a bike ride and some ice cream

 we took the kids on a bike ride to the surplus

which is kind of like an ongoing wsu garage sale

we didn't find much

but we did stop for ice cream on campus 

at ferdinands

and that was delicious

stake swimming activity

every year our stake reserves the water park

from 8-10pm and we go swim for a night

i bought olive and hazel matching swimsuits for next year

and let them try them tonight

they're looking so big!

 this picture is hilarious

noah's eye all scrunched from his goggles

mixed with his tough guy face

priceless

 michael was stoked to be able to (finally) do the

obstacle course

he nailed it

 the only downside to a late night pool party

is how cold it gets

but we brought donuts to warm them up

what is summer for, if not to stay up late

with your friends

swimming

i'm glad the kids had so much fun

concert in the park

hazel and her friend crystal sharing lipgloss

hot

these girls love each other

me and my olive girl

cute noah

we love concert in the park

today was our first time going this year

it's so much fun to sit in the grass

with friends, eating dinner

and listening to music

we love it

totally worth it

we found this foosball table 

next to a dumpster yesterday

and shoved it in our van

it smells a little funky and we have no room

but noah was in love with it

so it was worth bringing it home

even for an afternoon of fun

michael would love to make a project out of it

but i suspect it will make an appearance at another

dumpster later today

a picnic and a rocket

we have the greatest friends

they're always up for a good time

we went to the park to launch a rocket

brooks (and a little help from michael) built

and we had a picnic

here's our hazel girl

 olive ate so many cookies

she is her father's daughter

little brooks all ready for take-off

3, 2, 1 blast off

it was all fun and games until the rocket

got stuck in a tree

michael and brooks tried to get it out

but no such luck

noah climbed a tree, too

i see many more rocket launching

and picnics in our future

our camera is messed up

apparently the fall our camera took last week

didn't serve it well

so we'll work with what we've got

which is, a picture of noah digging in our backyard

hazel painting her own nails on the counter

and me and olive hanging out

the pictures we're missing

are from the pioneer day activity this morning

and our family bike ride

oh well, it's been a fun day

with an extra bonus of all 3 kids napping

oh, and michael thinks our camera is fine

and was just on a wrong setting all day

holla!

ballet

i just love this girl

and that she posed so well for these pictures
and let me put her bangs up for her class
and watches her teacher
and listens so intently
she tries so hard
it's darling

sewing: a new romper

i made olive and hazel new rompers

out of this awesome math themed vintage fabric

from my mom

but sadly hazel's is too small

i guess olive has one for now

and one for later

lucky girl, that olive

it was a good day at the pool

 what? this doesn't look like the pool?

it's the fence of the pool, i swear

 oh, and this is olive after eating a yummy cookie

 goggle boy, of course

hazel making a cute winky face

sorry if you're sick of pictures of my kids
 at the pool

my sister requested these

and i always do what she asks

lawn art

by noah

sadly, the art is still growing as i type this

we went

i went on a 6 mile run

we went garage saling

we went on a 3 mile family bike ride

and to the farmers market

we ate lunch from the co-op

got some faces painted

and had fun playing outside at home

but the best part of the day,

seeing hazel in some of the sweet vintage clothes

i found for .20 cents each at a garage sale

she's so cute

don't mind her applying "yips" for this picture

or the pirate patch

what things really look like

while i enjoy my living room looking like this

this is more accurate

cushions off, toys scattered

and an occasional baby in the window sill

she was trying so hard to get up there

and was thrilled when i helped her

tap

almost as cute as ballet

ps. don't mind noah's giant bottom lip

he got two cavities filled today

and while numb, bit the garbage out of his lip

living room update

we got a new tv stand from ikea and we looove it

we still need some of these for the bottom

to store toys in

we also got new little floral swivel chairs for

 $10 each at our thrift store recently

that go with our couch perfectly

plus we added our family pictures

in frames above the couch

we're diggin' it

my growing heart

i'm not really emotional

i usually blame it on the fact that i got 

divorced while pregnant

some emotions will never return

but lately i keep feeling my heart grow

first, church on sunday with my whole family

other than my sick-at-home husband

i totally cried

thinking of my family

and my journey these last 5 years

then, olive turning one

that one hurts my heart

i've never been so sad to watch my baby grow

i don't know why but with her

 i just want things to stay the same

i want her to be little for a while longer

then watching hazel at her first dance class

my heart seriously grew 

i felt it

i wanted to do dance my whole life

ballet specifically

but despite my sisters being in dance

and some 4 (or so) year old pleading

my mom didn't put me in it

so i've looked forward to the day

my daughter would at least try it

even for a day, and it came

and she loved it

a little girl in a leotard and ballet shoes

is seriously the cutest thing ever

then noah, he told me i'm sweet today

and he told michael he wants to always be
 best friends

and today i heard him singing

 a flight of the conchords song

to the tune of a weezer song

and it swelled my heart

i love that he likes my music

and he sings country roads like no other

i'm just happy

healing, and happy

ps. this is my 3rd grade picture
notice i'm wearing a leotard for it
i thought it was pretty
my sister makes fun of me still for it
she's been laughing since the day i brought it home
in my defense
 the picture was taken post recess

the day finally came

picture taken last fall
hazel started dance class today

she loved it and did so awesome!!

i'm so happy!

kelly family reunion

my family got together this past weekend

 for the first time in five years

some people were meeting for the first time ever

we had so much fun

playing on the tire swing 

swinging in the hammock

climbing the rope swing

jumping on one of the two trampolines

smiling

playing at parks

riding the swings michael built

onto my mom's horse hot walker

essentially an electric swing

 for several people to ride at once

so. much. fun.

we got all sorts of dirty

and visited the animals

roasted marshmallows

celebrated some birthdays

made comparisons on who looks like who

and of course took pictures

here are all six kids with our parents

all twenty grandchildren

with grandma and grandpa

and the whole shebang 

it was amazing!

other than the part where all 3 of our kids

and michael

were super sick with a flu

it was totally worth it, at any price