Cherry Hill

We spent a few days camping and swimming at Cherry Hill in Utah. This is one of our favorite summertime activities. The kids love playing in Pirates Cove! The water is shallow and they just go from one thing to the next. They have a lot of fun on the pirate ship!The mat slides are really fun! There were some additions to the slides this year to make them look like dragons, hence the name "Double Dragons."It was not Paige's favorite ride. She was happy in Pirates Cove and on the Lazy River.Cardiac Canyon is always a favorite! Hali was tall enough to go on it this year. She was a little scared at first but the fear quickly wore off and she was all smiles.Todd's mom and sister, Julie, went with us and his brother Brad came up for a day. We enjoyed having them all there.

4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July in Utah with all my family this year. There was always something going on and I don't think we were ever bored. There are a lot of pictures to this post, and they say it all! We had a great time!!

Grandpa had a few buckets of sand in the garage that the kids discovered. They started dumping it out so Mom and Kent quickly put together a make-shift sandbox. The kids loved it!

Kreed, Brooke, Hali, Paige and Koy

Some of us went swimming one afternoon and had a fun time.
From left to right: Tatum, Carter, Paige, Me, Todd, Dad, Brooke, Kaden, Hali & Kelsi. Koy and Kreed are not in the picture.

The City has a Children's Parade the night before the 4th and all the kids were in it this year. They start at one end of the street and ride to the other end, then circle back. They circled a few times and then they each got a popsicle. I think every kid had a permanent smile. They loved being in the parade! It was a team effort getting all the bikes and a wagon decorated.Hali & ToddKaden & CarterBrooke & HaliPaige

All the cousins enjoying their popsicles.

Later that evening, we had sword fights. The best thing about these is that you can hit as hard as you can and it doesn't hurt. Great for all ages!Kaden, Carter and JaciDad on the run, being chased by Carter!Allie, Kreed and Koy ganged up on Carter. Looks like the little kids won!Dad, Kari, Kaden, Paige, Blaine and Diane


The parade is always fun! The kids loved the candy, sirens, getting wet from squirt guns and popsicles. So many popsicles were thrown out this year, which was great because it was hot!

Kari, Jaci, Paige, Carter, Diane, Todd and Hali
Allie, Carter, Kaden, Brooke, Paige and Hali gathering up candy!

It has become tradition to have a water fight in the afternoon on the 4th. Todd started this 10 years ago when we were dating. He got a pitcher from my mom (thanks mom!) and got me from behind. Everyone came out and joined in and the rest is history. So each time we are at my parents house for the 4th, there's a water fight.

Todd was hiding by the corner of the house and Carter went looking for him. That's when it all started.
Hali wondered what was going on and then she got it too.

"Where's my next victim?"
I should have known better than to be outside taking pictures during it all. Jaci and I were trying to be so careful, but we both eventually got it and joined in the fun. The kids were having a ball and the little kids started enjoying it once they figured out what was going on.

Later that evening, Kari put together a treasure hunt for each family. We were all going in different directions, in and out of the house, around the yard and up the road. It was the most creative treasure hunt I have ever done. We had codes to decipher, a puzzle, wordfind, wordscramble, etc. It was really, really fun. Our treasure at the end was a Music Maker from Mom and Dad. The kids have really enjoyed playing it!

The fireworks are definately a favorite on the 4th. We lay in the bed of the pick-up and are literally directly below the fireworks. Sometimes we can even feel d'ebris falling on us. It's the only way to watch the fireworks! It started to rain on us at the very end, a first that any of us can ever remember.We came home and had homemade ice cream. YUM!!!!

There was never a dull moment! There were 8 bikes and 1 wagon going around, badminton, basketball, early morning golf, roping,
the boys played Bocce,and when you have 22 people in a house.......
there is a mess of shoes!

On our way back to Idaho, we stopped at Temple Square in SLC. We enjoyed our time there and loved spending just a little longer with Kent's family.Koy, Brooke, Hali, Paige, Kaden, Carter and Kelsi


We had a great weekend! It all ended just a little too soon. The kids bounced from one thing to another and they all got along so well. Thanks everyone for a fun time!

We love this country that we are so blessed to live in! We are so grateful for our freedom and safety. We are thankful to those who fight for all we have to enjoy.

Hali's Softball

Hali has been playing T-ball this month and had their last game today. It was really fun to watch her progress throughout the season. It was quite a switch for us to go from watching Carter's games to watching little girls. We forgot how slow and comical T-ball is. And girls are hilarious! Hali's team was the Alligators. The other teams they played were called the Dandilions, the Blueberries, and the Pink Panthers. Only girls teams would be named so cute! One game we watched had more hugs than high-5's. They even used their good housekeeping skills while on the bases, well most of them. There were a few girls in the outfield who liked to cover up the bases with dirt. But the players running the bases would either look at them with bewilderment or bend down and dust it off with their hand. And the cheers they would say for each other were just too cute!Hali liked playing near the pitcher's mound since this was where most of the action was.

And what kid doesn't love it when it's their turn to bat?

And the most important part of the whole game, was the treat afterwards!

At the end of the game today, they had pizza and each girl was given a metal. Hali was so excited! She wants to hang it on the wall. We're sad that our games are over for the summer and look forward to next season.

Yellowstone National Park

Where did we go today????

This video cracks me up! We were at Fountain Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park. It is a mouthful to say and Hali gave it her best and I love her smile at the end! The paint pots looked like bubbling mud.

My mom & dad and sister came up for the weekend. Since Kari has never been to Yellowstone, my dad thought it was time she went and invited us to go along. It's been a long time since I was there and the kids have never been. As we entered the park, the ranger gave all the kids a picture list of animals and birds to look for throughout the park. The kids took this so serious! Carter said a few times, "I didn't know Yellowstone would be so fun!"

This was the coolest spring! The water was a deep blue and so clear. The kids were so fascinated by the steam, or "smoke" as Paige called it. When ever we walked through the steam, it smelled like boiled eggs and we didn't like that so much.

This spring was huge! The wind was blowing the direction of the path and it was a little hike to the top of the geyser. By the time we got around it, we were all a little wet and Carter's glasses were fogged up most of the way. It was entertaining!

By the time we got to Old Faithful, Paige's little legs were done. She loved the piggy-back ride!


Old Faithful was awesome! The kids were so enthralled and learned more about the pressure inside the earth.

We saw some elk and buffalo, but to the kid's disappointment, no bears.

We entered the park in West Yellowstone and came out on the south end and came home through Jackson, WY. It ws an all day trip and we had a great time. We enjoyed spending the day with Grandpa and Kari!