Work Related...

 Any excuse for a getaway is a great excuse in my book! Mat has had a few jobs up north lately so we decided to add some family fun in the mix of work as well. While Mat and I prefer Park City rides over Lagoon we were nonetheless happy to spend the day at Lagoon with the kiddos. Unfortunately giving birth to those same kiddos has made going on too many fast rides a tad less enjoyable then it once has been for me but it's worth smiling faces. 

 We had a little bit of excitement in the afternoon at Lagoon when my iPhone slid out of my pocket on a roller coaster. Figuring it was toast and that I would need a new phone I still wanted to get it in case we could retrieve contacts or if it would be cheaper to have it when seeking a replacement phone.  Luckily the attendants heard it land on the roof over their heads so we at least knew where it was. Mat went back on the ride to see if he could locate it and did. He said it looked like it might be ok... It was in perfect condition! I was extremely relieved as I've paid to get it fixed twice in the past few months...

 Bailey was able to meet up with her friends so we didn't see her at the park much but I don't really blame her. Parents and siblings vs friends for a teenager?  It was a losing battle. 

 It was a quick trip and we had a blast. I honestly miss spending summers up in Davis county visiting my cousins and playing in the cemetery my grandparents lived across from. Everytime we go up I want to take the kids to the parks I used to play at and visit the snow cone shacks we used to as kids. It feels like just yesterday I was the kid that couldn't wait to get to Lagoon. While I hold all of my childhood memories close to my heart I'm happy to create all sorts of new memories with my kids. It's pretty great seeing things through their eyes...

The Lazy Days of Summer?

 Summers in the Holt house seem to get busier and busier with each passing year.  Every spring I think I just need to make it to summer and then I will get a break... Never happens. I love it!

Easton was our only participant in the summer games for soccer this year and Bombers took first! Awesome considering they didn't make it to a medal round last year.  Caleb played summer games baseball and his team is still quite new but they had fun.

 Peyton has been keeping busy attending summer camps of which Zumba seems to be a favorite. 

 We red-necked it up by attending our first monster truck rally. 

 It was fun but it certainly wasn't our type of entertainment. We can now say we've been however.

 Snow cones have been a staple this summer. Each week I go around the backyard picking up used cones and spraying off the syrup the kids splatter everywhere. We never should have taught them to use the ice shaver....

 Bailey got her braces off and is even more of a knockout then before! Beautiful!

 It's been an unusually warm summer and unfortunately is nearing an end with little time spent at the river, or the city pool, but lots of time spent together.

Another Birthday...

 Normally I wouldn't post about my own birthday.  I typically really don't like the attention on me. However, I had such a great time hiking with the kids last Monday night as part of my birthday celebrating.  There's not much I want to say about getting older, in fact I am a year older than I was last year. End of story. Of course the views were amazing...

14 Years Already?

 14 years ago I became a mother, Mat became a father, and we became a family. What we didn't know then is how one little life could affect ours forever. Bailey is an amazing daughter! She was perfect when she was born and is beyond perfect now. Bailey is kind. Kind and thoughtful. She cares for others incredibly. Talented and beautiful inside and out. What we did to deserve a blessing like her I doubt we will ever fully understand.

 Bailey has grown like crazy this year. She has grown into a gorgeous young woman. Her dad and I aren't thrilled with the boys opinions of our little girl (all complimentary but still) and we aren't ready for the fact that in 2 years she will be driving, and 2 years after that she will be out of high school! 

We didn't get to spend this birthday with her this year because she was at girl's camp.  That didn't stop us from embarrassing her and taking her a cake and ice cream to camp.  We would do anything for our little girl. She had us wrapped around her finger 14 years ago. Today she's wrapped our hearts around her.

Our Little Girl Turns 5!

 Almost 7 years ago Mat and I decided we wanted to add another child to our little family.  We joked that we would like to order a little girl that looked like Caleb. After two miscarriages and months of trying to get pregnant we finally got a positive pregnancy reading. When we found out it was a girl we cried happy tears. How lucky could we get to have 2 girls and 2 boys in our family? When Peyton was born she had blond/reddish hair.  I knew then we got our order!

 Peyton is a happy mix of everyone of here siblings with her own twist on her personality. She loves life and has a happiness about her that can't help but make you smile.  She is SLIGHTY spoiled and loves all things girl. 

For her birthday she had all her friends over for swimming and slip n' sliding. Complete with snow cones and cupcakes.  Next year she has requested that she get a REAL birthday cake. Peyton notices all the little details in life. I hope she notices how much we all love her.