Hottest Summer Ever

Remember all my posts about desperately yearning for sun? Well we got it. What a hot summer it has been. One of the hottest I can remember in Utah. It's hit 100 pretty much every week. We've done our best to stay cool inside but we've played in the sun as much as we can!

 

We love the Splashpads and great friends always wanting to come with us! Whitney and her kids are TOO cute. So excited to have them back in our neck of the woods!

 Yes, my children look pretty messy some days. I wouldn't be a normal mom if I didn't have a couple "pajama days" a week! We love to eat lunch outside as often as we can. This girl, her face, her clothes, her hair...always a hot mess.

 We've tried to stay cool this summer in our fun pool! We looove it! Took a while for me to get over the anxiety of it being outside and worrying that the girls would sneak out into it. I couldn't sleep the first night it was up. It just keeps you on your toes and makes you follow them around all day! Talk about ALERT mom!!

It wouldn't be a summer in Utah without a trip to Roy Aquatic Center! This was our first time taking the triplets. Last year was just too overwhelming.

 One of my favorite times of the day...family prayer. They are just such sweet little spirits with precious hearts at this age! I love their enthusiasm for the gospel and participating in anything family related. They love to say prayer and we will often get 2 reciting us at the same time in unison. Adorable.

 Another fun trip to the Splash Pad with a couple of my favorite mamas!! Jordan and Whit.

 We've spent a little time at the local Syracuse Library. We love free things. And we love books. It's a win win!

 Balloon Fight! I do my best to keep the kids entertained...sometimes we have a winner...

 I love watching them play together (yes, another pajama day...I'm lazy ok??!!)

 Of course this post wouldn't be complete without a shenanigans pic, right? One day I was making dinner and heard Payten say, "wanna apple, Hallie?" I thought to myself, "wait, we don't have apples...." This is what I found. 3 ladies chomping into my tomatoes. Awesome.

(I swear I dress my children...)

 Enjoying our Roy Aquatic Summer pass...love love love this time of year!!

 Saydee...our bravest swimmer yet. This girl is on fire! A lot of the toddlers at the pool don't wear floaties and here we are with our kids all suited up. I know we look like freaks. But honestly, I can't handle the anxiety of trying to juggle 3 at a time even with Erik there. Things can happen too easily, too fast when you've got your eye on another child or you are helping another child. And they have. So for now, laugh if you will but it's a necessity for us.

 Payten...

 It's hard to find a picture in the sun where Hallie doesn't have her Pirate Eye. Cracks me up!

 

Erik and I started a new workout program. I've been a Turbo Girl for 6 years. I love Turbo Fire & Turbo Jam. But Shaun T (creator of Insanity) just came out with his new workout in June called T25. All workouts are super intense but ONLY 25 minutes. Works our tails off! Can't wait to see the payoff! And I love that I've finally found a workout that we can do as a couple.

 A night out with the grandparents and then stopping to visit the cows and horses near our home. It's the simple things in life & time together that make us smile. I love the 6 of us together.

 These 2 lookers. Daddy & Hallie. Don't those smiles just make your day a little better?

 Just enjoying another day outside eating lunch in our gazebo!

Marathon Man

Ok so maybe it was a HALF Marathon but I'm still proud!! My siblings and I decided we wanted to train for the Half Marathon and we got our husbands to sign up too. However, with life getting in the way, only Erik and my sister Lindsey were actually ready when the time came. I'm still shooting for a 5k and 10k but a half is too much for me right now. I got a little in over my head on that one!

I was so proud of the work and effort Erik put into training. He didn't think he was ever going to run another race but he did SO well and enjoyed it so much that he's hooked!

He didn't get to train as much as he wanted, so his hopes weren't too high. He thought he would finish in just under 3 hours.

I had so much fun tracking him on my phone until I realized he was WAY ahead of schedule!!! I was waiting for a ride from my in-laws to take me and all the kids up and as we were driving we were literally racing him to the finish line! To make a long story short...Kayson and I hopped out of the car, leaving my inlaws and the triplets in the car and we made it to the finish line only 30 seconds before he finished. I was so worried we were going to miss him and we almost did!

He finished in exactly 2 hours. Little stinker!

I am so incredibly proud of him for setting a goal, working hard for it and following through. He is such a great example to me. It was a moment I will never forget and he gives me strength to accomplish my goals no matter how hard they are to get there. He's such a wonderful man and I can't wait to run with him one day.

I had this big "Good Luck" Basket planned for him...but then the stinker went and bought most of the things I was going to put in it! Grr!! So I made him a really yummy pasta dinner and got him a few things...including his tank that he ran in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April In a Nutshell

Kayson had a fun field trip to the Treehouse museum that I couldn't make it to but his friend Cache's mom was sweet enough to text me some pics!

 Word on the street is that his teacher is always trying to separate them. Quite the little team they are!

Thank goodness for an early Spring! Me and the girls have had MANY lunches out on our picnic table.

 The outdoor eating doesn't stop there...daddy's been playing on the grill plenty! Mmm...

 Miss Saydee Jaye is pretty obsessed with Toy Story these days. Showin her love for Woody and Buzz. And the way she says Buzz with her little lisp...priceless.

 We've lived here a YEAR and I'm still not done decorating! I finally have a holiday shelf up. This is what it looks like in between holidays.

And yes, that is yet another frame I haven't filled. Meet our "dog"

These ladies can't get enough of coloring around here. Both good and bad. I'm sure you can guess why. I spend way too much time discovering beautiful artwork in my home made my mysterious markers, pens and crayons that apparently are delivered by Coloring Fairies.  

Hallie and mommy spent some time pretty sick just after their birthday. Colds, thrush, pink eye...loverly times. At least we were in it together.

 I love watching the girls play with the dollhouse they got for their birthday. I've honestly dreamed about this my whole life. Having little girls to play together with dolls. I could sit and watch them for hours.

 Again with the coloring...I found some soap crayons online and it was a hit. Unfortunately a One Hit Wonder though...after the first 2 uses the crayons got nasty and crumbled. Rip off. Still fun for the girls though!

 We love spending family time together at Kayson's soccer games again this year. He's so good! Up next...TBall! Should be interesting hauling the lot off to that twice a week!

 Saydee Bug is my tv addict. For real. This girl will sit and watch movies without moving all day if I let her. They're old enough now that they ask me to put certain movies in. Which usually consists of

"Buzz"= Toy Story
"Aria"= Ariel
"Princess & Ribbit"= Princess & The Frog
"Rella"= Cinderella
"Monsters"=ok they've got that one down
 Here, a perfect example of her just letting me love on her without taking her eye off the tv. I pretty much do this all day...lay around kissing people. It's my job and I love it!!!

 Payten loves to camp out in the front window watching Kayson play...waiting for dad to come home or watching him work on the lawn or fulfill all my carpentry projects ;). She's precious. She will even line her snacks up on the window sill. I oughtta get her a chair and a bag of popcorn.

And look how old she looks!!! GRRRR!! Since when did she go from a baby to a toddler? This isn't happening...this isn't happening...

 Erik and I have been making pretty good on our Monthly Date night, we've only missed one month (whoops)...but we can thank our ward for this one. I'm on the activities committee (again) and we put together an 80's themed Progressive Dinner. Serious fun people!

 Payte wins the award in our family for Worst Hair Days! She has 2 looks. Mullet and a Barbie that just experienced a scissor massacre (below). I pretty much have to style her hair every day to avoid stares...

 

 My word, who's still that beautiful with insanely fugly hair?? I don't know how I made such beautiful children...I'll never understand that. Such a beauty!

And here's one of those tender moments I get to have as a mother that remind me that God lives. He loves us and finds ways to bless and warm our hearts everyday...especially through our children...especially when we need it...

 Holding hands...

 Monkey See, Monkey Do...

 Hi, I'm Payten Leigh. I'm 2 but don't be fooled, I'll be 16 next year so hide your phones, hide your keys and for crying out loud HIDE YOUR MAKEUP cuz I'll find it...even if I have to grab a stool I'll find it!!!!

Something I've been waiting to happen since last Fall finally arrived. The bulbs I planted were so worth the long wait. Ask anyone in my family, I am like a kid in a candy store watching for my flowers to grow and bloom. DAILY!!!! I have taken so much pride in my gardening this year. It's nothing fancy like I dream of, but it's all I can do while we're still renting. I miss my tulips already!!

I've planted my summer garden and some was planted last fall and I am still out there every day waiting for Dahlias, Zinnias and Wave Petunias to bloom! It's gonna be a colorful summer...