She's 6 years old!

My firstborn turned 6 years old in July!  Right now, she is obsessed with horses.  So, we had a horse party and I think it went really well.  Kamryn had such a great time and she had so many friends come to play with her.  I really can't believe she is 6.  Everyone says that about their kids and it's because it's true.  Having her as a daughter has taught me so much about myself.  I have learned that parenting is a learning process and you don't have all the answers right when your child is born.  I thought I knew how to be the perfect parent and how to raise the perfect child, but I learned through Kamryn that there is no such thing and that it's okay.    Kamryn makes me smile.  Her imagination is incredible and she is so creative.  She loves music, animals, dancing and reading.  She knows her mind, which I appreciate.  Her strong will has definitely been a challenge and I am still learning how to direct it in a way where I don't stifle her individuality but that she understands that there are rules and boundaries.  Overall, my journey with Kamryn so far has been memorable and eye opening.  I love her with all my heart and feel sublimely blessed to be her Mother.

 My happy 6 year old!

Swim Lessons

I have two children who have had issues when it comes to swimming.  Kamryn has always been hesitant in the water.  Logan used to be crazy in the pool and loved the water, but after an incident where he fell in (even though we were there to grab him and pull him out quickly) it kind of freaked him out and he took a couple steps back.  So, I put them both in swimming lessons and they worked like a charm.  Logan is back to himself when it comes to the pool and Kamryn has FINALLY put her head in the water.  Yes, it took that long and it is a big deal!  So, hopefully by next summer both Kamryn and Logan will be swimming on there own.

 Bought the kids goggles to see if it would help them in the pool.  It didn't, but they loved wearing them outside the pool.

 They loved their new backpacks too.

4th of July and other random pics!

4th of July means outdoor play.  We didn't have a pool available to us so we made the best of it on this hopscotch water toy.  Good times!

 Kamryn burned her finger badly on a smore stick so we were lucky to have our buddy Joe there to make it all better!  Her tears disappeared!

 Can Maryn look any better??  :)  Jason's parents and stepsister Shaina came over also to celebrate the day.  It was a good one.

 Had to throw in a couple random pics of the kids.  Only Logan could fall asleep wearing his helmet. :)

 Maryn is advertising for sunscreen.  It's important people!

 I love my beautiful red heads!!!

Dance Night at the Riley Family Reunion

Kamryn showing off during the girls fashion show.

Logan showing off his moves!

Jason's brother John singing Neil Diamond.  It is amazing how much he sounds like him!!

The month of June - Sibling love, cousin time and a Family Reunion

This is a long one guys so if pictures of my kids bore you, well, then you probably no longer follow my blog. Haha!  Okay, so here were the haps in June.  If there is one thing I am grateful for, it is the relationship that Logan and Kamryn have.  Don't get me wrong, they can really get into it.  However, they also can spend a lot of time together really enjoying each others company and I love it.  It reminds me of how I used to play with Aaron, my little brother.  I hope these kids make those same memories I have with my brother.  

So, here they are after we made homemade granola bars.  They were a big hit!  No more processed granola bars for us!  :) 

I thought this was cute.  Kamryn was helping Logan ride his bike.  He was struggling with the pedals so she was pushing him along.  We later figured out that his seat was a little high.  

 This was one of my favorite activities to do as a kid.  Shucking the husk off corn.  They loved it too.

Just didn't want you to forget this cute face.  She loves playing with her siblings too. 

 We were so happy to have my brother's family come to town for a couple days.  Kamryn loves her cousin Ellie!

The boys!

 Here are just a few pictures of the 4th Annual Riley Family Reunion.  The first night we had a dance party.  Didn't take any pictures but have some great video.  I will put that in a separate post since this is already so long.
The next day we headed to Cherry Hill in Bountiful.  We had such a great day!  Overall, it was a fun reunion.

 On the way home from Utah, we had our compressor go out which meant no air conditioner.  We stopped in Mesquite and spent the day at Virgin River.  We had some dinner, went swimming after and then loaded the kids in the car for a night drive.  Spray bottles were in full use!

 The rest of June was spent relaxing at home or by the pool, enjoying Popsicles.   

Jumping backwards

So, I forgot to share a couple events that took place back in May, so before I move on to June (yes, I am way behind here) I am going to quickly summarize a couple weekends.

The first one was a campout for the boys and a night out for the girls.  Jason took Logan to a "Father and Sons" campout so while they were gone I took my two girls out for some fun with some friends.  We had dinner at In-n-Out and then went back to our friends, the Daltons, for a movie and popcorn.  Kamryn had a great time with her friends, Marley and Ada.

 She was even lucky to enough to get her nails done by Britney.  We had a great night.

 Here are the boys, enjoying their campout together.

 Logan was very comfy in the tent.  They forgot pillows so Logan is sleeping on his clothes.  :)

 Overall, they had a great time together and I know Logan will be looking forward to these campouts every year. I know us girls do!

The last weekend in May, I went to Las Vegas to have a girls reunion with a bunch of my college friends.  I had a great drive up with my friend, Celeste and when we got there, things were going great.  I enjoyed dinner and talking with my friends.  Well, that night Maryn got sick.  She had a high fever, was coughing and very congested.  Neither of us got any sleep that night.  I had to sleep on a couch and Maryn slept on me most of the night.  It was rough.  The next day Maryn was still out of sorts and I was tired, uncomfortable, and hated seeing Maryn having such a rough time.   So, my wonderful husband threw our two older kids in the car and drove up to Vegas to pick me up.  How great is he!!  I was sad to have to leave my friends, but Maryn needed to get better and it was going to be hard to do when she had no room to sleep in.  Hopefully the next reunion will be more successful!