Sandbox Girl

I'm not sure what we were thinking. However, we made Arista a sandbox for her birthday present from her parents. She absolutely adores it. Here are some cute pics of her intense concentration while working in the box one day. No matter how much brushing off the clothes and rinsing the hands and feet, we still manage to bring lots of sand back into the house. Crazy!

We also found that her brothers and the neighbors kids love to play in the sandbox just as much as she does. I guess we all love to dig and scoop in the sand, no matter the age.

Arista Turns Two

Here are some more pictures of Arista's Birthday. We had a lovely family party with Cousin Patty, Cousin Dominic, and Grandma. She had lot of fun and enjoyed her new bear and tea set immensely.

Birthday Cake Story

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words". Well here is a picture story. Read it left to right just like a book.

Arista's 2nd Birthday - Cake and Love

Chopsticky Challenge

After dropping off big brother at Space Camp, we decided to have a Chopstick Adventure. We took Roman and Arista to Tempanyaki for dinner. They both did pretty good with the chopsticks. Roman got a bit nervous when the chef started flipping the shrimp in the air for him to catch. Maybe next time.

Space Camp Edventure 2008

Denny went to Space camp with his cousin Dominic this summer. This is the first time that we have let him to a "sleep-over" camp. Last year he did the day camp and came home to sleep. So, this year was a big deal and we were glad that his cousin was there too.

They had a great time in the simulators and the classes. When they were done with the three days we came to pick them up and were able to tour the simulators. Very cool....why don't they have space edventures for adults?

He said he wasn't nervous....but I think the picture was pefect.

This is the smallest of the 5 simulators that they have. Only 5-6 kids can fit in this one where they have one that can fit up to 30.

Denny's 11th Birthday

Well, my Denny is 11 years old. I can't believe it! It seems just like yesterday that he was only as long as my forearm.

For his birthday this year he wanted to go to the Space Center. He and his buddies went on a Space Mission for 3 hours and then we had cake, ice cream and pizza. After fighting phazers and saving the universe they worked up and appetite.

Beautiful Denny!

Bear Lake Boating & Camping

Last weekend we took the kids camping and boating at Bear Lake. We had a great time and wished we could stay longer.

Here is Arista checking out the wildflowers.

Denny & Roman - double stacked on the tube.

Roman hanging out on the boat.

Denny was the first to ride on the tube and didn't seem to mind the cold water very much. He has always been such a water boy.

Roman was in charge of the flag during this time...he was very serious about his job.

Roman playing Superman on the tube.

Arista with her Papa on the boat. She really wanted to help Papa drive the boat.
Having a snack on the boat.

Stuffed Toy Attack

Denny helped Arista load all of the stuffed toys into her bed. She then climbed in to hide amongst them.

Denny Mowing....Yippee

This summer Denny has begun mowing the lawn. He gets paid $5 each time he mows...we are hoping that he never learns the real value. He is such a trooper and does a great job. He is saving money to buy his own Nintendo Wii.

Family Bike Ride

We decided to take a lovely bike ride on Sunday afternoon. Well by the time we aired the tires and got loaded in the truck it was quite toasty outside. So...we ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner at Subway. Then, later that evening we piled back in the truck and went on that bike ride. It was funny watching Roman handle his bike. Sometimes I would worry as he would come screaming down a hill that he would lose control. He would just start pedaling faster and get himself back under control. He has only been riding without training wheels for a few weeks. This is just another representation of how this child does life. Fast and under his own steam.

Jumping & Tree Climbing Fun

Papa was out of town for business and we decided to take some pictures of what the kids were doing. That way he wouldn't miss out as much. Arista was jumping on the trampoline and Denny and Roman were climbing a tree.

Roman's 5th Birthday

Our sweet Roman turned 5 this month (May) he had an awesome Iron Man birthday party. The kids rode on the inflatable waterslide, broke a pinata, and played games.

Roman started to think his birthday party would never come. He turned 5 then had to wait an extra week for his birthday party due to bad weather. He managed fine and had a great birthday.

I just had to put this one in too....sister Arista looks too funny with the blue frosting face.