School, Summer, repeat....

It's already that time for back to school.  Summers fly by when there only 2 months long.  Luckily we were able to make the most of them, and the kids love school so...

Have a great year Miles, Caleigh and Griff!!  The kids are proud of their back to school shirts.  They picked them out themselves.

13th Anniversary and counting...

On the 22nd, Mike and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary.  Mary generously offered to watch our kids for as long as we liked ( I know, she's the best right!) while we hit the town for lunch and a movie.  It might sound boring to some but Mike and I love to go to movies together and we never get to anymore.

We ate lunch in downtown Dover, at Kelley's Row an Irish pub and Restaurant.  For you fellow foodies out there we dined on fried pickle chips, lobster clam chowda, and an open faced turkey sandwich.  Yum...  (Thanks for the suggestion Brother Kane, we'll  be hitting this place again, especially when family is in town.) 

Since I got to pick the restaurant, Mike picked the movie.  No surprise, we saw Capt. America.  I was assured there would at least be kissing, but for the most part it was a pretty good action flick.  It was just fun to be out of the house, and spending time with Mickey.  I love hanging out with Mike laughing, venting, reminiscing, and talking about all the worlds problems.  Love you Mike.  

Don't you think Capt. America looks kinda like Mike, just not as cute?  I know right?  That's why I married him.

Final days of Summer

 We are counting down for school to start on the 30th, but until then we are trying to make the most of our summer.

Most of our days are lazy, with plenty of play time with friends in the neighborhood, but we've fit in a few activities.

 One was a hike with the boy scouts and activity days girls.  One of the great things about NH is there is no shortage of good hiking trails.  We hiked Blue Jay mountain (I think that's what it's name was).  It was a pretty good hike, not too long.  At the top is a cell phone tower and a fire lookout.  The kids loved climbing up it when we stopped for lunch.

 Hello down there......

And Tuesday we lived it up at Water Country a awesome water park.  It brought back my days of playing at Roaring Springs in Idaho.  The kids aren't really thrill seekers right now, so we only hit a few big slides.  Most of our time was spent in one of the 3 kiddie areas, or the lazy river.  The two pools were a big hit too.  We went with our friends the Huntings and the kids had so much fun.  Elliot surprised me when she volunteered for the "mat slide" a pretty impressive slide, that requires you to lay on a mat.  She didn't even blink an eye when I held your mat at at the top and told her to lay on her tummy.  She laughed the whole way down and asked to do it again.  She never got to, they switched life guards between turns and the second LG claimed she was too short.  Oh well, we snuck one in.   

Now it's back to lazy days till school starts... 3, 2, 1.   

Standing in Holy Places

I'm so thankful for our ward's tradition to take a field trip to the Temple every year.  The kids look forward to it and always have a great time.  I love to see them all dressed up walking around the Temple grounds.  It was a beautiful day not too hot, but the sun was still shining.  We had a great picnic in the shade after we walked around.  I always use the opportunity to take some photos of the kids, we got a few extra kids in a few of the shots.  

 Ooops we got an Oliver in our photo, good thing he's pretty cute.

 Can't believe how big my "baby" is getting, Elliot is turning into a beauty, inside and out.

I'm so blessed to have these four little people in my life.  I'm grateful we get to spend eternity together.  They make Mike and I laugh, and they keep life interesting.

Nature

We had a visit from this little prince the other night.  We had just come home from the beach and Caleigh notice him sitting on a flower!  He looks big, but he was only about the size of my thumb.  He hopped off and stayed for a few photos.  

What a handsome Prince.  Too bad no one was brave enough to Kiss him.  But we did name him "Froggie."

Putting the Kid to work

Miles has no desire to work in the yard, but that didn't stop me from having him mow the lawn last Friday.  He did the whole front and side by himself (if me following him the whole time counts as "himself").  He felt so proud of himself when he was done.  Good Job Miles, we'll do it again soon!

I love this picture because it shows his little fan club in the background.  Miles always has a few kids waiting to play with him.  It makes for a great incentive to get him working.