Tyler visited the Atlanta Aquarium while he was there for work. He sent back some great pics for the kids-

Yesterday we went to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden with Grandma and some cousins. It was probably 100 degrees outside but the kids had fun anyway- it was nice to get out and burn some of their energy. Mia was funny- she was copying the older kids the whole time- pointing and babbling about this and that. Kaden always loves spending time with T & M too.

Caveman Kyson
Kaden behind the same cutout I posed with about 15 year ago

Kyson & Mia as dino stew

Mia wielding a pick-ax

I told them to act scared...this is what I got

This past weekend we took a trip to Bear Lake with our friends the Parkers and Hornes. It was soo fun. It was a lot further away than I remembered, but the kids handled it like champs. Even though it was pretty crowded we still found a spot to pitch our shade tents and dig in for the afternoon.

Kaden loves spending time with E!

This time Kaden was WAY more into the water- if you remember our CA trip he wouldn't set foot in the Ocean.

I love Kyson's face here- I guess the tongue helps you balance in the waves!

Here is Mia with her daddy- she LOVED the water.

Here is Mia (in the light pink hat) with her buddy, P! Mia HATED the sand- we need to invest in some water shoes. She was fine once she tried some crocs!

Kyson enjoyed being buried in the sand- my van will never be the same- SO much sand!!!

After the beach we hit Bear Lake Pizza for some YUMMY dinner.

Re-hydrating is hard work!

Kaden, E and C! They were really good at dinner.

And we couldn't leave without stopping at LeBeau's for some shakes! Here is Ky licking some drippage off his hands.

Even though it was kind of a long trip for one day, we are really glad we made it- I think the kids will remember it fondly. They already want to go back again!

A couple quick pics of cute MiaJolie

Baby mamma

Feeding herself- and pretty proud of it!

We've been staying busy around here- here are some pics...just day to day stuff!

July is HOT so we got out some water toys- except Mia thought her water table was a pool....

So then we had to go and get a pool- literally HAD to- she would not stay out of the boat!

Then we had a LOT of rainy days- a nice break from the scorchers but boring for the kids...they found ways to entertain themselves though.

Mia LOVES coloring

I promise I supervised them...Ky thought it was funny to be a "fwower"

I heard Kyson saying "Get in THERE!" and came to check it out...this is what I found!

(Lola got her much needed new bed- she loves it)

This was kind of a crappy shot from the Stake Pizza Party that I edited and it turned out WAY cute!

Another cutie smile

At Grana's "park" she got a swing-set the kids love-

Mia LOVES to climb

We have spent our fair share of time at Gma and Gpa Kent's pool too! Kaden is swimming all over like a little fish without floaties. Kyson is content to float around and lay out in the sun.

We went to a splash pad today for our ward playgroup- it was super fun! We will have to go back again...
"take me THERE, brother!"

Mia wouldn't go in at first but ended up enjoying herself! Kaden played hard the whole time-

Beach babe pose :)

Ky is testing the waters

Brrr! But good when it's 90 degrees!

Not sure if she likes it or not...

Good brothers looking out for Mia

Whew! Summer is flying by- Saturday is a day trip to Bear Lake- can't wait!

Mia is doing fantastic at 18 months old! She still loves to run and play with her brothers- just like a big kid- only now she can actually keep up. She is a pro at walking and enjoys dancing and trying jump up and down. She also likes to swim (all by herself using her puddle jumper floaties) in Grandpa and Grandma's pool! She loves to 'sing' and can say a few words like "doggie, Lola, downstairs, love you, sorry, bapa (grandpa), (grandma still sounds like a different "ma"), papa, nana, dance, bye-bye, hi, night-night..." Now if only she'd remember to use her words...usually when she wants something she SCREAMS repeatedly until we guess what it is. I kind of prefer the 'grunting/pointing' that the boys did at that age...She has even tried her hand at a little potty training...though we're not taking that seriously for a while. She made the switch to a twin bed with guard rail this month too (I just found out her crib was recalled). She does great in the bed- as long as she is actually tired she just lays down and goes right to sleep- no fussing necessary!

Her favorite things:
PINK anything. If it's pink she will try to run off with it- no matter what it is.
Baby dolls
Dogs
Horses
Swimming
Music and dancing
Coloring!
Painting her toenails
Brushing her teeth 100x a day

Dislikes:
Being left out
Sitting still
Being quiet
Sharing
Getting her hair styled


And finally her 18 mos. stats:
Weight- 22lbs 3.5oz- 19%
Height- 33 & 3/4 Inches- 82%
Head- 18 1/2 inches- 63%
(Turns out they measured her head wrong before- so nothing to worry about!)

This summer Tyler has had a LOT of work trips out of town, but he was able to come home for the weekend and we got to spend it with our friends, the Hornes at their cabin in Causey! It was so beautiful there and it was nice to get away- almost 3 days without my PHONE!! They are so much fun to hang out with- we watched movies, played games, went on walk and rode some 4 wheelers. The kids always love to play with Misses C and P- they get along great! Even Lola got to come and she LOVED being able to wander a little and play outside. Since I didn't have my phone I didn't get any pics :( (I need a new camera!!) I think I can borrow some from the Hornes though...I'll update then.

On Monday we went to Clearfield's 4th of July Celebration at Fisher Park. It was WAY fun- there was the community band, people watching (better than Wal-Mart!), and a cover band that was pretty fun too! The kids were good and loved dancing to the music. Since Tyler had to be out of town for work, Grandpa Kent (Grandma Diana had to be in bed early for work) and my Grandma Carolyn were there to help- the kids really enjoyed spending that time with them!

Here is Mia's 'cheese' she looks so grown up!

And the boys- so handsome!

Kaden getting some quality Grana time

Grandpa and Grandma gave the kids these awesome light toys- a good way to entertain them!

I was a little nervous about how Mia would react to the fireworks but she did great! She giggled and squealed with delight- then quickly began trying to stay awake by running around incessantly...something Kyson clearly didn't think of since he was asleep on Grana about 5 minutes into the show. Kaden sat on Grandpa's lap so he would cover Kaden's ears as they watched...he has always hated loud noises!

The show was spectacular- I got a little teary during "God Bless America, " I think that must be my favorite patriotic song.
This is something I am particularly sensitive about now that so many people are trying to take 'God' out of everything- it's just not right. The founding fathers knew what they were doing when they included Him throughout our humble beginnings as a country. I don't think a small minority has the right to exclude Him from our money, our pledge of allegiance, or any other arena.

On a lighter note- here is a cute video of Kyson and Mia having fun during the concert-

Recently one of Tyler's college buddies moved back to Utah and we've been having a blast hanging out with them!

We went to breakfast at Sill's for A's birthday-

And they were nice enough to have us to their cabin in Causey- the kids had so much fun playing for 2 days straight!

Marshmallows and hotdogs on the fire

We're so glad they moved back--We <3 hanging with them!