Recomendations

My heart began to race yesterday as I was paying my bills and noticed August had begun. I have had one of the most enjoyable summers to date and I am not ready for it to end. Here are a few recommendations if you want to finish your summer off with a bang.

#1 Dunk Tank
A summer classic that was a hit with the kids!

Colby

Lucy

Hank (I was a bit slow with the camera, but he got dunked as well)

Drowned RATS!

Max was too little for the dunk tank and utterly pissed off!

#2 Foam Party
Now I realize this one is hard to recreate unless you are lucky enough to live in a city as awesome as Lehi but with a little help from the Fire Department, you too could be part of this craziness!

I lost my kids the second the foam began.

Hank resurfaced after a few minutes looking like this!

Isabel wasn't a fan, although she put a toe in!

Max wasn't a fan either, he was begging for a nap at this point.

#3 Despicable Me

This movie is a MUST this summer. It's so good we saw it twice! Steve Carell is hilarious.

My man Pharrell did the original score for this flick, another reason I loved it.

# 4 Lindon Pool

This pool quickly became our go-to pool of the summer. It never feels too crowded and it has a great mix of baby attractions and things for the older kids to do. They don't care if you bring your own food either, major plus. My kids are becoming little fish this summer, thanks to their amazing swimming teacher Pam. I plan on visiting the pool as often as I can before Labor Day.

#5 The Copper Onion

This little gem is located in the heart of Salt Lake City and came highly recommended by my Uncle Phil. Randy and I had a fantastic night out on the town, thanks to this hip little restaurant. Thanks Phil!

#6 Date night at the Thanksgiving Point Ice Cream Parlor

Isabel and Hank found it to be quite romantic!

#7 Golfing With The Ladies

I have really made it my mission to recruit my sisters, my mom, and my grandma as golfing buddies this summer. My soon to be 80 year old grandma hits a perfect shot every time! Sarah has really made an effort to come out on Thursday nights. Kate even sacrificed her flawless attendance at school to golf with me.

Of course my ladies night golf adventures wouldn't be possible without the most supportive husband on the planet. He even surprised me with a new golf outfit the other day. I really need to figure out how to have my ladies night golf dates as well as a golf night with the men in my life (Randy, Dad, Grandpa).

There you have it...now go out and do something fun today!

Wet N' Wild

Summer is here is full force and the only thing the kids want to do is get WET! Last night was a rough night of sick children so I'm posting these pictures to remind me of healthier times.

Cowabunga Bay is always a good time. Max enjoyed watching the "BIG HUGE WATER"! (He looks very Vanna White showcasing the park.)

Hank hit all the slides in record time. He even took time out to go on the little slides with Max. I felt pretty honored that he wanted to go on a few slides with me.

We hosted the Wankier Extravaganza this month and we made sure to make it as wet as possible.
The slip n' slide is wearing down a nice patch of grass in the back yard!

The slidin' master

Whoa there buddy! Max has to copy everything Hank does.

I suppose we need a bigger pool.

I had the genius idea to play water balloon volleyball. Unfortunately it required much more coordination than the fam possessed.

Wait for it, wait for it

The accomplishment of the night was coaxing my mom onto the tramp!

We did have one mishap, I love this picture, it captures our reaction to Brett hitting Hank in the face with a water balloon. Poor Brett, he felt so bad.

Somehow the night took an unexpected turn and I ended up getting completely drenched in a wild water fight on the tramp with Sarah and the kids. Twas an epic battle. I lost, obviously.

Random Happenings from the Day

Just a recap of a few things that happened today that were out of the ordinary:

1. At our annual JRI Golf Tournament today, one of the prizes in the raffle was a free oil change to Jiffy Lube. I feel weird even typing that. Yes I know we no longer own a lube shop, but I still cringe when I hear that name. Our arch rival is now a sponsor at our tournament?

2. 311 is in town, playing at Usana and I am not there!!!!! I can't believe Nick, Chad, Tim, SA, and P-Nut would still go on stage knowing I wasn't present. I feel very depressed I dropped the ball and didn't make that concert experience happen tonight.

3. So the next occurance isn't totally out of the ordinary...but it should be! I stopped by the gas station tonight to pick up some milk (since I avoid the grocery store at all costs these days), as the friendly cashier gave me my change she said " Have a great night, looks like you only have a few months left! Hang in there." I grabbed my stuff and said "Yep". UGH!!! I'm not pregnant lady, thanks for ruining my night. I suppose I need to ease up on my food intake. I get asked all the time if I'm pregnant, so if you are wondering....I'm NOT. Believe me, I will let you know.

Man, I feel much better now. Time for bed.

Shin guards

Oh Hank, I always knew you were my son, for obvious reasons, but today proves that my actual DNA is in every cell of your body. Here is our conversation:

Me: Hank, we need to go to Target today to get you a new soccer ball and shin guards for your camp this week.

Hank: O.k., wait...what are shin guards again?

Me: They look like long socks but they protect your leg if someone kicks you.

Hank: Oh yeah right, I also need those shin guards for you teeth so if someone kicks my face my teeth don't fall out.

Me: Yes, shin guards for your teeth, I think they sell those at Target.

Just when I thought he couldn't make me a prouder mom, he requests a mouth guard. GENIUS!

The kid is serious about safety...obviously!
He also has a little brother who wants to be just like him. Well, at least he wants to dress like him. I'm not so sure about the safety thing.

An Independence Day Celebration Marathon

What a crazy weekend we had! It's going to take me at least a week to catch up. Here is a recap full of details only I care about and about 90 pictures, but would you expect any less from me?

We kicked off our weekend with a little BBQ at mom and dad's. Lucy, Hank, and Isabel were great little helpers, and Hank's face in this picture is classic. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

Here is another example of a picture that makes me laugh every time I see it. Randy found his soul-mate...a fellow finger pointer!

It was an extremely relaxing afternoon. My Grandpa Sherm was full of jokes!

Oh Jack, why do I love you so much?

A little mother/son water gun repair

Next stop, more BBQ action at Jeri's house to celebrate Grandma Dot's 88th Birthday.

Hank and Max were giddy with excitement once the fireworks started.

Check out that sunset behind Jenni and Randy

Good thing I had a coat and a blanket to keep me warm. It was freezing!

Best Friends Forever! Wait, is Hank almost as tall as Colby?

They were amazed at the shear awesomeness of our fireworks.

So amazed that Max couldn't waste one spare moment to go inside and pee.

The kids passed out and got some much needed rest because on Sunday we headed here...

I dare say the most beautiful place in Utah...Zions National Park. We followed the hard core Harley riders (a.k.a. mom and dad) all the way there. The kids thought they were pretty tough looking.

The minute we got to our motel, the Desert Pearl, the kids couldn't get into their swimming suits fast enough.

We spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing.

We spent the evening fine dining at an amazing restaurant. Hank chose to sit by his new friend Alexi. He didn't seem to mind sitting away from Randy and I. He didn't let Alexi get too far away the entire weekend. I love when Hank hovers around someone he likes!

And Maxi...hmmm where do I start. He was a bit challenging at a 5 star restaurant to say the least. A two year old and a 3 hour dining experience do not go hand in hand. Luckily he had Monet to hug and kiss. She was very entertained by Max and his antics.

Monday morning we had a hard time convincing the kids to come with us on a hike. Of course they wanted to swim but I made them enjoy the beauty of Zions first.

We decided to do a leisurely little walk along the river instead of a more challenging hike, like the rest of the group.

It turned out to be a very wise choice since Max walked all of 5 feet. The rest of the time he rode on Grandpa Mater's shoulders or mom and dad's.

Ranger Bob is to the right, next to Grandma Joanne, A.J., Maddy, Lane, Maia, Joyce, Hank, mom, Randy and I (dad was the photographer) As you can see we are pretty die-hard hikers!

Preciousness

Mom, you can't say I don't put any pictures of you on my blog!

Joyce and Grandma Joanne

I love how our kids had to be held against their will to take this picture!

After the hike and a killer root beer freeze at Blondies, the kids could hardly wait to resume their spot at the pool.

Nice follow through dad! My parents even got in the pool to play with the kids.

Hank jumped off the side of the pool about 5,000 times at least!

Max preferred to kick it in the hot tub alone. It was a chilly 99 degrees after all!

Wow, how did I manage to capture my kids embracing twice in the same post?


Our last evening was spent eating pizza and frolicking around the grassy area behind our motel. I can't say enough good things about this motel. It was sheer perfection! A perfect place for families. Behind this grassy area was a river you could tube down. I could have easily stayed there another week.

Riley, Randy, Mino, and myself
I didn't even notice my dad posing behind us!

What an amazing family I am a part of. I had a blast talking to everyone and enjoying the beauty around me. Other than a bout of car sickness from Max on the way home, the trip couldn't have been more fun. I can't wait to go back!

This picture is for you Jessie!! See what your missing out on?

Uncle of the Year

And the award goes to......

You guessed it, Randy! Of course I think he is the best dad around, that's a given but his skill go beyond being a father.

Perfect example, Colby and Dyson slept over a few weeks ago and Randy suggested all the boys sleep out on the trampoline. I didn't realize he was actually going to sleep out there with them! That's going above and beyond the call of duty. I even over heard him plotting a toilet papering excursion with the boys. Don't worry, the voice of reason (me), put a quick kibosh to that plan. I think Hank should be at least 15 before he starts vandalizing with his dad!

Lucy and Isabel always know that when Randy is home from work, he will bounce them on the tramp. Isabel is Randy's "girl". I think I might need to watch out for her!
Another prime example happened last night. Sarah and I had our weekly golf lesson and Brett was busy putting their yard in so Randy willingly watched Jack. As we drove away, Randy was pushing Jack in the stroller with one hand and pushing Max's trike with the other, at the same time he was playing tag with Hank. He takes it all in stride, and never acts put out or too busy. It is one of the traits I love the most about him.