Reunions

We had back to back reunions in Idaho with both sides of the family and boy were they fun filled!!  Our kids are lucky to get the best of each sides and were able to ride motorcycles, shoot guns, swim in natural hot springs, go down the Alpine slide, kayak in a mountain lake, hike to see waterfalls, watch fireworks boom over head, and laugh, and eat and laugh and eat some more!  We had such an amazing time spent playing games, playing baseball, riding razors, singing karaoke, racing all over Jackson Hole and enjoying being family.  I feel unbelievably blessed to have the wonderful families both Shawn and I have.  Our kids are surrounded by incredible examples of hard work, strength, faith, good humor, and service.  I'm so glad to call them all my own!

 Eva surrounded by boys....I can tell this is only the beginning!

 Sam, Jack and Lyv had a blast driving dirt bikes, 4-wheelers, and cruising in the Razors.  This is something we definitely don't enjoy at home so they rode as Jack would say "to their hearts content" and Jack even had the "privilege of starting the dirt bike" after it was fueled up!

Our Hill Family Reunion kicked off on Ryan's Birthday - we sang, and let out balloons to celebrate him and the entire week was planned around the Guns and Roses theme in honor of him!

 Me packing an AK-47...the first and only time.  I even shot a gun for the first time in my life.  It was pretty fun although my shoulder hurt quite a bit after that!

 We also reunited with Shawn's best buddies from High School - the Genta's and the Holdaway's!  We had a such a great time catching up and watching our kids play together.  I love these people.  They make Shawn laugh like no one else and that always makes me smile!

Ms Eva learned to sit up!! Such a big girl - June 30th 2017

Hiking Jenny's Lake up the waterfall - gorgeous!

 Another round on the Cowboy Coaster and Alpine Slide!

 Max with his gold medal...his team was the winning team in the Amazing Race we had! Joel's motorcycle sure came in handy!

A day on the Palisade Reservoir!  

 Our nightly wiffle ball game quickly became a favorite!  We had such a great time playing.

Summer Fun!

The kids have an obsession with mud and I indulge it as long as it stays safely 100 feet away from my house!

Big Blow out have become the norm with Eva lately!  I don't know what it is about this age but man, the diapers just don't cover it!

 Our dear friends the Lancasters moved away this month to Spokane.  They became our go to people when we moved to Yakima, and we are going to miss them like crazy!  Life sure sends people along your path when you need them the most.  I am so grateful for the good friends they have been these past four years.

Finally summer finally caught up to Max - and he passed out on the floor.  If you know my kids this mean they must be utterly exhausted, as naps disappear by age 2!

Father's Day 2017

My kids really did score in the father department!  When I decided that Shawn was the one for me I had no idea the kind of father he would end up being.  I knew he was kind, and good, but I had little foresight to see how truly blessed my kids and I would be by having him as our own.  I took this picture while he was out with the olders on a Sunday afternoon and it really captured the best there is of Shawn.  He loves spending time with them.  He never chooses to just sit back and relax, but rather prefers going out and playing with them.  They all in return adore him, prefer him over me (big shock there!) and laugh at all of his funny jokes and faces.  If you could hear the giggles coming from the trampoline, your heart would skip a beat too!  This man is a great father!  Boy are we lucky!

 Here are some of the gifts the kids gave Shawn for Father's Day this year.  Olyvia made 75% of them...which is why you have girls right?  She pretty much thinks he's the bee's knees.  And she's right!

Last Day of School, 4 months, and Keele's come to town

Finally in what seemed like an extremely long school year - thanks to all the snow days - school finally ended!  The kids were ready, and so was I!  It was a great year, but we felt extremely stretched as we tried to get the kids from one point to the next.  I guess that is just the stage of life that we are in right now.  I'm trying my best to be a good sport about it, but Eva sure throw us for a curve ball in our ability to just hop in the car and go.  Thankfully she is an incredible baby and really has been so patient with all of these constant goings and comings.  The kids are doing well and continue to love being involved.  

 Jack had his end of the year recital and I am thrilled to report that he LOVES LOVES piano!!  This kid will sit down several times throughout the day and practice all on his own.  That is saying a lot.  Many tasks require a lot of prodding on my part in order to see Jack perform, but piano is a love that he already has inside of him.  I have so enjoyed watching him grow and improve.  I hope that this is a true love and that he continues well into his teens!

 After a string of visitors we were lucky enough to get the Keele's to stay with us for a weekend.  I have so enjoyed having family in our house the past two months!  It makes it feel so much more like home.  This family is such a fun group to be with and we laughed and laughed as we talked.  I'm so grateful for my siblings and my nieces and nephews.  They bring so much love into my life.

Finally sweet Miss Eva turned 4 months!!  That's right 4 months - where does time go??  I adore this girl from her chubby cheeks to little toes.  She has brought such a joy into our home as everyone loves her and oohs and ahhs at her all day.  She weighed in at 15 lbs. 8 oz and was 25.5 inches long.  She smiles all the time and finally let a tiny giggle escape with Lyv the other day.  She is pretty hard pressed to let out a full laugh but is a very happy alert baby.  She is continuing to sleep well and kicks, kicks her legs any chance she gets!  She has even managed to scratch the backs of her legs with her toenails because she goes at it so hard sometimes!

Gap 2 Gap 2017 and Summers' Cousins

Another Gap to Gap is in the books.  Sam and Lyv participated this year...Sam doing the obstacle course and steeple chase; and Lyv doing the run and steeple chase!  I really enjoy this crazy race...its so wonderful to see all of these youth push themselves so hard.  

 Sam's Team: Cooper Ditto, Sam, William Cobia

 Lyv and Sunny Bolles

 We had a special treat with having Summers' family come and visit - cousins came with Grandma and Grandpa this time around!  We took them to the family fun center and got a little wet because it was so darn hot that weekend!

Sam is becoming the BIG little cousin!