Alaska Day 1 - Anchorage

Greg and I were really lucky to get the opportunity to go to Alaska with my family.  Any time I would ask Greg where his dream vacation would be without hesitation he says Alaska.  He is always hot and a tropical vacation to him would just be torture.  Not to mention the fishing opportunities.

Another reason we were able to go is because my mom watched our kids while we were there.  So thank you so much to everyone that made it possible for us to go!  Greg can cross Alaska off his bucket list now, although he is determined to go there again, he didn't want to leave.

I am doing each day we were in Alaska in a different post because I took a ton of photos and we did so much it's not going to fit in one post.  So be warned now there is will be a lot of post and pictures but the trip deserves it.

On the fifth we flew out of Salt Lake City with everyone, 2 of my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, 2 cousins and my brother Hunter.  In total there was a group of 11 of us.  We flew into Anchorage and got there about 2 local time. The plane ride over was pretty easy.  It was a direct flight into Anchorage.  Greg and I watched the in-flight movie and we also rented a movie on my kindle that we watched.  The flight was only about 4 hours.

When we arrived we were super excited to go out and see Alaska.  My uncle rented a large van and a RV for our trip, so we took a shuttle to the location of the rental place.  The weather was a little bit cold.  I think it was 55ish.  Alaska was beautiful - large mountains with snow still on them and really green. 

(Our first picture together in Alaska)

Fourth of July

Wow I'm almost caught up on my blogging!

Since Greg and I were flying out of SLC for our Alaska trip on the 5th we decided to drive down to my moms on the 3rd so we could spend the Fourth of July with her and not be driving on that day.  I was a little sad to miss Melba's celebration, I have been going there for a LONG time and it is pretty awesome but it's nice to be with my family.

My mom made us a delicious breakfast and then we hung around until the parade started at noon.  There were a lot of people at the parade but we found a spot and watched the parade.  It was pretty good.  The kids got lots of candy and otter pops, I thought that was a great thing to hand out to keep the kids cool.  Jaelee didn't like the loud sirens and noises but other than that I think they really liked it.

The Lake

We took our boat out to the lake. We brought our dog this time. He did really well in it. He is super hyper so I was worried he would moving around but he just sat or laid on the floor.

We found a nice little spot where we could dock and eat, fish & play in the water.

On our way back to load up Greg fished for a little bit but only caught a small fish. I got to drive the motor back and I have to admit I liked it but the next day my shoulder was sore, LOL.

Jaelee the Ballerina - Part 3

For Jaelee's third time at dance class she did really well again but got distracted towards the end and just wanted to run around. I took a few photos but I'm just going to post this one I got of Jaelee and Mia after class. It is just so cute.  

Eagle Island

Greg was helping a friend work on a truck engine one weekend so the kids and I went to Eagle Island for some sun, sand and fun.

I forgot their life jackets so I was a little stressed watching them go so far out into the water.  Jayse does not have a fear of the water and he is trying to swim now so I was wigging out a little bit while watching them.  I know I will never forget to bring their life jackets again.  While playing Jayse had to go potty, he was in the water up to about his knees when he pulled down his pants and started to pee in the water.  I was so embarrassed but it didn't seem like too many people saw, LOL.  In the end we all survived and managed to have a bit of fun.

Here's the proof.

Summer Time

One of our favorite summer time activities is to put the sprinkler under the trampoline and jump.  We have done it several times already this summer. Here are some pictures of the kids jumping and showing me their tricks.

Jaelee the Ballerina - Part 2

The second time Jaelee went to dance class she was really good.  She followed directions really well.  The instructor I think was much better that time.  She was really good with the girls and they all seemed to have a lot of fun.

Here are the photos.

Greg Softball

I titled this post Greg softball but it's really more about Jaelee.  Her sitter bought her this cute blue tutu and she had to wear it one night to one of Greg's softball games and I thought she just looked so cute.  So here are some photos.

Fathers Day

For fathers day this year we took our boat out to a lake.  It worked really well and went faster than I had expected the little old guy to go.  It was so nice to have a boat and to be on the water fishing and playing.

We found a little spot of sand and docked for a bit, while the kids played in the sand and water.  We packed a lunch and ate on the bank.  Then Greg fished and practiced using his trolling motor and the kids practiced casting with their poles.

After playing at the lake we went to a fun center and played miniature golf, Jaelee and I rode the bumper boats and Greg and Jayse went on the go carts.

I thought it was a pretty great day.  Hopefully Greg enjoyed it too.

Jaelee the Ballerina

I was so excited for Jaelee to start her little dance class.  She was really excited too, for days she would ask if she got to go to class yet.  We had all of her stuff ready, got the ballet shoes, tape shoes, leotard, tights and skirt.

One of my best friend's little girl, Mia, is also starting dance class, so it is really fun to see both of them.  Jaelee did really well the first little bit of class, listening to the teacher and following direction but then true to her nature she got a little distracted/bored.  She started to do her own thing and dance around in circles or run up and down and was not following any direction.  I also had forgot to put ties in her tap shoes so they were just falling off and she didn't like that at all and wanted to go back to her ballet shoes.

At the end of it she was really excited about it and continues to really like it.

Chalk Paint

My good friend bought the kids some chalk paint.  It was a lot of fun to play with.  After a while I went inside to start dinner and they stayed outside to paint.  Each time I came out there was more paint on the side walk and themselves.  They even painted our pop-up trailer and dad's jeep.  They had a lot of fun though and it was really easy to wash off.

First and Probably the Last Yard Sale, New Beds & Boat

In June we had our first yard sale, I chose to have it the same weekend a subdivision next to ours was having one, hoping we could profit from their advertising and traffic.  For a couple weeks we had been going through everything in our house getting ride of all the kids baby stuff, clothes that were too small, and anything else we could live without.

The day before our yard sale the weather predicted rain but I didn't care I had been planning this for weeks and I thought it would be a light sprinkle.  When we got up that morning it was pouring.  I had Greg go to Lowe's and buy a tarp (which already put us in the black for this stupid yard sale) to put out from our garage to cover everything.  Before we even had the tarp up and everything pulled out people were waiting outside our house!

Softball's & Drive In's

Greg is playing softball again this year and on a team with his work.  It's fun to watch him play.  He did really well this season getting several home runs, some how I missed everyone of them.  Oh well, just means he has to do a few more so I can see them :).  The kids of course just run around and play the whole time, which is probably why I miss the home runs because I am keeping an eye on them.

After one of his games we went to a drive-in movie.  We were all drive-in movie virgins so I was super excited.  We got to see the Lorax, which was a cute movie.  The drive-in was perfect for the kids because they could move around and we could bring our own food.  It was awesome! The only down fall was seeing the movie so late, by the time the second movie started we were tired and headed home. 

Anyway here are a few pictures of the fun.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well I wanted to get caught up with blogging before I went to Alaska but I didn't so I'm going to try and get caught up again, so I can show off the photos I took while in Alaska.

For memorial day weekend we didn't do much because Greg had to work. One of the days the kids and I went to a park so I could get some pictures of them, which they didn't really want to do so I didn't get a whole bunch. Then we went across the street so the kids could ride their scooters and play by the fountain. The dress Jaelee is wearing is her favorite now.  She calls it her Cinderella dress and every day for the last month or 2 she will come home from the sitters and put it on, it's pretty cute.