Hair today, gone tomorrow

All the kids got haircuts! Dorothy got a pretty drastic trim, which is great for the summer. Lincoln drew a picture for Ms. Cathy. He wanted his bangs to be spiked.








Dorothy even got Ethan to play beauty parlor after her hair cut! At first he just wanted to do her hair, but a few minutes later, he came out looking fabulous!








Well, Dorothy just got so carried away with the beauty parlor game, the next day, she decided to cut her hair! I came out of the shower to find a pair of scissors on the floor with a lock of hair beside them. I frantically looked for Dorothy upstairs, to find her nightgown covered with hair. INSTANT HEART ATTACK!! I pulled out all of the loose hair, which formed this size ball:





Thank goodness she cut from underneath, so it isn't noticeable. All of the scissors are up high now!!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Girls Weekend!

Dave's works schedule has been crazy this summer! He has traveled more than he has been home; that is one of the many reasons, I was so stinking excited about a girls weekend.

I flew to Denver to meet up with a childhood friend and a college friend. It had been 8 years since we had all been together!

We ate delicious food, without any kids!!



We got a pedicure, without any kids!!




We went hiking: Colorado is gorgeous!









We went shopping, without any kids!!

We got a little crazy with some face masks.




We watched a movie, without any kids!!

We laughed so much, talked so much, and got a much needed break from the 7 kids between us all. We are already trying to figure it where we are going next!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

July 4th Trip

We did it again this year: we packed 4 adults and 5 kids in a 15 passenger van and headed up to New Jersey to visit the Reed family.

The kids loved walking down to the lake from Gigi's house. It was so sweet when Dorothy grabbed Gigi's hand!




Drake and Penny became really close during this trip. They were the ones who stayed at the lake the longest. They would run out of the water and play on the playground, the run into the water, over and over again.




We paraded up at Uncle Barry's lake, just like we have in the past.




















We had a lovely afternoon at Barry's house, just sitting, playing games, and talking to each other.














The kids got super attached to their big cousins, Abby and Violet. Thank goodness for FaceTime, so they can stay in touch!





The week was full of family time and swimming time. The kids didn't want to leave, but were excited to see Daddy when we got back.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Summer Partay

Yay, school is out!! We had our annual summer party with Cleve's family, which worked out well, so they could take us to the airport the next morning.

This year, we had a slip-n-slide (without olive oil this time), jumped on the trampoline with a sprinkler, ate popsicles, took a huge bubble bath, and twirled sparklers.












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Western Vacation--Week 2

Poor Dave had to travel on Father's Day, so we had to give him his gift early.




The Primary was so sweet to include the boys in the Father's Day bulletin.




















That evening, we had a nice dinner with Andy's family. The kids played so well together.







The next day, we picked strawberries and gathered eggs from the farm.








For FHE that night, we went up to a beautiful pond in the mountains. The kids tried fishing for the first time, shot bows, and swam in the warm water.

















I'm not really sure what happened the rest of the week, it flew by! Drake opened up how dinosaur excavation kit one afternoon.







Unfortunately, our last day was full of excitement, including the ER. At a quick bathroom break, before getting to Boise, Drake's head collided with Grandma's chin. She needed medical attention quickly. She is still recovering, but thankful she has such a good attitude about it! The kids love making her try to say her "s's" with a missing tooth.

It was so wonderful to spend time with the Shinsel family, and we are going to try to come back before 2 years passes away!!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Western Vacation--Week 1

It had been 2 years since we made it out west to visit the Shinsel family. We packed a lot in over 2 weeks, but some of my favorite moments were just watching cousins play together.











Most every morning, after eating their favorite kinds of cereal, the kids got to soak it the hot tub.











The first week, we drove to Boise for a family reunion. Our first day was at Wahooz, an indoor adventure park with some fun outdoor things as well. There was something for everybody there!

















The next day, we wore the kids out even more at the water park next door. Dorothy must have carried a tube up a hill for her favorite slide, at least 25 times!











Our last day, was Drakie's birthday, and we celebrated at a fun park.














It was so nice to see family, and especially to snuggle with baby Crew!

That weekend, Dave and I went in a date; Maxine, Amy and I went to a musical; Dave reconnected with his art teacher from high school; and we roasted marshmallows at Brent's house.