WHY I LOVE SUMMERTIME

Most people dread summer in Arizona. It's average around 115 degrees, you hate to leave your house cause it's so hot and if you do, getting back into your car you think your gonna die and the poor kids car seats are burning hot, you can barely drive cause the staring wheel is burning your hands. You can't walk outside barefoot or you'll scorch your feet. Along with lots of other things I'm sure people can add, BUT there's so many good things about summer.

I LOVE SUMMER!
I LOVE letting the kids run around with hardly any cloths on cause it's cooler.
I LOVE having every fan on in my house to try and lower our huge electric bill.
I LOVE being so hot outside then walking into a nice cool house and getting a big refreshing drink.
I LOVE walking out into the heat after being in a freezing restaurant or movie.
I LOVE LOVE AZ summer nights, where it stays light for so long and it's nice and warm but not hot.
I LOVE trying to hurry and eat popsicles outside befor they melt all over you.
I LOVE little tan bodies and white butts.
I LOVE lazy afternoons, reading or napping while my kids sleep.
I LOVE all the summer water activities.
And most of all I LOVE my pool!

It gives me such a good feeling to see our back yard look like this. With pool toys and rafts everywhere and towels and the kids cloths on the chair drying cause we can't go out back without them getting in the pool.

Our daily ritual. Every afternoon after they get up from their naps, we all change and head out back with otter pops. It's everyones favorite time of day.


Tyler giving Mads a kiss. What cute sisters!


Ty has become a little fishy. She jumps off the step and swims over to the side of the pool. She's a really good swimmer but I still get really nervous cause she doesn't know how to come up for a breath yet.

Madix played with Tyler's panties forever. She would get them wet then put it on her head. It was so funny and cute.




This is Tyler when I tell her to give me a BIG smile.

Mads just talking on her phone. She totally holds it up to her ear and "talks". It's funny how they just learn those things.
In the words of Henry James "Summer afternoon-- summer afternoon; to me these have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." I have to agree!
P.S. We swim almost every afternoon around 4 and would love to have company for anyone close by who would like to join us.

Family Pictures

We got these taken a few months ago, but am just finally getting them all. So these will be Tyler's 2 year pictures.
This is my favorite of Tyler, I LOVE IT!




This one wouldn't upload any bigger but it turned out really cute. They actually had to take Tyler from another picture and put her in this one, to get a picture of both of them smiling.



All the grandkids with "Gigi and Papa"


My beautiful mom. And my stud of a dad.


My sister Kacey and her fam, My sister Melanie and her fam, and My brother Benson and his fam.


The Latest with Ty and Mads:
Madix is 11 months and is walking all over the place! She LOVES to walk. But she always has to be holding something when she's walking. It's kind of funny, she'll find anything, dish towel, a doll, a ball, and just walk around the house for hours holding it.
Tyler has finally mastered potty training!! Yeah!! This is the 3rd try in about 5 months and she has it down pretty good this time. She's been going all week and has only had an accident when we were out back. I don't really quite know how to go about teaching her how to wipe, but I guess one thing at a time. I'de rather wipe her than change diapers.

Lake Powell

All my family took a trip to Powell this last week and it ended up being a good and bad trip.

The second day there Dave was wakeboarding, catching some big air and on one of the landings he hurt his back pretty bad, and it put him out of commission for the rest of the trip. Poor guy just had to lay in the hotel the next day. No this isn't a picture of him. Unfortunately I wasn't taking pictures yet, but this is "close" to what he looked like:)

Me and my sisters Melanie and Kacey on the tube. It was a wild ride, I have 2 HUGE bruises on my leg to prove it


Riding the good ol banana, so fun! Yes I'm the whimp wearing the wetsuit. The water was freezing!

This is me wakeboarding, doing some little jumps. So much fun, but I can hardly move today, you use so many mucsles you forget you have.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY to the best dads in the world!! I love these 2 guys so much and am SO thankful for everything they do for me and my family.

SWIM LESSONS

No, Madix is still a little you to take swim lessons, but she loved watching all the other kids try a learn to swim.

Miss Bonnie takes Tyler about 6 ft away from the side, drops her under water and tells her to swim to the side. It's amazing how they just figure it out. Tyler has been so brave! I was so nervous for her the first day, and even though she was shaking like crazy she never cried.

The second day Tyler did not want to kick for some reason, she would just float under water and barely move, scary! She leaves them under water for about 10 seconds to try and figure out by themselves how to get to the side. Tyler reaching for the side. Good thing she has long arms.


Miss Bonnie trying to get her to kick.

They put her in a tube when it's not her turn to try and help her kick, but Tyler is so tired (this is right during her nap time) that she just lays in the tube and doesn't move.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMI

"Fair-weather friends are easy to find, but a genuine friend who can be counted on to remain true is a treasure worth searching for. When you have found someone who is authentic, someone who is true, you have found the fairest gem that the riches of worlds can produce."
Lloyd D. Newell
Tami has been my best friend for about 17 years now and I have truely found a treasure to have her in my life.
We met in Highschool, went away to college together, both went on missions, got married a week apart from eachother, had kids and know live 10 minutes from eachother.
She has been there for me in every aspect of my life and would drop anything at a minutes notice to help me.
When I NEEDED to go back to work but didn't know how I could with kids, she was the one to tell me to do it and she would watch my kids. She has 3 little kids of her own and works from home. She is the most selfless, caring person I know. She even cancelled her babies doctors apt. one time because I needed a babysitter. That is just ONE of the millions of things she has done for me.
"Everyone has a "best friend" during each stage of life- only a precious few have the same one."

I am so so blessed to have Tami in my life and know that she will always be one of the most important people in my life.
I love you Tami, thanks for being the best, best friend ever!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Now to go down memory lane just a bit.

Us in highschool on "Brady Bunch" day.

Tami came to the beach with my family every summer. She's considered part of our family.


Rocky Point with her family, we were seriously stuck on the sand.


We went to UVSC to college and had the best time ever. One of our favorite things to do was to go up Provo Canyon. Halloween in college.


We had never lived in snow before, so when we woke up the first morning it snowed in Provo and saw everything white we were beyond excited and just ran outside. And visiting Tami when she lived in Flastaff. We went "caving".


We still love to do all of our tricks. This is just a couple months ago:) We've been doing them for 15 years and haven't lost it.

In our wedding dresses. It was so fun to get married just a week from each other.


And of course our kids are gonna marry eachother! Will it be Nolan? Or Colby? We're really gonna have to watch these 2, kissing already!:)



And our girls will of course be best friends:)