For Memorial day, we took a couple of days and went to Estes Park! What a fun family trip! On our way in we were already so blown away and excited about the wildlife we got to see. Huge elk everywhere for starters! It was so fun!
Mini golfing was so fun!
I have to record every time I get close (or tie!) to Dad's score. Sure, I cheated a little bit. But really not that much so I was excited! :) haha
I think the girls all said their favorite part of the trip was staying in our cabin and staying up really late playing games!! It was a lot of fun.
Fun sleeping at the cabin!
Rock climbing! The girls were awesome!
While the girls climbed, Tommy had a blast watching all the horses walk by. There were quite a few groups of horse-back riders that would walk right by. That and like a million deer to watch and follow (and didn't care how close you got). Tommy had a blast.
After rock climbing, we had a picnic in the mountains. And looked at more deer.
I love my kids!
Look at this adorable hiker. I love that girl. We went on a beautiful hike. Someone told us it was a good one for kids. It was pretty tough. The girls did awesome and I love Andrew for carrying Tommy almost the whole way up and down. For a guy without a lot of balance and for a very steep mountain, he is certainly my prince!
At the top. These cuties did awesome and it was fun!
After hiking, we went swimming (no pics) and had some more family fun around Estes Park. It was really fun!
Back at home....I took a picture of this because it melted my heart one morning. I found Angela had made a list of things she wanted to accomplish that day. Angela has such a gift for being in tune to how to serve and work hard for others. What a great example this is of someone who prays and gets inspiration on how to serve and then rolls up her sleeves and goes to work. I love my Angie.
I didn't take a picture of this. But remember our Ariel girl? Who was amazing?! She got a cute trophy at the end of all her hard work. We love our girl!
Let the Party begin!!! Carolyn turned 11!!! We love our Carolyn! She wanted to have her 2 best friends over (Madeleine and Addie) for an all day celebration. They played a lot, went swimming for hours, did a pinata, ate some yummy food and played some more. Here the girls are getting ready for the celebration. They are making the pinata. We don't quite get Carolyn and her friends :), but they are obsessed with spoons so everything was based around that. The pinata had spoons sticking out of it and plenty of spoons that came falling out with candy when the girls hit it with the bat.
Spoon gifts, of course. What creative and silly and awesome friends!
FATHERS DAY!! We have the best dad ever at our house. It was fun to see the girls work so hard to make is special for their amazing dad. Angela got up really early and decorated the entire house. Here she is decorating his chair.
The girls worked hard for a few weeks to make him some thoughtful and super sweet gifts!!
Carolyn made dad a super hero kit!!! Andrew is a super hero and it basically was so cute that Carolyn came up with this all on her own. I loved it! And so did Andrew. I think he felt like a super hero!! We have the sweetest girls ever!
Angela's tie for dad
Emily's homemade blanket for daddy :)
We are doing a ton of reading this summer. Reading with my kids is one of my favorite things to do in the world so it's fun that we are finding some good books to read together. Carolyn and I read "Dragonwatch" together. I learned that Carolyn is a million times faster than me at reading and also it's fun to read and discuss books with her. Her cousin Riley and uncles also are reading this book this summer so we are having a book club at the end of July with them at the reunion to discuss the book.
I don't know why these pictures got on my camera, but I thought I'd post them. Because I have such cuties.
Carolyn babysits for us for the first time!!!!! So, we've been leaving her home a little bit here and there but when she turned 11, she took a babysitting class (like 8 hours long!) and became our official babysitter. She does awesome and we love her for it!! One morning Andrew and I got to go to breakfast and I LOVED the report I got when I got home (note that Carolyn printed this sheet all on her own and wrote this without me asking - she was awesome). She even did the dishes and of course the cuties LOVE playing with Carolyn. Also note that Emily was a 20 year old. Emily and I have a joke going on that she is my 20 year-old because she is so self reliant and so good at taking care of herself. I always tell her she is just 20 years old :) For instance, one morning the other day she got up, fixed her hair, got dressed, heard Tommy awake and got him out of his crib and then got herself and Tommy some breakfast. 20 year old? I think so :) I am so blessed to have such angels!
This is what the girls were doing when Andrew and I got home from our date :)
Angela whipped this up on her own and I love it!! Her and Emily were asked to participate in opening exercises in Primary. Angela made this podium with a microphone so that her and Emily could practice their parts.
Emily: our soccer star!!! We were so proud of our Emily! She had an awesome season! Her award that her coach gave her was "most likely to become a one-woman team and win!"
I loved that I found this one Sunday morning. Without anything being said to her, she gives as much to fast offerings and to tithing and wrote a sweet card to our ward missionaries. What true blessings will flood her life.
My Aunt Marged gave the girls special dolls from her collection.
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