Tramp Sleep~out...no girls allowed!

A couple weeks ago Lars finally agreed to sleep out on the tramp with the boys...they said it was a boys only night, so sadly I had to sleep inside in my warm comfy bed ;)

They get sooooo excited to do this & had been asking since right after school got out.

Apparently they slept really well...I heard them come in a little before 7. Lars said he hardly slept at all. It is not comfortable!

Oh well they loved it. Lars is such a great dad :)

 Before I got kicked out...(or in I should say :)

Yep...we must have ALL of the webkinz  :)

 Crazies...

Track Meet & Summerfest...

The Thursday before last we decided to take the boys to a fun little track meet that they could compete in and then go check out Summerfest later that night.

Lars had heard about the track meet from a guy at work. It was kind of fun...the boys only participated in the long jump and I think the 50 meter.

It was pretty cute to watch...

 After we'd been there for a little while, the wind started picking up and it got pretty chilly. But we still headed over to Summerfest. We hadn't been in years...seems like we're always out of town the weekend they have it every year in the summer. So it was fun to walk around for a little while even in the wind and cold!

There are all sorts of art vendors, but to me all of the different food is more fun!

The boys got these huge fry-breads...

And Lars and I got some good food from the Café Sabor food stand.

Then the boys begged for some cotton candy, so they got some of that too.

I love this picture! haha...

 Gunnar using his as a fluffy pillow :)

Then before we left we had to get a funnel cake from our friends that sell them.

They are sooooo good!

My friend Aurora was in charge of this bus artwork project, so we went and hung out with her and Gio and the kids on the bus for a little while and got warm before we headed out.

It was a fun night!

Swimming Lessons 2013...check!

We can check swimming lessons off of our summer list...we did them the past two weeks out at Mt. Crest again. And I'm happy to say without hardly any anxiety or complaining this year. In fact each morning they both got up and got ready and couldn't wait to get there and get into the pool!

Gunnar passed off level 3, and Ashton almost passed off level 5...he's learning the breast stroke and the butterfly and I guess none of the kids quite passed because they got parts of both mixed up. Oh well...he still did great! And I'm sure he'll pass them off next time.

I'm just always so glad they love the water so much (even though they clearly did not get that from me!)

 Practicing the moves out of the pool...

 The last day...

 Treats for their awesome instructors...

 Gunnar and Azure...

 Ashton & Alec...

Fun in the Sun for Gunnar :)

We signed Gunnar up for the little Fun In the Sun summer camp that Providence City does. So he's been going to that two days a week for 2 hours the past
3 1/2 weeks. He has one day left...this Thursday. He's had a lot of fun and has loved getting to go with his best buddy Owen.

They decorated t-shirts the first week and have done lots of other fun stuff. They got to bring scooters one day, went to the Willow Park Zoo, visited a dentist's office, went to the Macey's Theater today, and on Thursday will get to go to the splash pad.

I remember when Ashton did this camp when he was a little younger than Gunnar...time flies by.



Harry Potter Camp!

Back in April when I heard about this I couldn't quite believe my ears that there was actually a Harry Potter summer camp in Logan, Utah! In fact when Ashton first told me about it I actually didn't believe him and told him that it must be in some other city. Then about a week later one of my friends that knows how much Ashton LOVES everything Harry Potter called me and told me that the camp had just opened up for registration and that I better hurry up and sign Ashton up because it filled up fast. So I actually turned the car around (can't remember where I was driving to) and went home and got on the website and signed him up right away. It filled up the next day.

He got this cool invitation in the mail about a week before it started...

Now he's been going for 3 weeks and it has been a Godsend. He absolutely loves it and it is for 3 hours a day (1-4) Monday thru Thursday for 5 weeks!

That first day when Gunnar and I walked him in I honestly just felt so happy for him and as I saw all the other kids walking in, I thought to myself...these are his people! haha :)

It's at the Logan High School Library & the instructor is fabulous! He is passionate about everything Harry Potter & you can tell. He's been doing this camp for 13 years now!

They get to do tons of fun things and each night we check the website to see who has won the daily prizes and to get the clues for where to find the snitches for the next day.
They got sorted into the different houses one day, made wands, shot off rockets, made these cool glow in the dark paintings...

...and this week is potions week. So fun!

Anyway I am so glad he's been able to be a part of this camp and we'll definitely try to get in next year again. Worth every penny!

Need to update...

How is it that summer is turning out to be busier than the school year was?!

These past two weeks have been crazy! With swimming lessons, piano, fun in the sun camp for Gunnar and Harry Potter camp for Ashton...we run around all day!

But I am so grateful they have all these things to keep them busy and they are loving all of it!

Hopefully I will get a chance to update soon :)

Girls weekend equals boys weekend...

Last weekend I went over to Bear Lake to stay at a friend's family's cabin. When I made plans to do this, Lars decided it would be a good weekend to take the boys to Price. So they got up and ready and out of the house on Friday morning by 8:30! I wasn't leaving till about noon that day, so I was able to clean the whole house, finish all the dishes and laundry etc...before I packed up to leave.

Oh how I love to come home to a clean house :) 

Dana, Lindee and I all rode over to the lake together and first drove up to the cabin (but couldn't get it), so then we drove back into town and grabbed lunch at Merlin's, then drove back up to the cabin and waited for the rest of the girls. I didn't know most of them, but it was a lot of fun. Cassidy....whose family's cabin it is got papa murphy's pizza and planned out a bunco game for us and rented a movie.

We stayed up chatting till almost 3 am!

Then the next morning we got up, got ready for the day, had breakfast then hung out for awhile before we headed home. We got home around 3. I was feeling kind of car sick from the ride home, so I went straight back to my bed and took a nap. Then even though I had good intentions of getting tons of projects done while I was home alone, I ended up just being lazy and getting nothing done that night. Oh well...that rarely ever happens, so it was nice to just lay around with no one needing anything from me!

Sunday I got up and went to church...so peaceful.

Then did a little Father's Day shopping, then came home and got some of my projects done. Mostly cleaning up the boys rooms!

They got back that afternoon about 5:00 and Lars said they had a blast in Price!

It was a win, win weekend :)

First Lemonade & cookies stand this summer...

As soon as school was out the boys were already begging to do a lemonade stand. Last week was one of our least busy weeks this whole summer, so I told them we could do one (if once again they'd ride their bikes on my run with me :)

Fair Trade!

So while Gunnar was at his little fun in the sun program, Ashton and I got the supplies at Wal-Mart.

We still had our sign from last year, so that was nice. He helped me get it all set up, then I made the cookies and lemonade and they got started.

 Of course with no customers right off the bat, they got bored and wanted to quit, but I made them stay out there since they wanted to do it.

Eventually they started getting some customers and in the end they made $20.60! The cookies are the moneymakers...haha :)

Ashton said they would split the 20 and give me the .60 cents. How nice of him!

Anyway fun way to spend an afternoon :)

First Day of Summer Break at the pool!

On the Saturday after school got out, Lars went fishing so I told the boys that if they would hop on their bikes and go do my run with me, I would take them to the pool when it opened.

Ashton took some talking into it, but Gunnar was excited.

We did 2 1/2 miles, then came home and hung out for a bit then got ready to go to the pool.

It was a beautiful day and they had so much fun swimming for about 3 hours.

  I felt terrible later that night when their faces started to look red.

 I'd put sunscreen on them, but not until right before they got in the water and I used a spray kind that I don't usually use. It must have washed right off because they got burned. Gunnar of course worse than Ashton.

I really thought it was mostly just Gunnar's face (which actually looked way better the next day), but it was the next day that he called me into his room and asked me what the little bumps were all over his arms. They were so burned that they were covered in blisters :(

He had never been burned before and it hurt!

Especially the day after that when one of the neighbor kids bumped him when they were all playing and it rubbed all of the blisters off of one arm, so it was just open raw skin. So sad!

I had to keep it covered the first few days, so I found this angry birds tape to use with guaze. It stayed on really well...

They are just now (2 1/2 weeks later) finally looking better.

And luckily I remembered a long sleeve swim shirt that had been Ashton's at this age and Gunnar will be wearing it (and double sunscreen) for the rest of the summer!



Green Eggs & Ham....

One night I told the boys we could all read in my bed, so they chose some books and jumped in.

While Ashton was choosing his, Gunnar opened up Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss and started sounding out words. He was so proud of himself :)

 Then we all read 4 or 5 books and next thing I know I look over and see Gunnar zonked out. :)

Cutie :)

Ashton's first Piano Recital...

 A few weeks ago Ashton had his first piano recital. He did so well! And it was so fun to watch.

He said he wasn't nervous at all.

At the end his teacher...Patty Salmond (that we have loved!) handed out a bunch of certificates and awards. She called attention to the fact that Ashton had only been playing for 5 months and how the song he chose (Harry & Hermione) out of his Harry Potter book that Aunt Kelli gave him for his birthday, was pretty difficult but that Ashton was confident that he could do it, so she let him :)

Anyway we are so proud of how far he has already come and I am so grateful that it comes so easily to him since neither Lars or I know the first thing about playing!



Memorial Weekend in Island Park...

We were trying to think of something fun to do over the long weekend, and kind of at the last minute decided to ask our good friends/neighbors...Kent and Debbie if we could borrow their cabin up in Island Park. They said it was free and that of course we could go stay up there.

Ashton and Gunnar were so excited! However Ashton woke up in the middle of Thursday night with a bad sore throat and cough, so I kept him home from school on Friday. He mostly ended up feeling fine, just sounded bad and I didn't want him to get anyone else sick. Gunnar had had a cold earlier in the week and I had started to get it too.

But we decided to go ahead with our plans and go. I spent all Friday morning getting everything ready to go, and Lars just worked half a day. We finally got out of town about 2:30 I think.
So we got up there by 6 or so. Had to stop off in Ashton, Idaho to take some pictures of course :)

That is after all how we decided on his name :)

 Anyway...when we got there, Lars got busy getting the cabin all ready as far as turning the power and heat etc...on. And I loaded a bunch of our stuff in. The boys had fun exploring the cabin. We realized that we hadn't been up there since Ashton was 2 1/2 and I was just barely pregnant with Gunnar (and very sick!).

After we got all settled in, I made some homemade macaroni & cheese and we ate our dinner and got ready for bed.
The boys slept really well, just got up way too early. As usual, so excited to get up and play when we are away from home!

We had crepes that morning...

 ...then just let them play around for awhile before we got ready and drove over to see Johnny Sack's cabin, then Upper Mesa Falls.

Gunnar had Ashton smell his stinky feet...

Checking out the falls...

Goofball!

After that we headed back to the cabin and they played and played...so good together while I read my book and fell asleep for awhile. Lars went fishing for a couple hours.

That night we had dinner, walked down by the river and the boys caught some caterpillars and had fun playing with them for awhile before Gunnar's started pooping on him.

We also saw these two bald eagles in a field right bay the cabin.

And of course wherever we go Shockey must go...

 Then we went back to the cabin and watched part of a movie then the boys had a bath, then went to bed. Sunday we got up and got ready for the day, then went and got breakfast at Pond's Lodge. Then drove into Yellowstone.

 It took a LONG time to get into the park or at least to where Old Faithful is. We went about 2 miles an hour forever and when we finally got up to where the slowdown started, it buffalo crossing the road as we had expected.
However when I tried to take a picture of a buffalo, Lars had sped up so this is the best picture I got...haha :)

 The boys were happy to just watch their movie and play, but it was driving Lars crazy that it took so long!
When we did finally get there, we went over and walked around then sat and waited for Old Faithful to go off. Neither of the boys had ever seen it before, so they thought it was pretty cool. 

 However there was another geyser off in the distance going off way higher and for longer! It kind of stole Old Faithful's thunder...

Anyway, kind of fun to see every five years :)
Then of course we had to visit the gift shop. The boys picked out little pocket knives with their middle names on them since they can't ever find anything with their first names on them. That always makes me happy because their names aren't very common!
Then we got ice cream and headed back to the car.

We stopped off at some hot pots on the way back to Island Park and walked around the boardwalks for awhile. I love these pictures...

 Luckily the drive out of the park was way faster than the drive in was.
When we got back to the cabin, I went for a run then Lars took off and went fishing again.
The boys and I had dinner, then started another movie that we didn't finish then when Lars got back we all watched Home Alone 2 and the boys thought it was the funniest thing ever. They laughed and laughed.
After another good night's sleep, Lars got up early on Monday morning and fished while the boys watched Home Alone 2 again. Then we spent a couple hours cleaning up the cabin and washing sheets etc...before we loaded up and headed out.

 Super fun weekend!