jack sprat turns 3

this is our jack... also known as: jackers, jackie, jack-jack, and sprat

this new 3 yr. old is full of energy, has the greatest smile and laugh, is silly, will say the craziest things in order to be funny, loves to jump and do tricks while making "blast off" sounds, he is sweet and "snuggly" (especially after naps), loves snacks and having his back tickled

at age 3 he likes: dinos, volcanoes, space and aliens (so for his birthday, we went to Hill Aerospace Museum)

jack is good at riding a tricycle and attempting independence. he's most independent in picking out what to wear and dressing himself. So, sometimes he's inside out, backwards, mismatching, or wrong footed.

in vocabulary: D's are replaced with G's. Delicious is... go-licious (said with emphasis) Banana.... gonana

Wants to be: like his brother, an astronaut, Wyatt from "Super Why"

HAPPY #3, BABY

Aidan's #6th

I have decided it is SO much fun watching your kids grow.

@ 6, A. is funny, silly, witty, bright, spirited, zippy,

sprouting, skillful, savvy, and good-looking

This year in order to accommodate all, there were 3 Parties... ridiculous birthday fun.

The hot birthday gifts this year? LEGOS and GOLF CLUBS.

1, the birthday friends. Emma and Aidan (a seriously agreeable boy and girl, more or less :) share a birthday within the same week. Thanks to a summer birthday, it's easy and fun to combine lots of friends into one party. The INDIAN theme made for great DecOrATioNs (note the teepee)...

CaKE, beaded JeWElrY making,

and, an interactive bear TaLE given by THe ChiEF... who also assigned Native American names to the guests.

The hot weather provided lots of WatER fun in the sun!

The bigger the crowd, the greater the fun!

2, A Family Party

Grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts, and cousins

cake.icecream.candles.hugs

3, Golf with DAD (who was sad to be away on his birthday)

A. has put his golf clubs to good use too. He loves golfing with Mike. AND... look at that form. He's not bad.

Happy #6th!

Bear Lake Reunion

while at bear lake, make sure to...

take advantage of the water.boat.tubes

enjoy lots of sun.sand.beach

cheer on highly competitive games of tennis.football

eat good food... and never leave without la beau's rasperry shake.burger.fries

The Sampson Reunion was full of family.fun.smiles! Can't ask for anything better than that. Grandchildren: 10 boys + 1 on the way and 1 girl.

Camping Out

Camping out can have its perks, like our most recent one...a trailer and electricity. Don't get me wrong, I can be a "roughing" it type of girl. I grew up camping with my family all the time, but I do prefer certain amenities.

We roughed it hiking, fishing, roasting hot dogs, and sitting around the camp fire. However, it was also nice to have hot running water, a shower, movies for the kiddos, oh - and sleeping in a trailer.

We all hiked to Willow Flat Springs. It was amazingly green.

A. learned to bait, cast, wait (patiently), and reel in a fish, TWICE! He caught 2 fish breaking in his new pole. Grandpa, who also taught me to fish, was a great teacher!

Our 2 day camping trip was short and sweet. Perfect!

GooDByE!

take me out to the ball game

Mike redeemed his Father's Day Gift this weekend and we enjoyed the SLC Bees game. Great seats down the third baseline... we dawned our mits, but with no luck in catching a foul ball. However, there were cinnamon sugar roasted almonds and lemonade, our favorite baseball snacks. And the kiddie train rides helped give the kids the occasional break from sitting down.

Aidan's Tee Ball season has come to an end... and A. loves everything about the sport.

Earlier that afternoon we enjoyed splashing in the pool with friends. It was refreshing. Shaun and Mike played water P.I.G., I think Mike lost. (In his defense... he was sporting Shaun's younger cousin on his back part time.) Beth and I soaked up the sun. The boys ditched out of the pool a little early to eat snacks. Aidan and Em showed off cannon balls.

We love everything about summer because of days like these. So, so much family fun!

Tee Ball Team Cardinal's #1 SuPPoRteR...

completely priceless... cheering A. on from the sidelines, "Aidan, you a good hitter!"

Refreshing 1st Day of Summer

Welcome... finally

DOTS

"grandpa's fruit snacks"

Team Cardinals

Meet Team Cardinals: 11 boys/1 girl... age 5

What do the kids love?...Rushing for the ball, regardless of their position on field

Parents love the team play... Everyone bats, Everyone runs... Everyone builds self confidence

And Aidan loves sliding, which I found out is apparently just for the grass stains (which are cool)... sliding to any base, on field, off field, anywhere with grass

We love BaSEbaLl SeaSoN!!

A tribute...

Last week in preschool Aidan celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Some historical facts he learned...

- "He was a man who dreamed about peace."

- "He was nice to everyone on the whole earth."

- "Martin Luther King was our friend."

- "He died when a grown up dad shot him, and now the kids share his dream."

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream of peace, love, friendship.