The Games of Summer

Anyone who claims that kids don't get out and play anymore has never met my son. Cole is always looking for someone to play sports with him. He doesn't care if it's his Mom, his Dad, his friends, his cousins, his Mom and Dad's cousins, or even some distant relatives that he doesn't even know. He'll play any sport, any time, any place!
One day, he and his buddies found some flags in the garage. So for the next several weeks, they would play flag football. They would also just wear the flags around all day every day claiming they were getting ready for the big game!
One day his cousin Mason and two of Mason's friends came over. Cole was so excited when they strapped on flags and played with him. I'm not sure who won, but Cole had a blast.
The next day, Cole and his friend next door decided their dads needed in on the fun. So they pulled out flags for them and spent the morning practicing. That afternoon, we went to visit Chad at his office. Cole took Chad's flags up with us and insisted that his Dad put them on to prepare for the game that night. So Chad walked around his office with his flags on, much to Cole's delight! When both dads were home from work, the game was on!
A few weeks later, it was on to baseball. They frequently play a game in the backyard with whatever bat, bases, and balls they can find (even if the bases are lopsided and all they can find is a stick). They have even invented a version of Basement Baseball that they play when it gets too hot or when it is raining (which it has done a lot in June!).
One day at the park, Cole and one of his friends took on cousin Morgan. At one point, Morgan was pitching and hitting by herself, while the boys played the bases. It was quite humorous to watch!
When we went to the Taylor Reunion, Cole took his bat and balls hoping to get a game going. However, it rained for most of the day. As soon as the rain stopped though, Cole rounded up a group and they went and played on the concrete, since the grass was soaked. (Just a hint, crocs on wet pavement is not a great idea!)
Long live the pickup game!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Like Father, Like Son. Like Grandfather, Like Grandson. They look alike and they dress alike!
I'm not sure who the cutest one in this picture is. They are all adorable!
We hope everyone had as good of a Father's Day as we did!
Thanks Dads!

Rub a Dub Dub, 3 Kids in a Tub

I'm not sure which one is the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, but they are certainly major mess makers!
Once Addy got to the point where she could sit up fairly well, Cole and Emily decided that it was time for Addy to get in the tub with them. With the help of a bath chair, Addy survived her first bath (and many since then) with her brother and sister.
Addy seemed to love it.
She had someone to give her toys (and let her take theirs).
She was washed by Emily...
and rinsed by Cole.
She was entertained the whole time by her wacky brother and sister!
And then, they all got out and wrapped themselves in their hooded towels so they would be warm!
Aren't they sweet!

And So It Begins!

One day last fall, Chad came home all excited. He had been checking out the BYU Sports Camps and discovered that Cole was going to be old enough to go to soccer camp this summer. It was hard to tell who was more excited about that, Cole or Chad! Then, last week, (after having to hear the two of them talk about it for weeks) it finally happened. Cole attended his first (of many, I'm sure) BYU Sports Camps.
Here is Cole, ready to head out the door for camp. He told me that he had to hold the ball under his arm like that because "That's how the players do it, Mom."
Overall, I think the camp lived up to all of the anticipation. Cole had a great time and learned lots of good things.
He learned how to stretch and warm up.
He learned some ball handling drills.
He learned the different positions on the field.
His favorite position was defender. He never let that goal post that he was assigned to score!! (Ok, we might have a little bit of work ahead to teach him to move away from the goal post a little bit and actually guard a player!)

He learned how to be a good sport and give the other team a cheer.
And, in true 5-year-old fashion, his favorite part of the camp?
The popsicle break, of course!
This was Cole's team. They did pretty well, only losing their first game. Other teams had names like the Cheetahs and the Thunderbolts, but not Cole's team. His team name was... You guessed it, the COUGARS!
Overall, I was very impressed with the camp. The players and coaches did a great job with the kids. They learned a huge number of kids' names in a short amount of time and they were very patient, even with the kids who much preferred to give piggyback rides in the middle of their game. (Thankfully, this was not Cole!)
They also sent them home with lots of cool(?) stuff (junk?)! But Cole and all the other kids thought they had hit the jackpot! I'm pretty sure there are a lot of new young BYU soccer fans out there now!
What lucky sport do we get to attend next year?

And She's Off!

The best thing I've come up with to compare Addy's crawling to is an inchworm. She starts with her head up and then it goes down and her rear goes up. She scoots forward and then repeats the process. It's a combination of an army crawl, lunge, and roll. I'm waiting for her to develop a floor burn on her head! Oh well.

Watch out world Addy is on the go!

Happy Birthday Chad!

Chad saw all the fun that his kids got to have on their birthdays and he did not want to be left out.
So, we made sure he got to have lots of the same fun.
We had lots of little kids help him open his presents.
Cole and Emily picked out their very own presents for him. Cole got him some root beer (since he loves to share root beer with his Dad.)
Emily loves to eat "my daddy's Oreos". So she got him some that she could eat also! (I'm not sure if these were sweet gifts because they reminded them of their Dad or if they were selfish gifts that they wanted to enjoy themselves! We'll pretend they were sweet!)
We made sure he got to have a birthday party with family (and some friends as well)!
And of course, we made sure that he had his own very special birthday cake (in vintage BYU blue)!
Kira really enjoyed the cake, if you can't tell!
And no family function would be complete without a giant wrestling match!
To My Wonderful Husband:
Thanks so much for being a great husband and father. We appreciate all that you do for us. We love you so much!