Weekend in Park City

 One day at the end of the summer, Dale decided that we needed to do something together as a family.  The kids were all going to be back in school soon and he was going to start a new job at Discover working nights.  He suggested going to Park City. I love it when he does spontaneous things like that so I was really excited.  He was suppose to spend the last night of Jaxon's week long scout camp in bear lake so he went and picked him up and met us in Park City. 

 Right after we checked in, we went out to eat a Mexican restaurant that we have been to before called the Baha Cantina.  After dinner, we went to the Alpine Slide to check it out.  It was cold and late by the time we finished dinner so we decided to do the activities on Saturday.

Dale explaining to the kids how the Apline Slide works

Our family in front of the Alpine Slide

 After checking out the Park City activities, all the kids wanted to swim at the hotel.  They had a great time in their own private pool, swimming in the dark.  After swimming, they all went and got warm in the hot tub.

 After swimming we had "Movie night".  We watched "Here comes the boom".  This is Jadon and Katie organizing all the movie candy.

 Saturday was a blast!  We decided to start with the Alpine Slide because the line wasn't too bad and we knew it would get a lot longer as the day went on.  Kyson was really upset and did not want to go.  Like we always do with our kids, we told him he was going and Dale explained to him that he would be safe.  He ended up loving it, of coarse!

Jadon, Jake, Jaxon and Jadon riding the lift up.  The scardy cats (me, Kierra, Kyson and Katie) rode on a different chair because we knew the boys would rock the seat.

 Dale, Jadon, Jaxon and Kierra all went on the zip line together.  The rest of the kids didn't weigh enough so I stayed down with them.  It started raining while they were at the top so they didn't let anybody go down for a while.  While we waited for them, we went into the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to get treats.  We waited for them at the end of the zip line.  After the zip line, all the kids went on a trampoline thing where they were hooked to cables.  They were able to jump really high and do a back flip while attached to the cables. After jumping, everyone was getting pretty hungry so we decided to go eat at Burger King instead of spending a fortune on Park City food.

Everyone in line for the Alpine Coaster

 When we got back from lunch, we got in line for the Alpine Coaster, our last activity. The line was really long and we ended up standing in line for over an hour.  We were worried that the ride was not going to be worth standing in line that long!

My cute girls!

Jake getting on his car for the coaster

We were wrong!  The Alpine Coaster was soooooo much fun!  Everyone loved it and wanted to go again.  If the line wasn't so long, we probably would have gone again.  Unfortunately, after the Coaster, it was time to go home.  Nobody wanted to.  We had such a great time together and decided that we definitely want to make that a new tradition.

Big kids - first day of school

Yesterday the "Big kids" went back to school.  Since Katie has preschool Mon. Wed and Friday, all six of my kids were in school.  What a coincidence that I had all 6 kids that I babysit yesterday.  They all leave at different times.  Jadon is first, leaving around 7:00 am.  Kierra and Jaxon leave around 7:15 am and Jake and Kyson leave around 8:00 am.  Katie doesn't have school until the afternoon.

Jadon starting his Junior year!

Having a car for Jadon to drive is the best!  Now I don't have to drive him!

Kierra starting her last year in middle school (9th) and Jaxon starting his first (7th)

Kierra is excited to officially be a highschooler

Jaxon was way excited to start middle school.  He has high hopes of it being waaaaaay better than elementary school!


The first day of school is always so fun and exciting.  It's so exciting to find out who is in your new classes and what teachers you got.  I wish the excitement of the first day lasted all year!

 

Jake and Ky...first day of school

Kyson - 3rd grade

Jake - 5th grade



Jake and Ky ready for a new year

Our elementary school went back to year round school this year so Jake and Kyson had to start school on July 25th this year.  It was a bummer because we got ripped off on our summer. It is hard to have 2 out of 6 kids in school.  They don't think it's fair when they have to go to bed when everyone else gets to stay up.  I just keep reminding them that they will get to go off track and then it will be their turn to stay up later than everyone else.

Jake was the 2nd kid to get in his line

 Jake and Kyson ride the bus to school but I drove them on the first day.  Kyson always worries about being late so we left pretty early and there weren't very many kids there when we got there.  We walked around and found where they were suppose to line up.  Jake got right in line and stood there until his teacher came out to take them in.

Kyson didn't know many kids in his class so he was a little nervous
 

When we found where Kyson was suppose to line up, he didn't see very many kids that he knew.  Most of his friends from last year were on a different track.  He hung out with me until his teacher came out and then he reluctantly got in line.  I love that kid!  When they got home that day, they both said they had a good day and they like their teachers.  Hopefully they will have a great year!

Finally Sixteeen!

Jadon getting ready to go on the alpine slide

 It seems like Jadon has been waiting for a really long time to be sixteen.  He has always been fascinated with driving.  As a baby, he loved to stand at the steering wheel and pretend to drive.  As he got older, he loved to sit on Dale's lap and "help" him drive.  He started driving by himself at a very young age.  I think he was 11 or 12.  Dale has worked a lot with him to teach him how to drive.  It all finally paid off on the day he turned 16!  He got his license that day!  I think I was as excited as he was.  While he had his lerner's permit, I had to go with him everywhere and that got old very fast. I love that he can drive himself to work now and even better, he can run errands for me.  Yay!

 We didn't do much on his actual birthday besides get his license.  I did make him a chocolate cake and let him lick the batter bowl (which I rarely do).  Dale and I decided that we should buy a 3rd car for our family so we spent the night test driving a car.  We ended up not getting that car and Jadon was pretty disappointed.  Dale, Jadon and I went out to dinner at Sizzler.  It was fun to spend the one on one time with him for his birthday.  We had planned to take Jadon to Park City for his birthday but because the test drive took so long, we weren't able to do it.  We decided that we would go later (There will be a post about that soon).

 Jadon spent the next few weeks looking for cars on KSL.  We test drove several cars and went all over the valley to do it.  We went from Clearfield to Provo looking at different cars.  We finally found one that we thought we be a good car for Jadon...I mean our family.  It is a little KIA Sephia.  It was cheap and a very base model.  No power windows or locks.  It's a good little car.  It's also a stick so Jadon got to learn how to drive a stick.  He really enjoys it.  I now feel comfortable letting him drive the KIA all by himself wherever he needs to go.

Jadon really is a great kid.  He is a great help to me and I can always count on him.  He's a great student and a really hard worker.  At one time, he has had 3 jobs.  He has been saving money for his mission, which is only 2 years away and that totally freaks me out.  He's very responsible.  He takes care of his things and has been taking really good care of the new car.  Jadon loves to do anything.  He loves to play any sports and do anything outside.  He always is willing to be involved in whatever is going on.  He frequently plays kickball with all the little kids on our street.  I am so thankful for Jadon.  I feel like I have a great relationship with him and I hope we can always have that.  He's a great example to his siblings.  I love you Jadon!  Happy Birthday! 

Getting caught up!

I have been horrible about keeping up on my blog.  The main reason is because my computer is very sick and hasn't wanted to do anything lately.  I made a goal for myself to work on my blog today so hopefully I can get some posts on here and keep up with it from now on.

DARE lagoon day

Jaxon, Nick and Jadon on the Samurai.  Jadon is the one whose head is taller than everyone elses.

 Friday was DARE lagoon day for 6th graders.  I didn't think that I was going to be able to go with Jax because I had kids to babysit.  On Friday morning, I found out that I wasn't going to have to babysit, so I decided to join him at Lagoon.  I dropped Jaxon, and his friend Nick, off in the morning and then I checked Jadon out of school and met them there after lunch. 

Jaxon and Nick on the new ride



 We had a great time together.  Jaxon as gotten a lot braver than he use to be and doesn't seem to have much fear of any rides.  I wish I could say the same thing.  I have turned into quite a scaredy cat.  I also get sick on the rides.  It makes me mad because I was never like that before the last couple of years.

 Jaxon won this huge martian playing a game where you throw a baseball into a milk barrel.  We didn't lug the thing around Lagoon.  We took it out to the van.

This picture is Nick, Jax and Jadon going on the rocket.  See that empty spot next to Jadon?  That is where I am suppose to be.  I was so nervous to go on the rocket even though I've been on it before.  I went through the line with them but told them I was getting out of line when it was time to get on the ride.  Nobody would let me climb the fence so I just ran out the exit when it was time to get on the ride.  I can't believe what a baby I was.  It was too scary!
We had a great time together and it was fun to spend some time with Jaxon (and Jadon).  I hope we can go back, as a family, this year.

A Weekend Away!

 A long time ago, Dale gave me a weekend at the cabin for my birthday.  I was able to go without kids and scrapbook the whole weekend.  I have done this several times but went several years without going.  Mostly because my birthday is at a really busy time in our lives and we can't make it work.  This year, I told him I wanted to do that again.  I have way too much on my plate right now and I really needed a break.  So Lisa and I went up late on a Thursday night and came home on Sunday night.  We didn't bring any scrapbooking stuff like we used to.  We didn't really even plan food.  We went to the store on the way up and bought what looked good.  I haven't done this in 4 years.  The last time we came up, Katie was 6 months old and she came with us. 

This time it was Kierra's turn to come.  Actually, I went down on Saturday to get her.  She had a volleyball game that I didn't want to miss so I went down for that and brought her back up with me.  She had a project for school that she needed help with so I brought her up to work on that.  She had to make civil war clothing for teddy bears.  At first, I was dreading the project but it turned out to be fun and the bears turned out really cute.  This is Javier the bear!
I had a fabulous time away.  I slept in every day and watched several movies that I had been wanting to see.  I did some things on the computer but not a lot.  Mostly, just relaxed and didn't worry about anything.  Well, I did worry about my family that was sick at home.  Luckily, Gladys had come to help out and took good care of everyone.  I love her! It was a much needed break.  I'm thankful that Dale was willing to do that for me!

The firecrackers

 Kierra finished up her volleyball season yesterday.  She had a great season.  Her team was called the firecrackers and they did really well. They played well together.  They went into the tournament last weekend undefeated.  They beat the teams they played last week and were really excited to play yesterday.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a very good day and lost both games.  It was sad because they definitely didn't play their best.  It was a fun season though.  I'm glad Kierra likes to play volleyball and has a fun time with her friends!

Loving Baseball

Kyson is really loving baseball this year.  He didn't play last year because he wasn't sure he liked it.  This year, he decided to play again and loves it.  He's really getting good too.  He has had some amazing plays this weeks.  On Tuesday night he came close to getting a grand slam.  If there wasn't a 6 run rule, it would have been a grand slam.  The bases were loaded when he got up to bat.  The first hit was a foul ball.  The 2nd hit he just slammed the ball all the way to the grass.  He made it to second but the 3 kids that came in before that made it so that the team scored 6 in an inning so the inning was over.  The whole team was cheering for him and the coaches were all so excited!  It was so much fun to see the big smile on his face.  He had another game last night against the same team.  He had two more great hits.  One singe and one double.  It is so much fun to watch him love the game!

3 wins!

Monday night was an awesome baseball night!  All 3 boys had games and all 3 boys won!  Jadon's team won against the pirates.  Jadon hit every time he got to bat and he had a great double one of the times at bat.  Jaxon's team beat the Yankees.  This was awesome because the Yankees were undefeated until this game.  I believe the O's won because of Jaxon's awesome pitching.  It was an amazing game!  Kyson's team also beat the Yankees.  He was really excited because their team hasn't had very many wins.  After all the victories, the boys stayed after and played on the field.  They had a great time together.  I love nights like this!

Happy Birthday Kierra!

 I guess I am starting a new tradition of blogging about my children a month after their birthday.  I can't seem to find the time to blog like I want to anymore. 
We had a good time celebrating Kierra's 14th birthday.  Like always, we had a baseball game the night of her birthday, so we went out to dinner a few days before.

 She picked Panda for her birthday dinner.  It was yummy and we all had a great time.

 This is Kierra on her actual birthday right before she left for school.  Can't believe that she's 14!

 The night of her birthday she was working in the snack bar.  This is her first real job.  It's a really fun place to work and she actually chose to work on her birthday.

 Here she is with a poster that her little brother's made her for her birthday present.

Dale and I gave Kierra a new bike for her birthday.  She's been riding the bike she had since she was 8 so it was definitely time for a new one.  She picked out this cute new bike.  Kierra is a great kid.  She has a lot of friends and does a lot with the.  She does well in school and is very responsible about taking care of her grades.  She's very artistic and creative.  It always amazes me how well she can draw.  She has set high standards for herself.  She has already earned her Young Women's medallion and is working on her 2nd one.  I'm so impressed with the young woman she is becoming and we are so happy that she is part of our family!

Let the games begin!

So the baseball season has begun!  It seems like we always have a new mit that needs to be worked in for the season.  This year we had three!  Jadon didn't play baseball last year and he grew so much that he needed a new mit.  Jaxon lost his mit, again, so he is paying for his new mit.  Kyson also outgrew his mitt so we had to get him a new one.  Luckily, we have about 3 weeks before games begin so we will have time to work them in.  I love the baseball season.  I love watching the boys play catch in the backyard.  I love the sounds of baseball!  This year I have volunteered to help at the snack bar.  Kierra, and Jadon when he has time, will also be working there.  Jaxon will be umping games.  Needless to say, we will be at the ballpark ALL the time.  Let's play ball!

Happy Birthday Jake!

When we were done eating, Jake asked us if he could have a McFlurry.  We told him to go ask the employees if he could have a free one since it's his birthday.  We were totally kidding around with him but he said Ok, and went and asked for one.  How could they tell a kid no?  He scored!

 Ok, so I know Jake's birthday was a month ago (to the day, in fact) but my computer was out of commission so I wasn't able to blog about it.
Jake had his golden birthday on 2-10-13.  He decided a long time ago that he wanted to go swimming.  His actual birthday was on Sunday so we planned on going the day before.  Unfortunately, I got really sick and we weren't able to go until the day after.  The kids had a great time swimming but I forgot to bring my camera so there are no pictures.  After swimming, we went to McDonald's for dinner.  We had a great time, like always, going out to dinner.  The Saturday after his birthday, we were able to go out to dinner with my family to celebrate Grandma Shingleton's birthday.  The kids love going to Golden Coral.  They love buffets, especially when they can get all the cotton candy they want.
Jake is a great kid.  He's super smart and loves to learn about new things.  He is always full of information that he loves to share with us.  He loves video games.  He loves it when it's Friday and he can play video games.  I wish he wasn't so addicted to them but we haven't been able to find something else that he loves as much.  He's generally a happy kid and gets along great with Kyson.  I'm glad that he is a part of our family and I hope he had a great birthday!  I love you Jake!

Jake and Grandma celebrating their birthday together

My handsome little 10 year old