Smoke, water and fire!

No summer would be complete without a trip across lovely Wyoming. After Cooper's end of year baseball party on Saturday, we headed to the great state of Utah and more importantly, the land of Grandma & Grandpa and many cousins. Doug's family does a big reunion every other year, but we try to make a couple trips each year. Many of the 24 cousins live here (or within a short drive) so it turns into a giant cousin party for my kids. It is so neat to watch them having so much fun and amazing how close they are to their cousins even though they only see them about twice a year.

Jake & Coop

Kaiya & Corinne

Jessica & Kinley

We got in late Saturday night and Doug set his alarm for 6 a.m. on Sunday to help his brothers begin the all-day preparation of the evening meal. Doug's three brothers started a BBQ business (creatively named Triple L) this summer and they have mastered the art of smoking meat. They have sold their goods everywhere from fairs to car shows and from Manti to Logan. The stuff we had on Sunday and again tonight was prize-worthy. They smoked 40 lbs of chicken and 18 full slabs of ribs on Sunday and tonight was their specialty--pulled pork sandwiches (topped with cole slaw and pickles--DO NOT knock it until you try it). I don't normally take pictures of food, but it was an impressive operation. Makes me a little sad that we live too far away for Doug to be a part of it.

The giant smoker

More basting

9 hours of smoking

40 lbs of the best chicken ever Keep in mind--this is just immediate family!

One of Doug's brothers also acquired a soft-serve ice cream machine (that weighs in excess of 500 lbs), so for dessert we were treated to frozen custard. I lost track of how many cones my kids made. *Note to self--healthy eating begins the day we leave! After the feast, the kids got in a water fight and then we capped off the night with a driveway fireworks show.

How to eat an ice cream cone and . . .

not miss a drop of it!

Ready for some driveway fireworks

Pryomaniacs

A rare moment of relaxation

Today, the kids played all day. The moms and girls learned how to make hair bows (thanks, Anneke!) while the guys were busy in the kitchen again. This afternoon, Doug's brother Paul gave us a personal tour of the landslide devastation in Logan since he is a city engineer and was part of the recovery effort. It was an unbelievable sight.

Tomorrow, I get to spend the day with my best friend, Lori and her girls. It just doesn't get any better than this!

The home stretch

I can't believe how fast this summer is going! I'm not ready for it to end, but we are looking forward to a couple of quick trips coming up.

Last week, we went to the annual Cardiac Kids Day at Water World. For the 5th year in a row, we went with our good friends and had a ball. We always manage to squeeze in more rides than the previous year (thanks, in large part, to the fact that Elena worked there in her teenage years and knows that park like the back of her hand!). It's such a fun day and pretty funny to see all these kids with matching zipper scars down the front of their chest. Lots of the kids there this year were former patients I took care of, so it's fun to see them outside the hospital setting doing so well.

Enjoying the catered lunch

The slide that gives you a wedgy!

Just chillin'

Cooling off

Cooper's summer baseball season is winding down. This week, they had 4 games in 4 days and got 4 wins. For a team that started the season 1-3, they sure turned things around by winning 7 straight. They are all playing so well and earned themselves a spot in the tournament next weekend with a final record of 8-3. Cooper caught 23 innings in the last 4 days and he's not moving far from the couch today. He got out of his hitting slump (thanks, Uncle Brandon) and had a couple of rocket shots this week. Behind the plate, he had an unassisted double play and very few balls get by him anymore. His amazing coaches have made some comments to him and to us about his improvement as a catcher and I think that means more to him than anything. I know lots of the parents are ready for the season to be over, but I am quite content with my sunflower seeds and my lawn chair cheering these boys on. :) Way to go, Mudcats!!

Base hit to right center field!

Fabulous 4th!

I always greet the 4th of July with mixed emotions. It is one of my absolute favorite holidays and yet it always means the summer is going by way too fast. Since I was a little kid, we celebrated the 4th in style. It always included the parade and always ended with fireworks. As a family, we have tried to add a few of our own traditions as well andI know my kids love this holiday as much as we do.

We were lucky enough this year to have our weekend start on Friday with a day of boating at the lake with my mom and family. We let the kids each bring a friend and they all had a blast. Each of them tried waterskiing including Miss Kinley, who was the first to try. She did so good! They all got plenty of rides on the "taco" tube and plenty of at bats on the beach with my brothers. At one point, Bennett was riding with all four of the older kids and he was hopping back and forth between the tubes as the boat was moving. So fun!

Ready to ride!

Double trouble!

Sand castle time

Kinley enlisted many helpers

Miss Kinley skiing!

We spent the 4th with our good friends and neighbors, with whom we spend most of our summer nights anyway. We hit the parade, a few of the rides and of course made 5 gallons of homemade root beer, which makes the best root beer floats. We had dinner with my dad, brother and his wife and enjoyed some serious Wyoming fireworks from Brandon's porch (wow!) and then watched some Greeley fireworks from my dad's deck, which are lit right across the street from his house. If that wasn't enough, we then rejoined the neighbors for more fun and fireworks in our backyards. God Bless America!!

A great view

Rides!

Her favorite thing

Time to launch!

Papa's sweethearts

Lovin' summertime

We are a summertime-loving family. Always have been. This summer, we joined Lifetime Fitness in part because they have an amazing pool and we have been living there. I'm loving the fitness classes and not loving the couple times I've missed sunscreen in spots.

Kinley can swim so well on her own now and she's even brave enough to do the big slides. Our neighbor joined as well, so we've had lots of pool dates and I've let the kids bring friends. I just love watching them enjoy the water--it's childhood happiness at it's best! They have all been getting along really well, too, which is an added bonus. I think my girls have only slept in separate beds four times all summer.

No fear on the slides!

Best buds

Fish!

Lining up his put

Cooper had a baseball game in Estes Park a few weeks ago and Uncle Bennett and his girlfriend, Shila, were able to come. We spent most of the day up there, had lunch, bought candy, and then watched the team get their butts kicked. Oh, well. Coop loved having Uncle B there helping them all warm up and being in the stands. At least he had a few great plays behind the plate. He has also loved playing a ton of golf and has a few tournaments to go.

Estes fun

Thanks, Uncle B!

Kaiya is excited to have learned how to do a cartwheel on the high beam by herself and that she has started piano lessons.

We are looking forward to boating with the family on Friday and having a fun Fourth with friends and family. In July, we will head to Utah for about a week and then in August a trip to Grand Lake. And, to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary last week, we booked a trip to Hawaii over Thanksgiving with my best friend and her husband. Can't wait! It just doesn't get any better than summertime!!

After a day in the sun

Baseball, baseball and more baseball!

Between Bennett, Cooper and the Rockies, we are enjoying a summer of nothing but baseball. I was missing both of my grandmothers today as I was typing this post. My grandmother on my dad's side used to listen to baseball games on her headphones at night and was known to even stay up late to listen to the end of a Rockies game when they played on the west coast. My grandmother on my mom's side wanted to know who won the Indians game shortly after giving birth to my mom. I guess I come by my love the of the game pretty naturally.

Cooper's season started a couple weeks ago, but their first game was rained out after only two innings. Then, last week, they lost a heartbreaker against Estes Park. Last night, they won a nailbiter in the top of the 7th inning 13-12. Coop had two awesome base hits (the video is terrible, but I still love the sound of a good base hit) and played pretty well behind the plate. He was wiped out by the end of the game, dripping with sweat, but as happy as I've ever seen him. His fist pumps after the game rivaled that of Tiger Woods' fresh off a PGA win. It is so fun to be a part of the same team again this year. His coaches are amazing and the team has good chemistry.

As if little league isn't enough, Bennett's baseball saga has been a week-long event. He ultimately decided to turn down a six figure offer to sign with the Braves and go to ORU to play there. It was a gut-wrenching decision that included some tears, but we all feel very good about his decision. He will be eligible for the draft again in 3 years, so we are looking forward to doing this all over again then! We got to meet his asst coach at ORU and I see now why he feels he belongs at that school. Can't wait to fly to Tulsa next spring and watch him play!

Bennett was selected to play in the Colorado Top 50 game at Coors Field this last weekend. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and the game had to be rescheduled. But, we did get to watch the Rockies win their 11th straight game first. We sat in the owners' seats directly behind the Rockies dugout. The players were so close we could have reached out and touched them (I restrained myself). Cooper's eyes were pretty big throughout the game.

Focused

Photos of my fav players up close and personal!

Front row, baby!

15th round!!!!

We just watched Bennett get drafted live in the 15th round by the Atlanta Braves. He was Braves' first catcher selected, the first catcher from Colorado selected, the third player from from Colorado selected and the 15th H.S. catcher in the nation selected. He is meeting with a representative from the Braves today at the same time that his college coach is flying in to see him play tonight. No pressure, eh? He will have to make a decision by early August. I completely lost it watching it all unfold. This is all so surreal. No matter what he decides, this is one incredible kid. We love you, Bennett!!!

Stay tuned . . . . Here is the video of the pick:

Recital day at last!

Kinley will tell you that she didn't think her recital day would ever come, but it finally did. After doing a major countdown for the last month, the big day arrived. Kinley has never done dance before, but she has such an outgoing personality and no fear. Dance was kind of a natural fit for her. She just started five months ago and last night was her big debut. She was so exited to have my parents and Uncle Brandon and Aunt Erika there, too. Cooper and especially Kaiya were her biggest fans. I loved watching how proud Kaiya was of her and how nervous she got for her sister. She was a big help during the hair and make-up session. :)

I have to admit, I was a bit of a grouch before the recital about the cost, the makeup (putting makeup on my 5-year-old still feels sick and wrong) and the whole production, but it was cute and funny enough to bring me to tears last night.

Having never done this before, she didn't even understand when we gave her flowers at the end that they were hers to keep. And, my little clumsy one was sporting a huge green bruise in the center of her forehead after running head-first into my dad's sliding glass door that was a bit too clean.The video is forthcoming (gotta borrow a clip from a friend or get the dance studio's copy--it will be worth your wait to see but ours did not turn out good), but here are some pics of the show.

Their dance was to the Wicked song Popular and Kinley got to play the lead role in spots. I was so impressed with these 5 little girls, ages 5 and 6, who all memorized a very long number. At one point toward the end, Kinley was trying to relay a forgotten part to her fellow dancers because her teacher was sitting right by the stage signaling instructions. Hilarious!

Perhaps the funniest story came as we were riding home and she was trying to figure out when we snuck away to get the flowers for her. I told her daddy got them at King Soopers and she

very matter-of-factly said, "Well, for my next recital, would it be too much to ask for flowers and a donut? King Soopers has the best donuts!" What a character and a blessing she is in our home!

I'm a ballerina!

Such cuties!

Hmm. . . maybe a little ahead of the music?

Loving the flowers

Proud grandma

Can't believe this is our baby