{First Summer Stop}

For our summer vacation we made our rounds to see my Grandparents and other family and friends.  Our first stop included a stop at my Grandpa and Grandma C.  We had fun visiting, playing games and just being together.  We were also able to go to the temple {which we considered our 10 year anniversary date!}. It was fun getting to spend time with them! We love grandma and grandpa!

 

 

 

 

{Back to the Beach}

After camping we headed back to the beach for Round 2 before heading home.  Lauren headed out on the boogie board again, but this time on her very own board.  She-was-so-excited!! So-excited!! This time we only lasted a few hours. The beach was busy and just a little too chaotic for us.  We lasted long enough for the filthy kids to get rinsed off in the ocean and then covered in sand! When we had had enough, we headed home exhausted from a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

{Camping}

We love camping {and by we, I mean everyone in the family but me...I simply tolerate it}. We took our annual camping trip to the San Diego {Laguna} Mountains.   The kids have so much fun and get dirtier than I thought was humanly possible.  The afternoons were a little warmer than we had hoped, but the nights were beautiful! The Dads got bored and decided we needed a zip-line and the kids thought that was pretty awesome.  Nothing like being filthy and one with nature!

 

  

{Can you see the dirt in the creases of those tiny little pudgy fingers??}

 

 

  

As much as I really HATE sleeping in a tent, the dirt, the bugs, the sunburns, the lack of flushing toilets, and so much more, we do have a good time.  The kids are in heaven {shoot...Dean's in heaven!} and that's good enough for me. So I smile and count down the minutes until I get a shower and then look forward to doing it again next year!

{Beach Bums}

We love the beach {and by we, I mean everyone in the family but me...I simply tolerate it}.  For Memorial Weekend we headed to San Diego ready for a great day on the beach.  We came prepared with sand toys, boogie boards, sunscreen and umbrellas.  The kids played and played and played.  Lauren absolutely LOVED boogie boarding and could have spent all day our there in the water.  Kylee was in and out of the water and Bailey was having a blast playing in the sand and staying out of the water {too cold for her!}.  I ended up getting a migraine, but after a nap that resulted in sunburned feet, I was back to enjoying the cool weather under an umbrella!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

After the beach we went out for dinner, walked around the temple and then watched the sun set.  A perfect ending to a beautiful day with the family!

 

 

 

{On A Hike}

While in Bagdad, we took the kids on a "hike."  We were in search of old mines and gold {or at least sparkly rocks}.  We saw lots of pretty flowers and even a little wildlife. Plus being with cousins is always a good time. It is such a pretty area and it was nice to get out and not sweat to death!

 

 

{Fall Break}

For fall break we went to a place that actually has FALL! {Still running the air conditioner here!}  We spent a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's helping them get their house ready for winter.  I pretty much chased kids while everyone else worked themselves to the bone outside.  When we weren't working, we spent time visiting and enjoying the cool weather.  We also went to a REAL pumpkin patch. I think it was pretty much the greatest thing ever! I told Dean we needed to just plant our entire backyard with pumpkins and gourds! The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins {my cousins' kids}.  It makes me happy to know that they have as much fun there as I did every summer.  I love the time we get to spend with family, especially if they have cooler weather!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Our vacation ended with a visit at the Chadwick's.  We had a great time visiting and hanging out there.  Poor grandma got suckered into helping me make the girl's Halloween skirts.  We both survived and the skirts were perfect.  Sewing with her reminded me of the time spent in her sewing room when I was younger, making Barbie pillows and blankets out of her scraps!  I came home with a bag of her scraps to make a quilt! {I am super excited!} She even showed me a notebook of her earlier sewing projects. Now if I could only manage to be 1/100th as good at sewing as her!  She amazes me.