One Year Older!

Saturday Chant turned 29! For his birthday one of his patients gave him 5 tickets to The Magic House. We were so excited because that is one of the places we wanted to go but didn't know if we ever would because it costs $8 a person.
Chant had patients in the morning but as soon as he got home we drove to St. Louis. We had such a good time! It is a fun, hands on place. There is everything from bubbles stations, music areas, model trains, magnets, a solve-the-mystery area, and a little village

The village was pretty cool. They had a bunny cage. Porter picked one of the stuffed guys up and fed it a carrot.

Me and Porter driving the recycling truck.
Brinn's favorite part was climbing up the lily pads that went from one floor to the next.
Making music.
Outside the Magic House after a fun-filled afternoon. We are so glad we were able to go!
For Chant's presents, the girls picked his first pink shirt and tie and I picked the cowboy style shirt below. (Dad, you would be so proud of me. It has snaps!)
Happy Birthday Honey, hope it was good! We are so glad we were here to help you celebrate! (The first time in 3 years!)

Vacation Wrap-Up

The weekend of July 24 my family went camping at Baker's Hole outside of West Yellowstone, MT. My kids had so much fun! We lived in the water. (Lily, Brinnley, and Porter)
While we were there Kasey thought Brinnley how to ride a two-wheeler. She caught on fast! She was so excited and so was I!
(This picture is out of order, oops!) Porter LOVES Callie Cat. Callie is my Aunt Jenny's cat. Here he is telling her "no, no." That poor cat put up with a lot. He misses her and still mentions Callie every once in a while. By the end Callie was able to tolerate her.
Dalton, Ainsley, and Porter at the dinner table.
Kirk, Christi, Kasey, and Ainsley
(Out of order, another oops.) A few days before coming home we spent the evening at Adam and Randi Huntsman's home. I just love this picture of our boys. They are only two days apart. Thanks for having us guys. We miss you and can't wait to come when Chant can be there too!
Back to the camping. Mom and Dad were the master chefs. Thanks for keeping us well fed!
Porter thought he was one of the big boys just playing a game of football.
Our last night in Ashton we were able to enjoy a cooler evening outside. The kids ran through the neighbors sprinkler and got Grandpa all wet. They miss you Grandpa!


We had such a wonderful trip. We are so grateful for the quality time we had with everyone. We love you all and miss you.

Now we are home and things are in full swing here, with school starting tomorrow! Oh man! Many new adventures to come!

Birthday Girl

Ainsley Girl's birthday was July 17th. For her special day she wanted a swimming party. We went swimming at the Ashton City Pool. We were pleasantly surprised when we showed up at the pool to see all the older cousins were there. And the kids were in hog heaven. Brinnley was able to go down the slide and jump off the diving board because the boys were there to catch her. And Porter had fun jumping off the steps and the boys caught him. Ainsley warmed up to the water and she had so much fun. It was a wonderful time!
When we got home we had cake and opened presents. She wanted a pool cake. I made it of Sand Creek. It was brown for the beach and greenish blue for the water. I made a little campfire and the blue balls were beach balls. It didn't turn out quite right, but she loved it!

She got Polly Pockets and lots of dolls and a sleeping bag and beach pails. She loved everything! It was a fabulous day!

Sand Creek

One of the kids' favorite things to do was swim. One of our favorite swimming places is Sand Creek. It's literally just a place off the road by a creek. We had a few wonderful days out there. The kids played in the sand and swam for several hours. We took hot dogs and marshmallows and stayed for dinner. (Logan and Brinn)
Porter didn't want anything to do with the water at first. He ran back to the car and cried. So I opened the door for him and he played in the car for a long time. Finally he was ready to venture back out. He never got in the water, but he got to the edge a few times. On a later visit, Grandma picked him up and put him right in the water. He cried for a minute then decided he loved it. He was a regular water baby, even getting a little too brave sometimes.
Logan and Maddie would jump into the current and see if they could stand up when the waterfall hit them.
Brinnley loves the water and got right in. She loved letting the slight current pull her back.
Ainsley got a bucket and scoop for her birthday and she liked to stay close to the shore and dig in the sand.

It was so nice to be outside and enjoy the nice weather. (As I type this we are holed up inside with temps of 100 coming our way.) The water provided many days of entertainment for us, and we loved every minute!

Cousins

The cousins were a huge part of our trip. Well, they kind of made the trip. They were always there to play with and entertain the kids. And they are fabulous babysitters! (Ains, Z, and Brinn the day before we left for Missouri.)
Here is Dalton, Ainsley's first crush. The day we were shopping at D.I. for our fashion show, she and I were wandering through the kids clothes and she randomly said to me, "Mom, I wish I could marry Dalton. He's so cute I just want to kiss him." I about died!
She was attached to his hip, but occasionally he was able to play with Brinn and Porter.
Z is so good to them! They love her! We miss you Z!
Porter was a sucker for anyone with a phone. If the kids wanted him to play or snuggle, they would just whip out their cells and he was hooked. (Easton and Porter.)
We had a fun week with Kasey and his family. (The girls and Lacey.)
It was nice when the big boys came around because the kids got their need to tackle and roughhouse taken care of by someone other than me. (Ty and Dalton.)

See, I told you all you needed was a phone. (Ty and Port)

We love you and and can't wait to see you again! Ty, when you come home that little man will be 4. Crazy!

Z, Logan, and Maddie

The kids and I arrived in Ashton July 5th. That first week we spent a great deal of time with cousins Madison, Logan, and McKenzie (Z). The kids had so much fun with them!

A few days after we got there Mom was in charge of a Relief Society Activity. The activity was focused on bargain shopping and specifically at the Deseret Industries. We went to D.I. and shopped for outfits to model at the Bargain Shoppers fashion show. Here Z, me, and Maddie are showing off our finds. It was so much fun shopping with all the kids and the excitement that comes from getting a $3 shirt.


Maddie and the girls slept in the playhouse a few times, and Z joined once. They put a TV with a built-in DVD player in there and they fell asleep with popcorn in their hair to the sound of their favorite Disney movies.
Logan is such a sweet young man. He was ordained a Deacon today. We are so proud of you and we love you!
Z, Ainsley, and Maddie watching a movie.
Porter and Z.
Brinn, Maddie, and Ainsley in the playhouse our first night. (The next morning is when the girls were awakened by the siren calling for the volunteer firefighters.)

Denver Delightfulness

Kristy and Mike
Swimming in the hot tub at Gran and Linda's (Brinn, Jordan, and Ains)
(Jenny, Jordan, and Kristy)


The first 4 days of our trip were spent in Denver with Gran, Jenny, and Kristy. We had so much fun! We were able to meet Kristy's boyfriend Mike. It was actually kind of funny because when we got to Kristy's apartment, Porter went straight to Mike, completely bypassing Kristy. They had never met before, but it was like they were best buds. Porter was Mike's shadow the rest of the weekend. Mike, you were great with the kids and I think they kinda like you! Plus you grill a mean steak.

We spent one awesome afternoon at the swimming pool at the gym. There was a huge kids' area and a lazy river. The kids had so much fun! Brinnley was all over the place. Porter's favorite place was the kid slide. We had two people there with him because as soon as he went down the slide someone would catch him then pass him off to the other person to help him climb up the stairs. Porter cried when we left. Ainsley had fun doing a little bit of everything.

The girls had so much fun playing with their cousin Jordan. We were so glad she was there! She kept them well entertained. She is an amazing girl!

I was even able to spend some time with just the girls shopping and going out for ice cream and a chat. Thanks ladies, I love you and miss you!

And of course we had fun playing with Gran. Thanks for making the visit so wonderful for us! We can't wait to see you again soon!

(We were driving from Denver to Salt Lake on July 4th so we missed all the 4th festivities. No parade or fireworks for us! I was sad but the kids didn't know, so they were okay. Next year the fireworks better be awesome, that's all I have to say!)

Back in Town

We have been gone. A whole month away from our little home. We are back now.

It was a wonderful trip! An eventful trip. I am so grateful we were able to go for such a long time, even though we were homesick towards the end. Now that we are back, I am missing what I left behind.

I miss laughing with and talking to sisters-in-law, mothers, Dad, brothers, nieces, and nephews.

I miss the moderate temperatures. My children had the time of their lives being outside constantly. They enjoyed the simple things like playing in the backyard and riding their bikes. We loved playing at the park and going to the zoo. But it was still warm enough we were able to enjoy swimming, which we did often.

I miss my "reading couch." It's my own little haven in my parents' living room. I enjoyed many quiet afternoons reading from wonderful books while soaking up the sun and feeling the gentle breeze through the open window. I love you little couch!

I miss playing games with nieces and nephews. We just miss you! My kids love you all so much and they are already asking when we will see you again. You are the best cousins a kid could ask for!

I miss going to Zumba with Christi. She is so good that I felt silly. But I loved it so much I bought two of my favorite songs on I-Tunes. I will never forget watching Correene shake it!

I missed watching The Bachelorette finale with all of you. I am sure Dad had wonderful commentary and Mom and Christi had goofy smiles on their faces. Wish I could have been there!

And I am sad thinking that I will miss saying good-bye to Tyler before he leaves for his mission in Chile and hearing him talk in Church. Tyler I am so proud of you and the man that you are becoming! I know you will be a wonderful missionary. We love you and promise to write!

We have been home 5 days now but I put off writing this post because I knew what would happen when I did. I would start crying like a baby. I was right. I miss you all and love you more than you know!

Pictures of our wonderful visit to come soon.