Our Camping Trip

Finally, the day of our long-awaited camping trip arrived! The boys have been looking forward to this since the last time we went camping...7 months ago! They play "camping" all the time and had been talking about this weekend for ages. To make it even better, we arranged to go with some of our dearest friends from our BYU days. We get together with Bennetts and Virgins a few times a year and it's always such a blast. The weather was gorgeous- and so was the campground- it was the recipe for an amazing weekend!

We have yet to actually buy a tent, but we borrowed one from our generous neighbors. Whenever we talked about going back to our tent, Hudson would always remind us that it was, in fact, "JESSE'S tent." The kids were giddy as we set it up and anxious to play in it!

 We got to camp at 4:00 on Friday afternoon and had the rest of the evening to enjoy! We had a fire, ate dinner all together, the kids played and played and got super filthy, Ben made dutch oven cobbler for everyone, we passed out a bunch of glowsticks (hours of entertainment right there) and eventually we all headed to bed. Our boys were completely giddy to be sleeping in the tent. They snuggled right in and fell right asleep!

Then around 2 am Hudson woke up, out of his sleeping bag and cold. And screaming. I quickly pulled him into mine with me and he fell right back to sleep. I didn't get as much sleep the rest of the night, but Hudson slept great! We eventually put him in between me and Ben and that worked out pretty well. When we all woke up around 6:30 in the morning, Hudson had a huge smile and said, "It's morning time everyone!"

Ben cooked us all a delicious breakfast in the dutch oven, the kids played around our campsite a little and then we headed off for the first hike of the day: Donut Falls. It was a great, child-friendly hike that was absolutely gorgeous! I love being up there in the mountains- I think I had a perma-smile on my face the whole time. To be hiking, with my family and such wonderful friends, chatting and laughing was amazing. There is one spot in the hike that involves climbing down a steep and slippery rock face. We formed a line and handed kid after kid down, like a bucket brigade. I couldn't help but think what a great group of kids this was and how much I love all of them!

Brooklynn, Ryder, Hudson, Chase and Kynlee. Ella was a asleep, and I'm not sure where Drew was. These little friends are so darling! This little group below, along with Brooklynn, made sure they were the trailblazers on our hike. We had to keep reminding them not to run and get too far in front of us. They had so much energy! Hudson, who was the littlest hiker (Ella and Drew were backpacked/carried) was pretty slow going- but HE DID IT! We keep pushing Hudson to do stuff like this and he's getting better every time! He firmly held a cookie in his hand the whole hike, insisting he would eat it when we got to the falls.

You can barely see the falls up behind us. Unfortunately, the water was really high and there wasn't a feasible way for us to cross the river and get closer with so many little guys in tow. The view from here was fine though. Also, Hudson did not want a picture taken and pretty much refused to look at the camera. We had to trick him to tell him we were "done" to get this one.

We headed back to the campsite for lunch and naps for the little ones. The older kids played and played in the little stream that ran right through Bennett's campsite, while the grown-ups got to sit in the shade nearby and relax and talk. Hudson, of course, was the first kid to fall all the way in the stream, head first. It was only a few inches deep, so he wasn't in any danger. But it did hurt and the water was freezing. I stripped his wet clothes off him while he was crying, and then he just started screaming "HUDSON IS NAKED!" over and over. That's when we knew it was definitely time for a little nap for Hudson.

After the kids rested we headed out for hike #2- Silver Lake. I had heard this place was gorgeous, and really the pictures do not do it justice. It was breathtaking.

At one point, Ryder, Chase and Brooklynn climbed up this rock face. They were super proud of themselves. Chase kept telling me how great it was that "there is a rock climbing wall that is safe for children to climb."

After another yummy dinner, s'mores around the campfire, and cleaning up our camp it was time to head back home! We all decided that this was the perfect amount of camping for us right now. We came home exhausted, filthy, and super happy! I am so glad we made this trip happen, I think it might need to be an annual tradition.

Early June

June has been a fun and busy month! This first photo isn't necessarily summer-specific, but Ben took this one of me reading to my boys one night. I love our reading time so much. It's one of my favorite times of the day. 

 We've been trying to visit the library more frequently, mostly because it's amazing how much more exciting the "new" books are during that first week or so. One morning I found the boys on the floor reading their new books together. Chase was reading it to Hudson and my mama heart just about burst with happiness! Ever since they started sharing a room, their relationship has really taken off. It might be coincidence, but they play together more and with (slightly) less fighting. I love these cute brothers!

 Swimming- it's what we do all summer long! We've been the splash pad twice, and then swimming in my parents pool almost every day. In fact, the first full week of June we went swimming there 6 times in 5 days! We brought friends with us most days and it was so much fun! We also met Katie and Nora there and we swam with my mom and then all ate a picnic poolside. This is my favorite way to spend our time during the summer. My boys are such little fish and have no fear of the water. Chase is now a really strong swimmer and doesn't use a life jacket at all.

 I am teaching a few sessions of swim lessons this summer. It sounded like a better idea when I advertised last April than it does now (mostly because it hasn't been the warmest week) but I filled the whole first session up in 24 hours. I have 9 classes and mostly it's been fun. Chase and Hudson are each in a class and Chase loves it. Chase is with two of his good friends and he has a blast and is improving a lot. Hudson has no tolerance for the cold, or being told what to do. So his class has mostly been a fail. I haven't pushed him super hard though because I know it won't do any good, and I know I'll have plenty of opportunities to work with him throughout the summer.

One Saturday morning we decided that we needed a family fun day. We started off bright and early with a hike up to one of our favorite spots on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. It was a beautiful morning and such a great family activity. I love the little conversations I get to have with my boys while we are hiking and they are holding my hand. Although not pictured, we also took the boys to see Zootopia and the dollar theater that afternoon, which was also so cute and fun. We ended up at the splash pad later that day, so it was definitely a fun-filled Saturday!

This is how Hudson hikes "using his jets". He pretends he's an airplane. It makes it easier.

We planned a double date with Will and Kate and my parents watched all the kids! I think everyone had a great night. We went to a yummy Vietnamese restaurant in Salt Lake City and the grandparents took the little ones to Dinosaur Park and out to ice cream. Although Chase doesn't look like he's having fun in the picture, he was actually super excited about it. He just doesn't like to smile on demand. 

We've been to the park a few times. This particular day, I stood back and just watched my kids interact. There was one point where Hudson was playing on this spinning thing and Chase wanted a turn. I thought I'd have to interfere, surely it would become a fight. Instead I watched as Chase politely asked for a turn, Hudson got off to give him one, and then after just a minute Chase hopped off so Hudson could have it back. It was a golden moment! Obviously this doesn't happen every single time, but it's amazing to see these social skills develop and watch them learn to think of others. 

 After all this playing, we usually crash! Here is Hudson on a day when he insisted he didn't need a nap, and that "napping is HARD!" 5 minutes later...

The End of Preschool

Chase had his final day of Preschool the last week- which was a sad day for us! He's loved preschool and had the best experience this year. Mrs. Young was a great teacher for him- so patient and loving and really appreciated what a great kid Chase is! He made so many friends and he was excited to go every single day. I loved having his cute little crafts adorning my fridge and hearing his little songs and poems that he learned.  Here he is with Grant and Ella- I can't believe how great this worked out! When I signed him up for preschool I didn't know anything about our ward (we hadn't moved in yet). Turns out, both Grant and Ella are in our ward and were in his class this year! He made great friends with them (today they ran around at the park together in a little pack) and was always so excited to see them!

 We love Mrs. Young!

 They had a cute little graduation ceremony where they sang a bunch of the songs they learned this year. Chase was very animated doing the actions, although he didn't sing about half the words. He was so excited that his Nana and Papa came to watch him. Hudson was less impressed with the program and complained that he was hungry the whole time.

Sometimes I can't believe that he's going to kindergarten this fall, and with some of the things that come out of his mouth I can't believe we aren't sending him to 4th grade in the fall. He's a bright one for sure. I love that Chase has such a passion for learning.  I also love his social nature and the way he tries to include everyone and make friends wherever we go. He's such a great kid! And now we are officially in our summer vacation!

Memorial Day

We had a fun and beautiful Memorial Day weekend! After a kind of cold and wet May, this past weekend was absolutely beautiful and we tried to be outside as much as possible! On Monday, I started the day with a hike and then we spent the rest of the morning doing yard work. Ben really wanted to plan something fun and different for the holiday, so he came up with the idea of taking the dutch ovens somewhere out in nature and doing dinner. We invited the family along and they happily obliged! We headed out to some property my dad has that was absolutely gorgeous, quiet and serene. The kids explored, threw sticks and rocks in the river, and played in the dirt. The men cooked our super delicious dinner and we all had a great time just chatting and relaxing. It was a really wonderful way to kick off our summer! 

I know I've said it before, but these three cousins are so darling together! They spend so much time together that they really interact, play (and fight) like siblings. It's so fun to watch their relationship grow. Every time we get together (which sometimes is upwards of 4 times a week) they run to each other to give out hugs and greet each other with so much excitement. I love it!

Ben, Will, Chase and Nora played frisbee for a little while. I loved how beautiful and peaceful it was up there!

Towards the end of the evening, we put all three kids to work building...something...a road maybe? My boys and dirt!

We packed everything up and headed home with our very dirty, happy little boys! I love spending quality time with my family out in nature, it's really the best! We are so excited about this summer- it's already off to a great start!

Late April and May Stuff

One thing we love about this time of year is that there is so much to see and do! One night we ventured out to Bountiful for their Chalk Festival. As we talked about going during dinner Hudson remarked, "We are going to a chalk festival. But I would rather go to a CHOCOLATE festival." The chalk drawings ranged from fun and interesting to down right amazing! Hudson, obviously, loved this one of Lightning McQueen. Afterwards we treated the boys to ice cream (although Hudson did NOT choose chocolate) and it was just a pleasant, fun evening.

 Chase started T-Ball and it is the best! He looks forward to games and shows a lot of enthusiasm (when batting that is, being in the field is a different story). Ben helps coach and says it's pretty crazy out there trying to keep 13 little boys focused and teaching them the rules. Chase makes a friend with whoever is standing on base with him and tells the coach and other players all kinds of pearls of wisdom! Nana and Papa come watch his games whenever they can, and Katie and Nora even came once. Chase definitely feels like the star of the show, and it's fun to see him so excited about sports! He mostly enjoys the social interaction of being on a team and doing something active. When Will asked him who won his game he answered, "T-ball is just for fun!"

 We've been spending lots of time at the park lately. The boys were initially disappointed this spring that the sand at our neighborhood park was replaced with wood chips! They literally ran up to the park, and then stopped dead and just stared at it in disbelief the first time we went back this spring. We've all adjusted, and even though we are sad that there isn't sand to dig in anymore, we've learned that there are plenty of other fun things to do at the park. We meet a group of friends there every week and it's a blast!

We got to attend the BYU vs U of U baseball game during May. Layton City gave all the kids who played baseball (and their families) tickets into the game, and a chance to go down into the dugout and meet the players, then stand on the field for the national anthem. It was so cute and fun! One Utah player teased Chase by taking his BYU hat away, so naturally Chase likes to retell that anecdote to anyone who will listen. We only lasted about 3 innings of the game (which was over an hour) before it was time to leave. And then Hudson screamed the whole way out of the stadium and half of the way home because he really wanted one of the T-shirts they threw into the stands. I was literally carrying him as he was screaming, "Go back! I want a SHIRT!" One lesson we are continuing to learn whenever taking the kids on any outing- take the good with the bad. Chances are that someone will have a tantrum at some point- we just roll with it. 

We have been very busy with yard work this Spring! Our yard felt like such a mess last year, and with a lot of pruning, weeding, planting, and tearing out 12 trees, it's starting to look like a yard that someone cares about! We've planted our vegetable garden and a bunch of flowers- and we are actually enjoying it! We love pleasant evenings that Ben and I work in the yard and the kids happily play in the dirt. I loved this view one night of Chase helping Ben mow the lawn- that little mower is usually used by a small boy when the other (real) one is running! 

A New Room

Back in April, when we really didn't have much going on, Ben and I decided to tackle Chase's room. I feel a little bad that I've never really decorated a room just for Chase. His various rooms in various homes have always just been through together with whatever hand-me-down stuff we had on hand. When we moved into this home, I kind of had a picture in my head of what I wanted his future-shared-with-Hudson room to look like, so the few things I bought I did so with that in mind. 

Then over the winter a neighbor gave us a bunkbed frame. And then the little plastic sterilite container he'd been using as a dresser was getting too small for his clothes, and Ben and I decided it was a good time for us to put the whole room together. We did one monster trip to IKEA to get a full mattress and dresser (after three years of saying we would buy Chase a dresser we finally did!). I shopped online, knowing what bedding I wanted. I found it at Pottery Barn kids, but it was so expensive. My sister helped me look online and found identical bedding at West Elm for a third of the price! I wanted something very neutral that could grow with the boys over time. 

It's still technically just Chase's room, although since the bunkbed was set up Hudson sleeps in there most nights. They call it a sleepover and have a great time! Once we officially move Hudson in, I'll add more art to this little wall to include him a little more.

 I ordered these canvasses last fall and they make me so happy every time I see them. They are some of my favorite pictures of my boys together! And this little ruler was found by my mom last summer- it goes perfectly in this room. It's fun to track their heights so they can see how they've grown.

As Hudson has been sleeping in there most nights- and the boys think the bunkbeds are great for playing on- I've seen their relationship grow in this space. I hope it stays when we move Hudson in full-time!

It's been so fun to decorate a room that shows Chase's loves and interests- mostly machines! I loved the throw pillows that a friend of mine designed. The sheets I found for their beds is covered in fire trucks, ambulances and helicopters. It's all so perfect for my machine-obsessed boy who is always on the go!