Life Saver Lauren

While I was off doing this...

 ...this girl saved the day by flying in for the second half of Girls Camp to help take care of my boys. 

THANK YOU LAUREN!

When I got back we made sure to play while she was in town.  First stop, Rascal Flatts in concert!

 This brother/sister combo were so funny together.

 I think I was as entertained by them as I was by these guys.

Lots more fun as the week progressed at the pool,

at the zoo,

on the train to the city,

 (check out the couple behind us, do you think he's about to lay one on her?)

and Pirates Cove.

So much fun! She edured lots of hot Chicago days and then the 23 hour drive home!

 What a trooper!

Thank you so much for coming Lauren.  You were a life saver and climbed pretty high on the favorite aunt ladder!  LOVE YOU!

Stay tuned for more on that awesome 23 hour drive!!!

So much summer fun!

I've gotten behind in the blogging world. So here are some pictures to catch you up a bit.

I LOVE SUMMER!

Independence Day 2012

We had a pretty fun-filled 4th of July.

It started with a little fishing trip for the boys.

 

Caleb and I stopped by just long enough to get a couple pictures.

 The pond was close enough for the boys to ride their bikes. We recently found a trailier and bikes for Aaron and me on Craigslist and are loving them.

 Next stop, BBQ at Soelbergs.

Then off to a VERY HOT parade.

 

 The heat index was between 105 and 110! 

 It was so warm, Wesley started dumping water right over his head!

The kids gathered some candy, we all waved to the firemen and left to seek air conditioning!  So back to the Soelbergs for a very patriotic homemade pinata.

 A couple shots of the kids.

 They had so much fun taking their turn with the bat.

 I love Wesley's face in this one.

 Even Caleb got a turn.

 Buddies.  Sara is beautiful even when we're all hot and sweaty.

The boys had their first experience with sparklers. I pulled them out during the day in case we didn't have time that night. I learned that I shouldn't have done it with Caleb around. Poor baby picked up a used one and burned his little thumb...and right after that fell down a couple stairs -- it was a rough few minutes for him :(

 We made our way to Ty Warner Park to check out the petting zoo. This little black lamb was my favorite.

 Dillon had fun feeding the animals.

 This llama was not shy at all. He'd get right in your face.

 We finally let Caleb out of the stroller and he LOVED the animals.

 It took Wes a bit to warm up, but then he enjoyed them too.

We met up with friends from the ward/church for the fireworks. Attempts at a family photo...

 (And no, I'm not pregnant. Wesley's head pulling on my shirt just makes it look that way)

 Aaron headed home so he could work and Caleb could sleep and the big boys and I stuck around for the firework show. As we waited for it to start, we noticed the moon was big and orange. About that time, a neighboring village started their show so I got some fun shots.

 When our show started, Wesley went ballistic -- running around and screaming.  He was having so much fun!

 It was a great show.

 When we got home we lit the rest of the sparklers.

It was a great Independence Day. So grateful to live in a free country where we enjoy so many blessings.