Enjoying Summer

Summer at our house has been full of sun, laughter, fresh fruit, swim suits, sprinklers, popsicles, swings, slides, and family.  Here are some of the highlights from the last couple of weeks...

Olivia has really struggled with going #2 on the potty.  To motivate her I have bribed her with everything I could think of including a trip to Disneyland.  About three weeks ago she figured it out.  One of the items I had bribed her with was a big girl bed.  She was so excited when we put it together... she kept saying over and over- this is my big girl bed. 

My sister Becky is in town for a few weeks and came to stay with us for a few days last week.  On our way to Idaho Falls on Friday we stopped at the Discovery Center and let the kids play for a couple of hours.  They had so much fun.  

Nate was in ball heaven

Olivia loved playing with the food at the grocery store.  I had to pry her away.

One of our family traditions is making strawberry jam each year. 

Becky, Brittany, and I took our kids to the princess festival on Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point.  The highlight was the Noah's ark fountain.   Nate was soaked and loved every minute.

The girls on the princess carriage

Having tea...

Playing at the splash park...

Tubes, Gardening, and Bowling (along with some other stuff)

Mr. Nate has had at least six ear infections since December.  Poor little guy finishes one round of antibiotic and it seems like we are starting another.  We decided it was time for tubes.  His surgery was this morning and everything went great... We are hoping to stay away from the pediatrician's office for awhile.   Here are some pics before surgery... 

Nathan feeding the donkey at the farm down the street.  Notice his hair cut.  As much as I loved the fro(?) he cooks in the heat.  It makes him look super grown up.

My mom came down last weekend. For Art City Days- We went to see the hot air balloons at 6:15a.m. on Saturday morning.  Unfortunately the air was cooperating and the balloons didn't launch.  Oh well, we got a free donut and the kids had fun.

guess who thinks he needs to write on the windows and doors??  Liv has never even tried to write on the walls, but as soon as Nate get his hands on a crayon or marker he immediately runs to the window.  Boys!!

We have been working on planting some flowers in yard.  Olivia is our big helper.  At school there is a student that gets to be the helper for the day and she must have been the helper a couple of days ago because now she wants to help me with everything... mopping the floor, folding laundry, watering the flowers.  I am not complaining... just wondering when the novelty will wear off.

Yes we are still in our PJs, but we decided to get it done before it got hot and figured why get dressed if we are going to get dirty and have to change anyway.


My friend Abbey and her family came to visit over Memorial Day Weekend.   We had grand plans to go to the splash park and to play outside, but it rained most of the weekend.  So instead we went bowling.  I wasn't sure how Olivia would think, but she loved it.   She keeps asking me- "when Abbey comes back can we go bowling?".