Fun at the Parkin's House

Today it was Amy's turn to host the water fun.  She filled up her pool.  But the highlight of the day was that they got a trampoline.  Matt stayed up until 2:00am putting the trampoline together so the kids could play.  The kids loved the tramp and they put the sprinkler under it to cool the kids down.  As always the kids played in the dirt pile.  They were all covered in dirt, well mostly the girls.  They also did something new today they scaled the fence.  They thought that that was so cool.  Thanks, Parkins for the awesome day.

Face painting and skits

Today the boys decided that they wanted to paint their faces.  So we got out the craft paint and the dress up clothes.  Britton dressed as Santa Claus and we painted a white beard and a mustache and we painted his eye brows white.  Bryson dressed as Mario and we painted a big black mustache.  Parker dressed as a pirate and we painted a black beard.  Then each of them got to perform a skit and we took video of each of them acting out their character.  Bryson was so funny pretending to be in a video game.  The boys painted their faces a few different times.  When the girls woke up from their naps we painted butterflys on their faces.  A few of the other characters were two face(half orange and half yellow), a white face with black eyes and lips and black clothes, a cowboy with a big mustache and an Indian with lots of arrows.  The kids had fun and this kept them busy for hours and hours.  I can't wait to see all of the videos.

Christmas in July Tea Party

For our Christmas in July we decided to have a tea party.  We made hot chocolate, lemonade and fruit punch for the beverage to choose from.  We had chocolate dipped marshmallows with sprinkles.  Crackers and cheese, zucchini bread, and chocolate covered strawberries.  We had marshmallows on a stick to use for a spoon and whip creme for the hot chocolate.  We used our christmas dishes and had candles to decorate.  It was so fun.  The kids sat very proper and used extra manners when asking for treats to be passed.  We had a very enjoyable night.  This might be a new tradition.

Gardner Family Reunion at East Canyon

We took the kids up to East Canyon today.  Dans family has been camping their all week.  But we were not able to go because of youth conference and work.  So we went today and had a lot of fun.  The kids love the playground, it has a bunch of tires to climb on and swings to swing on.  Then Landon brought his horses and Grandpa Gardner's horse and gave the kids a ride.  The girls were so excited to ride.  They love horses and especially Buttercup.  After riding we had dinner and the kids had fun playing with cousins.  The girls collected rocks and the boys played a bunch of games with cousins.  We saw some deer on the ride home and also a porcupine was crossing the rode.  I love East Canyon.  It is such a beautiful drive.

Service Project with the kids

Today we went to Bishop Monson's house for our service project.  We got to put in their sod.  Dan was not able to take off the entire day so I had to bring the kids with me.  I was worried that the kids would be busy and not listen, but I was so wrong.  The boys helped with the sod.  They carried the heavy pieces and unrolled it and laid it in rows.  Parker got the cut some of sod with President Webb.  The girls played with the bunny and played on the new grass.  They were such good kids.  Then Dan got home and I went with the youth to Pineview for a day of boating.  I even got to ride the tube with Jenae.  Then we had hamburgers and a testimony meeting.  It was a great youth conference.  Dan took the kids to Dinosaur Park today.  He was so surprised how easy it was to take the kids somewhere alone.  The kids had fun.  Brynlee loved the dinosaurs.  They got field journals and made leaf prints.  It was an all around fun day for everyone.

Youth Conference

We had a water day.  We filled the pool and set up the slip and slide and had the pvc sprinkler out.  We put the sprinkler under the trampoline.  We invited Reese and Ryal to come over and the Parkin's came also.  I enjoyed the hammock and was able to relax while the kids played.  Great summe day. 
We started our youth conference today.  We went to the church and had pizza and watched the movie Other side of Heaven.  Then we went to listen to Elder Groberg.  He came and did a fireside at the Stake Center.  He talked to the youth about serving missions and keeping the commandments.  It was an amazing evening.  We had some good conversations with our girls.  I love my calling.  I get to work with the beehives. 

Day Farm and the Library

Today we went to the Day Farm.  We look to go to the local farmers.  We don't have a garden this year so we get to support our local farmers.  We love day Farm.  They have such good produce.  We got corn, watermelon, zucchini and yellow squash.  We can't wait until u-pick starts in two weeks.  After the farm we went to the library and got the kids all their own library cards, even Brynlee.  The kids were so excited to have their own cards.  They each picked out the books they wanted.  Then we came home and read. 

Pioneer Day

Today we just goofed off at home and hung out.  It was a nice day.  I got to sleep in and still get a walk in the morning.  And Dan and the boys were all able to go running together.  Dan and Bryson jogged and Britton and Parker rode their scooters.  Uncle Doug reserved the Farmington Pool for his ward and invited us to come.  We had so much fun.  We swam from 7:00-10:00pm.  The lights were on because it was so dark.  The kids all thought that that was awesome.  Britton and Bryson jumped off the high dive.  And Abby and Parker jumped off the diving board.  All the kids went down the slides.  Their wasn't a whole lot of people, so the kids could do anything they wanted.  And at about 9:00 most people went home, so it was just mainly family for an hour.  The Parkins and the Sandberg came and most of the Bull family.  We had so much fun, we hope to reserve it again next year. 

Lego Contest

Our summer activity board is perfect for a day like today.  We weren't quite sure what to do then we looked at the list and saw lego contest.  We built vehicles.  They could go on the land, water or air.  Some of them could do all three.  The boys are so creative.  But what started as a little competition turned into hours of play.  Great jobs BOYS!!!

Rock painting

A great Sunday activity.  Today we painted rocks.  We collected big rocks from Hobbs Pond.  So got out all the paints and old clothes.  Then the painting began.  At first the boys were going to paint the rocks a certain typeof something.  For example I painted a butterfly and bumble bee and a lady bug on mine.  But Brynlee painted all different colors and swirled it all together and the boys were so impressed by what hers looked like they all decided to do the same.  They had fun painting and they all turned out great.  We will put them in the garden for decorations. 

Caren's Bridal Shower

Today we got to get together with all the cousins to celebrate Caren's so to be wedding.  The party was at Trisha's house.  Her house was so nice and decorated so cute.  We had a nice lunch and we were able to sit and visit together.  We always have such a great time with cousins.  We have such an amazing family.  We are all so blessed to live so close to one another and all like each other so much.  I love my family.

Boondocks and the Parkin's

Today we decided to use our free passes to Boondocks.  We were given six three hours cards at Dan's work party last year.  We only had a pay for one of us to get in.  We have been lucky to go to Boondocks quite a few times for free.  Today we started by riding the cars.  Britton, Bryson, and Parker are all tall enough to drive their own car.  Abby is tall enough to ride with an adult so Dan took her and she loved it.  Brynlee and I just watched and cheered everyone on.  Then we played laser tag.  We had so much fun.  Bryson was so excited because he had a really high score.  Brynlee just ran around without a gun or vest.  And Abby was able to shoot quite a few people.  After laser tag Brynlee wanted to go bowling so we bowled in the kiddie bowling area.  The kids bowled two games each and all did pretty good but Parker got the high score for the kids.  After bowling we rode in the water bumper boats.  We all got really wet.  Abby rode with Dan and Brynlee rode with me.  The boys all rode separately.  Parker and Bryson were the least wet.  Some boy came up to Britton and said man you are a great shot and gave him a high five.  That made Britton's day.  Then we rode the cars again this time I took Abby and Dan stayed with Brynlee.  I had so much fun.  It was my first time to drove one of those cars.  Abby and I laughed and laughed.  Then we decided to play mini golf and Bryson got two hole in ones.  Abby did a good job golfing and Brynlee only lost one ball.  Everyones favorite hole was the last hole.  When you shot your ball in the hole it either shot fire out the top or water at you.  The fire scared Brynlee at little bit.  After golfing the kids were hot and wanted to get wet again so we decided to ride the bumper boats again.  Abby rode with me this time and Brynlee rode with Dan.  I got so wet.  I was soaked from the very top of my head to my feet.  Everyone was wet and cooled down from the heat.  The last thing we did was play in the Kiddie Cove and play a few tokens for the arcade.  The kids put all their tickets together and were able to get a few little prizes.  We all had a blast.
Then it was our turn to babysit for Matt and Amy so Ethan and Sarah came over.  We had dinner in the backyard and the kids played on the tramp and did little bit of soccer.  Dan and I cuddled on the hammock and watched the kids play.  We got the kids some glow braclets and they lit up while they jumped.  Then we came in and the boys played Indiana Jones on the Wii and the girls made cookies.  Then we melted crayons on the oven and made some new circle and finger crayons.  We had a lot of fun.  The melted crayons are really easy and the kids loved making them.  Today was a really fun day full of fun and excitement and hardly cost a thing.

Castle Park and spending money

All summer the kids have been asking to go to Castle Park.  They love to play tag and hide and seek at Castle Park more than any other park.  We got to the park early so it wasn't to hot.  The the joy of Castle Park was gone.  The boys didn't last very long playing.  They got bored and were ready to leave after only about an hour of playing.  The girls were only interested in swinging on the swings.  They loved the swings and were good to take turns.  We will have to try the park out again with cousins and see if that will help the fun.  Then we went to Dairy Queen for lunch.  The kids all got slushies and dilly bars with their meals, best happy meals ever.  Then we to spend the kids birthday and allowance earnings.  The kids don't usually have their own money so they were excited to get to buy whatever they wanted.  Britton bought a spy kit with lasers, Parker bought a bow and arrow set, Brynlee bought a My Little Pony and Abby bought a Ariel barbie doll.  Bryson spent his money a few weeks ago so he was a good sport to help everyone else decide on what they should buy.  Later that night we had a movie night and sleepover in the family room.  We watched Hugo.  The boys loved the show but the girls weren't to engagaed.  Abby was confused and thought it was a little scary.  Bryson cried a couple of times because it was sad.  We had a great day.  We love summer. 

Kays Creek Walk Way

Today we decided to hike up Kays Creek walk way.  We brought our lunch and the kids brought their rain boots.  We started at the start for the first time.  We usually park about 1/2 mile into the walk way.  I never knew where the start was and I finally discovered the start of the trail so we got to pass all the trail markers.  The kids were happy every time we passed another 1/4 mile sign.  They love reading the animals signs along the way.  The cougar sign is always the highlight.  After they read that sign they get a little freaked out and think that they hear strange noises for at least another 1/4 mile.  The other sign they like is the porcupine sign because it is the last sign before the bridge and picnic area.  The kids hiked really well and only Brynlee complained about being tired.  So she got to have a shoulder ride.  Once we made it to the picnic area the kids changed their shoes into their water boots and played in the water to cool off.  They had fun exploring and collecting rocks.  We had our lunch and Bryson even saw a snake.  They we hiked back which was much faster.  We love being outside and playing in the water.  The kids are blessed to live in an area with so many different areas to explore.

Lock in day

Dan finally had to go back to work.  We had such a nice time with him home.  I think that the kids forgot he had a job.  Brynlee kept asking me where Dad was and why he had to work? 
Bryson a few years ago decided to invent a day called lock in day, it is a day where we stay in pj's and don't go outside.  So today was a perfect day for that.  We stayed in watched cartoons, painted, did homework, and just played, played, played. 

Time to go home

It was time to go home and we were not ready to leave.  We could have lasted another week.  We had such a wonderful time.  Thanks so much to Cassie and Ben for planning such an amazing trip. 
The way home we decided to take a little detour.  We took highway 89 all the way to Nephi.  It was such beautiful drive home. 

Parker's is 7 and Bryce Canyon

Parker turned 7 today.  I can't believe how fast time goes.  I am so blessed to have Parker in my home.  He is such a sweet boy.  He is our peacemaker.  He tries so hard to be good.  He is so much fun to be with.  He loves soccer, the wii, legos, batman, star wars, avengers, coloring and being outside.  He is so good to his sisters and is a huge help to me and dan.  We love Parker so much and are so grateful he is in our family.  He opened his presents before we went to Bryce Canyon.  He got a bunch of Batman toys and some new lego sets.  We had his party with cousins before we left to make it a little more fun for Parker.
We set off for Bryce Canyon and the weather wasn't the best.  It was raining really hard.  Once we got into Bryce Canyon the fog was so thick that we couldn't see anything.  We were a little discouraged.  We decided to drive to the end of Bryce and work our way back up to the visitors center.  The first two points we couldn't see to much but by the third we were so excited.  The view was so wonderful.  I loved all the beautiful colors.  It is such an amazing site to behold.  The kids were excited to see the different points.  The rain started to slow down.  The day just improved little by little.  We set off to find Thor's hammer.  We explored at the top of the point and found the hammer and then we decided to get a closer look.  The way down wasn't to bad it was fun going down the switch backs.  Then once we reached the bottom it was really neat to see how narrow it got and the little caves and hide outs in the canyon.  But the way back up was really hard.  The kids did pretty good.  The boys didn't complain much but the girls were all so tired.  And they had good reason to be tired it was a hard hike.  Once we finished site seeing we went to a little rock store and each of the kids got to buy some little rocks.  The rocks were all different colors and sizes.  On our way back to the cabin we stopped off to get some ice cream for Parker's birthday.  The kids finished the night all cuddled up together and watched a movie and the adults played peanuts. 

Staying close

Today we decided to stay close to the cabin.  We set up a tour at the Best Friends Animal Rescue Facility.  We rode a bus through the facility and were able to visit the cat and dog houses.  The kids loved the animals.  They enjoyed the bus ride and were able to see some fun things.  Then we went back to the cabin and rode the side by side.  The kids tried to catch a few lizards and had a air soft war.  The girls rode the razor scooters all aorund the balcony.  Grandpa Mack and Abby fed the goat carrots.  We played a few games and had Mexican night for dinner.  We also tried out the sauna, wow what a way to relax.  Dan is trying to find a way to have one put in at home.  A perfect ending to a great day.

Zion National Park

The cabin is absolutely beautiful.  It has a wonderful view.  It is set back and quiet.  It is decorated so nice.  We have our own room, the boys have a room and the girls have their own room.  We have the entire basement to ourselves.  The cabin has a sauna, a huge jetted tub, a play room, a wrap around balcony(gated so the girls can't escape), a 6 seater side by side to ride on, a huge area for the kids to explore and a very friendly goat.  We packed our lunches and left at 7:30am for Zion National Park.  It is only 30 minutes away from the cabin.  The drive was beautiful.  We have never been to Zions before so were all so excited.  We parked the van and rode on the bus into the park.  We stopped at Weeping Rock, Grotto's trail, Riverside walk and the Temple of something I can't remember and a few others.  We took so many pictures.  We had such a fun time the kids were all so good.  We brought spray bottles to cool them down while we were hiking.  We had lots and lots of water and loads of snacks.  We stopped a few times to get out and explore off the trails.  One of the kids favorite things at Zion's was the tunnel.  When we went through the first tunnel we didn't realize that that wasn't the good one.  So when we went through the 2 mile tunnel the kids were screaming.  The windows inside made it a little light but it was so dark inside.  They could not believe that they were inside of a mountain.  They also loved the squirrels.  Brynlee even touched one.  The squirrels were too friendly and they were everywhere, we even had one get in the backpack.  The kids were able to play in the water at the last stop.  We thought that they would just put their feet in but no they all jumped in and were wet from head to toe.  What an amazing day!!

Cabin Trip

We have set off for a vacation with the Sandberg Family and my mom and dad.  Ben's dad has offered to let us stay at his cabin in Orderville.  We are so excited.  We have packed the car to maximum capacity, with everything we could think of.  We have a long drive ahead.  I have already made up all the meals so that once we get their we can just relax and have a peaceful time. 

A day at Temple Square

We took the kids to temple square.  We started at the Church History Museum.  We toured through the exhibits on the main floor and learned lots of new things.  The boys asked lots of questions.  They realized how hard things were before we had so many modern tools.  They also learned a lot about the Salt Lake Valley and the pioneers.  We didn't get to look at very many paintings because Brynlee was starting to lose it.  But once we got to the Book of Mormon exhibit for kids she was so happy.  It was so fun.  The had so many different activities for the kids to do.  Brynlee liked to fish the best.  Abby liked to dance with the spanish dancers and playing in the garden and make dinner for the missionaries.  The boys liked to build with the big blocks and play on the computers.  We stayed at the museum for quite a few hours.  Then we went to the Nauvoo Cafe for lunch.  We all liked our food.  After lunch we took pictures at temple square and walked around the grounds.  Then we went to the visitors center and looked at the Christus Statue.  After that we went to the Joseph Smith movie.  They have changed the movie in the past year so we were excited to see the changes.  It is such a wonderful movie.  This was such a wonderful day.  We are so blessed to have so many resources for our children to learn from and help them build their testimonies. 

Saying good bye

I always hate it when it is time to say good bye to Julie and Megan.  We have had such a fun time for the past two weeks.  The kids look forward to each day and the activities we have planned.  We love spending time together as a family.  We hope to get to go visit the Beck's soon at their house.  We love you and drive careful.

Girls day at City Creek

Today we all met at Amy's and went down to City Creek for a day of shopping.  We went to lots of stores that I have never been to.  We found lots of cute clothes.  The atmosphere is so wonderful at City Creek.  I love the creek and the water fountains.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  It was so delicious.  After City Creek we went to Farmington Crossing for more shopping.  Then we met at Mom and Dad's house for dessert and a night of games.  Brian and Hillary brought cake and all the fixings for ice cream sundaes.  We played a fun guessing game.  I love it when we all get together and play games.  We laugh so hard that we cry.  We all love being together.  We are so blessed to live so close to all of our family.  It has been such a great week with Megan and Julie. 

Happy Birthday Dan, BIG 37!

Dan turned 37 today.  He decided that he wanted to go out to breakfast.  So we dropped the kids off to Mom and Julie.  Then we went to Kneaders.  We both got the all you can eat french toast.  It is so delicious.  They serve it with strawberries and whip creme.  We had a nice time just the two of us with no kids.  After breakfast we went to Ross and did some school shopping.  Then Dan took Britton, Bryson and Parker to the putting course at Swan Lakes.  They all did great but Parker got a hole in one.  After the golfing we went to Cassie's to swim and everyone came and we had Italian night for dinner and played outside.  Dan had a great birthday.  We are so blessed to have such a great dad and I am truly blessed to have him for my husband.  We love you, Dan.

Trampoline Park

Trampoline park is such a fun place.  We went to trampoline park in Kaysville.  It is a little expensive but the kids sure had a blast.  Brynlee even liked it this time.  She would run from one activity to another.  The kids loved the dodgeball and the basketball courts.  They played tag and did tricks on the tramps and watched themselves in the tv's.  The girls would get in trouble because they would climb the pads.  The hour went quickly but they were worn out by the time it was over.

The 4 of JULY!!!

Hooray, today is the 4th and Dan is home.  We have only spent two 4 of July's together in the last ten years.  We aren't happy that Dan had surgery but we are sure glad that he got to be with us today.  We didn't go to the parade we just slept in and then we went and got slurpees.  Then we came home and the kids set up the pvc sprinkler and rode their bikes and scooters threw the water.  Then we went to Grandpa and Grandma Mack's for a 4th celebration.  We grilled and Julie set up all the pools.  Mom had bought lots of little toys for the kids to play with.  Julie bought star bubble necklaces for the kids.  The kids had fun the in water and even Brian joined in the fun and got all wet.  Then we went to firework show at Layton High.  The boys played football.  We had more treats and built glow necklaces.  The fireworks were wonderful as usual.  This was a perfect day.

Pineview

We went to Pineview for the first time this season.  It was a perfect day for the sand and the water.  It wasn't to hot and the kids had a blast.  We brought tons of tubes and rafts and noodles to float with.  We had lots of sand toys and different kinds of treats.  We got the beach at about 11:30am and stayed until 5:30pm.  We had so much fun.  We swam out to the boat sign, six or seven times.  The kids built sand castles and dug big holes.  We love Pineview and being in the water and the sand. Hooray for summer.

Abby turns 5!!!

Abby's 5th birthday is today.  She is such a joy.  She loves her sister Brynlee.  They are such good friends.  Abby loves to play with her loving family dollhouse, my little ponies, princess barbie dolls, squinkies, polly pocket princesses, books, and dress up.  She loves animals and isn't scared of any animals.  She loves to sing and will sing all day and make up the song for whatever she is playing. 
Today we decided to have Abby's party with cousins and also a party for Parker.  We will be out of town for Parker's birthday and he was such a good sport to have his party early.  We invited all the cousins to come over for a swim party.  We set up two swimming pools, a slip 'n' slide, a sprinkler under the trampoline, we filled up water balloons, we made a pvc sprinkler, we had totes full of water for water gun fights, we had chalk, bubbles, we played water limbo, freeze dance in the sprinkler, splat with the water balloons, fill the bucket, we filled 30 balloons and put them on the trampoline to jump with.  We had popcorn, treats and ice cream cake.  It was such a fun party.  We started at 10:00am and didn't end until about 6:00pm.  Happy Birthday Abby and Parker.

Grandpa's Men of song night!!!

Tonight Grandpa and his singing group Men of Song sang at the Layton Park for the Patriot Night.  Grandpa has been singing at this concert for years.  It is a nice evening they all sing patriotic songs and give awards to Home Town Heros.  This year they honored Korean Vets.  It was a wonderful concert and we were so proud of Grandpa and his group.  Grandpa is now the oldest member of the group.  Uncle Paul is also a member of the group.  Grandpa loves to sing and it is something to keep him busy.  My favorite song that they sing is the Salute To Armed Forces.  Thanks Grandpa, Dad and Brian your service.  We love you and are proud to be Americans.