Cole's Summer

Cole loves being outside.  He could stay outside all day everyday.  He likes to dig in the dirt and the sand and play in the water.  He also has several friends in the neighborhood and doesn't mind just going over to the circle (a park across the street) and playing with whoever is there.  He loves to help mow the lawn (at our house, my parents, and my uncles).  He insists on pushing the mower himself.  He thought it was pretty awesome he got to help Grandpa Mike till the garden with a tractor one day.

He does not love to ride his bike.  We have tried many times to get him to ride without training wheels and he refuses.  One day I took him over to the park across the street and made him get on and we rode around it twice with him bawling the whole time and telling me I am a mean mom.  He says he will ride it when he is five.

Cole's best friend Conner lived right across the street from us.  They did everything together.  Those two boys had so much fun.  Then Conner's dad got a new job and they moved.  It was a VERY sad day.  Conner's mom was also one of my best friends.  We did everything together... pool days, bike rides, and smoothies on the porch every day!  The men would come home from work and we'd be sitting in our grunge clothes with our smoothies and toys strewn all about.  They called us porch monkeys.  We miss them!!

Cole also did swimming lessons for the 3rd year and he has improved a lot this year.  He loves jumping off the diving board and making a splash.  One day, we were at the pool with a bunch of friends.  Everyone was getting ready to leave and I couldn't find Cole anywhere.  I thought he had gone back up to the slide one more time but I waited and waited and he never came down.  Ashlee and Conner had already left so I called her thinking she was with them, nope not with them.  I sent Pam's boys into the bathroom to see if he was there, nope not there!  This went on for like twenty minutes and I was really starting to panic.  It was awful.  Finally, Pam's husband sent their oldest son into the bathroom again and he found him.  Not in the regular bathroom but in a little side bathroom in the shower.  I bawled and lectured him the whole way home.  He is a little too brave.

We borrowed my dad's power sprayer one day to clean the garage and Matt let Cole use it to spray the tramp.  He pretended to be a fireman and thought he was pretty awesome.  He has always and still loves firemen.

Matt and Cole went fishing several times.  One day, they woke up at 4:30 to go out to Newton and fish.  They didn't catch a single thing.  Later they went to the trout farm and caught some fish there.  Cole pulled his shirt down over his hands so he wouldn't have to touch the fish.  That improved by the end of the summer.  He also likes to cook and eat the fish after.

Grandpa got a new pellet gun and Cole loves to shoot it.  He asks almost everyday to go visit Grandma Karen.

Most of his friends will be going to kindergarten this year and he was very upset to learn that he is not too.  With a September birthday he just misses the deadline.  I think he is ready to go and would thrive there, but I won't complain about having him home one more year.  He is going back to the same preschool as last year and his cousin Rylin will be in his class this year.  He is also going to play kickball and soccer this fall.

Windcaves

We hiked up to the windcaves for family home evening one night.  Bailee rode in the backpack but the other two hiked and did awesome!  It was a lot of fun to all be together, hiking.  Cole was really worried about seeing a bear so he had to bring a toy gun to shoot it.  Brooke talked the entire way. Good thing Brody and Amber have lots of patience to listen to her!  Bailee is s close second in talking, but loved riding in the backpack.  We had dinner at firehouse after and rode out to Hyrum to see the fire on the mountain -- the kids thought that was pretty cool.

Carrie Visits

Matt's oldest sister lives in Virginia and comes every summer with her 3 kids to visit.  We always try to fit in as much as we can while they are here since we only get to see them once a year.

There were lots of dinners and games and grandma's.  We also took a trip to Tony Grove.  Dustin brought up the kayaks and that was really fun!  We saw a moose walking down to get a drink in the lake.  Brooke and Cole were terrified and sobbed and wanted to get in our car and hide and go home.  We had dutch oven dinner and marshmallows and grandpa told the story of Old Ephraim.  Cole pretended to hunt bears for days after.

All the big kids had a late night movie and popcorn at my house and then a sleepover at Cammie's and a sleepover at grandma's (that was supposed to be outside).  Brooke and Macie got scared and came in before it even got too late.

We bought material and made skirts for all the girls (that I still haven't finished-- need to do that!). We went to the pool and had a water fight in the ditch.  Cammie and Carrie gave everyone pedicures and we played lots of games with dice, mostly because Catherine kept losing and wanting to play more.

Cole and Michael were such boys and always getting dirty.  Cole loved having someone who loves the same things as him.  Last year for Christmas Cole and Michael drew each other's names and Carrie and I got them the very same fire truck puzzle without even knowing it.  They are two peas in a pod.

It is fun to see them and we wish they lived closer, but at least the aren't in Spain anymore (Carrie missed our wedding because they were living in Spain at the time)!  Maybe one of these years we will get to go to there house and visit.

4th of July

Some how I managed to only get one picture on the 4th this year.  The kids were too busy lighting fireworks and playing to hold still for pictures.  We had our annual cook out and fireworks show at my parents on the 3rd and then water baseball on the 4th.  We started the water baseball tradition shortly after Matt and I were married and it is something we all enjoy.  We had the whole family this year, minus Blair and Tyler doing summer sales in Minnesota (we missed them LOTS!).  The kids are big enough now that they love playing too.

Family Campout

This continues to be one of my very favorite traditions.  It has been going on since long before I was born... before my parents were even married.  We miss grandma and grandpa but there is no doubt they are watching over us and there with us in spirit!

The kids were really disappointed that we didn't stay over this year, but after Ragnar and Girl's Camp I was so ready to sleep in a bed!  We still spent lots of time up there though.

Matt took me shooting and made fun of the way I shoot.  I did hit the target though!  I bet I could do better with a shotgun, I've never shot a handgun before.  We went on lots of 4-wheeler rides.  Matt hit a squirrel with Cole and Cole was very distraught about it.

Saturday, Amber, Brody, Ace, the girls and I went over to the lake.  I forgot a swimsuit but it was still fun to sit at the beach and hang out.  Amber wouldn't let me take any pictures with her in them because she was in the awkward pregnant but I look fat stage :)  (we are excited to be getting a new nephew in December!)

Brooke is in love with Brody's dog.  Whenever we go to my parent's house the dogs see her and bark at her because they know she will get them out.  When Ace was a smaller puppy she'd haul him all around.  Now he is too big and strong for her to control.  She thought it was pretty awesome that he was camping and then swimming in Bear Lake.  She also loves the horses and always asks to ride them when Grandpa has them anywhere.

Bailee was so so dirty, but she loved it.  I think she falls asleep on the 4-wheeler every year.  This year we couldn't get her to get on the horses.  She is terrified of them.

Cole is a piro.  He loves the fire.  And dirt, and everything about camping.  He is in heaven in the mountains (surprise, surprise right?)  Just a funny side note... his swim teacher finally figured out his name by the end of the summer, but for the last few years and the first part of this year she has called him Brody :)  We took swim there as kids and I guess he must remind her a lot of Brody.

Mom and Shawna had just gotten back from a week at the beach in California.  They've suddenly become sentimental and decided to take lots of pictures.  We had to get one of them at a "Jardine" vacation.  I still don't think the kids quite grasp the whole brothers married sisters and they are on both sides of our family relationship... all they know is they have extra grandparents, aunts, and cousins and it is fun.  :)

I love seeing my family and being away from the world for a little bit.  I was sad we didn't get to be there for breakfast this year (it is my favorite part!) but sleeping in my bed after 7 days of camping was totally worth it :)