Fishing in Alaska!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joshua went to Alaska fishing for 8 days! He went with my Dad and some friends from Texas. He had the time of his life! Here are just a few of the many pictures that were taken.

Italian Sausage soup

Okay, this is a weird thing to eat in the summer, but we are having it tonight and it is one of our favorites!!! It is from Cooking Light magazine and it is their staff favorite pick from a couple of years ago. It is so easy and my husband (who doesn't like spinach) loves this. My kids eat it really well also ( I cook extra sea shell noodles and add them to the kid's soup). So, if you don't want soup in the summer, save this till it gets cold, it is sooo worth it! We always double it, because it really serves about 2 people!

Ingredients

8 ounces hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (I put mine in the food processor, because we don't like chunky tomatoes)
1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves (stems removed, and we chop our leaves into strips)
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil)

Flashback....let's get ready for another one!!!

Adalyn is just a few days old!











A big sister at 19 months old!






Our first boy! Little Ethan








(I don't have pics of baby Caleb on this computer, so I will post some later)





So, we are sooooo excited and a little nervous to welcome baby number 4!!! I am due Feb 2nd (Addy's birthday) and I am 3 months along.

Visit with Grandpa

We got to see my Grandpa last week. It was great to see him. It had been over two years since I had seen him last. He is staying at a Rehab Center in Idaho. He looked so handsome in his bright blue shirt. I am so glad that he is doing better.











We also were able to see my cousin Rachelle, her husband and brand new baby. We stayed with her Mom, my Aunt Liz, and really enjoyed our visit with all of them! Lucky for us, Aunt Lisa and her son Kevin (from Texas) came up for a visit at the same time. We got to see so many people this trip! We even got to go see my old Room mate from college, April, and her adorable kids.

It was a fantastic trip!!

The wonderful world of make believe

The kids in Great Grandpa's boat.















Addy's island.


















Ethan's island.












Just woke up from a long nap at the beach.














The older kids could spend all summer creating their own worlds on that beach.

Of course there is going to be fishing!

We had a funny fishing outing while at Bear Lake.
My cousin's kids were so excited to fish. My kids just wanted to play in the sand. But, as soon as they hooked a fish, Addy and Ethan came running. They wanted to get that fish in their hands. Their cousins wouldn't even touch the fish for the picture. My kids didn't want to put it back. "Let's keep it as a pet!" They are too funny. They love anything that breathes and moves- fish, grasshoppers, snails, worms, cats, dogs, otters, horses. . .well, except the bats at Bear Lake made them a little nervous! They made me nervous too! One almost hit me in the head!

Summers at Bear Lake - Oh the life!!

Summers at Bear Lake are almost magical. Summers at Bear Lake are a gift to me and my family- given to us by my wonderful Grandpa who passed away this month. To me, there is no better place! Swimming, fireworks, playing in the tree house, fishing, s'mores, tree swings, sleeping bags, breakfast outside, roasting hot dogs, picking raspberries, apples, apricots, sweet corn, cousins, sandcastles, kites, potato guns, skiing, dogs, sunburns, outhouses, naps under the tree, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball and building relationships. There is so much more! I have been coming to Bear Lake since I was a baby. And I have brought each of my babies to Bear Lake. I wish every family had a Bear Lake- a place to gather together, a place to take a deep breathe, soak in the sunsets and feel connected to this beautiful earth and the extraordinary gift of family. Thank you to my Grandma and Grandpa for magical summers.

My little Caleb is growing up!

Well, I couldn't resist posting these! He is getting so big! He will be three in just a month and a half! My baby isn't a baby anymore! I guess it's time to have another one!

More to the carnival story

Carnival came to town!

Our first carnival with the kids! We had so much fun! We couldn't believe how expensive it was, but the kids didn't seem to mind riding only three rides! Oh, and of course we all got deep fried corn dogs. It wouldn't be a carnival without something deep fried on a stick!--oh yeah, and of course cotton candy!

Adalyn's Turn!!

This was Adalyn's first swimming lesson. She was the only girl in the class and all the little boys seemed to have a bit more experience in the water. Her teacher took good care of her and held her on the slide. On the diving board, she started out ambitious, but ended up having one of the other teachers throw her off after gently telling her to let go of his swimsuit that she was desperately clinging to.

Swimming Lessons!!

Caleb and I had Parent and Me swimming lessons in June. He loved the water and all the little games we played, especially diving for starbursts. Joshua took him to class one day and lucky for them, it was the day that they get to go down the big slide. Joshua and Caleb were the first two to go down, so the water wasn't fully on. They got stuck in the middle of the slide and were trying to scoot down, when all of a sudden, a very big Mommy and her baby came down right behind them and she wrapped her legs around Joshua's waist! All of a sudden it was Joshua sitting in her lap, sliding down the rest of the slide. Well, that was the last time Joshua took Caleb to class! I wish we had a picture of that!

My sweet cousin Lexie came to visit!

We were able to have my cousin Lexie for one short weekend. She is really growing up and we just loved having her. My kids wanted to play with her the whole time. And unlucky for her, the weekend she was here, she got to help us move. She lives in Texas and we hope to have her again sometime!

This is Joshua's toy. We (mostly him) have had a blast riding it in the field behind our house. The kids were allowed to go on short rides in the culdesac. Which, of course they thought was thrilling!