Grandpa's 60th B-day!

Wow! It was a party weekend! Last Friday my sister, Kalin, planned a surprise party for my dad. A bunch of the girls that he has coached over the years came over. I am glad to say Kalin pulled off the surprise very well! (Danielle wasn't so sure about it, that's her hiding under the counter).

Then on Saturday my mom had the whole family over for a BBQ. What fun! The kids got to play in the pool and on the slip-n-slide. Big cousins Jeremy and Loren even showed the kids how the slip-n-slide works. Ellie was all about it, our 16 month old was cruising on that thing! We have been told she's an animal, I have to agree! Danielle was more into the cake and Brayden split his time between both. Happy Birthday Dad, I hope it was a good one!

'Couve girls

While we were in the 'Couve some of the girls (and husbands) got together with our massive amount of kids at the park. Not much chatting took place,

but it was a good work out for all of us. I agree

with Jocey, next time just girls, no kids.
As you can see, we all have adorable children,

I think I missed a few though. Hopefully Sarah will post her pics. because I know they will be

better!

Lincoln City

We made the drive to the Oregon Coast and it was well worth it! The kids all loved the beach! Ellie was in heaven running as fast as her legs could carry her in the sand. Brayden's favorite part was flying a kite (we've been watching Mary Poppins). Danielle loved digging with the shovel in the sand. It was a long three days, but lots of memories. My parents were brave enough to join us on the adventure, and it was so fun to have them there. Brayden even got to drive with G & G so he got lots of special time (Kent and I got some quiet time and could actually talk to each other in the car)!

Cleaning Crew

I tried to clean the house yesterday, something that doesn't happen very often. When you have three kids who are three and under, it is really a pretty pointless task. None the less, we have friends who are staying here this weekend when we are out of town. Therefore, something had to be done! The kids all decided they were going to help! Brayden got his pretend duster sprayer and washcloths for his sisters. Everyone made a big effort to make sure everything was spotless, especially the doors! After the dusting was complete they got Dusty (toy vacuum) out and cleaned the floors too! As you can imagine our house is now spotless! Bethany, just know that cleaning was attempted, but by Friday you won't know it!

Life jacket thongs!

What a fun day! We went to the Post Falls river and went swimming and had a picnic. All of the kids loved the water, especially Brayden and Danielle. They both got upset when we had to get out because they were shivering. I have to say the whole life jacket thing was pretty funny. A strap right up through the crotch, can't get more comfortable than that. On top of that, Danielle kept falling forward face first in the water and then the life jacket would flip her onto her back. It was quite a ride for her. Despite all of this, she loved the water. Sandy and Chris met us and got to play with the kids in the grass and on the playground. It was a great way to spend a hot Saturday afternoon!

Brayden naming ALL of the presidents!

Kent taught Brayden all of the presidents. This is something that I never learned. I'm trying to convince Brayden to teach me!

Shake your bums!

We love to shake our bums! Brayden's favorite thing to do is to put on "shows" with his sisters. These shows include singing, dancing, acting like animals, or whatever comes to mind at the time. Sometimes the shows include costumes! Danielle loves them just as much as Brayden. She loves music and dancing. Ellie seems to just be in the middle of it all. She does her twirls and wanders around. Whatever they do, it is entertaining!