Summer begins!

The last few days of school felt like summer already- the triple digit heat we had most of June was online any end of the school year we have ever experienced.

Livy and cousin Grant had a playdate one morning while I took the big kids to a dental checkup.

These two have always loved to give hugs to each other. 

Ever since the twins were little and colored on my walls with marker frequently, I have made it a rule that markers be kept up and out of arms reach of any toddler.  But with so many forgetful big kids now, that rule has gone by the wayside.  Livy found a forgotten marker one morning and took to her body like a piece of craft paper.  Despite multi-daily scrubbings, the marker did not come completely off for many days.  The best part is- she was quite proud of her master piece.  And am I bad for saying that as terrible as the marker looked on her body, I was just glad that it wasn't on my walls??

The last week of school Mitch brought home some of the writing projects he'd worked on during the year.  One of them was all about the Ninja Turtles.  I love how much he loves those turtles.

Little Miss J got chubbier and sweeter.

An early morning sister holding session.  And yes, a choke hold is sometimes what you get with a 21 month old.

Chloe loves this baby and I love watching her care for her.  Jocelyn sure is lucky to have a sweet big sister like Chloe who is very capable and attentive in her care for her.

School got out on June 10th.  We hosted an End of the School Year Ice Cream party at our house with our local cousins.  No pictures to document but it was a fun way to celebrate the end of another successful school year.

2 days later, our out-of-town cousins came into town for a week.  It was the perfect start to summer vacation.  

Jodie and cousin Jeter got to meet for the first time (Joce: almost 2 months old, Jeter: 5 months)

Cousins Carter and Jackson came up too and Ben took all the kids one afternoon to Ice Harbor Dam to see the fish.

He then took them down to the river to go paddle boarding and kayaking with some borrowed toys.

Carter needed no help in the kayak.

The kids had a fun week of playing, playing, playing.  Jax and Olivia bonded over cars and trucks.

A few photos after church.

My favorite shot of the two sweeties!

Mitch and Carter slept in the living room all week, as all the bedrooms were filled with people.  We let them simmer down in the evenings before bed by reading books.

Early morning snuggles!  Livy really does love this baby of ours.

Having two babies in the house again was fun!  The twins got a small glimpse of what life with them was like.

The hot weather was prefect for lots of water time.

The kids got creative in the back yard and made a home made water slide.

We went to a local spray park a few times.

The cute little water slides were prefect for small bodies to do all on their own.

We were lucky enough to have Carter here on his 7th birthday and we had fun celebrating with him!  Aunt Catherine made cake batter pancakes for everyone with a frosting syrup.  The kids loved it!

Carter's mom took him out to lunch at Red Robin for his special day and invited Mitchell to come along as well.

The two goof balls had a great time.

Alexis and Leah started swimming lessons while they were here.  It shaped up to be a full summer of lessons for all the kids!

Their teacher requested that they wear goggles each day to class.  There was no arm twisting to get them to comply- they love goggles!

Jocie and Jeter had to get the customary Blakeslee grandkid diaper photo shoot.  Preemie Jeter has never looked big until he got next to Jocie.

Olivia got jealous and insisted she be in one of the pictures.  She looks like a giant in this picture.

Another afternoon back at the splash park.  We treated the kids to snow cones there.  $1 snow cones (that were extremely subpar) can sure buy some cute kids lots of happiness.

Our week of fun with cousins ended way too quickly.  Luckily for Chloe and Mitchell, their fun got to continue.  Amanda dropped them off in Burley at my parent's house on her way home where they got unlimited spoiling and fun with Grandma and Papa for 2 weeks. Mitch and Carter enjoyed a cozy ride to Idaho.  I love the bond those boys have.

Jocie missed her 2 oldest siblings, but she did start producing her best smiles after they left and started laughing that same week too.

Baby smiles are the best.  There really isn't anything like them.

Olivia got to try out the big kids' hiking backpacks.  She can't wait to get her turn to go with Dad one day!

Jocie napped one day in her bouncy chair and I found her like this.  Oops!  Improvised sleep mask??

I was set to host book club in July and needed to get the book I suggested read.  Reading is only enhanced when a sweet newborn is sleeping on your chest.

Swimming lessons continued- the girls loved the diving board.  Lexi was pretty cautious with her jumps, though.

Leah on the other hand... this girl cracks me up.

After nearly 6 years in a toddler bed, we decided to finally upgrade Leah to a twin bed.  She has had a growth spurt recently and was literally out growing her bed.  I promise that before this she fit well and comfortably in her bed, which is why we had never made the move previously. 

She and Lexi have shared bunk beds for about a year now and with Lexi sleeping on the top, she has had a twin bed since then.  But toddler beds are much smaller and compact and take up less room so we kept Leah in her small bed.  She was pretty excited to be in a big bed for the first time!

With my live-in babysitter out of town for a few weeks, we had to call on family to watch the younger kids one day while we went to a meeting about our new house.  Stella put Olivia to sleep around nap time.  It was very sweet.

Who is the cutest baby around?  Me!

Oh, Miss Jocelyn is pure joy.

Ben and I had a date at the temple one evening in late June.  I was very nervous about leaving Jocie as she was still so young.  She was in great and very capable hands with Aunt Bethany, but she unfortunately cried most of the evening while we were away.  Babies just need their mamas, sometimes.

The last week of June we decided to invest in some kayaks.  We live by so much water here and with hot, hot summers and lots of kids who love water we decided kayaks would be a great addition to our family.  We love that you don't need a special vehicle to haul them in (trailer, etc) and that they don't require gas or really any upkeep.  And when they are being used it's both recreational and exercise.

We met up with some family at the river one night to give our 2 adult kayaks and one kid kayak their maiden voyage.

They were an instant hit!

Livy and Grant had a great time running around the shore and wading into the river in their life jackets.  Here's to a great summer of fun in the sun and water!