Birthdays and other stuff....

Well, we are behind in our posting. Summer kind of gets a little crazy and these types of things tend to slip unless you are on top of them. Katie has been asking me for a few weeks to post pictures of the kids birthday party at their respective schools and since other things have happened since then, I figured on good post of everything would get me caught up. Hope you enjoy!

Caitlyn had an absolute blast at her birthday party at her school. She wanted a Cinderella theme, which the boys weren't to fond of...but she knew that going in and didn't care so we went with it. She was sooooooo happy, she couldn't stop smiling. She helped us hand out the cupcakes and treats to all her classmates and they all sat together and ate while Katie and I dolled out additional juice boxes and napkins as needed. Joshua wrote on the class white board with a Sharpie, you can see his legs at the top of the picture in the act....

As you can also tell, Joshua was enjoying the Cinderella cupcakes. If he has my genes, this may be the only moustache he ever grows.

We did the same party at Caleb's school (without the Cinderella theme). He had a great time as well. Caleb's good friend, Ryan who has Down's, is in the bottom-left of the picture. They are inseperable at school and we are glad they will have another year together.

And yes, Joshua did enjoy the cupcakes at Caleb's party as well. As you can see, he has graduated from the blue moustache to the full brown goatee.

4th of July
A few days after we celebrated the kids birthday it was the 4th of July. We did a simple bbq with some of the ward members who were still in town and then headed over to a local park for the town's fireworks show. There was a little carnival there and the kids rode rides for a few hours until the fireworks show started.

Here is a quick video clip of the fireworks show. Yes, it was raining and Caleb and Caitlyn weren't too excited about all the loud noise, but they handled it well and we all had a good time!


Trip to Utah

About a week after the 4th, Katie, Caitlyn, Joshua and Ellie flew to Utah. Caleb and I stayed behind for a few days so Caleb would miss less school, but joined them that following weekend. It was great to see everyone again and to let our kids reacquaint themselves with their cousins and grandparents. Dad has build a kid's wonderland in the backyard, with a fort, trampoline and sweet sandbox! The kids were in heaven!

This is a great picture of the "girls"...Ellie couldn't get up the ladder fast enough to be part of the shot.

Everyone know understands Ellie's obsession with ice and popsicles...

Joshua loved the sandbox! He is so into building things and has a very creative imagination and would spend hours in there playing and getting dirty!


Fish Lake

While we were in Utah, we split time between my parents house and Fish Lake. Fish Lake has been a gathering point for Katie's family for decades and is a tradition we try to participate in whenever possible. It was the first time that Joshua and Ellie had been there and they had a blast. Caleb and Caitlyn played with their cousins, got dirty, and had a good time as well. It is such a beautiful place.

Here is Caitlyn with Megan and Emma on the lake.

Ellie though that stumbling around the boat as it rocked from side-to-side was fun...until she fell and hit her head! This was taken before that took place....

Joshua loved being on the boat and immediately wanted to fish...

Jeremy (Katie's brother) let Joshua put a flat fish out the back of the boat first and within the first 5 minutes, he had caught his first fish. He was so determined to reel it in that he would only let me do it when his arms got tired, but then grab it right back when he had recovered. He was so excited about catching it!

Caitlyn also caught her first fish. However, she wasn't that excited about reeling it in so I did most of it and she was even less excited about getting close to it once it was in the boat. But hey, at least she caught one, right?


After Fish Lake, we returned back to my parent's house for a day to get ready to return home to NY. We got back Saturday afternoon and Katie and I were exhausted. I think family vacations aren't relaxing for the parents until the kids are a little older because it felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation. But we had fun and the kids had a blast and we hope to do it again soon. Thank you to Mom and Dad Carver and Mom and Dad Tomsik for all your hospitality!

-Cim