snippets......

Jerrett getting ready to go into preschool on Silly Hat Day.

 Grady is really hard to get to sleep at night if he has a good nap so I don't lay him down anymore.  However, he does occasionally doze off while he watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Little Einsteins. 

 Saturday night picnic at Hooper park.  Happy swinging little boy feet.....in yo face!

 Hallie and Grady begging to be pushed.  I love these chair swings for little kidlets.

 Even the grownups had some fun playing....Jason and Ryan

Steph and I decided to show the kids our "pumping" skills!  You know you're old when you feel kinda like puking after swinging! :)  Here is Maddie, Steph, Austin, Jerrett, and Ryan.

 One of our lovely Lagoon days....cute little cousin Camden.

 Grady and Camden riding bulgy together.

 Instagram is SOOO fun......you look at this picture and assume we played in the fountain in 1970. :)

 I decided that we are not quite done with the stroller yet.  This decision was made after I had to carry a heavy little snoozer for almost an hour around an amusement part!

 Grady and Cam love studying the map.

 WHOA! Reacting to watching the Log Ride splash down.