July in Photos

A condensed version of July with one more post on deck-

We lit off fireworks in our front yard....when it was still light outside. We did save some for dark but these guys just couldn't wait- it takes forever to get dark here and they were too impatient.

 Owen snuggled Kat and liked the fireworks.

 We went to Silverwood with our friends again. (Reed requested a buzz cut, it looks so short in the sun!)

 Lindsay and I survived even though this year it was hot, hot. Her teenage nieces were there too which meant more help with our kids riding the roller coasters we don't go on.

 The boys begged us to go on this ride, which really should be no big deal. It's in the kiddie section for crying out loud. Wrong. After five seconds on the ride, it was a big deal to me (and Lindsay). Rides make me queasy and I declared that my last ride of the day.

 Until Reed begged for a carousel ride as we waited for the group to meet up and leave. Even that wasn't much fun. Dang motion sickness. Reed and I rode the log ride, the butterfly swing and the carousel together. That was plenty for me, ha.

 Owen was lucky enough to stay with Grandma DeeAnn for the day so we were down a kid from last year. It was too hot to sit in a stroller all day and he can't ride very many rides yet. Instead of being dragged around, he was spoiled with McDonald's and chocolate pudding and all the TV he wanted to watch. Pretty sure he didn't even miss us. We missed him in the first 5 minutes when we realized we didn't have his stroller to haul our junk around. This long day is so much more fun with our friends.

Late one Sunday night the kids convinced me to set the tent up. It looks darker than it really was here, this is from my phone. They have wanted to sleep in the tent all summer. They were giddy with excitement and they felt so grown up.

 They packed half of their rooms down into the tent. Dane's side had five stuffed animals, a picture of Jesus, three pillows and a couple blankets. It must have felt like home, he made it out there all night long. They played in there the next morning until it was too hot. Owen loves to sit still for pictures, can't you tell?

 On 7-11-13 we went for free slurpees at 7-11. Smart marketing, no? Owen was an instant fan and Reed declared this a new family tradition.

One Saturday when Milo had the kids, I convinced a girl from my ward to try paddle boarding with me. We rented them for a couple hours and we had a great time! We learned Saturday isn't the best day for learning though, especially the dock we launched from (too many jet skis) but we had fun laughing at ourselves as we tried getting the hang of it. Which we eventually did get about a half an hour before they were due back at the rental store, ha.

 Nathan and I mow the lawn about every 5-6 days. We've had help with fertilizing and getting our mower set to cut it the right length. A friend even told us we don't have to bag it if we leave it longer. That changed our whole attitudes about mowing, ha. Our yard is the greenest on the court and I love it. I also love that Nathan and I take care of it together. Neither of us really love it but we push through.

 We went to the pool with cousins.We've also been with friends and by ourselves. We love swimming and have the tanned skin to prove it.

 One morning we were all getting our chores done and I realized I hadn't seen Owen for a little while. I found on my bed sneaking his blanket and binki. Sneaky baby. I love his smile behind the bink here. He totally knew he was caught (blanket and binki for bedtime only...most of the time).

We celebrated Grandpa Bushman's birthday on July 25th. We bought Peanut M&M's and Andies Candies and toured a tractor at a John Deere dealership. It was blazing hot but the salesman let them climb up in the cab and look around. He even climbed onto the hood and took their picture from the front. We rewarded him with some of our candy, he was such a nice guy.We like remembering Ken on his birthday because I know what a fun grandpa he would've been for them. They like his favorite candy too.

We taught Owen to say, 'Cheese!' among many other new words. He's a learning sponge right now. He says his prayers in bed at night repeating all of our names, he loves Elmo, Lightening McQueen and going 'side. One of my favorite new things he does is when I ask if he has a poopy diaper. He shakes his head yes and then lets his head hang down for a few seconds. Almost like he's trying to hide from the shame of a stinky diaper. Of course we all think he's perfectly adorable and laugh at nearly every thing he does (the screaming/screeching still isn't funny). I found a $3.50 clearance necklace at Target and had my haircut last week. I love a good deal and a good haircut.