Wildlife show and Menchies

We've really been enjoying all these free shows put on by the city this summer. This time was a Wildlife show and they had some pretty fun animals they brought out. The kids thought it was pretty cool, though Carter is getting more and more upset everytime we come to one of these and he doesn't get picked to go up and volunteer. When you're 3 years old, it sure is hard to understand that you don't always get what you want. I guess it's a lesson I'm still learning sometimes too. 

One fun fact I learned though was about alligators. I never knew that alligators have two sets of eyelids. One that is clear for underwater use (kind of like goggles) and then another set of regular eyelids like we have. The clear ones close from out to in and the regular ones close from top to bottom. Pretty cool huh! How I grew up in FL and never knew that, I do not know. 

We had about 45 minutes after the show until Leah and Ashlyn's watercolor class, so we headed over to Menchies with Becky and her kids for a little treat. 

Post 4th of July Fireworks

My brother bought a bunch of sparklers and fountain fireworks in Fillmore for 4th of July. He wanted to wait until his MIL was in town to set them off so we headed over to their house Tuesday after 4th of July to BBQ and do fireworks. My pictures aren't too good, but it was a lot of fun and the kids got to do sparklers, which is a rarity around here being that they are illegal. Luckily my brother has no grass in his backyard, so all that dirt made for a good spot to set them off. Afterward, we made sure to spray the whole area down with water just incase. 

The kids stayed safe and jumped in the trampoline while we set off the fountain fireworks. 

Slip and Slide fun

Who knew a slip and slide could keep my kids happy for almost 4 hours! 

Fourth of July

Someone PLEASE remind me next year to actually TRAIN for the 4th of July 5K. I really wasn't even going to run it this year. I got multiple emails about it and just kind of ignored them. Then, on the evening of the 2nd, I decided SURE….why not! So I drove over to the store Wednesday afternoon to sign up (I had missed online registration). I figured, I did it last year without training, so I can do it again right? Well, yes….I could. But boy was it harder than I remembered. And my time was almost 2 minutes slower than last year. So next year, since I will probably sign up again, and will probably sign up at the last minute, I need to at least train for it. That way I hopefully won't feel like I'm dying half way through. 

Having said that, I did really have fun and I'm glad I ended up doing it. It's becoming a fun tradition. Next year I need to get my kids in the 1K fun run. Then we can make it a family event!

I found out my friend Lindsey and her hubby and oldest son were running it also. So even though they left me in the dust within the first mile, it was still fun to have some friends with me. After the 5K, we met up with Paul and the kids who had run into the Osmonds and we all watched the parade! Great start to Independence Day.

(Becky's sad she didn't get to run it this year. She had family in town and none of them wanted to do it, so she was obliged to stick with them. So sad.)

After the parade, I was beat so we went home to hang around the house for the afternoon. Then we packed up, got dinner and headed out to hang with friends and watch fireworks at the park. 

It was another great year with good friends (and family) and I'm so grateful to be able to celebrate this great Country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy!

And would you believe it, I actually got my brother and his family to come join us. Every year I invite them and every year they don't come! But this year they did. It was fun to have them with us.

I also got to hold this sweet little snuggle bug Cason. He's only a month old and just so fun to hold. 

Carter was really enjoying him too. Kept saying how cute he was and petting his head. 

Waiting for the fireworks to start. Great show this year, as always. Can't wait for next year! 

Summer's rolling along

Yesterday was our first beach day of the summer. Unfortunately, it was not as successful as I had hoped. Darn fog hung over the beach the whole time we were there, even though my weather app said it was suppose to blow over by noon. Oh well! At least it wasn't freezing cold. Just cloudy and hazy. The kids still had fun and we got to come with Gracie and her mom Patty, so it was still a great day! Plus we just got a couple of boogie boards for the kids, so they had fun playing in the water with them. 

Crazy thing was that for as hazy as it was, the water wasn't freezing cold. I know you don't believe me because Brandon looks pretty cold in this picture, but seriously, it wasn't too bad. It's been way worse. Plus he had been in the water for quite some time at this point, so he probably was getting cold. He didn't let it stop him though. Kept going back for more and more. And then would run to the warm sand and roll in it to warm up. Needless to say, he was covered in sand from head to toe by the time we left. He's probably still getting it out of his ears.

Carter is still figuring out how the whole boogie board thing works. Lol. He seriously set it down at the edge of the shore, facing the ocean and waited. Hahaha….I'm not sure what he expected to happen, but I'm sure it wasn't "nothing", which is exactly what happened. Silly boy! He'll figure it out soon enough. For now, I'm happy he doesn't quite know what to do. He can't swim so boogie boarding is out anyway.

Kids took turns burying each other. A beach must!

And the girls turned Carter into a "Merman". He thought it was pretty cool! He even let them bury his hands. 

Me and my Ashlyn. She mostly sat in the chair next to me bundled up in a towel. She's not a huge beach lover, especially if the weather isn't perfect!

Then this morning Ashlyn had her appointment at Children's Hospital with the Medical Genetics dept. We got in WAY faster than I thought we would. They asked a ton of medical history questions. All about her, me, Paul and our entire family. Then the doctor checked her out from head to toe and declared her "normal". LOL. We already knew that, but at least she doesn't have some genetic syndrome that her Dermatologist thought she might have. She's just the perfect example of a recessive child. Got every recessive trait between me and Paul that she probably could have, and that's why she's so different looking from the rest of our kids. It's perfectly fine and I wouldn't change a thing about her. Not even her webbed toes. Well, maybe I'd wish more hair for her, but that's about it. And that's only for her sake. 

After we got home, it was time for band camp. On the way home, the kids talked me in to stopping at the Activity Center to play the games for a while. The girls enjoyed some air hockey and basketball, while Brandon and Carter were glued to Super Mario Brothers game.

As we headed back to the car, I told the kids I would time them as they ran back and forth down the field. Half way through the race, the sprinklers turned on. I couldn't believe the chances. It was hilarious. The other three kids freaked out and got out as soon as possible, while Brandon continued to run all the way back. He was soaking wet by the time he was done, but he loved every minute of it! 

I'd say summer is turning into exactly what it should be. Lazy, casual days combined with some fun and a little (hopefully not too much) boredom.  

Dragons 2 Art Gallery

For our date night last weekend, Paul and I headed out to Alhambra to the "How to Train your Dragon 2" art gallery. The coolest thing about this art gallery, is that PAUL'S art is in it. Yahoo! Way to go my stud hubs! It was really fun to see his art hanging on the wall for all to see. I'm super proud of him.

Too bad my camera kept picking up a funny glare!

But this is his sketch and digital painting of "Stoick". He got to model this character for the movie, so it holds a special place in his heart. 

Drawing done by Chris Sanders. I think that's his name. He was the art director for the movie. He's also the creator of "Lilo and Stitch". You can see his style in this picture of toothless. Totally has a Stitch feel to it. His drawing, along with other big wigs from the studio, also had their art up for sale.

And then here's a few of my favorites from the gallery. Lots of talented people at Dreamworks. It was fun to see all the different styles of art.