YOU!

This girl absolutely cracks me up. I put this picture up on the computer and Alyssa yells, "YOU!" She hasn't figured out how to say her name, but realizes that everyone always says, "Alyssa, there is a picture of you." She's too funny and I love her smile.

Starved Rock

Not far from our house is a national park called Starved Rock. I'm ashamed to admit that it has taken us 8 years to visit. Unfortunately, we decided to go on one of the hottest days of the summer thus far. We were so hot, but it was beautiful and we've vowed to return in the fall. In fact, when it gets cold enough, the bald eagles come down from Wisconsin to fish, so hopefully we'll see some eagles.

This is a tree stump that is outside of the visitor's center. Part of the stump is inside and it is HUGE. The bisection of the stump shows part of a bullet that was lodged in the trunk some time after the Civil War. Unfortunately the tree died and they had to cut it down, but the kids were fascinated by how big a tree can become.

There are miles of trails that have been planked over which makes the walking very easy (except when you are hiking with a 1 year old who wants to walk every singles step on her own). It was gorgeous and so worth the trip. I wish we had gotten to go further before the first bathroom emergency hit and we had to return to the visitor's center. By the way, I love Alyssa's face. She's figured out how to smile on command and does those goofy smiles.

This is at the top of Starved Rock where the Illinois Indian tribe was starved to death by a rival tribe. There was also a military fort built on top of the rock in the 1600's. Lots of history and a wonderful place.

Independence Day

On the 4th of July, we started out our day by heading to our ward's breakfast. After eating, there is a bike parade and tons of games.

Hailey riding on her bike around the parking lot.

Hailey is such a great big sister to Alyssa. Before she got on her own bike, she pushed Alyssa around the entire parking lot since Alyssa can't go on her own. I hope that they remain friends for a long time.

Andrew and his wonderful group of friends. He is so lucky to have a great group of boys his age.

Grant and his best friend, Jake. These two are the cutest buddies ever.

Andrew (far left) and Hailey (far right) participating in the pie eating contest. Gross, but they had fun. We enjoyed the rest of the day and had dinner and fireworks with some wonderful friends. Summers are the best.

Chris' New Hobby

Chris has always been interested in remote control planes (as well as real ones), but hasn't had one in several years. I decided to get him one for his birthday. Of course, I picked the completely wrong one, but after a trip to the store, the mistake was rectified and he now has a new plane. It's been wrecked and stuck in a tree, but he is having a blast and our kids love to watch him fly it.

Sisters

There is just something special about sisters. Here are my two girls playing together in the "bed" that Hailey made for Alyssa.

Let the Summer begin!

With summer officially started, we are well on our way to having a great summer. We have been doing all sorts of camps, and outdoor activities, including going to the pool that we finally joined this year. Here is a small snapshot of what we've been doing. We started with the traditional "summer haircuts" for the boys. They are all short-haired and loving it.

Grant spent a week at safety town with his friends, Jake and Quentin (unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture with Quentin in it). They learned bus safety, train safety, bike safety and got to see the fire truck, ambulance and the bus. He loved it!

Alyssa has been a great sport driving everyone around with me. She is such a happy camper. She's even happy playing in a box. (She has just learned to smile on demand-hence the closed eyes and big smile).

Carter and Andrew are both playing baseball. It's fun to watch them and cheer them on. We have baseball every night of the week and on Saturdays so it is a big part of our summer.

Alyssa and Carter are cheering on Grant at his t-ball game. (Actually Carter was wondering how anyone could know so little about the rules of baseball. When I told him that he was exactly the same way at age 5, he just rolled his eyes.)

Grant up to bat. I do have to say that t-ball is fairly painful for me to watch. There isn't a whole lot of excitement. I'm glad Grant is enjoying himself, but this is definitely a labor of love for me. :)

Waiting for prayers

A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to get all of the kids ready for bed. Everyone was tired and I was getting the 2 girls bathed while the boys were waiting to have prayers and scriptures as a family. When I came in, this is what Grant looked like. For some reason, he decided to cuddle up with Alyssa's baby and put his blanket on his head and fell TOTALLY asleep. Andrew was also asleep, but at least he was in his bed.