Weekend in Price, UT

We spent the weekend in Price visiting my sister Katie and her family. My niece Sam has been visiting us and she has never visited Aunt Katie before so it was a good opportunity to go visit and also play.
Friday night we went to a movie in the park Wreck It Ralph which my kids love. And then Saturday morning we attended a parade.
This is my favorite picture. Big Sister taking care of Little Brother, walking to the parade.

all the cousins ready for the parade

Love my sisters!

 Poor Kaleb received way more attention than he wanted! but he was such a good boy with it.

this was how they wanted to sit to watch the parade.

After lunch we headed to the lake to play. Katie and Adam have friends that let them borrow a wave runner. Sadly, my kids didn't want a ride. They preferred the muddy, rocky beach.

 Tate felt so big because he could "swim" while wearing a life jacket. He loved for me to let go of his fingers and just float in the water. He didn't mind when he would flop forward and get dunked in the water either.

 Cousins joined in the water too. Sam was awesome and swam with Ellie out to a dock that you could jump off of. At first Ellie was really scared and wouldn't but once she did it, she LOVED it and didn't want to stop

must be potty time

 After about an hour, both Tate and Ellie were tired of playing in the water. Which was perfect because Kaleb was done too. So they all played around on the blanket for a little bit while they dried off and ate snacks.

 

After the lake, it was time to head back home. Tate did not want to go. I had packed up the van and was trying to get him into his seat, but he refused to leave the front yard. He was in tears about leaving. He was so exhausted! Thankfully Aunt Katie came to the rescue and let him borrow a toy from Kaleb to make him feel better about leaving. It totally worked, little Stinker!

 

Happy Pioneer Day!

This year for the 24th of July we spent the evening outdoors with neighbors. It was an impromptu get together, but still very fun. We all pooled our fireworks together and sat outside talking while kids played.

My niece Sam was here visiting for a few weeks and got to participate with us.

 

As usual, the only way my kids would watch the fireworks was with their ears plugged.

But they weren't the only ones!

 

sparklers are always fun

Spencer and our neighbor Coy cuddled while watching the fireworks. What goofballs!

Coy looks scary

I love our neighborhood and the many friends we have here. I hope that my children will remember what a blessing it is to have these friends and memories.

Ayden's Birthday Party

It's been a few years since Ayden had a birthday party with friends. 2 years ago we had just moved to Alabama and he didn't know anyone and last year he was very sick and couldn't do anything. So this year we wanted to make sure he had a good time with friends. Luckily, being a summer birthday the party planning is very easy: water games.
We had the boys over for dinner and then went outside for water games.

pizza and watermelon: perfect summer dinner

Before we could get the boys organized for water games, they had already organized themselves for a football game. Boys!

 

 

down, set , hut

 We only did a few water games, but they all had a blast. We played water balloon volleyball, relay race to fill cups with water, water limbo, and all out balloon war.

love the hand off to Ellie

Tate was hilarious to watch do limbo

This last photo makes me laugh. Spencer was in charge of water limbo and I happened to look over in the middle of the game and this is what I captured. It shouldn't make me laugh as much as it does!

 

After games, the boys came inside for presents and treats. The highlight of gift opening was the gift that was wrapped in 7 layers of gift wrap, the last being a princess wrapping paper! They thought it was hilarious. I'm so glad that Ayden was able to celebrate being 9 with his friends. It makes me happy that we live in an area where he can be blessed with so many wonderful friends.

9 years old

9 years ago Ayden made his presence into the world. We had no clue how such a small little thing would change our lives! He has been such a wonderful part of our lives.
Today for his birthday, Spencer took the day off so they could spend the day together. They went to Seven Peaks and played on water slides all day. They had a blast, but you can tell they are both tired. Ayden also had swim lessons tonight so he had a full day of sun and water.
For his birthday treat, he chose ice cream sandwiches. He's not a cake fan and always chooses something else. Last year it was pumpkin pie.

 Tate was ever so helpful in blowing out the candles. Ellie made sure we fit all 9 candles on the ice cream sandwiches

 

Munchin' buddies
 

Ayden's favorite thing in life is sports. Whether it's soccer, football, baseball or basketball, he loves to watch, play and talk about sports. Must be a Shaw thing. So he was very excited for his birthday gifts.

Oh the anticipation!

His Aunt Dani got him a new bat, one that actually fits him. The poor kid has been using one he got 3 years ago. And we got him a pitch back. He's been enjoying them both all evening

testing it out

Ayden, our Bubba boy, we are so happy you are 9! (Makes me feel old. Turning 30 this year doesn't phase me, but having a child 9 years old does) We love watching you learn new skills and seeing new ideas pop into your head. We love your love of books and reading. Your enthusiasm for all sports is fun. Your obsession for BYU football, while not understood by your mother, is something you've had since you were old enough to watch a game. We are thankful you are our oldest. You set a good example for your younger siblings. They see how you choose to read the scriptures and work to gain a testimony. We love your gentleness and kindness. Your stubbornness and strong-will, though challenging at times, is something we have come to love too. Ayden we hope you have a wonderful time being 9 and hope you know your family loves you very much.



Sun, slides, and family fun

A few months ago, we purchased a Pass of All Passes which is a pass that gets you into a bunch of different venues like mini golf, fun centers, movies, motor sports parks, water parks, etc. We have enjoyed using these passes as a family. On Saturday we used our passes and went to the water park called Seven Peaks. This is the first time our family has gone and we had a blast! Being a pass holder, you can get in to the park at 9:30 (regular hours don't start until noon). We left early and were some of the first people into the park. It was nice because it wasn't crowded and you didn't have to wait to ride the slides.
I thought the kids would be a little hesitant about the water slides, but they LOVED them. Spencer and I took turns taking the kids on the slides and eventually the older two went by themselves. Technically, I wasn't supposed to ride the slides being pregnant, but I did. SHHH!

Spencer and Tate

Ayden on his first run by himself

 

Me and Ellie on our first slide

There are also kiddie pools with slides and Ellie and Tate had fun playing in there while Spencer and Ayden went on some of the bigger, crazier slides. Tate was fearless and would go down the slides all by himself. He didn't mind be dunked under the water and kept asking to go again. But after about 2 hours, Tate was done and ready for some snacks.

So famished

stuff it all in

We had a blast and look forward to going again. All of us were tired from playing in the sun for several hours. But Tate was the first to fall asleep....2 blocks away from the park

4th of July

We were pretty low key for the 4th of July. We stayed home and didn't have a lot planned. Spencer worked on projects around the house and my sister helped me with some sewing projects. The kids just played around all day. It was nice to not have a million different things to go do.
That night we did some fireworks with neighbors. Spencer and I love fireworks, but sadly that is not something that is shared with the kids yet. They love the idea of them, but actually doing them and hearing them is another story. Ellie especially is nervous of the sound and freaks out every time. Now Tate thinks he's scared. They reluctantly watched them from our driveway, but plugged their ears the whole time.

 

 

our lame-o fireworks

 

We purchased some fireworks, but they turned out to be really lame! Luckily, one of our neighbors loves fireworks and goes all out. His were a lot of fun to watch. Tate eventually fell asleep and slept through the whole thing.