Summer randoms, rockets, fireworks,circus acts & bye bye summer 2016!

Harper got a launching rocket for his birthday and we piled up the kids into the back of their truck and found a spot to launch it...after a few failed attempts, none of us were particularly attentive when the rocket shot up into the air. We ended up following it for a mile or so and even found where it landed. As luck would have it, it landed on a rooftop adjacent to a family get together that happened to be across the street, so, we had over a few dozen witnesses to the majesty of the rocket!

Baby D and Kiri playing at Grandma and Grandpa's on the Fourth of july!

Fourth of July Festivities in Evanston.

Like father like son, Baby D LOVES his baths!

We took the kids to a circus....after which I decided that I hate the circus...clowns:fail! Stinky poop smell:fail! Ridiculously overpriced fair food:fail! Treatment of animals:Fail! Trying to get a picture with Mexican Spiderman circus performer:fail! Waiting in line to try to get a $45 ride on an elephant: fail! The worst fail was the treatment of the performers...as I watched this guy, balanced on five different levels of OSHA UNapproved scaffolding, juggling/carrying over fifty pounds of breakable plates, fire and other random things and begging, pleading for the audience to have some type of reaction (which did not happen since everyone was so focused on getting their $10 cotton candy and $20 stale popcorn)  I realized I HATE the circus and will not be attending another one again!

  

last trip with all the cousins on the Chiu side before school starts

Lia is OBSESSED with the crossed eye-ed picture pose!

 

my mom took this picture of me and baby D

A rare few get to witness the true Happy Lia giggling...she is happy because she thinks she's snuck the crossed-eyed pose into this picture...she's such a little trickster!

Parker and Max seeing if they are taller than the plant

Baby D soaking up all the outdoor surroundings

this yummy burger shop we had lunch at before we parted ways...always attempting to take a Grandparents and all the grandchildren shot...

Break your heart good-byes!

Bye-Bye Summer 2016 we had a blast!!!

Sapporo opens in Rock Springs!

we learn in church that there is opposition in all things, light to dark, good to evil, so...it only made sense that on the opening day of Sapporo to our little city, Baby D would have to get stitches...it was much less dramatic (for me as well as for Baby D- funny how that works) than when Max got his stitches some 6 years prior. We called our good friend/Doctor, Jeff and made a makeshift operating table on our kitchen table and within in hour or so, Baby D was enjoying the drums, fire and food at Sapporo.

I think the drums were his favorite part!

...the fire was nice, too..

We celebrated two of our friends' birthdays at Sapporo

Their daughter was not a big fan of the fire shooting out of her mommy's head

dual Birthday candles!

Fancy!

Baby D was a seasoned Sapporo patron by the time we went with the rest of the kiddos!

Kiri got squirted by the mini toilet...and after she was the only one to catch the zucchini in her mouth (which she has now decided is one of four vegetables that are on her like list!)

Lia said, "I knew you were going to squirt me with your toilet thingy!!!"

The chef was such a fan of the kids that he made them all balloon animals/swords and asked to take a picture with them on his phone! Sapporo is definitely a crowd favorite amongst the Phillips' clan!

Pionner day and our first tomato!

Our first Yellow pear on our tomato bush!!! The Girls were so excited!

Pioneer day, sad to admit that as this woman spoke of her trials as a child, I stood there in horror as she described the freezing cold and how her toes had to be amputated. I kept thinking how good her balance seemed to be, it wasn't until the end that I figured she was just retelling a story of her Pioneer ancestry.

Pioneer day at the church and the girls got to wash their own clothes...they kept telling me afterwards that they could do their own laundry now, if I wanted them to!

Playing Pioneer games...to which Max commented, were pretty boring...what do you think the pioneer children did all day?

This was the highlight of the day (maybe second to the Popsicles) making their own butter. Max took a big taste and was sorely disappointed...it wasn't until we got home and I put some of his butter on a slice of fresh baked banana bread that he felt his 20 mins of "churning" to be worth it!

Flying home..to a NEW CAR!!!!

Flying home with all four kids was a task but add in no checked bags and that the flight was 6 in the morning made it less than ideal...but the kids were great and my mom's bag of treats and home cooked green onion pancakes made leaving tolerable!!

Eric had court in the morning that he couldn't get out of...so, Carli & Chuck picked us up at the airport (with two cars!). Afterwards we went to Cracker Barrel. I was so excited as it was my first time and Eric and I recently watched a documentary on a man who traveled to different cracker Barrels as his life's work. Baby D sure loved it!

We were three adults and 6 kids...those are not the best of odds!

LIa loves her silly cross eyed face!

Max and James loved the large checker board game outside of the restaurant.

Cali & Chuck took us all to Costco and Eric picked us up there...and drove us to see the new temple...oh, man, I could not have asked for a better day...

 

Except he picked us up in our BRAND NEW CAR Honda Odyssey MINIVAN!!!!! Life is good and we have wanted one for a while! Eric surprised me with it while we were in California...so, yes, the travel home was not ideal...but the homecoming sure was!!! Best. Husband. Ever!

Dim Sum, Clam Chowder in Boudin Bread Bowls & The Jelly Belly Factory

 

I just really liked this picture of Lia relaxed at home...holding her baby (that she just delivered with NO shots from her shirt bottom)

                                           A happy picture of my dad with all of the kiddos

 Kiri and Lia are really into making this silly cross-eyed face...Kiri with Li Yue-xi (my uncle)

 Lia with my dad

 He loves baby D and Baby D loves him!!!

 Speaking on love fests...these cousins wouldn't stop playing and huddling in a group hug...

 it definitely warms the heart!

 Eating clam chowder in bread bowls at Boudin Sourdough bakery & restaurant...LOVE their sourdough bread..

 the kids loved it, too...but they still had their hearts on these sourdough animal loaves they had on display...Max wanted the turtle and the girls got greedy and wanted crazy things like lion loaves and a fairy princess loaf...

 Baby D was just happy with...BUTTER...he really is a little Jim Phillips!

 After lunch we decided to go to Fairfield to the Jelly Belly factory...surprisingly in all my years at UC Davis, I never visited the factory.

 the signage in front of the building...

 The front entry way...

 In Line for the tour...everyone had to wear their hats!

...Even baby D...I'm sure all moms think the best of their children, often glossing over their short comings...but, I have to say, Baby D makes it hard to not want more kids...he is always happy and bright and full of excitement...we should have named him Isaac for all the joy he brings to our family, of course each of my kids could be named Isaac...maybe I could do what George Foreman did and name them all the same name (except he named them all George Foreman)!

 The tour

Lia getting Bean Boozled!

 Kiri getting Bean Boozled!

 Max getting Bean Boozled!

 Ronald Reagan, whose love of jelly Belly's first gave Jelly Belly's their start to fame (his favorite was Black Licorice...one of my favorites as president...not in flavor choices!)

The last picture before we parted ways...always so fun to see cousins!!!