Disneyland Day 2

We woke up bright and early to pack snacks and water and get to the park.  The kids were so excited!  We took this stroller with us partly for Liev and partly to carry all of our stuff.  It was a lifesaver!  We met up with Chad, Britt, Nolan and Wyatt and went to Disneyland Park first.  The big kids headed to the Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain with Josh, Chad and Britt.  

Hayley and I took Canyon and Liev with us to the kiddie land.

 We started with the carousel...

 Mr. Toad's wild ride...

 Dumbo...

 And Toon Town.  It was so fun for these little ones!

 Rease and Rhen were princesses for the day and looked so cute.

 Then we ran into the real Snow White and had to get a picture with her!

 We went on the jungle cruise during the day while it was hot and we were getting tired.  Always a good ride to relax on.

 Then we headed over to California Adventure to spend the evening.  We love Midway Mania and the 3D shooting we get to do!

 And Screamin is a favorite of the big kids.  They went on this ride over and over throughout the week and didn't seem to get tired of it!  

We walked by Cars Land and saw DJ the car drive up and start a dance party in the street.  We stopped and the kids had a blast dancing and partying.  

We had a fun first day and are so glad to be here with our fun cousins!

Disneyland Day 1

We have been saving for a trip to Disneyland for the past 6 months.  The kids have done projects to earn money and I picked up 2 maternity leaves at the office and we've been saving and planning for this fun trip!  We decided to take kids 4 and older so left Keen and Beck home with Melissa and Jordan.  Keen was ok with it after Grammie promised to take him to get a toy at Target!

We loaded into the van and left at midnight to be able to drive through the night while the kids slept.  It worked out so good and Josh was such a great driver!  We all snoozed while he stayed awake and alert on the road.

 When the kids woke up we were in Barstow and stopped for breakfast at IHOP.  Liev was happy to be out of the car and showing off his new hat that Uncle Greg gave him.

 We rented a house close to the park for the week.  We got there and checked in and napped for most of the afternoon.  It was a nice little place and close enough to walk to the park which was perfect.

That night we went to Downtown Disney for dinner and the look around and get excited about everything Disney!  The kids loved watching them make the carameled apples.

 Canyon and Liev showing off their acrobatic skills while waiting for the tram.

 Overall a great day and we made it safe and sound.  I wanted to include Rease's journal because she did such a great job of documenting all that happened!

Beck at 15 months

This is our handsome Beck.  Brand new haircut...

 And a brand new trick...  You got it!  It took 15 months but Beck finally decided it's time to start walking.  What a funny boy he is.  He just started taking his first steps and walks with his right leg stiffer than the left so he walks with a sort of limp.  So funny and cute!  We are glad he's finally decided to join the big kid crowd and walk!

15 month stats from Dr. Erickson:

Height: 31.5 inches - 61%

Weight: 24.36 lbs - 47 %

Head: 19.5 inches - 96%

Bucket Heads

I bought the kids some Halloween buckets for trick or treating.  I was planning on putting them away until Halloween so they didn't get lost or broken.  Before I knew it though the boys had them and used them as hats.  I could not stop laughing when I saw them going about their business with buckets on their head like it was normal.  What crazy bucket head boys we have!

Rhen's state book

I love to see the projects that the kids come home from school with.  Rhen's class learned all about the state of Utah this week and they made a book about it.  So cute!

Becker Boy

Beck loves that he is getting big enough to pal around with the older kids now.  He loves to follow them downstairs and outside to play in the backyard.  So cute on his little rocking horse and enjoying the sunlight!

Popsicles at Grammies!

Grammie is the best.  She bought a bunch of popsicles and let each of the kids have their own.  She's smart and had them all mostly undressed while they ate them, then threw them all in the bath after!  Grammie's house is such a fun place!

Color Run

Butterfield Canyon put on a color run this year for their yearly fund raiser.  It was a blast!  Each of the kids got a shirt and sweatband and some packets of color to throw.  They first did the 5k run around the neighborhood and got colored on as they ran.  Then all gathered back at the school and had a color throw with everyone.  It was a really fun day for the kids and the girls did great on the run!  They also earned enough money fundraising that they each got an extra packet of color to throw at the principal which they loved!  Such a fun family activity!

Storms and rainbows

We have had the coolest summer storms lately.  Lots of rain, thunder and lightning.  Today we had a cool storm followed by the most beautiful double rainbow.  I wish I could have fit the whole thing in my picture, but I couldn't get it all.  Two full double rainbows and it was spectacular.  I was driving home and couldn't help but try and get a few good pictures.  The kids were so excited!  Such a beautiful place we live in!

Harley Ride

Greg is moving back to Salt Lake City and we are so excited!  He's been in Logan taking care of his parents' house while they were on a mission.  Well, now they're home and he is headed back our way.  He brought his Harley down one weekend with a friend and brought an extra one for Josh.  The three of them went on a half day ride up Butterfield Canyon and out near the Copper Mine.  Josh said they had a blast and it looked like a perfect day for a ride.  Doesn't Josh look handsome all dressed up in his riding gear?

 When they got back the kids were dying for a ride too.  So Uncle Greg took them each for a ride around the neighborhood.  We're so excited to have him back!  We missed having him around!

Boating

We LOVE the boat.  We look forward to the summer all year long mostly because we love being on the boat.  Our kids have learned to love it too and they have all had a great year learning new things.  It is such a fun family thing and we love spending time together!  Here are some of the highlights of the summer!

Josh and I made a point to get all the kids on the water somehow this summer.  We figured out that kneeboarding is a great learning tool.  So we got Liev and Keen out there and onto the kneeboard with me hanging off the back while the boat pulls us slowly.  They were both a little nervous but as the summer has gone on, they both love it now.  It is a great way for them to learn to be away from the boat but still feel close enough to the water that it's not scary.  So fun for them!

 In July we had a family week on the lake.  Josh took off 3 days of work and we stayed at the cabin and boated for five days straight.  It was a blast!  We had a ton of fun with the kids and they all got lots of time on the water.  Rease has gotten really good at her double skis and can get up on her own.  And Rhen decided this year that she wants to kneeboard by herself.  They both did awesome!  We are going to continue this tradition of a week on the lake every year!  

 Liev named himself the rope boy and loves to pull the rope in when someone is done.

I'm not even sure what to say about this picture.  Rhen thinks she can pee off the side of the boat like the boys.

Kneeboard wars have become a favorite of everyone and we got a new tube this year that the kids love!

And a day on the lake is only complete with a burger and shake from In-N-Out.  It's our thing and the kids don't let us go home before we've stopped.  We have had such a fun time this year on the boat!

Liev's first day of preschool

Oh this boy has been so excited to start school!  For months he's been asking me when he gets to go to school like the girls.  Well, the day finally arrived!  He is going to Kinder Cottage with Miss Melanie.  She runs a great preschool and I'm excited for him to be able to go.  What a handsome boy starting preschool!

Selfies with Dad

Love these cute moments caught on camera.

2nd Annual Scones and Pickleball

We had our 2nd annual scone day and pickleball tournament on Labor Day.  It is such a fun day for our neighborhood to gather together!  This year Josh decided we needed uniforms so we were the Turtle Power family.

 We had a great turnout and Josh, Jared and Mike were the cooks and made delicious scones!

 We had everyone submit their team name for us to put into the brackets for the tournament.  We had SO MANY teams!  We had bought a second pickeball net and I'm glad that we did!  We were able to have 2 courts playing at a time and it went pretty quick.  Everyone had fun though and that's the whole point!  

 Mike and Stephanie - Team Totally Sconed - were the big winners of the tournament!  Congrats!

Such a fun day to get together and have fun with the many people we love in this neighborhood!

When your phone gets stolen...

This must happen with everyone.  You leave the kids in the car for one minute and come back to find 300 new pictures on your phone.  I thought you'd like to see what the kids were doing in the car all alone... Having fun and watching Lion King!

Costco Lunch

We met Josh at Costco for lunch one day and you can't beat hot dogs and drinks for $1.50!  Plus the boys love them.  So we made a date out of it!