Lincoln turns 7!

Lincoln was up in Annabella with his grandparents and cousins on his actual birthday- have the time of his life helping out there and riding a motorcycle.  When he returned, we had his birthday party.  He had to go on a treasure hunt to find his birthday present this year. 

He requested cheesecake, a new favorite of the kids, so that's what he got.  We sure missed him while he was gone and I think he might have missed us, though I know he missed Nyle (he was the only one Lincoln was excited to greet when we met up with him in Mesquite).  Lincoln continues to be such a sweet, older brother.  He has such a tender heart and aims to please, so often.  He can certainly be a tease, but also loves and values the company of his siblings.  He still loves all things wheels, especially the motorized kind.  He dreams of owning a motorcycle or go-kart. He excels in math and is a very hard worker.  He's especially good at tackling any task he's not too excited about quickly, so he can get it over with.  He continues to be the perfect oldest child of this family-  a great example to his siblings and good son to us!  We are so grateful for him!

Our New Announcement.

Zach sent this picture to his family in a text, with no explanation.  Can you tell what the message is?

Newport Coast

Call us irresponsible parents, but the second week of school, we pulled the kids out to take our Newport Coast trip.  The weather was perfect, as was the company!

 After church, the chapel we went to church at was next door to the Newport Temple. 

On our way to church at the villas. 

The Villas, alone, provide tons of entertainment.  Gwen repeats her pose from a few years prior when she mimicked Uncle Eric.

Lots of time was spent at the pool- of course!

...And the beach.  Lincoln really got much more into playing in the waves.  Which of course meant, I spent the entire time with my eyes glued on the Lincoln in the waves and counting the heads of my children.  But, I enjoyed seeing them have so much fun!

 

We made our usual visit to the Orange County Zoo.  And a trip to Dana Point.  We love our trips to the beach and are so grateful to Mom and Dad Shamo for making it possible!

First day of School!

 Lincoln ready for 2nd grade and Gwen for Kindergarten. 

We decided to make the switch this year from charter school, to public school.  Lincoln and Gwen are a little nervous here- C.T. Sewell is a pretty big school.  Fortunately, they got some great teachers and are pretty resilient kids so they did great!  I've loved the switch-- they are doing great at their school!  There are some great programs, great diversity, and great teachers there.  I also love that they can take the bus to school. 

Ice Blocking

Tiffany gave us the great idea of ice blocking late in the Summer, so we invited a bunch of friends and family to meet us at Mission Hills Park to enjoy the sport.  Lincoln absolutely loved it!  Conditions were perfect for the event, it was nice and warm so the ice blocks slid beautifully down the hill.  The park was pretty busy, but since it's such a big park, we had the hills to ourselves, until some curious kids came over to figure out how we were sliding down the hill so quickly.  We enjoyed the company of Darrin and Tiffany, Tammi and Kevin, Shannon and Isaiah Jerez, Matt and Janay Larsen, and The Hollingsworth's-- such a great group!

Duck Creek

Even though we get invited by my sister and parents every year, the last time we went to Duck Creek was when Lincoln turned 2!  We had a rough time then, because we were in a tent, Gwen was only 6 months old and Lincoln would not stay in his sleeping bag, requiring us to get up every hour with him to shove him back in so he wouldn't freeze.  Gwen didn't sleep too well then, either.  We decided after that, that tent camping was not for us while we have little children, maybe not ever, actually. 
So, we decided that this time, we'd go and we'd rent a trailer.  It was a  night-and-day difference.  It was so wonderful having somewhere we could bathe, and sleep ourselves and our children warm and comfortably.  Duck Creek is so incredibly beautiful and Lincoln declared the trip his favorite vacation! 

The first day of our trip, it rained and the boys(Peyton, Jackson, and Lincoln) were true boys getting all muddy out in it.  Ned and Nyle, fortunately, just watched it all happen.  Wyatt observed, but didn't want to get too dirty, either. 

They didn't enjoy the clean-up too much.  Because they were so muddy, we couldn't let them in the trailer like that, so they had to clean up at the nearby spigot.  It was a bit cold and Lincoln didn't really like stripping down to his underwear out there in the open.  

One night, the kids had fun playing with their glow-in-the-dark swords.  Ned couldn't understand why they wouldn't work the next day, though. 
My phone(camera) died soon after that so I didn't take any more pictures of our trip.  In addition to time spent with my family, we enjoyed Zach's family, too.  Mid-week, we went down to Cedar City for a one-day family reunion with his family.  We stopped at a park at the base of the canyon.   Zach had set up an orienteering course for the kids, there were lots of water guns, puzzles, games and just general mingling.  It was a nice day!  Then Zach's parents came up the mountain with their Toy Hauler, tons of strider bikes and a baby bird that kept all the Shamo cousins busy. 

Fourth of July

We've sort of made it a tradition to have a Red, White and Blue breakfast on the 4th of July.  We say the Pledge of Allegiance and talk history, a little.  It's just something more to look forward to.  Holidays are the best, and we sure love our country!!

Cute Ned:)

Later, we headed over to Darrin and Tiffany's to celebrate the birthday of both our nation, and Darrin.  Ned really enjoyed the snow cones-- he couldn't even take the time to take off his goggles and puddle jumper. 

 Darrin is such a fun uncle!

More Summer Fun!

So Summer is hot here, but we still find plenty of ways to enjoy it!  We spend a ton of time at our nearby parks.  It's so nice having one down the street, even if it doesn't have a true playground for the kids, it makes for a beautiful evening walk. 

Smiley Nyle!

This is a favorite picture of ours!  Gwen and Ned are so caught up in the moment.  Cooling off at Tuscany Park, even though there's no splash pad at this park, kids are excellent at making their own fun!

Ned working on his balancing skills.

Nyle-- I call him my little monkey.  He loves to climb all over everything and jump.  He thinks he's just as big as all of his siblings and acts that way, too. 

Pine Valley trip- escaping the heat for a weekend. 

Nyle-- that kid has a mind all of his own, and yet he can be such a mimic at times, too.  He found Lincoln's backpack and Mr. Potato Head's glasses.  Put them both on, headed to the front door and waved goodbye.  What an adorable goofball!

Gwen took such a liking to Charlie the parakeet, and it looks like the feeling is mutual. 

A classic pose in our family now, thanks to my brother Eric.  Hanging out with the roadrunner in Lake Las Vegas. 

Lincoln is so cute with Nyle.  He has the same weak spot for babies that I have. 

Dance party in the office-- a very common way to get our wiggles out!  When the music is on loud and they're dancing- I hear non-stop "Mom, watch this!"  I love it!