June 2018

Little brother actually started soccer in April or May, can't remember which.  We finished up in June, though.  He had an absolute blast learning how to play soccer!  He's #7...

 Little sister's activity day group hosted a mommy daughter tea party - minus the tea.  We made fancy hats out of ribbon and paper plates, and enjoyed a delicious meal.  It was super fun!

 Big sister managed to make it onto the Honor Roll at her school every quarter this year.  She did not love being recognized for this in front of the whole school, but we were thrilled to be there to cheer for her. She's a good egg, this big sister of ours!

 Daddy has a shadow whenever he does yard work.  Little brother is always dying to help with anything in the yard.

 Husband's sister hosted and end-of-school bonfire.  We collected all the school work from the year and burned it.  Little sister found this extremely fun!

 Little brother spent most of the bonfire getting his cousin to take him around on his hoverboard.  Such a good cousin!

 In June, we decided that we'd saved long enough and it was time to buy our own toy hauler.  After doing lots of research and looking at several, we finally bought one.  The kids were thrilled to go out four wheeling the day after we brought it home.

 Our new home away from home!  And a teeny little niece...

 Big brother and his cousin were thrilled to get to hang out in the trailer and color when they got too hot.

 Big sister was thoroughly enjoying giving little brother rides on Grandma's four wheeler

 These roses bloom right outside my bedroom door.  I love them!

 This picture looks beautiful and serene, right? 

 Things aren't always as they seem...

We made a short getaway to Strawberry Reservoir for our 16th anniversary. This is the only picture I took. It was NOT as relaxing as we'd hoped! We made it all the way up Daniels Summit and were coasting into the parking lot at the visitors center when the truck died. DEAD. No brakes, no power steering, nothing. After looking around in the engine we discovered that the serpentine belt was sheared in half length wise. We weren't going anywhere. We called a tow truck to come tow the truck back to town, and then called my dad to see if he'd come haul the trailer for us. He did us one better, he had my mom come with him and left his truck with us so we could finish our trip, and they went home in their car. Did I mention my selfless parents did this on their own anniversary AND the day my mom officially retired? Thanks for the rescue mom and dad! We were able to get in a short four-wheeling ride, during which I took our one and only picture. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Aside from the extra expense and stress, it was a wonderful getaway. The official diagnosis on the truck was a seized water pump. Things to be grateful for: 1.We didn't have all of the kids with us, which made the whole ordeal much easier to deal with. 2.My parents were able to rescue us - Thanks Mom and Dad! 3.The truck did not die in the middle of Daniel's Summit in the construction zone where we would have at best been blocking everyone behind us for hours, and at worst rolled backwards off the side of the mountain since we lost steering and brakes while hauling a heavy trailer. It died in a quiet, safe, parking lot. I am all for counting my blessings, and we were certainly blessed! Thanks to my kids most favorite babysitter Lexi for watching them while we were gone. They had way more fun than their parents, haha!

 After getting the truck fixed, we tested fate and drove up to Strawberry Reservoir again, this time with the kiddos.  The truck made it, and we had a fun couple of days out of cell phone range enjoying time as a family...

 We ventured over to the docks at the Reservoir.  It was SUPER windy! 

 One of the kids favorite things to do is throw rocks in the lake.  They were in heaven with the rocks scattered on this little beach.

 Little brother has been DYING to drive little blue. But he’s not 8 so he can’t get a license to drive the four wheelers unless we’re on private property. We got home from our trip and Husband told little brother he could ride around the yard if he’s careful. This boy is in heaven! He beat quite the path around our backyard!