Trampoline

Yesterday I finally finished painting the ceiling of our family room. After I finished I laid down on the couch to check for missed spots. I was hot and sweaty so I pulled my shirt up to cool off, exposing my belly. Then my little Anna came along jumped up on the couch looked down at my stomach and said, "how come Jensen gets his own trampoline and I don't?" I asked what she was talking about and her reply was- "he gets to jump on your belly trampoline it is so mushy and bouncy like a trampoline."
Ha Ha. . . thanks Anna.
Now I know I haven't been to the gym at all this summer, we've have eaten out way to much this summer. But isn't lifting a 17 pound 4 month old, strapped into his car seat in and out of a giant SUV four to five times a day considered good ab work out? Apparently not.

Splash

Today we went to one of my favorite places in town. The fountain at The America The Beautiful Park. It is this huge water fountain that is free and kid friendly for kids of all ages. There also a really great park and in a few years when some of the newly planted trees have grown it will be perfect for those hot summer days. I just wish I would have thrown on my swimsuit to- instead I ended up in wet jean shorts. I hate the feeling of wet jeans!

From this picture of the girls at the playground you would never know that this park is in the middle of downtown. I love where we live, I love love love summer and I have really loved spending the summer with my children. I can't believe school will be starting in a month- we have hardly scratched the surface of all the fun things I wanted to do.

Anything for a free meal

My hubby thinks I am crazy but I love a good deal, a free coupon or some kind of gig that allows me to save money or get things for free. So of course we participated in cow appreciation day at Chick-fil-a. Dress like a cow and get a free meal. White tee-shirts and some black construction paper dots and a little face paint and the kids get to eat out and I don't have to cook!

LOVE IT!

Eve is 10!

Eve turned ten- I can not belive she is already ten. She is turning into such a beautiful young lady and I love her to pieces. We got her a mountain bike- she loves riding and has unbelievable stamina she will ride for miles and never want to stop. She keeps remind us all that she is in the double digits now. Funny girl.

I LOVE YOU GIRLIE!  

I need a vacation from my vacation

I feel the same way you do Jensen. . .

We took our family vacation a few weeks ago. It was one of those weeks that we will look back on and laugh someday just not today!

We went to Buena Vista not very far away, stayed in a friends cabin, and planned fun cheap and or free activities because this year we were doing a fun, inexpensive simple vacation. Should of gone for the crazy busy, super expensive kind instead!

Let me just count some of the many ways this very random vacation became not a vacation:

• STOMACH FLU. Eve puked the whole way there. So we quarantined her to a back bedroom for the first day, cleaned the bedding, washed down the room in hopes that it wouldn't be passed on to Boyd and Mary (Bret's brother's family). We thought we made it out free and clear but Boyd got sick the last day, and then all of his kids puked the whole car ride home to Utah.
• Everywhere we went we either got lost going or it took twice as long as planned.  I want a tom tom for Christmas! We ended up with a flat tire behind some private lake on a dirt road in the middle of no where while looking for the perfect pinic spot. Four brand new tires after we got back. . .
• Eliza took a major face plant into the tile floor cutting her lip up and making the two front teeth we have invested a great deal of money in very tender and possibly loose. Still a few years before those are supposed to come out.
• Horseback riding was the highlight of the vacation. Eliza was to small to ride but couldn't wait for the hay ride. The hay ride guy didn't show up for work so they offered us a pony ride instead. But when the pony was bigger then her my little ponies at home she was a little heart broken.
• 
  
  Taking the boat out was the big finale. We drove around the lake for nearly an hour looking for the boat ramp (which ended up being 5o feet from the front gate of the lake). Then it was so windy we could not take it out. Bummer hauled it all that way for it to just look good on the back of the car. If you have seen the boat you know I am kidding by "look good."
• Fished in the crazy wind and ate peanut butter and dirt sandwiches. . .
• Upon leaving my exhausion hit all I wanted to do was turn on a movie for the kids and get home. DVD player broken.
• This then cause Julia to cry for a full two hours about everything she could possibly come up with. She missed the cabin already, she'll never see her cousin again, it is raining outside, her flip flop fell off everything. . .
• Last we told the kiddos we would stop at this really fun BBQ joint on the way home for dinner. Two hour wait for some ribs- I was beyond being patient so we did not wait which made the crying to begin again.

I have never been so glad to get back to real life!

But on the bright side- it was beautiful up there and I am so grateful to live in such a wonderful and beautiful place. It was great to spend time with our family and create memories if even for me they weren't so great. The kids had a great time. That's all that really matters.

I recently read a quote/story about a man who took his son fishing and wrote in his journal that night. "Took my son fishing, total waste of a day." Later it was discovered that his son wrote in his own journal that same night and his said, "Went fishing with my dad, best day of my life."

Maybe that is how the girls will view this trip.  

Summer fun so far. . .

Anna had her annual dance recital. It happened to fall on the Stake Conference adult session on Saturday night so I got to do the very long FIVE hour dance recital with one dancer and four kiddos.

Anna did great, Jensen slept most the time (wheeeww), and only one potty break and am I ever glad I threw that bag of life savers into my purse.

We have been spending as much time as possible at the pool. Which in my opinion is not nearly enough. I feel like our summer is busier that our school year. I was really hoping for a restful laid back summer- but thus far it is not the case.

Eliza is a crack up- she won't take swim lessons. She tells everyone at the pool "I will take swim lessons when I am Julie's size" so until then I am not spending the money and she is perfectly happy in the baby pool. She doesn't even need a friend to swim with.

Jensen is four months old and growing like crazy. He weighs in at 16lbs. 14ozs. and comfortably wearing 6-9 month old clothes. He is the greatest joy. My little man is so happy and content. He lights up the room and makes all of us happy.

Julia's Graduation

Julia graduated from kindergarten. This is my first kindergarten graduation our previous school didn't have any kind of celebration. It was fun for Julia to have something that her older sisters did not have. She had fabulous teachers this year and we are sad to move on but overjoyed for full day school. She is beyond ready for full day!

In other Julia news. . . she ran away recently. All the kids were playing out in the back yard while I cleaned out the garage when Anna came and said Julia was gone. I found her all the way down the street ready to cross the intersection to find a new family. She was feeling unloved and frustrated with her big sisters so she left. That is the reasonable thing to do right??

I was so shocked that she would even dare leave the yard I didn't know what to do. I was furious that she left but heart broken she felt bad enough to go. What to do?

Since she was born I have had this strong conviction about her. I know she will be an amazing and wonderful woman. She will have the ability to accomplish a great deal in her life and have a great impact on whatever she choses to do- if only I can get her to adulthood and headed in the right direction. I am trying my best!

I love my head strong girl I hope she takes it easy on me in the teenage years!