Aahh, the summer goodness

Fruit shakes are one of my favorite things in the summer. Not to say that I don't also have them the rest of the year. But they are especially refreshing during the summer so we make them a lot. Today was a picture-worthy day because Tanner and Natalie had their very first fruit shake. And they made a pretty good attempt at the hard-top sippy cups which they have never used before. Natalie must have been a bigger fan because she drank her whole cup. Tanner wasn't sure if the treat was really worth all the effort of trying to figure out how to use his cup.

For those of you who are dying to experience this summer goodness for yourselves, simply blend a bunch of frozen strawberries with some strawberry yogurt and orange juice. Easy peasy! I've been splurging lately and using Simply Orange orange juice which really makes a big difference compared to the concentrate.

Befores and Afters

I've been so excited to post the before and after pictures of our kitchen because it is finally done! I just finished the backsplash a few days ago. I'm realizing now that I gave the old "before" pictures of the kitchen way too many benefits (clealiness, good lighting, ect.) and I probably should have had totally trashed it in order to show a really dramatic improvement. So despite how the pictures look, just know that the old kitchen had warped cabinets, warped and spliting countertops, and cracked tile. And now it's pretty.
Before kitchen:

After Kitchen:

I was also pleased with all the things I learned during this kitchen remodel. I learned how to install a pergo laminate wood flooring, tile a backsplash, and stain and finish a banister.
Before banister:

After banister:

The old banister was a serious safety hazard. We were just waiting for the day someone leaned against it and fell to their death down the stairs. And I mostly have it to thank for the whole kitchen remodel. We had to replace the banisters, which would mean replacing the floor, and hey might as well put in new cabinets while we're at it, and of course a countertop. Thank you banister!
I painted a couple bathroom vanities this last year too, after being totally inspired by a vanity my mom painted black. I forgot to take a before picture before the countertop was resurfaced. It was pink and so would have added greatly to the before picture. Anyways, I was especially happy with this little project because it was such an inexpensive improvement. The painting and resurfacing probably cost less than $125.
Before vanity:

After vanity:

Last but not least--our little backyard. I found this picture of the old backyard on zillow.com. I can't believe I didn't take before pictures of the whole thing because it's really been a big project. But this is the garden corner which has been especially exciting to me because it's the first time I've actually grown anything that I could eat! And I know I'm a tree killer but this apple tree was enormous and making such a huge mess. I don't think anyone had ever pruned it. And look, we added a peach tree which is the superior fruit in my opinion.
Before backyard:

After backyard:

Girls will be girls

Well I think I brought it on myself. I decided yesterday I was way overdue for a haircut. I just haven't gotten around to making an appointment. I have given myself haircuts many a time. So, I figured I'd just do a little trim because it was driving me crazy. Sydney saw me doing this and of course wanted a haircut too. We didn't have time to do one before getting ready for church though so I promised I would do it later. And I clearly stated "only grown-ups cut hair." I guess she considered herself a grown-up this morning and decided to cut her own hair because and she said, "it was bugging her." So I've done the best I could with it but I'm still debating on whether to take her to a professional or just wait it out and trim it again. There's still a pretty good chunk missing on her left side. I nearly cried when I had to cut 4 1/2 inches off. But I suppose I should be grateful because kids have been known to do much worse!

Natalie became my little sickling this afternoon. We were so looking forward to a family night playing tennis with the Weavers. But we had to cancel. I was also glad she let me know about her ailments when she did because I was gearing up to head to the grocery store with all the kids. That could have been awful. It's so hard watching such a small person be sick. These bibs are great though. The help keep the mess to a minimum.

The great outdoors

Every year for as long as I can remember my family has gone camping up in the Uintah's. Here is the beautiful Trial Lake where we have most often camped. It's not the warmest place to be in the middle of August so my little family has not slept over much in these last few years. Sydney headed up on Thursday afternoon with Kim and Nick and Josh, Tanner, Natalie and I went up just for the day on Friday. I just love the smell of it up there, the fresh air and campfires. We were not up there for the whole time so if you want to see more pictures from the trip click here and here. We weren't there for Sydney's exciting fishing excursion so that's where you can find those pictures.
Natalie was obviously very excited to see Grandma. Sydney said her favorite part of the trip was roasting marshmallows which she did a lot.


While the twins were taking a very short nap I took part in a little sudoku challenge that my parent's always like doing. I was the big loser of the game I'm afraid. I think it is because I play on the computer and it tells you when you've made a mistake. The old fashioned pencil and paper way just doesn't work like that.

During our sudoku match Josh did a little photo shoot with Sydney and got some great pictures. Our camp site was right next to a field of wildflowers and made for some beautiful shots. Cute stuff huh?

Sydney even picked a boquet of flowers for me. She seemed to really like the white ones. And she included the roots with them so I could have brought them home and replanted them!
The sun came out during the afternoon which we were all very happy about because it often rains all day up there. So we took off for a little hike up to Star Lake. The trail is very difficult to find so you just sort of go and hope you're heading in the right direction until you find some trail markers. Sydney got very good at pointing out every pile of rocks for us.


Sydney did a little "fishing" once we got there.

Natalie found a rock that she thought was pretty cool. Doesn't she look kind of like a little monk in her sweatshirt?

Tanner and Grandpa are just enjoying the scenery.

Now here's something you don't see every day at the lake. Adam and Eric did a few dives while up there. I don't imagine the marine life really compared to Cozumel but hey, they looked good!

Lake Powell

Every year my mother's extended family has a family reunion in Lake Powell. We haven't always been able to go since we keep having kids just before the trips, so we were very excited to go this year. My cousin Jeremy and his wife Sharla hosted the gathering on their cruise ship, I mean houseboat. Seriously, this thing is almost twice the size of my house. We are incredibly grateful to them for giving up their master bedroom to our family so we could fit 2 portable cribs in the same room with us. They are so generous! Above is a lovely picture of Peps I when Jer's helicopter was about to land on the top. He was getting just too many of those pesky tickets for landing his helicopter on the shore so now he lands on top of his own property.

Here's a picture of Animal House, Jeremy and Sharla's second houseboat. I guess it was decided that Peps was getting a bit crowded with the 40 of us so this one arrived on the second day of our stay. It's very stylish and appropriately named. It has cheetah patterned carpet and all sorts of animal patterns on the curtains and decor.

Sydney loves hanging out with her 2nd cousins since there are several girls close to her age.

My mom took charge of doing their hair every morning with these cute little hair clips and scrunchies she got them. Here they are all done up before going out to swim.
Sydney spent almost every spare minute outside and went through a lot of sunscreen. She has some pretty good tan lines now!

Natalie loved swimming in the lake which is funny because, as I mentioned in the last post, she has been afraid of swimming.

Tanner was a little unsure about swimming in the lake at first. Usually, he is my brave one when it comes to swimming. After a little while they were both loving it though.

The twins especially like being put in their floaties and passed around a circle.

My aunt Linda bought all the young kids fishing poles to play with. They spent many hours pretending to fish with them. Don't worry, they didn't have real hooks, just little plastic pieces. Here is a picture of Sydney being the fish.

The party just kept getting better and better when Jeremy offered a friendly little game of black jack with and $100 bill sitting on the table for the winner. Gambling with somebody elses money does tend to make it more fun! I snapped a picture before taking the kids out to swim again.


I was really glad we brought these booster seats for the twins. Here's a picture of them eating bananas which they do every morning. It's pretty entertaining because they don't take them out of their mouths. They just push them farther and farther in while chewing and swallowing until they're gone.