Road Trip!

So right after returning from Utah, we did some laundry and packed up again to take a trip with Grandma and Papa to MISSOURI! Very spontaneous, not what I'm used to, but I figured it was summer so it would be ok. Plus knowing that our days would be filled with cousins, waterparks, and Silver Dollar City, kept me excited.

I worried about the long drive and how the kids would be in the car. Thankfully, they were awesome with only minimal fighting. Much better than expected. Endless supplies of snacks and DVDs plus the occasional "wild card" surprise made it all good. The kids loved finding a sign welcoming us to a new state. Dillan looked at a map to see how far we'd come and where we were heading.

There was lots and lots of swimming because it was so stinking HOT! Nothing's better than swimming with cousins! Grandma and Papa mad it lots of fun by taking us to Silver Dollar City and White Water! We had fun going on rides and getting wet!

On Independence Day, Dillan got to light his first firework. He thought it was the best thing ever! Leah wasn't a big fan of the noise, so she stayed as far away as possible.
 

We got to cuddle baby Gwennie! When she cried, Drewby would walk over to her and wave and then tried to hug and kiss her. She's just so little!

 

We normally don't see our cousins this much and we are so excited that we will see them again in just a couple short weeks! Yee Haw!

Dillan said he had never had a summer like this before.
He also said all we'd done so far this summer was swimming and driving!

Adventures in Utah

So it was about that time again to head back to Utah. We had family to see, which is always a good reason, but also a fun vacation and trying new things with the kids.

Like mountains.

I had promised to take them to the pool I used to work at. But before we went there, I drove them up Provo Canyon to bridal veil falls. I figured they'd look at the waterfall and see the river and say, "Cool. Now can we go to the pool?" Not so much. They took their shoes off and waded into the pool at the bottom of the falls. They called it Paradise Falls. Thanks in part to watching "Up" during the drive. They played in the freezing water, tossing rocks, climbing, just having fun. Shoot, who needs the pool?

The condo we stayed at (thanks to a great friend) had a perfect view of the Y.
I really would have liked to take the kids up there, but I was afraid there would be more dragging than walking and lots of whining. So I looked into Mt Timpanogos instead. Yeah, it's a bigger mountain, but there's also a cool reward at the end: the cave! Dillan has been all about forts and hideouts and caves recently, so I figured we should try it.

Yes, I was worried about the climb but I knew it was only 1.5 miles, paved, and the reward at the end would be worth it! We had a backpack with sweatshirts, water, a few snacks, baby wipes, and camera. There are no strollers allowed on the trail and no baby carriers allowed in the cave. Once we checked in at the visitors center, we had an hour and a half to reach the top. Chris and I switched off carrying Drew up the mountain. OK, it was more like 70% him, 30% me. There was shade, a nice breeze, and lots of benches along the trail. Dillan was the biggest surprise. He listened intently to the ranger explain some rules on the trail and reminded us along the way of those rules and safety issues. He was out in front the whole time, he never complained, he'd get ahead and then run back to tell us there was a bench around the corner. I never knew he was such a good hiker!

 

We were the only kids in our tour group through the cave. Dillan became the ranger's shadow. He was on his heels the whole way, carried his flashlight, everything. It was so fun to see how excited he was. Leah loved it as well and took a ton of pictures with my camera. On the way out of the cave the children were given stickers and we headed back down. Drew fell asleep on my shoulders right away, so I carried him awkwardly in my arms the whole way down. Not like I had something to prove or anything. I got a lot of attention from those coming up the trail, I'm sure I looked hilarious. Or maybe it was Drewby.

We walked all over BYU campus. The kids liked the Smith fieldhouse and ran around the track a few times, and we also peeked in at the pool/high dive. Dillan couldn't believe this was a college that he could actually go to someday even though it wasn't in California and he would have to LIVE there. The bowling alley was fun and the Creamery was as good as ever.

On the way back home Drew was able to get the first haircut of his life from Grandma Donna. She even saved some of his hair and put it in a nice envelope for us to keep. He didn't like being held down, but his hair at least looks sharper now.

 We had a great trip making memories and trying new things!
 

Fun Summer

We've made our summer bucket list and are in full swing! Our awesome cousins and Grandma came down to Temecula and we got to pick blueberries altogether! These made a great gift for Grandma Donna in Utah and lots of delicious blueberry pancakes!

It's always fun when Papa gets his boat out and we love to go along for the ride. The kids are starting to test the waters and being pulled behind the boat. Dillan usually talks about trying it, but in the moment gets a little nervous. This time Leah saw him do it and so she tried the EZ ski. Then she tried it again. And again. On her final turn, she looked like a natural with no fear. She was standing up and then let go with one hand.

Priceless.

it's ice-cream cones and cherry soda...

dripping down your chin! IT'S SUMMER!
Where do we begin?

Thinking I was brilliant to come up with a way to keep my kids learning and make money during the summer to spend on awesome activities, I created job charts for the summer. They included reading, writing, and workbooks a few times a week. The kids were told that every time they completed a job they would receive a quarter to place in their fancy personalized boxes I created for them. Brilliant mom, feeling good. I had everything set up for Dillan's last day of school that he would find waiting for him.

It's only our first week of summer, and the novelty of my brilliance has faded. If I remind the children about earning quarters, they get to work, but it's not what I expected. But that's summer for you. Of course, we still have many weeks left, so I'll keep my hopes up that we'll get into it more.

We started swim lessons this week. Leah has finally taken off with the water this summer, which is the rub off of how she ended last summer. She loves being in the water, has no problem putting her face in and moving forward. When there are brave kids around her that she wants to follow, she does. It's great! Only when she comes up for air does she panic, but we're working on that and hopefully by Shaver she will be 100% water safe!
Dillan is unfortunately in the wrong class. I blame myself for not having the good sense to figure out he should be in a higher level. I took the kids last month to the free evaluation and they told me Level 1. Well, from my observation, Leah (if she was 5) would be just fine in Level 1. Dillan should be in Level 2, pushing Level 3. I realized it the first day but was told I couldn't change him. So now we've told him that he needs to be the best Level 1 that he can be. So he's working hard and impressing his teacher daily. 















The last week of school the kids and I put together a huge list of everything we wanted to do this summer. We found a lot of free ideas online and came up with the rest ourselves. I printed out this list and stuck it on the fridge. The kids refer to it almost daily. This list is very important to Dillan.
Number one on the list was a sleepover. Wyatt's mom and I picked a day that would be best. Dillan had 4 days to wait. Every morning he reminded me that it was almost the day of the sleepover. To pass the time, he made a new list. The list of everything he was going to do when Wyatt was at our house. When Wyatt arrived, they pulled out the list and one-by-one got everything done. It was hilarious. Board games, handball outside, a treasure hunt, eating popcorn, watch a movie, play the Wii, build a fort, pillow fight, midnight snack, etc etc. It was his first friend sleepover and he pulled it off perfectly! Now Leah thinks it's her turn and Dillan can't wait to do it again.

It's SUMMER!

School Performances

We are finishing up our last week of PreK and 1st grade!
Leah has LOVED going to school with Ms Janae. She has made a few friends and can't wait to start Kindergarten in August. Ms Janae has been so sweet and lots of fun!
For their end of the year program/graduation, they said the Pledge of Allegiance, sang patriotic songs, showed off their Zoophonics, and ate popsicles.

 

 Leah got a certificate and gave Ms Janae a big hug! She's growing up too fast!

Dillan has been dropping hints about his end of the year program. He mentioned how the teachers wanted him to sing a solo because he had a good voice and named the boy in his class who WANTED to wear a tutu and be a dancing flower. Both of which he was NOT interested.

The theme for the first grade program was "How does your garden grow?" Referring to the little first graders as seedlings who have sprouted and grown so much during the year. Dillan warned me that one of the songs would make me cry and I should bring a tissue. He was right.

There was singing and dancing and my little farmer did a bang-up job!

He has grown so much this year, physically and academically.
He was in the top reading group (the Jumping Dolphins) the whole year, discovered a great love for math and science and has become an awesome writer. (He wrote a great story about ninjas that has been misplaced somewhere, but we HOPEFULLY will find it!)
He THA-RASHED 4 pairs of shoes this year, played on basketball and baseball teams for the first time, made lots of new friends, and is still the same sweet, tenderhearted kid he's always been!

So proud of these two and looking forward to a crazy fun-filled summer!!!

year 9

 Year 0. Pure bliss.

Year 1. Spent our first anniversary in Hawaii celebrating my parents' 25th! So much fun. Chris' back turned purple with sloppy sunscreen finger streaks after snorkeling. Yay for memories!








Year 2. Dillan is born. A week before our anniversary. Life gets crazy. Then we move to California.







Year 3. Loving life with our little guy. Lots of fun.








Year 4. Our world revolves around him. For a couple more months anyway.

 Year 5. Adjusting to life with 2. Love our cute little family.

 Year 6. Life is busy, but we still try to make time for each other.

 Year 7. These two little monkeys rule our everyday. But it's good!

 Year 8. Then there were three. New challenges, new job, and new hope for the future.

Year 9. Counting on our fingers so we never forget. We've had hard times and good. Really, it's easy to love this guy. I am so blessed and overcome with happiness.

Happy Anniversary to us!

7

 Our big number one boy is seven today. Unbelievable. I don't even know how we got here.
Seven things I love about Dillan:
1-Finishing first grade at the top of the class
2-Plays baseball, basketball, and soccer like a pro
3-Silly with friends
4-Loves playing games with his family
5-Adores his sister and brother, and a good example too
6-A smile that melts mommy's heart
7-Works hard at everything he does

Dillan,
 We are so proud of the big boy you have become and love to watch you learn and grow everyday. You are such a good example to your brother and sister and they love you so much. You make us smile and laugh often. You like to be big and make your own choices, but still know when it's okay to cuddle with mommy. We are so proud of how much you love to read and do math and all the hard work you did in first grade. It is super fun to watch you play baseball and soccer. You always do your best and work hard to get better. You are such a good listener and make everyone around you happy. You also are a good singer, just like Daddy! You are a good friend, lots of boys and girls like to be around you. You are a natural leader around your friends, and you always try to make good choices and be a good friend.
Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we are so grateful you are a part of our family!

Love, Mom and Dad      5-15-12