Apple Hill 2014

The night went ok...it was uneventful thankfully but the morning came way too soon!

 After a ginormous pancake breakfast, we played in the meadow

 We hung out with friends...

 And then we cleaned up and headed to Apple Hill!  We were so close, we had to take advantage!  We have decided as a family that we want to try different farms so we headed to Kids Inc & Bavarian Farms.  It was pretty early in the season so we were a little disappointed with how there weren't as many options for food (which is why we go to Apple Hill!!) For example, Kids Inc is known for its apple empanadas and Blackberry sour cream pies...neither of which were being made that day. :(  Well, I guess we'll just have to go back!

Ward Campout at Camp Nauvoo

We don't get a lot of camping in...its my fault really.  I need to plan better and oh wait, I'm a summer time swim coach!  :)  I am thankful we got this trip in though.  The kids had a BLAST!  They loved having all their friends with them throughout the evening and the next day.  The swings were definitely a hit as were the ice cream sandwiches AND s'mores...double dessert!?  Who doesn't love that. 

I've got STYLE!

Growing up, I never thought I'd be a mother to girls!  Honestly, my recesses included football and basketball, and my favorite after school show was Batman.  I was going to be a mother to BOYS.  Well, I am so thankful that I have one young boy and I am learning a LOT from my 3 little girls.  Something I am working on is allowing them to dress themselves to express who they are.  So...they RARELY match.  Of course, that's not saying much because I struggle with anything but a t-shirt and jeans (although I am branching out but I do stick to solids or one solid, one pattern).  Anyways, I have noticed in my older daughter that she really loves being HER.  She doesn't care what others think and I think that that is awesome!  (I care WAY TOO MUCH what others think).  I can tell Abby has even picked up on it...it is fun to see them growing and developing and learning who they are. 

3 Down! (1 to go)

GO VIOLET! At just a little over 4, she ditched her training wheels and can now ride around our court on her bike.  She is still working on starting and stopping but she is super proud of herself and we are proud of her too!

First Sunday Dinner

About a year ago, we started rotating houses with Bens family on the first Sunday of each month to have a family potluck.  We feel so blessed to live near family and so we really want to ensure that we take advantage of that close proximity.  I LOVE that the kids love each other and look forward to this tradition because feeding 16 kids and 10-14 adults can get tricky BUT it is so worth it!

Girls just wanna have fun!

 She's finally letting me do her hair! :) It only took 3 years.  Thank you to Anna and Elsa for having braids--Abby will say, I want to be Anna.  Translation: I want two braids.  Or I want to be Elsa. Translation: I want one braid.  Whatever it takes to get it out of her face!

 

My friend and I took a bike ride and let the kids play at the river.  We need to do this more often!  The kids love it and we had fun and got some exercise,.

 My rule has been and will always be that my kids can climb things if they can do it on their own--this goes for playground equipment and trees alike.  It has been really difficult as the kids have gotten older because some of their friends climb better.  Well, Eliza finally joined the tree climbing club!  It was a very happy day and she did a GREAT job.

Growing up never stops

My kids are really into waking up before me and "surprising" us with breakfast.  I am super happy about this however...this particular time I am not sure which we tasted more--the pancakes or the chocolate chips :)

Fall swim started, which means that Violet is an official junior barracuda!  She's doing great and its fun to be her teacher every couple of weeks