The Tween Years

 These girls were just so cute.  Rachel's birthday was a blast.  We had an outdoor movie party with plenty of loud Kids Bop Music, Dancing and Food.  It was super fun

 I laughed when the giant bowl of candy we put out was gone in the blink of an eye.  HAHA.  I guess we should have divided it up into little bags so we made sure everyone got some. 

The girls watched half the movie and then they were gone screaming and jumping on the trampoline.  Such a fun time.  Glad we did it.  I'm not really a party planner...but I am into seeing my kids be happy.  :) 

What just happened?

Sarah was taking a bath the other night.  We walked away for a few minutes to the kitchen.  What did we find upon our return.  I guess Dave wanted to take a bath too and he took care of the detail himself.  Fully clothed and with a poopie diaper (which we sadly discovered after getting him out and removing the diaper right over the bathtub).  HAHA.   These two are just trouble.  Sarah is the master of trouble.  She was probably saying "Come on Davie...get in." 

Things that Happen in Our Backyard

 Swing with friends and family.  Strong bonds of love and friendship have been formed on this swing set.

 A man and his tools.  Nate is always cutting things down.  Trimming branches and bushes....and then there are the days he cuts down an entire tree.  I try to keep him reasonable though.  I tried to save the tree but I lost this time.  And in the end, I had to admit it looked better without the tree. 

Riding with Dad on the lawn mower is a must each week.  Both David and Sarah love it...but David is crazy.  As soon as he hears the roar of the lawn mower he is standing by the door screaming, wanting his turn on the lawn machine.  I think it's one of those precious moments that have to be enjoyed now.  Nate knows one day he won't have little ones clamoring for his lap on the lawn mower. 

We love our big backyard.  Even with all the work that needs to be done to make it our dream.  It is awesome to have so much space to dream about.

Enjoying A few Last Seconds of Summer

 Time is ticking on warm weather and daylight.  Soon we will reach the cold, snowy darkness of winter.  I guess we will survive.:)  We did take advantage of a different church schedule this week by heading up the canyon to Cascade Springs.

Funny, I know the kids look happy enough, but we forgot water.  So there was actually quite a bit of discomfort for them.  It probably wasn't as great a trip as it could have been.  Nate and I didn't even care.  Here's the thing.  We are so busy right now....we just really needed to do something peaceful. So glad we did.  Love these kids even when they complain. They are the best kids ever!

Partners in Crime

These two are always finding some way to get themselves wet.  :)  Sarah is usually doing the "get them wet" part.  Dave just happily follows along...most of the time.  I love seeing them so happy together.  I love seeing them become friends. 

Be Still My Heart

Sometimes a picture just says it all.  My little David is looking like a Big Boy.  Sweet and Funny and perfect.

Ben's Birthday Weekend

 The weekend of Ben's birthday we were supposed to go camping.  Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in our "fly by the seat of our pants" world, we didn't get around to getting a camping spot until the last minute.  So, we opted for a fun late night picnic instead.  We brought up some brats and Woofems for a fun campfire night.

 Dave was so tired toward the end he just snuggled with me.  That was ideal for me because I really don't get to do that...hardly ever.

 Sarah loved it an got plenty dirty runing around in the dark with her head lamp. 

For Ben's birthday he opted to do a fun activity with the family instead of having a friend party so we decided to head to Park City to the Utah Olympic Park.  They have added some really fun things to their already existing fun stuff.  Mom and David hung out while Dad and the kids did the Alpine Slide.  Then Ben, Rachel and Emily did a ropes course. 

 Here they are all suited up in their gear.  Looking pretty awesome.

 The course was pretty challenging for Emily.  There were some parts when she got a little bit nervous but she conquered and made it all the way to the end.  Even when she had to jump off the tower to zip line to the finish line.

 Ben loved hanging from his secure rope and harness. No Fear Ben.

 Rachel loved it all too.

 Sarah wasn't quite big enough to do the real stuff...but they had a nice little ropes course at the bottom for the babies to play around.  It was just enough of a challenge for her.

And then there was David and Mom.  David couldn't really do anything.  We wandered and played in the wood chips.  That was just the right speed for us.  Good Times with our family.  I love that.