A whole hand

That's right! Addison turned 5 years old on the 21st of August. I think a lot about their delivery during this time of year and it always makes my heart hurt. The couple days before their birthday I had a few breakdowns but I tried to keep it separate from her birthday. I want her to always know I love celebrating her and her wonderful life and I don't want to have her see me sad on her special day. It's hard to separate the two but I try my hardest because she deserves the best day.

She has been so excited for her birthday that we made a count down a month ago, that way I didn't have to tell her every day how much closer she was to her birthday. Excited was an understatement for her, she couldn't have been more happier to be 5 years old.

Addie decided she wanted a troll themed party, so that's what we did! I found some cute ideas off Pinterest and copied them, I think they turned out pretty cute!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful families on both sides. Every year we have such a wonderful turn out and we feel so loved and supported. Addie was spoiled and had the best birthday!

After we celebrated Addison, we wrote messages to our Miss Allie and let them go to heaven for her. I love that everyone sings Happy Birthday to Allie separately. It means so much to me. My heart is full.

We love both our girls so very much. Happy Birthday Addison & Allie!

Heber Creeper

Since it's the last weekend before school starts we bought tickets to ride on the Heber Creeper. I invited our niece and her family to join us and we were thrilled when she said yes! Breanne and I went school shopping with the kids and then we met up with our husbands for some dinner before the train ride.

Lincoln is obsessed with trains and his face lite up when he found out what we were doing! They played songs, games and danced on the train. The kids had a great time. It was a bit hot but it was worth it seeing how happy the kids were. All in all I'm so glad we went!

Moon Lake 2017

We headed up to Moon Lake last weekend. We usually go over Addison and Allie's birthday but we went a week early this year. As usual it's absolutely breathtaking. It is my favorite camping spot yet. I love that it has both camping sites as well as little cabins for those who would rather not camp. I love all the sand and the lake for the kids to play in. I love the scenery of all the tall trees and places to hike. It literally is perfect in my eyes. Tucked far enough away in the mountains to not have distractions from cell service and electronics. Its perfect! This year we were lucky enough to have my parents join us. They stayed in the cabins while we stayed in our trailer.

We spent some time painting rocks and some bird houses. Painting is one of my kids favorite things to do while camping and it can keep them busy for a couple hours.

The beach is pretty incredible. They loved building sand castles and getting stuck in the "quick sand".

Both Benton and my dad brought their kayaks. They took turns taking the kids on the lake. Lincoln loves going on the kayak. When Benton first took it out, Lincoln started yelling "BOAT, BOAT!" and then claimed it by yelling "MY BOAT" and wouldn't let the girls go near it. Lincoln is obsessed with going with Benton but always falls asleep while kayaking. I'm sure its because the water sways him to sleep, pretty relaxing.

And we always have to do at least one fire with smores!

It really has the most beautiful scenery, Moon Lake we love you!

I'm so glad we try and make it up to Moon Lake yearly. It really couldn't have been a better camping trip and I am so thankful my parents joined us. We made some great memories!

Hike to Blood Lake

When my neighbor called this morning and wanted to see if we were up for a hike, I decided our errands we were going to run could wait. We got into our hiking gear and headed out the door! We drove up Guardsmans Pass and hiked to Blood Lake. It's a quick 1/2 mile hike each way which is perfect for my kids. It was a bit cold and rainy but they were all troopers and didn't whine. I'm so glad we did something fun rather than boring errands! Our summer is almost over so we are making the most of it!

I love spontaneous adventures!

Currant Creek

Over this past weekend we did a quick trip up to Currant Creek. We ended up camping one night since we already had plans on Sunday. It was a perfect 24 hours. I love sitting by the lake and watching my kids play with one another. It makes my heart happy. I also love that they enjoy jumping into the kayak with Benton and go fishing. Oh how we all love being outside and together!

Another tooth gone

Cambree has lost her third tooth. She was more than thrilled to have another empty space in her mouth. I'm not going to lie, I love baby teeth more than big teeth. They are just so cute and little. I hope the rest of hers stay for a while more!