Bode Monster

Bode has many nicknames in our family and they all seem to fit him perfectly.  Kyle started calling him monkey at a very young age and he truly is one.  He can pull himself up on anything and is always climbing all over anything and everything.
Another nickname is Bode Monster.  Bode is a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode.  Most days we get along and only have 1 or 2 tantrums but then there's the other days that we battle all day every day.   If it's what Bode wants to be doing then he's great but if it's not what he wants he will scream and throw the biggest tantrums.
This one day is a prime example of a day with the Bode Monster:  I was making lunch and asked everyone what they wanted.  They all agreed with Macaroni and Cheese.  I got it all made and put in bowls and had to go deal with Tessa.  I came back out and Bode had taken maybe a bit or two and was wanting a snack.  I told him that he needed to eat his lunch (this happens quite frequently with him).  I sat him back at the counter and went to help Corbin do something.  I came back and Bode told me he was all finished with his lunch.  I came to check and he had thrown his food on the floor.  I told him he needed to pick it up and the battle begun!  For 45 minutes he sat a screamed at me telling me he did NOT want to pick up his food.  I told him that he was responsible for cleaning it up and he was not allowed to move until it was cleaned up.  He would beg to go to bed or he sat a screamed at me telling me he did not want to clean it up.  Halfway into the battle I wondered if it was really worth all of this.  I could have just cleaned it up myself but once it started there was no backing down now. After being left by himself for a few minutes he did finally pick it up and then I proceeded to give him a big hug and put him down for a nap.
Bode has brought out a side of me that I didn't know existed.  He pushes my patience more than any other child.  He is by far my most strong willed, stubborn child but on the other hand he is my sweetest, most helpful (when he wants to be of course) child.  I see so much potential in him I just wish I knew how to deal with this hard side of him better.  

Tessa-3 Months

Month 3 for Tessa has been a little harder than the first few months but she is still a very content and for the most part a happy baby.  She's regressed as far as sleeping goes and now wakes up around 1 or 2.  Hopefully its just a phase and we can get back to the once a night wake ups or even no wake ups during the night.
She has become so smiley and is starting to giggle.  I dare say she is the most popular person in our home right now too.  The kids fight over who gets to hold her still or play with her and even Bode has really started noticing her and wanting her to be wherever he is.

Mary Poppins

Kyle and I share a love for musicals and are so excited to share it with our kids.  Last year Kyle took Emma to Beauty and the Beast and Corbin was so bummed that he didn't go.  This year Herriman put on Mary Poppins so we decided to take both our older kids.  They both loved it!  I hope this is something that we will be able to do as a family for many years and they grow to love the theater as much as Kyle and I do!

Rocky Mouth Falls Hike

I woke up one morning feeling like if I stay in my home for one more second with all 4 kids by myself I was going to explode.  Having Kyle gone the last 2 nights had finally worn on me so I needed out.  I'm pretty sure I drank some crazy juice that morning cause I decided that I was taking my kids on a hike!  My neighbor had just told me about this very kid friendly hike that wasn't very long at all.  Less than a mile round trip.  The hike up went super great and even when we got to the falls things were going well.  Corbin decided to climb up to the falls.  Once he was up there Emma decided to climb up and join him.  She rocked climbing up.  Then it was time for her to come down and she had a total melt down!  My panic set in.  I had Tessa strapped to me and Bode starting to freak out cause he wanted his shoes and socks back on and Emma crying at the top of a cliff.  I stood at the bottom trying to coax her down but she would not have any of it.  We went back and forth for awhile and Corbin tried but she wouldn't have it.  Finally after many tears and me pep talking her she made it down.  Luckily we didn't' have a long walk back to the car or else I would have just quit right then and there.  It was hard but I proved to myself that I can do hard things and I could do 4 kids by myself!

Lemonade Stand

Corbin and his friends decided they wanted to a Lemonade Stand one afternoon.  I was so impressed by how business savvy they were.  3 of them would sit at the table and the rest would run and knock on doors letting people know they were selling drinks and they stopped a bunch of cars and even persuaded a Dominos Pizza delivery girl to come by a drink.  When they said they wanted to do it I was worried with there being 5 of them that they would maybe each get a dollar if they were lucky.  I was wrong!  They each walked away with $7.50 after an hour and a half.

Fishing with Grandpa Parrish

Grandpa Parrish took Corbin and Sam to the Uintas for a day of fishing.  They both had so much fun and caught a bunch of fish!  They ended up bringing 3 home cause they would have died anyway.

Seven Peaks

We were lucky to have Wendi in town for a week after our Bear Lake week so we all went to Seven Peaks together.

4th of July

The day after we left Bear Lake was the 4th of July. We stayed at my parents house the night before because our kids decided to run in the kids 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile races the morning of the 4th.  We went down early the morning of the 4th to cheer on the runners of the 5K and then it was the kids turn.  First up the 1/2 mile which Corbin, Sam and Macey were all running.  I was so impressed with how well they all 3 did.  Corbin finished the run in 3 minutes and 43 seconds.  Next up was the 1/4 mile and it was a crowd favorite.  Watching Hadley, Emma, Paxton, Bode and Kaden all run the race was so funny!  Bode was distracted when the gun went off so he almost got ran over by the kids behind him that were already going and sweet Hadley was so worried about Kaden she held his hand for part of it and when he face planted it she tried to pick him and run with him and then they both fell. All of them did such a great job and my kids are already talking about how fast they will be next year.
After the racing we had breakfast in the park and then headed to the parade.  The parade is always a hit and we have been so lucky to get a prime spot in the shade for the last few years so we don't all melt.
Once the parade is over we had a big lunch at my Mom and Dad's with a huge slip n slide that entertained all ages for hours!
We hung out there till mid afternoon and then finally headed home.  We hadn't been home in almost 10 days so we were all very excited to be home.  We went over to a neighbors house for a BBQ and then we headed up to the upper neighborhood where they put on a HUGE firework show.  They call it the cul-de-sac of fire.  They shoot off glow sticks out of a cannon and it's just a solid hour of fireworks going off.
The 4th of July is one of my all time favorite holidays.  I love the reminder of our freedom that we are so blessed with and being able to honor our four fathers who fought so hard for our rights and freedoms and our honor our military who are fighting for our freedoms right now.