Summer Fun,Camping, and Hair Cuts

July was full of fun things we did together as a family. First of all, we LOVE camping. And we knew that Paul's busy season at work was starting after the fourth. So we took the kids camping over fourth of July weekend and they had a blast. We bought a new tent that was HUGE and they had a ball running around in it. We made smores, fished, boated, and I even got lost! Quite the eventful trip. We came home for the actual fourth of July and let the kids watch fireworks with cousins. They oohed and ahhed so many times! It was cute:) Then in July we bought a pool for the kids that's deep enough they can swim in. They LOVE it! They've spent so many days in it already that they don't even need sunscreen anymore...they're permanantly brown. It was a great investment and Kate actually taught herself to swim with a little help:) Then finally...haircuts! The girls had been bugging me forever to get their hair cut and so we finally went one morning and I thought, "I might as well get one too" so we all three went for the plunge. It was so hard for me to let Liz get her hair cut but I don't know why it took me so long...she's adorable! It was her first big haircut and it was harder for mommy than her:) I loved how Kate's turned out too. She went a little shorter than Liz and loves to put headbands in. Liz loves flowers and bows. So there's July in a nutshell. Very fun month...the last one that's totally school-free!

Paul, Dee, and Brother Gould after 5am fishing. If you know me and Paul, you know that we DID NOT eat these for breakfast.

Lizzie enjoying the campfire right before smores:)

The kids holding the fish that the men caught...not too sure about those smelly fish.

Sarah's new haircut...I was going for the Alice Cullen:) I've always loved her hair.

Kate excited about how it turned out. She LOVES her hair short...definitely a mommy's girl in that respect.

Lizzie showing off her first ever short do! She was so excited. She kept walking past the mirrors at home to look and smile:)

Carter enjoying the water. He has quickly learned how to say "swimsuit" and "pool". He loves the water! And he's always so proud of himself when he's in. Getting him out is something you don't want to see:)

And Kate...she was born to be in the water. Loves every minute, totally fearless, willing to try anything, would sleep here if she could:)

Carter Turns Two!

My baby is two! We celebrated Carter's birthday this weekend and had a lot of fun. We decided to take the kids out on the lake for a couple hours just for fun on his special day and we had a great time enjoying the outdoors and the beautiful views. Then we came back to our house for a BBQ and cake. Happy birthday Carter! We love you!

Trying on his new hard hat while he plays with his Tonka dumptruck
He loves anything with wheels. Here he is with his new fire truck.

Operating a new "power tool" from Aunt Anna:) He loves it!

There were trucks on top of his cake. Here he is licking off the chocolate frosting:)

This was the by-product of singing "Happy Birthday" to him! We think he had an attention overload. I think it was adorable.

Lighting the cake and singing to him. I love this picture of him in the background.

His monster truck cake

He got a new basketball hoop and LOVES it! Here he is trying to shoot. He got pretty good by the end with the help of a chair:)

Here we are on the lake just loving the sun!

Kate's Last Day of Kindergarten

I officially have a first grader! I can't believe how fast...and how slow...this year went, if you know what I mean:) This year was a very eventful one for her. She started not even knowing all the sounds of the alphabet and now is full-blown reading big books. She loves reading, math, science, and especially music! She made lots of new friends, learned to jump off a moving swing, and LOVES recess! She even had to move mid-year and transfer to another school in another state! How BRAVE! She loved this year and can't wait for first grade. Here she is all excited for her last day, along with her cousins and sister:)

Our New House

Things took an unexpected turn for our family in April and Paul was offered a job in California. We finally sold our house in Idaho after 14 long months and he was offered a job the same week. So we packed up and headed out. We just barely moved into our new house a week and a half ago and we're loving it! Here's a picture of our Home Sweet Home:)

Kate's New School and her Birthday

In May we moved to California and Kate started a new school. The first picture is of her on her first day. Then we celebrated her 6th birthday. She LOVED it! We had a family party and she had a great time! One of the things that she got was a scooter and she was elated (as you can tell)! Happy Birthday Kate!

Easter

We celebrated Easter in April and had a lot of fun. Paul always colors eggs with the kids and they always love it. They were so excited for the Easter bunny that Kate was up at three A.M.! You'd think it was Christmas:) They all had fun going through their baskets. As you can see, Carter was just interested in the candy. But Kate and Liz loved their barbies. "Hoppy" Easter!

Lizzie's Fourth Birthday!

WOW! Life has been crazy the last few months and I'm way behind on posting so this is me catching up! We celebrated Lizzie's fourth birthday in March and we had a blast! We had a huge family party with pizza, cake, ice cream and presents. Liz had a blast and I can't believe how fast she's growing up. Happy Birthday Liz! We love you!