cousins come to play

Kent's brother Sam and his wife Heidi live in California, and we love that we get to see them when we go visit everyone out there. These kiddos all get along so very well and have a ton of fun together,

and we sure wish we could see them more often.

So when they said they were going to be at a family reunion in Idaho and Montana this summer and that they'd drive down here "on the way" home to see us for a couple of days, 

we were so excited!

Kent had to make a last-minute trip to Times Square for work that weekend, so he missed our lazy Sunday afternoon and dinner with them. 

The next morning we got up and drove into the mountains to take them on our favorite hike, The Grotto.  

 It was definitely a little crazy taking that many kids up there, but it was a beautiful morning with perfect weather and oh so fun.

 I was so glad Daddy was there to help!

The rest of the day we just lounged around while the kids played and played and played. They played with swords and lightsabers, pop-up tents, dolls, horses, legos, blocks, and some crazy game that had to do with spoon fighting.
And I found myself wishing I had a ten-year-old girl to follow Christian around, read to him, play with him, and just be so helpful in general! Carlee is the sweetest.

I thought it would be fun to use what we've got (rocks. So. Many. Rocks.) for a tiny little rock-painting craft.

Then we had a Family Home Evening about temples and took them to visit our newest temple with Rockwell Ice Cream to finish the night.

We are so lucky they came to visit, and we can't wait to see them again!

camping

My parents and my brothers took us camping last week.

We go to Tony Grove every year, and every year we leave wishing we could stay for maybe just one more day? 

It's a little piece of heaven.

 When we walk around the campground we can remember the times we stayed in each campsite. The good and the not so good memories from each year.

This year's good? The weather was glorious, and we didn't even have to wear jackets as we roasted marshmallows each night. It was warm and sunny and beautiful! 
The not so good? The bathrooms were all out of order. So we used port-a-potties (that were labeled with names.....George was the cleanest, but a bit farther of a walk than Jason.)
And the flies. Oh those flies. Some years they're barely noticeable, but this year they were everywhere, especially directly in your face and ears at all times.

But the kids got to run and play and climb and get oh-so-dirty, and we kept Christian alive, which was quite a task (fire pit? big rocks? cliff? tree stumps? LAKE?!? All things he really really really wanted to fall into, climb on, or jump off of.) 
So, it was a perfect, happy trip and two nights just didn't seem long enough!

Grandpa helping Ellie catch a fish!

 My aunt and uncle were planning to drive to Oregon, but they had some unfortunate car trouble, so they came camping instead, which was very happy for us!  My cousin Sam is only ten days older than Nick, and they're best buddies, and Ellie had a blast playing with sweet Lizzie.

 And thank goodness for that jogging stroller my parents brought! Christian took all of his naps in it, and it was the only way we could get him to sleep at night, plus sometimes it was just really really great to be able to strap him down and keep him in one place (and out of the fire!) for a minute. 

 I think the way she wrote her name on her cup is just too adorable.

 Christian was much happier about the "push Ellie in the hammock" game than Ellie was....

 Because Pokemon Go doesn't work in the mountains, my brother's brought the old school actual pokemon cards, and Nick was obsessed.

 Hanging out in the hammocks!

 Before we left I was talking to my neighbor about the trip and she mentioned that they are taking their littles camping for the first time next month. She said her husband keeps asking, "Will it even be fun?" 
I told her that, well, camping as a parent isn't exactly fun like we're used to having, and you can pretty much plan on not sleeping at all, 
but it's all for the kids.
You look at them, smiling in the dirt,
and it's ALL worth it.

 (this isn't even close to the dirtiest he got...)

In the afternoon, we took all the kids down to the water and they splashed and swam and we circled the camp chairs in the shade and stayed there for hours. 

Ellie and Christian didn't last long in the water because they both desperately needed naps, so Kent took one for the team and loaded them into the car (and drove to Bear Lake for a raspberry shake while they slept.....poor Kent.) 

Nicholas and Sam and two of my cousin's boys took these little kayaks out and they paddled around the entire lake. When they came in for this picture sweet Ollie said, "We're just coming back from our journey!"

It really was just too cute to watch these not-so-little-anymore boys exploring and hear them laughing out there on the water together.

These kids. Camping with them (and just being with them anyway) is really the greatest. 

Tony Grove

We went camping last week,

but a couple of weeks before, when Josh and Alicia were visiting from Vegas and Sarah was home for the week, we took a day to go to Tony Grove.

Because it's our favorite place in the whole wide world.

It was beautiful. So green. And the wildflowers were to die for.

Being up there for the day just made me so excited to come back and stay. I truly cannot think of a place that brings more peace to my soul. 

As we packed up that morning for the day, 

I didn't bring my kids' swimsuits or swim diapers, because I thought it would be too cold and Christian wouldn't want to get in the water.

Ha. 

When we came up over the bank from the parking lot and Christian saw the lake for the first time,
he stood still (!) and his mouth dropped open and he said the sweetest little breathy
"WOW."
Then he looked to the left.
"WOW."
Then he looked to the right.
"WOW!"

Then he took off running into the water.

After standing in the water for a few minutes,
he plopped himself down and sat.
In that icy cold mountain lake.
Then he started to scoot on his bum.
Inching farther and farther into the deep.

He didn't stop. He just kept scooting,
until the water was up to his chin.

That's when I intervened and attempted to bring him closer to shore.

He didn't love that plan.

Also? What in the world did our own mothers do without swim diapers? These absorbent monster diapers are ridiculous!

For camping the next week, I definitely came prepared for some serious time in the water with this munchkin.

Mommy Mornings

My kids have been going through a couple of rough phases.

Now, they're good kids. Really good. And I think sometimes we don't acknowledge that as much as we should. Maybe sometimes we expect too much of them.
But they're smart. And we need them to know that we expect them to be the very best they can be.

Anyway,
Kent and I have been working hard to help them get through these issues lately.  We spend most of our time together in the evenings just talking and researching and praying.

The idea came to me last week,
that my children might benefit from more attention. I'd already cut out all phone time/social media/internet browsing for me during the day, but maybe there could still be more I could give them.
As I was praying about it,
I had a thought that I should start doing something.

Enter, Mommy Mornings.
Nearly each morning now, we wake up, have breakfast, get dressed,
and then I spend fifteen minutes completely alone with each child.
We can do anything they want. They take the lead, and I am theirs, completely, for fifteen minutes.
It has become my favorite 45 minutes of the day.

Nicholas often chooses to just cuddle together on the couch and talk. We ask each other all sorts of questions. Then we'll jump up and play tag in the living room or hide-and-seek. 
Ellie loves for me to play princess castle with her. We also color together, read, or go outside and paint rocks.
Christian mostly just jabbers away while I follow him around the house. We wrestle and tickle and give big slobbery squeezie kisses.

It's only 15 minutes, but it sets the tone for the day and lets them each know, on their own, that mommy loves them and cares about them enough to spend time just with them.
And that's turing out to be a pretty great thing.

The Fourth

Over the Fourth of July, my whole family got together up in Logan.
Because we were all there together,
we took some pictures of the whole group.

I struggled with the lighting,
and struggled even more with my children.
(at one point I actually bribed Nick with $5 if he would just smile. $5! I was that desperate.)

Getting Christian to cooperate involved a lot of tickling. For the big group shot I would set the timer, scoop Christian up, and race back to our spot. He thought it was the most exciting game ever.

By the end, the littles were getting pretty tired,
but this yawning shot of sweet Avery? I just love it!