A great SUMMER!

We really did have a great summer. We love to pack our summer full and this year was no different.

The annual hike to Waterfall Canyon included the whole family this year. Abby turned four and was old enough to go this year and we thought Grace would feel left out so we packed up the family and went. We also invited the Hurds this year and the kids had a blast together.

Bryce is such a great example of pushing your limits and ran in the Ragnar this summer. I think he enjoyed it, but thought it was a lot to pay to run a race.

We had a great time camping with some good friends by the Snake River. One night we went to Bar J and the kids were all a little tired by the time we got there. Abby was a little happier than this picture shows, but they were pretty tired. During the day they took a few trips with the raft down the river, I was undecided if I was going to ride down - then Jake fell out during the first ride and had to ride the rapids solo and I made up my mind. I didn't ride the river, until we found a very calm kid safe version. We went up stream and found a very calm rapid free version of the river. The kids thought it was great. There were no rapids, but any bump they went over they loved it! I went with the younger kids and the girls loved it for the 5 minutes they were in the raft. The older kids went on a little longer ride, while we let the younger kids play in the water. The whole trip was great. We can't wait until next year.

While Ben and Abby were at Grandkid camp Grace got a special night with Bryce. They went fishing to the trout farm and she had a blast. She doesn't get a lot of one on one, so this was such a fun night for her.

The 4th of July is always one of our favorite holidays. The kids had a blast riding in the parade with their cousins. And had even more fun getting the candy after. We had a great day with friends and family.

My aunt Lois planned a girls night out for our family (all 48 of us). My mom was raised with 8 sisters (9 girls in one house) and they are amazing. So it is always a blast when we do things together. So this summer my aunt got tickets for us to go to see Cinderella. We took up a whole side of the theater and it was so fun to go with my mom and sisters. But Abby felt very special being the only granddaughter old enough to go. We had a great time. When we were leaving and I was looking back at all my aunts and cousins I realized how very blessed I am to come from such a special family. I really am so lucky to be part of such a legacy of love.

The zoo is always a must in the summer. And its always more fun when family is involved.

Swimming lessons are always a little questionable and never really something that my kids look forward too. But this year they seemed to go fairly well. Ben was in a class with Gage, Abby was in a class with Gavin, and Grace was in a class with Beau and Cori. Grace by far had the best time. She wasn't really in a class it was more a play time while the other kids were swimming, but the lifeguard told me that next year she could skip the first class and Ben and Abby are going to repeat their class again (for the third year).

And of course . . . Lazy days at Home!!!

We had a great summer and were exhausted and ready for school to start!