It's A... GIRL!

After much discussion, we finally decided to find out the gender of our baby. It came down to the fact that we have  hard time agreeing on baby names, and having to wait until the birth and have a boy and a girl name chosen was just too much! I was easily swayed either way and was happy to find out.

We took all the kids to the ultrasound so they got to sit on the couch and watch the screen and identify baby parts. They showed us the spine, the hands, the legs, and then... even before the tech said it I could tell it's a GIRL!

Maddie was thrilled, especially because she already knew. She had a dream before she even knew I was pregnant that she was holding a baby sister. Ella was happy, but Ty was sad. He told me we need to have another boy baby, although I think he's coming around now that he's seen some baby girls and how cute they are. Jake is indifferent, although he is beginning to understand that there is a baby in Mommy's tummy and he pretends to hold it. Mike and I have also felt like it was a girl, and now I can embrace decorating and dressing in pink again!

After the ultrasound we went to dinner at Cafe Rio to celebrate, and then went to Zurcher's to get the biggest pink balloon you've ever seen.  We tried various poses to announce the gender, but ended up in a train with the pink balloon as our "caboose!" 

24th of July

Pioneer Day in Utah is a pretty big deal. We don't have any special traditions in our family, besides watching a few videos of pioneers to remember who has come before. This year we decided to attend Lehi's new city carnival to celebrate. 

It was a super hot day. We didn't play much outside in the afternoon besides a few minutes in the shade.

Jake's favorite part of the carnival was the choo choo! He loves to say "All aboard!"

 The three oldest kids tried the swings and I got sick just watching them.

The boats were underwhelming.

The climbing wall was fun though! It was the first time Ty had tried it out and he did great!

Maddie and Ella loved it.

The kids talked Daddy into riding the twistiest ride ever, because they had to have an adult with them and I'm exempt right now! Mike said it was even faster than it looked and he spent the whole time trying not to crush Ella.

The kids' favorite part was probably putting their own syrup on their snow cones.

 

My favorite part of the night was coming home and watching the sky show on our front lawn. Like I said Utahn's take this holiday seriously and the fireworks went from dusk until at least midnight! We let the kids stay up late and snuggled in blankets under the stars. We ended up stargazing and showing the kids where the Big and Little Dipper are, and talking about planets.

The next night we were invited to a neighborhood BBQ to celebrate. the food was delicious and it was super fun to get to know some neighbors from the "new street" behind us that are not in our ward at church.

Someone handed out glow bracelets galore and th girls decorated their bikes.

Of course we had to do our own fireworks! I don't usually buy any but I broke down and got sparklers and a few small ones for the kids. After watching our neighbors to fireworks for weeks they thought it was pretty cool to do some of our own.

Boondocks Party

Mike's annual work party is always at Boondock's. They tried to change the venue to the Aquarium and everyone vetoed, my kids included. They wanted their rides!

Maddie thinks she is pretty cool to be able to drive her own car.

 Ella was also able to drive a boat, her first time operating a vehicle!

 Speaking of driving, everyone thought the arcade driving was exciting.

Maddie & Daddy went on the flight simulator and said it was pretty awesome! 

 

Everyone went home loaded with junky toys they won with their tickets, and tummies full of sugar and soda. Guess that means is was a good work party.

Summer Sampler

We love summer. It is so nice to have a wide open schedule, play all day and into the evening, not worry about bedtime (although it can get out of hand!), sleep in, and start all over again. The kids are pretty good at entertaining themselves or playing with neighbor friends to keep busy. I can't say we have perfect harmony, because we definitely deal with sibling rivalry and being in close proximity too much, but we also have some sweet and happy times together. 

Daddy watched the Tour de France faithfully every day for three weeks in July. This rubbed off on the kids and they would play Tour de France with their friends.

The yard and garden flourished in July. The hollyhocks were just gorgeous before a windstorm blew them over.

The girls and I learned how to make hollyhock dolls. They were a hit until we realized they only keep for a few hours. Ella gets very attached to such things and was very sad they didn't stay pretty.

We got some amazing rainbow tomatoes early on. Funny story... my kids often pick things from the garden and bring them to me. They picked this one and tried to deliver it to my neighbor, but she send them back home knowing I would want the first ripe tomato! Now they are struggling for some reason (too much water?) but these were delicious and I hope to see more of them!

As I said the kids love harvesting the garden.

We have enjoyed many garden meals.

I try to take the kids swimming about once a week. We love the Manila Creek Pond in Pleasant Grove.

One day Ty was bored so I got out the playdough for him. He had a blast making me all kinds of cookies.

Jake is obsessed with squirt guns. He kept getting himself soaked so I finally stripped him down and let him have at it on the back deck. He thought it was hilarious to shoot me through the window.

The older kids went through a stage where they wanted to build forts constantly. This particular day they built a fire station and were dressed up as law enforcement.

Most days we can be found taking a break on the porch or the deck with our popsicles.

In the summer it can be hard to keep order in the house. For awhile I let go and we were lucky to get dressed by lunch time, but I have realized that everyone is happier when we get the basics out of the way first thing in the morning. I taught Ty how to make his bed and I'm so impressed with how well he does!

One Saturday I finally broke down and took my girls to Cinderella. I'm not sure why it took me so long, but it was a much needed Mommy daughter date! (The boys went to IFA for fertilizer and ate ice cream cones at the park.) Of course the girls were enchanted by the movie and it was a good time to reconnect with them and show them that Mommy can relax and be fun. Sometimes I feel like all my kids see of me is the dictator who tells them to get dressed, do their chores, or get ready for bed.

This little Jakey Bubba is changing so much this summer. He tries really hard to keep up with the big kids outside, usually losing his flip flops somewhere along the way. He talks in full sentences and expresses himself so well. He has a super silly personality and keeps us all smiling at his antics.

This was a sweet moment I caught one evening of Maddie reading her book to Jake.

He loves books and often retells them back to me in great detail.

One day these two brought me a delicious dinner of all things yellow. They especially have a hard time getting along, but I treasure the times when they play well together!