gettin' our rage on

now that the sun and heat have finally arrived, we took a trip to raging waters. it was the perfect day. it was very hot, with a light breeze.

first step in, the water was freezing. but, we all know that freezing water doesn't keep any kiddo out of the pool. we were all happy when our bodies acclimated to the cooler water.

we were having a blast splashing in the pools, sliding down the slides, floating on the tubes, swinging from the rope, & chasing the boy.

my sister jerri came with her family, along with my sister chalese. they were having fun too. jerri & sam had a bit too much fun. she fractured her clavicle when he landed on her after a team ride on the tubes-poor thing.
we kept their kids while they took an even funner trip to the er.

now we had 5 little bodies to keep track of-ahhhh!
but we still had a blast!
bayli keeps asking when we get to go again.

come slide with me

getting our slide on

free as a bird
(i am sure that i got a wedgy on that splash down)

nearing the end of bayli's first tubing experience,
jed looks excited from head to toe
bay looks...nervous

splash down!

bay still looking a bit nervous

the smile ensues!
i can't count how many times she rode on the tubes after that first ride, she was in love.

chase had many full body grins-even when he was shivering.

what did you learn in primary?

We hear a lot from Bayli. Some of the funniest things are when she tells us about what she learns in Primary. Today's rundown was even funnier than usual.

Bayli's take on David & Goliath:

"There was this Giant, and these little people. And the little boy took out a rock and a sling shot and hit the Giant in the head. And he fell down. And then the little boy took out a sword and cut off the Giant's head...it was disgusting."

We laughed out loud.

not just a kiss

my life is bliss.
is it a dream?
i melt.

little scrapper

he is done eating.
he starts to throw his food on the floor.
he screams.
he shouts, "nanananana!!!!"

i take him out of the chair (no more sane restraint).
we wash. first hands, then face.
we dry.

i set him on the ground.

a personal thought: "should i clean the chair now or later?"

i decide on later.

i put the leftovers away, and begin to clean the kitchen.

he walks around the corner.
he smiles at me.
he holds out his hand.
he has found a treasure to give to me.

i take it and say "thank-you for cleaning up."

he races back around the corner.

this time i follow.

he reaches his chubby little hand into the chair, bending his head so as not to bump it.
he flashes another smile.
he finds another treasure.
is it for me?
he pops it into his mouth, "num num!"

i clean the chair.

Snow in Summer

Having my sister in town has been fun. Yesterday we took our kids up Big Cottonwood Canyon for a picnic. We chose Silver Lake as our destination. It has an nice path/boardwalk all the way around the lake. Which means, Bob gets to come! If I don't have my pack horse (Jed) I am always more reluctant to take the backpack. Besides, Bob can pack a lot more junk-love it!

We stopped for Subway on our way. I had planned to pack a nice 'homemade' lunch, but...Chase had a rough morning.

It was forecasted to be a gorgeous day. We arrived at about 10 am. It was a little bit chilly on arrival, definitely jacket weather. But as we started the walk around the lake, everything warmed up. It was about 66 degrees and sunny with a light breeze-perfect.

The kids had a great time walking around the lake. They loved climbing on the rocks, looking for ducks, playing in the snow (yes there was still a bit), walking on fallen trees, finding dead fish, and searching for beavers.

After our walk, we headed for the picnic area for lunch. I had flashbacks of Zion. Attack of the killer chipmunks!

Nothing had gone wrong with Bayli up to this point. I guess that is why a bird decided to poop on her-just guessing. She has the worst luck lately.

After lunch the kids climbed on the rocks some more before we headed home.

A Beautiful View

Our Guide

Bayli being...Bayli

Snack Time!

Bayli, Natasha, & Alissa

What's Atherley Crack Ups without a little crack from Bay?

Alissa, Easton, & Bayli

Looking for ducks and fish.

A little snow fun.

Chalese & Bayli climbing the tree

Such Cute Girls

Chalese, Bayli, Easton, & Natasha


Natasha & Alissa


BOB-my love!!!

Bayli, Easton, Alissa, & Natasha
Natasha was great at striking a hiphop pose.

The Zoo Is...

My sister Jerri is visiting with her kiddos (can you hear the CHEERS OF JOY!!!?)
She lives in Texas, too far away.
Imagine this: driving 20 hours, alone with three kids -AHHHHH!!!
But really, my sister is one of the most patient people I know. Also, she would give the shirt off her back to anyone. That mentioned, I still bet the above mentioned 'imagine' was a bad nightmare. At least her youngest is six (I would think that should be better).
Jerri, Easton (11), Natasha (7), and Alissa (6) arrived last Thursday night.
The few days that we have been able to spend with them have been...busy for the kids. All that her kids want to do is stay at Grandma's and play-I don't blame them after being in a car that long. But, they are on vacation and there are way too many things to do and people to visit.

Her poor kids were tortured (by this I mean they had to get back in the car) the morning after they arrived.
We decided to take a trip to Hogle Zoo-one of Bayli's faves.
So with Chase screaming, Natasha pouting, and a car full of squished kids we were off. We took my nephew Jaren along to hang with Easton.
The kids warmed up to the fun of the zoo, mostly, minutes into the arrival. They were eager to see all of the animals, ride on the carousel, ride on the train, play at the park, and visit the gift shop. (Side note: this was THE LONGEST time that I have ever spent at the zoo!)
Having a pass makes our visits perfect, short and sweet. Normally we make it a fast visit in the Bob, play in the park, and pick one of the rides. We never go to the shops. Bayli takes her stuffed zebra to make her feel one with the zoo (we forgot it this trip). An average trip for us is just over an hour. This trip was about four hours-PAINFUL!
By the time we got back to the car, Chase was way past needing a nap (more screams on the way home). Not to mention, the other kids were beat. Good thing they got to stop at the gift shop, they weren't screaming as much.

I love the pic with Bayli and "the scary Gorilla." What a painful moment-for her.

Driving Along In My Automobile...

Bayli behind the wheel of her ever so awesome box car. We fashioned this beautiful machine for drive in movie day at Preschool. I must say, her car looked amazing!
The designer specially fabricated this dream machine with a bit of complete girliness, as requested by the owner. "It has to be purple with butterflies and sparkles."

Come Swim With Me

Bayli completed her first year of Preschool! To celebrate, one of her friends had a swim party. We were so excited! It was Chase's first encounter with a 'real' swimming pool (I know people, we are lame parents). And let me say, he LOVED it. He is a water boy, which means DANGER!

Chase despised the life jacket. I don't know when I will have the courage to attempt that again.

Check out these cute beach babes!



These girls had a blast! And, Bayli was totally rockin' in her green goggles. Thanks to our great friends for a splashin' fun time!

Oquirrh Temple

We got the privilege of going to the Oquirrh Temple open house on Wednesday. What a beautiful temple. Bayli was so excited to go see it. Every time that we drive by it she shouts, "look guys, there's the temple." She had so many questions, and was very interested in the Baptismal font. "Why are the cows in it?"
The other day she told Jed "when I am eight years old, I want you to baptize me."
I have to admit that we are not the best at talking about these things with her. I guess that she gets her knowledge from her wonderful primary teachers.
I know that we are uplifted by Bayli every day. It is amazing how Christlike little kids are.

Here is 3/4 of our eternal family (we didn't want to deal with Chase).





After we went through the temple, we took a walk by Oquirrh Lake. Bayli is so funny. She had to pose by every rock in the waterfall. She can smile really cute when she tries.





















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