Home, Where the Real Adventures Happen

I was thinking about everything we have done this summer, and I think my favorite things are our everyday routine at home. I love waking up, having time to make whatever breakfast we want, and planning little activities. This is our typical day.

We usually start the morning off with oatmeal facials. 

After we get ready I put Bentley down for a nap, and Hudson and I do some cleaning.

In the afternoon there is a lot of bike riding.

Craft time, which usually involves a box.

And no day would be complete without running in circles around the couch.

 And there is definitely a bit of this when mom needs a break 😄 I love spending my days with these rapidly growing boys.

Park City and Rodeo

thing this blog has done for me is made me realize all of the fun stuff we get to do together as a family. We went to park city last Thursday and had so much fun I think we just started new family tradition. There is so much to do there on the off season, not to mention great prices on luxury condos. We were so glad the weather was so nice for us, and the kids were pleasantly surprised to find a  box of lucky ch

Happy 24th

We started the day out as every holiday should, sleeping in then making a big breakfast. In the afternoon we checked out the Spanish fork splash pad and park with Zach, Amanda, and Grandma. The park was so cool I couldn't help but play on it too. It got so hot we had to get Ice cream at our families favorite spot, Costco.

Amanda was such a trooper for sitting in hat hot sun for hours. Later that night we watched a concert in mapleton city park. After the concert they had an amazing firework show. Bentley stayed up pretty late but Hudson crashed after the first couple minutes of the firework show. Mapleton city definitely knows how to put on a party. 

Tracy Aviary and an Awesome Fountain Park

This picture has nothing to do with aviary or fountains, it just captured the relationship of these two boys so well as we got ready for our adventures today. Hudson is always making Bentley laugh all day. A couple of days ago my mom took Bentley for a while and when Hudson asked where he was I said we left him at the lake. Yes I know poor parenting move, but my curiosity overcame me. He immediately started to cry and tell us how much he was going to miss him. It was so sweet. We of course told him the truth.

We decided to go to the aviary because of Bentley's fascination with birds, or as he calls them "bardies". The second we walked through the entrance he was pointing and yelling bardy bardy. 

I will be honest this was not our best trip out. Hudson had just woken up from a nap, Bentley's hunger overcame his love of birds, and it was way too hot for this little mama. We were saved by corn dogs and snow cones at liberty park, and this intricate little fountain we found close by. We didn't have our suits but I never go anywhere without a swim diaper. We couldn't resist.

Beach Boys!

One of the greatest things about where we live is that we are sandwiched between two awesome lakes. It has been an extremely hot week and we have been swimming a ton.

We went to Willard last Monday with gram and papa. The water was so warm it almost didn't cool you off. Hudson didn't notice. He was playing the entire time. Every once in a while you get a moment where everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. This was definitely one of those moments.

Scott is such a swimmer. It's probably where the boys get it from. These pictures are actually from pineview resevior. 

 We love these hot summer days.

New car!!

We are very excited about the newest addition to our family. I have been having my eye on a minivan for a while. It is so nice to have all of the extra space. Bentley is happy his mom doesn't  hit his head on the door while putting him in the carseat anymore, Hudson loves the DVD player, and Mom appreciates not having to scoot her seat all the way up for the rear facing carseat. We are on our way to Payson lake, and it is amazing that we fit everything in the back!  Quality of my life just improved dramatically😀

Payson lake and my little piece of heaven

Hudson was so happy on the ride there to use is binoculars to look outside.

This man is such a swimmer. First one in.

Libby and Hannah. Mason, Tanner, and Max wrestling on the log on the background.

Me and my honey.

There you have it Payson lake 2013. For the good and the bad you were worth it. The first two days were pretty rainy, but the boys didn't notice and we still got a good jam in that night around the camp fire. Seemed about the same time it started clearing up, we all started puking. Haha we need to redeem this trip for sure.

I couldn't find a sprinkler head, but I remembered something I saw on Pinterest, and I just have to say I think I nailed it.

I love the view of the mountains from my house. Tonight the kids and I did some weeding in a warm summer rain. It felt great, and we didn't miss the opportunity to see this beautiful rainbow after. I love my wasatch mountains.

Happy 4th of July!!!

We love the 4th of July at our house. I love passing on my family traditions to my kids, and adding a few of our own. We spent the majority of the morning at the Kaysville parade. Parades sure seem a lot longer now that I am older. Hudson and Bentley got some candy, bead necklaces, beach balls, and toothbrushes. I have always been impressed by this parade. They had some great floats. Hudson's favorite things were the fire trucks and candy.

At the end of the parade they always have a big water fight with fire hoses, boats, and buckets of water. Mama Gerrard started early and ended up getting a bucket of water on her from Jason. We didn't last long because Bentley got a little scared from all of the chaos.

These boys took getting candy very seriously. Bentley would crack me up. He would waddle out there, grab one pieceof candy candy, hand it to me, and waddle back. 

Hudson's umbrella that Grandma Lloyd got for him.

My handsome husband... 

The man who started it all, and our favorite waffle maker. He was very careful not to fall, but still managed to participate in the water fight. He got an entire water bottle down Hailey's back before she noticed.

After the parade we swam at Grandpa Dewey's pool. Kids had a blast. Hudson is turning into such a little swimmer. I had to keep a close eye on him. At one point he jumped right in the hot tub and swam to the side. No pictures on that adventure sorry.

Poppers!!

After swimming we went to aunt Sarah's and had a BBQ with the family. We played with cousins at the Willard park, and I was very pleasantly surprised how fun Willard, UT could be. They had a live band, food, and a candy drop from an airplane. Sarah and I volunteered to keep the masses back till all of the candy dropped.  Unfortunately Sarah was still pelted by a few.

Fireworks were amazing as well.  I love this holiday and I love this country. It makes me so happy to explain to my kids why this country is so amazing, and how lucky we all are to live here.

Bentley's 15 month check up

Bentley
Weight: 21lb 10 oz, almost time to switch car seats 32%
Height: 30.75" 33%
Head circumference: 47.5" 70%

What does all of this mean, I have one big headed boy :) Bentley is now walking well, squatting and standing up, copying all of our actions, kicking and throwing balls, and saying lots of words.  His favorite words are Mama, Dada, ball, bottle, baby, basketball, Hi, Bye bye.  He is a great eater and spends most of his day playing with cars and airplanes, exploring our backyard, and trying to be like his older brother.  Love this kid to pieces.  Glad he checked out ok.  I remember when he was first born and he had several abdominal problems.  I am so grateful that he grew out of all of those things without much intervention, and we now have one lovable  healthy little boy.

Dads latest project

For the last two weeks Scott has been sanding and staining our three decks.  It has been a lot of work, but  we found redwood underneath and it looks beautiful.

Here are some of the before pics.  It had gray paint that matched the exterior of the house.  I didn't think to take before pics, but I had a couple that were taken last spring.

Hudson was so excited to help his dad.  He put on his "mountain biking gloves", a mask, and used his toy truck as a sander to help Dad.  Kept him entertained all afternoon.