Another St. George trip

Apparently we didn't have enough fun in St George when we were there a month ago, because we went back for more.  This time we stayed with the Andruses.  We had fun hanging out with friends, and hiking for a couple days before it was time to come home.

Baptism day

Today was a special day.  I love this boy so much and I'm so proud of his decision to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints.  He amazes me every day with his kindness and I feel so blessed to be his mom.  Love you Forever!

St George get away

We snuck away to St George this weekend for a little sunshine.  We stayed at an awesome place near Sand Hollow resort with Jeremy and Heather and fam, Stacy and Taylor and fam and my mom and dad.




Only the coolest grandpas have cannonball contests with their grandkids.


Me and Scout snuck away to see Beauty and the Beast at Tuacahn.  I haven't been there in like 15 years and it was so much fun.  Scout really loved it.

Colorado cabin=happiness

Labor day weekend at the Colorado cabin didn't disappoint!  I have so many memories there and I love that I get to make new ones with my little family.


Razor rides with grandpa are always a hit.




Maxon and Scout both braved the zipline this year.  They were both a little scared and unsure, nothing a little $ bribery couldn't fix.




And I'm happy to report I also made it down the zipline multiple times without any major crashes this year :)

I wish so badly that we lived closer and could visit here more often.  It's good for the soul!

Flag football

Maxon had his first flag football game, and I don't know who was more excited, Maxon or Trent/coach.

Rome is 2

And we can't forget this sweet girl!  She wrapped up birthday month by turning 2!  She is such a happy, sweet baby and I don't know what we would do without her.  Love you Romey girl!

First day of school!

With Maxon and Scout both in school all day, and Denver half day 3 days a week, it's going to be a big adjustment around here.  I won't even know what to do with the quiet.




Can't believe this one is big enough for Preschool!  Isn't he the cutest?!

Birthday month

Birthday month is in full swing at our house!  Maxon and Denver had a birthday party at Funtopia and had so much fun.  I just love these boys.


Wyatt, Everton, Denver, Alex, Kenyan, Scout, Maxon, Tanner, Tyler and Parker.

Happy birthday Maxon

Happy 8th birthday to the sweetest, best 8 year old in all the land!



For his special day, he got to go on a date with mom and dad.  We took him to eat at The Roof (luckily this boy likes food, so he totally ate enough and appreciated it for the price), then we went and picked him out some new scriptures, and then went and toured the conference center.  It was a fun night and I loved having a night to just focus on him and show him how much we love him.  He really truly is one of a kind and I couldn't ask for a better first child!  Love you buddy!

San Juan County fair time

The kids and I made the trek to Blanding to spend the week at the fair.  We had fun watching cousins show and sell their pigs for the first 2 days.






On Saturday night they had the junior rodeo and the kids all got to participate.  Maxon signed up to ride a calf, and Scout and Denver both signed up for mutton bustin'.  I honestly didn't know if they would actually do it, but they all surprised me and did it!



Maxon cowboyed up and rode the calf like a pro!  He took 2nd place out of all the 7-10 year olds and won $50!

Scout also made quite the haul at the rodeo.  She took first place in mutton bustin' and won $50 for that.  She also rode Tex and did barrels and poles and placed in both of those (granted there were only 3 in her age group, but still, she rocked it).  She came home a little richer and was one happy cowgirl!

Progress

Here are some progress pictures from the last 2 days

It's finally happening

I never thought I'd be so happy to see a back hoe ripping down my house!  In the last year, since the fire, we've spent lots of hours planning the rebuild of our house.  There have been a few set backs, and I guess I never thought it would take almost a full year just to start the demolition.  But here we are.  Although I'm so excited to finally get going on the construction, it was definitely a bitter sweet thing to see my house torn down.  So many memories in there.  I am excited to get this party started though!

Summa time shenanigans

We've had a fun filled summer.  We spent the 24th of July at the Judd's again this year.  Their neighborhood puts on an awesome celebration complete with zipline, bounce houses and food trucks, and we were lucky enough to be invited.


We've also spent a good amount of time at the pool.  Maxon and Scout are both pretty dang good little swimmers.  The best part about pool day....

it totally wipes you out!


We've also gone on some fun hikes.

Love the fresh air!

Cowgirlin'

Scout spent the week in Blanding.  She got to be in the junior rodeo with Livvy and is now completely set on getting a horse and being a cowgirl.

Nothing beats summer evenings in the mountains

Nothing!

Van Halen

We got a last minute invite to the Van Halen concert from the Adruses, so of course the first thing we did was run buy a mullet wig.  It's like we went back in time 25 years.

Happy 4th of July

We spent the 4th of July in Blanding.  We had a fun day doing the traditional 4th of July things.  I got to play in the all day outdoor volleyball tournament while the kids ran wild.  Good times!

I love America!

Yellowstone - Lyman family trip

For this year's Christmas trip, my parents gave us all a trip to Yellowstone.  I've only been there once, and it was quite a while ago, so I was pretty excited.  They rented a big red barn (literally, it is a big red barn that has been converted into a huge house) for us to stay in.  It was perfect for our large group.  The 3rd flour was a big open room with a bunch of bunk beds, that's where all the kids stayed.

On Friday morning, we all loaded up and headed to West Yellowstone.  We spent the day driving the lower loop, stopping at the main attractions.  We saw lots of geysers (including Old Faithful) and lots of animals.  We ended the day swimming in the river.




It was a fun and tiring day.

On Saturday, Trent and Maxon, Jeremy and Cohen, and my mom and dad, got up super early to go drive the upper loop, in hopes of finding a bear.  They accomplished that, in fact, they saw 3.  At lunch time, the rest of us drove up to West Yellowstone and met them for lunch.  Then we went to the Bear park there, where we got to see a bunch of bears.  After seeing the bears, we decided to hit up the same swimming spot for the day before.  Then it was back to the cabin for dinner.

Sunday, time to drive home :(  We had such a fun time with all our cousins and family.  Until next year.....

A little Sunday afternoon football

Laying in the grass, sun on my face, watching my boys play football, it was a perfect Sunday.

Baseball season

This was Maxon's first real time playing baseball.  He did coach pitch for a year, but it feels like that doesn't really count, since they didn't actually follow and of the rules of baseball (no strike outs, everyone bats, no outs)  This year he played AF machine pitch and it was a lot of fun.  He actually learned the rules and learned how to play the game.  His coach commented many times about how much he loves coaching kids like Maxon, he's very focused and serious when it comes to learning.  Almost too serious.  But he did great and had a fun season.

Great season Royals!

Cub Scout day camp

Technically Maxon isn't in cub scouts yet, but since he turns 8 this summer they let him come to day camp.

He was beyond excited when he got home.  I asked if that was the funnest day of his life, he said Disneyland, then scout camp.

My soccer stars

Maxon and Scout both just finished up another season of soccer.  Both teams finished undefeated, again.


Maxon and his team.  Ella, Josh, Van, Coach Justin, Tyler, Maxon, Tanner and


Team Blue Lightning!  Scout has played with this team for a couple years now and has loved it!
Jackson, Alyssa, Scout, Coach Sean, Collin, Luke, Henry, Drew, Tessa and Sophie.

Viva Mexico!

Trent and I decided it was time for a vacay!  We booked flight and hotel and arranged for the kids to be taken care of (My mom came and stayed the week at our house and took over my mom duties; best mom in the history of moms!).  We stayed at the El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya.  We spent a lot of time here.....

Just laying by the pool, listening to the podcast Serial (thanks for the suggestion Heather, I'm sorry I gave you flack for listening to podcasts!), and drinking Pina Coladas.  It was heavenly.


One of the days we visited Coba (an ancient Mayan temple).  We climbed to the top of this ruin in blistering heat.  We also go to hike down into a cenote cave and take a swim after being blessed and cleansed by a Mayan shaman.



We had a great time, it was good for the soul.  By the end, we both missed the littles like crazy and were ready to get back to them.


Adios Mexico!