No Bummer Summer (Part One)

Park Play!!!

We love the park and nice sunshiney park weather. There are 5 parks in the area that we bounce between. We like Haskell Park(which is about 0.8 miles from our house), Lake Chauncy (which is even closer than Haskell), Ellsworth McAfee Park (the lady bug park), Assabet (which is where the splash pad is), and a newly discovered EMC Park in Hopkinton. There are lots of beautiful parks around us and we will spend lots of the summer going to each one of them.

Utah or Bust

At the end of April into the first 2 weeks of May, we got to go to Utah again to see everyone. It was a busy trip. We got to meet our 2 new nieces Sadie Jo and Lyla Rose while we were there (really the purpose for the trip). While we were there Lanie had her first dentist appointment with Uncle Dr. Dave. It was basically a 'sit in the chair and cry when the doctor walks in' kind of visit. Then we went to Shelby's 4th grade program and Siena's voice recital. We fit so many things in of which you see here:

Yard work with Grandpa

Mother's Day

Visit to Kynli Diamond's (in Vegas)

Ashton's soccer game and Service Award Ceremony (St. George)

Lyla's baby blessing (St. George)

Lanie, Treson, and Alana's combined birthday party

Lunch with Snow College Roommates

Lanie's actual birthday

and 

DISNEYLAND!!!

Shawn's parents so graciously and on a whim took all of us, excluding Matt and Brian (they had to work) to Disneyland. Since we were already going to be in St. George, they figured we should drive the additional 6 hours and go to the most magical place on earth. It really was so fun and the pictures show it. Ever since this trip, Lanie has told me multiple times per day, "Tomorrow, we're going to Disneyland." She is obsessed. She loves everything Disney!

Rock Collection

Lanie collects rocks. We have a jar that she gets to put the rocks she brings home in. She is like a Princess Tom-Boy if that is possible.

Our Tradition

One of our favorite things to do is go to Solomon Pond Mall. It is about 15 minutes away. They have a great play area downstairs and then upstairs in the Food Court is a massive carousel. We have a stack of coupons we bring for pretzels at Auntie Anne's. It's no Pretzel Maker, but it is a close second. So our tradition is to go to the play area for awhile, then go upstairs and get a pretzel and ride the carousel. We have conditioned Lanie to this routine, which I love and Shawn does not. But it is a great, cheap family outing! And it's very fun! Oh, and they have a Disney Store which we love to play in too (maybe one day we will actually buy something from there!).

Memorial Day in MAINE

Beautiful drive!!!

We thought we would get on Priceline and get a deal on a hotel since we had an overnighter planned in Maine. Well, let's just say that we will never use Priceline again. Look at this scary, ghetto place! Luckily the rest of the weekend was a success to overshadow that sour hotel booking experience.

Waterville, ME Memorial Day Parade

Waterville was the small town where we stayed for Memorial Day weekend (about 3 hours away). We decided to join their little hometown parade and celebrations. Good Stuff!

Two Cent Bridge

Still Waterville. 

There was this quaint little bridge and trail to walk so we decided to explore in this little town. Lanie found a leaf, put it in her mouth, and said she was heading to the "Great Valley." You know, like on The Land Before Time? Anyway, Waterville was a great place to kill time before we picked up Daniel's truck. Daniel's Truck??? Yep! Our friend Daniel, bought a truck for a great deal, the only problem was it was in Maine, and he lives in Utah. So Shawn volunteered to go pick up the truck for his friend and...oh the story gets better.....stay tuned....

Hampton Beach AGAIN

On our way home from Maine (it was just a quick 24-hour thing), we stopped at Hampton Beach. It was a gorgeous day and fun family time. We didn't take the time to put on our suits, just Lanie's, cause it was just a quick stop. We got dinner and ice cream there and went on our way. The kids LOVED it!!! And so did the naked kid!

Just a Glimpse

This is a sneak-peak of a typical day for us when we are at home. 

Play hard, sleep hard!

Lounge Puppy

Lanie loves to lounge around and play on electronics. This is why we must get her up and out of the house most often. She would watch movies ALL day if we let her.

Quilt for Oklahoma

Before the tornadoes in OKC happened, the Activity Day girls had been working on a quilt to donate to the church. When we heard of these tragedies, we contacted a ward member who is originally from Oklahoma. She gave us a personal contact to donate the quilt to and it was delivered to those in need. It was a big job (mainly for me), but the girls seemed to really be interested in the effort to learn a new skill and serve in the process. It was a very rewarding project.

Daniel's Truck Adventures Continue....

So, we picked up the truck in Maine, right? Then we drove it to our home. That was on Monday. Daniel flew in to Boston on Thursday @ 6pm to pick up his truck (for some reason there were problems getting a shipping company to do the job). We had dinner, watched the NBA playoff game, and at 11pm Shawn and Daniel left to drive the truck cross-country to Utah. 

From Thursday night to Monday morning, Shawn:

Drove 44 hours,

Went to a Twins MLB game,

Saw Mount Rushmore,

Surprised his family,

Saw my brother Chris' family who were up from St. George,

Had breakfast at Alana's with my parents,

Hiked Waterfall Canyon with his sister,

Played a game of Pickle Ball with his friends,

BBQ-ed with his friends,

Got one speeding ticket,

didn't change his shorts,

made $250 (for driving with Daniel),

and flew home!

Now this is how my boy rolls!!! Tired???

We missed Daddy

While Shawn was off gallivanting, we were home sending him these 'crazy face' texts. 

We missed him lots! We always miss him lots!

NOW JUNE

Field Trip

Lanie got to see and pet real life New England Lobstah. 

She was slightly terrified!

If all the raindrops.....

were lemon drops and gumdrops, we would have gotten chunky! We got SO MUCH rain in June. I think it really rained for 2 weeks straight. So much so, that I called my dad to get advice on keeping my garden alive. I am so not used to this much rain. But we made the best of it and Lanie played her heart out in it.

Chuck-E-Cheap

Chuck-E-Cheap is what Lanie thinks it is called. Shawn still thinks it is Chucky Cheese. In any case, we had fun there celebrating Lanie's church friend, Daniel's birthday (lots of Daniels in this post). It was the kids' first time there.

3 Year Check-Up

This girl is right on track. Still tall and skinny, long and lean. She was so brave thanks to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Doctor episode.

Library

We love the Northborough Library. We go to Music with Carrie, play games, and read books when we are there. The kids get lots of energy out and pass out on the drive home. My kind of play!!!

Garrett's Birthday

Millie Ramsey put together a great party for her son Garrett with lots of kids to entertain. It was awesome!

Field Trip #2

Bakery

If any of you know Daniel Tiger episodes, there is one where Daniel Tiger goes to the post office and then to the bakery. Well, I had to pick something up at the post office and after we left, Lanie insisted we go to the Bakery. Why not? So we stopped at the bakery and looked at all the difference pastries and cakes. Lanie talked to the baker and learned about the different shapes that the cakes can be, and then we got a muffin. Another cheap and fun outing. Plus, Lanie got to pretend like she was a character on Daniel Tiger which she loved.

Lady Bug Park

This was a Saturday and the first day that the rain had stopped. The sun was out and we were excited. I took the kids to the park to practice walking with Mav and Triking (pedaling) with Lanie. Shawn had to work, but he stopped by for lunch with Pizza for a Park Picnic. That was a treat! We love surprises like that!

Father's Day

We love our daddy! He does so much for us and is the best dad! To celebrate his greatness, we gave him breakfast in bed, a cookie jar full of cookies (since he is the cookie monster), a new tie for church, and a card. 

The note on the cookie jar said, "I know we are COOKIE, but your love TIES us together." (I came up with that all by myself...no Pinterest necessary. Haha!)

I think he liked it and we hope he felt special ALL DAY LONG.

Newport, RI

Gayle has wanted to take Bug to Newport Beach since we moved here. We finally got the opportunity to go and it was a great time! It is fun finding new places that we love. Next time Shawn will join us!

SURPRISE!!!

Shawn surprised me with a date night to the Rascal Flatts concert. Nice work, Babe! You can do this anytime (hint hint). We had a blast! I belted every song and Shawn just stood and smiled. I took it as an early anniversary gift. The roses were for our 5th anniversary. Has it really been 5 years??? Hard work DOES pay off!

Happy 5th Anniversary

We spent our anniversary in Boston with the kids at Quincy Market and the Splash Pad downtown. 

Couldn't have been a better day!

Preschool Sensory Time

This was an event that the Northborough Library hosted. The kids loved it. The legos were Maverick's favorite and the fishing was Lanie's favorite. Such a great event for these kids and their minds.

Mommy/Daughter Date

Lanie needed some one-on-one time so I took her to Walmart to buy a kiddie pool. She picked out the green one. We stopped and ate lunch at Subway (she loves their apples and pretzels) then went home. We pumped up the pool and had some fun family time together. Oh the simple pleasures!

Rock On!!

Okay so I love this picture! This couldn't describe Lanie better. She loves music, she's a total spazz, and she is our little entertainer. Her life really is a musical. This picture was taken at the house of a family who hosted a Solar Party. Shawn invited us to come along while he presented. We enjoyed this family who had young kids too. Lanie always loves playing with toys other than her own. 

I took this picture to send to my mom since she and my Papa were drummers (and Shawn). Reminded me of all three of them. Maybe one day we will have a little percussionist in our home!

Strawberry Picking

Strawberry Picking at Tougas Farm. What a blast!!! Picking strawberries, playing on the playground, the petting zoo, eating a fresh slushy and strawberry donut, and meeting a new Russian friend were all our favorite parts of this outing. I left our house thinking we would be back in an hour and we stayed for 3 hours. We will definitely be back! The jam I made from the fresh strawberries is tasty too!

Big Boy

Mav is now in a big boy, front facing carseat. He is starting to want to walk. And he is into everything. That pretty much sums him up! We adore this little man!

Our Pretty Princess

This girl owns the house. She rules with an iron fist. She is still potty-training, loves watermelon, plays dress-up, brings multiple toys in the car EVERY time we go somewhere, now has bangs, loves princesses, loves books, and loves Boston. She quotes movie lines all day long, loves her pool, and is our princess. Life would sure be boring without this ball of energy!

Nursery

This is a typical Sunday for us! We have about 15 active nursery kids (and when I say active, I mean they come every week AND they are running around like chickens with their heads chopped off) who are tired and hungry with 1 o'clock church. My kids are included as you can tell. Sundays are usually interesting to say the least. We are happy to say that we are halfway through the year which mean 9-12 church is almost here. Cannot wait!!

Phew! That was a big post! Thanks for joining Part One of our No Bummer Summer!