Fishing with Grandpa

Grandpa had told the boys the next time they were in Utah he would take them fishing.  And he did.  And they had a great time.  It was adorable to watch.

I love the Utah mountains!

We went to this really fun park near the Mt Timp temple.  It had a great lake and trail and play area.

And lots of ducks to chase.

Grandpa showed the boys how to get the pole and fly ready for fishing.

And then he cast a few to show them how and let them reel in the line.

Grandpa caught a few small fish and the boys were brave enough to barely touch it with their fingertips.  It was funny.

And then the boys played in the pond and got wet and made poles out of sticks.  They had so much fun.

And enjoyed watching it all and taking pictures of the mountains.

We paused for a drink on the way to the car.

And then we called it a day.

Katie's Week

The weekend before Katie stayed with us Shannon came to pick up Hannah and Aubrey and leave Katie.  While she was here she offered to stay overnight so Jacob and I could have a night away for our anniversary.  It was so nice of her and Jacob and I had a great weekend in Boulder.  Before hitting the road Shannon took these photos of us.  7 years married and still looking good!  Right?

Katie was a good 'mother's helper.'  I was able to get my bedroom walls painted completely while she entertained my kids.  I miss her a little bit!

They played in the water in teh back yard.

Katie had given up the chance to attend a birthday party where they were getting make overs so we did a party of our own.  I did her hair, painted toenails, and did her make up.  I loved it.  I think she liked it too.  And I did the boys hair and let them play with my make up brushes.  They liked that too.

I just can't believe how big and beautiful she is getting.  Nearly 13 already!

We all had so much fun with Kate.  Come back anytime!

Swimming lessons

The boys each did 4 weeks of swim lessons this year.  They did so great and love being in the pool.

Ben was always most excited when he got to do anything without the teacher holding on.  So the pool noodles and life jackets were a hit.

Isaac thinks he can swim.  He also has a hard time following all the instructions and rules about staying near the wall while his teacher is with the other kids.  He did make huge improvements in his swimming and can kind of swim for a little bit unassisted.  I'm proud of him.

And Nora was a trooper who mostly stayed in the stroller and in the shade playing with whatever I could find in my purse. She was lucky to have cousins there for a few weeks to take her in the shade of the trees and play in the grass while I stayed near the pool to watch the boys.

While Katie was with us Jacob and I took advantage of having a baby sitter under our roof.  We went to play racket ball one night and had so much fun!

He's fierce!  Especially with his sweat band.  Love him!

And of course...a selfie.

A week with Hannah and Aubrey

I was lucky to have Hannah and Aubrey stay with me for a few days while Shannon went to close on her house and take Kate to girls camp.  We had some fun playing with cousins, going to the splash pad, and to Jacob's work party.

Nora loves putting things on her head.  This particular afternoon it was bowls.

She also loves sucking on things.

And I love this picture with the whisps of hair showing.  She doesn't have much, but it is coming in slowly but surely.  And what she does have doesn't translate to the camera because it is so so fair.  White blond really.

Cute Hannah.  She was sure a good helper with all my kids.  Ben especially loved her and called her his "best friend."

And Hannah loves Nora.  Nora was a little more reluctant to be helped some of the time. 

While Shannon's family was here I decided it was time to move Nora to less in the way high chair.  I think she loves being a little more part of the table at meal times.

We also celebrated Father's day for this amazing man.  He requested a frozen peanutbutter pie and it was so GOOD.  I want more of that pie right now.

This was Nora's second time visiting a splash pad.  She has been another time since this and I still have yet to capture a really good photo.  She loves the water but doesn't always love it getting into her face.  I think she prefers swimming.

Jacob's work party was fun this year and his co workers were all really nice to our extra couple of kids.Ben and Isaac are in the red shirts (when did they get that big!) and Aubrey is next to Isaac and Hannah and Nora next to Ben.  They liked the clown who painted their faces and tied balloons.

Aubrey requester her whole face to be painted as a pig.  She went around oinking the rest of the afternoon.  It was hilarious.  

We sure had a fun week with these girls.  At one point, coming out of a Costco, an older man looked at the 5 kids and then smiled at me and told me I had a beautiful family.  I smiled back and thanked him.  I think I could have more kids if I could add them at the older end of things instead of the baby end.  These girls were so helpful and kind.  So fun!