Taylor's Date (Buffalo Wild Wings)

On our summer bucket list we have planned to take each child on an individual date.  Taylor is up first and let me tell you, this guy was so excited!!

Taylor sure blesses our lives!

He has been dying to try out Buffalo Wild Wings for quite some time, every time we pass it in Great Falls it always gets his attention.  So we took him there for the first time.  The conversation was fun and I could just tell that Taylor was loving all of the attention and time alone with his parents.  Taylor is easy to love and has a big heart!  After dinner we did a little birthday shopping and also got ready to head to the cabin.  It was nice to slow down a bit and spend time with Taylor.  We sure love you Taylor!

Fairfield Swimming Pool

It is so nice having a swimming pool in the community.  I love to go and let the kids play/cool off for a bit during the hot summer days.

It always amazes me how the confidence comes so quickly after spending some time back in the water.

Gavin has really gotten to love swimming this summer!

Rides on Payton's back is always a perk!

Taylor thinks he HAS to wear goggles when he swims.

Brielle loves swimming around and floating.

Summers are magical!

Now Brielle is doing a twist in the water.

Funny girl!

We stayed until we had wrinkles!

Nice back float Brielle.

Lovely!

McKenzie has really loved swimming this summer as well and has learned new strokes.

Outdoor Movie Party

We have been wanting to host an outdoor movie party for quite sometime and after working hard with the kids one day we gave them a party with friends as their reward.  Win Win!!

The kids are in their comfy clothes and the fire is lit, now waiting for our friends to get here and the sun to go down.

Making lasting memories this summer is the plan!

Swimming Lessons 2017

We signed Kenzie, Taylor, and Brielle up for swimming lessons early this summer.  It worked out nicely since the Linfords were in town and we could do it together.

Way to go Taylor!

I was so impressed with the teachers this year and the kids were pushed and worked hard.  It was a big success!

McKenzie diving deep for rings.

Brielle and Landon trying to stay warm.

Jumping in like champs!

It is great to see them become more confident.

Keep up the good work Kenzie (she enjoyed learning new strokes this year).

Cannonball from Taylor who also loved learning new strokes and how to dive.

Brielle has become really good at floating and is getting good at swimming.

It sure made for a couple of fun weeks swimming, it is a great skill to learn.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Boys always have a great time attending Cub Scout Day Camp!

This year Taylor was able to have a few cousins attend camp as well (Asher, Kade, and Kasen), making it even more fun.

On the day that Mckay and I chaperoned we had Payton join the fun.

I think shooting bows was one of their favorite classes!

Here they are making musical instruments.

Brotherly bonding.

Day with Dad

One of the first Saturdays this summer, I went on a temple trip with the Relief Society sisters.  The kids and Mckay went on without me.  They attended a free fishing day and each came back with new fishing poles!!

June in Montana tends to be a little cooler and this day was no different.

Standing in line while trying to stay warm in the wind.

Gavin loves wearing this little Denver hat...he is a total boy!

Yeah for new poles!

Riding on the mower proved to be too much for Gavin and the tunes must have put him right to sleep (Precious).

Tea Party At Grandma's- A Memorable Tradition!

The kids have grown to love attending Grandma Swensen's Tea Parties!  There is always fancy food and funny conversations to be had.

Even the gentlemen don't mind being our servers.

We are enjoying some cousin time as well!

It was such a fun thing I'm sure the kids will remember.

Dressing up is another fun perk for the girls!

Surprise Trip to SILVERWOOD

Leading up to the day we left on our family trip to Silverwood/Coeur d'Alene we had kept it a secret from the kids as to where we were going.  They did know that we where going somewhere as a family.  It was exciting and their reactions was priceless once we finally let them know that we were heading to a theme park none of us had been to and that we would be staying in a resort.  The kids were beyond excited!

Of coarse we went swimming multiple times!

The lake there is stunning!

The next day was our day at Silverwood.  It was exciting because none of us really knew what to expect.  We hit the park on the perfect day since the surrounding schools were still making up snow days from a harsh winter, we were able to do whatever we wanted and didn't have to fight the crowd in lines.  It was a beautiful theme park and so family friendly!

Happy kids ready to take on the day!

We stated off with the train ride around the park.

Gavin and Brielle were buddies riding together!

This was Gavin's first real experience riding rides and he was taking it all in!

Waiting on the big kids for a minute.

Brielle went on a couple of serious roller coasters as well.

After a bit we paused for a picnic lunch and then came back into the park in time to watch an amazing magic show.  This guy was funny and entertaining.

Payton was asked to participate in an act.

It was fun to watch!

Then back to the rides we went!

The kids liked the bumper boats!

One time I went on this ride with the kids and let me tell you, Payton and Taylor had no mercy!  They picked a boat that shot water like crazy and drenched a bunch of us, all the while they were dying of laughter!

The family rafting was another favorite!

Meanwhile, Gavin was cooling off in a spray area.

Mckay was waiting to squirt us once we passed him.

McKenzie having a good day!

More bumper boats.

Cute Brielle

We loved our time together and will have to go back sometime.

Then we took the kids to the Olive Garden for dinner and since we played so hard we had some tired kids!  It was a pretty awesome day together!

Swimming was another favorite past time on the trip.

The kids wanted to go there frequently.  We also spent some time shopping and exploring around, as well as relaxing and watching movies at the resort.

The kids could spend hours swimming!

Gavin was a little intimidated of the water at first but before long he was incredible and sure gained a love for the water.

He was jumping in all by himself and doing this over and over having a great time!

It was awesome!

Taylor is becoming a fish as well!

This time as a family was much needed and so great.  I left wanting to do more vacations as a family and cherishing the time we get together.  Making memories and having these kinds of experiences are so important!