fun pictures

We've been spending every Wednesday evening the last few weeks at Dylans baseball games! His best buddy is on his team which gives the other kids some fun friends to play with:
Lance has been watching the boys play catch and now when he finds a mitt, he carries it around and wants someone to play catch with him!

Dylans cute third base coach told him to wait, he's ready to run home and score!

When Allie finds the camera she wants some pictures of her too!

On the hot summer days we have filled up the pools in the backyard to stay cool!

I'm not sure why they need goggles, but whatever!

More camera time!


Happy Fathers Day!

This was after the kids gave dad his fathers day presents!

4th of July at the baseball game!

We spent the evening of the 4th at a baseball game with some friends!

This picture is fuzzy- but it's fireworks over the Husker stadium. I love that we can see that cool stadium from the baseball fields! This picture is hardto see too- on Saturday nights they let the kids run the bases after the game! The kids ran and couldn't believe how far it was!

That's Allie in the red shirt to the right of first base- she ran as fast as she could!

Happy 4th of July!

Our friends scored some box seats to the Salt Dogs baseball game- we thought we'd use the A/C, but used the heater that night! The kids could go inside and watch Nickelodeon if they got bored from the game. And Homer came by to say hello- lance DID NOT like that!

Lance is getting baseball fever- he carries a glove and a ball around everywhere and squawks at you to play ball with him!

The Butter and Drapers on the 4th! Fun night!

We had such a fun, busy 4th of July weekend with lots of fun friends- thanks Butters! We'll sure miss Nebraska next summer!

4th of July at Pawnee Lake

Some fun pictures of the lake- taken by Anna Cosby:

We spent the morning of the 4th playing with friends at Pawnee lake- I didn't know this fun lake was so close to Lincoln. The kids had a blast even though it was a little chilly that morning. Our friends the Butters shared this fun jet ski with our group!

My friend is a photographer and took some cute pictures of the kiddos!

Allie put her jacket on and went swimming until she was too cold to swim anymore. Then there was a nice grassy picnic area to play on too!

The before picture of Makayla and her friend Rebecca. They were much wetter when they got back!

Lance is too brave for me- wanted to run right in!

3rd of July

On the 3rd of July- we had some friends over to have some treats and shoot off fireworks in the street! We had a couple of rain delays, but still had a great time! The dads had a little too much fun- but no one got burned too bad!

The kids favorite things were the long sparklers- we need to have more of those next time!

A great way to kick off the 4th of July weekend!

A Trip to Nauvoo, IL

After Dylans Baptism, Grandma and Grandpa J stayed and went over to Nauvoo with us! We had learned a little about Nauvoo at family night and we were excited to go see this neat place. We got there early Saturday and it was SO hot. We were not sure this was going to be a great trip- but it cooled down and we had fun.

There is a neat visitors center there- we were there on June 27th, 165 years after the prophet Joseph was killed.

We enjoyed the Family learning center and learned how the early saints made clothes, bread, candles, rugs, rope, barrels and more. We liked the bread and even made a rope to bring home.

Here we are making the rope!

Saturday night- on our 12 year anniversary- Quinn and I went to the temple. On Sunday after church it was much cooler and we walked around the temple with the family.

This is a great monument of Joseph and Hyrum as left Nauvoo to go to Carthage jail. Nauvoo is really a beautiful place.

We're so glad Grandma and Grandpa J could be there with us. We had a fun hotel room with 3 rooms and a pool to play at!

Makayla learned how she would carry water to her dad when he was working on the temple.

Carthage was an amazing place- a highlight of the trip. We really felt the spirit there- the kids were quiet and enjoyed hearing about the prophets final days. Here we're reading some neat quotes about Joseph Smith.

Umm... Quinn showing his guns heading into the gunshop! ( he does have some big guns!)

Makayla sitting in the room where Joseph was shot. She really liked being there.

Makayla and Allie with Joseph and Hyrum.

On the way back to Nauvoo from Carthage, Grandpa saw a turtle in the road- we stopped and put it back in the river!

Outside of the Mansion house.

Nauvoo is really a beautiful place. I'm so glad we were able to go!

A Trip to Nauvoo part #2

We enjoyed walking down Parley Street to the Mississippi river- the same road the saints walked down as they left Nauvoo. There were neat quotes from journals along the 'Trail of Hope'. The neat part was running into our great friends from Lincoln there. The kids were so excited to see them! I think leaving Nauvoo would have been easier if all your friends and family were walking with you.
See the temple in the background? It would be hard to walk down the road and leave it behind. And I don't think the early saints had those cool baby backpacks!

Putting our feet in the Mississippi river.

We also ran over to Keokuk to see my cousin and the kids caught firefly's in her backyard!

We enjoyed a 10 minute Oxen ride in a covered wagon.

Learning about the Oxen was neat.

We enjoyed some pioneer games!

Makayla and mom in the pioneer spirit!

She'd have been one cute Pioneer!

Dylan had so much fun here- he said "Pioneers didn't even need a D.S.!"

I'm so glad we had the chance to go to Nauvoo and Carthage. What a sweet place, and what amazing things the early saints went through to leave this great heritage for us!