Pioneer Day

This year for "Pioneer Day," I tried coming up with a few little activities that me & the kids could do while Daddy was at work, but I had a hard time coming up with very much... First we put together a Pioneer Wagon model that our neighbor MaryAnn gave to the kids a few weeks ago, which ended up being slightly more annoying than I thought it would be because you had to glue all the wood pieces together & then wait for them to dry in between starting the NEXT section.

Then we tried building some Pioneer Log Cabins out of pretzels (glued together with frosting of course!), which the kids liked a lot better because then they got to EAT their yummy creation.  Reminder to myself for NEXT year: Just stick with simple, edible activities!

That night we gathered together out on the front lawn & lit a few more fireworks for the 24th of July... I think the kids were JUST as excited to be lighting off fireworks today as they were a few weeks ago!  Our next-door neighbors, the Boice's, ended up joining us again last-minute, & while I don't think they were particularly impressed with our Firework selection, the laughs they got from watching the kids plenty made up for it I think!  What a great day set aside to celebrate all the amazing things the PIONEERS were able to accomplish that came before us!

Snowbird

Every year my Grandpa Erickson invites us up to his Condo at "Snowbird" over the week of July 24th.  The only day Laron had off that week was Monday, so we made a day out of it at least & enjoyed the beauty of the canyon.  Skyler was disappointed that we couldn't SLEEP there this time, but we still had fun anyways!

We got there just in time to eat lunch, then headed to the park & for a little walk with Grandpa Erickson, back to the Condo to change for going SWIMMING & then back to the Condo to share a warm dinner with Grandpa.  The day we went up, there wasn't really any other family members up there yet, so I think Grandpa really enjoyed the company & enjoyed that the kids wanted to hold his hand on our little walk.  Our only scare was when Bailey decided to jump into the kiddy-pool one time on her own & about gave Laron & I a heart-attack!  Luckily she was fine, but she wouldn't hardly leave our arms for the REST of the time we were at the pool.  It's one of those moments where you are easily reminded what really is the most PRECIOUS of possessions that you own... Our lives sure wouldn't be as complete, without the joys of being in a FAMILY!

A Spontaneous Trip to the Park

Don't you love it when last-minute change of plans end up being even BETTER plans that you originally had?  Well, that's what happened to us today.  Me & the kids headed out of the house to do one thing, but after that didn't work out, we decided to take a trip to the park instead (much to my children's delight!).

We didn't have a picnic lunch packed or anything, but we DID have some extra snacks on-hand, which ended up being JUST enough to help us last through a fun-filled afternoon.  And for some reason, these parks with the duck-ponds are always the BEST!  SO fun watching nature in action!  :)  So yay for the giggling of little children, the pattering of sandals running along the sidewalk to see what's up next just around the corner & the joys of little bare toes poking around in the sand!

Happy Summer everyone!

Treehouse Museum Trip #2

Well, remember how a few months ago we took a trip to the "Treehouse Museum" in Ogden for something fun to do as a family over Spring Break?  Well, now we found out that we could go there for FREE on a certain day over the Summer, which makes you feel a little foolish that you already PAID to go there just a few months before... But luckily it's one of those places that I figured the kids wouldn't mind going to again so soon, because there are SO many different things to just explore & play with at your own pace...

THIS time we actually discovered some fun new things that we hadn't played with LAST time... The girl's favorite thing was the little Baby Nursery where they could take care of all the BABIES & Skyler discovered a cool little microscope that he could look at things under.  He was fascinated by how different things looked when you could see them up close!  Pretty cool!

The kids also made a fun Indian Necklace for a craft & enjoyed watching another "Partici-Play" put on by kids in the audience.  I actually think we had a funner time THIS time at the "Treehouse Museum," mainly because the kids already were familiar with it & because there actually were LESS kids there on this FREE day than on the day we had gone over Spring Break... Funny how things work out!

Skyler's 6th Birthday!

On Sunday, Skyler celebrated his 6th Birthday!  He's such a great kid!  I remember when we first found out that we were having a BOY as our very first child, being slightly worried about him maybe being one of those big brothers that picks on & teases all his younger siblings... But now that I've seen what a GREAT big brother Skyler is to his two younger sisters, I definitely don't think that I'd want it ANY other way!

Sunday morning Skyler opened his presents...

(He's been counting down for DAYS!) 

His favorite present was a big CASTLE that he's been asking for for months!  The kids played with his new toys ALL morning long!

Then Laron made him some of our traditional Birthday Pancakes for breakfast & then we went to church.  That afternoon we invited family over for cake & ice-cream...

Emily made another AMAZING birthday cake, this time with a "Cars" theme to it... Skyler's only requirement was that it had TOYS on it that he could keep!  So luckily he got his wish!

The kids have been loving lately playing behind our Pine Tree in the front yard... Laron let Skyler cut back some branches from the inside so they had a little extra room back there to play & they call it their "Treehouse".  So also for part of Skyler's birthday presents, Laron attached a swinging DOOR to the fence right next to the tree, to make their Treehouse a little more official!  A simple little detail, but the kids have loved it!

On Monday, we headed out as a family to do something FUN for Skyler's Birthday...  We gave Skyler LOTS of choices of different fun things we could do, but ultimately he ended up deciding to go watch "Monster's University" at the Movie Theater.  The kids loved it of course, but afterwards it just seemed like we hadn't really DONE anything fun together, so we headed over to Wal-Mart to buy ourselves a quick picnic lunch, then drove to a new "Splash Pad" in Kaysville that we'd heard about opening up this year...  We didn't officially have swimming suits to get wet in or anything, but it was JUST the fun we were looking for to do all together to celebrate how much we love Skyler.  What fun in the sun!

Oh yeah, on Sunday afternoon when we had a bunch of family over for cake & ice-cream, the house was getting a little crowded & so the kids all went outside to play.  It had been raining off & on throughout the day, and apparently Bailey saw water draining down from the water spout attached to the house & decided she was thirsty.  But as she bent down to get a drink, she slipped & the metal cut a pretty big GASH in her precious little cheek!  It was bleeding pretty good & someone mentioned that it looked like the shape of a NIKE symbol.  I've been trying to take care of it the best I can with scar-cream & essential oils, so I sure hope it doesn't end up being a permanent scar for the poor girl!

Anyway, well, "Happy Birthday" to our 6-year-old Skyler-boy!  He adds SO much to our family & we are SO grateful Heavenly Father decided to send him to US!  :)

4th of July

This year for the 4th of July, we went to my Grandma's (Nana) the day before & watched the North Salt Lake fireworks on her front lawn like usual.  Then the next morning, we decided to try taking the kids to the Layton Parade, because we thought they'd LOVE it, but also because my 2 youngest brothers (Chris & Jeff) were going to be playing in the marching band in it.  Luckily my parents had a shaded area all set up for us by the time we got there, so it made the heat a little more bearable for this pregnant Momma!

The kids were MOST excited about the CANDY that was being thrown out on the sidelines... And they always love seeing the horses or silly clowns riding around & stuff.

Because it was SO hot that morning, my Dad got the grand idea to SQUIRT people walking by in the parade with a squirt bottle (that shot pretty FAR, I might add!)...  Some people were caught off-guard by it & others stopped and asked for MORE!  Only someone like my Dad could get away with something like that!

Laron even brought some popsicles for everyone to share near the end of the parade, which was JUST the kind of treat we all needed!  After the parade, we came home & ate a yummy lunch (made by Laron, with LOTS of fresh fruit!) & watched a movie as a family.  What a fun day!

That afternoon the kids had fun cooling off by running through the sprinklers & squirting each other with the hose!  Somehow Skyler seemed to be the driest one of all... :) After they got changed into dryer clothes & it got a little darker, we set up our chairs on the front lawn & tried just doing our OWN little fireworks in the culdesac in front of our house for the first time.  We quickly got joined by a few other neighbors who had a few fireworks of their own & had a BLAST just being at home & making family memories of our own!  We couldn't afford a very exciting mix of fireworks, but the kids thought EVERY SINGLE ONE was simply amazing as they oooed & awwed on the sidelines!  Laron let each kid take turns picking which firework to light next & whenever Skyler or Kimberly would pick one, Bailey was our little cheerleader that cheered them on with, "Go Skyler!  Go Skyler!  Go Skyler!"  or "Go Kimberly!  Go Kimberly!  Go Kimberly!"  What a sweetheart she is!  The neighbors thought she was adorable too!

While we were doing fireworks together, I even felt Baby Tydon kicking me from within, as if he was anxious to be in on the fun as well!  And suddenly, our little family outing felt even more complete, knowing that our newest addition was eager to participate in the fun as well!  I sure can't wait to have HIM with us soon too!

Air Conditioning Troubles...

So our Air Conditioning went out this week... Of course, it always happens on the 100 degree weather weeks, doesn't it?!  Our house was 90 degrees when we went to bed last night & even with the windows open & fans on last night, it was only down to 80 when we woke up... It's going to be a LONG day!  I guess we'll be finding LOTS of errands to run out of the house so we can enjoy OTHER people's AC, because Laron of course wants to try and fix it himself instead of hiring someone to do it... I sure don't know how the pioneers survived these summers without a little Air Conditioning!  We'll see how long we last!  :)

Dinosaur Park

So this year we found out about some fun summer activities around here that were being offered for FREE on certain Saturdays during the summer.  And we were excited to find out that "Dinosaur Park" was one of those free activities!  It happened to be on a Saturday that Laron had to work, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun just me & the kids had, even without Daddy.  I was worried it would stress me out too much doing an all-day activity like that with the kids all by myself, but I found that knowing that we hadn't actually PAID any money for this little outing, helping me not stress so much about how long the kids lasted or how much fun they had or whether it was worth spending the money on something like this, & instead, just enjoying whatever the moment brought!

They even had a fun dinosaur craft the kids could make that helped to break up the day.  After the craft we had a little picnic lunch there on the grass that was really fun.  It made me realize we really need to do fun little things like this more often!

So thanks Ogden City, for letting us come & enjoy some of your fun children's places for free this summer!