CRAZY

So all the kids plus the Porters thought it would be SO FUN to dress up, hold signs, stand on the side of the street and yell to the cars passing by. They made a game out of it to see who would get the most "honks." After a couple of costume changes and a whole lot of work, the boys team won. Way to go guys!

SWIM

Summer swim is well underway! The kids are enjoying it, as always, and doing really well. We have decided to take a few Saturdays off this summer so we can to do camping as a family!! 

                  The boys at a meet 

          Liv snuggling Maisey after a long practice!              

SLEEPOVER

My kids have sleepovers with each other since we don't do them with friends. And we don't have air conditioning so clothes are optional. What a perk!

PORTERS

There is a family in our neighborhood that are like family to is. Rarely does a day go by that we haven't been at a practice together, met up at the gym or had each other's kids over. Tim has been known to show up with pizza and the kids to hang out while Allison is at work. We bail each other out multiple times in a my given week. They are simply THE BEST!!! They are moving to a nearby neighborhood soon and I am honestly in denial. I hope we continue to see each other as often as we so now! Examples below.;)

The boys chillin in our basement during a tornado warning about a week ago. Cael said this was the best tornado shelter EVER!

Summer Pyramid. Barely.

Nick and Brady cuddling and giggling like girls for an entire afternoon.

And my friend Allison, when I asked for a pic of her new sunglasses.

IDAHO

The family all met up in Preston for our 8th Annual Fourth of July Party. It is always so much fun. Our agenda doesn't change much from year to year...... Swimming, family softball game, ice cream, bowling tournament, gun range, Eye of the Liger Fun Run and a whole lot of games, laughing and staying up really late. Chris' scavenger hunt has yet to disappoint and all the kids claim it is the very best part of the week. I didn't take too many pictures this year and just enjoyed our time with the family! Below, Ben and Kitty had fun on Grandpa's water slide, Noah taught me how to eat an Oreo off of a fork, Uncle Pete became the official family "Meat Master", and we were all pretty excited to find out that Jackson had left his beloved tank top behind when he went home.:)

CAMP

Top 5 Reasons why we camp:

1. The weekend lasts forever.

2. Everything tastes better over a campfire.

3. Life is quieter without electronic devices.

4. Conversations are meaningful when everyone is sitting in a camp chair.

5. The kids go home happy and kind to one another.

MICRO

This kitchen remodel is wearing on all of us. Especially when it comes to meals. Tonight's dinner was completely microwave-made. Scrambled cheese eggs, sausages, toast and fruit. Olivia was brave to try it and said, "Wow, mom. This is actually better than I thought it was going to be." I agreed. Not too bad, little microwave.

HELLO KITTY

A friend of mine brought these Hello Kitty Crocs over for Kate yesterday. Totally made her world!! This morning she woke up and opted to wear undies, shoes, and a smile. Her very BEST shoes, of course.:)

PARK

This morning Kitty had and I hit the park while the big went to swim practice. She was so happy to play first thing in the morning. She is a perky little cutie and  I think her choice of clothing made the experience even cuter. Love this child.

FATHER'S DAY

Our annual Father's Day taste-test involved a whole lot of candy bars this year. Chris did really well, almost as good as he did last year with the Doritos tasting.:) The kids, as always, had a great time and cleaned up all the left over candy bars. 

BATGIRL

Look who found the boys' superhero dress ups.......

AIRSOFT

This kid saved a little money and this is all we heard about for nearly a week. Airsoft this, Airsoft that. Constantly. We finally agreed to the purchase and Nick was SO happy! Within days, all the boys in the neighborhood had new guns and a whole lot of "warring" had started.....

SICK

Last Monday, I took Liv, Ben and Kate in to be tested for strep. They were all feeling yucky and I thought they had strep. In fact,I was SURE of it. They all got a spurt of energy and we messed around in the room while waiting for the test results....

Strep? Nope. The doctor ordered Popsickles and ice cream for a week until this virus is gone. ALL the kids loved that!!

CAMP

Cub Scout Day Camp in pictures......We had such a great time! Ben and Kate came along for the little kid camp while I hung out with the boys. Can't wait to go again next year!

MOVIE DATE

We hit the theaters today for a friends Birthday party and saw "How To Train Your Dragon 2." These cute kids are always a fun date!

MAISEY: SIX MONTHS

Fabulous First Grader!

Look who is the Fabulous First harder of the week! Ben is always fabulous so really, this week is no different. But he DOES get to bring home Melvin moose for the week and write in Melvin's journal about all the awesome things they do together. Watching football, wrestling practice, etc. etc..... It is going to be an exciting week!:) Thankfully, Ben remembered way before his mother did that his poster needed to be turned in on Monday and had it all ready to go, all by himself......

SLEEPOVER

So last night Olivia was BEGGING to have Kate sleepover in her room. I told her to go ahead and wished her luck.:) They stayed up a little later than Chris and I but then the night was quiet. I woke up early and thought I would sneak upstairs and see how things went. The door to Kate's room was closed and I figured Olivia had ended up putting her back in her crib. I walked into Olivia's room and saw an empty little bed on the floor. I was figuring that Kate must really be back in her room and turned around to leave when I saw this:

These two angels snuggled together in Olivia's tiny twin bed brought tears to my eyes. Their friendship is so tender and special. It reminds me of those old Folger's coffee commercials where the little brother/sister waits and waits for the big brother/sister to come home from college and then they spend every waking minute together. These two are so so close. I hope the adoration they have for each other never changes.