Other Summer Fun

The kids have had a really great summer. It has been full of fun activities and spending a lot of time with their cousins. I was honestly hoping for a lazy noneventful summer but this has been a fun busy summer full of memory making so I am okay with the alternative.

On Sunday July 4th Preston Natalie and I cam home from Eagar but Nathan and Taylor stayed in Eagar to play with their cousins some more. I picked them up in Heber (about halfway to Eagar) on Friday the 9th. Here they are with their Eagar cousins before we headed home. They had a really good time. They said they wanted to come home because they missed us but they didn't want to leave Eagar. Nathan told us next time we need to stay up there with them for the extra week then they can have both.


The night of the 9th we went to a Diamondbacks game with some tickets that my brother gave to us. While walking to the stadium a nice lady driving a bike carriage gave us a free ride.

Preston and the kids at the game. The tickets were in the upper level right behind home plate.

Nathan and I.

We were actually in the second row but most of the game no one was in front of us so Natalie kept bouncing between rows to look over the railing.

At times Natalie would scream and get into the game.

Other times she thought the crowd was being a little too loud.

We made signs to help our chances of getting on the jumbotron but I think we were in a bad position in the field to make it on the cameras. We kept the signs and will bring them to the next game we go to.

Last week Taylor's friend Grace invited her over for a party that Grace planned herself. She had a really good time. Grace asked Taylor to come dressed up in a princess dress and wear a crown. Taylor added dress up shoes and a wand to her attire.

Today I took the kids and their Friends Hayden and his sister Sadie to a place called Bounce Jungle. I had some very discounted tickets and since we only have a few more days of summer left today was as good a day as any to go. The boys stopping for a picture. Nathan tells me that Hayden is like a twin brother to him. They definitely are best friends it is fun to watch them interact.

Nathan and Natalie going down one of the slides.

Taylor and Sadie, they are good friends too.

Natalie playing in the infant/toddler zone showing her balancing skills.

Natalie would often find the corner of one of the inflatables and bounce on it like it was a trampoline.

Hayden and Nathan joustingThe whole gang. FYI Taylor and Sadie got a lot of drinks from the drinking fountain and would soak their shirts everytime, that is not sweat

Our Summer road trip to Utah

On June 23rd at 6 am My Mom the kids and I headed to Springville Utah to vist my brother and his family. When we started the trip we had optimistic views of a pleasant uneventful car ride. Well the trip wasn't great due to both girls had the flu start a few hours into the trip, road construction etc that made an 11 hour trip turn into 14 hours. All in all the kids themselves did travel well. We played games watched movies and other than the occasional outbursts from Natalie the kids did great.


On to our trip and the events that occured during the next week. Here are the kids and their cousins playing in the jacuzzi bathtub at the house.

Taylor and Henry after falling asleep watching a movie. They looked like cute bookends.

Playing on the slip'n slide in the backyard.

Nathan giving a thumbs up approval to the slip'n slide.

Thomas Natalie and Taylor checking things out.

Five of the six cousins looking at some cool things at the Salt Lake Discovery Museum. They looked like cute little stair steps by the stairs.

Playing music with their Aunt Christina.

Nathan and Thomas.

Taylor playing Grocer.

Natalie showing her driving skills.

Nathan Rock Climbing.

Henry and Taylor in a real helicopter at the museum.

A bubble class we signed the kids up for at the museum.

News Anchors in training.

Henry Nathan and Taylor building with Grandma and Aunt Christina.

Taking an orange break at Payson Pool.

Nathan tree climbing in the backyard.

Taylor doing a trick she learned while in Utah.

The trip was a lot of fun and it was great for the kids to spend so much time with their cousins. Also the drive home was very uneventful. We got home in just over 11 hours. YEAH!!!!

Our 4th of July Weekend

Thursday night July 1st we headed to Eagar for the 4th of July weekend. On Friday we went to Show Low to watch Toy Story 3 as a family. Then Saturday morning was the parade. Taylor and Natalie before the parade started.


Nathan before the parade. Nathan and I actually left right after we took this picture. Nathan had the flu on Thursday the 1st and was feeling a little fluish that morning and wanted to go back to the house. I had been up since 3 am that day with all the flu symptoms so I was more than willing to go back with the house with him. So unfortunately Nathan and I missed the parade.

After the parade the kids played dance revolution on the wii. It was entertaining to watch. Nathan was feeling better and I was on the up hill.

About noon we headed towards St. John's to shoot some guns. We were able to shoot a Tommy Gun (an automatic machine gun) We had one of the main guys that works at the DPS and is a bishop of one of the wards in Eagar take us to shoot. It was part of an auction there ward had. It was really exciting to shoot off a magazine of bullets with an automatic machine gun. It was quite a rush. I wasn't feeling great but I didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Nathan even got to shoot the gun. Pretty lucky 8 year old I must say.

Preston goofing off after one of his rounds of shooting.

Taylor got to hold one of the guns (I think this is one of the kind they use in Iraq) She didn't shoot but we at least got a picture with her holding it.

We shot a bunch of watermelons as targets. It was fun to watch them explode. This is a picture of the aftermath.

A great fireworks show was put on that night at the Springerville airport. It was a nice weekend even with the flu bug attacking it. Preston Natalie and I came home Sunday morning. Preston needed to be there to represent the bishopric at church and I needed to teach the Young Women. Nathan and Taylor stayed in Eagar to play with their grandparents and cousins and I will meet them half way on Friday to pick them up. They have had fun so far but I will be glad to have us all home together again soon.

Randomness during the past 2 weeks

2 weeks ago my kids finished swim lessons with Miss Allison for this year. She does an amazing job with them. Both can jump off the diving board and Nathan can swim the length of the pool after jumping off the diving board. Nathan also knows how to do breast,back,freestyle and butterfly strokes. His favorites are freestyle and butterfly. Miss Allison also taught Taylor how to turn towards the wall and reach up to grab the side if she ever fell into the water. I find this skill very important. I plan to put Natalie and maybe Taylor in lessons this August too.


This past Monday the 7th we took Natalie's pacifier away COMPLETELY. Before we would take it from her in the morning and put it in her crib that way the only time she had it was when she was sleeping. Well she learned how to climb into her crib and get it. This is how I found her last Saturday. The first couple days and nights were rough on all of us. Problem is, now she has found her thumb to replace her pacifier. Hopefully she will kick that habit on our own considering I am still working on Taylor to stop sucking her thumb without much luck.

Just a cute picture of Natalie and Taylor while playing dress up one day.

Nathan got braces on Wednesday the 9th of June. We went in for x-rays and a consultation and ended up actually getting the braces put on. They are just on the top for now. They are working on straightening is front four teeth to help his buck teeth. Then in about 3 months they will put springs on his bottom teeth to try to pull his bottom jaw forward. He has a really bad overbite and his bottom jaw is pretty far back. His bottom jaw has been farther back since he was born. He will have braces for approximately 12-14 months. Then they will check them again when he is 12 to see if they need to do anything else or if the problems were corrected already. We are adjusting to what he can and can't eat and how he can change how he eats. We also are getting used to brushing his teeth a lot more often. He is happy to have them though and can't wait for his teeth to look more normal.

Thursday we went to a place called Jump and Shout with Nathan's scout group. They had open bounce that only cost $1 per kid.

Nathan and his friend.

Taylor in the play area.

Natalie playing.

This past Mon-Wed Nathan had scout day camp. He would leave at 1:00 in the afternoon and get home between 10:30-11:00 at night. He had a lot of fun. This is right before he left on the first day. With the shield that he made and a sword.

Before he left on the last day. They give them the hats and shirts (very bright and very big) Nathan actually had a slight case of the flu on the last day so he had a few stomach issues but stuck it out the whole day and had a good time. Preston was able to go spend the day with him on the last day of scout camp. Nathan really enjoyed having his Dad with him. When they were driving home that night Nathan said. "Dad, I love you. Thanks for coming with me today". Preston loved to hear that and was very grateful that he had the opportunity to spend the day with his Son.

Some pictures that Preston took during the last day of Day Camp

The whole Wolf troop.