Summer!

Every year I say that I'm going to do better blogging in the summer, and every year I end up doing a massive "What we did over the summer" post in the fall.  What's up with that?  I mean, I don't have to worry about getting the kids to school, making sure their homework's done, force them to read for 20 minutes...  And yet I NEVER keep up with the blog.  Oh well.  Here's what we did over the summer -

PONY EXPRESS DAYS PARADE
The girls were in our city's Pony Express Days parade this year with their dance class.  We had lots of fun watching them, even though they had already thrown all their candy by the time they saw us.  ;)  We also rode a couple of rides and watched them perform at the carnival later that day. 

The little carnival worker for this ride was so cute.  He kept the ride running for seriously at least 4 minutes straight (probably because it's a little tricky for Lydia to get in and out of it).  I was getting a little nervous that the kids would be sick since it's a spinning ride, but they LOVED it, and said it was "THE LONGEST RIDE EVER!" 

 Apparently it was a little bright that day...

LAGOON
Randall seriously has the best work party ever.  We pay around $14 a person to go to Lagoon, and they provide lunch, dinner, and unlimited ice cream treats all day.  It's seriously SO much fun.  I LOVE it! 

This was Carter's favorite ride this year.  Fortunately I'm pregnant, so Randall couldn't force me into that fourth seat. 

 I loved watching my baby girl ring the bell and wave at me from the boats. 

 Love Cameron's face as much as Meleah's in this one -

 Don't you hate it when you take a super-cute picture but it turns out blurry for some reason?

 And then the next one is much more clear, but looks like this -

This year I even did the bounceback option and took the kids back to Lagoon a week later.  (They're SO spoiled!)  Bob and Jill came with us again, and also Casey, Jackie and their kids, and Ty, Michelle and Lacey.  It reminded me of when I was little and went to Lagoon with all my cousins because my Dad and Uncles worked for the same company.  They all helped me out big time, because Randall had to work that day.

It rained for a couple of hours when we first got there, so we were a little cold and wet, but it eventually dried out and we had a great time. 

Katelynn talked Carter into going on the Sky Ride for the first time.  He looks a little tense in this pic, but he ended up loving it and went on it with Kate a bunch of times. 

JENSEN REUNION
My Grandma and Grandpa Jensen lived down the street from Bear Park when I was growing up, and we loved to walk down there and have some fun when we visited.  We meet there now for the Jensen family reunion and it still has the castle, dinosaur, swings, spider, shoe slide, and of course the big bear statue that I played on when I was a kid.  We had lots of fun at the reunion this year.  I love my family SO much even though we don't get to see each other as much as we used to.  My kids especially loved the pinata.  Lydia went totally crazy with her cane.  I don't think I've ever seen that side of her before, but that girl does LOVE candy! 

TAYLORSVILLE DAYZZ
We go to Taylorsville Dayzz with our friends, the Palmers, almost every year.  They have excellent fireworks, and it's so nice to be able to walk to the park and not have to deal with traffic.  This year Dave, Emmy, and their kids came over and had dinner with us also, and it was so much fun.  I didn't even have any kids that were crying because the fireworks were "freaking them out" this year.  It was awesome! 

 Apparently my kids LOVE snow cones.  Perhaps I should have bought more than one for them to share! 

 Carter and Logan being dorks.

Don't make fun of Bre's hat!  She was nice and shady while the rest of us were squinting in the sun. 

Don't make fun of my crazy eyes!  I was recovering from all the squinting! 

MANTI
We spent a weekend at the campsite in Manti with my family again this year.  I love to sit by the fire and look at the temple all beautifully lit up.  Not even my screaming, fighting children in the nearby tent can ruin the moment. Especially since they eventually fall asleep, and I get a chance to relax and chat with my parents, Grandma Brown, and siblings.  We went to the Jensen reunion on Saturday and the kids LOVED swimming in the pool and playing at the playground.

PAYSON LAKES
Randall and I had so much fun on our first immediate family camping trip to Payson Lakes last year that almost all of us were really excited to go again this year.  (Hey, I was extremely nauseous for MONTHS!)  This time we had the added bonus of Bob, and turns out that makes it a much more bearable trip for me.  It's really nice to have one more pair of eyes to help make sure the kids don't fall in the fire, and another pair of hands to get the tent set up quickly.  Not to mention his fun personality. ;)  We just stayed for one night and although fishing was slow, all the kids eventually caught one.  We also learned that it's a good idea to reserve your campsite, because it was quite a bummer to pull up to the campsite and see that it was FULL.  Fortunately, there was another one down the road that I actually liked a little better than the one we stayed at last year.  (Flushing toilets and a sink to wash your hands beats a port-o-potty hands down.)

THE CABIN
When I asked my kids a few weeks ago whether they liked the cabin or Disneyland better, they ALL said "The cabin!" without hesitation.  It did my little girl heart proud that they love and appreciate the cabin as much as I do.  My FAVORITE memories from my childhood are going to the cabin, and I'm glad that my kids have the opportunity to build their own memories and form lasting bonds with their cousins there.  We had lots of fun playing games and relaxing, and I didn't throw up once during the 3 days we were there!  I think the mountain air must be good for morning sickness. 

Randall even managed to help Lydia up to "The Rock," which is a ridiculously steep climb. Then they walked up to the road and came down that way (rather than the "slide down on your butt" way that the kids always do). Cari, Mom, and I went to meet them at the corner and I'm so mad that I didn't bring my camera because Lydia walked all the way down the road herself. Randall had a tight hold of her hoodie, but she just trooped down with her canes, and it was SO cute. For those of you that don't know, the road is RIDICULOUSLY steep and bumpy - like 4 wheel drive access only. I was so proud of my little girl for making it on her own.

Yes that IS a nasty cabin fly-swatter that Savanna's playing with.

Chopping wood.  Pretty sexy, no?  ;)
(At least if you ignore the crocs with socks!)

The wood-passing assembly line -

 

 We missed Taryn (the braiding queen) this year, but Laura was sweet enought to make a beautiful "princess" braid for Meleah. 

 I don't know how we get so lucky, but everyone caught at least one fish again this trip. 

 My girls are definitely much tougher than I am...

DINOSAUR MUSEUM

My parents were in town so we took the kids to the dinosaur museum for one final summer "fun day."  Carter and Lydia had started school already, and were a bit jealous of the little ones.  It was pretty crowded and my kids are easily bored/scared, so we zoomed through the museum and headed for the cafe for some cookies and milk. 

 



I'm happy to see that this is a pretty long and fun-filled post, even though I felt like I spent the entire summer laying on the couch.  I guess my kids weren't quite as deprived as I thought!

Father of the Year

My hero is my dad.  He goes to work to get us more money. 

Look how tired he is after earning all that "munee"!  Love you Daddy!

It's a HEALTHY baby...

 GIRL!!!

And, look!  Even the boys are smiling! 

Pregnancy Tips

In honor of my sixth (most likely last) pregnancy, I've decided to list some of my favorite pregnancy tips.  I'm no expert, and everybody has different things that work for them, but these are mine:

*If you don't like reading about vomit, or other embarrassing issues that are common during pregnancy, you'll probably want to skip this post.*

1.  Eat cold cereal 2-5 times per day.  It always sounds relatively appetizing (which is unusual when I'm pregnant), it's quick and easy to prepare, there's LOTS of varieties, and it doesn't SMELL!  I can't gaurantee that it will keep you from throwing up (Grape Nuts are no longer an acceptable choice for this reason), but it's not as hideous on the way out as some things I've eaten (see #4). This tip does NOT work for everyone.  (I'm talking to you Jess.) 

2. Take deep breaths whenever you feel nauseous (which, for me, is pretty frequently).  Don't let your husband's copycat teasing deter you.

3.  Don't sneeze, cough, puke, or laugh too hard unless your legs are TIGHTLY crossed.  It might be embarrassing to stop in the middle of Walmart and cross your legs before a sneeze, but it's DEFINITELY better than the alternative.

4.  Say NO to orange juice.  It's never fun to puke, but it's a WHOLE nother world of nasty to throw up OJ.  Trust me.  I'm always sick until 17 weeks, so I usually don't worry about it after that.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of having tuna fish sandwiches and orange juice for dinner the night that I delivered Savanna.  I have been known to throw up when I'm in labor... Yeah, DISGUSTING!

5. Blast cold air in your face whenever possible. Yes, even if it's winter and your husband is freezing. 

 6. Take your prenatals with food.  I'm talkin' - eat - take them - then eat some more.  None of this "take them before bed" like my doctor with Carter suggested.  Usually by bedtime, I  hadn't eaten in hours and ended up laying in bed miserably nauseous evey night PRAYING that I'd fall asleep before my vitamins came back to haunt me (actually worse than OJ if you can believe it). 

7.  Eat when you're nauseous.  It seems so unnatural after living your whole life avoiding food while you have the stomach flu, but it REALLY does help...sometimes. 

8. Eat RIGHT when you wake up. Don't shower, brush your teeth, etc., until after you eat something. It also helps me to keep the bathroom door open while I shower. Too much steam = not enough fresh air = vomit-fest.

9. Don't be afraid to cook your crockpot dinner on the porch. Your neighbors might think you're weird, but it's better than closing yourself up in your room with a towel shoved in the door crack to block out the smell ALL DAY LONG.

10.  Lays Stax containers are THE BEST emergency puke catchers ever. You just toss your cookies, pop on the lid, and throw it in the trash. Everything stays contained (including the smell) and there's nothing to clean out later. I retired my old puke bowl years ago, and now just keep Stax containers in my car, by my bed, couch, etc. 

11. Set out a community snack and drink so that when your kids say they're hungry 400 times per day, you can just direct them to the kitchen table and avoid actually having to think about food.

I would love it if these tips actually help someone, but as I said, everyone's different.  My main purpose in writing this post is to help remember what I went through to bring all these babies into the world.  It's DEFINITELY been worth it, but having a little reminder for me, my husband, and my occassionally ungrateful offspring isn't too bad of an idea, right?  ;)