Garden

Thursday Evening

Garden Photo

Our garden is slowly coming along.

This is the 5th time Levi climbed on Charlie's back.  It is the 1st time he rode him without getting bucked off.  He has been a brave boy! 

Chris won tickets to the Lipizzaner Stallion show on the radio.  ($100 worth of tickets)  It was pretty cool. 

I have been watching in the newspaper for a trampoline for a long time.  My patients paid off.  ($75)  As you can imagine the kids are happy campers!

We have been working in our yard quite a bit lately.  The kids decided to play in the mud while I was
 distracted with the onions.  I didn't know if I should be mad or laugh.  Hmmmmm....what to do.   When I was a kid my dad would spray us off with the hose before letting us in the house.   

Good Idea!

I didn't even have to get mad.

These cute smiling kids did not have such cute smiles when I sprayed them off with the hose.

The water comes straight off our beautiful snow packed mountains.

They enjoyed a hot steamy 

shower once they were finally allowed back into the house.

Chris is taking his 8th graders on a field trip on Wednesday to Goblin Valley.  So, we took a trip on Monday to get things set up. 

 What a beautiful place.  I was feeling super guilty for not checking Levi and 

Casey out of school.  We are now planning an over nighter in a couple weeks so all of us can enjoy the place.

On Saturday we spent a couple hours in Richfield at the Pine Wood Derby Championship.  Levi took first place in our ward competition he did not fair as well at this level.  Oh well, it was fun to watch all the dad's faces as their cars were racing (I mean their sons cars)  

This week is teacher appreciation week.  I got a phone call asking me to decorate Levi's teachers door.  Chris came up with the idea.  He is so creative.  I put it on the door.  The center of the flowers have a photo of each student in the class.  Each student also wrote something they liked about their teacher on each pedal.  We thought it turned out cute!

Salt Lake & More

We started our

 weekend off by heading to Salt Lake for a mini vacation.  Chris had a meeting Saturday morning that came with a free hotel room

so we loaded up the family for a small adventure.  As you can see the swimming pool was the highlight of the trip!  Chris and I often say it would be easier to go on a mini vacation to Richfield (10 minutes away) to stay in a hotel. The kids would not know the difference. 

 We secretly planned on taking the kids to the Zoo but the weather did not permit that kind of activity.  Sorry kids! 

As you can see we have 3 swimmers now!  

Before I had kids I planned on them being graceful swimmers by the time they hit the ripe old age of four.

I didn't follow through with that one!

Hopefully I have taught them other useful things.

Some of the plants in our garden 

have finally started to emerge.  

HOORAY!

This is the beginning of a beautiful summer!

(This summer I will

 actually be able to bend over!)

DOUBLE HOORAY!

Hopefully I can get the potatoes and onions in the ground in the next couple of days.

Monday morning as we sat around the kitchen table eating our pancakes I explained to the kids that I would not be home when

 they got off the bus because I was going to see their newest cousin in Cedar City.

As you can see from the photos this did not go over very well.  I ended up

 picking up the kids from school

 early so they could go with

 me.  I could not believe

 they wanted to go

 

because they take 

their attendance so seriously.

I am so glad they all rode with me.

We had so much fun!

We spent time 

cuddling with Kaven, playing with Emery and even had time to play at the coolest park ever!

Thanks Dallas!

When we arrived home Dad had been working very hard in the yard in our absence.  I couldn't believe all he had accomplished!

I thought for sure he would take it easy with such a quiet house.  Maybe I should leave town more often!

I had to add this photo of Whit sleeping because it is probably my favorite part of the day.  

I mean

 this in a good way. 

 I think he is the cutest thing ever when he 

is sleeping!  I am hoping I am not the only mother who feels this way!

Last of all our kitties are getting close to finding their new homes.  I think Whit will be the saddest.  He loves those little things!

Busy!

We have had a busy week.  

We 

started 

off with 

the Pine Wood Derby contest.

I grew up with mostly sisters so all this scout stuff  has been an interesting learning experience for me.  I think I am finally starting to enjoy it.  It is a good thing because Levi thinks it is the greatest thing in the world.

He ended up winning first place for the Wolves.  He was SOOO excited.  Now we 

have to (I mean get to) spend a whole Saturday in Richfield for the bigger competition.  Hooray! 

THIS IS KIND OF A FUNNY PHOTO OF WHIT BUT WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF HIM.  HE IS NOT CRAWLING YET BUT THIS IS A VIEW OF HIS NEW TRICK.  CASEY THINKS HE IS PRACTICING GYMNASTICS.

This week we also had 11 new arrivals.  Zoey had 6 healthy puppies and Annie had 5 healthy puppies.  The kids have been in heaven.  

This is my personal favorite part of this post.  It is time to start our garden.  I am going to try and take a weekly photo.  This is the first.  On Saturday we planted peas, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, and beets.  I am sure it is going to take a while before it starts looking like much.  You can see the kids in the background racing and ramping their trucks.  I don't know what it is with ramping things around here but it happens a lot.    I think we may need to be careful when they get their drivers licenses. 

This is a video of what the other section of our garden looks like.  It has turned into a race track.  The kids have spent hours out there already.  They are going to be disappointed when the time comes to plant the rest of the garden.  

As you can see the bruises and cuts have begun at our house for the summer months.