Idaho Take One.....

After spending a week in Utah the kids and I headed up to Idaho to see Grandma and Grandpa and all our Idaho cousins.  (I missed a few things we did in Utah, but I'll back track later).  Anyway, we headed North and spent a few days playing and playing.  When we get to Grandma's the kids disappear and we only see them when they are hungry or in need of something.  We had not seen any of our Idaho Family for 2 years.  The last time Noah and Zoey were together neither of them were 1 yet.  This time they had fun playing together.  Zoey is perfectly cute and sassy and looks just like Katrina. 

 

Mom and Dad Empey celebrated their 45 wedding anniversary while we were there.  The kids (and the Mama's) decided that we would make them a romantic Candlelight dinner.  The kids were the servers and I think everyone, especially Mom and Dad really loved the evening.  Kayla took pictures of each of the kids as they served, but I didn't get copies.  

 

Before we arrived most of the family had gathered and gone out to a place called Stedmans Ranch.  It was a huge hit and so while we were there, we decided to go again.  Stedmans Ranch, is just that a Ranch.  The people who live there, turned there massive yard into these huge water slides.  They even provide tubes and all they ask is for you to make an appointment and a donation in return.  It wasn't the nicest day, but boy did the kids have fun!  Grandma and Grandpa did too and were up and down the slides almost as much as the kids. Noah was a little skeptical and even though I convinced him to go down with me he would say he was done after each time and I would have to talk him into it again!

 

 

Our final activity besides the sleeping out in the backyard and all the playing at Grandma's house was a trip to Ross Park.  They have a great pool and although the skies were threatening thunderstorms the kids again had a great time!  Once we got there I hardly saw any of them until it was time to head back to Grandma's!

 

We had a really fun time in Idaho and it made us realize how much we miss our family living so far away.  We had to say goodbye to Paul and Kayla as they were packing up to move to South America for a new adventure there.  I was so glad we were able to see them and hope they have an incredible year, I'm sure they will come home with all kinds of great stories! 

July 4th

I love The Fourth of July and this year was no different. We had all kinds of fun and excitement planned for the day and it started off bright and early! Josh and Noah had a sleep over with Auntie Kari, Uncle Jason, Jake and Maggie so that Ty, Brook and I could head down and run in the Freedom 5k in Provo. We were not alone and had the company of Auntie Julie, Jackson and Natalie, Nana and Granddad, Uncle Adam, Auntie Marilee, Garett and Logan and Lindsay Smith. It was so much fun! When the race started I had Garett, Natalie and Brook with me. We started off running and then would walk, then run, then walk. Eventually Natalie and Brook left me and GMan in the dust. It was the perfect way to start the morning and we had a wonderful time.

 

After the race and some Kneaders French Toast, I took off to Kari's to pick up Tater and Noah.  When I got there they were just heading out the door for the neighborhood Bike Parade!  I'm not sure what it is with the 4th and bike parades but we were in. 

After the fesitivities at Kari's it was back over to Nana's for a swim and a BBQ.  I have not yet mentioned that Nana and Granddad put in a pool this year.  It is beautiful and wonderful and I must admit I would LOVE to have their backyard, but I'll settle for being able to go visit!  It didn't take too long for anyone to realize that it was money well spent, in the whole time we were in Utah there were manybe 3 or 4 days we didn't get in the pool - it was great!

 

Finally, after a very long day already, we headed back to Provo for the Stadium of Fire. The headliner this year was the Beach Boys! I will be the first to admit that I wasn't sure about the Beach Boys, I loved them growing up because my Mom and Dad listened to them all the time, but come on people they are OLD. In one word, they were FANTASTIC! It was a great night and although I'm sure all our kids thought we were nuts, Julie, Marilee, TJ, Adam, my parents and I were belting out those songs with the best of them. The fireworks were great as usual - Noah didn't think so, but it was a fun night!  All in all the day was just great the only thing we were missing was Steve - we both decided we didn't plan it quite right and he should have come for the 4th~



Summer

It has been much too long since I have blogged at all! Summer seems to have gotten the best of me and flew by much too fast for my liking, but then so does everything. Since I have 2 birthdays coming up next week I have to get caught up......So here we go.

 

Summer started with some lazy days and lots of time spent at the pool.  The kids enjoyed hanging out with friends and just not having to do much of anything.  We really were just all trying to get through June so we could head North.  Since last summer I had planned to take the kids and head to Utah and Idaho.  We had not spent anytime with our cousins (except for a week last year at the cabin).  We hadn't seen any of the Empey cousin's in almost 2 years and it was time .  Thankfully Nana was willing to come down and then make the long trek with me.  I could not have made that drive by myself - especially not with Mr. Noah.  Steve was going to come up the last part of the month and drive us home. 

 

Before it all started Noah went to his first 'friend' birthday party.  It was a swim party and my friend Rebecca made these adorable Minion cupcakes.  Noah LOVED it!

 

Brookie and I headed to the airport to pick up Nana.  It was a little more stressful and crazy than I thought packing and preparing for a month away from home, but when it all came down to it we were ready to roll.  The kids were beyond excited!  Noah didn't really understand what we were talking about because the only cousin he could think of were Natalie and Boots - my cousin Jeni's kids who live right by us! I wasn't sure how the drive would go, but day 1 was a success and not as terrible as I thought.  We stop in Albuquerque for the night.  The area of town was a little shady, but it turned out ok.

 I got to sleep with this cute little man, he is so sweet!

 

 On day two we had ants in our pants to just get there already.  Noah was about at his limit and thankfully Nana had her iPad with her.  It saved the day and was passed around and around the car to keep everyone entertained.

 

Finally, we arrived!  My heart did little flip flops at seeing the beautiful Mountains!  I miss the mountains like crazy!  I loved waking up everyday and looking out at the view!  Our first week in Utah was going to be busy with the Fourth of July and Grandma Scadlocks 85th birthday party.  A cousins Bridal shower and another cousins ready, but we were more than excited to get moving!

 

Schools Out and Some Other Random Things!

I was so anxious for school to end this year - I was more than ready for summer! The last day of school was great and my kids had a fantastic year. It was a big Milestone for Ty as he is moving to middle school. They had a celebration of learning and although I didn't ever cry when I sent him to Kindergarden, I must say the prospect of sending my sweet boy to middle school completely FREAKS me out and I got really choked up during the whole Celebration!

A little blurry!

Another blurry shot, not sure why - oh well!

Tyler had a great year at school, we had a few stuggles, but he ended up getting a couple of awards at his classroom celebration.  The first award he got was for Most Improved Handwriting!  This is totally funny because Tyler has really bad writing and he hated having to actually write in cursive this year.  I think his cursive is easier to read, but oh well.  We always tease him about his writing skills and as this was always my worst grade in Elementary School it makes me laugh!  He also got a Math Award for Most Improved - we were excited about this because Math was a challenge and he worked hard to bring his grade up!

Josh and his awesome teacher Ms. Falter.  She was perfect for Josh this year and he really loved having her for a teacher.  He got the 'Skor' award for being the most athletic in his class!  I can't believe this guy is getting so grown up! 

 Brook and her wonderful teacher Ms. Ortel.  Brooklynn takes after me and LOVES school!  She gets awesome grades and really loves the social aspect of school too.  She is a wonderful writer (this she did not get from me) and recieved the Writer's Award for her classroom.  She is growing up so fast and we are so blessed that she is our little princess!


 THE RANDOM THINGS!

This is "Super Me"  and he is Noah's favortie super hero.  According to Noah he has 'Powers'  He can fly and run super fast too.  He sadly didn't get to go to school this year, but he was sure glad to have his kids home! 

We've had some crazy Thunderstorms this spring, this is a quick picture I got one night right before bed.  When these storms come through I don't sleep very well during the storms, we have big windows in our bedroom and the light flashes keep me awake!  I am always worried the Tornado Sirens are going to go off too.  We had one storm in the spring that landed me and the kids in our 'storm shelter' or better known as my closet.  When all the warnings started I had fallen asleep on the couch and finally after my phone started ringing like crazy I realized that something was up.  I turned on the TV to see some Tornados had touched down not too far aways and I was instantly up around the house gathering things to take into the closet. 

 Thankfully my neighbor was able to pick up the kids before the school was on lockdown.  It was really nerve racking for me, but I loaded up the closet with snacks, water, blankets, pillows and my laptop so we could watch movies.  I had to wake Noah up from his nap too.  I don't know how long we ended up being in the closet, but I was so grateful when the sirens finally stopped.

Josh and Steve got to go on a tour of the Mavericks Practice Facility.  They had a really fun morning and even got to sit in Dirk's chair! 

Piano

Ty and Brook have been taking piano lessons all year.  It has been fun for me to hear them get better and better throughout the year.  I have been shocked at how quickly they have learned and I love listening to my piano get used properly!  Since I don't really play and can only painfully pound out a few notes, I must admit I am a little jealous of their skills.  They recently had their year end recital and both of them played great!  I am so proud of their hard work and that they don't complain too much when I tell them to practice!  We keep telling Ty that someday he'll be glad he plays because the girls really dig it when the cute athlete has the hidden talent of being able to play the piano! 

Ty, Sister Fredrick (their teacher and my friend!) and Brook

Noah's Tubes

Noah had tubes put in his ears just before he turned 1, just like Tyler and Josh did.  Last month he had to have a new set put in and have his adenoids removed.  Thankfully it isn't a tough surgery and he came through it perfectly.  Before they took him back for surgery they gave him what they call 'Happy Juice' it is some great medicine to help them relax and not remember much of what happened.  The Happy Juice made him slur his words and have slow reactions.  Seeing him like that gave me the giggles, it was really funny!

Before 'Happy Juice'

After 'Happy Juice'  He was very groggy!

 When they brought me back to recovery after it was all over, he had 3 or 4 nurses gathered around him and they were swooning!  He is a charmer and even coming out of anesthesia he was able to wrap them all around his finger.  He got purple popsicle and a grape slush, and some apple juice all in the hour we stayed in recovery! 

I really love this little man and I'm so happy his ears are happy again!
 

Field Trips and Jumping Rope!

The Field Trip~
I had the great pleasure of going on a field trip with Josh, just a week or so before school ended.  They have a great little place here called Safety Town.  It is a mini town where the kids go to learn about things like fire saftey, road saftey and things like that.  For Josh's class trip, they first learned all about how to call 911 and even went through some 'practice' calls.  They learned that it is important to know your address and phone number. Josh loved it and I thought it was great. 

After learning all about 911, the kids got to go outside to the mini town and load up into the little Jeeps they have.  The tore around the town, following the stop signs and lights and driving on the right side of the road.  It was hilarious to watch as some of the kids just could not get the hang of steering those little cars - heaven help us in 10 years! 

The buildings in this 'mini' town were perfectly adorable and I wanted them in my own backyard! 

Me and my cutie - boy do I love this boy!

Jump Rope
Brooklynn worked really hard this year to make the Varsity Jump Rope Team for next year - The Rockin Ropers! She will have the opportunity to travel around the area and perform at half time shows for many of the College Basketball games in the area. They also perform at other schools in the area. From the get go she was determined to make it and after many hours of practice it happened. I had the opportunity to see the team perform a number of times, so I knew what she was getting into, but I don't think Steve really understood what it was until we got to go to her first performance. They had a Family Night at the Middle School and the JV Jumpers (that was Brookie) got to perform with the Alumni Jumpers (those who are now in middle school). It was so fun to see her go and we were so proud of her - she is really good!

The cutest thing was after the performance Brookie told me that one of the girls on the Varsity Team had told her that she gets butterflies, but that with the first click of the ropes they go away.  She then looked at me and said, "She was right mom, that is exactly what happened!"

Brook with a couple of her teammates for next year!

 

Mother Daughter Tea

The Activity Days girls/leaders hosted a lovely Mother/Daughter Tea for Mother's Day.  It was a whole lot of fun and Brookie and I had a nice time.  We made a real date of the evening and went out to dinner together first!  I am so lucky to have my one beautiful girl, she is so bright and fun and always has a smile and a giggle!  She is an amazing little lady and I love the time we spend together!

One of the best parts of the tea - was definitely the hats that Brookie made for us! 

Baseball

 
Josh decided to play baseball again this year and boy was he excited.  All of the little boys on his team go to church with us and that made it even more fun!  It was a great group of boys and Josh loved every minute of it.  Josh is a great little player and a really good hitter!  He played modified T-ball, where it is coach pitch and then if they don't hit it off the coach they use the T.  Josh was usually able to hit the pitches from the coach which was great for him! 

His enthusiasm was so fun and we loved to watch him play!

He got to play catcher a couple of times and LOVED it! 

Me and Noah at the ball park watching Tater! 

Every year the local Baseball Team hosts a night for the Baseball League.  We got tickets with all our friends from Josh's team and went to the game.  It was a beautiful night and the kids and the parents all had a great night!  We all got our Free hats, had some hotdogs and Pop, enjoyed some peanuts and enjoyed being together!  It was a great night!

All the Players got to go on the field for the National Anthem! Josh thought that was really cool.