Where has the summer gone?

Besides our trip to AL we haven't had much time to enjoy our summer. Those two weeks were a BlAsT and a well needed break from the real world! We've had so much to do to take care of my parents that the summer has just slipped away. I really wanted to do some fun day outings around town through out the summer, but wasn't able to fit much in. In an attempt to reclaim our summer we crammed in few fun events during the last couple of weeks.

Gary took the boys on the father-son camp out. The boys has a blast, rafting and making smores. While the boys were gone, we had a girls night out. We painted our fingers and toes to prepare us for an evening of FuN! We went to dinner with our friends, went shopping and had ice cream. Alyssa LOVED hanging out with her friends and doing girlie stuff. She keeps asking me when we can do it again.

Gary also took the older three fishing a couple of times while Sadie and I had some one-on-one time. I will make Gary post about his adventures with the kids soon.

For our last Fun Friday I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. The kids love earning tickets to buy prizes at the end.

Gavan loved this water shooting game because he always won against Jack.

Sadie and Alyssa shared a lot of rides and had lots of fun together.

Gavan playing Skeet ball.

Jack really got into driving this 4x4. I picture his first car being all decked out much like this one.

Sadie always wanted out of this one before the ride was over.

Check out all the tickets Jack won off of ONE game!

The kids were so nice to each other the entire time. Gavan willingly gave Jack a few tokens when he ran out before everyone else. It was a good day for everyone!

The girls really liked this toy. All it did was go in circles but that was enough for them.


Since the girls were having so much fun on it Jack had to try it too.

Gulf Shores

We made a quick trip to the beach. We promised the boys we'd take them while we were on vacation. Originally were intended to go to Pensacola FL and hit the beach there. Our plans changed due to time constraints. Instead we hit Gulf Shore, AL. It was a nice town, I just wished we could have stayed another day.

We got in late after dinner at Lambert's, checked into the hotel and headed to the beach. It was around 6:30 pm when we arrived at the beach. It was perfect, not too hot and not too crowded.

Sadie was terrified of the sand at first. She wouldn't let her feet to touch the sand. She made us carry her for quite awhile. Then she got comfortable and didn't want to leave the beach.
Gavan loved collecting seashells. Sadie LOVE dumping sand into Gavan's shell bucket. He would get so mad at her. He couldn't leave the bucket unattended or she'd fill it up with sand.

The waves were pretty big while we were there, so we had to hold Sadie and Alyssa's hands anytime they went in the water.

Jack loved the ocean. The waves kept knocking him down and he thought that was great!

The girls looking for shells.


The girls helped me bury Jack in the sand.


They're aren't any pictures of Gary at the beach b/c my hands were all sandy and I didn't want to touch the camera.

I think this was the funnest "fun Friday" we have had yet!

Saturday Morning we checked out of the hotel and hit the shops. Nothing more fun than four kids in a cramped tourist shop looking for souvenirs.
This is the entrance to one of the shops. Pretty cool huh?

Fun Friday

Last week we let the kid make homemade pizza for Fun Friday. Gary made the dough and then all the kids wanted to "toss" it lick the do at fancy pizza places.

Sadie decided she needed to like the dough instead of flatten it.

Sadie copying Alyssa. She always imitates what Alyssa is doing...good or bad.

Apparently the boys were already done by the time we found the camera, hence no pictures of them.

Monsters vs Aliens

We took the older three kids to Monsters vs. Aliens for a surprise "fun Friday" activity. The LOVED it!!! Alyssa was a little scared and had to sit on my lap for most of the movie. She also took her glass off after about 30 minutes and wouldn't put them back on.

My little monsters waiting in line for the movie.

The last time we took Alyssa to a movie was about 1-1/2 years ago and she was awful. Gary spent most of the movie out in the lobby with her. We were pleased that she was good and we could see the entire movie.

Ginger bread house of Horrors

For the past few years we have made Gingerbread men with the kids. It is always funny to see what the kids come up with for decorations. We always take before and after pictures as some of them become decapitated in the cooking process and thus their looks change drastically.

Sadie is always trying to get in and help out. She didn't want to decorate the cookies she just wanted to eat the candy. It really made the kids mad when she took candy off a gingerbread man.

This year Alyssa was old enough to actually do more than just watch and eat the candy.

Before baking
After.
I love how the candy corns melted and oosed! And just for the record candy corns are soooo much better after they have been baked. The melting and then hardening is so much better than their previous state. I can't stand normal candy corns at all but I could actually tolerate them this way. It is like marshmallow peep, they are best eaten once they have hardened a bit.
A close up of the candy corn massacre. I love how it looks like his brains are leaking!
This one is mine. He reminds me of Targets domo dude.

Holloween treats

For Fun Friday this past week for dinner we made hot dog mummies, instead of pigs in a blanket. The kids thought it was great.


For the ward activity Gary got all Martha Stewart on me and made a spider web out of rice crispies. It turned out so good!

Fun Friday

Today for fun Friday I made the kids a special lunch. I bought mini cookie cutters and cut cheese and lunch meat into different shapes. The kids thought these were great fun, even Sadie enjoyed it.

This is Alyssa lunch. We have moon and maple leave shaped cheese and lunch meat.

I forgot to take of picture of the boys lunch b/c they were already at school when I thought about it. There's was pretty much the same just more shapes and two kinds of cheese.

We also made our own pizza's for dinner.
Gavan putting on the sauce.

Gavan helping Alyssa reach the cheese so she could help.
Alyssa admire hers and Gavan's works of Art.

Jack showing me his Masterpieces.

These are the kids pizzas. I never took a picture of mine and Gary's but I should have it was tasty AND pretty. Sometimes I even impress myself.

After dinner settled we went outside and helped the practice their soccer and football moves. We should have been doing this all summer to help them prepare for their seasons, but we didn't.

This was definitely a Fun Friday

Fun Friday (last week)

Last week for "Fun Friday" we did an art project. We made pencil holders out of old ""baby puffs jars. We decided this activity would be more fun if done while Alyssa and Sadie napped!

The boys love gluing things.

We used mod podge to glue scrapbook paper to the jars.


They turned out pretty good for not knowing what I was doing. Next time I will use a container that is uniform and doesn't go from big to small. It would be much easier to get the paper to have snug fit.