Sweet and sad!

    So we had the best time with our Aussies but then they LEFT! It's a good thing they're coming back because we definitely didn't get enough of their cute faces! Seriously, look at how cute Halle is eating her strawberry shortcake!

Carter convinced me to braid his hair, I don't think this is what he had in mind. What a goofball!

Jovi sure got a kick out of this. 

    Although we need rain I'm glad it's not coming because I love having my driveway decorated with chalk art by Jovi.

     Tonight we got to attend a reception at this cool location. I had no idea this place even existed, it's pretty fancy!

Wadley Farms in Lindon. I'm glad Kayli didn't request this for her wedding reception even though it is pretty cool.

    So that's our week. We're sad the Atkinson's left but thankfully only for a minute and then we'll be back together. Can't wait for our Oregon adventures to begin!

Finally!!

     Finally!! The Atkinson's are here, my kitchen is 90% complete and this week has been full of fun and excitement!

I'm loving my backsplash!

Found this cute dress at 'Kayli's' store and it's pretty much my new favorite.

    So the Atkinson's finally arrived but our airport pick-up did not go quite as planned but we were beyond excited to see everyone. Apparently the Atkinson's took a wrong turn and came out at a different terminal so while we're staring up the escalator waiting for them they ended up approaching us from behind, funny!

Five very tired girls, four happy and one not so happy.

They were all such good girls on their long flight so I made sure I had a little gift bag of rewards for them.

Kirra stayed awake for several hours but finally crashed just around 7 PM.

Halle warmed right up after a nap!

Charlie is in girl cousin heaven!

Someone is pretty 'excited' about driving this 'cool' minivan!

I scored a few points when I took them to see some tiny and adorable puppies.

We also enjoyed some fun at the pool.

Jackie, Kayli and I got out and did a little clothes shopping.

     We've ended the week with our annual 'Tent City' better known this year as 'Dog City'. I don't know how happy the Atkinson's were to be here for this fun/crazy party but we were sure happy they were here and it may have been a mild tent set up but we still had all the same fun chaos as we do every year.

Pizza, bubbles and 4 dogs running wild.

Greg got in some serious cardio entertaining all the kids.

Had our first movie night of the season and of course watched "The Greatest Showman". Little Halle knows all the words to all the songs!!! She's so cute and smart!

S'mores were a hit with these girls.

Only Halle can get away with putting her hands and feet all over my glass table. Seriously! Look at that FACE!

Fun stuff and that's a wrap for Tent City 2018!

     So that's our week in a nutshell. It's been so nice having Jackie and her family here. If only Australia wasn't so far! Let the next few weeks creep by!!

We’re nearing the end

    We still have a project list too long to finish before the 12th but we're still plugging along the best we can. The backsplash tile is nearly done and I love it more and more, especially now that all the red paint is finally covered up. I was questioning my tile choice initially but now I'm convinced it was the perfect choice and, like always, its good for me to go with my gut on things like this.

Greg doesn't get many breaks lately, he's a hard worker!

     As I suspected, the house can get a little too cold for me now that we have 'real' air conditioning. It is nice but it's going to take a little getting use to. It's a good thing I have a few blankets lying around to keep me from developing hypothermia.

     And I found this photo gem on my phone this week. Carter and Smalls taking a selfie.

They both need a haircut pretty badly!

    Another project that was done this week was we got new carpet installed in the two bedrooms on the main floor and it's so nice!

Yay for new carpet!

The only photo evidence from our fun at the cousins.

     So that's the fun of the week. We've had a full week of summer break and no one's died. (Although a neighbor or two might have come close.) The kids got to attend a flood irrigation party at their cousins house in Sprinville that they loved. And of course next week is going to be the highlight of the summer for all of us when the Atkinson's hit the states in only 3 days, 5 hours and 34 minutes!!!!!!!!

More finished projects

     Greg has been busy!! With a lot of help from Blaine my railing is finished and it's about the coolest thing I've ever seen! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

Blaine brought his awesome laser, which made installing the rebar a lot easier.

Rustic is definitely my style!

   He also finished up the island trimmings and I love it too!

Metal and wood is the best combo.

    If Brock doesn't go into some type of demolition work his talents will be wasted. He was hammering away at the tree out front, which wasn't good, so Greg put him to work on a stump, instead, and in a matter of minutes this is all that was left of the stump! I wish I had a before photo because this wasn't a tiny stump.

This was done without anger, I can only imagine what he could do in a fit of rage.

      Another project this week was getting an a/c unit and 'new' furnace installed, a dream come true for Greg. The empty box was a dream come true for these three.

Now I'm too cold!

    And we've been taking care of our 'God dogs' this week, Molly and Spencer. They're our favorite dogs to tend and Charlie just loves them.

     Next project is the backsplash tile. Here's all 72 concrete tiles that I've sealed so Greg can begin installing them this weekend. The pattern may make things a little tricky but I think it's going to look great when it's all done.

       Another project was Greg painting Isaac's bedroom. It went from green to grey and looks great. With all these projects I honestly forgot to take photos. I'll take a photo when we get the new carpet installed. There's still a lot to be done around here but it always feels great when we can check one or two more off the list. 

       On a side note, I got to have an impromptu pedicure this afternoon with Kayli, which was nice. She's turning the big 2-1 tomorrow and now that she's married I'm leaving it up to Tanner to really make her day special. 

       Summer break has officially begun so it's time to create a summer schedule to keep us all relatively sane. Mark still has a month left of his diesel program so we still have to be up early to drive him. It's going to be a fun summer!

       And we're coming up on the highlight of the summer, 10 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes until the Atkinson's hit the states!