She's Here!!

    Our newest niece and cousin has arrived.  My sister Jackie and her husband Ben had their second baby girl this week and she's a keeper.

This is Shae Gwyneth Atkinson 8lbs. 8oz. 19 inches.  Isn't she a doll!?

   Of course all the kids minus Mark came to the hospital to meet and hold her.  We're so glad to have another baby girl cousin living near by.

   With baby Shae came Grandma and Grandpa Baker and that means flying fun for the boys and it wasn't long before Grandpa had them at the park chasing home made parachutes falling from his r/c airplane and they loved every minute of it.

making a grocery bag parachute.

Let's get this show on the road!

Who's having the most fun here, the pilot or the runners?  I'll say it's a toss up.

Time to reload the the parachutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The kids also had fun just going to the park and playing in the sand while I got to sit in the shade and enjoy a little reading and relaxing with McClane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another week of Paradise!

   We've blown through another week of summer vacation and it definitely had its ups and downs.  I've had moments of complete frustration and then pure enjoyment. One minute the kids have me pulling my hair out and the next they're helping and happy and I'm wondering what I need to do to keep their behavior going.  Anyway, it's been a fun and not all fun week.
    First I have to say that these french doors in the kitchen are a hand print magnet and nothing but frustration for me and now here's kid number six to add to my frustration.  It's a good thing he's so cute at this point because the smudges and dirty glass are not at all cute.

    We did go to the splash pad this week but I didn't have enough time to take any photos because we weren't there long thanks to the 14 year old who was asking every two minutes when we could leave so it was a short visit.  But we did make a trip to the "wooden" park in Pleasant Grove, better known as "The Discovery Park" where we had a little picnic and the kids played for a bit.  Unfortunately it was an extra busy day there so again we didn't stay too long but Brock had fun and found the perfect size pole to go down.  And lunch was good for everyone even if we didn't have enough spoons for everyone to eat their applesauce at the same time.  That's what happens when Mark is in charge of making most of the lunches.  I do have to say the kids couldn't have been better behaved, it was one of my happier days as a mom this week for sure.

This cute baby McClane loved the swing!

   Then the wind blew in and this was the damage in our backyard.  Thankfully no one was playing out back but our neighbor was outside and saw it fall and because he's just a good guy and Greg was gone at the moment he got that cleaned up in a few minutes for me.  I would have let it wait for Greg but like I said, our neighbors just a good guy.
    Well this just about wraps up our week.  We have been spending time out on the front porch and enjoying sodas from the mini-fridge we purchased but this is also a source of temptation for the kids who think they need a soda every day no matter what but they're learning.  It's also a little messy when a soda is frozen and foams up all over when you try to open it but I'm sure we'll get all the kinks worked out by the time summer is over.

We've survived!!

      Well we've survived the first week of summer vacation.  I think it only took me about a week to get a schedule working.  There's still much room for improvement but at least we've got something going.

First there's this cute boy!!  I just want to eat his face!!

And what's life without a chocolate chip cookie to enjoy!

    And Mister Carter has lost another tooth and when I say lost I mean he really lost it.  He took it after it fell out and was probably trying to show it off to friends and literally lost it but thankfully the Tooth Fairy got wind of this mishap and still brought him a little something but couldn't justify paying him full price for a missing tooth so she paid him half and promised the other half if he ever finds the actual tooth.  He did look high and low that first day but has since given up and is now just working on losing the next tooth.
    
 Then Mark convinced us to take a little fishing lunch break at a near by park/pond.  He must have been feeling an itch because he caught a fish in the first ten minutes of casting his line.

Please ignore the inappropriate grab of Carter in the background.  P.S. We just caught and released this bad boy. (not Carter)

  Then just as the week ends we got a surprise visit from the fire departments huge ladder truck.  Don't worry, no emergency, just our neighbor coming home for a quick "Hello" to his family and you know the kids took advantage of this truck while in such close proximity to their homes.

   To bad these fire guys left so quick because they missed out on some divine chocolaty chocolate bunt cake that our neighbor baked up for everyone.

     And now the weekend is here and it's time for Greg to clean out his "Man Cave" and hopefully we'll do something fun before the weekend is over and if I'm really lucky I'll get to go out without any kids.

Schooools out for Summer!

    Summer vacation is finally here and it only took me until about 3 p.m. to realize I'm looking forward to "Back-to-School" night.  Why is it so hard to adjust to having all these kids home all day!?  Lets just hope Monday brings new hope for a rudimentary schedule that will help my sanity and keep the kids some what disciplined.

  We had a cloudy Saturday and McClane loved it.  Is he not the cutest thing EVER!!  He hasn't been the happiest boy this week due to teething, running nose and cough but he's still a real champ!!

  I gave the boys hair cuts Saturday night and just for fun we took pictures with some different style cuts before shaving it all off.  Isaac was the only one who really just wanted a trim so we didn't mess with his look which explains why we didn't photograph him.

      And remember when it was Sunday, May 29th and it was so cold you could see your breath so we broke out the sleeping bags so we could still chit chat on the porch with all the neighbors.  I won't tell you what they've nicknamed the ladies and the men who like to hang out on the porch because I just was informed it's really a derogatory term but it's all in good fun.

  Then this girl, Kayli Elaine, turned 14!  She's a happy camper and is anxious to spend her birthday cash from mom, dad and grandparents.  Her two closest friends joined her for birthday cake, Kelzie and Toni.

  And this weekend we had our traditional "Tent City" in the back yard and it was a blast.  The weather was fairly nice, the dutch oven taco salad and cobblers were delicious and the family fun was awesome.  There was one casualty, the dogs chew toy died in the fire thanks to a certain three year old but that was the only accident and the game of "sardines" played in the dark of night was exceptional.  And the best part was having my kids sleeping in a tent while I still got to enjoy my nice cozy bed, running hot water, electricity and a fully stocked kitchen.  I'm starting to think backyard camping is the only way to go.

Naughty, Naughty!

   Well it was bound to happen but I was hoping it'd take even longer then 8 months.  That's right, McClane is crawling and life is over as we know it.  No more setting him down and walking away without worrying.  Gates will be back up and hindering my style but giving me some peace of mind.  This day always comes far too quickly.  Church won't be the same for a long time and my baby is just going to want to be more and more independent and that is not my favorite thing!  Aagh!!!

   There was a little more excitement this past week.  The new park here in Alpine had a grand opening for the splash pad that the kids enjoyed even though it was a little windy and cloudy.

 And remember when it snowed the very next day on our way home from Ben and Jackie's house after some yummy strawberry shortcake.  STUPID SNOW!!
   There was also baseball games for Mark this week.  Their team won both and even had one teammate hit a grand slam which was amazing!!  Too bad his parents were late to the game and missed it but that's the breaks sometimes. 

    And then finally some cute brotherly love!  Just think, only four more days of school left to go and then on to "summer" break.  We'll see how much summer weather we get but boy am I excited to have no homework for three months!  But I'm not excited for the constant messes in my kitchen.  Maybe I'll put a fridge and cupboard outside for the kids so they don't have to mess up my kitchen. Or maybe I should just ship them all off to Grandma and Grandpa's for the summer, even better!!

Rainy Days Really STINK!!

   I know you're all disappointed that I'm not starting with another "Deep Thought" but I just don't have it in me.  It's rained pretty much all week and that does NOT make me happy and it does nothing for outdoor activities.  All baseball games were cancelled for Mark and most importantly our wards Father and Son's outing was also cancelled.  You should have heard the melt down this announcement caused, especially with Isaac.  His immediate response was "I hate my life."  I will say he was already having a pretty disappointing day according to him so that was just the final straw for him.  We did manage to get in a couple events.     First there was the little tumbling performance for Brock and a few of his little friends which was short and sweet Monday evening!

Brock and his three play group buddies.

Brock getting help from his instructor, Natalie Dalley.

Brock, Greyson, Quinn and Max "sucking" up their trophies.

   I have to say that the cutest part was when the instructor would say to the boys, "The Captains coming!" and Brock would go into a full attention stand with his arms straight down and then she'd say "Hit the deck." and he'd flop to his knees but every time he'd "hit the deck" prematurely which was pretty funny.  This tumbling thing has only been going on for a few weeks and is technically done but Brock loved it while it lasted.
    Isaac had his second grade program which I let Greg attend while I stayed home with the baby and three year old.  Going to programs at our elementary school gives me cause for irritation and flat out outrage so I avoid it whenever I can.  He did great though and Greg did manage to get one shot where you can at least see Isaac somewhat clearly.  (Almost always my kids are never in a spot where I can see them because of how they utilize the gym and I've suggested a change to the principal but she's not all that bright when it comes to that kind of stuff, thankfully it's her last year with us and maybe the new principal will clue in sooner then later on this STUPIDITY!)


Isaac's in a blue shirt second row from the top on the left.


    We've also had a cute little nest of birds right outside our garage in the pine tree that Greg managed to get a few shots of but these babies have sense flown the nest and the nest has been brought down for the kids to inspect more closely.

    I must admit the rainy weather just added to my already ornery nature this week.  There's nothing worse then being cooped up in the house with a three year old who's climbing the walls most of the day.  Finally today is sunny and warm and we've been outside plenty already. 
    Just this morning we watched as Aunties, Kristin and Heidi participated in the "Women of Steel" triathlon in American Fork.  They did awesome and I'm so impressed with how great they are doing altogether, they've almost got me convinced I could do something like that but not in a competitive event maybe just all on my own when no one's watching.  I know if I were in a "race" I'd want to get in front of everyone and that's just ridiculous so for now I'll just stick to my own private "races".
    So that's about it for our week and if it rains much more we just might float away so here's to hoping and praying for warmer, sunnier weather!!

Deep Thoughts!!

 "DEEP THOUGHTS" BY JACK HANDY

A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite.  Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone.  "Hear that?" you say.  "That's dynamite, baby."

   I love a good Deep Thought and last night with several neighbors these were being quoted until we were nearly in tears and this was by far my most favorite one!!

    As for the events of our past week they've been some what low key.  We've had sick kids, a sad excuse for Mother's Day that I can't complain about but not one for the memory book and regular weekly events.  Poor McClane has got to win an award for being the most awesome baby ever.  The kids had a pretty bad cold for over a week with goopy eyes and all but I thought he'd get over it and we'd move on but not everyone agreed so I finally relented and took him to the doc and sure enough he had ear infections in both ears.  How he could be so wonderful despite that I'll never know but he's now had antibiotics for a few days and is considerably better and still the best baby ever!!

     There was some mechanical repairs done in our driveway!

  I love when they get so creative with their toys and dad's tools/toys.

   Then I had another thrilling meeting with another "Kid History" star, Dave Roberts.  He just happened to be at the soccer fields at the same time as us.  So of course you know I accosted him and made sure to take my photo with him.  He was just as nice as his brothers and let me gush all over him.

  Then it was Mother's day and I won't go into details but lets just say Greg forgot because he was too mad at me for turning the TV on first thing in the morning so he ditched me and slept on the couch and left me to do all my regular Sunday morning chores.  I love you Greg, no hard feelings!!

Aunt Camille with sickly McClane

Isaac, Carter, Uncle Josh and Mark looking at fun stuff on the computer!  (I believe there was a nice full moon in one photo they found online.)



   We did spend some time that evening with Greg's Mom and other family members and had a nice dinner so that was nice.

    Then just this morning I gave in to persistent pestering and took the kids to one of their favorite parks in Cedar Hills for an hour and they had a great time playing and swinging and rolling down the hills of grass.

  It's been a full week but thankfully not too stressful.  We were so thankful that cousin Steven Blodgett had a successful Rotationplasty surgery and is doing so awesome in his recovery so far.  We also were so thrilled to see Cousin Nathan Kmetzsch who just returned from his mission in Brazil and to top it all off we had a great time watching Cousin Jacob Kmetzsch perform in "Oklahoma!" as Curly McLain.  He was incredible and Isaac was especially curious to know if he was really kissing "Laurie" all four times!  There's nothing like being 15 and having your first kisses watched by hundreds of people including your parents!  He seemed to kiss like a pro though so maybe there was a little practicing before hand but I don't know that for sure.
   Anyway, we had a great week and are looking forward to these final weeks of school being over with and on to summer break!!!

"DEEP THOUGHTS" BY JACK HANDY

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.