The Ranch

We spent the Fourth of July at the Ranch in Woodland Hills. The kids look forward to going each year because they can swim, boat and fish in the pond up there. There is a rope swing, diving board and inflatable "dock" in the middle of the pond. The kids didn't stop playing until well after dark. We also ended up spending the night which was cool because the kids got to see a deer and an elk as they wandered through the fields and mountains that surround the property. In spite of the hot and windy night as well as Kai's insanley loud snoring, I think they slept well. I ended up sleeping in the cab of the truck because of the bugs that were out and the tight fit in the tent. They got up early and hit the water before we finally went home about noon. Needless to say, we also slept hard that night.

I think the picture is funny!

This was early in the morning after camping out

Fourth of July

We decided to light fireworks at the house the night of July 3rd since we weren't going to be around on the 4th. Cynthia went out and bought a huge package with over 50 different types of fireworks to light. We told Kai we would get more for him if he did some additional things during his daily tutoring session, which he did.Some of the neighbors came over and watched with us for about an hour.

Father's Day

My Father's Day present finally came yesterday. Apparently FREE shipping also means SLOW shipping. I took it out for a spin this morning and it's pretty freaking nice!

Taylor's First Swim Meet

Taylor had her first swim meet today. She had a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes. I think she was nervous during her first match and came in 1st by almost a full pool length. Maybe this was good because once she settled down she came in 2nd and 3rd in her two remaining races.

Keanu's 2nd Birthday

The 19th was Keanu's 2nd birthday. He got a little car swing just for himself and a Diego toy. He opened the presents early in the morning and had cake later that night. I think the swing was his favorite present. When he woke up everyone kepy wishing him a happy birthday. I don't think he had any idea what was going on but certainly liked getting a swing.

Taylor's Birthday

Today was Taylor's 10th birthday. She started out the day by having a big breakfast which consisted of belgian waffles, bacon and grapes. The original plan was for them to go to 7 Peaks Water Park in Provo, however those plans were derailed due to the insanely cold and freakish weather we have been having. Instead they went to lunch at Steph's house and then on to see a matinee. They saw that panda movie with Jack Black. Cynthia took the 3 kids plus Ashton, Laura Ann, Whitly and Adelie. They later had dinner and desert at Grandma Cope's house. Allan missed everything but managed to find a new bike for Taylor because her old one was beat to death. All in all it wasn't a half bad day. Next week is Keanu's birthday...

Major Announcement!!!!

Cynthia has a big announcement that everybody should wait for...It's HUGE!!!

Disclaimer: For those of you who wrongly assumed, Cynthia is not pregnant. I merely put a picture of a fetus to help illustrate that there was a big announcement forthcoming. Bear in mind that "big" and "huge" are relative terms and mean different things to different people.