Castle Rock Loop

 There are quite a few "family friendly hikes" here in Boise!  Now that the girls are getting older we have been having a ton of fun exploring all of the different places to go!

 Aunt Lisa bought Hannah a Camelbak a while back and it has been awesome to have on our hikes!  She stays hydrated and we don't have to stop every 2 feet to give her a drink of the water we are carrying!  So, we thought it would be nice for Aspen and Brooke as well!  They love them just as much as their big sister and it sure helped today because there was MINIMAL shade on this hike! 

 Taylor LOVES the view from Johns back!  This was the only shot of her awake since she quickly fell asleep and stayed asleep until the end.  Such a cutie!

 Aspen and Brooke have become great little hikers!  They were drinking water non stop and walking very SLOWLY, we had to limit their water intake to speed up the process lol! :)

 This one is for you Grandma Pat!  Hannah found the biggest tumbleweed on our hike and begged to bring it home so we could send it to you!

 Taking a break in the shade of a giant rock.  Such troopers!

 We really need to hire a photographer to come on all of our excursions so that we can all be in the pictures!  Packing up 4 kids and a dog almost always guarantees we will forget the tripod....  sigh.

 A little bit too much of a climb for the twins, but they did amazing!  We'll wait till next summer to do it again..

And documented proof I really was there! ;)

Salt Lake City-Take Two

4th of July

 Today we have more than one reason to celebrate!  First because we live in this amazing country that gives us not only the freedom to dream, but live out those dreams if we so choose.....  and Second,  because Grandma came to town! 

 Photo shoots have become nothing short of difficult, the more eyes and smiles you add....  the more difficult it is to capture them at the same time!  But we gave it our best shot and here are a handfull of our favorites!

 I Love this one!

 Such cuties they all are! 

 It amazes me every day how quickly they are growing!

 I guess scrunching your nose when you smile runs in the family....  It has been a while since Taylor has seen my Mom, yet they have almost exact nose scrunches!

 We decided to go to Boise this year for the fireworks, but before we left John and the girls put on a little show of our own in the driveway!

 Then we headed to BSU where John works!  We went to the top of a parking garage and got the VIP treatment since we are officially "The friends or family of Parking and Transportation" or something like that! :)  One of John's co-workers told us the hot spot to sit and even let the girls hop in the back of one of the trucks that belongs to BSU to get an even more elevated view of the show!  Let me tell you, they were THRILLED!

 Freeze pops again!  Family favorite this summer!

 And then Taylor woke up....  She fell asleep on the way to the fireworks since it doesn't get dark until after 10pm here...  At some point she woke up and stayed in the above confused state for a while. :)  Definitely not sure where we were and why the heck we were there!

 This pic just makes me smile :)

 Taylor was digging the glowsticks....  or at least chewing on them...

 We seriously had front row seats at the top of a parking garage!  And absolutely no waiting to get in or out or home!

 Mesmorized

 The girls were so excited they would cheer and squeal at all of the beauty!  It was very sweet at the end as Aspen was yelling....  "Bye bye stars!"  The twins don't remember fireworks from last year and the closest thing Aspen could relate them to were the stars!  Wouldn't that be neat...  If shooting stars looked like fireworks!

 Even Taylor was amazed by the beauty!  Fearless too, none of the booms even made her flinch!

We had a blast! (Hardy... har... har...!) It was SO beautiful, especially from the best seats in town!

3yr Checkup

 Going to the doctor with all 4 girls is always an adventure!  It never fails that I get lots of smiles and "Good job Mom!"  When people watch as I try to control our crew long enough to make it to the safety of the exam room behind a closed door! 

 We have been so blessed to be the parents of 4 perfectly healthy girls!  Sometimes it seems as though winter will never pass and the common cold truly resembles the plague in our household, but considering we have never had any major illness/injuries, We'll take it!

Aspen is currently 33lbs and 39in tall.  She is in the 70th percentile for weight and the 95th for height! Her BMI is 15.2, the 30th percentile for her age. (Yes they now measure you're BMI as a child!)  Brooke is currently 32lbs and 39in tall.  She is in the 65th percentile for weight and the 95th for height!  Her BMI is 15.1, the 30th percentile as well.

 I know it looks like Taylor might be on the verge of crying, but she's not!  This is her I'm really excited smile/laugh when she closes her eye, scrunches her nose, and opens her mouth as big as it will go! :)

 And Dr.Aguilar.  We really have the best Pediatrician in the Valley and I am honored to be able to work with him side by side at the hospital.  He is one of the most caring and compassionate persons I know.  The girls really like him and are always so proud to tell him of all of their accomplishments when we go for a visit.  Believe it or not, he seems just as excited to hear them!  That's what makes him the best!  Everyone who goes to see Dr.Aguilar feels like they are his favorite patient!  That's how it should be!  :)

Dr.Aguilar has been Hannah's doctor since she was 14 months old and has been there since I delivered the other three.  It's amazing to think that we just went for the twins 3yr visit as it was not too long ago that we were there for their 1week visit pictured above! 

Blessed.... simply blessed!