The Grape Smasher

Ben with his grape smasher.

Ben had to make a grape smasher the last week of school. I'll admit it was the last thing I wanted to do during the end of June so we waited until last minute and used Kenny's old Tinkertoys to create the perfect grape smasher. Ben had a lot of fun and it smashed grapes so it worked for me.  :)

Showing off his smashed grapes.

Hannah's School Program

Hannah with her 1st grade teacher Mrs. Wilcox

School was finally ending at the end of June. It has been hard having the kids on year round school and having them go to school the entire month of June. However, we made it through and the end of the month came and along with it were fun school projects and programs. To name a few, Sarah had her State Fair, Ben had his grape smasher, and Hannah had her class program. Here are a few pictures and videos from Hannah's class program where they showed the parents the songs they learned in 1st grade and remembered some of their favorite things. My filming was not the greatest due to the child on my lap and the other 2 not always sitting the best, but you get the idea. Enjoy!

Hannah's welcome song. The beginning isn't in focus, I blame the kid on my lap, but it does get better.

Hannah getting ready to sing.

Hannah saying what her favorite part of 1st grade was.

Hannah singing

Way Down South

Look Whose 4!

Dan with his presents.

We celebrated Daniel's 4th birthday on June 23rd. I can't believe how big this kid is getting. He is such a fun boy to have around. When he was little he was always very serious, quite, and did a lot of watching. The older he gets the more he is coming out of his shell and becoming a very funny and awesome little boy. Daniel absolutely loves video games, He likes to tell jokes and make people laugh, and he is always good to give me a hug and a kiss and tell me he loved me. When you get Dan outside he really comes alive. He likes to hike and swim and camp and run around. He is such a joy to have around and I love watching him grow up.

Opening presents.

We had a simple party for Dan this year. He got a Jake and the Neverland Pirate ship and some characters from the show. He got a butterfly net and a Skylander from mom and dad. I think my favorite part about Dan's birthday this year was the fact that his 4 older brothers and sisters put their money together to buy Dan a Skylander because they know how much he liked them. It's moments like that that make a mom's heart a little bigger.

Opening his Jake and The Neverland Pirates.

He liked his bug catching net.

Daniel LOVES Skylanders

I'll be the first to admit that Daniel's cake this year was the worst cake I have ever made. I have no excuse, it was just awful. I made him a Mickey Mouse cake because he loves all things Disney. I thought I had chocolate frosting, but I was wrong. Not only that, but I didn't have white frosting (only cream) so it just turned out really bad. Good thing he's only 4 and he didn't really care. He loved it and that's all that matters. I guess it's good to have the worst, awful cake out of the way. It's only up from here.

Blowing out the candles.

Yummy!

Idaho and the State Fair

6/18

Our Miss Idaho

Sarah learned about the USA in school this year (5th grade). At the end of the school year they got to choose a state to learn about and the 5th grade put on a state fair, showing off their chosen states. Sarah, of course, chose Idaho. She learned all she could about her former state, and the place she hopes to live again one day. She made a great poster and it was fun to go in and see her the day for the state fair.

Sarah and her friend Gabby (who was being Jack Sparrow for her state)

Twin Lakes Fathers Day

The kids at Twin Lakes.

Things were pretty rough for us in June and July. Kenny was still unemployed and we were at the end of our resources. Our stress level was high and so was our fear. Father's Day came and I wanted to do something that would help take Kenny's mind off our stresses, even if for only a few hours. We decided on a hike to Twin Lakes by Brighton Ski resort. We hiked this many years ago when Ben was a baby and I thought it was about time to hike it again. The kids enjoyed it and did well on the short hike. They loved the snow we saw on the way and the water at the lake at the top (to bad we couldn't get in.) It was a great little outing that was much needed for our family.

Hiking to Twin Lakes

The little boys throwing rocks into the lake.

The view of the lake. It was so pretty.

Adam hiding in the rocks. Silly boy.

Gracie and Daniel got in trouble for putting their feet in the water and getting
their shoes wet. They had to sit on the big rock as a punishment.

They decided to be silly.

Kenny showed the kids how to use his water purifier. They thought it was so cool.