Friday Fun

On Friday, Jared actually managed to come home from work on time!! The Westons came over and we had a little BBQ. Well, we actually remembered about 1/2 hour before they were coming that we had run out of gas for the grill the last time we grilled. Jared wasn't home yet, and Jacob was sleeping so we "grilled" on the griddle in the kitchen.

After dinner we went to the YMCA for some swimming. Jacob was thrilled to have his best bud Tyler at the pool with us!

Jake and Tyler racing to the slide

Bella playing "mommy" with Brynlee who was an excellent sport about it

Six Flags

The girls got free tickets for 6 Flags through the school's reading program. We went the weekend after the 4th. It also happened to be the Discover Card members night, which meant we got to stay 2 extra hours after the park closed for FREE. Three rides stayed opened: Mr. Freeze, Evil Knievel, and Scooby Doo. We rode the Scooby Doo ride more times than I care to remember. For it being so late at night, Jacob was still going strong and LOVED that ride. Xandy and Katy were big enough for Evil Knievel so Jared and I took turns taking the other girls. It was great because there was no lines and we could just stay in our seats and ride again and again. Jared and I also rode Mr. Freeze several times. When we left the park at 11pm there were only about a dozen cars left. It was great fun!! I also love how your admission gets you into both the rides and the water park. You have to pay extra to go to Cedar Point's water park which means I've never actually gone there. After I pay admission, I want to get my money's worth not pay more to go to another part. We used some coupons to save money on the rest of our admissions. We also picked up 2 Hot'N Ready pizzas from Little Caesar's the night before and left those in the car. When we were ready to eat we walked to the car and enjoyed our hot pizza(hot from sitting in the car) and cold drinks from our cooler and saved about $30 since the family pizza meal was over $40 at the park.

We got home around 12:30 am after a quick stop at McDonalds to satisfy the munchies and an hour drive home. We listened to the messages and learned we needed to be at the church at 8:15. That was an experience..... getting 6 people up and showered on less than 7 hours of sleep.... Lets just say we had quality nap time for EVERYONE that afternoon!!!!

Oh, one more thing, while on one of the rides I noticed Alexandra's ear had some dried crusty stuff on it. When they ride stopped I examined her ear and discovered that her earring back was completely inside her earlobe and the hole had closed around it. I do NOT do well with things like that. I thought I was going to lose my lunch and it was NOT because of the ride! We had to get it cut out Monday at the pediatrician's. Katy later learned from Xandy's friend, Aria, that Xandy knew about it and just didn't tell us. She learned her lesson though because now she can't wear earrings until it heals. It could take several months which means no earrings on the first day of school. She's devastated.

Drost Park

There is a park in Marysville(just a few minutes away), with lake in the middle of the park. The park has several entrances that go to a specific part of the lake but you can't get the whole way around. We took the kids fishing last year at one of the entrances and the little two and I have played at another entrance. We weren't real impressed with the either part. Two weeks ago Jacob's preschool playgroup was meeting at this park. I was confused when I couldn't find them at either entance. Then, I noticed I could see a playground in the distance, and recognized some of our friends. It took me about 1/2 an hour but I finally found the 3rd entrance. It was hidden of the main roads. For some reason, the city has hidden the best part. Its like a little hidden jewel. The playground equipment was the best of the 3 parts by far AND there was a beautiful garden!!!

Lilys are tied with Daffodils and Tulips for my favorite flowers. I LOVED the Lily garden!

The U of Illinois has a little vegetable garden that is used to help fight local hunger

A view of the lake.


I love the little Bridge in the flower garden

It was absolutely beautiful!!! We will definately keep this in mind for family pictures.

Our "Stay"cation

Jared had to put in over 15 hours of work over the 4th weekend. The kids were disappointed since they had wanted to go camping so we had a staycation. While Jared worked late on Friday, we pulled out the tent and set it up. Then we grilled corn on the cob (which I don't normally like grilled but I found the best recipe) and pomegranate chipotle chicken. When Jared got home we made a peach berry cobbler in the dutch oven in my patio firepit. The kids were all excited to sleep in the tent. Jacob was extremely excited and I realized we haven't done much camping since he's been born. Couple that with the fact that our last few camping trips have been rained out. I'm not just talking a little rain, I'm talking floods and mudslide causing rains. Anyway, it was comforting to know that if it did rain we were yards away from the house and the tent could remain in its spot until dry.
Saturday Jared got up and worked from home while Jacob watched Toy Story. The girls and I got decked out in dress-ups and headed to a "Tea Party" hosted by Lisa and Melody

Afterwards, we went swimming at the YMCA. We ran into the Bishop there and when we found out his wife was out of town, we invited him to see the fireworks with us. We met the Pearsons downtown and also ran into the Westons. When we got home the kids insisted we sleep in the tent again despite the late hour.

Jacob and his 2 closest friends (Tyler Weston and Elijah Pearson)
Xandy and Aria
Bella, Rochelle, Isaac, Levi, Joseph, and Katy
The Weston family
Jared, Jake, and the Bishop

We love watching the fireworks under the arch, Its so beautiful. There are usually great bands playing but this year was John Legend and none of us were big fans. He brought out and different crowd of people and since the river is still swollen the road the stage was on last year was under water so the stage was up by the arch. It made for a less family friendly environment than last year, but we still had a great time!

Sunday after church and a wonderful afternoon nap (it was really HOT, we napped inside and poor Jared had to get a few hours of work in so he missed out) we went to the Ryan's home for a BBQ. The Westons, Kraudes, Fousts, some of the other Reeds, and the Elders were also there. I hadn't felt well off and on all weekend and Sunday was the worst. I opted to sleep inside Sunday night and Jacob walked in the house and straight up to his bed where he promptly fell asleep. So Jared and the girls camped without Mom and Jacob.

Monday morning Jared worked from home some more. After he finished up, we took a family bike ride and then met the Lindsays and Porters at the pool again. I noticed on the way home that my swim suit had patches wearing out. Jacob and Bella took a nap, Jared got some more work in, and the older girls and I headed to Kohl's for some swimsuit shopping. After a quick dinner, we went Mini-golfing with the Pearsons. It was a fun and busy weekend. We were so busy we didn't even have time for sparklers until last night!

Summer Chillin'

We spent most of last week recovering from our trip preparing for the holiday weekend. Jared worked long hours and the kids and I cleaned, swam, and hung out at home (big surprise on the swimming part, huh?)

Jacob was especially worn out
Hanging out in Bella's room

Jacob quietly playing in his room

The girls playing "pioneers" this afternoon (they didn't last long outside in those dresses in this heat and humidity!)

Goodbye Uncle Alex

My brother Alex enters the MTC in a little over a month. He'll be serving in the Barcelona Spain mission. Since this was most likely the last time we'd see him until after his mission we took pictures before leaving the hotel and making the long trek home. Jacob and Alex have had a special bond since Jacob was a newborn. Ever since Alex's call Jacob always talks about missions and going on a mission. He's even started to sing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission" Its really cute, but I know Jacob doesn't have a clue that his most favorite person is about to disappear for two years. Even as I was uploading the pictures for this post Jacob stopped, looked at the computer, and said "I Love Alex, he's my best friend". I'm so proud of Alex for going and the great example he's setting for Jacob.

Alex is actually closer in age to Katy than he is to me

We got into a horrible storm on the way home. It was scary!! We couldn't even see well enough to get off an exit or pull over at times. We were grateful to make it home safely!!!

Ohiopyle

After Safety Town graduation we swam in Mima's pool one last time before heading to PA for a family reunion. We made it to the hotel that evening with enough time to..........what else.... swim. (My children are actually part fish).


The reunion was Saturday at Ohiopyle a state park known for its white water rafting. Ohiopyle is also the location of Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water and Kentuck Knob. And no, sadly, for the second time I did not get to see them. Despite the outrageous cost, kids under 6 are not allowed. We did however slide down the natural waterslides. Its a thrill but also painful at the same time. Not quite sure why sitting in freezing water while slamming into rock cliffs as you slide down the mountain (and your bottom gets scraped against the larger rocks)is enjoyable but somehow it is. The girls were furious that we wouldn't let them try. My mommy heart just wouldn't have been able to watch that. We did let them slide down the last 15 feet or so but sadly I have no pictures. I think Shari and Maria took some so hopefully they'll send some


Pop-Pop always has a bunch of games for the kids and a treasure chest (bait box) full of prizes. My kids were the only ones there, until late afternoon when my cousin Vicci came with her two girls, so they ended up with a bag full of prizes each.


We also went to see a waterfall. Katy and Jocelyn (my cousin's daughter) climbed the rocks to play behind the waterfall.

Safety Town (Ohio Part 5)

One of the biggest reasons for our trip to Ohio was so Bella could attend Safety Town. She was a little wary when I dropped her off that first day. When I returned to get her she tried without success to give me the evil eye for leaving her there. She just couldn't suppress the smile on her face long enoiugh. Every day at pick up she would excitedly recount the mornings activities to me. It was a great experience for her (especially since she's never been to preschool). Her favorite parts included getting to spray the fireman's house and riding the school bus without seatbelts and booster seats. She's still talking about the latter. After the graduation ceremony the kids got to show us parents the safety rules they learned by biking through the mini town.

She loved the little buildings in the town and wanted her picture taken by the church

Sprinkler Park (Ohio Part 4)

We left the beach and headed to the sprinkler park. The kids didn't want to leave the beach but I knew Jacob would really enjoy the sprinkler park and wanted to fit it in. I figured it would be a great way to rinse of some of the sand. Jacob LOVED the sprinkler park!!! In the end, all the kids had a blast in the sprinklers and when it was time to leave we couldn't pull them away from the sprinkler park either. We saved the beach and sprinkler park for Thursday since Natalie and Weston came in late Tuesday night. We figured it would be more fun with them and were glad to have them along.

Looking back at the pictures, I'm not sure why we even bothered to pack clothes since it seems like we played in some form of water the entire time!

Lake Erie (Ohio Part 3)

I forgot to take pictures of some of the places we went and friends we saw. I did however get some pictures in at the beach. There was a storm the night before and the waves were crazy. It was like being at the ocean without the saltwater.