2016 Blue Jeans Week 28

It was a great week!  I got away with my mom and sisters for 4 days.  Ben and the kids survived.  We were all happy to be back together after those 4 days!  Sure love all my family!  But summer is just going by way too fast.  We are doing lots and lots of college prep and that is both exciting and heart-breaking for me at the same time.  Ugh.  It used to bug me when I had 4 little kids people saying, "Oh, it goes by so fast.  Enjoy it." OK, now I get it.  It really does go by way too fast.  But I am glad I take photos to document so when I think, "What did we do?"  I can look back and see what we did.  Thank heavens!  So here is a look at last week. . .

Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to relax and the kids listen to Dad read a book.  Love it!  

Mr J and a friend--loving the pool this summer!  It has been HOT!

Miss E has been working super hard this summer at the pool and teaching swimming lessons.  Today was a rare day when she was home, so she caught up on some reading after lunch.  Sure love this hard-working girl!

So my mom and my 2 sisters and I got together for a girls get-away this past week.  My sister flew into the city airport, we picked her up and then drove several hours to Nauvoo, IL.  On the way there we stopped at a dairy that has lots of different kinds of yummy flavored milk--banana, strawberry, cotton candy, root beer, chocolate, cookies and cream, and coffee.  My favorite was the root beer one.  They came in these cute glass bottles too.  

My two sisters, my mom and I outside the Nauvoo, IL temple.  Such a wonderful place and so fun to go there with them!  Nauvoo is an old town important in our church history which has been restored and is free to the public to view the old houses and see how things were done in the 1840's.  They have a working brickyard, blacksmith, bakery, school, newspaper office, post office, and all the volunteer missionaries that serve there dress in period dress.  It is fun.

Nauvoo is located along the banks of the great Mississippi River.  The river was gorgeous with color when we were there--water lilies and these beautiful purple plants.  So pretty!

My mom, one of my sisters and I at Carthage jail, IL which was the place Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (the statues) were martyred.  It was a special place.  

Thanks for visiting!  Come back soon!

2016 Blue Jeans Week 27

Love, love, love the 4th of July holiday.  So very, very grateful for this land of freedom we live in and the men and women (and their families) who have given so much, even all, that we might be free.  Thank you!  So this was our last week. . .

All ready to watch some fireworks! 

And a few that we saw.  Miss O was in charge of the camera.

She took lots and lots of pictures :)

On July 4th everyone was home and off work which is a rare occasion at our home this summer with all 3 girls working.  Mr J had it firmly decided that for our 4th of July activity we were going to make blow dart guns.

Ta-da, and there they are. . . pretty impressive.  They got it from a video by King of Random--check out youtube.  Fun stuff.

Had some cute little friends over to play and decorate cupcakes!  Yum!

And the perfect summer activity of jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler on!!!

We were able to go to the city with these 3 beautiful girls and attend the temple.

After that we celebrated with really good BBQ!  If you ever are in the Kansas City area make it to Joe's Kansas City BBQ and you won't regret it!  Yummy!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July week! Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

2016 Blue Jeans Week 26

Ok, I think I am caught up now.  This is last week's pictures.  We had my sister and her family here for the beginning of the week, an art lesson from my dad, more bike riding, a play and a yummy treat.  Take a look at our week. . .

Nana came over and got the kids to take them on a hike.  Miss E was working and my other nephew was not feeling well, but these kids sure had a blast!

My little sister and me.  Sure enjoyed her and her family while they were with us!

For our young women's weekly activity this week my dad came and gave us an art lesson.  We learned how to draw the face.  It was awesome! 

Another bike riding day!  Nana took these two on a great bike ride early in the morning with a yummy breakfast stop along the way.  It was the perfect day for a bike ride!

We went up to the city this weekend and took the kids to a dinner theater restaurant.  We saw the play Beau Jest and had some really yummy food!  They had never been to anything like it, so it was fun to see them experience it.  Ben and I have been a few times.  Lots of fun!

When Mr J gets to make a snack all on his own he usually makes one of two things--peanut butter cheerios bars or muddy buddies.  Today he made muddy buddies.

Ta-Da!  And they were yummy and gone very, very quickly at our house!  His sisters appreciate his skills :)

Okay, will try to keep up.  Keeping up on the blog helps me to keep up on my actual paper scrapbook.  I use this for reference and to help me journal in that, so I need to keep this updated!  Have a great week!!!

2016 Blue Jeans Week 25

Continuing to play catch-up. . .June 19-25 here you go. . .

Happy Father's Day to the Best Dad Ever!  We are so very, very blessed to have him in our lives!!!

Laundry---the kids love that in the summer they get to help more with the laundry--yeah right :)

We got my mom in on the bike riding too.  Today she and Jesse went out together for a fun ride on the trails by our house.

The kids have been watching our neighbor's dogs lately.  They enjoy taking them for walks.

My sister and her family came to visit us for a few days.  The fireflies were out in amazing numbers while they were here.  Her kids had never seen them, so they had lots of fun catching them with my kids.  The kids enjoying the evening of firefly catching!

While the kids enjoyed catching fireflies the adults enjoyed visiting, and I sooo love my brother-in-law :)  He is the best!!!

Nana with Mr J and his cousin with their glow swords which they had lots of fun with running outside with the fireflies!

2016 Blue Jeans Week 24

No we did not fall off the face of the earth, though at times it feels like it.  We are still alive and well.  I just need to play catch-up.  Enjoying summer!  This was our week (June 12-18. . . better late than never....)

Bike riding has become one of our favorite activities on summer evenings.  Only one smart enough to wear their helmet, though :)

Church youth activity--playing gutter ball.  These girls had fun!

And these two went on a date together for lunch and shopping.  Love it.

And along with lots of bike riding comes lots of fixing of the bikes which falls to this handsome guy right here :) who gets a little frustrated when he has to fix things again, and again, and again. . .

Church girls camp was this week.

These ladies headed off for a very hot adventure this week!

Heading out on a hike at girls' camp---they all survived and were very, very appreciative of air conditioning, their beds, and clean showers when they got home.