The day after we picked up grandma and grandpa from the airport we spent time at Temple Square. I love this place.  it is an automatic refuge from the world.  All you have to do it walk on the grounds and you feel the spirit that is there, I love it.  We spent a lot of time in the visitors center particularly in the room with the statue of the Savior.

 There were lots of extra hugs from grandma

 and just being together

 A few days later we were on our first 4-wheeler ride of the summer with grandma and grandpa Bogh.  The snow had finally melted and we were able to make our way through the beautiful mountains.

 You gotta love that helmet hair.

 

Toms dad was keeping him in line, I need him around more often.

4th of July 2011

I have to say that the 4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year.  I love the celebration in our small town, it is the even of the year and I look forward to it each summer. Patriotism is at an all time high and there is a great feeling of being untied and proud of our country.

The cute red, white, and blue outfits are the icing on the cake.

We always stake our claim on a section of main street the day before to ensure the best view of the parade and for the kids their dibs on candy.

Our favorite part of the parade was watching Madison dance down the street, she did a great job and as she stated "it was good exercise".

After the parade we hooked up to the boat and headed to the lake.  The kids were excited to have the puppies greet us.  My brothers dog gave birth to 9 of these darlings on Memorial day, they sure are cute but we "already have a dog" is what are children heard every time they pleaded with us to take one home. 

 

After our trip to the lake we came home and had a fun BBQ at our house, it was such a fun day!

Sparklers and glow bracelets are a staple at our 4th of July celebrations, Emma loves them both.

Happy Birthday America, we love to celebrate our freedom.

Children's Parade

 Our patriotic celebration would not be complete without the children's  parade.  What could be more fun than walking down the street when it is over 90 degrees?  To our kids the popsicle at the end makes it all worth it.

 All three of the big kids rode their bikes in the parade this year.  They had a lot of fun decorating them and making them look patriotic, Emma even wanted to paint her bike, luckly we talked her out of that one.

 Our ward did face painting, which is always fun

By the end the kids were done apparently the crate paper in the wheels was causing problems and getting stuck in the chains of their bikes.  But they made it to the end.

July

I have so much to catch up on.  We have been having a busy but fun month.  We went to Quail Lake with the Rasmussen family and had such a great time.  The weather was perfect and the water was 72 degrees.

 We love this tube that they have.  It is huge and can hold a ton of people the picture above is all the girls

 here are the boys

 Me with the little kids, they were getting pretty brave and taking turns standing on the tube

 Our whole family, we weren't actually being pulled, but it was fun to get a picture of all of us.

 

Tom and the big kids on one last ride.  Thanks to Wendy and her kids for taking us while Karl and Kolby were at Scout Camp.  We had such a fun time with them as always.

They Made it home

We are so glad to have grandma and grandpa Thalman home from their mission in Cambodia.  Here are some of the kids with the sign they made to welcome them home!

This picture is kind of fuzzy, but the look on their faces is priceless.  All of the grandkids were the first to greet them.

and Garb was right there too

Allie wasn't to sure about grandma

but grandpa was great.

C.J. was excited to see them too, I love this picture of he and grandpa

 This is a partial picture of those of us at the airport, the girl who took the picture wasn't quite sure how to use our camera so I think this is about half.  It was so great to have everyone there at the airport and having them home with us is even better than I could imagine.  We are so glad that they had the opportunity to serve and the examples they are to us, but we are selfish too because having them here with us is wonderful.

Today is the Day!

It has been 18 months and grandma and grandpa are coming home TODAY! we are so excited.  Madison told me that it is like a million Christmas' all in one day, and she is exactly right.  The kids made a countdown chain a few weeks ago with a picture of them at the top.  The kids each take their turn to rip off a link.  It has been so fun to see it get shorter and shorter.  Having my parents on a mission has been a wonderful experience for all of us.  I know our family has learned and grown so much since they have been gone.  We have been so blessed because of their willingness to serve.  I am excited to talk to them and hug them and have them live close to us again.  But I am most excited for them to meet our sweet little Allie.  In the 18 months since they left 5 new grandchildren have been born for a total of 20.  It is such an exciting day and we can't wait to see them!

Seven Peaks

We spent a day at seven peaks, it was fun, but would have been better had the weather cooperated.  When we got there the sun was hot and shiny, 10 minutes the later it was pouring, a typical summer rain storm.  We waited about 45 minutes and were able to get back in an hour later the rain came again so we were out of the water, then back in repeat that 3 more times and that was our day.

I thought the kids might be bored is disappointed, but that was not the case.  In between rain storms they found plenty of ways to stay busy.

climbing up the tower of tubes

eating fishy crackers

striking a pose

and pretending to be on the tube ride.  It was a crazy day at a water park but the kids enjoyed every second.  I just look forward to when we go again on a nice sunny day.

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On the way home we went through Gunnison and Mater was parked on main street in front of the theater.  The kids were so excited, we are huge Cars fans at our house.

 

It was a great replication that someone had made and as my kids said we didn't have to wait in line forever to see him like we did at Disneyland.  So fun.

This little girl has been enjoying her summer.  She loves that her big sisters are home all day, she thinks that she is as big as they are.  Madison dressed her up as a princess and she loved it.  She was so cute and even left the tiara on, she looked so cute.  I think this is a sign of things to come.

More than dressing up she is loving the treats of summer.  She loves ice cream and popcicles and will scream if someone is eating one and won't share with her.

Whenever she is eating something cold I am sure that the cold will get to her, but I cannot think of a time that it has even phased her, so cute.

I love these summer days and having all the kids home and not having a schedule to follow, it is just going by way to fast.