Ava has this thing for rolly pollies. I totally did when I was a little girl, so I know where it comes from. Still I think it is nasty. Last week it was unusually cool so I decided to mow the lawns so Tyler wouldn't have to, it was Father's Day weekend after all. When we cut the back lawn lots of rolly pollies come out of the grass, so Ava decided to collect them and put them in her bike. After I stopped to take the picture she continued to collect them. I let them go when she wasn't watching....

Shwoo....

Yeah we're tired. This is how I found the kids the other night. Ava had climbed into bed with Nathan and they were OUT! We have been super busy! Here are some of the fun things we have been up to.

The kids just finished their first session of swim for the summer. Since I was in a Mom & Me class with Ava I couldn't really take pictures until the last day. They had a blast and learned a ton. Ava keeps telling me to let go of her so she can swim like Nathan. Kind of scary~ she is FEARLESS.

On our way to our last class! Nathan is still so skinny from when he got super sick awhile ago :(

Nathan went down this slide one time, and Ava went like 3 times and loved it!

Last week Nathan was invited to a party at this indoor huge trampoline place. I took Ava to jump there( in the baby area) while the older kids ran all over. The kids had so much fun. There were tons of inflatables and then these massive trampolines. Nathan was so good to jump on a few of the things with Ava before going to play dodgeball.

Nathan and his buddy Colton

On Monday I got a call from my Gma saying that some of my cousins were up in Kolob and she really wanted us to come up....Tyler had to work and I was super nervous to drive up there on my own with my babies, but since there were cousins I hadn't seen in ages (I saw one when he was born when I went to help my ex-Aunt...14 years ago, and his sister I had never even met, she is 12 now...long story) Anyway these two cousins of mine are the sweetest kids. Ava instantly loved Sydney and kept saying they were sisters. They played puzzles and snuggled, and just had so much fun. Nathan and Parker played catch, went for a hike, looked for rocks, played dominos. How many 14 year old boys do you know who will play with a 5 year old for 5 hours straight? I really hope I get to see them again soon. 

I also felt like I needed to go up because my Uncle Richard. He is getting worse by the day (having seizures and falls).

 I didn't get home until after 10 that night and was so nervous with the deer on the side of the super windy, steep, road in the dark but we made it home and had a really great time.

Cousins!

We were so excited to have cousins Madelyn & Luke over yesterday! It wasn't even like babysitting -these 4 cuties got along so well (and they matched)!

We love yummy cereal snacks!

There was not a single fight or tears.

We ate popsicles, rode bikes, played outside, and Nathan took everyone for rides on the power wheels. Luke loved  the truck.

  

My face hurt from smiling watching the kids run around and giggle together. They had a blast!

ps My hubby is the best. He recently bought me this:

Yep that's right, 54 OUNCES OF SKITTLES!!!!  I love Skittles SO MUCH.  I am embarrassed to admit that they are almost gone..he gave them to me last month, but don't worry I have been sharing them.

Hair Stuff to Love

I just HAD to share some new products that I am loving! I have been trying to be better with my hair. It has been so dry and blah. I know about loads of expensive salon products but let's face it, who wants to spend $20 on deep conditioner when there may be something just as good for $5. I am a horrible hair stylists when it comes to getting people to buy pricey products, I just think you can have great hair without spending so much.

I decided to go with Garnier's Deep Conditioning Sleek & Shine Masque for my dry hair.

Thanks to Walmart it was under $5! Garnier ALWAYS has coupons in the Red Plum for all my coupon-ing ladies, but I had just given mine to my mom...

The conditioner was not as thick as I thought it would be, but it did wonders on my dry locks. I could tell a huge difference after the first wash. The second time I used it I decided to take a super wide toothed comb with me in the shower and combed it through (gently) then put it up in a clip so it wouldn't rinse out before I was ready, the results were even better. I didn't feel like my hair was weighed down, and after blowdrying it was mostly smooth and not so poofy/frizzy so I only had to flat iron the top section of my hair. It felt so soft and fabulous, but I could still see lots of dead ends so I  went and got a cute haircut with lots of layers to get off all the gross ends. I normally cut my own hair and have Tyler do the spots I can't reach, but decided I needed something a little different this time.

I am using the Masque about once a week and I am loving it!

I also bought Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo for under $5! (Got it at Walmart, they carry it at Ulta also)

Ok so you probably know that you really shouldn't wash your hair everyday. The oils are good for your hair, but who wants to have their hair LOOK oily....not me! I had never tried a dry shampoo before. This one is an aerosol spray that has powder that absorbs the oil leaving your hair will looking freshly washed! The only part of my hair that starts to look oily is in the very front where my bangs part. So I sprayed away, brushed the powder out and was ready to go. Awesome! With my hair being so dark I only do a light spray (the powder is white and you have to keep brushing until it disappears). 

And the last product for today - Goody Spin Pins.

Now that both kids are in swim lessons, and Ava's is a Mommy and Me class, I have to have my hair pulled back everyday. With my new layered cut pulling it into a cute bun is a hassle, and my hair is still too long to just put it in a ponytail without having it get all wet. I read about these in a magazine and decided to try them out. They come in a set of two ($6 @ WalMart) and you can choose between ones for dark hair or light hair. They work for all sorts of bun styles too. You just twist one through the top of your style and the other goes the opposite direction and you are done! They say you don't even have to put it into a ponytail first, but it felt too loose for me. I love that I don't have to put 50 million bobby pins in, and the spin pins are actually more comfortable then regular bobby pins!

Those are just a few of the hair products I love!

T-Ball

The season is over so now I can post about it...Last night Nathan had his last t-ball game. He LOVED playing and can't wait for next year! Tyler & Nathan do all sorts of sports things together and have been working on throwing and hitting the ball for awhile so we were glad to learn that the team could do "coach- pitched" instead of having to hit off the tee. It was so fun for him to be able to play on the same team as some of his school friends and they all improved so much. Here are some great action shots my brother got yesterday:

         

       

Look how happy he is!

Ava loved wearing the batting helmets and trying to get home runs too! There was tons of red dirt for her to play in and we all worked on our farmers tans.

(notice how red she is~ it was SO HOT at some of the games! Thanks for the picture Gpa Rich)

Thanks everyone who came out and supported him! I know it meant a lot to him! Now on to our next adventure-swim lessons....