What Happened to the Cushions?

What does it mean when you come into a room and find this?

Missing cushions from not one but.....

two couches!

Oh yes.....

FORTS!

Oh, what fun can be had with cushions and blankets!

Little Swimmers....And a Sight For Sore Eyes!

I am pleased to share with you yet more swimming pictures! Many of you might be thinking that you have seen enough! Swimming is a family favorite and it seems like I am always taking pictures at the pool. So, here are a few more!

Here are the boys waiting for their swimming lessons.

Later that day, we went to my cousins house in Scottsdale for a birthday party. We had such a good time. And yes, swimming was again the activity of choice!

Katelyn is proving to follow in the steps of her big brothers (as far as swimming goes!) She loves the water but I have found it to be more of a frustration than a joy to put her in the water! She doesn't want you to touch her or help her. She tries with all her might to wiggle right out of your arms. She also loves to jump off the side and her common request is "again, again!" Which usually means you stand at the side and let her jump until you can convince her to play on the steps!

On this particular occasion, she learned how to float on her belly. She would flap her arms a bit and calmly come up for air when she needed. I think it is great that she is so comfortable in the water, but a little less independent in the pool would be nice sometimes! I also love Kelly's face. It is like he his holding his breath for her!

Kelly and Kate right before the rains came down!

This picture I am just throwing in because it is cute and makes me laugh. After Katelyn finished her pudding, I found her in my bathroom. High heels and all! What a sight for sore eyes!

Buckeye

Today I was just thinking.....

As I was doing my normal everyday things (picking up toys, folding laundry, making beds, vacuuming, you get the idea,) I got to thinking about my friends here in Phoenix.

It has nearly been 5 years since our move here! I can't believe how fast time has gone. Connor was only 18 months and I was newly pregnant with Carson. Kelly was a young police recruit and we were in this new, hot, strange place.

We were quickly welcomed into a friendly ward where I was so lucky to have found some great friends. That surely helped me in a difficult transition. The first year was the hardest, but we found excitement in the purchase of our first home in a new community, in a place called "Buckeye." I was not thrilled about having to put the name "Buckeye" on my mailing information! But out west we went!

Buckeye has been our home for close to 4 years now. We have been blessed to know some of the greatest people on earth! These people have become our Arizona family and have taken such good care of us. We have had friends who invited us to their Thanksgiving dinner because we couldn't go home one year. Friends have had us over for birthdays, barbecues, game nights, playgroups, craft days, pool parties, girls nights, and super bowl parties. We can't forget those friends who have kindly answered last minute calls to pick up Connor up from school because I forgot early day. Or the one who gladly watched two of the kids because I had to take the other to urgent care. We are also lucky enough to have one of our dearest friends also be Kelly's work partner. Over the years we have surely had some good times with good friends!

These are a few pictures of some of these people....please don't feel bad if you aren't pictured!

(Kelly and his buddy Freeman at a Cardinals game.)

(Me and just a few of my favorite gals!)

(Carson and Freeman. They get mistaken for one another quite often!)

(Connor and his best buddy, Kutter. We sure miss him!)

(Me and some of my friends who taught joy school this year. Also, Carson and his friends!)

I don't know exactly what has gotten me thinking about these things. It is possible that since we are nearing our 5th year mark, I have been contemplating our time here. It could be that one of these great friends has been on my mind lately because I miss her so much. Maybe it is because tonight we are headed for some cake and ice cream with one of these families. Whatever the reason, I am surely grateful for these wonderful people who have enriched my life! I love my Buckeye friends!

Utah!

Another summer trip to Salt Lake has come and gone! It is amazing how fast this time goes. We were able to do so many wonderful things, which made for an exhausting time! With 4 grandparents, 7 great grandparents, 12 aunts and uncles, and 19 cousins, there are plenty of people to keep our children (and ourselves) pretty busy! Our nights were late and our mornings were early, but we now have many memories to cherish!

Here is a recap of our trip. Beware....LOTS of pictures!

To start things off, we went with some of Kelly's family to Snowbird and rode the tram.

Here are some of the kids as we made our way up the mountain.

The top of the mountain was only 40 degrees! There was still snow, which the kids loved to play with.

Another fun adventure was going camping! This was my favorite! I love to camp and it was a treat to be able to be back in the Utah mountains!

Here is my sleeping beauty. She was so snug in her warm little bed!

When my family would go camping when I was younger, my grandparents would always come up for dinner on one of the nights. This time was no exception! We always have a great time with them.

Mommy and her dirty little campers!

My brother and his family also joined us for a day. Here they are on a hike.

One of Kelly's jobs was to take the older kids on a hike, while the moms gave the younger ones a nap!

His other all important job was to chop wood!

The Fourth of July was also a great and busy day. We started out by going to my grandparents' breakfast at their church.

After those festivities, we went to Kelly's sister's house and the kids played on the slip and slide and the adults played games and ate yummy food! The kids were too busy to eat!

In between the big events, there was plenty of time to play with cousins and hang out with our families. As long as seeing their cousins was on the agenda, my kids were happy!

I just had to throw in these two cute babies!

My kids were able to go to one of their favorite swimming pools (when I say kids, that means Kelly too!) Unfortunately, my battery died so I didn't get any pictures of Kelly jumping off the Olympic sized platform diving boards!

We had an eventful vacation and it always amazes me how we seem to find time to do most of what we hope for. One thing that got accomplished on this trip was being able to see some of my greatest friends. It was so good to get together with them.

That is our trip in a nutshell! Being able to spend two great weeks with our family and friends, doing our favorite activities, and eating at our favorite "Utah" places, sure makes our 12 hour drive worth it!