June

June 1st rolled around and with it the first game of T-ball for Stockton.  He had literally been waiting for this the whole entire year.  Every season I would have to say, "We have to wait until winter is all the way over, then spring, and then T-ball will start" or something along those lines.  He really was so super excited.

He got put on the Cardinals team which was okay.  It wasn't the Braves (favorite team) but it wasn't the Dogders or the Yankees (least favorite teams) plus Daddy has actually been to a Cardinals game in St. Louis so that was also a bonus.

he's #3

I would say this T-ball season was everything he was thinking it would be.  He loved going to his games and was so excited during and after each one.  He really tried to do everything his coaches told him to.  He is a pretty good baseball player.

T-ball this year, but coach pitch next year.  He actually hits better when someone is pitching to him so he's excited for that.

Several months ago Molly discovered that she really loved to find videos and follow directions on how to draw something.  I encouraged this, but hesitatingly, because most of our searching was on YouTube and you just never know what you're going to find there.  Justin and I set some rules (don't take the tablet in your room and search the internet, only do it with a parent's permission, etc.) but I still wasn't fully comfortable.  One day at the beginning of the summer, I googled "how to draw for kids" and found a great kid-friendly website with loads of different things to draw.  We've never even looked at YouTube since!  Here is a minion the kids copied.

And Molly's hummingbird.

Here is one of Brynn's drawings.  Isn't it so great? I love it!

Jumping on the tramp with the sprinklers underneath is a summer must-do.

with our neighbors, Easton (under the tramp) and Corben Anderson

Cute Ivy and Brynn.

Stockton wanted a picture too but the second I would get Ivy on her belly and ready to snap a photo, she would roll over.

We tried putting Stockton on the other side of her but she just kept trying to roll into him.

We have been trying to get some Unplugged activities done this year.  We've done lots better than last year!  Our first activity was the Pool Pro.  It was at the hospital pool and was one hour long.  The kids met and first got taught some swim safety and then they hit the pool.  They pretty much played games the whole hour.

I was so impressed by how far Stockton has come around the water.  Normally, each summer he had to re-train himself not to be so afraid.  While he still is cautious, this year he has been so much better.  This was our first time swimming this year and he started off where it would usually take him a few times swimming to get to in years past.

They thought it was great!

Our pasture, without a horse, was growing like crazy and was getting really tall and out of control.  Our neighbor's pasture was getting pretty bare so he opened up the fence between our two pastures so his horse could have free reign of ours as well.  The girls like to go out and feed Goldie, as long as a parent goes along with them.

Happy Birthday to Grandpa Gene on June 6th.  My girls have always loved to sit with grandpa and be read to.  Molly's love of stories, I think, comes from him-when she was two we lived with them for a few months and she would sit on his lap and listed to him tell her stories like "The Billy Goats Gruff."  Those are sweet memories.

Sunday afternoon relax time.  I love my baby girl so much.

Hugs.  These two are best friends (and occasionally worst enemies).  They play games all day long together and can get really silly and out of control together too.

Once the previous owner came and took her hot tub (yes, she left it and yes, it took her nearly two months to come and get it and no, I do not want to get into it because it was a pain and she ended up being sort of a crazy person) we were able to use our deck to actually eat out on.  The big trees shade the deck and the nights here are so pleasant-usually cooler than inside the house.  Our first meal outside was pretty tasty too...smoked pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, parmesan roasted zucchini, cooked carrots, and raspberry salad (thanks, Diana, for that one!).  A yummy start but eating outside makes everything taste better.

I made a Bucket List again this summer but we haven't managed to get a lot of stuff checked off.  One of the first things the kids (Molly) chose to do was have an art day.  They did bathtub painting.

They started out painting and then about two minutes later, they just started a water fight with their squirt bottles.  It was a mess.

Probably something for a small toddler, not older kids.

We put tape down on a piece of paper (B for Brynn, S for Stockton, and Molly did a flower) and then colored the rest of the paper so that it looked like this when they took the tape off.

We also did some ice cube painting with the neighbors.

Easton Anderson, Stockton, Corben Anderson, Brynn, and Molly

My mom got these thin swaddling blankets for Ivy when she was born.  Ivy has never been a swaddler but she does love these blankets and gets all tangled up in them when I lay her down on one.  Look at that face and those eyes.

My mom came up to see Stockton play T-ball but before we left, she took this picture of Molly and Ivy.  I am excited to see what their relationship develops into.

Ivy is pretty happy about tagging along to all the baseball games.  This is actually right after she took a little snooze in her carseat.

It was time for Brynn to upgrade bikes-from her little trike to Stockton's bike (Stockton was getting a new one for his birthday).  The only problem with this was that the training wheels to Stockton's bike broke a couple of years ago.  It's what forced him to learn to ride without them.  Don't tell Brynn she can't do anything, though.  She got right up on that bike and with a little help from Justin, she took off with just two wheels!

She was so proud of herself, as she should be, and shows anyone who comes to visit. 

Stockton got his first chapter book for his book-of-the month from Grandma.  He stayed up late one night reading it...or at least trying to read it.  Looks like he got a little too sleepy.

Molly went to Plain City for a few days so she could be there for Chloe's birthday.  I took Stockton and Brynn (and Ivy) to a couple of activities to earn a couple of brag badges.  We went to the kids club event in Day's parking lot where they got to see inside a fire truck, an ambulance, and a medical helicopter.

Most exciting, though, might have been these giant otter pops.

We also went over to the park to catch some ladybugs.  The business that sponsored this activity supplied all the kids with bug catching kits and they also got a popsicle at the end.

I finally got the loft unpacked-for now anyway.

We threw away the old, big TV that was in that armoire and for now it just houses toys.  Someday we will throw that away and get a toy storage system or something.

This works now, though, and I love having a place for toys.  The kids can go upstairs and make a mess and I don't even see it until I go up to bed (the master bedroom is behind the loft).

We had my family up for a barbecue.  It's been really fun to show our house to our families and friends.  Mostly it's been nice to have more space and an area for kids to play outside.

Top row to bottom row, left to right: Gavin, Ben, Abby, Ivy, Molly, Chloe, Stockton, Grant, Tessa, Grace, Spencer, Harper, Seth, Brynn

While they were here, we celebrated Chloe's 9th birthday with presents, brownies and ice cream.

Chloe, Molly, Abby

 

We plan on finishing the two bedrooms in the basement sometime and when we do, Stockton will get the bunk beds in his room.  This was Brynn's only chance of having the top bunk so we let her have it.  She was tired after a day playing with cousins!

Since family was coming, I decided I better put some decorations up.  I dug through the basement and this is what I came up with for the mantle.  Much better than before when it had nothing, or a collection of Justin's tools.

We have decided that eventually we would like to update the fireplace with a gas fireplace, a smaller mantle, and built-in bookcases on each side.  Someday.

We also got some curtains hung in the kitchen.  I love that big window and that it looks out on the yard, but it will be my nemesis as far as keeping it clean goes.

Molly's friend, Jade Boynton, was in a track meet up here in Heber so we arranged to have her family come over before to play.  Coincidentally, her other friend, Emma Thomas, was visiting her grandparents in Heber at the same time.  So it was one big reunion with Emma and Jade.  Along with the rest of our children.  Three moms and 13 kids!

Jade, Molly, Emma

They sure have grown up in the last couple of years!

Molly, Emma, and Jade

Stockton's T-ball games were played right next to the skate park.  The girls learned after the first game that it's much more fun to ride scooters there than watch the game.  Stockton was missing out on the fun so we stayed after one of his games so all of them could ride their scooters around.

 

Some practice golfing at home.  Our yard and pasture has proven to be a pretty good place for the kids to practice their swings.  Stockton inherited a hand-me-down set of kid's clubs from a neighbor and Brynn uses the plastic ones so they are all content with their own set of clubs.  They are all turning out to be pretty good little golfers.

Washing the car.  So fun for the kids, although when I let them do it on their own, I always end up having to re-wash it.  Oh well.

The kids are usually okay at doing chores and picking up but occasionally they make huge messes and it gets out a control.  This happened one day, it was a Friday, and I was just done.  Poor Justin, he came home from a long week at work and I escaped with Ivy upstairs to let him deal with kids and bedtime.  I knew I would have a better attitude in the morning and be ready to tackle the house.  I thought he'd just put them in bed and we could relax and watch a movie.  However, he sat them all down in the kitchen and made them watch him do all the dishes, wipe down the counters, and sweep the floor.  Then they got sent to bed without some of the regular bedtime comforts: books, milk, etc. 

I'm not sure the younger kids got the point but Molly sure felt bad.  We found these letters she wrote to Stockton and Brynn when she was supposed to be going to bed.  She is a sweetheart and always feels so bad when she realizes she's not helping out as much as she could be.

Father's Day.  We made breakfast for Justin and all the kids made homemade cards for him.  Here is his before-church picture with all his kids.

We hosted the Father's Day party at our house after church for Justin's family.  See how much these babies have grown since February?  Eli has surpassed Ivy in size.

Eli and Ivy

We ate some good food and visited while the kids just ran around and played.  It was such a nice night.

Molly snuggles Ivy.

Stockton borrowed all of Brett's Star Wars movies this summer and has loved watching all of them (except #3 since it's PG-13).  He knows more than Justin and I do now, not that that's a huge accomplishment since we don't know much.  Brynn is his Star Wars side kick and will re-enact scenes with him all day long.

Molly has been experimenting this summer with combing her own hair.  She likes to do Brynn's sometimes too.  This hairstyle is called the Doc McStuffins hairstyle.

Ivy got her first haircut on the 22nd.  It wasn't a lot, she just had some longer wispy hairs in the back so Justin trimmed them to even everything up.

She is growing up so fast and I wish I could just freeze her at this age.

Molly saved her pennies and knew for sure that she wanted to buy herself some Beanie Boos.  I made her wait a few days, just to make sure that's what she really wanted, and it was.  So I took her to the toy store up here (called Wigglish) and she picked out a giant one, a medium one, and tiny one to add to her collection.  She previously had just two smaller ones.

Molly, Stockton, and Brynn went off to Grandkid Camp and I had a whole day by myself with this sweet girl.  She is just the best.

My mom gave the kids 100 of these little plastic balls to put on the trampoline.  They like to play a game called "hot balls" with them.

Molly wanted to earn the gardening brag badge but I don't think a garden will happen here until next year.  So we planted some herbs.  Molly planted basil, Stockton oregano, and Brynn parsley.  Molly's was doing really well but not so much anymore.  Stockton's hasn't really done anything at all, but Brynn's is growing great!

I try to get outside with the kids in the evening after dinner and ride bikes or something.  These two both got new bikes this month-well, Stockton got a new bike and Brynn got Stockton's old one, so new for her.