Camping, Camping, Camping!

We haven't been to Bear Lake in awhile, and it seemed like the kids really could't wait to get as wet as possible. It took Ady a minute to get used to the idea, but soon she was laying in the puddles and getting dirty with the rest of them. I thought Brielle would hate the cold water, but she loved it and, eventually, Jody just hauled her off into the water with him.

The big kids also got to go fishing, and, even though they didn't catch anything, they had a good time!

Brielle seemed to love being outdoors so much, although I could tell she was missing her bathtub! She especially liked snuggling with her Daddy in the tent.

More Family Vacation

I think these pictures say it all about how much fun the kids had at the dinosaur museum! There were a few moments there that I couldn't tell who were the bigger kids, mine, or Grandpa and the uncles! I'm not sure what their favorite part was because they were grinning the entire time. It was fun to see how much they enjoyed learning.

Family Vacation!

Cesare Pavese once said, "we do not remember days, we remember moments". That's the way I see our recent family vacation, the special moments that stand out and remind me why I love my family so much! (It's a good thing we don't remember whole days, because three kids plus a new baby at Lagoon, Thanksgiving Point, Kiddie Kandids, and Bear Lake involves TONS of moments that might be best forgotten!) If you're thinking we're pretty brave, I think so, too!

Seriously, though, it was completely worth all the effort! We were even able to squeeze in a few unexpected moments, like last-minute visit from Chelsie and Jason (Jody's sister and her husband) from California. It was so much fun seeing them and getting to know their little Brooklyn, who is as beautiful as ever and so sweet! I somehow got away without getting any new pics of her, but I snapped a few of the kids having fun with their other cousins, who they hardly ever get to see. I couldn't help posting this one of Aliah with Kutter. She is such a ham!

We headed for Lagoon the next day and I have to say that juggling seven kids and all those rides was quite a trick, but we sure had a ton of fun. I'm proud to say that I jumped right onto "wicked" and it was way fun! The best part was watching the kids, though. Breje and Trayson were so brave and wanted to try every ride, and even Kutter was disappointed when he couldn't ride the big rides, although he was pretty upset at Jody for taking him on "the terror ride"! Brielle didn't much like the water park, but she was a trooper for the rest of the day. Ady, Sienna, and Simon only got to ride the Carousel, but they just smiled and laughed all day. They were so cute that I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures, so you'll have to bear with me!

Breje took the boys on the first ride of the day, does she look bored, or what?

Brielle spent most of her day in her stroller, but she seemed to really enjoy watching the rides and all the pretty lights when it cooled-off at night.

Hayley bought all the kids some colorful suckers, just for the fun pictures. I should've killer her, but it was totally worth the sticky fingers,

faces, shirts, etc!

At Their Very Best!

This is what Sunday afternoons are all about at our house, just relaxing and enjoying each other as a family. I realized that this is much easier when the kids catch on that being lazy is a must! Jody was trying to get Brielle to wake Kutter up, but she just snuggled right up to him. As you can see, it's becoming a trend, as she wasn't able to wake him up this morning, either. I say, let it go and just enjoy the sweetness!

Smile!

Okay, so I really did have to stage Brielle's fourth of July picture, and who could blame me after seeing this? I had to post this to prove to everyone that my little girl loves to feel pretty. I got this grin just for putting a bow on her head and pointing the camera at her! Just 6 weeks old and already such a ham!

We spent Friday night up in the mountains with our friends, the Laing family and we had so much fun! It was so beautiful up there and the kids had a blast together; riding the four-wheelers, playing in the creek, snuggling in the hammock, and getting just plain dirty!

Happy fourth!

Just had to share these pictures of our fourth of July celebration. We went to a party at our friends' house with a whole ton of other people. We roasted hot dogs and had a potluck, but it was such a hot day that we mostly had a water fight! You can tell that my kids were not at all disappointed at the turn of events! We drove into town later to see the fireworks display -- not bad for such a small town, then we returned to our friends' for peach cobbler-yum! I can't believe I didn't snap a picture of Brielle's first fourth. Maybe I'll have to dress her up and just pretend . . .

Baby Blessing

Sunday was Brielle's blessing day and it was just about perfect! My whole family was able to make it out for her special day, including Great Gram. Treva also drove up from Logan to be with us. I thought Brielle would throw a tantrum in her big poofy white dress, but she just lit up when we put it on her. I guess we have another girly girl on our hands!

Jody gave her a beautiful blessing, and it really reminded me how blessed we are to have him. He is such a wonderful father! He's always there for the kids and is such a wonderful example. Today also reminded me how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful, supportive family and to have the gospel in my life. I am just one lucky girl!

Baby blessings are so often overshadowed by the big luncheon and all the stress involved, but we were really able to focus on this being a special event for Brielle and our family. We kept it really simple and all just enjoyed each other's company. It was wonderful!

Slumber Party!

Breje had a her friend, Liz, sleep over last weekend, and Brielle just had to join them! I couldn't help documenting her first sleepover at age 1 month!