July 24th party!!

We spent July 24th at Grandpa & Grandma Fosters house. We also celebrated my father in laws birthday too!
How many Foster men does it take to cook a steak? apparently it takes all four of them.

This is a picture of Grandpa Foster and his three sons. Grandpa Foster is great at the barbeque. He cooked us a delicious dinner which included; steak, chicken, polish dogs, and shrimp scampi.

I caught Halle picking Great Grandmas flowers. I moved her away but then she went right back and started picking them again. She looked so cute it was hard to tell her to stop.

Mckenna spent hours in the swimming pool. She is now our little fish. She has been taking swim lessons the last couple of weeks and is now swimming on her own. We are so proud of her! She used to be afraid of the water and now she can swim.

This was our entertainment for the night. The two soon to be married couples having a chicken fight. It was funny because at one point the two guys went under trying to keep them up. Heather and Dan and April & Nate will both be married in a couple of weeks!

If you look closely you will notice that Grandma Sue is swimming in her clothes! Dan and I had bets going on which one of us would push her into the pool. She leaned over the edge so close once that I just had to push her in. She was really suprised but was a good sport about it. Dan you still owe me twenty bucks!!

We finished up the night by lighting some fireworks. I couldn't let a year go by without letting the kids do sparklers. It was Halles first time with fireworks and I think she enjoyed it! We had a really fun time being with all the family!

Camping trip!

We went camping this weekend up above Squaw peak in Provo. We originally wanted to camp at the Timpanogos campground but they were all reserved. We decided to try some primitive camping with the kids. It really was an adventure. We found a beautiful spot to set up our camp!(notice the above picture) On our way to the campsite we were driving over rocks and through the trees. A passing branch scraped along our Pathfinder leaving a scratch along the whole length of the car. Our primitive adventure was not off to a good start. On to the happier times of our trip.....
The kids loved being outside! Mckenna found a caterpillar crawling nearby. She was so excited to let it crawl up and over her arm. Parker and Halle were fascinated as well. Everyone wanted a turn to pick it up. This creepy crawler entertained the kids for most of the evening.
I had to include this picture of Parker. He had a little outburst and was in time out sitting on this log. If you look closely he has tear streaks down his face from where he had been crying.
It was great to just sit by the campfire and relax. It was a really nice night and the temperature was perfect. It was also a full moon which is a coincidence because last time when we went camping in Moab it was a full moon too.
Teenie took this picture of Kev and I by the fire. Kev was looking so exhausted and he really was. He was feeling awful about the car, a popped air mattress, and a new hole in the tent from all the rocks.

This picture of Mckenna and Halle is one of those moments which makes it all worth it. It was great to see them having so much fun together.
Kayley came with us on the campout too! It was her first time camping. She was a real trooper and didn't complain about going to the bathroom in the bushes. Parker was so happy to just dig and play in the dirt. The girls spent the morning gathering rocks and deciding what they looked like.
On our way down from camp our tired popped. So Kev was out in the heat changing the tire. In the middle of the process the carjack slipped and our car slid further down the road. Once the spare was on we were off again.
We stopped at bridal veil falls to cool off. The water felt great and it was the perfect way to end our camping trip.
Mckenna enjoyed climbing up the waterfall. We had to tell her to come back or she would have climbed all the way to the top of the falls. Kev and I were feeling discouraged on the way home. It was definitely not one of our better camping trips. We were surprised when Mckenna exclaimed, "that was the greatest time yesterday and today!" We were glad to hear that the kids thought camping was a success.

Family reunion!!

We had the Grant family reunion over the weekend. We always have lots of fun hanging out with cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The kids were excited to meet the new pony's at the ranch this year. They named them Lady and the Tramp. Mckenna our little cowgirl went on several rides and couldn't get enough. Halle looked like a three year old sitting by herself on the pony. You will notice the new gear you have to wear for safety reasons. Grandpa Foster looked like a policeman on horseback with his helmet, vest and sunglasses. They had a candy toss this year for the kids. They couldn't wait to get all the candy. It was probably the highlight of the trip for them. The adults had fun talking and just hanging out together. One night Kev and I went hot tubbing with his Uncles. It was fun hearing all their stories and memories up at the Ranch. They have been going up there since they were teenagers. Grandpa and Grandma Grant shared their testimonies with all of us on the last night. They are such loving people and incredible examples to all of us. It is amazing how big their posterity is now. The family just keeps on growing. There are fourteen great grandkids and another three on the way. We had a great weekend!

Stadium of fire!

I went to the stadium of fire again this year with my family. My little sister Kayley entered a drawing at Maceys to win tickets to the show. There were thousands who entered but they drew her name. She won five tickets and invited us to go.
On the way into the stadium I saw my good friend Robyn. It was so fun to see her! She is pregnant and it was fun to see her cute tummy.

We had good seats and were right there for all the action. I really liked the blue man group. They were fascinating and got the audience involved. Parker really like the parachuters and watching the jets fly over.
Loni found these lovely glasses waiting under her seat. They made everthing you looked at sparkle. As you can see we had a lot of fun.
Kayley was really excited to see Miley Cyrus! She had really wanted to get tickets when they went on sale but they sold out so fast. It was the happiest day when she found out she could see Miley. All the girls in the audience were dancing and singing along to her music.
The fireworks were awesome! They lasted for over a half hour. Our side of the stadium was right next to where the fireworks were going off. Parker was so exhausted that he fell asleep during the fireworks. Thank you Kayley for inviting us!
We walked back to my grandparents after the show. They live close by the stadium. Kev and the girls had a good time at their house while we were at the show. Some of my cousins came over and loved playing with Kenna and Halle. We had a great fourth of July!

Celebrations!

My Dad was born on the fourth of July. So we celebrate his birthday and our country on that day.
We had fun going swimming and there was lots of good snacks. Kayley and Kenna both have the same swimsuits.
Loni slaving away at the barbeque. She cooked ribs for dinner. They were delicious and the meat just fell right off the bone. I am definitley not a vegetarian.
We had the killer chocolate cake from Costco for dessert. If you haven't tried it you need too. It is chocolate heaven. It is really rich and I could barely finish my piece.
Halle with her smile of contentment. She ate the whole piece and licked the plate clean.

Cabin adventures!

We stayed at the cabin overnight. The kids couldn't wait to get up and go ride the horses. Mckenna and Dad rode the new horse named Lexi. She is a tall and looks a lot like the horse lady. Mckenna loves the horses and has been riding them since she was a baby.
Halle hangin out at the barn with Grandma Sue. I can't believe how grown up Halle is now. She is just sitting there like a little girl. I think Halle's favorite thing is to ride the Gator. She always wants to be right at the steering wheel.
Parker going for a horse ride with Daddy. They are going for a ride with Bo. He is an arabian horse.

Grandpa loves to take the kids on tractor rides. They have had this tractor since the 1940's and it still runs great. I even like driving the tractor. It drives nice and slow.
The kids and Grandma in back of the Gator. They love going for rides through the field and up to the cabin.
There is even a swing set up at the cabin. I had so much fun swinging! It was just like being a kid again. Mckenna would shout "go even higher Mom!"
There was a patch of buttercups in the field. The kids went to play in them.
Halle and Parker looked so cute just siting there picking buttercups. It was great to be up in the mountains!

Oakley Rodeo!

We have had a fun and eventful weekend! I took over one hundred and eighty pictures. Don't worry I won't post all of them for your sake. We started off the holiday celebration at the Rodeo.
It is a tradition in Kevs family to have a barbeque and then go to the Rodeo together. It was fun to see cousins Preston and Melissa. Melissa told me that the last time she saw me I was pregnant with Halle. It had been way too long.
The big news of the day was...Heather & Dan are now engaged. He proposed to her up on the mountain earlier that day. We are so excited for them and looking forward to their wedding next month. They are so cute together even with all the PDA. Kev and I were worse than them!
Halle had fun at the Rodeo! She loves pointing out all the horses and saying nay. She was so happy to sit on the bleachers all by herself.
Grandma and Grandpa Foster made sure that the kids were happy and spoiled. I took this picture of them coming back with all the treats.