Slip and Slide!

We are so blessed with amazing shoppers in our family.  We are always getting these great themed boxes for summer, easter, halloween or any occasion.  This gem was in one of those boxes.  I forget now if it was from grandma or Aunt Jill but whichever one of you beautiful women contributed this gem to our summer collection THANK You! It was so fun.

Remember this little guy!  This was my first day with him.  He is so cute.  I thought I had good babies until I had this guy for a day.  He is so fun. 

Brrr Colton.  I don't like your Cold Hug.

Much better.  Colton and Kingston have a special bond.  He loves Kingston so much and gets so excited when we have him.  It is amazing to see how much love Colton has.  He is such a good boy.

I am so lucky to have all this eye candy around!! What handsome boys!

Apple trees

I love art projects and so does Jillian.  I decided to try doing some crafts with the kids to see how it would go.  Our first project was an apple tree with painted apple prints.  To my surprise... Jace was the Deatherage most interested in this project.  He had the most apples on his tree.  Jillian made one print and then swapped the paint for a crayon and asked for a new piece of paper to color one.  Colton is my perfectionist, he made the perfect amount of prints and then his tree was complete.

Everybody look at Mommy and smile

So the history behind the "all three smiling pictures" is that every year for Christmas I make my Mom and Dad photo Calendars for Christmas.  They are a bargain and well loved but as the years have passed we have established some guidelines for how to make a perfect Calendar for my mom.  This includes having pictures of all of her grand kids (or representation from each family) for each month.  I can only put 6 pictures on per month and there are 9 grand kids with one on the way.  So if I can get all my kids in one picture it gives me room for the rest of my nieces and nephews on each page.  I tried all day to get one but as you can see I was not successful... but if you look through the process I thought it was funny to see them all.

This one above is the closest I came... my kids are pretty patient with me though.  I love my little troopers.

So close...

Jace is trying so hard to stay focused... but that Colton is too funny to resist.

Better luck for next month..

Roaring Springs

Last summer I had so many pictures from our roaring springs days.. this summer I must have been playing more because I only have these few.  Colton has made it down every ride he is eligible for.  His favorite ride is the two tube racing ride.  Jace went down the yellow mat slide with no hesitation.  I think I was more nervous than he was.  He wasn't big enough to try any other rides.  Hopefully this summer he will hit the mark to race with the big boys.  Jillian loves to sunbathe and people watch.  She is not big on the rides.  One other discovery the kiddos made this year at roaring springs was the dippin dots ice cream.  Colton would save his money so he could treat himself to a cold tasty treat.

Time to test for the YELLOW belt!

Colton has learned so much from his Karate Class!  Every 13 weeks he tests to see if can advance to his next belt.  I always get so proud and nervous and maybe when he tests I might have a little happy tear because he is so great!  I love this Mommy gig!

All ready.

Staying focused!

That smile says it all! Way to go bud! Mommy and Daddy are so proud!

The Redwoods

While we were near the coast we thought we would take the scenic route home.  We drove down the coast through the Redwood forest and stopped at a tourist attraction called "The Mystery of Trees" or something like that.  I forget how big these trees are until I see them.  It is amazing!  We walked through the trail and the kids were in awe.

Above Colton showing us how big the trees are.  Below the family is checking out and climbing under the roots of the elephant tree.

Peek a boo!

As much of the elephant tree I could fit on my camera!

Mommy, Jace and Jillian taking the "underpass"

These pictures below are my favorite!  I have one with my Mom and Dad and siblings when I was younger.  Then I have one of my Grandma, Dad and Brother from when we were in High School and went on a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa without my Mom.  Now I have one with me and My family.

The Cathedral... people are really married here.

Top of the Cathedral!

Jillian

More huge redwoods!

Jaroo roo!

The Girls on the Gondola

The best picture of all three...