Oh my!

I have laughed so many times over some of these pictures! One of the rules Adam set was that they have to clean up poop. Not to long after we arrived home, Harley decided he needed to relieve himself. Adam told the girls to get a shovel and bag and get to it. Kaitlyn went for the bag and Kourtney for the shovel. Kaitlyn seemed to find a clothes pin somewhere and thought it would help, and Kourtney's face cracks me up! I wished I would have waited a second longer to snap the picture as Kourtney opened her mouth and gaged! I will agree with them on this one! It was disgusting, as you can imaging what happens to someone after traveling. Can you say diarrhea! I have to give them kudos as they have not complained once and they haven't had to be told to pick up poop! Potty training in progress. Any advice would be great! Harley seems to like anywhere and anything with shade! Where he is all black he loves a blanket with shade and three little girls giving him endless attention! He loves playing fetch and I can't tell who enjoys it more, Harley or the girls! Adam came in the other night and said, "do you know how hard it is to find a dog that won't answer to his name yet, who is solid black, and likes to hide when it's pitch black out?" His comment was, "what have we done!" lol!

The Newest Addition!

After several months of the girls asking for a puppy, dad finally caved! Friday night we told the girls that we were going for a ride because I hadn't been out of the house in almost two weeks with my ankle, and I needed to get out of the house. We drove to Draper and pulled up in front of a house. The girls all asked what we were doing? Adam turned around and told them that since they had been really good, he knew that they were responsible and ready to take care of a puppy! He said, "We are here to pick out a puppy." I snapped this picture as Adam was telling them, and they were ecstatic!

This is right after they decided which puppy to take home. There were a few different puppies that the girls could choose from. They chose the puppy with the more mellow disposition. When the girls would reach down to pet him, he would fall at their feet and roll over so he could get a good belly scratch.

I think the girls had to pinch themselves many times on the way home to make sure the situation was real, and that their dad was not playing some kind of mean joke on them! They couldn't stop smiling! While we were driving home, everyone was trying to decide what to name him. I began to shout out names of road signs as we passed by. I heard many responses like, "no way!", "I don't like that!", and "he doesn't look like one of those." So, as we passed the Harley Davidson building I shouted out the name Harley. Everyone loved it! We were thinking it was going to be much more difficult for them to all agree on a name than that!

Kourtney and Kaitlyn ran into the store with Adam on the way home to get some dog food. Makell was on cloud nine as it was her turn to "babysit" Harley while they ran into the store. She checked the basket several times to make sure he hadn't had an accident.

Swimming Lessons

I took a few pictures of the girls swimming lessons. Kourtney and Kaitlyn were in the same class this year. I felt like Kaitlyn was in a more advanced class than she probably should had been but she handled it pretty well. She had a lot of support from her older sister. I loved watching them throughout the two weeks and seeing their progress. They seem to be very comfortable in the water. Kourtney's favorite thing was not getting her pony tail pulled (long story)! This was Makell's first time taking swimming lessons. She was a bit timid at first, but became more daring and adventurous the second week. I loved watching her do "up downs." She would go completely under the water and come back up pulling the funniest face! She was even more excited that her buddy Jackson was in her class. I think as Jackson would try new things, Makell would watch and then "try" them herself. This was a new experience for them, and it was obvious that they really enjoyed being in the water!

Happy Birthday Dad!

We decided to surprise Adam/dad with a card and balloons at work today for his birthday! The girls decorated a huge card and wrote down 38 things they love about their dad! Some of the things they wrote down were so funny and others extremely sweet. One of my favorite reasons Makell chose was, "I love my dad because he smells good!" I agree Makell! After watching and hearing them list the things they loved about Adam, it made me even more grateful for the dad Adam is. Some of the things they listed why they loved him was: because he protects us, he gives us blessings, and reads scriptures with us. They were grateful for the priesthood he holds. I was surprised that these were some of the first things they wrote down. It made me realize that these things are extremely important to them, even at such a young age. Adam loves teasing the girls with a big hairy hug after he gets out of the shower. He thought they absolutely hated it! Interesting that they listed that as one of the things they loved about him! Adam had no idea we were coming. After swimming lessons, we ran by home to get the card and balloons and headed for the office. We surprised him and took him to lunch. With a little enticing, we ended up at one of the girls favorite places!

Annual Campout!

Once again it was time for our annual "camp out" in the backyard. We actually had to postpone it for a night because of thunderstorms and rain! The girls get so excited to do this! As Adam was putting up the tent, the girls ran around him in circles more times than I could count. We popped popcorn and watched a movie while we were all snuggled under blankets. The next morning, Adam and I were surprised to see everything still intact. It was one of the windiest nights! The girls informed us they slept really well and stayed nice and warm! Lets just say Adam and I were ready for a nap later that day! We had pancakes the next morning and the girls had fun spending the morning playing in the tent together!

Our Graduate!

Here is one of our graduates! I love her smile! That smile describes this school year perfectly! Kourtney told us that this year has been the best one ever! We asked her why and she told us it was because of her teacher! Not only did Kourt really like Mr. Scoubes, but we as parents did too! Kourtney thinks he is the funniest person ever! She loved telling us all the funny things he would say and do! Kourtney has always enjoyed school but this year she has LOVED it! Mr. Scoubes has made a lasting impression on her. His class room was a fun place to learn. I loved the fact that I always received a hug from Kourtney at the school because it was one of his rules! He would tell his students, that moms and dads deserve them and it's the "cool" thing to do! :) I will take one every chance I get!
Kourtney received the Principals Award for Excellence this year! She was so excited and is such a wonderful student! We are so proud of her and for the hard work and accomplishments! She is an awesome example. Congratulations Kourtney! Keep up the good work!

Another Graduate!

She's movin on! Kaitlyn just finished her 2nd grade year! I am having a hard time with the realization that the year is over! I remember when she was starting Kindergarten and thinking It would be quite sometime before she would be called our little third grader! Kaitlyn has had a really great year. I really love seeing the progress one can make in a years time. She loves reading! I am so grateful that our kids love school! It's easy to do well when you enjoy what you are doing! Kaitlyn's teacher, Mrs. Page has made learning so much fun! One of Kaitlyn's favorite things this year was writing spelling words with shaving cream on her desk!
This year Kaitlyn received the award for the student that always gave 11o%. Mrs. Page said she could always count on Kaitlyn to go the extra mile! We are so proud of the wonderful student Kaitlyn is! Congratulations Kaitlyn! Keep up the good work!





















Kaitlyn loves her friends! These three little girls were practically inseparable this year! (Emily, Shilyn, & Kaitlyn)