Last Day at Rigby Lake

We squeezed in one last trip to Rigby Lake the week before school started.  I had to take this picture for Dustin - just to tease him.  Ella was playing with one of her school friends.  

Alissa went with Kaiden on the slide out at Rigby Lake this trip.  She flew so fast she went completely over his head when he was trying to catch her.

And because I don't know where to put this - we had a movie night over at our neighbors the Blanchards and Dustin and I thought we would be so clever and wear our forever lazy and slippers.  It was even his idea.  I loved it!

Lowes Build & Grow

My brother Jeremy and I signed our girls up for a Lowes Build & Grow project this month.  They had a lot of fun using the little hammers and pounding nails in the wood to make a robot. 

They all got to keep their aprons, goggles and robot project.

So fun and so lucky to have these cousins as our friends. 

Ella in the Dunking Booth

We have seen a new side of Ella this summer!  She hasn't been nearly as afraid as she normally is to step up in front of people and do things.  We had a neighborhood social and she jumped right on the opportunity to get inside the dunking booth.  Molly and Alissa jumped right on the opportunity to throw the ball and dunk her too.

She has also been jumping off the diving board at Ammon pool a bunch this summer which is a new thing for her and has been excited to play soccer.  I must admit I am welcoming these changes with open arms.  I have been wanting her to find more confidence in herself and not stand back and follow but to lead.  Hopefully she can continue and be a good example to the friends and family she is around each day.

Grandma Bitton turns 90!

We had the opportunity to celebrate Grandma Bitton's 90th birthday this past weekend.  

Lots of work was put into it and over 80 family members were in attendance.  Uncle Curtis, her grandson, brought her over to the park in his fancy camaro.

She got to sit down and be greeted by each of her children, grandchildren and most of her great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.  Many had brought her little cards and small gifts.

Then each person had a balloon (or two) and all 90 were released into the sky after singing Happy Birthday to her.

It was pretty awesome I thought. 

The great, great grandchildren that were there sang her "I am a Child of God".

And the whole group sang a song called "We are your family."  I delegated myself photographer so I didn't have to sing.  The lyrics make me cry.  However as I stood back watching the whole crowd sing to her I cried probably even more.  What an honor - to turn 90 and have your family love you and honor you on this special day.

Her cake with photos of her on it.

Such a great privilege for my kids to know their great, great grandma and for me to have a great grandma!  What an amazing woman she is.

Rexburg Rapids

We finally made it to Rexburg Rapids a few weekends ago.  We went with my sister Heidi and Ella got to take her friend Sage so they could go on the slide together.  For some reason I only have pictures of Molly and Lincoln from the trip there.  I guess they were the only one hanging around.

I have laughed until tears were streaming down my face about these pictures.  From a distance I noticed Molly checking out the life guard to see if he was looking.  If he wasn't she would take off in a sprint and jump into the water.  I snuck up and got a picture of her while she wasn't watching.  

These pictures make me laugh so dang hard!!  I love this girl!

FHE at the temple

I have been feeling like I wanted us to do another FHE at the temple visitors center and it seems like each time we plan it we are so tired and don't end up wanting to leave home.  Monday night however we finally made it again.  We walked around the outside of the temple and I am amazed how quickly we either become more patient or our kids magically become more obedient.  

Everybody was happy as we walked around the temple enjoying how beautiful the flowers and waterfall were and we were pleased as ever as we watched our girls run to touch the temple walls and peek inside the windows with curiosity of the beauty inside.  The girls did a cute little scavenger hunt that was provided the visitors center which made it all the more fun.  Ella took a few pictures of flowers.

We sat together in front of the statue of our Savior Jesus Christ and Ella was reverent, Alissa wanted to touch him and Molly asked why?  I got to sit individually with the two little girls and explain again why Jesus died for us and it touched my heart as I watched tears well up in Alissa's eyes as I explained that He did it for us.  When we do bad things, we can be forgiven because of Him and be able to live together as a family and with Heavenly Father after we die.  

As we sat together in the garden on the side of the temple I just felt such an overwhelming feeling of love for these 5 people.  I am so grateful that life on earth is not the end.  2 sisters from my ward have recently lost their spouses and have been left to endure the rest of this life alone.  I have felt such a heavy sad heart for them, more so than I have ever experienced.  I am so grateful for the gospel and our testimonies of eternal life with families.  I feel the Spirit testify that this is true as I ponder on it - especially as we are near the temple.

I hope and pray that my blog and journaling will help my family to know just how very much I love them.  I have never experienced so much love as I have since I got these 4 little babies.  I also would want them to know that I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that by living the principles of the gospel we have joy and happiness in this life.  Life is not perfect, not easy and not always happy but the gospel is and eternal families are.

My 4 month babies!

My babies might look alike, but still very different from each other.  I made this collage of all of them at 4 months.  Alissa was definitely the smallest, then Ella, Molly and Lincoln takes the top by a pound!

Oh  my goodness I love these babies!  Where has the time gone?

Urp!

I just thought this was too funny not to take a picture of and post.  Doesn't he look so happy!  I was handing Lincoln to him right after waking him up and sure enough a giant urp.  I was laughing so hard while I went to get him a rag and detoured for the camera.

Lincoln Started Cereal

Our growing boy started some cereal this past week.  This pretty much sums up how he feels about it with a spoon.

He would much rather have the banana flavored cereal and take it out of the bottle.  :)  He has been a much happier boy with a once a day serving of cereal.  Love this boy!!

Long Summer Nights

We have spent way too many nights going to bed late and as of the past week I have been trying really hard to have the kids in their beds by 9 and wake them up by 8.  By the evenings this is what they all look like at one moment or another.  Tired, sad faces.  

And hey look, one of my kids took this with my phone.  My face matches!  Poor Lincoln has to use a pink bottle and yes he has blue bibs - the pink one just happened to be more convenient that night.  :)

Ella has turned out to be quite the little babysitter.  Now that Lincoln is bigger and holds his head up I have been letting her pick him up and even walk around with him sometimes.  I get a kick out of her because she will just be laughing her head off as she plays with him.  He loves it too!

Love these babies of mine!! 

And as a small side note:  we are LOVING the strawberry supply in our garden this year!  They are so delicious and producing like crazy!  So fun.

Splash Park with Cousins

This is the first time we have talked all our cousins into going with us to the Splash Park.  The kids LOVE hanging out with their cousins so it was a special treat.

Kailey and Ella getting ready to flop those plastic bags of water on Alissa coming down the slide.  :)  Love that they find ways to entertain themselves.

Kourtney and Molly - The Monsters! 

Alissa and her good friend Macee was there.  Yay! 

Lily and Kaitlynn 

Heidi and grandma even came out.  Sadly we didn't take a picture of the baby boys, but they were there!  Hanging in the shade.  So fun to live by family and be able to have spontaneous gatherings like this.

Another Fall Creek Anniversary

For Christmas last year we could not think of what to get my parents.  It seems they have everything!  So we wracked our brains and remembered how much fun we had on our boat trip to Fall Creek so we called up our friend TJ and asked if we could pay him to take my parents on the same trip.  Somehow we lucked out and got to go along with them and the weekend happened to be our anniversary.

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We took Lincoln along with us so I stayed in the boat while Dustin went exploring in the waterfall. 

I think he likes it.  :) 

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Love my mom and dad!  So happy we could spent the day with them doing something fun like this.  It was a great time and they are great company. 

The boys did lots of fly fishing and caught a few fish.  Nothing they wanted to keep apparently.  Mom and I had a great time relaxing in the sunshine and visiting. 

There is truly something rejuvenating about getting out in beautiful scenery on a sun shiny day!  It just d truly brings perspective back into life.  

Jeremy and Lisa kept our kids all day and night as a favor for keeping their kids last fall for a week.  So after we got home Dustin and I headed to Perkins for a salad and milk shake and then went to a late movie.  It was a super great day!