Odds and Ends from the summer...

I have lots of pictures from my St. George trip, but it is too late tonight to do a post that in depth, so here are a few random pictures from the summer!

The kids love Chuckie Cheese's. I know it gets a bad rap, but I like it too. They stamp the kids hands so you won't lose them or have them taken, the rides are cheap, the food is good enough and the kids are entertained for hours. We give them four tokens at a time so they have to come back and check in every 10 minutes or so. It works great. Anyway, I digress....Paige was invited to a bithday party this summer and was so thrilled that it was at her favorite place (J was not thrilled that she went without him, even though he was at day camp). She loved meeting Chuckie himself and danced right along with him. It was very cute!




There is a cool county park about 20 minutes from our house that has a big lake, splash pad and playground. We went a few times this summer (at $5 to get in-for all of us, it was well worth it). I met up with some girls from the ward a few times and made a day of it. The kids loved it! The lake is waist deep on Paige for about 300 feet so I feel pretty secure although next year I am investing in a life vest just for peace of mind! Here is Paige (the one with two braids, second from the left).

and Jackson, in the orange rash guard. I have learned to buy obnoxious colored clothing for the kids so I can always spot them!

Playing on the beach! The sand is a little rocky for me, but it doesn't bug them!


Painting sun catchers. The kids loved doing this. It kept them busy for a good long time with little assistance...my idea of a good craft! Notice my dirty windows? I cleaned them since this time. Pat on my back.

Our amazing neighbors, Mary and Dennis. It was Mary's birthday so I made her a German Chocolate cake and the kids made her a bunch of random gifts. They are the best neighbors you could ask for and are so kind to the kids. They have improved our experience here so much!!
Peabody Energy, the company Douglas worked for this summer, sent us at home an edible fruit basket to thank us for "sharing" Douglas this summer. It was really kind and really delicious. Chocolate covered fruit is always good in my book. We gourged ourselves on it! I like when companies try for my approval. I am going to play hard to get though so I can continue enjoying it.




I canned salsa this summer so Douglas set up an outdoor kitchen for me so the house wouldn't get dirty and hot. It worked like a charm. We chopped at the table and cooked under the canopy...no mosquitos or bugs got to us. He put fans in to keep me cool. It was quite slick. And, to clean up, we just hosed things down!!

and there you go...a few interesting things from our lives!