Camping with Friends

So this last weekend we went camping with 4 other families and it was so fun! We just went for 1 night, Friday to Saturday and we went up Logan Canyon, up by Fanklin Basin. It was pretty crowded up Logan Canyon and it took us awhile to find a spot. Once we did, the kids just wandered and explored and got dirty around camp, while all the adults set up camp and started dinner. It was dark by the time we ate, but it was good!
I noticed our kids had more fun this time around because the campsite was much bigger and there were so many kids around. There were 16 kids there. Crazy, huh? Plus this trip was a much better experience. No rain and we slept alot better. The only bad thing that happened was , I thought I could trust Cade to watch baby Casen on the bed while I fixed something on the camper, but all of a sudden I heard a thud and Cade was no where to be found and the baby fell on the floor of the camper. Luckily the floor is linoleum and not hard, but we were a little worried. I know you are not suppose to let babies sleep after they hit their head, so we were trying to keep him awake, but it was also bedtime and he had not had an afternoon nap, so I knew he was tired! Matt was freakin, like he always does, when his cubs/kids are involved. I just learn to ignore him and go off my "mommy instinct." I got Casen to wake up and stay awake for awhile. He never was throwing up or anything, so I just thought he would be OK. What was funny, well not funny, but coincidence, was one of the other families has twin babies that are about 1 year old and one of them also fell off the bed. So I was not the only "bad mom" as Matt would say!

No, we had a good time. We ate dinner and popsicles and smores for dessert. Then we put the kids to bed and the adults sat around and talked around the campfire, of course Matt telling all od his graphic poo stories and other stories. We also had a 13 year old hanging out with us, so I had to keep giving Matt the look to "keep it cleaner." I hope his mom wasn't too stressed. I am sure by the end of the night, all the wives thought differently of Matt and were grossed out by all his stories!
In the morning we had breakfast, sat around the campfire and relaxed, the kids rode their bikes and played by the river, and we tried to ride the kids 4-wheelers, until some LAME lady park ranger drives up and says, "They are not registered, the kids have to be 8 years old to ride, and the helmets are not up to standard." So that ended our kids fun on their 4-wheelers.
We packed up around noon or so and said our good-byes. It was way fun and a much better experience than our last. We all slept pretty good! And I swear I was there. I am always taking pics of others and not myself. I forgot to have someone take some pics of me. And my pics of the kids are not the greatest either. I was bummed that my pics did not turn out the greatest!

Corey's First Day of 1st Grade

I cannot believe my little girl is in 1st grade. She started yesterday and she was so brave! She really was excited! She had the excited butterflies, she told me.

We really had no idea when the bus got there, so we drove over to the bus stop, we thought a few minutes early, but when we got there, the bus was already there and she was so BRAVE. She hopped right out of the car and right on the bus, and her little twin cousins were not even at the bus stop. She usually doesn't do anything without them .I was so proud of her!

Then she stayed all day because she has a full day now. She is not in a class with her cousins, but she does have one friend in her class. And she gets to see her cousins at recess and lunchtime. So she is happy!

When I did pick her up from the bus stop, she did trip, OF COURSE, on her first day. She is a bit clumsy. And she got scratched up elbow and stomach! But she was fine, just a little traumatic. But she told me all about school and how much she loved it and how she loves her teacher. And she said the say did not seem long at all. It went by fast for her. So I am excited for her that she is loving it, but I am sad because she is gone all day. She was my little babysitter when I needed help with Casen.

So Cade does not start for 2 more weeks and everyday, he asks me 20 times a day, if it is time to go and pick-up Corey. He is lost without her. And playing with Casen gets boring after about 20 minutes. We have actually been working on some workbooks to help him out. I feel like he is a little behind Corey, when she was his age!

My kids are getting so big!

Trip to visit my Mom and Dad in CA.

We needed one last trip before Corey started school. So I took the kids to visit my parents in CA. Matt had to stay and work. I actually managed on the plane, with some help from a few friendly travelers. But we made it and had a great time!

We didnt' do any of the big amusement parks this time. We just wanted to relax and do the whole beach and pool thing, buy a few school clothes and play with grandma and grandpa and the cousins!

So we did that. We went out to eat a few times. Went to the beach twice. The kids loved that! Corey and Cade became way more daring in the water. I was so proud of them. Right before we left for CA., Matt was babysitting the kids and I came home and they were all watching JAWS. I was bugged because I knew we were going to be at the beach the following week, but they did OK.

We hung out with my sisters family alot because they live there now! We hung out for 3 days and did the beach thing with them. We also went and saw my cousins and all their kids. We have not done that in awhile! We went swimming and had a little BBQ! It was great to catch up! It was a little stressful because we had 11 kids swomming all under the age of 8. SCARY!

We went to a movie, went minature golfing for the first time with PAPA! And we got to just hang out and play with the cousins and talk with my sisters and my mom and dad and brother. I loved it. We also did a little school shopping!

It was really hard to leave again this time. Casen was so cute with my parents and everyone kept saying what a happy and good baby he is. He really was great! He had a double ear infection before we left and I did not hear a peep from him. He is really the best baby ever. Cade is a major tease withe everyone and Corey did have some bowel issues and still is. We are trying to work that out. What it all comes down to is OUR FAMILY NEEDS TO EAT MORE HEALTHY!

But I cried really bad again when I had to say good-bye at the airport and my kids both cried on the plane. We all really miss my family and can't wait to see them again! It is so hard because Casen is growing so fast right now , sitting up and crawling and they are missing all of that!

First Camping Trip this Summer

So yes, it is already August and this was our first camping trip. We have seriously not gone overnight camping since Corey was like 1 years old. That was a bad experience and I told Matt I would never go tent camping again with babies. It is too hard. So we bought a 2004 pop-up trailer and it is awesome. We first of all got a great deal on it and second of all the kids feel more safe in it.

So we went up for dinner and to spend the night, up Green Canyon in North Logan. We invited Matt's family up for tin foil dinners and smores, but they chose not to stay; Mandy is prego and their daughter is only 2. So they went home about 10 or so and the kids were ready for bed and a few games of UNO.

The kids went to sleep great. We left a light on until they feel asleep. And the baby slept better than he has ever slept. But me and Matt did not sleep too well. All night I kept seeing my kids scoot closer and closer to the edge of their beds. The camp across from us was young kids or teens and were up giggling till 3 AM. Then everytime I layed down my nose stuffed up. (Come to find out the next day, I had a sinus infection). I also had to pee all night and did not want to pee outside by myself in the dark with the bears. I have a little anxiety about bears and protecting my kids because of a Utah bear story last year. I cannot get over that story. I really try and be brave for my kids, but get scared and cannot sleep well. So I tossed and turned all night and then about 5 AM it starts raining and it was so loud. It rained for hours. But at least we know our trailer keeps us dry!

But the kids woke up about 7 AM and could not fall back to sleep. So we played some more UNO until 8:30AM and then I made Matt get up and take us home. It still had not stopped raining and UNO was getting boring. SO we packed all the kids up in the rain and made it home. We then had to spend the next hour hosing everything off because it was muddy and wet!

So our first camping experience was not all we had hoped, but we did learn a few tricks for next time. We hope to go 2 or so more times this summer and fall before it gets too cold! Sorry we do not have any pics of the camper. I will get on that!

Regular Day in the Life of a Mom

I am trying to take full advantage of these warm summer days. So no I have not been to the gym all summer. So we thought we would get a walk in. Willow Park has this great trail. We ate lunch there, played on the playground, tried to find the big ELK they have there, but he was hiding. I guess they are building on to his habitat and he was farther back and we could not see him. Then we went for a long bike ride and I pushed the stroller. It was nice. It has seriously been so nice this summer having Cade be able to ride his bike. He can keep up with Corey and the cousins and it makes my life easier. He really loves is and Corey is a great bike rider too. This walk was nice. And Casen is the best baby ever. He loves being outside and he loves people watching. He loved the walk too.
I know I keep saying this, but I cannot believe that summer is almost here. SO SAD. And Corey will be gone all day. I cannot believe it.
I have really been trying to take advantage of the summer and taking my kids some fun places. I am not pregnant and do not have a newborn, newborn (he is 7 months now), so we have been able to get out and do some fun stuff.
And the last of these pics are with the kids in the bath. I love babies in the bath and out of the bath. They look so cute in the bath with wet hair and out of the bath they smell so good. And my kids are now fighting over who gets to bathe with the baby and who gets to sit by him in the car. Very annoying!