Go brush your teeth Gavin

I now know why I should never put Gavin in charge of brushing his teeth by himself.....

The pictures really don't do it justice.  Not only was he using his sister's toothbrush, there was toothpaste EVERYWHERE!!!  His fists were both full of toothpaste.  It was all over my bedspread, carpet, his face and shirt.  All I could do was smile.  After all, he was just doing what I asked :)

Farm Living

We planted a garden this year and Emily has really taken interest in it. She checks it every day to see if there is anything that is ready to be picked.  The other day she came in with a bucket full of strawberries, raspberries, peas, radishes and a few tomatoes and replied, "I love living on a farm. Harvest time is so much fun."  

Funny gal :)

Little Moments

With four kids, quiet time with my baby girl is hard to come by.  This morning Tyler got up early and went to Scout Camp.  Travis is at Girl's Camp.  Gavin and Emily slept late, so it was just Kate and I.  The house was quiet.  We had nowhere to go.  Nothing to do.  

I just held her and rocked her.  She looked up at me with her sleepy morning eyes, listening to me sing You are my Sunshine and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  I wanted to write about this to make sure that I would never forget.  I don't want to forget what she smells like in the morning.  I don't want to forget that she loves to be sang to.  I don't want to forget how much she loves my Winnie the Pooh pajamas.  And I don't want to forget the times that she snuggles up to my shoulder, puts her thumb in her mouth and rubs my face with her fingers.

I am sure that I've had moments like this with each child, but it hit me hard this morning that life is moving pretty fast.  The kids are growing so quickly that it makes my head spin.  I want to be sure that I would remember little moments like these.  They are, after all, what gets me through some of the tough days.

Splash Pad

Travis is out of town AGAIN!!!  We decided that we needed to do something fun while he was gone, so we headed in to the Splash Pad in South Ogden. When we got there, there were only about 15 kids there, so we were thrilled! By the time we left, there were only two or three other kids, besides mine.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They loved splashing and running in the water and playing on the playground.  I loved watching the kids having fun.  They played so well together and had a ball!  They are already asking when we can go again :)

Kate didn't get to go in the water this time.  Too cold for her.

I love this picture of Emily.

Trying to get this kid to smile for a picture is a DIFFICULT TASK.  This is the closest we came!

Gavin is a bit like the Energizer bunny.... he just keeps going and going and going...

The train.  I don't think I've ever seen the kids enjoy the park as much as they did this night.

Fourth of July

We had a great Fourth this year.  Emily, Kate, Gavin and I got up and went to the Riverdale parade with the family.  The kids had so much fun!!!  

Gavin didn't remember the parades from last year, so he especially enjoyed it.  He went CRAZY when they started throwing candy.  Each time before he'd run out to collect the candy, he did this cute little dance.  I really wish I would have had my camcorder because it was HILARIOUS!  One time as he was bringing in his loot, he got hit in the back by more candy.  He turned around and said "HEY!!!  What was that for?"  He is one unique kid.  Unique is a good word for him.  He is so much fun and always enjoys himself.  He had a big smile on his face during the entire parade and loved waving at everyone that went by.

Emily was the candy queen.  She collected more than anyone else.  And I'm pretty sure it's all gone by now.

This is my mom and Kate

My brother, Tyson and Emily

Travis and Tyler stayed home to set up our trampoline.  We finally got the fence put in... THANK YOU Travis!!!  And the kids were really anxious to set up the tramp.  After the parade, they met us at my parents for breakfast.  Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, fruit... you name it!  It was lots of fun!

After breakfast, we went to see Ice Age 3.  The kids loved it, but I think that Gavin was a little bit nervous.  It was a fun show.

We have been running pretty hard lately, with late nights three or four nights in a row.  At 6:30, Gavin got a little (OK, A LOT!)  whiny.  I picked him up and snuggled him for a minute and he fell asleep.  He hasn't fallen asleep in my arms for a long time.  I couldn't believe how big he has gotten.  When did that happen?  Anyway, that ruined our plans for fireworks, so I took the kids on a bike ride instead.  After the bike ride, Emily and I laid out on the trampoline and watched the neighbors shoot off illegals.  She thought that was SUPER fun.  

It was a great day, even without the fireworks :)