1st drive in of the Summer

Summer finally means that we get to enjoy our favorite activity...the drive in. This was the first time that we got to go in the truck as well. Before heading out we checked to see how we would set things up. We discovered that the queen air mattress fits perfectly in the back with our two lawn chairs against the back window. I was a little bummed we couldn't fit out lounger chairs, but out other chairs were just fine. 

The kids were really excited when we told them what we were doing. I think they were just as excited about using the truck as we were. They helped out and grabbed all the blamkets and pillows and then hopped into the truck when they were ready to go. We grabbed a few treats, the radio, and then headed out the door.

When we got there the kids were happy to help set up their pillows and blankets and take claim to their spot. We then took a walk around to help the time pass. Before heading back to the truck we did stop and grabbed some popcorn. When we got back to the truck we all hopped in, got comfy, and waited for the movies to start. The kids couldn't wait. We were there for them. Both of the shows were kids shows.

Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3. It was a good line up for our first trip to the drive in.

Splash Pad

Despite the kids telling me that they didn't like the splash pad, we decided to give it one more try. We planned on going to the Riverdale one, but at the last minute it was changed to Harrisville. The kids were less then thrilled and I don't blame them. The Harisville one is not as big or fun at the Riverdale one.

When we got to the park we practically had to convince the kids to get out there and play in the water. Once they did, they were having some fun, but they didn't last as long as I hoped they would. I'm not sure why they would rather play in a pool versus the splash pad.

Gabbi found herself just walking back and forth through the water to if she would get drenched with the buckets of water falling all around her.

Owen had a lot more fun then Gabbi. He was the one child, how was actually happy to run around and play in the water despite hating it when water gets splashed in his face. That didn't stop him from running around though. I was very surprised, however it did have a shelf life.

William took a lot more convincing to go in the water. He started out small and stood on the little water hole shooters. He would cover one with his foot and be amazed that the others started shooting higher and higher. Then when he took his foot off it went back to normal and he thought that was the funniest thing. That's pretty much where he stayed the whole time. Even Owen tried to convince him to run through and it didn't work either.

It was a fun and short afternoon. I'm not sure I could convince them to go again. When I told them it was time to go, they were okay with that. They quickly got dressed and were ready to head home before I was.

Woody's Rascals Game 6

When Ben said he wanted to play on not only the Big Baller's, but his Dad's softball team as well. I was surprised when he told me. He wouldn't be able to play till almost the end of the season because of his up coming class, but that didn't stop him and he happily signed up. When we finally got the schedule he realized that he was only going to play three games with them. It didn't matter to him though, he loves playing softball with his Dad more then he does his friends. It's that special thing that he and his dad share.

When we got there he and his dad started warming up till the rest of the team showed up. Once they got started they were off to a pretty good start. No runs on either side during the first three innings. It was really 3 up 3 down. I was surprised. Their streak ran out though. They definitely didn't get creamed, but they still didn't win. 

When the game was over we packed up our things and went to find the kids. They were at the other field playing a game of their own. They didn't have a lot of players and were pretty much just doing whatever they could think of, but at least they were having fun. The best part was watching William run the wrong way around the bases.

Swimming

Brandon and Christy got a new pool and once they got it up, they invited us over for swimming and dinner. We grilled some hamburgers and hot dogs and we had all the random fixings to go with it.

When we got there the kids were so excited, they wanted to jump right in. Lucky for them we still had to grill the hamburgers and hot dogs, so they would have a little bit of time to swim before eating. They all jumped in and were having so much fun that when it was finally time for dinner, it was hard to pull them out.

We finally were able to pull them out to sit down to eat. I have never seen them eat so fast before. They really wanted to get back in the pool. Lucky for me, they have the 30 minute rule after you eat. They actually had to sit down and eat and relax a little before jumping back in. They literally asked us if time was up every minute. When the 30 minutes finally passed all three of them ran for the ladder.

Big Baller's Game 7

After missing 3 games, Ben was glad to get back "into the swing" of things. He didn't miss much while he was gone either. One game was rained out and the other two they still didn't win. Ben constantly reminds me that they don't play to win, they play to have fun. It's a shame he's missed out on so much "fun".

For missing 3 games, he didn't miss a beat. He had a great game. Scored one of the very few runs and had some spectacular plays. 

They got creamed, but by the looks on all of their faces they really do have fun while they play.

FYE Ty Dyeing

Instead of buying 4th of July shirts this year, a friend of mine suggested doing our own. She posted a video on Facebook of a shirt that was Ty Died to look like an American Flag. It looked simple enough, so we planned on doing this activity for Family Home Evening together. 

They got behind on their timing, so we went ahead and started without them. We first prepped the shirts by soaking them in water and then did zip ties instead of rubber bands where we wanted to divide up the colors. Once that was done we mixed the dyes and headed outside.

Because of the dyes I didn't dare let the kids do it by themselves, well not all of them anyways. I helped William first, who wasn't quite sure what we were even doing. He did have fun holding the bottles of dye though.

Ben suggested that we let Gabbi and Owen try a little bit by themselves first and then if they needed help to hop in and help them. They managed to do the first color in the largest section of the shirt, but when it came time to do the small sections it was time to jump in and help. They decided the pattern they wanted and I started each section initially and then they finished them off.

They all seemed pretty happy with the overall activity and couldn't wait to see what they looked like when they were done. Sadly they had to wait, the shirts had to sit in paper bags to process for 12 hours before rinsing them out.

Camping dinner

Weekends have become very busy not to mention week days. We have been trying to plan a camping trip with Nelson and Deann, but have been unsuccessful. The next best thing...they plan a camping trip and we participate where we can. 

Nelson and Deann came down to Fort Buenaventura for a couple of days and we were able to come and visit them while they were down. We planned on doing a dinner with them while they were down. They did the main course and we did rolls and dessert. 

When we got there dinner wasn't ready yet so Ben pulled out the mitts and the softball and played catch with the kids. They have become fans of playing catch. I think Gabbi would one day like to play on a team like Miranda.

William lost interest quickly with the mitt and went and got the ball toss game from the van. He played with Grandma Deann. It was pretty funny to watch. William isn't that great at catching or throwing and he wound out chasing the ball more often then he was catching or throwing it. Even the dogs were having fun with that. It was a race to the ball between the dogs and William.

When dinner was done cooking we all sat down and ate. It was really good, a recipe that I'd like to do again at home. Afterwards we had our dessert and then just sat around the campfire till it was time to go. It was a nice and relaxing evening. The kids were upset that we were staying the night, but we have 9 o'clock church in the morning.

Hall Summer Reunion

Like all good summer breaks, they are filled with reunions and my Dad's family is no different. We did the same thing we do every year. We reserve the South Ogden Park pavilion and with that you have access to the field, park, and splash pad. 

This year it was bring your own lunch and then Grandma and Grandpa would provide the drinks, their famous grape juice that everyone loves, and a dessert. It works out nicely. We reserve is for 4 hours and you can come and go as you please. As long as you visit with Grandma and Grandpa before you leave. 

When we got there we sat down and ate lunch before letting the kids run off and play. We brought cold cut sandwiches and some chips for lunch, which the kids didn't eat much of because they just wanted to go play. After eating at least half, we finally let them run off and play.

Gabbi and William headed straight for the splash pad. I was surprised that they wanted too because they told me the last time we had gone that they didn't want to go a splash pad again. I guess this time was different because now they had their cousins to play with. They bounced between the splash pad and the park. At least they were cool when they decided to play at the park.  

They were even able to grab Papa though the water for a little bit of fun. I think Papa did most of the dragging and surprisingly enough didn't end up getting that wet. Just a few spots here and there.

Owen on the other hand kept his word. He did not want to play at the splash pad and he was adamant about it. He was kind of bummed that we were there. He said there was nothing to do. I laughed at this, but Ben saw an opportunity and he and Owen went for a walk. When they got back he told me about the walk and what he found, a bone of some kind. He said he thought he was like the Paleontologist's from Jurassic Park. He then ran off to show his cousins and wound up playing at the park when he was done. 

After all the adults were done eating and decided to join in the fun, the washer toss game was brought out and everyone took a stab at it. Even some of the kids got in on the fun.

Once they saw how much fun we were having othere brought out some games as well. They brought out Soccer balls, tennis balls, and even a few baseball bats. It eventually ended up with a group playing soccer on one end and a group hitting tennis balls on the other. We had the longest line to take turns hitting the tennis balls. The thing that surprised me most was that is wasn't just the kids. The parents were getting line to hit a few balls as well. It proves that everyone is a big kid at heart.

It was such a fun afternoon and I was surprised that pretty much everyone stayed for the entire time even though it was a come as you go reunion.

Lagoon 6-20-2017

Ben was able to come home a day early from his class, which meant he had one day off before having to go back to work. We decided to take that opportunity and take the kids to Lagoon. We decided that it would be a wet day at Lagoon and go on some of the water rides that we don't normally go on. Then we would end it at Lagoon-a-beach.

When we first got there the kids wanted to show Ben some of the new rides that they had put in., but since their rides were pretty long we decided to go on a few others first. The kids ran to Bombora. one of the rides whose lines move very quickly. We got right on and in the front. The kids loved it so much we rode it twice.  

Then we headed to the Jumping Dragon. I was surprised that Owen didn't want to ride it, so I stayed back with him while Ben took the other two. William quickly choose a seat, but that didn't make Gabbi very happy. She wanted to ride in the front by the head of the dragon so she headed to ride by herself while Ben and William got settled in. While they waited for the ride to start William just had to show me how the Dragons look and sound.

When they were done, the lines on the new rides had finally gone down. We first started with the Ruka Safari. The kids were so excited to show Ben the ride that they made us ride it with them. I always feel so funny getting on the kids ride afraid that I will break the ride, but they insisted.

Now that the new rides were out of the way, it was time for some water rides. We first started with the OdySea. I was surprised that I was able to get Owen to ride, but it took me having to ride with him to get him to go. He also said that I wasn't allowed to control the Submarine, he wanted to make sure he could control how wet he got. Lucky for him he was on the inside of the Submarine. Ben and I got the worse of it, but we all got wet, at least a little bit.

We then headed into Pioneer Village and took the kids on the Log flume. The kids have never been on it and Ben was really excited to see how they would handle it. The line was pretty long, but at least it was in the shade. When we got to the front of the line, the kids began to get apprehensive. They worried about how wet they were going to get. They saw quite a few get off that were completely drenched. Luckily we were too far into the line to get out and they reluctantly climbed into the log.

We indeed got drenched. They weren't so happy about that. The boys were more lucky then Gabbi, they were in the middle of the log versus Gabbi who was in the front. As you can tell she was not happy with us.

Since we were already drenched we topped it off with a ride on the Rattle Snake Rapids. Again we got drenched. I don't think any of us had a dry spot to our names. Luckily we were done and were now headed to Lagoon-A-Beach.

After getting changed into our swimsuits, the kids ran for the water. The boys and I hung out in the Kiddie area and the Lazy River while Ben and Gabbi went on some of the water slides. I was surprised that Gabbi wanted to go on them. I can't stand water slides. I guess she's more like her dad then I realized. When they were done, they finally joined us in the Kiddie area and Lazy River.

It wasn't too bad when we got in, but the crowds began to grow and Ben and I decided that it was time to go. We were glad to be able to spend some time in Lagoon-A-Beach and it would probably be the only time that we could, but it was definitely time to pack up and head out. The kids weren't so happy about that, but at least they had a blast while it lasted. What a fun wet day at Lagoon.