Some yum, and fun!

Once again it was raspberry days up at Bear Lake, so we all gathered at Mimi & Papa's cabin to celebrate and enjoy some festivities.

Papa and Erik chillaxin'~

Nic wonders why I take pictures without any 'people' in them:) I can't help myself...

there is just too much beauty in this world~

Some fun in the sand~ Dax, you angel.

That's my baby boy~ as long as he has a weapon in hand, he is good to go:)

Aunt Candace doin' a little face painting in preparation for the big parade!

Raspberry faces for the girls, and in light of the beloved Shark Week, sharks for the boys:)

Always love a good parade~

The next morning we were off to the carnival with one thing in mind... Toad's Roasted Corn. Oh. my. goodness, is it delish! So Papa bought a round of corn, we dressed them to perfection, and devoured our tasty treat!

My fav~ mayo (i know, weird but yum), parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, and a little garlic salt. So good.

A little snow cone action, grubedy grub, and sword fighting...

Rylie frolicking in the splash pad~

Cassie and Halli~bug

love carefree kiddos~

Krew wasn't so sure about the spash pad, but he's pretty darn cute:)

Let's just say, insane amounts of fresh Bear Lake raspberries were consumed.

The raspberry bread pudding was divine! Yummy recipe found here.

The kiddos spent endless hours playing and make~believing in the sand...

There was some water balloon shenanigans~

My dad ready to tear it up out there!

Me and my baby boy~ i love one on one time with my kiddos. I feel like I can get to know who they are as an individual, and they never cease to amaze me.

a little boardin'~

And Kade's first time wake boarding. He did awesome! and we were so proud of him for getting out there and trying something new.

Nothin' beats an ooey~gooey s'more after a fun filled day!

I think Kade burned up his mallow:)

Before we headed home we were spoiled with home made donuts. Candace was a machine whippin' those babies out, and they were unbelievably good.

With a raspberry almond glaze... c'mon!

We came home exhausted, but when I look back at the pictures, and all that we were able to squeeze into a few days I can understand why:) We love to play, and be together. Use our time wisely, and get our hands dirty. Make time for delicious grub. Enjoy and appreciate the life our Heavenly Father has given us, along with the beauty we are surrounded by. And that is exactly what we did. And it was goood times!

Until next time, Bear Lake...

~xo

The Castle Park

One hot, and I mean hot summer day, we joined some of our favorite peeps for a picnic at the park. This castle park is one of the cutest parks around~

What is it about sitting on a blanket, under a shady tree, munching and visiting that is just so happy? I really could be content there for hours.

Oh, but then who would watch those crazy kiddos~

Candace and Krew~ he is getting to be a biggest boy!

Parke running around being hims crazy self~ love that boy!

Ahoy! there Matey! Captain Krew~ how adorable is this boat?

Parker announcing that he is the Queen!~ oh, he is sooo confused:)

Cassie and Dax~ he is the best snuggler ever!

And the kiddos. I love this picture because it kind of captures everyone just doing their thing, and being who they are. (poor Dax was ready for his bed:)

The park was so blasted hot~ so to cool off we went to get a little frozen treat!

A little chalking action~

My boys, i heart.

Austyn and Parker at their own little private table. Pretty adorable.

Kids lovin' on the balloons~

Good times and making memories with our cousins~ that's what it is all about! I am going to be so sad to see our summer go, along with our freedom to have days like these.

Few more to go, enjoy it!

~xo

Some summer shenanigans~

So much to post... so little time.

A little sampling of what we've been doing in between our outings and cabentures(that's Parke talk for, adventures.) We are all a bunch of green~thumbs. Really. Every last one of us loves going to the nursery, planting, weeding, and indulging in our hard work. It is a fun family affair.

This year we planted~

tomatoes, carrots, Anaheim and Serrano peppers, pumpkins, zucchini, pickling cucumbers, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, sweet basil, and green peas.

We've had blackberries coming out of our ears. They are oh, so tasty...

Catching bugs~ Rylie's caterpillar friend

Of all my kiddos, Rylie loves bugs the most~ silly girl.

Water balloon fights with the neighborhood friends are always a good time.

And a break to snack on blackberries straight from the garden.

{notice Parker's Buzz and Woody swim gear on backwards~ he's mastering the art of dressing himself... needs a little practice, but pretty stinkin' cute}

Kade's face is saying, "Mom, get that thing out of my face so I can eat my berries in peace."

Playing dress~up. Should we worry that Parker enjoys himself a little too much, or is he just going to be well rounded? Hmmm...

And a new addition. Meet Red, our new fishy friend~

Kaden bought ol' Red with his hard earned allowance, and some leftover birthday money. The kids are pretty stoked about him~

And with these big daddy zuc's coming on we have already baked up a couple loafs of zucchini bread. It is goood stuff, I tell ya!

Got one more week~ so we're going to squeeze every last drop of summer fun that we can. Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! I'm thinking farmer's market and the county fair sound just dandy!

~xo