Fun in the Park...

While the Downs' were here for the 4th of July, we decided to go play at the park. We thought we would be so clever and take some fun pictures of the kids hanging from the soccer goals with the gorgeous mountains in the background. We tried and tried but every time we would get close to getting them all up, one of the kids would drop. Juli and I tried to work as a team to get them up fast and some guy even offered to take the pictures as we were loading them up.

Mariah lets go...

Hang on Quinton...we are getting Jackson up there.

We are getting closer...just hang on!

Oh, forget it...we moved to the other side of the field, out of the shade, and this is what we got. Jalyn was too worn out -her hypochondria was acting up - but we did get this. It was a fun day at the park.

Mariah and the platform...

Every year she says she is going to go off the first platform at the pool and every year she chickens out. I thought for sure that this would be the year. But no, she climbed the stairs, looked over the platform, and headed back down the stairs. This child doesn't back down from much but apparently heights are too much. Maybe next year!

Summer is Great!

Mariah, Jalyn, Shane, and Teagon Downs swimming at the pool. The weather is hot and the pool is cool. Perfect summer day!

Me and Lauri at the pool. Lookin' good!

Shane is doing a flip off the high dive! That kid has no fear. He impresses me all the time as he tries new things and challenges that come his way. I was scared to go off the high dive and here he is doing front flips like it is nothing.

Mariah going off the high dive, too.

Just like old times!

 

 

Just like when we were in Dallas...Juli and I went for pedicures in honor of Juli's 30-something birthday. It was so fun and great to spend the day with my good friend. Happy Birthday Juli!

Stadium of Fire!

Fun, fun, fun...however, I don't think I could sit in that traffic again. I need someone bigger and better than the Jonas Brothers to get me back down into those crowds again. But the girls had a blast and I had a great time on the drive home singing to Lexi Downs all the old classic songs that her parents haven't exposed her to. She was cringing but I am sure it was because she was enjoying it so much.The fireworks were amazing and we even had 3D glasses to make the show more spectacular! At the end of the night, everyone was exhausted and fell asleep on the drive home. Well, not me of course, I was driving and singing to Lexi :)

Happy 11th Birthday Mariah!!

We celebrated Mariah's birthday at a new waterpark in Draper called Cowabunga Bay. It was great fun. Mariah invited her two good friends, Jecely and Jaclyn. Mariah wanted to rent a limousine and be driven around at her beck and call but I put the kabosh on that. We compromised instead and turned the van into a limo of sorts. We took out the middle seats and Mariah decorated it with a rug and pillows. As we drove around the neighborhood to pick up the friends, I let them sit on the floor and recline on the pillows. They thought it was great! It was a great day and I can't believe my little baby Mariah is 11 now. She is turning into a beautiful young woman.

Camping at Tanners Flat

 

 

 

 

I love camping with the kids even if I don't sleep well because my toes are so cold. It was a cold night but the kids slept great and we went on many mini hikes along the creek. The creek was running super high though because of all the rain and snow we got this last winter and spring. We picked the best night to camp...it's been raining for the last two weeks, took a night off, and it is supposed to rain again today or tomorrow. We got lucky. It was a beautiful campground and the kids had a great time. They loved making smores and eating mini cereals right out of the box for breakfast. What could be better? We didn't have any major casualties although I think almost every kid fell in the water at some point. Just their feet got wet, we wouldn't let them too close to the creek because all it would take was one little misstep. We had lots of fun!

End of Spring...beginning of summer!

If only the weather would cooperate. It has been a cool and rainy spring which is great for the water bill since I don't have to turn on the sprinklers but really bad for my Vitamin D intake. We just haven't had enough sun. There hasn't been a good day to go to the pool since Memorial Weekend and I didn't even make it to the pool then. My tan at this point consists of a line on the back of my calves from Field Day at the elementary school. I look like I have a pair of socks pulled up. I feel like I have been living in the Northwest with all the rain. Hurry up sun and come out! I want to go swimming...although I may have to hit up a tanning booth before I go to even out my lines. My kids now think of me the way I thought of my parents- how embarrassing and uncool!

Darren's One Year Anniversary- We miss you!

I can't believe a year has already gone by since I got the horrible call that Darren had been hit while riding his motorcycle and died. We miss you and think about you all the time. Brown chicken, brown cow!! Love you, bro!

Air Force Week

This was the coolest thing ever to see. The Air Force chose 3 cities in the US to do Air Force Week and Salt Lake City was one of those chosen. It was so amazing to watch. Most of us didn't know what was going on and so we thought these fighter jets were escorting a plane and maybe something serious was going on. They circled the whole valley for hours, getting really low, and it was super loud. So cool. I think the purpose of it is to get people excited about the Air Force. Which worked at our house. Jackson now wants to join the Air Force and be a fighter pilot.

These clouds have been our typical weather this spring. Gorgeous morning, lots of sunshine and then the storms move in for the afternoon.

Field Day

This is Mariah doing the wheelbarrow race. Some kids found it easier just to drag their wheelbarrow to the finish line.

I love Field Day at the Elementary school! It is something the kids all look forward to and we had a perfect day for it. The sun was out although we had to cut the day about 20 early because one of the afternoon spring storms came in and we had a quick downpour and winds. I was in charge of the relay races and so I got pictures of each of the kids participating in an event. My throat hurt by the end of the day from yelling at the kids, cheering them on, and repeating the directions over and over because no one would listen! The sixth graders were the worst. They can't stop talking. It was a fun day and I am so happy it is summer and the kids are out of school. We are going to have lots of fun!!

Jackson doing the hula hoop relay. That was a hoot to watch.

Jalyn was a good hopper even with a ball being held between the knees.

Cute first grader Shane doing the potato races. For some of the first graders- the bags were almost as big as them. It was the first time many of them had ever done this and it was HILARIOUS to watch.

Mariah's Camp Rock Production

Mariah joined a little after school production company that would meet once a week and work on singing, dancing, and acting. They put on their final production during the last week of school and I was way impressed. Only about 35 kids participated in the program and they did a great job. They put on a production called Camp Rock which was a cross between the Jonas Brothers and High School musical. Mariah played a camp counselor and much to my shock- she sang a few SOLOS during the show! What??? She did great. I love that she is outgoing and brave enough to get up in front of a crowd. She is such a fun girl. She expressed a little anxiety about performing in front of her peers at school but I think that fear quickly went away.

This is Mariah and her friend Heather. They were the only kids in the group that were older than third grade!

Emma, Heather, and Mariah

Jackson's World Celebration

The sixth grader's at our school do a World Celebration every year and this year it was Jackson's turn to participate. This is him performing in "Ramadan". He was also the sound tech guy throughout the whole show. That meant that he stood off to the side and pushed the play button on the CD player when it was time for the next song to play. He did a great job and it was actually really cute to watch.

Spitting!

This is 4 year old Wyatt learning to be a man and spit on the sidewalk. He was going crazy with it and probably spit himself dry. It isn't cute when an adult man does it but there is something about a 4 year old doing it that is just so stinkin' cute.