...and july...

I'll be the first to admit, I am not the best at keeping up with my blog. Four kids, one husband and one dog really keep me busy. Plus, I try to make that "me" time by exercising & getting a shower everyday. Hopefully that will buy me some sanity from the craziness of my days.

Even though I am most of the time still changing diapers, cleaning floors, doing dishes & folding laundry, I really do enjoy my job. It may not give me the rewards of a 9-5 job, like money or benefits (haha), but my rewards are my children's faces when I say, "let's make cookies" or when my sweet girl wants to have a tea party with me. :) They are priceless. They {those kids of mine} are the reason I get up everyday and try hard to do what I should. (Plus, that cute guy that I sleep next to is pretty fun to have around too. wink wink!)

And, let's be honest, not every day is sunshine & rainbows. The majority of my days are very long. I often play referree between kids, clean up poop off clothes and the floor more than I would like, and quite often my feet hurt. But, I think about those that cannot have kids or have lost a child to an illness, and my heart breaks for them. It reminds me to savor these little ones while they are little. So, I'm trying to do more of that...

Anyway, on to the month of July!

This month was packed! It seemed like it flew by. If you are planning on reading, grab a chair, it's gonna be a long one!

For the 4th, we headed up to the cabin in Greer. Thankfully, our cabin was spared from the Wallow fire. But, when we pulled up it was hard to see how much of Greer was burned.  The line of trees that we can see from the porch of the cabin is a sad sight. It's all burned. Now all you see is charred tree-lines. It was an eerie sight to see how close the fire got to the cabin. This is about a quarter mile away. A special thanks to all those fire fighters and volunteers that helped fight off the fires and save beautiful Greer. We are so grateful!

On the actual 4th of July, we attended the Eager Days Parade. The floats were sparse because the town was evacuated for the fire but let back in about a week prior to the 4th. Can you imagine having to leave your home within minutes only to wonder if it might burn down? I'm so thankful that so many homes were saved. 

This is the best shot I could get of all the kids. 1 smiling out of 7. Awesome. :)

The night before Grandma Cook made these cute bandanas for the boys & necklaces for the girls. Gunner wore his proudly and wnated Bode to join in the fun. Bode is such a pretty boy, I think if I stuck a flower to the bandana, people might've thought he was a girl!

Although the town didn't have much time to put together floats for the parade, the kids didn't care because there was still CANDY!

Sweet Grandma Cook. This woman is aMaZiNg!!!

Breezy proudly wore her red, white & blue. Isn't this dress adorable? We bought it last year and this year it actually fits!

Thank you to all the men & women who have fought or are fighting now for our beautiful country!

Grandma Cook made a yummy cake for the 4th. Delish!

Bode did a lot of bonding time with Grandpa. 

Breezy found a soft spot & fell asleep. Grandpa has the magic touch. :)

Gunner had so much fun this weekend, I could barely catch him to snap a picture. 

This might be one of my all time favorite pictures of Bode so far. The kid is pure joy. 

In other news, July was a hot month. I snapped a picture of my car's thermostat one day while waiting for Gunner to finish one of his dive practices.  Isn't this ridiculous? It's waaaaay too hot!

In mid July the kids all started swimming lessons. Caleb was even able to do a 1:1 special needs class. His instructor was great with him and by the end of the 2 weeks, he was blowing bubbles and moving his arms & legs through the water. He still can't quite swim, but at least is catching on to the idea. :)

Gunner loved his lessons. Before lessons he could swim ok, but after he became a fish. This made him really excited for swim team next year. :)

Breezy took lessons too. She was very timid at first and didn't like to get splashed with water or dunk her head, but by the end, she at least would put her face in. Progress I guess?

This is how I found Bree at the end of every lesson...clutching for dear life to her coach. Notice her hand. It's practically turning blue. :)

Also this month, I finally put some frames up in Bree's room. I've had her room painted for quite some time, but just never found what I wanted to put in her walls. I found these cute frames at the orange blossom shop. And I LOVE them. :)

Then on July 25 to be exact...(yes, you read that right)...Caleb & Gunner started school again. Caleb's in 3rd and Gunner in 1st grade. They were super excited. Bree started another round of swim lessons...which I'll post about later. 

I love how handsome they are. Why do they have to grow up? 

A quick pic with Mom...

....and Dad...

This year I didn't feel those nervous jitters for either of my boys. Caleb has the same teacher and classroom and Gunner's teacher moved up with him from Kinder to First. It's made the transition really easy! :)

I was 50/50 about them going back to school. I love having them home and us doing our own thing like swimming, summer movies, visiting family. But, on the flip side, I was also suuuuper stoked that they had routine again. The fighting and bickering was starting to drive me crazy!.... So, happy day, school's back in!!

our june...

Warning: Picture Overload!

Our summer started with dive team! Originally, we signed Gunner up for swim team, but learned that he needed a little more practice so we signed up for lessons AND dive team. It seemed like something that would be fun to do in the summer. 

The dive meets were in a little on the sweaty side for the spectators. Gunner was loving it because he got to get in and out of the pool. Sadly, we only attended one meet as a family. It was too hot to be out there to watch for 1-1/2 hours in 100+ temps! But, Gunner loved it, plus he got a good tan in the process.

Caleb doesn't seem to mind the heat. At least for a little while. He still asks to go out on the trampoline and jump....in 105 degree weather. Crazy kid.

Gunner had a good time, made some friends, got a tan and gained some confidence in doing flips and dives. Way to go buddy!

Most of our mornings were spent like this: (love these two!) I also love that we didn't have much of a routine.

We were able to swim at my parent's house a few times. I think Caleb gained some confidence by watching Gunner. He LOVES to jump off the side and have Daddy catch him.

For a whole week this month we were able to escape to Prescott. Gunner plays in a soccer camp there every year with his Brown cousins. It's a tradition now that it's happened 3 years in a row. We stay with Krista & Ryan and they are the most fabulous hosts ever! Love you guys!

Gunner & Cameron are the same age & they have so much fun together. For crazy hair day this year, Cameron went all out. Gunner was digging the dots for some reason. We later learned that the red spray paint stains the scalp for a good week. So beware!

Another fun part about crazy hair day was that you dress up in a costume. These boys are so cute.

Fortunately for Bree she made a friend who brought lots of girlie toys. She loved playing while her brother and cousins played soccer.

Pretty much every day after soccer camp, we'd go to lunch, then go swimming. Love this picture for several reasons. His goggles are upside down, his hair is still stained red (after a day & me trying to scrub it out of this head) and the pine trees in the background. We don't have many swimming pools next to pine trees in the valley!

Some more good news that happened that week was that Gunner lost his first tooth! He was eating his ice cream cone and suddenly his tooth popped out. He said he thought it was part of his ice cream and accidently spit it in the grass. :( Oh well, the tooth fairy still found him!

He was elated with joy. Can you tell?

This is how Bode traveled ALL the time. :)

This is our sweet hostess, Krista (and her son Cameron). She is super fun, super busy, SUPER mom all the time!

Little stink stole my sunglasses. I guess she's pretty cute though. I think she knows it too.

Krista & Caleb just kickin' it!

I had to throw this one it. Couldn't resist!

Other news that happened in June was Bode started baby food! When we were in Prescott, the boy could not get enough to eat and wanted to nurse ALL the time! So, it was time for food. Now, he's a machine & will down 2 jars of stage 2 baby foods a day! This kid is an eater!

We also celebrated Father's day. What a wonderful husband and Daddy Justin is! The kids all helped make his favorite breakfast, biscuits and gravy!

This month we were able to do lots of swimming. This is my aunt & uncle's old house. They moved this summer and we will miss that house. We had lots of family gatherings and get togethers. Plus, the pool was amazing!

Oddly enough, Caleb loved jumping from the 15+ foot cliff with Justin & Gunner. He kept signing "more." Crazy thrill-seeker!

Lastly, my sister and I got our kids together for a picture of the grand-kids on my side. Yes, I have 4 of the 5 grandkids. :) It was my Mom's birthday at the end of this month and she had asked and asked for some pictures so she was really happy & surprised to get this picture. It wouldv'e been better if they were in matching outfits or something, but at least their faces were clean and they were all looking at the camera...the smiles were a bonus. :)

Now, on to July....sheesh, I'm almost caught up!

remember the moments

This week has been hectic. Swim lessons every day; going to the store, grabbing lunch with a friend, naps in the car, getting the oil changed, running errands to & fro, etc. Just getting in and out of the car with 4 kids in 110 degree weather is a chore! 

Even though my week has been chaotic, I am reminded that my little ones will soon be grown up. Tonight after baths were done, prayers were said, my sweet Caleb climbed on to my lap and wanted to be rocked. Normally he doesn't sit with me that long or lay on me like he did tonight. But tonight, he just wanted some extra love and attention from his momma and I was happy to give it. He nestled his head on my chest, curled his long legs up on my lap and was very content to just sit and rock back and forth. He also gave me several slobbery kisses that I just adored. I was grateful the other 3 were playing with each other at that moment so we weren't interupted. It was a sweet moment and I hope that 10-15 years down the road I'll remember it. 

I love those moments where my children are all playing together. I can hear happy screams or giggles and I smile to myself. All mothers around the world know there are not always happy moments with children. They are most often those times you'd like to pull your hair out or send yourself to time-out to get away from it all! Or even duct tape your kids mouths shut so they can't talk back or fight with one another! (come on...you know you've thought it!) But what I want to remember most about my life as a young mother of 4 is that I enjoyed the moments. 

I have felt for a while that I was letting time go by without recognizing what I was missing. Recently I had a sweet talk with my father in law. I asked him what advice he would give me going into the next 10 years with my family. His advice was to "make memories." Spend that quality time with my children and husband and create great memories we can look back on and be grateful we had them. 

I taught Relief Society on Sunday and the topic was families. I felt so grateful to be around such wonderful women. I was the teacher that day but it turned out that I was the one being taught. It helped me re-evaluate my calling as a mommy and be grateful for it. I felt that this life is all about QUALITY TIME spent with our families. Especially when they are so young. I guess that's why I'm writing this down tonight...so I can remember to spend that quality time with my kids. Cuz, that's what it's all about!

Still in the clear...

Breezy had her tests again on June 21 & 22nd. She's still cancer & tumor free. We couldn't be happier. And neither could she! 

 Like the hair? I curled her hair for church one day and without hair-spraying, it turned out like this.  Kinda reminds me of an old-fashioned hairstyle? You? 

Ah, what to do with the hair!? I get asked on a consistent basis if I crimp her hair. And the answer is "nope" The hair does what the hair wants. 

I took this pic moments before they took her away to put her to sleep for a couple of hours. Notice the medical bracelet taped to her shoulder? She wouldn't wear it on her wrist because it "not pretty nuf Mom!" Apparently the hospital needs to put a little more bling on their medical bracelets to meet Bree's approval.

All is well, she's still kicking cancer's trash. We are forever grateful. Some other good news is that she'll get a year off from doing any more scans. We'll still monitor her bloodwork every few months but other than that, she's doing great! 

Go Breezy! 

Memorial Day Weekend

We headed up to the cabin for some cool weather, work and good times with family. The kids all had a blast with each other. It's crazy how I'd barely see my kids when we're up there because they were all playing with cousins, building tree forts and they're exhausted each night. LOVE it!

Caleb loved hanging out with his older cousins and wanted to be where ever they were.  

He also had fun exploring around the cabin. Can you find him?

Love his million dollar smile!

Gunner was in heaven. There weren't enough hours in the day for the fun he had planned. He adores all his cousins!

Bree LOVED hanging out with the girls and doing more calming activities like painting or sleeping. :)

She also found out that the porch swing is pretty fun too. :)

Bode liked being held or rocked to sleep and also enjoyed eating every 2-3 hours. The boy is a tank. The life of a 4 month old is tough. Eat. Sleep. Poop. Repeat.

This pic of him is my latest fav!

He sure adores his Grandma!

Justin loved the gourmet hot dogs that his parents brought up. They were massive!

I enjoyed taking pictures of everyone and capturing fun moments. 

My sis in law Alisa is so gorgeous!

Sweet Livi found the best spot around!  

Alisa always loves playing pranks and brought in a crawdad from the stream. She just wanted to show it to her mom. I guess Mom isn't a fan. 

Cute boys

Yummy food

Great company!

Happy Memorial Day! 

Last Day of School

Nothing but parties, food and more parties. The boys both had a great "last day." 

In Caleb's class they did a little ceremony for all the kids and had them walk down a red carpet (since they were all STARS!) and received a certificate of advancement into the next grade. They all loved the attention. 

(I was mad I forgot my good camera at home so I had to take pics with my phone. But, at least captured the moments!) Caleb was so proud!

Ms. Jessica. She's so sweet. 

These two are good buds. Yuensong. He's such a goof ball and such a lover-boy!

I had to throw this picture in because it was so cute. Evan is graduating to Jr. High and his mom had him wear this cap & gown. It was so great. He ran up and down the red carpet giving high fives to everyone. He was definitely feeling the stardom! 

I started to tear up it was so sweet.

Gunner had an end of the year program too. All the kinders sang songs related to the ocean. They all designed their own t-shirts too. Why do they have to grow up?

I love their sailor hats! During all the performances, Gunner kept looking over at me to make sure I was watching him. He was so proud of himself. He knew all the moves and all the songs. I love that he still likes me to come watch him! 

Gunn and Mrs. Neal! She's moving up to 1st and he gets to have her again! 

Can't wait for next year!

As we were walking out of the school, Gunner tells me, with lots of enthusiasm, 

"Mom, I'm a 1st grader now!" 

If only he could stay little forever. 

Sigh.

Don't ask me what she's doing in this picture. Her poses never surprise me anymore. :)

After the parties, we went out to a spectacular lunch at McDonald's, then rented a movie, made popcorn and let our summer vegging begin!

Welcome Summer Vacation!