Little Fishies

The kids have swim lessons this week and next. They love being in the water and they're getting to be better swimmers every day! My challenge is keeping Sara from joining her siblings in the pool! She's fearless and would love to jump right in!

Kaeli
lovin' the water!

Rylie and Sam
waiting their turn...

Sara
I think she thinks her hand is in her pocket! I had to laugh (and of course take a picture)!

Pioneer Day!

The kids and I had a fun Pioneer Day. We started the morning off watching the "Days of 47" parade on TV. During lunch I read some "Little House on the Prairie" and afterwards the kids played in the sprinkler in the front yard. After dinner we made smores on the front porch. Yes, that truly is a smore maker and those of you who know me well shouldn't be surprised :-) Once it got dark the kids and I lit sparklers. I really wanted a picture with all the kids holding the sparklers, but I could never get them all lit at one time, and take a picture! I was surprised Sara was so fearless about holding the sparklers...she loved them and it was so cute to see her amazement. In case you're wondering where Aaron is during all our festivities he's in Idaho rafting the Salmon with the scouts. I hope he's roasting some of his own marshmallows right now!

Splash Pad Fun!

One of our favorite things to do in the summer is go to the splash pad. It's FREE and WET, and that's all we need to keep cool :-) Even Sara gets soaked from head to toe!

Sam's Basement Bedroom

I'm catching up on all the picture taking now that we have a camera again. This is Sammy's NEW room! It still needs carpet and a windowsill, but he's moved in and loves having his own space.

A little more than a hike!

Yesterday we had a fun hike planned, but once again rain was in the forecast so we decided to do a simple and easy hike that Aaron had done once before, and wait to do the more extensive hike another time. We set off toward donut falls and right before we got there we came to a stream that had grown much wider than it had been before. It took a few trips, but Aaron and I were able to get all the kids across the stream, hopping from rock to rock and slippery log to slippery log. It wasn't too bad, we've crossed several streams before and we always look forward to a little challenge. It looked like the trail ended at the foot of the falls, but we were hoping for a little longer hike. There seemed to be a faint trail that went up along the side of a drop off parallel to the falls so we decided to go up. Sam and Kaeli took off and were excited to climb to the top so we all scrambled up the hill. At first it wasn't too bad, but before long we were rock climbing up a face that made me very nervous. One little misstep could send you sliding down the cliff toward the stream below. I stayed as close as possible to Sam and Kaeli, but they didn't seem to notice the danger. Aaron had Sara in the baby pack and was slowly helping Rylie up the hill. As we were making our way up Kaeli came to a wasp nest sitting among the rocks. I told her to go around and we all made the same detour. We finally made our way to the top. I was so grateful that we made it safely. There was a trail that looked like it hadn't been kept up, but we decided to follow it any way. It was overgrown and the further we went the less it looked like a trail. Knowing that we needed plenty of time to get down the hill we decided to turn around. When we got back to the top of the cliff that we had climbed up we decided it wouldn't be very safe to go back down the same way we came up. So we followed a trail that looked more like a game trail than like a hiking trail. We bush-wacked our way down knowing the general direction we needed to go in. Of course it was slippery and steep, but it was safer! When we got to the bottom of the hill we followed a ravine toward the sound of the stream. When we got there it didn't look like a place where we could cross. So we kept walking down stream. The bushes and branches were so thick that we could barely see the ground, and we tried not to flick each other in the face with the branches. We got to a place were it was just too thick to continue, so Aaron went back and scouted out an area to cross. He came back for us and one at a time he helped the kids across the stream. We eventually made it back to the trail. Before we got to the car we stopped for lunch and a game of tag at a clearing. For some reason the kids and Aaron are always trying to catch ME! (It still was one of the highlights of the day). So our little hike turned out to be a little more of an adventure than we thought it would've been, but that wasn't too surprising! Our kids are great little hikers, and we had a lot of fun!

South County Pool

We ventured to the public pool on Saturday. It was a lot of FUN. The kids will begin swim lessons at the same pool next week.

Ten BLISSFUL years!

Aaron and I celebrated 10 years of marriage yesterday! I can't believe that much time has passed! In 10 years we've lived in 4 different states, have had 4 CRAZY children, and have had a gazillion adventures! I always tell Aaron that life with him is always an adventure, and that's so true! I am very grateful for the amazing hubby and daddy that he is. I was thinking about the next 10 years and wondering where we'll be then. Sammy will be 18, Kaeli 17, Rylie 14, and Sara 12...WOW! If the first 10 years flew by, I'm sure the next 10 years will go even quicker. I wish I could slow time down! It's a good thing I have an eternity to spend with my amazing family! What a blessing!!!

Licensed and ready to RIDE!

In Utah anyone under 16 years old who wants to ride an OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) has to get a license. Sammy had his OHV test yesterday afternoon. At the beginning he was given a written test which he scored an 86% on. Then he had to take a driving test. He drove his little Honda 50 (motorcycle) in and out of cones and up and down hills. He was required to start his own motorcycle and even get off it on a hill and get back on. Aaron said he was the smallest little rider there by far. But it didn't slow Sammy down. He passed his tests and is now licensed to drive his motorcycle. I think Aaron is just as excited! One of his favorite hobbies is to go dirt biking, and now he can take his little boy along...and legally too! Congrats Sammy!

One down...four to go!

This weekend Aaron and I finished Sammy's basement bedroom and moved him in! It's really cute (if I do say so myself). He has beige walls with white trim, but the lower portion is a steel blue separated by a chair rail. There are even closet doors and a glowing green light switch so he can find it in the dark. The room doesn't have any carpet yet, so there's a large rug in the center. The room is a perfect fit for our boy! So now Aaron and I only have the girls room, a bathroom, an art room, and a family room to complete...piece of cake (not really)!

Aaaaaaah!

Last week I took the kids to the splash pad to cool off and my camera got wet from a leaky water bottle and I haven't been able to resurrect the thing! I am so sad! Any way, I won't be able to take pictures for awhile. I'm in the market for a new camera so I'm looking for any recommendations. E-mail me if you love your camera! Hopefully we'll be able to find something affordable, and SOON! I've got to be able to take pictures of my cute kids!!!! By the way, Happy Independence Day!

Johnson Family Reunion

Here's a little slide show of our adventures the last few days. Andrew and his family came to our home on Thursday and then his family and mine drove up to Ryan's (Rexburg, ID) to stay. My parents were there also. On Saturday we went to Inkom, ID for the Johnson Family Reunion where many of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and my grandma (the kids' Great Grandma Johnson) all were. We ate well (Dutch oven BBQ pork), and visited. The kids had horse rides and slid down a slip & slide. On Sunday we attended Ryan's ward in Rexburg, and then hung out near Mesa Falls for some family time. On Monday we hiked in the Tetons and then drove home. It was a fun weekend!