PIONEER DAY

We took our annual trip to Snowflake for Pioneer Day!

The girls had so much fun at the parade. They danced to the marching band and scrambled to get the candy that all the floats throw out into the street.

Rob and Gage took a camping trip with Rob's brother and brother-in-law and met us at the parade a little late. Alyssa and Mack came too.

It was hotter than I would have liked, although much cooler than the valley. It cools off at night and you can see so many stars.

We had a great visit with Grandma and Papa. I put in my usual bid for them to get a house in the valley, to no avail. Maybe someday! Gage's favorite thing to do in Snowflake is to go hunting for hornytoads. He has actually seen quite a few and caught two. Nathan came up to play in the golf tournament with Dad and he brought Maya and Nate. That was really fun for the kids. Alyssa stayed home with the kids while Mom and I went to see the play that they put on every year. This year it was Beauty and the Beast and it was fabulous. My favorite character was Gaston - he was so good and funny! I kept picturing Rob up there playing that part. Alicia was in town for her nephew's wedding so we got to see her and the kids too. And possibly the BEST part of the whole weekend were the crepes Alicia's sister made for us!! I wish I would have taken more pictures!! When will I learn?

SAGE ADVICE

When Rob needs to run an errand, we usually all go. I realize it would be much easier, faster, and even more pleasant if he went alone, but he travels so much for work and like us to be together any chance we get. We were all walking into Staples and Paisley was wearing MY flip-flops, inching along awkwardly. A car with an elderly couple in it had to stop and wait for us to finish crossing......slowly. The woman rolled down her window, smiled and said, "You have to choose your battles, don't you?"

So wise. So funny because that's exactly what I was thinking.

SLEEPING BEAUTY....ER BELLA

Bella is our child that really pushes it when it comes to sleeping. I've stopped giving her naps most days (unless her claws come out extra sharp and then I force her to take a nap for the good of everyone), because if she takes a nap, she will be up until 11:30 or later. She comes into our room or down the stairs (depending on where we are) umpteen times with every reason, excuse and question in the book. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure Bella is writing a new book on that. "The Grinch is in my room." "I had a bad dream (even though I couldn't possibly have fallen asleep since this is my 30th time out of my bed)." "Mommy, I just wanted to tell you that I love you and you're the best mommy ever." "Daddy, when I wake up can I have a cookie?" And on and on - you get the gist. She's just so sweet and cute that we can't get mad at her no matter how hard we try. Most of the time, we have to hide our giggles at her originality.



And no matter what time she goes to bed, be it 6:00pm or Midnight, she is up and at 'em at 6:00am!!!! Ugh!!!



The other night she kept creeping down the stairs as I was working on the computer and I kept sending her back up. Finally, after about the 7th time, I thought she had given up. I kept hearing these little noises, but chalked it up to the dogs. When I came up the downstairs and went to turn off the kitchen light, there she was on the stair, fast asleep. You can't see in the picture, but she has three toys underneath her face that she had been playing with while spying on me through the stair rail. Hence, the noises I kept hearing. I scooped her up and put her in her bed, where she slept like Sleeping Beauty.





Until 6am.


P.S. One might question if she is going to sleep for the night because she is wearing a dress instead of PJ's. For Bella, she is either wearing a dress or only underwear, no matter what time of day.

HIDE AND SEEK

I was playing hide-and-seek with the kids - one of their favorite games. Gage was frantically searching for a hiding spot before I got to "10". He cried out in frustration,

"Mom, I need your help climbing into this closet for my hiding place. But when you're done, forget I asked you for help and forget my hiding place. OK?????"

FUN IN THE SUN

Gage invited his friend, Golden, over for some swimming, sprinklers, and slip 'n slide fun. I was amazed at how those boys and Bella just kept going and going and never tired out. Oh, to have that kind of energy!!

It's so fun to watch these kids play together!!

Look at these cute boys!!

The kids get so excited to have friends come over and I'm so grateful for these good kids who come into our home.

SUMMER AT THE CABIN

We rented a cabin up in Pinetop for the whole month of June. In retrospect, I'm wishing we would have rented it in July because it is H.O.T. Sticky, muggy, sweaty, cut-the-air-with-a-butter-knife H.O.T. I keep waiting for the usual news reports of flooding, trees knocked down, traffic lights out, but we got nothing.

We played and played, mostly outside, which we all loved. We went to the park, went on nature walks, visited Grandma and Papa LaDuke, and drove around Lakeside sight-seeing. (We spent our summers growing up there at my Grandma Schuck's cabin). We watched as the kids excitedly tried to catch blue jays, squirrels, and chipmunks. I swear that Gage thinks he is the animal whisperer. He is so into animals and bugs of all kinds. There were plenty of spiders to see inside the cabin - it's a good thing Grandma LaDuke didn't spend the night there!

Oh, how Paisley loves her Uncle Trevor. This girl does NOT fall asleep on just anyone.

We went to a petting zoo they had on the side of the road.

Gage REALLY wanted to take home this pot-belly pig. Thank goodness for zoning laws!!

Sometimes, Bella is more interested in being a princess or a ballerina!

The weather was perfect and there's just nothing like the smell of the pine trees. It's funny how certain smells can bring back memories in an instant, as if the scent had been etched in your brain alongside a video of a fond memory.

Some things I didn't have my camera for:

The kids put on a talent show for Grandma complete with singing and dancing.

Rob's search for the perfect gliders was finally fruitful and they played with those for a whole afternoon until it rained.

Some fierce games of horseshoes were played with egos and feelings still in tact. I must say that I got pretty decent at horseshoes and finally beat Rob after many intense, close games. I challenged my dad when they were there, but he wouldn't play. Must have been scared!! Tee Hee!!

Tons and tons of fishing and catching craw-dads at various lakes. We brought along a little tank to put the fish that we caught in. The kids would hold them and watch them swim around and then one-by-one put them back in the lake. Some of the craw-dads even made it back to the cabin, mysteriously.

I still can't believe I didn't have my camera for these things. Sometimes, though, when I have my camera, I miss out on fun because I'm focusing too much on capturing the moment.

The kids did get pretty homesick and I must admit I was craving the comforts of home too. But it was a month of what I hope to be lasting family memories.

UNCLE MIKE AND AUNT LORA

Rob whisked me away for an overnight trip for my birthday and Uncle Mike and Aunt Lora stepped up big time. Aunt Lora is so crafty and helped the kids make these cute houses and a picture frame for us.

They took them swimming, which is no simple task. The girls are constantly jumping all over the place with no fear. Paisley thinks she can swim and refuses help, even though she is like a dead fish in the water.

Paisley with her Uncle Mike.

They have this great waterfall that the kids love.

After all that fun they were worn out. This is what it looked like when we walked in the door to pick them up.

Thank you so much for taking care of our kiddos. We know they are in good hands! We love you!

GAGE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

We had Gage's Birthday party at Bounc U on July 10th. My camera battery died after about 5 minutes so my superfox friend, Erna, came to my rescue and took all these pictures for us. What a great friend to do that. Thank you!

The kids had spent an hour jumping, climbing, running, and bouncing.

Gage was so happy to have his friends there. Reese, Wade, Ryleigh, Ellie, Neil, Luke, Natalie, Lincoln, Jake and cousin Callie came.

These two girls had no trouble at all eating all this cake!!

We all had a great time and especially liked that the party was INDOORS!!

Is there any wonder where Gage's personality comes from??????????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAGE!

You're 6!!! What??? Every memory of you is etched so deeply in my mind, so vividly. How is it that six years have gone by in the blink of an eye? The girls used their money to get you this Buzz Lightyear sprinkler. They couldn't wait for you to open it.

You are always posing and being silly - such a ham. We love that about you!

We were supposed to spend your birthday in Snowflake going to the rodeo and watching the fireworks, but the day before your birthday, you got sick with some sort of flu. We drove home so as not to get baby Mack sick too. You are the toughest kid when you're sick. You are always reassuring me that you're ok, it's ok, it's going to be fine. All of this in the middle of throwing up. It's amazing. You were going to help Grandma make my birthday cake and I, in turn, was going to make your cake, but.....we have this store-bought cake instead. Next year, buddy!!!

You still love exploring indoors and out, catching bugs and lizards, making up games and stories. You still pretend to be a pirate, a jedi master, a superhero, a cowboy, and anything else your imagination comes up with. You get so focused on something or on daydreaming, that sometimes you don't hear your name being called right in front of you. You love your sisters and your friends. You love to make people laugh and you know how to be kind. We have been learning about the Golden Rule and you remind us all of that. You want to make us happy - you get so sad if you think you've disappointed us. You want to make your Father in Heaven happy too. We hope that you will keep your zest for life and your love for others. No matter how many birthdays you have, you will always be our baby boy.