Celebrate Good Times... (come on!)

The PARADE

Well... we are big believers in celebrating our holidays to the maximum so - here we are with all our bells & whistles at the big 24th of July parade. I can honestly count on 1 hand how many times I have missed the good ol' "Main Street Parade". I'm fairly certain that if it weren't for these cute little faces every year, I most definately wouldn't go to all the efforts that I do to make this happen.

And when I say "efforts" I'm talkin' about these 4 lovely ladies gettin' up at 4:30... (ya, that's FOUR-THIRTY A.M.) and haulin' all our chairs, blankets and rope down to our favorite Baskin Robins spot just to make sure we have a nice place for our families to watch the parade.

Hals typically just sits contently in her chair the entire time, while all the other kids rush back and forth racing to get as much candy as possible. I think competitions are a little overwhelming for this little princess. She gets a little flustered when there is any pressure put on her to make anything happen. So... this is where she sat most of the time... or on mine or Daddy's lap.





But don't worry. While Hallie is just hangin' back... the boys are always busy cheering for each and every possible thing that goes down the street. They loved every second of it. They scored with candy, and even some awesome toys! It doesn't get better than that. Who cares about the fact that it was hotter than blazes and we were exhausted... (more "efforts") by golly - we were gonna be at this darn parade.

I'm not sure that Ashlyn or Cole had any idea what was going on. They just kept looking around wondering why there were so many people and what the big fuss was about. I think Ash was a little bit in shock.

The Fireworks

And of course, it wouldn't be the 24th without headin' up to Grandma's house for the best fireworks display ever! We are so lucky to have the perfect spot to watch in my Grandma's front yard. I have the best Grandma in the whole world who sets up tables with popcorn, ice cream and drinks for anyone and everyone (heavy on the everyone) I decide to bring up. Thank you, Grandma - for letting us invade your yard yet once again. We had a lot of fun.

Once again... the faces say it all!

FRIENDS

Have I mentioned what great friends I have? Our friends are like our family these days. I can't seem to plan an event without them. They are the best. We are very lucky to have so many good friends who are always around us.

Thanks for coming, guys!!

The CARNIVAL

What the heck, let's get up the next morning and head down to the park for the carnival! Ya, so maybe we bought a whole bunch of tickets and then realized that we were all getting a little dehydrated and sunburned. I looked down at the kids and realized that the sun was imobilizing them. (I'm a good mom) And after being told that my baby looks sunburned several times, (I'm a good mom), I finally decided to give my last tickets to Ang and head home. (Good thing I talked Ross into going!) Ya... I don't have good judgement about these things lately.

Happy 24th of July Y'ALL!

Just Chillin'

Everyone always asks me if I ever take time to just "slow down" in my life. I tend to run myself raged most of the time... but I would like to share some pictures of us doing just that - slowin' down a bit. So... here are some pictures of us just hangin around over the past 2 weeks or so. Nothin' special. Just wanted to share some of what we've been up to. Enjoy.

The girls helped me make dinner by putting the spread on the garlic toast. What good little helpers I have. (I think Ashlyn might have wanted a banana, what do you think?)

S L U R P E E S ! !

These were one of our favorite treats while our cousins were in town. Whenever we were out, I would bribe them with Slurpees! It worked like a charm every time! (okay, not EVERY time!) However, there is stradegy to buying Slurpees for 4 children at once. You can't let them choose which flavor they want or all hell breaks loose. Besides the fact that my husband would kill me if RED Slurpee was spilled on the new car, there would always be a fight over who had the best flavor and so on and so forth. So, I usually opted to just give everyone banana. They love the flavor and it doesn't stain. I know, I know... you're impressed at my Slurpee knowledge. I rock.

L I T T L E P O S E R S !

Can you tell we take a lot of pictures? These kids just see me with the camera, and they instantly stop whatever it is they're doing and suddenly they have the perfect little smile on their face. And they even hold the pose until they see the flash. "SAY CHEESE" isn't even necessary anymore. They are professionals. I have given them many years of training - what can I say? I must say, though... I have the cutest little models out there. I've got a lot to work with!

We thought Landon looked pretty dang stylin' in these goggles. He slipped them on and I new it was yet another Kodak moment. These are the kinds of pictures that just define this little guy. I can't describe the adorable corky little personality that the little fella has. He is such a little ham. He could truly entertain an entire crowd if he really wanted to. He cracks me up. It has been a joy having him around.

And of course, the highlight and "grand finale" of our "just chillin' moments" - was when Hallie came running upstairs to show me this. She decided to back the Speed Racer car up and let the wheels go nuts in her hair. I was a little mad, but then I took a step back and decided it was really funny. I had to take a picture. As you can tell, she is forcing this smile out with sheer panic behind it. We ended up having to cut it out after working with it for quite some time. You can't even really tell now. It just looks like she has a little short layer framing her face. I can remember this happening to me when I was little - only I'm fairly positive it was my sweet brother who drove his "Stomper" up in my hair. Bless his heart - he was good to me.

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

Ya, so apparently I've been too busy (busy, busy!) to blog. I know, I know it's hard to believe that Amy is busy. But it is true. Let's just say I haven't quite got myself fully accustomed to 5 children. Just when I'm finally getting myself organized, they are going to be heading home! No, but seriously... it has been so much fun having time with these little ones. Only 3 more days, and then they're off, though. Time really does fly. We've had so much fun with them! And as luck would have it, Ross' computer isn't working correctly and I am having trouble uploading my newest pics... but since I'm so behind, I'll show ya a few older ones.

We went to the park just after our cute cousins arrived, and the boys had so much fun together. I'm so glad we have been able to get these 2 together. They have had a really good time. It will honestly be really sad to have to separate them.

Of course, we invited our "park buddies", Bells and Linc to come along. Landon warmed up to these friends really fast. It wasn't long before he was asking when we could play with Isabelle and Lincoln again! What can I say, we have fun friends!!

Rather than going down the slides, Ash opted to drop wood chips on them. It seemed to be her favorite activity while the others were sliding down them. Silly Ashie... she's always doin' her own little thing.

And of course, everyone quickly became bored with the actual "park toys" and moved on to gathering rocks from the hill and lining them up on this wall. It was so much more fun.

This happens everytime we go to this park. They always start out sliding and climbing, and then after about 15 minutes, they mosey on over to the big dirt and rock hill nearby.

Sometimes I wonder why we take the kids to the park. If you just give 'em some rocks, a little dirt, a grass hill and maybe a hose... they'd be content for HOURS (possibly even days?). Ya, parks are overrated.

Ashlyn was all over this activity! She quickly caught on to the "big kid" activity and joined in on the fun. She wanted a "big one" like Landon! I think this was the biggest one her little body could carry. It was super cute. What a gal!

And of course, ketchup (with a little corn dogs) for lunch. I like to keep things super nutritious. No junk food for this family! (Sorry Andrea) I wanted to be "fun Aunt Amy" who gives us yummy food, okay? After a few days, we added a few fruits and veggies into the diet. So much for "fun Aunt Amy"!

It was a fun day at the park! Stay tuned for some more pics. Ross is supposed to get his computer working a little better tomorrow. So... cross your fingers!

2 more munchkins

That's right... the tempo at our house has increased a bit in the last couple of days since we have had our buddies (cousins) staying with us. We are so excited to have Landon and Ashlyn here, finally!! It has been talked about for quite some time now, and we are happy to finally be spending some time with em! Mason and Hal couldn't be happier - they love a good 2-3 week slumber party!!
The boys of course started things off with some video games - that was the first thing Mason wanted to show Landon - we won't mention that Landon is already almost better than Mason at most of the games. (he still thinks he's the best) Don't sit too far away from the TV guys! (so, I guess if I'm not careful...I might send Landon home blind - sorry Chad n Andrea!)

Ashlyn's favorite toy at our house quickly became the trusty ol' rocking horse that used to be Ross' when he was little. That thing has been more popular at our house than any toy we have ever spent money on. If it ever breaks, I think I would pay good money to replace it someday.

So, the gigantic queen-sized raised aerobed we put in Mason's room might take up the entire floor space and leave absolutely no floor to play on, but it sure is fun!! They all camped out in here that night. It was really cute.

Obviously Hallie was thrilled to have her cousins here. Especially little Ashlyn. Hallie has always wanted a little sister. She treats her like her little pet. She follows her around and takes care of her every need. She strokes her hair and dresses her up like a doll. She is so funny. She's never been able to do that with her brothers. She's in heaven. The first thing she asks when she wakes up is, "where's Ashie?" It sounds obsessive, but it's actually super cute.

And of course, Ashlyn ended up in my bed after waking up at 3 in the morning that night. I don't blame her - she's a little out of her element! And "pony" is in there with her - don't worry.

CLARK CABIN

We had such a fun weekend up at the cabin with the Clarks. It turned out to be a really great experience for our family. The kids had so much fun with their cousins. We don't do a lot of camping. (actually - we never camp) But I absolutely love it. There's something so calming and peaceful about being secluded in nature with the ones you love. I am a firm believer that you need to make time for the ones you love - regardless of how hecktic life can seem. You just can't miss out on time to bond with loved ones. This cabin is the perfect cabin to just fit our needs. It doesn't have too much - yet it has what we need. I like the feeling of roughin' it a bit, and I like that this cabin gives you that feel. Anyway... here are some pictures of some of the fun things we did.

I don't know if this picture portrays the look of sheer terror on Mason's face - but it took everything in his power to get the courage up to go down the river with Pania and Logan. And what you don't see is how they all got dumped off not even 5 seconds after this was taken. Poor Mason. But like his daddy always says, "It'll make him tough". Whatever - he did end up loving it though.

No swimsuit? Not a problem for Ross! He still took his turn headin' down the river. He only did it once, though. Weird. I must say, I was tempted to give it a shot, but decided against it for fear of humiliating myself in front of Ross' family. ;)

Even Molly did a little splashin' around with us. She loved it when the kids would splash the water up in the air - she would try and bite the water. But don't go thinkin' she was brave or anything, because if it was anything more than about 1 1/2 feet deep, she wouldn't even go near it. Silly Molly. We were really glad we brought her up with us this year. She was a lot of fun to have along.

And of course, we had to do pedicures on all of our dirty feet! These were just the toes that got painted. We didn't take a picture of all the men's feet after they got a little pampering done. It turned out to be a really fun activity - I thinkwe need to make it an anual tradition!




And of course, it wouldn't be the same without a little ATV action! (thanks Rob!) We had a lot of fun on the 4-wheeler as always. Mason would really like to drive it on his own. We told him to give it a few years. I am becoming quite the pro, if I do say so myself.

And my sweet Cole was a trooper as always. He just went with the flow of things and kept a smile on his face. He is such a great kid. And yes, the wet spot on his clothes is ALL DROOL! I go through clothes like mad - but if that is all I have to complain about with this little guy, I think I'm doin pretty darn good!

We love ourselves a s'more here and there. Hals enjoyed roasting the marshmallows by rolling them around in the dirt a little and then lighting them on fire. And then she would get upset when I wouldn't let her eat the ones that she roasted. "What's wrong with eatin' a little dirt, Mom"? A little dirt never hurt, I guess... right?

And so 45 mosquito bites, and 3 days later, I am home and still not done catching up with the laundry from the cabin. But we sure did have fun! Looking forward to next year! - Thanks for the fun time everyone.

St. George Sunshine!

So, as we all know, the clarks like to cram as much stress into one small time span as possible. So, in order to keep with tradition, we just buzzed on down to St. George on Sunday for a quick 2 day trip. Ross had to go for work (or was it golf?), and of course the 4 of us tagged along as usual. We hate being home without daddy - so we usually just crash the work trip and come along.


Can I just tell you how much we love St. George? If we had the opportunity, we would love to live there. It is getting to be quite the popular place now days, though. The small town feel of it isn't quite the same anymore. But we still like it. And it would be a perfect middle point between both of our families. Our trips to St. George usually include a visit to the Pizza Factory and of course some shopping. (duh)



And if you ask Mason where he loves to go on a trip, he would tell you "to a hotel" - which pretty much means it doesn't really matter where the hotel is located. As long as he's staying at a hotel. He loves everything about it. He loves being able to wake up and just walk down to breakfast and chose whatever he wants... swimming to his heart's content... and staying up late, watching the hotel TV.






So, needless to say, we spend a lot of time just vegging at the hotel while the kids jump from bed to bed trashing the place.

I'm sure anyone who's a regular visitor to St. George knows the famous red phone booth - it's a picture opp every time. Not sure why - we just think it's cool.

And of course, we did something we rarely do... we did a little bit (or a lot) of swimming. Weird.

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be back soon - and we'll do the same ol' stuff we always do. But we love it. It's a heck of a place!