More Summer Fun

In an attempt to fill the very long 10 weeks that we had this year for summer I have tried to come up with more free ideas. My friend Kelly heard about this splash pad in Riverton that was supposed to be really fun. Strike One-the day was really overcast and not very fun. Strike Two-The splash pad was surrounded by very wet grass that was mostly mud and the kids stepped through it everytime they walked onto the splash pad. Strike Three-the kids were bored after about 45 minutes. I guess we can chalk it up to a learning experience and we know not to go to that one again.

Summer Fun

The kids had been bugging me to go swimming after we got home from our vacation. My friend Jen graciously invited us over to her house to swim in their "free" pool. What's better than free swimming with friends? I can tell you that being able to chat with an adult while the kids are thoroughly entertained is the best thing ever. The kids had a blast and can't wait to do it again.

We are Home!

We are back home and taking it easy. Vacation takes a lot out of me. I think once I finally get the laundry caught up I will feel better. I have still had the issue of dance on my mind and I can finally rest easy. Brynlee missed the tryouts at Synergy but I spoke with Shannon, the Director before we left and she assured me that she had kept a close eye on Brynlee and knew what team she would place her on. I waited very impatiently for the results to be posted on the website and when they finally were I was so excited. Brynlee will be on the Zinc team next year. This is a team with the average age of 7. I know that Brynlee will do well and we are looking forward to another fun year of dance at our new dance studio.

Angels vs. Dodgers

We did have a surprise for the boys on this trip too. I don't know how many times we both almost blew it but it remained a secret until we pulled into the parking lot at Angel Stadium and the boys were so excited. They can't stop talking about their 1st Major League baseball game and we were even more excited because the Angels won. The girls weren't super excited but they were so good. We just bought them some Cotton Candy and that fixes everything for them.

The Beach

Today we had a down day and decided to take the kids to the beach. We went to Huntington Beach State Park. Harlee wasn't quite sure what to think of the sand but before long she was burying herself in it. The kids didn't care for the salt water but loved finding sea shells. The weather was perfect but too cold for me to get into the water.

Disneyland Day 2

This morning the weather was a bit cooler in Anaheim. The skies were overcast for most of the morning. This seemed to have brought larger crowds to Disneyland today. Thankfully we did most of what we wanted to yesterday and took our time in the park today. We watched a few shows we never had before and took a break in the afternoon to head into Downtown Disney and eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. We did a little shopping and then headed back into the park. We love Disneyland and can't wait to go back.

Disneyland Day 1

We had a surprise for the girls this morning. We left Vegas early and headed to California. The boys knew we were going because we volunteered for a Day of Service to get a free ticket into the park. They were able to keep the secret for almost 6 months. Brynlee was so cute. She kept asking where we were going. Brett finally told her we were going to "the mountains". You know, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. She didn't catch on. We finally got off the freeway just blocks from Disneyland and she must have seen a sign and said, "Are we going to Disneyland?" She was so excited. Today was also Father's Day and I have to give a shout out to all the dad's in my life. My dad is an amazing individual and I don't know what we would do without him in our life. I have a pretty awesome Father-in-law too. I am lucky that way. I also have an amazing man who is the father to my 4 kiddos. He sacrificed his day to spend it at Disneyland with his family. We love all you guys.
Disneyland was not crowded today and the weather was gorgeous. Who knew that California in June is only 80 degrees. We got a lot accomplished in one day and we even took Harlee on her first ride on Matterhorn Mountain. She absolutely LOVED it. On the other hand I also took a kicking and screaming Brynlee on Space Mountain. What an experience. I don't think we will make her go on that one again for a while. I know this is probably picture overload but I don't want to miss a
moment.

Competition Day 2

Today was Day 2 of competition and Brynlee had to be to the High School this morning to dance. Her first dance was "Bust a Move" and I don't think I have ever seen those 5 little girls dance better. Brynlee's facials were awesome and I am so proud of her. We had a short break before "Love Shack". I think they knew how important the competition was and they killed that one too. We spent the whole day at the high school but took a break from the competition and sat outside in the shade and let all the girls run around. Brynlee has formed so many lasting friendships this year.
Our parent dance was this evening and the older girls at the studio added a surprise performance and Larieann and Devanee performed the dance they did at the year end show. As if we weren't already all in tears.
Both of Brynlee's dances took 1st place and the ETR took 2nd place. It was an amazing weekend and we are certainly going to miss Salt City Stars.

Competition Day 1

Brynlee didn't have to be at the competition today until 4:00 so we spent the whole morning at the pool. The kids had a blast and they all found someone to mess around in the pool with. The adults lounged by the side drinking ice water and laughing at the kids. I am so glad we chose to stay at the same hotel as most of the team.
Because the competition was quite pricey to get into, we decided that because Brynlee only had one dance on Friday that I would just take her and then we would meet up after. I ended up taking Harlee with me and Brett took the boys to see, "The A-Team" at the movie theater inside our hotel. After the competition the team organized a pool party and The Bountiful Stars provided cake to say, "Thanks" to Larieann.

Vegas Baby!

We rolled into Las Vegas about 5:00 this evening and the kids couldn't wait to get into the swimming pool. It was about 100 degrees and the pool was like swimming in a bathtub. What a great way to start our vacation!

Flip Flops

I had promised Brynlee we could make some flip flops to match our team shirts to wear in Las Vegas. I thought this would be a fun project for us to do together. WRONG! It was too hard for Bryn to tie the tulle on the shoes and even McKade had a hard time getting them on tight. I ended up making 3 pairs but they sure turned out cute.

Bling

Tonight we had a bunch of girls and moms from dance over to our house for a BBQ and to put some "bling" on our team shirts for Vegas. We had a great time laughing and gluing and the girls had a great time running around together. Thanks ladies!!!

Year End Dance Show

Tonight was the night of Brynlee's year end dance show with Larieann's and this also marks the last year end show she will do with this dance studio because Larieann is retiring. Brynlee has loved being a Salt City Star and we are sad to see this all come to an end. Brynlee performed 5 dances tonight and by the time the night was over she was exhausted but she still had a smile on her face. This little girl truly has a passion for dance and I hope she keeps that passion for a long time. I included some pictures of her with her favorite teachers and girls from the studio. We sure are going to miss everyone!

Our New Toy

Since we had to retire our other waterslide at the end of last year I have been searching and searching for another one. I was having a really hard time throwing away $600. After months of searching I came across one in Kohl's ad that was finally a great deal. Thanks to the crazy Utah weather I wasn't sure if we would even have a warm enough day. Today was gorgeous and the kids were bugging me to break it out. Harlee was so brave and was tackling it all by herself by the end of the afternoon. Hopefully this will keep them entertained for part of the summer.

Brynlee's A Big Girl

Brynlee has been bugging us for a while to take off the training wheels on her bike. We finally had a nice enough day so Brett took them off. Unfortunately, she has outgrown the bike and the tires were pretty flat. We couldn't find the bike pump so she just had to make do. She was a little frustrated at first because she couldn't get the bike to do what she wanted but after a little practice she was able to balance pretty well. It looks like we know what a certain little girl is getting for her birthday this year.