Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Summer Activites

 At the end of May we went with Steph and Paul to the Richmond Parade.  It was still a little chilly and it rained all morning right up until the parade started.  Clayton was in heaven because he got so much candy.  His bag was mostly filled with taffy.  We warned Shaylee as she danced by us in the parade.  There was horse poo everywhere.
 Addey and Cooper enjoyed the parade from the top of the Merrills car.  They thought they were pretty special to be on top of the car.  I cringed every time the people in the parade threw candy and it bounced off the window and exterior of the car.
 Grandma and Grandpa got this new outdoor swing this past month. Clayton and Gma Cooper were enjoying a little swing while dad mowed Grandma's lawn. Love this picture!
 Grandpa Hatch came to see us and stay at our house for a few days. The boys roped him into doing a science experiment with him. I don't know that any of the experiments worked, but they enjoyed their time with Grandpa none the less.
 When we were up in Cache Valley, Grandpa Hatch took the Cooper and Addey on a hike up Green Canyon.  They took off in the Razor and headed up the canyon.  It was a hot day and grandpa said the hike was really steep, but they all had a great time!
 In June, Bryce and I were able to go the Logan Temple with Jocelynn and be a part of Johnny's first endowment.  It's always nice to get to the temple.  I love the peaceful feeling in the temple.  Johnny seemed very happy and I am glad he was able to have his family there with him! Families are Eternal!
I couldn't pass up this "picture perfect" moment.  What a cute little bum!  Gotta love dad helping his become one with nature!  It was a dry day, so I am sure the plants appreciated the moisture!
 After we went to the Logan Temple, we decided to go four wheeling up to Inspiration Point.  We haven't been up there in a few years.  Cooper decided to spend the weekend with the Merrills, so we took Clayton and headed to Mantua.  It was warm when we started on the trail, but soon it turned into a very windy and cool day.  When we stopped to eat lunch, we felt like we were going to get blown away.  We ended up turning around and heading back to the truck.  It was a small ride, but we still had a great time together!
 When dad was back in Texas, there was a Lavor Hatch Reunion in Franklin. Bryce and I went with Mom so she would feel a little more comfortable.  We knew a few family members, but it was nice to see "Little" Grandma Hatch.  We spent most of our time over at the park with the kids.
Before dad headed home to Texas, we decided to have a little birthday party for him.  We met at the Tabernacle and everyone brought food and we just sat in the shade and enjoyed each others company.  We took Dad to his favorite sandwich shop in Cache Valley...The Italian Spot....they have delicious steak, egg, and pepper hoagies.  Sherrie, Jocie, and I ordered dad a Gonzaga hat for his birthday.  It showed up a little late but he was really excited about it!
 For Bryce's birthday, Mom watched the kids while we went to Iggies for dinner and then headed to the theater to watch Iron Man 3.  The food wasn't very good, but the movie was enjoyable.  This is an activity that we love to do, so it was nice to spend that time together. The next day, we had a little party.  Mom and I made chicken taquitos and cottage cheese salad for dinner.  We also had cheesecake for Bryce and real cake for Jacqui! 




Friday, July 19, 2013

Logan Aqautics Center

On Friday the 19th, Bryce took the day off of work and we took the kids into the Logan Aquatics Center. We had Jocelynn, Steph, and Mom come in to spend the day with us.  We all brought lunch and ate during the little swim break.  We enjoyed sitting in the shade and visiting with each other.
The boys had so much fun wrestling with Bryce in the shallow water.  Jaden and Ty kept trying to attack Bryce and he would just throw them away or do a gator roll to them.  Bryce rubbed all the hair off his knees while playing with them!
Steph always loves to buy Creamies when we go to the pool.  Everyone took a break and ate their creamies! What a cool treat on a hot summer day!
This summer, Cooper has become brave enough to do the straight slides at all the pools.  He will go down it over and over again and he thinks it is great.  Him and Ty went down so many times!
Bryce and Clayton had to go down the curly slide at least once while we were there.  The lines were really long, but Clayton loves this slide so much that it is worth the wait to him! He spent most of his time in the pool playing with the big boys! He thinks he is as big as Cooper and his cousins!




Saturday, July 6, 2013

Hardware Ranch

While Mom and Dad were up visiting us, we decided we better take them four wheeling again.  This time we decided to take them up near Hardware Ranch.  We had to do a trail that was not real bumpy (because I am pregnant).  Anyway, we were able to get machines for everyone. We even had Bryce's parents join us!
Here is picture of Paul and Steph in their razor.  This trail was perfect for machines of all sizes. They wished we could have gone a little faster, but with a group this big, that can be hard.  We had 3 Razors and seven four wheelers in our group!
Brittney and Tawni rode on the four wheeler together and had a great time bonding with each other.  It was a really pretty ride and weather was decent. We stopped in a little clearing to eat lunch and take a little break.  The bugs were pretty annoying so we didn't sit for too long.  That's when my machine decided it would not start up because it needed a new battery!
Mom and Dad had a good time on the Goddridges machine. Dad's only suggestion for next time is that we stop more often and for longer periods of time.  He would really have a good time looking at and collecting plants if him and mom would go on a ride by themselves!
Dad picked purple flowers for all of the girls and then we posed for this picture!  Jocelynn looks like a "little person" in this picture with her short legs. We were all so dirty, but it was such a fun time!
Thanks to Kyle, we made it back to our trailer.  He pulled Bryce, who was on my machine, all the way back to the trucks.  It was nice to have Kyle join us for the ride.  He is so busy with work, but I am glad he took the time to hang with his family!
Cooper and Jocelynn were able to bond on this ride.  Cooper told Jocelynn that he wants me to have a girl, but sometimes he wants a boy, so that the boy and be a pest to Clayton, just like Clayton is a pest to Cooper! Cooper liked riding with Jocelynn because then he got to sit in the front seat.
Enjoying the beautiful scenery up at Hardware Ranch.  It was warm this day and extremely dusty. In fact, the last half of the trail got really dusty.  The wind kicked up and it was ridiculous.  We could barely see who was in front of us.  I felt bad for all the family that didn't have goggles or helmets!
Once we got back in the car, we tried to wash off a little bit.  Clayton and Brittney grabbed drinks and we headed down to the little park in Hyrum to wash off in the river.
Dad and Jocelynn obviously did not have helmets to protect their faces from the dust.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see the mark from Jocelynn's seat belt on her shirt.  We were all looking forward to a nice cool shower to rinse off all this dirt!





Wednesday, July 3, 2013

4th of July Activities

We had a really fun 4th of July weekend.  Mom and Dad were in town so we all stayed at Steph's house on the 3rd of July.  Logan has their fireworks that night.  Everyone came up for dinner that night.  The kids enjoyed making a fruit pizza that looked like the American Flag.  It tasted so yummy. 
 After dinner, we went out and played volley ball for a few minutes before the fireworks started.  I like the fact that our family enjoys playing sports together and we can all have a good time.  Cooper even played with us for a little while and he did a good job. 
After volleyball, we headed into Lundstrom Park to watch the fireworks.  I enjoy the fireworks but I don't enjoy the long line of cars afterwards, so we left them early so we could beat the rush.  We ended up parking on the road in Hyde Park and watching the rest of the fireworks. 
 We layed out a blanket and Clayton wrestled Cooper and all of his cousins.  They had a great time running around in the dark and playing with each other.  This was the day that Johnny left for his mission, so it was a hard day on Tawni. We all tried to cheer her up, but it was very emotional for her.
 I just love all my nieces and nephews.  I have such a great relationship with them.  It has been fun to watch the girls grow up to be wonderful young women.  They are alot of fun to spend time with.  I am so blessed to live in such a great country and I am thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy each day.  I am thankful for my family wherever they might be!