Summer Swimming Pool

Every summer we set up our pool for the boys to swim in all summer. These pictures were from back in June and we actually took it down this weekend (or we're in the process of taking it down - it looks like the last picture. It's a fun process and it provides HOURS of entertainment. My silly boys

Little T. gets a chance to splash around with the big kids. Big J. thinks it's funny to try to splash his mom.

While the hose was filling the pool the boys played "stick races" in the water. Little T. liked to drink a lot of the water.

Daddy was so busy at the beginning of spring that I set the pool up by myself for the first time. The hardest part is leveling the dirt (especially after the kids dug a huge whole right where the pool would go). But one of the funnest parts is having the kids and I play in the water while it gets filled up.

More camping fun

Just a cute video from our camping trip back in June.

Cub Scout Awards

Last night Big & Little J. both got awards at the pack meeting. They have both been working very hard to earn badges, pins, etc. Little J. received his Wolf Badge along with a gold arrow point and 4 silver arrow points. He also received several belt loops (BB gun shooting, archery, golf, and others). It was a big night for us.
Big J. received his Engineering activity badge, Traveler activity badge, Handyman and Outdoorsman. He also received several belt loops from participating in Cub Scout Day Camp. He is well on his way to receiving his Webelos Badge so hopefully we'll have more awards to tell you about next pack meeting. Both boys are working towards getting their religious knot. I'm so proud of my little Cub Scouts!! Keep up the good work!

Twin Lakes and Yosemite

In the summer our first camping trip was to Twin Lakes with a day trip to Yosemite. Here is one of the falls. The place was gorgious and we went early enough in the season that the falls were flowing full force. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy and occassionally rainy day. Fortunately on this hike it didn't really matter. We brought our ponchos for the rain but actually used them more just for this hike. You got soaked just from the mist from the waterfall . . . it was quite amazing but also made a difficult hike even more difficult. This is a picture at the bottom of the Falls. It was a much more difficult hike than we anticipated so I hiked back down with Tyler at this point and Tim took Little T. in the backpack with Big & Little J. all the way to the top. What a huge hike!
Much of the hike was full of these stone steps which looks easy but they were uneven, and very tall so you really had to step up on each one. Plus because of the rain and the mist, you had to dodge puddles all over those steps.

This picture is on the bridge at the beginning of the hike before it started getting difficult.

Look at my handsome husband with our handsome baby boy. Little T. is the only one who had was able to get to the top without any work.

Some of my cute boys with me.

This is at the top of the waterfall. Can you see their wet, matted hair from the rain and mist. The rain actually made it very humid and those ponchos were kind of hot. Don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed our trip and the views were absolutely gorgious.

My beautiful boys!

How do you keep boys from climbing trees? I don't really know the answer but this branch was very low to the ground so it was ok with me and they looked so cute.

All my great boys. This picture was at the end of the day after another hike but this time the hike was less than 1/4 of a mile and we had already had lunch and ice cream so everyone was a little more refreshed than after our first really big hike.

Back at Twin Lakes. Since it was early in the season and we went when it was overcast, it was too cold to actually swim in the water. My boys were ok with that but they still wanted to go down to the lake. They made sand castles and threw rocks into the water and thought it was just great.

Remember to check out the blog post called "No lions, No tigers but there were Bears" since this is the same trip where our belongings had a run in with a bear. Luckily we weren't at the campsite; we were still at Yosemite.

All-Star Soccer

Both Big J. and Little J. were chosen for the All-Star Soccer Team. The soccer league chooses a few excellent players who have good sportsmanship and work hard. Both boys were chosen from their team and they were very excited. The soccer league formed 2 teams from all the kids chosen and they competed in an all-star game. Big J. and Little J. were on opposite teams and they both played great. It was a fun game to watch (and not fun at the same time) since their game was played in the middle of a huge rainstorm. Everyone was soaking wet, the grass was totally muddy and everyone had fun. It was a fun game and the boys were proud to be on the teams.

What great looking brothers!

Summer Rainstorm

In June we had a fun rainstorm. We usually have one or two a year where we can have stick races down the gutters and play in the downpour. Little T. got in on the action and had fun getting soaking wet and splashing barefoot in the puddles. I sure do love a good rainstorm . . . and the smell of fresh rain is great.

Fishing Derby

Each June the boys go to the Kids Fishing Derby nearby. It is a free event with many volunteers to help the kids. Each kid can catch 2 fish. It's a great event and one of the only times the kids get a chance to fish. Here are the three older boys getting ready to fish.

Big J. with one of his fish.

Big T. as his fish gets taken off the hook by a volunteer.
Little T. will get his chance someday.

All the boys with the fish that they caught.

Little T. was quite fascinated with the fish. I loved watching his face - a fascinated

and disgusted look at the same time.
Little T. trying to figure these fish out.

The video catches the true fascination of seeing and touching a fish

for the first time.

First Day of School

Today was the first day back to school. The boys were so excited, and a little anxious too. They were even worried about me and how much I'd miss them during the day. Now typically I do miss them quite a bit but this year I've been very excited for school to start. Mostly because our summer has been so crazy and so I'm craving to have my regular routine back. The boys all have great teachers. Big J. was excited about earning "Brain bucks" and other fun things in his class, Little J. enjoyed doing math the most, and Little T. was the most excited about Lunch and recess (afterall was his first FULL day of school). Now it's just me and Little T. at home for the day. I thought Little T. would really miss his big brothers but he seemed to enjoy playing by himself. He did really well during the day, not seeming to mind not having his brothers; however, when they came home Little T. got VERY excited.

Trek

Tim was able to go on the Trek with the youth of the stake this year. It was in the middle of June. Everyone dressed the part of pioneers, pulled handcarts, ate dutch oven food, played games and had an exhausting and wonderful time. This picture was taken when he got home so he was tired and dirty but what a great experience.

Kindergarten Graduation

Kindergarten Graduation was a special day for Big T. He was so proud and we were so proud of him. Big T. with his graduation cap. We were glad that Tim was able to get off work to come. It's the first one he's been able to attend (teachers can't take days off during the last week of school).
Proud as ever with his cap and "participation award" (yes, everyone got participation awards; there is no official diploma).
Big T. with his teacher Miss Ewing

My cute sleepyhead

Little T. had a couple weeks of falling asleep in his highchair very often. We got a few cute pictures. Babies are just so adorable when they are sleeping, and even more adorable when they are sleeping in funny positions with food all over their face.

Burying Big T.

I'm catching up on all our summer fun. This is from the days of the Monster Truck Stadium. It was a Monster Truck Stadium, a regular hole, a stunt track for bikes, and a place to bury bodies. This time it was Big T. that got buried. I'm here to say that if you have boys, all you need for hours of entertainment is a shovel and some dirt.

Half Marathon

Last weekend both Tim and I (along with 2 of my brothers and one of my sisters) completed a half marathon. We had been training for the last 2 1/2 months. We all did better than we expected. One brother finished in about an hour and a half (that's really fast for those of you who don't know running). Tim finished less than 15 minutes later running much faster than his training (afterall, he trained with two rookies - one of them being me). Had he trained at his regular pace he could have been up there with my younger brother. Then my younger sister and older brother both beat me; yes my little sister finished before me but that's no different than how it was in high school track and cross country. I ran faster than I thought and finished in 2 hours 3 minutes. It was a great race, all downhill along a trail that follows the river down the canyon. Almost immediately after I knew I was in trouble; I could barely walk. I stayed that way for 2 days, walking like an old grandma but now I'm back to normal. Thanks little sis for letting us all stay at your place and thanks to my sister and my brothers for making it a fun race. I'd have pictures but Baby T. got a hold of the camera and it hasn't been the same since.

Drive-In Movie Theater

Last night we went to the drive-in movie to see G-Force. It was a fun, unique experience and the kids had a good time. We did not stay to watch Harry Potter (which started at 10:45pm). By then our kids were already extremely tired and ready to come home. It's rather inexpensive to go to the drive-in which makes me think we should have it be a yearly tradition.