OH what do we do in the summertime...

We of course have sonic slushes and snacks out by the pool...

ice cream from Water and Ice...

cute pedicures with cousin Tessa...

make flip flops with our cousins...

jump on the trampoline, in-between swimming...

play in our cousins dog kennel...(half naked)

And let Alexa be Alexa...

Sometimes we can only laugh!!!

Here's to our fun summer of swimming, friends, bbq's, and fun!

The Cabin on the 4th

We went to the Breinholt's cabin for the 4th of July. It was so nice to get out of the heat. It is great to just relax and have fun. We went for hikes, played games, ate a lot of food, watched fireworks, rode go carts, and most important.... the kids LOVE it! We took some pictures of our hike and the go cart rides but they didn't turn out. I am sad!

My niece Tessa was visiting from Utah and went up with us. It was AWESOME! Not only was it great to spend time with her but she played with the kids the entire time. Did I say AWESOME!!

Here is Frankie's sidkick. He is attached, and the feeling is mutual. He is helping dad get the quad ready to ride. (he found a stick and pretended to work on the tire)

All ready to ride. Check out that face!!

Nothing like a nap with your favorite doll in a hammock in the mountains!

Boston walked around with a BB gun shooting every old can or log he could find

Eating popsicles with your big sister is the best

Not a complete cabin experience without the campfire and smores

Cooking the marshmallows. A little dirt doesn't hurt!

Alexa and Grandpa hanging out on the hammock together

Sera and Grandma telling stories by the Fire

The Gang! (most of us anyway)

Its All Good

This Summer Alexa did a two week musical theater camp with Ms. Jenee. It was so much fun. They had a theme everyday and dressed up, took sack lunches, earned prizes and learned a ton of songs!

here is Alexa on 50's day

(thanks to Wendy for the awesome outfit)

She was very lucky to do it with some of her cute cousins

Abby, Arie, Grace and Alex

The night of the big show Alexa had a solo and a speaking part. She did great. With all of her "personality" I think we may have found the perfect thing for her. The theme for the show was "It's All Good". Every song was about sunshine and happiness. It was a lot of fun.

Here is Alexa doing her Solo. Great Job, you were a STAR!

All the Girls with Ms. Jenee after the show. Megan was in the younger class and was very cute to watch! This was a GREAT show, all the girls were perfect. What a cute group of cousins!

Swim Team and Scorpions

Swim Team has become our life this summer. That or swimming. Basically you can find my kids in water most of the time. They Love it. We love that they love it, we are all happy!

Sera loves swim so much that she is begging to do club swim this year. She is a great swimmer and gets better each week. She also started diving this year. We are waiting for that to grow on her. She works very hard at swim and never wants to miss. She always wants to be the best and I love that.

Alexa shocked us all this year. Last year she cried every practice and never made it to one swim meet. This year she is coming out of the water with 1st and 2nd place ribbons and a huge smile to go with it. Way to go Lex! She has a great attitude and is VERY competitive. I wonder where she gets that from?

The Bos man. He takes competitive to an entirely new level. This kid works out with the older age group everyday (he was plowing down the kids his age). He recently competed in the Relay meet (coach invite). He raced a relay with his age group, then with the 7&8 year olds and then a kid for the IM left and they asked Boston to swim 2 legs. He did Backstroke and Freestyle. He was AWESOME! I hope he keeps this great attitude and desire to work hard at it!

All this swimming makes everyone tired. I had to put this picture on because Sera NEVER naps. Hasn't since she was 2, not even in the car. After Swim and dive I found her on the couch like this!

On the way out the door to our first swim meet, Frankie hurried and fed Beck. With no time to clean up his mess, this is what we came home to.....

Look close, not one but TWO scorpions eating off my kitchen floor....Are you Kidding me??!!!

And the very same night we caught this mom with 20 (that's what we counted) babies on her back!

We all TRI.....ALMOST!

Frankie did the Deuces Wild Triathlon in Showlow. After taking a year off from races (not training), he did a GREAT job. It was really hot and made for a tough race. He continues to impress us with his determination and hard work.

1 mile swim

25 mile bike

finishing the 10K run

The finish line!!

The kids also did a duathlon. (run,bike,run)

Before the race

The race was 3/4 mile run, 3 mile bike, and 1/4 mile run

Boston is a STUD! This kid had to compete with the 7&8 year old kids(he is 6). He crossed the finish line 5th overall but didn't get a trophy because the kids that finished before him were the same age group. He has great stamina, he did so well because his last run time was still fast, he wasn't as tired. Way to go!

Alexa surprised us all. She is really competitive. She was the fastest girl OVERALL. That means she came in ahead of 12 year olds too. She got first place in her age group. She did awesome. We are very proud of her.

Sera had a very fast first run. Then she got on the bike and saw the HUGE hill she had to ride on. She had a little panic attack and couldn't breath.(we need to get her out on her bike more often) The amazing thing about Sera is that she didn't give up. A very nice stranger stayed with her and made sure she was ok and when we met up with her she was crying but still going. She finished the race and was very disappointed but learned a great lesson. DON'T give up. The other two girls in her age group had quit so Sera got first place. We are so proud of her for sticking to it. A little bike practice and she will be GREAT!

The finish line

Beck entertained himself in this little tree for at lease 30 minutes. Whatever keeps him happy at these events, right?

My family amazes me everyday. What a great example they ALL are to me. I guess I better set a goal and take a turn, dang it!

Arizona Diamonds, a Bridge, and a BBQ

We Decided for Memorial weekend we would show the kids some activities that mom grew up doing in Arizona. We started out hunting for Arizona Diamonds. It was a great choice. They LOVED it!!

I told the kids to look up and Beckom raised his hands and yelled CHEESE!

Hunting for the "Diamonds"

Papa Joined us on the hunt

Here are a few of their favorite finds. They each got a bag full.

We also took them to hike the Natural Bridge

Down at the waterfall the beginning of our hike

This kid was in heaven. He took the lead with dad and you could hear "woohoo" echoing off the walls the entire time.

Standing in a little cave half way there

We made it to the bridge!

The end of the hike.

My kids did great. Frankie showed no mercy and hiked it fast. They kept up. Poor Beckom rubbed his sunblock in his eyes and by the end was crying. He was a trooper until his eyes swelled up.

We hiked the back way and my kids loved it. We set a goal to take the kids on an adventure all summer to see things that I grew up doing. Next up....a waterfall hike!

On Monday we came back home and had a BBQ and a little swimming

After dinner we took the kids to see Frankie's Grandpa's Grave and leave some flowers.

Nothing like ending a busy weekend with a cone from Dairy Queen!

Goin' Buggy

School's out and the second grade put on a very cute play for all of us the last week.

Alexa did a great job. She had all the songs memorized along with EVERYONE'S lines. She has an amazing memory. It was cute to watch her mouth all the lines as everyone was saying them. Good Job Alex!

My cute boys playing before the play started!