Little Helper

So the kids have jobs that they do every day in the kitchen. We have a chart on the wall and it rotates throughout the week. Ashton has been begging to be on the list for the last little while. He's pretty little, but we would occasionally give him a job like helping to set the table or helping to load a couple plates. Well, he's officially on the chart now! He is so cute and capable and willing to do his little jobs (most of the time!) Kimball snapped this picture the other day of him cleaning the table. He's too cute!!!

Room make-overs!

A few weeks ago I decided that Hunter and Cassidy's rooms needed a bit of a make-over. It was frustrating for me and for them that they didn't have a specific area for their trinkets, books, papers, toys etc. I got these great little shelves with colored bins from Ikea. They are perfect! It is helping them to be more organized and tidy. I also picked up a couple bedspreads from Wal-mart that I thought looked good. The rooms aren't quite done yet, I still have to paint something for Cassidy's room and get a few more things for her walls. She also has a "secret spot" in her closet just for her to go and relax in. I want to paint in there and get tons of pillows for on the floor and hang a cute curtain.

I was telling Hunter that I wanted to get him something like a little shelf with knobs that he could hang his hoodies on, and he liked the idea. Well I was at the dollar store the other day and found the coolest skateboard shelf. It was exactly what I was looking for! I bought two! One is gray and the other is yellow.

It was fun helping the kids organize and give their rooms a little lift. They are such great kids and I love them so much.

Third Annual Couple's Quad Trip!

We went on our annual quad trip up to the sand dunes this past weekend. It was so awesome! We went with the Howard's and the Beaulne's. Two wonderful couples and great friends of ours. We left on Thursday around noon. It was raining here in town and we were hoping for great weather. We got sprinkled on a bit on the way out and it was cloudy but as soon as we got to our spot the sun started shining! It is so quiet and peaceful out there. Kimball was super excited to try out his dinghy. He wanted to pump it up before we even set up the tent! He caught a ton of fish and I caught five!!! It was so great! We went swimming and fishing, we relaxed and napped and sat around the fire eating s'mores and talking.

The only hiccup on the trip was a flat tire on our way out. The road is really bumpy and rough and they are preparing to pave part of it. You can only get in with a 4x4. The boys had it fixed pretty fast though.

Thank you to Auntie Melissa for taking such great care of the kids so we could do this. She is amazing and it's a blessing having her live with us for the summer again.

Can't wait for next year's trip!!!!

Surprise party!!

Melissa threw Jonah a surprise party for his 30th. She invited some of his friends and made an amazing meal. We had barbecued chicken breasts, roasted poatatoes, asparagus, salad and an incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake! Jonah had asked Melissa a while ago if I would paint a picture for him for his office. His goal is to retire early in a beautiful home in Ghana. He wanted a house on a hill to look at and work towards. So Mel helped me find a picture online of a nice home in Ghana and I sketched it and then painted it and added grass and stuff. I think it turned out ok. He seemed very happy and hung it in his office the next day. We had such a great night! You throw awesome parties Melissa!!