My Guppies

Dallin and Josie just finished their swimming lessons for the summer. They both did really well floating on their backs and kicking their legs. We still need to practice their arm strokes, but they did awesome!

Dallin's First Day

- First day of preschool. - First day of kindergarten.

Today Dallin had his first day of school. Can you believe it? I know this sounds cliche, but I swear he was my little baby boy just yesterday. I tried to be strong, but I got a little misty eyed as I walked back to the car. He didn't seem to be scared or sad, just really, really excited. It fact he woke up at 6:30 am (which is extremely early for Dallin,) and he came into my room and shouted, "Today is my first day of school!!!" He has afternoon kindergarten, so it felt like an eternity waiting to leave. As soon as we got home from swimming lessons he took a bath, got dressed, put on his backpack, and waited by the door. That was 10am. He doesn't start school until 1pm. He just couldn't wait to get there.

When he got home he said that he made two friends, but couldn't remember their names, learned about allergies, and had teddy grahams for a snack. His favorite part was the bus ride home. He said, "It was so cool!!" He can't wait to go back to school tomorrow, and he said that he wants to leave earlier so that we can be the first ones waiting in line outside. I love him so much!

Dallin wanted to show off his new Spidey backpack!

A Yummy Dessert!!

Light Lemon Cake

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 pkg. (1 oz.) instant sugar-free lemon pudding mix
1 3/4 c. water
3 egg whites
3/4 c. cold fat-free milk
1 pkg. (1 oz.) instant sugar-free lemon pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, lemon pudding, water and egg whites. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Pour into a 13X9 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. In mixing bowl, combine milk, lemon pudding mix. Beat on low for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

More Visitors!

The Romrell Family came to visit us this weekend! Allen, Sheralyn, Mike and Rachel, no Chris because he is on his mission. It was so great to see them. They went school shopping with us yesterday, then went to church with us today. After church we all had dinner together and shared funny stories. I didn't share any stories, because I'm just not that funny, but Mike and Jerry are great at funny stories. Anyway, we had a really great time with them! Dallin especially loved wrestling with Aunt Sheralyn. He talked about it all day yesterday! Here is another cousins picture.

Our First Colorado Camping Trip

Last weekend we went on our first camping trip in Colorado. It was a last minute plan that I cooked up Friday morning, and I had everything packed and ready to go by the time Jerry was home that evening. The only problem was "where should we go?" After a lot of rain, we hopped in the ran and followed the map to the closest little tree symbols that we could find, and we found a place to stay. Wet, but a campsite none the less. We didn't have a fire, because all the wood was wet, too, so we just went to bed. The night was a little rough, 5 people in a 2 man tent, but we woke up bright and early and started our day off with a hike. It was beautiful. We had a great time. We were going to go camping again this weekend, but it was raining again, so we decided to postpone our next trip. I think it's time to get a new tent, too!

The Blacks in Colorado

Josh, Julie, Caleb, and Taylor came to our house on July 5th. We were so excited to see them! We met them at the Denver Zoo on Saturday. The kids had a lot of fun checking out all of the animals. The adults were just trying to stay out of the heat. After the zoo, we cooled off at the pool. It felt really good to go swimming after a long day at the zoo.

They were able to stay two nights with us before heading back to Utah. It was a great visit, but way too short. We always have so much fun hanging out with their family. Thanks guys for coming to our house!

My camera was not working, so I stole these pictures off of Julie's blog!!

Fourth of July

We arrived home from our vacation just in time for the Fourth of July celebrations. We had an action packed day full of friends, food, and fireworks. Very festive!

First, we went to a bike parade and carnival at the park just down the street. We were supposed to decorate our bikes, but we didn't have time because I was so busy making patriotic headbands for us to wear. Oh well.

After the bike parade, we waited in line for about 40 minutes to go in the bouncy house. It seemed like it was about 120 degrees, and by the time we made it inside, the plastic was so hot it burned our feet. We we were done the kids begged, "Can we go again?" No way!!!

We then had a snow cone and posed with Uncle Sam before heading home.

That afternoon, we went to a block party in the neighborhood of some our friends. The local fire department came over and turned on the fire hose to spray the kids. They had a blast playing in the water! Except Reece, of course. She doesn't not like any water to touch her face.

We ended the night with neighborhood fireworks. It was one great night!

Flying Home

The kids rode on an airplane for the first time. Actually Dallin rode on one when he was six months old, but he can't remember, of course. They were so excited about the planes and the airport. They were especially excited to eat a Burger King, while we were waiting for our flight.

When we were looking out the windows we saw a plane take off. Josie's comment was, "That's insane!" That made the people around us laugh. When we were waiting to take off, the kids kept saying, "5,4,3,2,1, blast off!" At first that was funny, too, but after about 20 times and we still hadn't blasted off, I made them stop. From then on, they were glued to the TV until we got there.

We had such a great time in Utah, but we were really excited to see Jerry/Daddy again. We missed him so much!

Friends and Family

While we were in Utah we were able to visit many friends and family members. It was great to see everyone!

Camping!!!

We planned a camping trip while I was in Utah to my all-time favorite camping place. It is at Hades Campground next to the North Fork of the Duchesne River. It is so much fun there, and very beautiful! It was a really family event, because not only did my Grandma Joan go with us, but my Aunt Susie, Uncle Ron, Brad, Lauren, and Spencer. My Grandma and Grandpa Hardcastle were at their nearby cabin also.

We had a weekend full of smores, dirt, and more smores. We went fishing, and I even caught a fish with Reece riding on my back. Very exciting! I am a mom who can do it all!

Look really carefully and you can see my HUGE fish!

To Grandmother's House We Go

The next stop of the Summer of Fun tour was Grammy and Pappa's house. Horray! We were so excited to be back! We played in the pool in the backyard almost everyday. We also played with Zoey a lot, too. Now Reece thinks that dogs are called Zoeys. Anytime she sees a dog she shouts, "Zoey! Zoey!"

One of the days that we were visiting we had a pool party with some of our cousins and friends. It was so much fun splashing and playing in the pool. The kids were laughing and wrestling and playing the whole time. These are just a few of the great pictures that we took.

The Big Race

We went to Cedar City, UT for the big race again this year. Jerry and Dallin both ran the 100 meters, Jerry ran the 200 meters, and Dallin did the long jump. Both competitors did very well. Overall, we had a great weekend. We went swimming in our hotel pool, we hung out with my cousin Kallie, and we visited Burger King on a number of occasions. Jerry and Dallin even had some fans come to watch their races. Sherri, Calee, Rachel, and Alex all came to watch the race. It was really fun hanging out with them for the day. Sherri is such a great sister for coming to race. We will definitely have to see one of her races sometime.

Kallie and Josie / Calee and Dallin

What if we had five kids?

Carl, Chantel, Crew and Jax came to visit the first weekend of June. It was so good to see them! We hadn't seen them since last October, and the kids had changed so much. Dallin and Crew were instantly best buddies and were inseparable the whole weekend.

Carl and Chantel went to a wedding in Vail, so Jerry and I got a little taste of what it would be like to have five kids (5 years and younger). I have to admit that before hand, I had sort of decided that three was enough, but now I definitely want to have at least one more. We took the kids to a nearby lake for a picnic. It was challenging keeping all the kids out of the water, but we had so much fun! Then we came home and had a pretend camp out in the living room. The next morning, I was thankful for 1pm church, because getting five kids ready isn't easy, but we made it! (Only about 10 minutes late!) Crew and Jax are such good kids, they made the weekend a breeze.

We had a really great time when their family was here. Now we need to go to California for a visit, because we miss them already!