A Day In The Life...

After painting with nail polish...

and helping Dad mow the lawn...
It's nice to just relax!

Happy Birthday Britton

On July 17th, Britton turned two years old. Three years ago I couldn't imagine having a baby around again. Now, I can't imagine life without him. He loves to sing and can turn anything into a microphone. He loves to dance, especially with his sisters. In fact, he loves to do anything with his sisters. He is fiercely defensive of them and will scream if he thinks any one of them is actually being hurt. He loves motorcycles (calls them da-da-das) and his eyes light up whenever he sees or even hears one. He loves to be outside and chase the ants. He is scared of nobody and nothing - except for flies; they send him into an absolute panic. He has the most beautiful blue eyes and the sweetest smile, and we love him so much! Happy Birthday, little man!

Independence Day

I know, I know - the 4th of July was two weeks ago... Humor me...

Every year we head to Sugarhouse Park to spend the day with my family. We even have a traditional spot. It is a great tradition and we love it! We play games, eat, hang out, and take lots of pictures. And then we watch an amazing fireworks show. This year did not disappoint...
So fun to spend the day with cousins; even more fun when you are "twins."
This was one of the many games played. This group was playing "Oodles" and I almost beat Jeremy. (but who's keeping track?)
Britton and Don took many walks to look for the "da-da-das" (motorcycles). He also had fun playing with his cousins. At one point he tried to wander off, but his 3-year old cousin, Savanah, spotted him before he could get too far. Still a scary moment and we were much more vigilant after that.There was a group of early-teen boys in the family group next to us that were keeping their eye on Kenzie all day. In fact, one of them was watching Kenzie instead of his dog while the dog peed on one of our camp chairs. Emma enjoyed a day where everyone was as laid-back as she usually is.
Syd is fourteen now, so she had to act like she didn't enjoy any of it. Britton and Gracie loved checking out the pictures that Aunt Heather was taking.
We wore the kids out. They needed a little rest before the fireworks. Some of the kids were nervous as the fireworks started, but I laid down on the blanket with them and we enjoyed the beautiful and amazing show exploding right above us! What a great day!

Proud Mama

It was a long awards assembly, but at the end of it Emma had earned awards for Science Fair, Safety Patrol, National Physical Fitness, Iowa Testing, Honor Roll, and Presidential Academic Excellence. Maddy won awards for National Physical Fitness, Honor Roll, Top Citizenship, and Presidential Academic Excellence. Way to go, girls - I'm so proud of you!

Girl's Day

We were so lucky to have my little sis up here for a week and a half from St. George. While she was here, my mom and all the daughters and daughters-in-law got together for a day to work on our service project. Each year at Christmas we use our money to do a service project instead of buying each other gifts. It has been a great tradition, and this year we are making hats and scarves for the homeless shelter for part of it. So, we spent the day knitting and crocheting while talking and laughing (and dealing with kids...). I have such a great family!

Family Reunion

We were able to attend the Leavitt Family Reunion a couple of weeks ago, and had a wonderful time. Don's parents, all 8 siblings, 7 spouses, and 26 of the 27 grandkids were all there. Syd had to miss it this year because of Youth Conference in our Stake. We stayed at Red Cedar Lodge up the canyon from Cedar City. There is one huge cabin and one smaller cabin with a large grassy area for tents, a really nice fire pit, and a small pond with boats a very short walk down the road. My sis-in-law Lyndee put so much work into it and it was great! (Thanks again, Lyndee!) The only "downer" was that Maddy was sick. She had gotten the swine flu, gotten better for a day, and then gotten sick again. We thought she was doing better, so we took her to the reunion. Poor thing really struggled. She wasn't eating anything, but was able to drink, but on Wednesday night, Don's brother, Russ, who is a paramedic and bro-in-law, Toran, who is a doctor, suggested that she should get an IV. Russ had brought his stuff with him and was able to do it right there so we didn't have to drive into town and pay the ER costs. She laid on our bed and we hung the IV from a log coat rack. She was so brave. That really seemed to help her, and we are so grateful for their knowledge and expertise. I'll post more about her condition in my next post (which you may read before this).
On the way home we stopped at a few "scenic overlooks." This one was overlooking Zion Canyon National Park from the "backside." You really can't see it in the picture, but it was absolutely beautiful.
Then we stopped at a park in the middle of Fillmore. They have a really nice rest area, and when we have the time it's a nice break for the kids to be able to play on the playground.
Britton was standing at the bottom of a slide telling Emma, "Ready...Set...Go!"
...and then laughing hysterically as she hit the ground and sent rocks flying.
Yeah....Maddy wasn't having too much fun at the park...poor thing.

I'll Be Back...

I'm so far behind on my posts that I almost decided to just take the summer off, but there have been so many fun things that I will just start posting tomorrow and keep posting old things until I'm caught up. Keep checking back....