National Pirate Day

In Mid September, it was National Pirate Day.  My friend, Kim, told me that if we dressed up like pirates, we could go to Krispie Creme and get a free dozen donuts for me and Clayton.  At first, I wasn't sure if she was kidding or not, but I got us all dressed up and we headed over to the Donut shop.  There were lots of pirates heading in and out of the store.  We went in and they handed Clayton and I each our very own box of glazed donuts. What an awesome deal! And, the donuts were great! Clatyon looked so cute all dressed up but he did not appreciate the earring!

Clayton's 4th Birthday

This year we really wanted to find something for Clayton to ride. In the past, he has enjoyed riding the red little wiggle car and he is really fast on it.  But, his legs are starting to grow a little bit and it makes it more difficult for him to peddle with his legs.  Also, he kept putting holes in the toes of his shoes because he would drag his feet.  We discussed getting him a small bike with training wheels or a Big Wheel. We ended up finding this balance bike in Salt Lake for $50.  It is a really nice bike and he was so excited when he got it on his birthday!

This year, we decide to have a small friend party for Clayton.  I invited the kids that he plays with the most. This included Hudson Leff, Landon Gabrish, Zane Allen, Ember Lythgoe and Jaxson Casebolt.  We took the kids to McDonalds for lunch, cake and ice cream.

Each kid got to pick out a Happy Meal and they all loved the toys they received.  After the kids attempted to eat, they played on the play equipment and then we busted out the ice cream and cake.  After singing to Clayton, he blew out his candles.  He had a hard time blowing them out, so Dad helped him.

This year Clayton wanted a "Henry Hugglemonster" cake.  I enjoyed making the cake and had lots of help from my big birthday boy.  He mixed the colors for the frosting and helped me with the ingredients for the cake.

Daddy was out trying to get his Landcruiser started.  He took for a small ride in the back yard.  Clayton got to ride with him.  This is the first time he has driven the vehicle in over 10 years.  You can see the excitement on both of their faces.

On Clayton's birthday night, he, Cooper, and Dad wrestled till 11 pm.  They had a fun time rolling around on the floor and fighting each other.  Clayton thought he was the winner! Happy Birthday to my big 4 year old. It has been four wonderful years with this energetic guy in our home.  He brings so much happiness and joy into our family.  We are so blessed to have him as our son and brother! Love you Clayton Douglas!

Oneida River

On Saturday afternoon, we decided to float down the river.  It seems like every time we go down this river, someone gets hurt.  Well, this time we all paired up so that we had an adult in charge of a child.  The kids all wanted to be chained together, but I was not Ok with that.  Bryce had Clayton on his lap and I was watching over Cooper.  We were the first ones in the river, so we didn't see who got in behind us.

Jared had Landon on his lap and when they got to this part of the river, they ran into one of the big rocks.  Before they got on the river, Jared told Landon to not let go of the tube, no matter what.  When they hit this rock, it forced them under the water.  Landon would not let go and Jared had to try with all his might to get them out away from all the pressure and force of the water.  After a few attempts, he was finally able to get up and move away from the rock.  Along this same part of the river, Paul hit another rock and it cascaded him into the water as well.  He got scratched up pretty good.  All of them ended up getting off of the river as soon as they found a spot.  This river isn't extremely fast, there are just rocks and you have to be constantly paying attention to what is ahead of you.  Bryce and I were always paddling this way or that way to avoid upcoming rocks.  We had the burn rashes on our arms for the next two days, but we were blessed to not have any real problems.

The boys had so much fun on Saturday that they wanted to go down the river on Monday.  On Sunday evening I talked to both of them and asked them if they wanted to do the boat or the river.  They both wanted to float the river.  I was stressed the entire night over it.  During the night and all through the next day, a massive rainstorm moved in and all we did was pack up and get out of there.  It was an answer to my worry and prayers!

Hanging Out at Oneida

This was by far the most favorite spot for the kids to "hang" out. They loved playing in this hammock.  They spent most of their time in here laughing and swinging and having a great time with each other. 

This is where I enjoyed hanging out...in my camping chair with my family.  We would do a fire in the evenings, but the kids didn't really stick around to enjoy it.  Instead, they were in Steph's trailer watching movies.  I love to just kick back and relax in my chair. 

I had to capture the beauty of Jaden and Stephanie in the morning.  Don't they look like mother and son?!  On Sunday morning, it was chilly in the morning, so we had to get a fire started first thing in the morning.  As soon as Bryce woke up, he started on Sunday breakfast- bacon, eggs and pancakes! It was great except for the darn bees.  I got stung on my leg this day and it made my whole calf sore for the next two days.  I don't know what got me, but it wasn't your average sting.

I wanted to make sure I got a picture of Paul and his pink BB Gun.  He took Jaden and Jaxson up the hill to shoot the guns.  After Bryce made breakfast, we took a moment to sit on the bench and watch the kids play down by the water.  It was a beautiful camping spot nestled in the trees along the lake shore.

Cooper is really enjoying this cowboy stage right now.  He has been playing with Jordynn, across the street almost everyday and he always wears the hat and carries his toy gun. He decided to bring it camping.

Paul went into Preston to buy a two day fishing license and two new poles.  Clayton enjoyed sitting by him and holding the spool of fishing string.  He is such a big helper.  He tried to fish, but never got any bites.  The fish were jumping like crazy, especially in the evening and they were huge.  We must have had the wrong bait, cause we didn't get any nibbles. 

Clayton and Addey standing by the fire on Sunday morning.  Love the hands in the pocket look!

Gotta Love the Boat

 Everyone had a great time on the boat.  On Saturday, we did the boating activities.  Cooper tried to wake board, but could never get up.  I was just glad that he attempted it.  He will eventually get up and will end up loving it.  Clayton just loved the swim breaks.  The water was a little chilly, but he still loved it.

 On Sunday evening, Paul let Bryce take us around the lake on a little boat ride.  I love this pictures of the boys.  The wind was blowing so hard that they could barely keep their eyes open for this picture. 

 Cooper got to drive by himself for a few minutes.  Bryce helped him learn to stay away from the shore and to be constantly looking for boats or things in the water.  Steph also let him drive with her and he started to be a little too comfortable with it because he was trying to swerve back and forth.

 This is one of my most favorite pictures of the trip.  Clayton was looking out on the side of the boat. I stuck my camera out over the edge and snapped this picture.  His smile is priceless!

 Clayton also enjoyed driving the boat.  Uncle Paul would let him sit on his lap and drive up and down the lake.  He thought he was such a big boy, but it was one of his favorite things to do.

Oneida Lake and Shore

 I was standing over on the shore when I saw these cute boys all hanging out on the edge of the dock.  I love this picture because they are just relaxing and all getting along at this moment. 

 Love these two boys of mine.  I always enjoy doing outdoor activities with them, because it makes them so happy. 

 Bryce thought he would try out the paddle board.  He did a good job and didn't even fall in.  I thought for sure that the boats would rock him of the board, but he stayed steady.  It's a really good balancing activity and you end up using muscles you don't use all the time.

 I captured this sweet little moment of Jacqui and Cohen.  He loved playing on the shore, even though he received four stings on his little fingers.  He liked throwing the rocks into the lake.

 The kids had a blast playing on the kayaks.  This is where they spent most of their time while we were at the lake.  Addey would give Cooper a ride to and from the floating dock.  The cousins had a good time with each other.  Though we didn't go out on Sunday and do any boating activities, the kids entertained themselves with various activities.

 Cooper really enjoyed learning how to maneuver this paddle board.  It is quite a long board and he did a great job moving it around the lake.

 Landon and Clayton loved the boat.  In this picture, it was anchored to the shore.  They got out there and just played on the boat.  They pretended to drive it and just had a fun time being inside it.  They thought they were big boys because they were the only ones in the boat!