Last to Leave

Tayden and a couple of his friends decided to do a last-to-leave challenge. They did one last year, but they were more prepared and ready for the challenge this year. The name of the game is to stay in your square as long as possible. They had bedding, food, tents for shade, and minimal entertainment. They even used buckets for the bathroom. Tayden made it a total of 36 hours. He was pretty prepared but forgot allergy medicine and contact provisions, so he woke up with red, itchy, dry eyes and was pretty miserable. Also, an older brother water ballooned them on their last night, so he was wet and cold on top of everything else. 

 I don't understand the draw behind this, but the boys loved it and it kept them outdoors and entertained. I think we have a tradition brewing. 

Fourth of July

 We had another great Fourth of July. It was our first holiday without Grandpa Great and we missed him so much, but it was great spending time with everyone else. The parade was fun and as usual, the kids got a ton of candy. Tayden and Scott were throwing elbows, Cache and Kyle shared their space just fine, and Beckett annexed himself off and shamelessly yelled at the candy throwers, "Bet you can't hit me!!" to bait them into throwing more. 

We had a fun afternoon and Grandma and Grandpa Packards house. We played Left, Center, Right and Tayden walked the winner with 40ish dollars. 

We stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Mennears house on the way home. We completely spaced bringing swimming suits, so the boys swam all evening in their underwear. It was the perfect Fourth of July evening and a core memory I hope to never forget since they wouldn't let me take any pictures. 

The plan was to go to the firework show, but we were all spent when we finally made it home. We set up in our front yard and watched the huge neighborhood fireworks. We also discovered that we could see the city fireworks through our trees. They were small, but there. 

The fourth of July is my favorite holiday. I love the fun without the fuss. I love spending the day with family in warm weather. I love our country and I love celebrating it. 

Ashton

A quick day drip to Ashton. Homework for me, fun for the boys. 

 

Swimming Rewards

The boys got to reap the rewards of their hard work last week and swim in my mom's pool. It did not disappoint. 

 

Thomas Reunion

 We had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Swan Lake, for the Thomas Reunion. They had a great turn out and we were able to see family members that we hadn't seen in years. Scott's extended family is quite large, and meeting some new people was fun. I met Cheryl's nephew, Shelby, who happens to smoke. My favorite moment of the whole reunion was when Cache smelled smoke. He asked, "Where's the fire?" right as Shelby turned around with a cigarette in his mouth and Cache said, "Oh! Why are you smoking? Don't you know that's bad for you?" Shelby replied he did and that it was a bad habit. Cache went on, "But do you know it's really bad for you? Like really really bad for your lungs and your heart? You shouldn't do that!!" Shelby was such a good sport and told Cache that's why it's important that he should never start smoking. I love how Cache calls it as he sees it and isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes. 

We spent the first night of the reunion swimming at Downetta Hot Springs. It was fun until Tayden chipped his tooth. The next day we hung out in Swan Lake and played games while the kids jumped on the bounce house and got their faces painted. 

We ended the reunion with a picture on Grandma Hazel Thomas' porch. It was so neat to see the posterity of her family and I count my blessings that I get to be a part of it! 

Cache and Luna

I love watching my children cuddle with the dog. It always reaffirms our decision and reminds me that we made the right choice in bringing her into our home. 

 

Swimming Pool

My parents bought a big swimming pool from Costco and needed help setting it up. Since my boys are like a small army of workers and we'll use the pool quite a bit, I volunteered our time and efforts. We spent the night so we could wake up early and get straight to work before it got too hot. But of course, the boys couldn't wait to play in the sand. We love spending the night at Grandma Mennears! We stayed up way too late playing games and eating snacks. Just the way we like to spend our time at Grandmas!

We got up, had breakfast, and got to work. First, we leveled the sand. Then, we set up the pool. It wasn't as easy as it sounds and took us a couple of hours to accomplish. However, the boys are such great workers, and we were able to knock it out in a couple of hours. Beckett was on babysitting duty and even kept Brayden entertained while he worked. 

We weren't there long enough to see it fill, but you better believe we'll be checking it out this next week to spend the afternoon swimming and soaking up the sun!