Celebrating our Independence

As the years have passed, I have gained a greater love and appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy, and all those who made it possible to enjoy them. It is such a happy and liberating day for our country. We are normally in Bear Lake for the 4th, but with Kaden's baptism falling on that weekend we were home for the celebration. At first we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves, but it didn't take us long to fill up a day with some super fun plans. Nic and Kaden hit up the boy scout breakfast in the park {deliciousness} while the littles and I got ready. Then it was off to a parade...

Nothin' beats sugar for breakfast;)

Parker fightin' a kiss that I know he wants...

After the parade we headed up to Mimi & Papa's house for a little BBQ action, and a dip in the pool. Papa on the grill~ oh, that shirt he is sporting is one that he snagged whilst hitting the slopes (ya, snow) on July 1st! Crazy business.

A hula~hoop contest. May the best man win~

{Ry~bug smoked em' all, she's an animal with that thing}

Then it was off to the carnival for some philippino food, hawaiian ice, a train ride for Parke, some rock climbing for Kade, and bouncy~houses for the sis...

Back at home we stirred the neighborhood with our firework ruckus. Our kids went gaga over the monster snaps! It was a great ending to a fabulous day...

summer is so great~

~xo

A Night at the Park

Take two.

We have sort of settled into a new summer tradition~ see us last year here.

I can't believe how a year can change everyone, especially those kiddos.

I love care~free, happy nights like this. It's what summer is all about...

Such a wonderful memory to tuck away with the others.

Cousin~lovin'... doesn't get much better.

~xo

Family Pictures

This summer has been a wild one! It has been full of picnics, swimming, fireworks, birthdays, party's, warm nights at the park, family, a baptism, Hawaiian ice, friends, a concussion, bike riding, girls camp, running, lots and lots of ice cream, and the list goes on. Somewhere in there we were able to squeeze time in for some family pictures. Here are some of the fav's~

Poor Rylie had strep throat and wasn't feeling awesome, but she was a little trooper.

Family pictures are always good times~ ha! Actually, I have to say that this time was much less traumatic than our last go round. Besides a stubborn 3 year old, and some hungry kiddos in the end, the night went pretty smooth. Thanks so much to Sharstin~ girl you are such a sweetheart, and we can't thank you enough for sharing your amazing talents with our family!

~xo

Great to be Eight!

Kaden and his daddy all dressed in white. He was so excited for his big day~

As we were driving home from the church we looked back to see Kaden grinning from ear to ear, and giggling. When we asked him what he was laughing about he said, "I'm so happy I can't stop smiling." It was pretty precious. Following the baptism we held a little family luncheon.

Kaden and his Mimi and Papa~

Kade and his Gramy and Papa~

I don't know what I would do without these amazing ladies~ they always come through for me, and I love them all so much.

The spread was delicious~ chicken salad croissants, spinach salad, pasta, fresh fruit, blueberry creamcheese bars (thanks Mon!), and lemon water...

Nothing I love more than being with family, celebrating a special occasion, and indulging in good food...

Parker workin' the crowd...

The dessert table~ I really had intentions of situating it just so(ha! personality flaw), but the emotions of the day took over, and in the end it was just fluff and really didn't matter. Kaden's one request was white chocolate chip cookies, and white chocolate chip cookies he got~

Papa and Dax~

some family mingling~

And I have sweetest friends. Meg and Monica unexpectedly whipped up these darling oreo pops as a favor for all of our guests. Really, what did I do to deserve such great friends?

Gramy, Papa, and the Judge~

Me and my Kade~ I didn't realize what an emotional day this was going to be until I walked in that chapel and saw my baby boy sitting there in his little white jumper ready to be baptized. It was like his last eight years started flashing through my mind, and I was in tears before they even started. I could not have been a more proud mother.

Nic and his Daddy~

Our attempt to get our little family together for a picture~

The day was special in every way.

Kaden we love you, and know that the choice you made to be baptized was the right one! Thank you for being such a great example to us all!

~xo

Kaden's 8th Birthday

Every year when my kiddos have a birthday I think to myself, 'They can't really be this big. Where is the time going?' It is such a happy celebration of another year of their lives, but also such a heart wrencher to think they are one more year beyond that precious moment you first laid eyes on them. Enjoy it, savor it, love the living daylights out of them...repeat.

It is all I can do at this point. Here is a little recap of Kaden's 8th birthday~

His birthday was on a Sunday this year, and we have early church. Needless to say, we didn't quite make it to his gifts before we scurried out the door. Kade was such a trooper, and waited patiently until we got home to open them up. A little heavy~heavy~hang~over...

The top of his wish list~ the Alien Conquest Mothership.

He was so pumped when he opened that bad boy up!

Kaden discovered Diary of a Wimpy Kid books this summer, and can't get enough of them!

I love those baby blue's more than anything...

Silly faces~

The remainder of the day was spent building his new Lego sets.

A little help from his brother, maybe a little too much help~

but how do you say no to that face??

Garlic jalapeño chicken for dinner, and then we were a little caked~out from all of the birthday parties, so we busted out the ice~cream sandwiches...

Happy Birthday...dear Kade~man!....

Then we dolled Kade up in his shiny new suit and took him out to the nature park to snap some pictures for his upcoming baptism...

When we got there we gave him a gift~

His first set of scriptures...

These pictures melt my heart~

And then we watched the sun set over the bird refuge. It was such a beautiful night.

Kaden came home and immediately dug into his new scriptures. He has been so cute about reading them completely unsolicited by his parents.

He is such a good boy, and we are so proud of him!

Some Kaden trivia:

Favorite color: Blue~ he has never wavered

Favorite food: Steak, chicken on the bone~ he's a little carnivore

Favorite place to eat: KFC and Chic~fil~a

Favorite things to do: Build legos, read, play video games (the wii at his grandparents'), sports, hang out with friends, anything outside, play with his brother and sister.

Favorite holiday: Halloween

Favorite toy: His Nintendo DS and Legos

Favorite treat: Twix, Reeses peanut butter cups, Hershey's kisses~ the boy loves chocolate:)

Kaden is such a little stud muffin! He loves his family, and is quite a home~body. Kade is super sweet with his little brother and sister. He is a great friend and very sensitive to other's feelings. Kade sets an awesome example for his family, and always keeps us in line. He is hilarious, and extremely fun to be around. He can be quite a drama queen (cough! just like his daddy) but we love him just the way he is:)

Happy Birthday Kade~man,

Thanks for being exactly who you are!

~xo