Sprinklers

Most of Chad's time at my parents house was spent working on their sprinkler system. My mom has wanted a yard for forever, and they just haven't done it. My dad decided it was time and was just about to hire someone when he found out we needed a job for the summer. It worked out perfectly! Chad laid over 2000 feet of pipe (I actually think it was more, but I can't remember), and put in so many sprinkler heads (I do have to say that I put in quite a few of those too!). He had 13 stations he put in, and had to do all the digging by himself. Let me just say that my parents have about the rockiest ground ever, and Chad was so tired of digging through rocks that he got out the excavator and dug some very large trenches, but it got the job done. I was so proud of him, and very impressed by his sprinkler boxes that I had to take a picture.

Playing

I have to say that the best part about being at my parents house was the fact that the kids could play outside all day, and loved it. I didn't have to worry about them. They were either outside Grandma's house jumping on the trampoline. (They discovered the joys of putting the sprinkler under the trampoline.) Or, they would be at Aunt Cody's house playing with the kids. I spent a lot of time there helping Cody paint their new addition, so they too spent a lot of time there. They kids also had a lot of fun checking on the animals, and were sent on quite a few made up scavenger hunts by their mother. You can only handle 10 kids on one house for so long. Their other favorite activity was riding the 4 wheelers or Grandpa's Big Red. Whenever anyone went for a ride they had to hop on. In case you are wondering what my kids looked like each night, check out the picture of Grant. Bath time was a must, and if the water wasn't that dirty, then they didn't spend enough time outside.

Sleep!

To say that Chad worked hard would be an understatement, but I had no idea that it would have such an effect on Ava. Lets just say that Chad would catch a nap whenever he could.

Ava and Grandpa

Grandpa had so much fun spending time with Ava. They became great friends although at her age she is so happy to be with anyone who just holds her and talks to her. She started talking and smiling like crazy while we were in White Bird. The last picture I snapped because before I got my camera both Ava and Grandpa were asleep on the bed. it was sure nice to have so much help with the kids.

Swimming

We did a lot of swimming on our trip this summer. It was very hot and the Salmon River is only 6 miles away, so a few afternoons when Grant was taking his nap, my mom would watch Ava and Grant and we would take Claire and Owen to the river. It was soooooo COLD!! Seriously COLD! I couldn't get in, and Chad braved it but it took his breath away. Somehow Claire and Owen quite enjoyed it. We also had the chance for their stake 24th of July celebration to go to a fun swimming complex in Clarkston, WA. Claire actually went down her first water slide all by herself. I didn't even know she was going until she came out. She loved it!! Owen loved the little wave pool they had, and Grant really didn't care for anything. Grandpa was very persistent, so he eventually had to enjoy himself. My parents also took us to Zim's Hot Springs one day, where we had so much fun. The water was so nice and warm, but not to hot, and the kids swam and swam. We even put Ava in the water and she loved it. Grant enjoyed himself as long as he was with me or Chad. Unfortunately I forgot my camera every place but one day at the beach.

Fishing

The kids were so excited when we packed the fishing polls in the car. Luckily Grandpa had plans to take us fishing on our first weekend. The kids were so happy. We went to a little spot close to my parents house with Roy, Cody and kids, and Grandpa and Aunt Amber. The kids had fun fishing for awhile, and then they got to swim. Grant was so funny to watch because he loved being outside, but he wouldn't get to close to any action. He would just sit and watch. The kids got to roast hot dogs, and went home ready for bed, which a mom always loves.

White Bird

We had a great time on our trip to White Bird. The kids got to do things that we would have never been able to do had we been home all summer. Chad was working around the house so he was always around, and the kids spent a ton of time outside with their cousins. They discovered how much fun it was to put the sprinkler under the trampoline, how to cross cattle guards, how to chop and stack wood, how to chase chickens, walk sheep, pick berries, and just enjoy being outside. They were never clean, which I loved because that showed me how much fun they were having. Usually if the water in the bathtub wasn't brown, that means they didn't spend enough time outside. We were very grateful for the chance we had to go and enjoy family this summer. We appreciate all that everyone did for us, and for the great time we had. I will try to give you a good idea of what we did this summer in the next few posts. I'm sure I will forget something, but just know that we had a blast! I mean who wouldn't living in the mountains for 5 weeks!