Tyson's Birthday

Tyson is 8 years old! Woo hoo! He woke up Sunday and said, "I'm finally 8! I've been waiting for this day forever!"

A few days before his birthday I let him take a few of his friends to "X-treme Play" He said it was the funnest place ever! :)

The boys of the neighborhood. Funny they all have blond hair, blue eyes.

Even Sadie had a great time.

Birthday Dinner.
Tyson's favorite meal is breakfast, so we had waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs... Yummy!

And my favorite part was the cake. I got this idea from a friend. Tyson saw it and wanted it for his birthday cake. It was really easy. Just Kit Kats, White Cake and Frosting.
It's not perfect, but it was so fun to do, and was a big hit!

Sedona

Another trip with Grandma Whiting. She is so generous to let us tag along with her. :) We stayed at a place by the river. Tyson's dream, so he can walk out and go fishing everyday.

Tyson- in his happy place

Just relaxing

Next day- Slide Rock!

We stayed for hours. The kids had a blast.

Even Hailee found a slide her size

Sadie- in her happy place

My little doll

Gee, so comfy on that soft rock?
Tyson cliff jumping

Next adventure, hiking...

The scenery was great

My mom and I, she's a trooper

Back to the river

All my honeys :)

So those were my favorite things to do in Sedona. What's nice about it is that it is only a 2 hour drive. BUT never again will I attempt to go shopping there. I've never been a fan of southwestern jewelry, or western apparel, sorry to say, it depresses me for some reason...maybe because of living in Holbrook, AZ as a child???

Trip to Utah

Earlier in June, I braved a road trip to Park City, UT.

My mom had a timeshare there and my dad had to work, so I volunteered meet her there. I was going to be without Steve on this 12-13 hour drive, so I was expecting the worst-which never happened. My kids were awesome! Normally we can't go 1 mile in the car without someone fighting. I was a bit worried for a whole day in the car. One thing that made the trip enjoyable was that my mom wrote down things she saw that the kids would have fun finding. Kind of like an "I Spy" game of the road. So for a couple hours they were looking for different items on the list. That was really cool. Everything else on the way was so scenic that my kids liked just watching the drive.

I don't think I ever remember being in Utah in the summer. It kind of makes me sad that I went to school there and didn't stick around for the lush green summer.

We loved the place we stayed

They loved having picnics on the balconyHaving lots of laughs

Hailee and Tyson mapping out our dayMy mom and her best friend from college (and my second mom when I was at college) Francine. She came and hung out with us and taught us how to make rings out of wire and buttons. They are so cute!

My kids have never been to Salt Lake City, so we went there a couple times so they could enjoy Temple Square

ps. It rained everyday we were there, so the mountains had snow. It was soooo green there!

Francine and Ron invited us to their cabin in Midway for pizza one night. It was freezing outside, but the view was spectacular.

Ron was also my boss when I was in Utah. I worked in his store 39 West.

Next day, nature hike- in the rain. :) Rain or shine, I'm having fun dangit!

Poor Mesa girls- what's a coat? We were a bit unprepared for cold weather in JUNE!

One more trip to SLC to see the Conference center, watch the Joseph Smith movie, and hear the Tabernacle Choir practice.

They had the full orchestra and were practicing patriotic songs. It filled my soul! I love that my kids enjoy this stuff too. They understand a whole lot more than when I was a kid.

And then the Temple at night, aaah.

I think I ask myself a lot...why do we live in Arizona?

I honestly got depressed when we were driving out of Utah. Maybe a summer home would work. :)

I feel so ashamed! The last few months have been like a train running full speed ahead. In order to catch up fast, I'll have to simplify and brush over the last 3-4 months! That's horrible! Has it really been that long?

Here we are at a Birthday lunch for Amanda and me. My cool friends Trisha and Melanie. Gosh! Was this the last time we got together? Aargh!

Steve's Birthday! He's into Star Wars and received an essential guide to the characters. Hey, he asked for it. :) I love his face...so happy!

Hailee in her Easter Dress

Snapped this picture of Sadie in our back yard. Such a beauty!

She does have a tough side. This year she moved up to Minors, and enjoyed pitching and her turn at bat. She sure could crank them!

Tyson was on machine pitch and rocked. His favorite position was short stop. He's a hard hitter also.

Mother's Day programs- didn't get a picture with Sadie, but she likes her teacher as much as she likes me:
My sweet Tyson
Fathers and Sons campout

BEFORE

AFTER
And this is WHY! Imagine if there were mothers their. Would they have let their kids roll around in the dirt??? Oh well, I guess that would be why kids have more fun with dads. :)
My sweet Hailee
This costume for her recital was the cutest thing I'd ever seen!
Here she is dancing her heart out
"Did I do great mommy?"
Isn't she precious?
Sadie's recitals- first Piano
Then musical theater with Miss Jenee Prince

All of the performance pictures were too dark to post.
Hailee's end of the year preschool program
Reciting her poem
And I think that's it for tonight!

I'll try again when I don't feel like going to bed. :)