Labor Day Fishing

While Liberty & I slept in for our day off, Brett took the rest of the Fam out for a little Labor Day fishing. It was a perfect fishing day! They caught like 25 of them and brought home FIVE. Oh lucky me! LOL! They were so excited. It was quite the adventure as well, I heard. Justice decided to involuntarily do a little swimming. Dang- slippery rocks! Too funny! Thanks Brett for being such a great Dad!

Back to School Lateover

In celebration of making it through our 1st week of school, the kids had a lateover tonight with their friends. Liberty went to the Larsens while Maggie & Soph and the Stephens kids came to our place. Lots of fun!
For dinner, Brett roasted hot dogs for everyone in the firepit. Thanks Honey!
The kids played outside the entire night. Most of the girls fun happened on top of the popup. They had chairs and stuffed animals up there. They even "sold" chips and rocks for free. Silly girls!
The boys jumped on the tramp, did the zipline and hung out in the hammock. Justice was so excited to have a boy over. Finally!!! (Not that he doesn't love the girls it's just boy playing is so different!)

What a fun night!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Last Day of Summer

For our last day of Summer and in place of our last Mommy & Me park day, Heidi & Brooke threw a little Party! Potters brought out their slide [which unfortunately is a goner-- it never did fill up the whole way] which the kids LOVED! They also enjoyed catching frogs, riding the zipline, wrestling on the tramp, playing in the sand box and getting their faces painted with Emily's makeup. It was the perfect Summer day!

In typical Playgroup fashion, we had the most fabulous lunch ever! There were so many choices. Delicious! And we even had humongous ice cream cones. Talk about a melty, yummy mess!

It made me laugh because we had all kinds of age-groups there. We had *The Baby Clan inside on the couches *Toddler Table in the kitchen *little kids at the mini tables *Medium kids outside *a whole teenage table AND of course *Mommies everywhere. Thanks Brooke for hosting such a fun, busy Party! Good luck to everyone in school tomorrow!

Ready, Set, Learn!

Supplies are bought, new outfits are picked out, back packs are filled, teachers are assigned. We are READY! We can't believe Summer is at an end. Now we just need to SET a better bedtime & wake up schedule because unfortunately school does NOT start at 10 am. LOL! Then we'll be ready to have a fabulous year of LEARNing!

Here's kids at Registration:

Here's the kids meeting their teachers:

Good Luck guys. You'll do great!

Go Wildcats!

End of Summer Swim Party

One last swim at the Larsens before school starts:

Hawaiian Beach Blast

Our family went to the West Fargo Park District's Hawaiian Beach Blast Party tonight from 6:30 to 8:00 at Rendezvous Park (1055 32nd Avenue West in West Fargo). We dressed in our Hawaiian attire for the occasion. We are festive, don't ya know? We had pizza and pop for a $1.00. I love those kind of deals. The kids got to ride the barrel rides and do a little mini-golf and even had their faces painted. They LOVE that! Glory is getting to be a pro at asking for the "woof-woof (puppy) face". We all took a ride on the Wagon ride and did a little kite flying. Because we did kite flying last- they ended up giving us the kites. The kids were so happy!! We had a Blast! LOL! Thanks WFPD & Aloha!

Kids Rule!

Keep it cool with Marcus Theatres® this summer!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: There are now THREE DAYS for you to enjoy your favorite family friendly films for just $2! Join us Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 10am from June 21st through August 11th and let us remind you why Kids RULE!

The West Acres Kid's Rule movie this week was Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. I took the kids and met the Larsens and Potters for some fun. It just happened that while I was in line, the man behind me asked me how many kids I had because he had extra tickets. He paid for our whole family! SCORE! Free movie! Totally make my day! YEAH! Oh... and the movie was great too! LOL

Playground Carnival

Every year, Rhealt Farm holds a Playground Carnival. It's lots of fun! I took the kids for an afternoon of cheap entertainment! We even ate lunch and got free Child ID cards offered by NYLife. Pretty awesome!

I Hope they Call Me on a Mission

Our nephew Zach got his mission call. We are so excited for him! He is such a great example to our family! It's a big step and a really big deal to go through the Temple. We wanted to make sure that we supported him in that decision. So turns out that we had a little semi- unexpected trip to UT this week. I say unexpected because our plan was always to just send Brett but with the high price of plane tickets these days, Brett drove and took the older 3 kids with him. They had a blast! Since Glory & I were not there, this is a "second hand info" post narrated by the kids. LOL! But at least it's documented, right? And I just want to say... I am so proud of my hubby for taking some pictures! ;) Luv ya, Honey!

DAY ONE: July 13th 

Longest drive Ever!! We saw buffalo, took naps, watched movies, and only stopped 3 times. We finally arrived in Utah around 2 am. What a long day! Of course, the farther West you go- the more mountains you see, the happier Brett gets! ;)

DAY TWO: July 14th

Shauna was so kind to take the us in for a day or two. Once everyone could get out of bed, we took advantage of some time with her. We took a trip to the Lion House where Brigham Young lived. Liberty's favorite part was all the books (of course). Victoria loved the doll collection and Justice loved the jewels and the huge gold mirror. We also went to the 26th floor of the Church Office building to check out the view. It was HOT!

We went to McDonalds for lunch and had a fun time at the Gateway Fountains. Justice would put plastic cups on them and watch them shoot up like rockets. We even got to take a short tram ride. It was cool!

We also got to see Grandpa's name on a smooth stone wall that honored those that helped out in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. Pretty awesome!

That night, we went up the Canyons for dinner. We got to hang out with Grandma, Grandpa, Janet, Skyler, and Ky. We explored the forest and got tons of scratches. But we did find an inch worm that we called Larry! But Aunt Janet wouldn't let us take him home. ;0( There was an amazing sunset though and Dad loved the mountains!

DAY THREE: July 15th

We slept at Shauna's again. In the morning, she had to go to work but we did a little swimming in her pool before we packed up. Then we headed to Grammy & Grandpa Randy's for a BBQ. We got to see Grammy, Grandpa, Grandma Karla, Ryler, Aunt Tauni, Uncle Trave, Aunt Shiloh & her fam, and Aunt Danica & her fam. All the kids were going to stay for a big Grandkid sleepover while Dad went to the Temple with Zach but Liberty started not feeling very well. So Justice & Victoria stayed for the fun while Liberty went to rest at the Rasmussens. She got to visit with Anna & Jake and play some Wii before taking a nap for the evening. Poor kid! [We think it was the achy body flu bug]

After dinner, the Crump crew took a little trip up the canyon's for a sky lift ride to see the full moon. The kind where your feet dangle from the benches. Justice rode up with Grammy, Grandpa and Ryler. The boys were playing around and Justice almost lost his glasses. Oops! That would have been a long drop! ;) Good thing Justice is a good catch. It was like an hour ride straight up the mountain! Victoria got to ride with Grandma Karla who kept her warm. On the way up Victoria started to get a headache but when we got to the top- we all thought the full moon was awesome! Unfortunately because Victoria started to not feel good, we met Dad at the Freeway exit after and he took all us kids back to the Rasmussens. So much for the BIG sleepover. Sorry Grandpa! But it was so great to see everyone! Thanks for the food and the full moon adventure!

DAY FOUR: July 16th

Today, we went bowling with the Rasmussens. Grandpa & Grandma Seamons came with us too. Liberty was still not feeling very well but everyone else had a great time! We gave each other awesome bowling names like Godzilla, Linda and even Aunt Lori was Optimus Prime. ;) Then we had ice cream and went back to the Rasmussens for lunch and to play the Wii.

In the afternoon, we headed out to spend some time with the Laroccos. We ate dinner and watched a movie. Most of the Hill cousins came out for a sleepover with us. We had so much fun! We even got to see Uncle  Justin for a bit. We told him to send our love to the rest of the Fam. (We're sorry we missed the rest of the Sadler crew- luv you guys!)

DAY FIVE: July 17th

In the morning, we got to go to Church with them as well. It was fun to go to class with the cousins. After Church, we got to play and eat lunch with them as well. Thanks for having us out guys!

On our way back to the Rasmussens house, we made a little detour to see the Temple that Zach had gone through. It was beautiful! We really liked the trees and the flowers and they had the best grass ever! It was so nice and comfy and it didn't even itch! We of course had to touch the wall. Someday it'll be awesome to go inside!

Back at the Rasmussens house, we had a little going away Party for the Hills. Uncle Daniel got a new job and they are moving to Alabama. [Congrats guys and we wish you the best of luck on your new adventure!]  Dad took some pictures of everyone that was there. Our favorite ones were the funny ones! We are so silly! Aren't we a good-looking group of people? Can't believe how many of us there are now. And this isn't even everybody! Crazy! We got to have a yummy dinner and play with everyone before we headed up to the Davis' for another awesome sleepover! Thanks to everyone for spending time with us! It was so great to see you all! You're the best!

On our way up to the Davis', we made a stop at Grandma Karla's to say goodbye. We got to visit with Grandma, Ryler and Aunt Tauni for a bit! Tauni taught Liberty again how to make friendship bracelets! They are awesome! Grandma Karla also gave us some new pillowcases. Thanks so much! Love you guys!

DAY SIX: July 18th

We had a fun sleepover at the Davis and once again, Cheri spoiled us while we were there! She made us delicious smoothies for breakfast! We love those things! We had a lot of fun playing with their dog Cricket. For lunch, we went up Weber Canyon to the Oaks for lunch. It was so pretty! They had GIANT sandwiches! And the waterfall was neat! Sorry Shauna that we missed you!

After lunch, we headed back to the Davis' and did a little swimming in the neighbor's pool! They had a diving board and we had a blast! Even Cricket came to swim with us but it was a little too cold for him. It was so funny! Aunt Cheri made us homemade pizza for dinner. We have so much fun where we stay with the Davis'! Justice actually even tried to negotiate that he should just stay and we could pick him up when we come back next year! LOL [It's OK...I'm used to it- Mom is chop liver when it comes to competing with Aunt Cheri- lol! Luv ya, Cher]

DAY SEVEN: July 19th

We got up early and after goodbyes, we packed up and got back on the road. Another really, really, really, really long drive! We didn't even make it back until 3 am this morning! Wowzers!

THANK YOU to everyone for making time to spend with us! I'm sure there are tons of things we left out but we enjoyed every minute! (Well except the not feeling well parts!;) We miss you so much! See you next year!

(DISCLAIMER: I'm gonna have to move this to it's proper place (July 20th) at some point!

But I have been waiting for some pictures from other family members to post it.

*hint*hint*hint*

Seeing as I haven't gotten any more pictures,

I figured I better just get up what I have and add to it later if I need to

If I post it where it's supposed to be- you'd never see it so

I thought I would put it here for a couple of days! ;)

Work, Learn, Play, & Have Fun!

I do love the Summer! I love the laid back schedule, the late night parties, the sunshine, the sleeping in and doing fun things with the kids. However, long free days can produce bored, unproductive kids if not channeled a bit. Hence... every Summer, we come up with a way to schedule our time and be a bit productive along the way. Last Summer we did Attitude Change. It worked great because the kids wanted to be at the TV or Computer a lot but this year they haven't really been too bad of couch potatoes so we wanted to try something new.

For Summer 2011, with the help from Kristen'sKrafts, the kids made buttons to track our week. The buttons turned out way fun and the kids loved helping make them!!!

So here's how our Summer Schedule 2011:

Work, Learn, Play & Have Fun works:

There are things that we do DAILY like piano practice, prayer, scriptures, and a chore. [M-bedrooms, T-laundry, W-bathrooms, R-kitchen, F-basement] They put up the magnet and move it each day they do it.

Then, they have to pick one HOMEWORK thing to do each day. Things like reading, math, computer, art, or writing. They make their choice and put up their magnet on the day they do it.

Finally, they have a HOUSEHOLD thing to help with each week. These include setting the table, helping make dinner, washing dishes, and doing a job.  

I love it when they take the initiative to do there stuff!

We've been a little more slacky than I had planned (too many late nights and sleeping in til 11, I guess) but we are for sure enjoying our Summer. And I have some amazing helpers at my house. What would I do without them?!!!

Backyard Swim

I know I have made it out to seem as if we never have good days in Fargo lately but there have been some WaterFun-worthy days here and there. Over the years, we have collected some fun stuff for the backyard and we are putting them to good use. We had the Larsens over today to play for a bit. The kids had a blast!

Also over the past week...

We finally broke out our slipNslide. We never even used it last year. Hopefully, we can get some really hot days so that everyone will want to try it. The water is way too cold for most of them to do it more than once or twice. 

Then...

My creative kids thought it would be fun to have a Water slide. They hauled the hose over, tied it up and Wheee! An instant waterslide! Unfortunately, the landing can be a little rough so it didn't last too long.

And...

This past week, our neighbors, the Rays have torn down the fence between us. Literally not figuratively! LOL [They are repairing the whole thing with new posts since part of it fell over after the last storm] So whenever either of our kids are outside- it turns into a bit of a Party!

Here's to more SUNny days ahead!

Midwest Kidfest

Remember how it rains every time we're scheduled for some outside fun? Yeah- well today was right with that plan! We were going to go to Buffalo River but it was cold and rainy- not swimming weather, for sure! Well, we tried to make the best of it! We decided to have Dad meet us at the annual Midwest KidFest for some lunch and fun! It had rained all morning so EVERYTHING was muddy! But kids and mud and games and balloons and art and food... what a perfect combination for FUN!

Here's a look at our day:

Lunch with Dad, Ditzy the Clown and tons of things to take home:

 All the fun kid games to participate in:

 Glory's favorite was the Horsey ride:

A chance to be a Hero:

 Fun ARTsy Kid Stuff:

 Animals to touch:

And of course- muddy bouncers! How fun!

Yeah for KidFest!!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

The weather has NOT cooperated with our Outdoor Summer Schedule yet. Wednesday and Fridays are supposed to be Parks and swimming. Yet RAIN has decided it likes those days the best. So instead of running around Gooseberry Park today, the Potters invited us to join them and some other friends at the indoor McDonald's playground. So despite the change of plans, the kids have fun just being with their friends.

Still....

I am chanting "Rain, Rain, Go Away!"

Community Play Day

Fargo is one of the most Family-friendly Communities ever! After school got out, I started checking out free things we could do this summer and let's just say--- I wrote on the calendar at least one thing (more often than not-2 or more) on almost every day clear until mid-August. Crazy, huh? I actually stayed up late one night this week while Brett was out of town and typed it all up for my lady friends. I finished at like 3 am and thought I better wait until the morning to send it. I don't need them to think I'm any more crazy than they already know I am! LoL It ended up being 4 pages long! Things included lots of reading programs with free Library activities, free or $2 movies, our Park day, swimming at Buffalo River, Free Zoo days, Block Parties, Art Classes, Storytimes, Water Games, Pioneer days and Community Play days!  To my Fargo friends- don't say I never invited you to anything!!!!! LOL  Well today, the kids and I got chores & piano done and decided to check out the Community Play Day @ Rhealt Farm. It was pretty fun!
They had a free art activity, the Bubble Man as entertainment, a bounce house and tons of Garden games. We even ran into the Prices and Brady fam. The kids always love being with friends! Check out some of our fun!
Art Project:

Bubble Man Limbo:

Dinosaur Walkers:

Bounce House:

Other Garden games:

What a fun activity!

Thanks, Fargo!

Lumas

As you know, we have a Wii. One of the games that the kids like to play on that Wii is Mario Galaxy. Well, on Mario Galaxy, there are these cute characters called Lumas. So, my kids think that they need some lumas of their own. And I guess they figure- how can they get some? Oh, I know... Mom could make them, right??? Oh no! It's a double-edge sword having kids that think you can do anything! LOL Well, it took me forever [not because I couldn't make them but because I'm a procrastinator] but I finally got them done. The kids LOVE them and they ARE very cute, if I do say so myself!

The kids have now made/tied backpacks for their Lumas out of the leftover fabric and carry them everywhere they go!

1st Day of Summer

With our 1st day of summer vacation, we decided to take advantaged of a FREE Red River Zoo day! Due to our extreme weather here, it has a limited amount of animals but just enough to make it a fun outing. The day was perfect! Warm enough to make you want to be outside but a bit of a breeze to keep you cool. Yeah!
Here's some animals we saw:

We met up with Haylie & Ali for her 1st trip to the Zoo. They had face painting so all the kids got decked out with an animals. We got to see a Small Mammals Animal Show where we met up with the McPhersons. We also briefly got to see the Tuckers and the Smiths. So fun to run into friends!

They had free Carousel rides for the kids. It went super fast! "AHHHH! Let me off", says the Mom. LOL Before we left, the kids all got to pick a backpack out from the Sponsor. We are going to use them as our "Summer Fun Packs". Yeah for free stuff!

What a great day for the Zoo!

The Red River Tigaloo:

Let the Summer fun begin!

Last Day of School

I can't even believe another School year is over! Absolutely crazy! The kids have grown a lot this year but glad it's over. We sent them off today for their last day with a sack lunch and treats for their teachers. Yeah- no more early mornings and no more school work. Wahoo!

Remember Hurricane Fargo? Well... the winds blew this THING into our yard during the storm. Hopefully we will be able to find the owner. But for now, the little girls spent their last day without the older kids playing in it. They are way excited to have Liberty & Justice home for the Summer!