Fourth of July Events....

There are so many things going on this month! I'm so excited because fireworks, family get-togethers, fun activites, you name it...it's all exciting for me.

My cousin Kayla from Washington came to visit last week and we took her to Boondocks for a little fun....

Julia took Brax inthe playland and I caught him coming down the slide all by himself...he loved every second!
We all went on the bumper boats...and got more wet than we thought we would...but Carter loved spraying me!

Last weekend was also South Ogden Days. Scott stayed home with Brax to put him to bed early while J and I took Carter to the festivities.

Carter loved the rocketship ride...there wasn't a red one so he chose the pink one.

There was one ride where you climb through all of these things to get to the huge slide at the end....this little guy went on it like 10 times! He loved it. I love how brave he is now about those things.
I really wanted a pic of me and my little guy with the fireworks in the background...Carter really wanted to watch the show...so here you go!

Another thing we've been doing a lot of in honor of summer is eating at our new patio set....my mom and dad got me a patio set and a mini set for the boys for my birthday and we've just recently been able to really use it.

It's really comfy, and such a great size for our patio.

The boys just love their matching mini seats.

I can't wait for what we have in store this weekend!

Hiking...Our New Passion...

Lately, Scott and I have been on a "hiking kick" and it's great! We've shared our new found love for the great outdoors together which has been so nice. I usually hate being in the wilderness and Scott couldn't be happier, while I'd rather have a real bathroom and room service Scott would love nothing more than a campfire and tent! But hiking has really been a nice treat for us.

Scott heard about a great trail in Ogden, Waterfall Canyon where you hike all the way to a gorgeous waterfall (hence the name) So we decided to give it a shot...but first we took the boys on a "mini-hike" to test it out the night before...

They loved it! Carter had to be the "leader" and helped daddy pick flowers for me on the way down. Of course Brax was content to be held, and just looked at everything.
It was such a fun "hike." Scott and I switched off carrying Brax which was nice in the beginning...then on the way down he thought he'd pick flowers too by just reaching out and literally pulling them...this was so annoying because he's strong and it was stop me in my tracks!

The next day Scott and I got some much needed "date time" hiking! The view was amazing...
We had no idea what we were in for...but it was really fun chatting the whole time.
I have to admit...everyone said it was worth it (and for their sake I kept saying that they better be right) and it really was....
It was so hot, but the water coming off was like a freezing mist and was so nice! We hiked what seemed like forever and really got a great workout, some fun alone time, and accomplished something together....who knew the great outdoors was capable of something like that?

Lagoon Day!

It's been almost a year since we've been to Lagoon (the last time we went it was Frightmares) so really it's been about 8 years since we've really been there.

My mom had special "teacher" coupons and we got in for a STEAL! We went on a weekday, so it was my mom, sister, me and the boys....and both of our boys LOVED every minute!

My sister and I made Carter ask my mom to ride on the kiddie swings with him...she will never say no to that kid. And though she totally fought it at first....she had a great time!
Carter has inherited the love of cotton candy from me (but I so inherited it from my mom)
It's fun though because my mom and I almost have withdrawls at places like this until we get our cotton candy fix...

Carter and I were so excited to ride the ferris wheel....Aunt Ju Ju decided to get over her fears and come with us. You can see EVERYTHING from up there!

This is Carter's favorite ride (he made J ride it about 10 times with him)

I will say though, we had to end the eventful day with some fountain time...

Carter had so much fun, he's changed so much and is so much more brave and independent. I love it!

And Brax really did a great job. That kid didn't sleep all day and was seriously a great trooper. Though he did get very jealous watching Carter ride the fun rides.

Once my mom sat with him though at the end of the day...this is what happened...

He was out!

Thanks for such an amazing day mom!

Fat Cats...

My mom and sister are now on summer break...so of course they spend a ton of time with us now. We were all together one night and decided to go to Fat Cats. It's definitely a favorite in our home.

My sister and Scott competed in the "dance dance" game and Brax joined in....

I couldn't let Scott have all the fun, so I tried it out too! If you've never done it...it's a must!
Carter loves the red motorcycle game...and it's a rare chance that he'll let me share the ride with him.

Brax loves skee-ball and tried to crawl all the way up!

Birthday Activities!

I know it's late, but like I said we've been super busy lately!

We all celebrated my birthday last week and had a blast, I just haven't posted about it yet.

Everyone knows I have a weird diet because of my food allergies, so for this birthday we got some cookies, iced and decorated them and that was my "cake." It sounds really funny, but Carter had a great time decorating them and they were so yummy!My mom, sister, the boys and I drove to Draper and met Ashley and her kids at Boondocks! I have to say I had a blast there...the boys played together while Ash and I got to chat and catch up. I'm so glad my mom and sister were able to make it this year!

Julia drove Carter and I got to drive Hunter....gotta love it! Overall, it was a great day. We got to see our friends, hang out with family and play....what's not to love?

Fruits of Our Labor....

Our garden actually is producing! I know it's supposed to, but we seriously don't know what we're doing so to actually see strawberries growing is amazing!

We have so many things popping up all over the garden! Is is bad that I completely forgot what was planted where?
I got this tomato plant for Mother's Day from my dad and it's blossoming already! Carter thinks this whole "growing your food" thing is pretty cool!

I have to admit, gardening is pretty rewarding!

TBall Celebration!

Carter finished up his very first season of TBall! He did such a great job listening to the coach, watching his team mates and learning all about the sport.

The Base put on a great awards ceremony with a BBQ afterwards and everything! Here's our little guy with his awesome trophy!

The splash pad on base just opened, so we decided to take the kids there after to celebrate...

My dad bought a new pool for the kids (and an awesome patio set for the adults) so we all went back to his house for a BBQ.

Carter loves that this pool has a slide, water-shooting dolphin, and a deep-end just for him! (Brax is only allowed in the "shallow" end)

While we were filling the "deep" end, Brax chilled in "his" section of the pool.
It was such a great time and so fun to have the whole family having fun together.

Water Fun....

This weather has been so crazy....we joke around our house that Mother Nature is BiPolar!

There have been some really nice days though...and I am so behind on my blogging so here are some pics of the boys playing in the water.

We went with Scott's family to the Gateway and the cousins loved playing in the water!

Carter is obsessed with the fountains this year...and Brax is so independent...it makes it so much fun to go because they both have such a great time

The Splash Pad near our house is perfect because it's not too far, it's free and the kids LOVE every minute!

We stopped at Costco to get dinner (I know it sounds ghetto but our boys love the pizza and churros, while Scott and I get the hot dogs and smoothies)

Then we headed to the splash pad...here's Brax finishing his pizza...

They just love getting wet and watching the water "do tricks" as Carter says...
I'm ready for it to be pemanently good weather...this teasing stuff is getting hard!

Halle's Birthday Party...

Carter has an adorable little friend named Halle. Her mom, Heather, and I do Cub Scouts together, so our kids get to play with each other a ton! Is she the cutest thing or what?

It was Halle's 2nd Birthday and Carter was so excited to go to a Princess party for once!

They decorated hats and wore "necklaces" (I have to say, Carter was a great sport with the dress up section and even put on a pink tu-tu and wings!)

It was all outside and the backyard was the perfect place to let the kids play and have a great time! Heather had a water table out and I have to say it was a hit! (Even with the babies)

The kids loved moving from one "station" to the next and doing all sorts of fun things
There was even a ball jumping castle...and I have to say I'm pretty sure Brax LOVED it the most!

I'm so glad we got to go to this fun "girl" party! My boys had a blast!

Guess Who's 25?

Today is an amazing day!

I am now 25 years old...that's such a fun age. I'm not "old" yet, but still I'm not a "youngin" so it's a very nice compromise.

When you get older though, birthdays really aren't a huge deal (we all know I go crazy for my boys' birthdays) but when it comes to me, hanging out, going to dinner and getting a few presents is what it's all about.

I will toot my own horn though and say that I have done so much in my 25 years!

Looking back over the years at everything I've done, the experiences I've had and the accomplishes made, I've realized that my greatest achievements are:

I am the mom to 2 of the most amazing boys ever! Scott and I are so lucky to have such amazing kids and be able to watch them grow up together.

(by the way, this is what the boys LOVE doing now. Carter pulls Brax in the car behind him by linking the wheel in the "trailer" part of his bike. They do this for hours...and Braxton cries for more everytime Carter stops!)

For those that don't know, my life has been crazy. I've been everywhere from Central America to Europe, I've been the "new girl" 19 times in school, I was 17 graduating from high school and 20 graduating from college, a mom at 21 and finally a stay-at-home mom of 2 by 24!

I'm hoping to slow down a bit for the next 25 years....but I do have a lot to be grateful for and today is all about appreciating everything I do have.

The Great Outdoors....FINALLY!

All I can say is...Mother Nature and I haven't been friends lately!

Our poor little boys LOVE being outside...and with the weather lately it's been so hard to be stuck indoors!

Now that it's getting better...this is what we've been up to lately,

Motorcycle ridin'

Fire Truck ridin'
Eating and shucking a TON of corn
(both boys will eat corn on the cob! Carter eats 2 ears at one sitting and Brax loves chewing on a small section too!) It's safe to say that being outside more has made us ALL happy!
This picture is just a side note....Carter was still sleeping one morning while Brax and I were up. I heard a lot of extra noise coming from the playroom and this is what I found...

Brax was so content playing McDonald's for about 45 minutes! So cute!