4th of July Fun

We had so much fun this Independence Day. We had a swimming and BBQ party at our house and then went to RAWHIDE, a "western town" near our home, that evening to watch fireworks.

We've gone here many times before, but this was Lexi's first trip.


Sam loves to pose for pictures.


Josh does not.



Sam visited the jail house.


Was it Sheriff Josh who made the arrest?

Then, Sam learned roping skills from a real live cowboy.

Josh tried his hand at being a cowboy as well.

He's very serious about his work.



The highlight of the evening was the buffalo show. We even saw the buffalo (and the rider) jump through a ring of fire. Sorry we didn't get a picture of that.


Then we enjoyed the fireworks show as a grand finale to a fabulous day. We had so much fun with Lori, Matt & Shayla hanging out all day. We are grateful for all those who've gone before us to ensure a land where we are free and those who continue to fight for our freedom today. Happy Independence Day!

Sam's Baptism

Sammy turned 8 years old this year. We are very proud of him and his decision to be baptized. He was so happy that all of our family in town as well as both of his grandmas and grandpas could be in attendance. This was a very special day for him that he will always remember.

The Week of Cake

During the first week in June, we have to eat lots of cake. Lots and lots of cake.



Sam had a POOL-PIZZA-PINATA party so the cake was an ocean theme - from the artic to the beach. Yes, I made the cake with a little help from Sam. (Don't worry about the watermelon all over Sam's face.)

We had lots of friends, and we were so glad to have lots of help! Lori, Matt, and Allysha did lifeguard duty and then waited tables.



Later that week, we celebrated my birthday next (my birthday is first, but Sam's party was early). My cake (just a slice) and dinner was supplied by Joe's Barbeque. I know you are all jealous!


Josh had a POKEMON birthday the next weekend, and again, Matt and Lori along with Crissi and Aaron kept our little swimmers safe, while Lexi and Shay worked in the kitchen.
Lexi is still working on her "sharing" skills.



Of course there was a POKEMON cake. Yes, I made that one too.



Decorating tip: Put actual toys on the cake and your kids will think you are cool.


And Lexi celebrated Birthday #1 with her very own chocolate cake. She wasn't quite sure what to do with it. We tried to help her dig in by putting her little fingers in it, but she just thought we were crazy.



"What is this sticky stuff on my fingers?"



Thank goodness we have a couple of weeks off before David needs a cake.

Utah Trip - May

In May, we went to Utah to see Trevor off on his mission to New Zealand. We had lots of fun, but forgot to get out the camera during that leg of the trip. On the way home, we stopped at our other Grandma & Grandpa's house in Beaver for a grand adventure. Lindsey, Lauren & Emma drove down from Salt Lake City to join us (but we missed Jeff who had to work).


We all piled in Grandpa's suburban and headed into the "wilds" of Beaver.


The first stop was looking for deer. (As I remember, we stopped in the driveway of a vacant house and got out in the back yard to look around...)


Grandpa pointed out some interesting things to us...


and we pointed out some things to Grandpa.


We found a fun caterpillar.


We all made friends with the caterpillar.


Even Emma liked her new friend.


Then we made another friend (by stopping at his house to look at deer).



He helped us look at deer and had a package of crackers handy to feed the deer. He even had names for all the deer. But I'm not sure we caught his name.



Then it was off to see the peacocks. These lived on someone's farm. Not quite sure whether it was "open" to the public or not?


We had lots of fun crawling up on the fence to look at all the peacocks.

The peacocks put on quite a show for us.

Thanks for such a fun trip!!!

First Steps

This is from the phone camera so it's not great, but she sure is cute!

Swimming Fun

Ready for the first swim of the summer (well, we tried before, but it was just too cold!)

The Double-Cannon Ball is our favorite!

Two little fishies...

Even Lexi and her spoon enjoyed the water.

Spring Piano Recital

We didn't practice quite as much as we should have, but the boys still did a great job. Hopefully you can hear the music on these videos.

Joshua plays "Switch Engine"

Sam plays "Brahm's Lullaby"

The kids get their certificates.