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!

Camping Up Porcupine

We haven't been able to go camping all year because last year Bryce noticed that the trailer axle was causing the tires to be worn down quickly.  After doing some research and looking into prices, he decided that we either needed to sell it or replace the axle with a new one. Needless to say, Bryce replaced the old axle.  It was a huge project and it took all day, but it looks good and Bryce did a great job fixing it!

We were now ready to embark on our first camping trip of the year.  We decided to stay close to family, so we headed up to Porcupine, which is located south east of Avon and Paradise.  Bryce took Friday off of work so we could camp an extra day and not feel so rushed.

When he got home from work on Thursday, we got everything loaded up and headed up to Cache Valley.  We were a little worried about the weather because it was extremely windy and the sky was darkening with clouds.  A small rainstorm moved through Cache Valley right before we got there, but was gone within a few minutes.  It was clearing off as we headed up the canyon to the campgrounds.

We got up to the campgrounds around 7 pm.  We set up our trailer in the most perfect spot up there and then started setting up our camp chairs around the small fire that we built. We weren't sure if we were supposed to have a fire or not, so we kept it very small. Ty and Jocelynn came up for a few minutes on Thursday night.  Ty played with boys and they ran around the camp before it got too dark.

Paul let us borrow his kayaks but we needed to go get the life jackets, so Friday morning, Bryce got up early and headed to Smithfield.  He got back around 10 and then started cooking bacon, eggs, and pancakes.  We ate breakfast around 11 and the by that time it was warm and the hundreds of bees were out and swarming the food. The boys did not appreciate this at all.

Tawni came up to eat breakfast with us right after her soccer practice.  After she ate, she went on a small walk with the boys. Clayton woke up that morning and said, "I feel wet. Why am I wet?" He must have peed sometime during the morning hours (since he slept till 10) and he didn't even know it.  Tawni was kind enough to take all the bedding and pajamas home and wash them for us....another advantage of camping close to where family lives!

 On Friday we spent quite a bit of time shooting the BB gun with the boys.  Bryce and I enjoy it as much as they do. There was another camping area right next to ours that was completely shaded, so we took the boys over there to shoot. Clayton informed us that he wants a BB gun when he turns four! We better get another one soon, because one isn't enough for all four of us.

After we shot guns, and ate a little lunch, we got into our swimsuits and went down to play in the river for a few minutes.  We found a spot where we could stand in really shallow water on top of the rocks.  The water was so cold, it was almost numbing.  We took a few pictures and the boys walked around for a while.  Bryce and I had a hard time standing in the water for too long!

 After that, we took the kayaks and headed up to Porcupine Dam. The beach is on the east side of the reservoir, so we drove for about 10 minutes and then unloaded the kayaks.  The beach was not was we were imagining.  It was very muddy and sticky.  Bryce and Cooper got in the kayaks and headed across.  It was windy and they had to fight it the whole time, but they were able to go out for a few minutes.

Clayton and I went over to the small waterfalls and climbed up through the water.  The water was freezing cold, but refreshing at the same time.  The water was cascading down rock, so we could just climb right up the rock without slipping.  We saw a water snake come down one of the falls.  After that, we went back to the lake and Clayton went on a small ride with Bryce. 

Friday night, we went into town to grab some ice and a few items.  We let the boys play at Jocelynn's for a few minutes and then headed back to camp.  For dinner, we made walking tacos.  After dinner, Ty and Jocelynn came up for an hour. The kids ran around and jumped from rock to rock.  We had a small campfire and the boys roasted marshmallows and made smores!  The boys were ready for bed by 9:30 each night. 

 Bryce and I would sit out by the fire and just enjoy each others company under the stars. One of my favorite things about camping was waking up before the boys and getting a chance to enjoy the cool weather out in my camping chair.  I would take my scriptures out with me and enjoy the peace and quiet for a few minutes each morning.  I even saw a deer prance through the campgrounds one morning.

On Saturday morning, Ty and Jocelynn came up just in time for breakfast.  Afterwards, we got out the BB gun and bows so all the boys could shoot.  Bryce was able to spend some time shooting his bow as well.  After that, we headed into town to grab more ice and drinks, and then let the kids play again at Jocelynn's for a little while.  When we got back to camp, we ate lunch and waited for Paul, Steph, and family to arrive.

Later that afternoon, Jaden and Addey showed up with their BB guns and all the kids shot their guns for a long time.  I think this was their favorite activity of the day.  We also went back to Porcupine so the kids could kayak and play in the waterfalls.

For dinner that night, Jocelynn and Kyle brought us some Chinese food.  It was so nice to have them come up and spend the evening with us.  We just ate, visited and watched the kids play "Ghost in the Dark".  Clayton ran around with the kids like he was as old as them!  They all had a great time spending the day with each other!

 After the boys went to bed, Bryce and I sat out by the fire and talked for a long time.  The sky was beautiful and clear and the stars were so bright.  We even saw a shooting star or two.  We also saw some light flashing in the sky.  We weren't sure what it was until we headed back home the next day.  We realized that some dry lightning had come across the valley and had started some bad fires in Millville.  Its seven days later and the fire has reached all the way to Blacksmith Fork Canyon.  It's burned thousands of acres and they have firefighters from many states here to fight the fires! Crazy ending to a wonderful camping trip with our kids!

 Its always a nice thing to be able to do these kind of activities with our children.  Bryce and I value the importance of spending quality time with just our kids.  We feel it important that the boys also spend time together without friends, so they can build their relationships and learn to rely on each other.  We want that bond to be strong between them as they get older.  We are thankful for them and the time we have to make those special memories with them!

Boating on the 4th of July

On the fourth of July, we went out to Pineview to spend the day at the lake.  We took a shade canopy out and set it up for those who were on the shore. Cooper and Addey enjoyed their swim break!

I was able to ride on the boat, but not do any of the activities.  I enjoy the boat, but despise the loud music that they play.  When I get on the boat, I would rather talk to my family, then listen to loud, annoying music.  He made me not want to stay on the boat for very long.

Clayton loved spending time with his cousins.  Ty made sure he stayed on his bum most of the time.  They all watched out for him. He only tubed for a few minutes, but he liked riding on the boat and having swim breaks with Bryce.

He also had a fun time on the kayak with mom.  We didn't go very far, but he took me over to show me where some water runs into the lake.  He even paddled a little bit. He had a good time playing on the rocky beach and filling his shoes up with rocks. 

Cooper and Addey knee boarded together.  At one point, Cooper fell off  the front of his board and it took him a few seconds to come up.  This kind of scared him to the point of tears, but as he was crying, he said, 
"I want to try it again." He loved it and he did a great job.  I was really proud of him. 

Here comes the boat, loaded down with family! It ended up being a fun activity.  The lake started feeling up with boats and it started to get wavy and windy.  We headed back to Big J's around 5 to eat dinner.  We ended our day by watching the new Jackie Robinson movie. It was a great movie!