California Trip - October 2010

Enjoy our video slideshow of our adventures in California in October 2010. We saw friends and visited old stomping grounds, then met up with Beth's family to visit her sister Leah and her new husband and then play at Legoland and Disneyland and the beach.

Happy Halloween

Our front door

Pumpkins. Kayden: scary face, Azure: funny face (carved by Kayden), Boston: white ghost, Beth: Goofy, Chad: Vinylmation Mickey, McCoy: Buzz Lightyear

Excited Azure Dinosaur

Boston a.k.a. Spiderman, showing off his web face

Kayden: homemade robot costume, Boston: Spiderman, McCoy: Buzz Lightyear

Art Projects

The PTA has an art contest every year and it gives the kids the opportunity to really think about creating something. Here's our submissions for this year. The theme is "Together We Can". They both had a lot of fun and really put a lot of time and effort into them. It's so nice to have my dining table back!!!!!

Together We Can Celebrate

by Boston

Together We Can Live and Play

by Kayden

Together We Can Discover

by Kayden

Labor Day Hike

My parents came to visit from Oregon for Labor Day weekend. Amidst the throwing up of our family, my sisters family and my mom, we did get to see and do a lot. On Friday, we all rode our bikes on a path to a pond and had a picnic dinner. Kayden complained for about 20 minutes because he had a crash on his bike a couple months earlier and didn't want to try again. After Chad's patience and my impatience, he finally took off and now loves bike riding - until the next crash.

On Saturday, the flu bug started hitting and a few of us went to Mirror Lake and surrounding areas. It was so crowded there and we attempted fishing, but with the wind and the amount of people, we soon packed up to go find a less crowded location. We finally found a lake that you had to hike up to. It was about a 2 mile hike completely up hill. About 1/3 of the way up, the flu bug hit my mom and another of my sister's boys so they headed back to wait out the horrid 24 hour illness over the porcelain throne and the Hutchings clan headed the rest of the way up.

When it comes to hiking, my boys do not complain. I already explained the biking whine, but with hiking, these boys push and push to make it to our destination and love every bit of it. Kayden looks for creatures and critters, Boston always has a stick in hand and is on a lookout for an even better one and McCoy just enjoys being part of the boys. He was packed on Chad's back the whole way up, but walked every step coming down with bruises to prove it. When he would fall, he would say "I died" and get back up and go again.

Taking pictures of a waterfall.

Kayden explorer.

Our destination. It was beautiful.

Our family - we were the only ones at the lake, so a tree held the camera for us.

Azure and Mommy sporting our shades.

Lava Hot Springs

One week after school started, we took our last summer vacation and went camping at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. We had it planned for a couple months, but when it arrived, the forecast for the whole weekend was rain. Well, it down-poured there, but because of that, the boys will definitely remember the trip and are already asking to go again in the winter.

Cool/rainy weather seems like a perfect time to go there. The water ranges from 102 degrees to 112 degrees and feels amazing when it's raining outside. The pool with waterslides is heated as well, so it was much warmer to be in the 90 degree pool than out of it in the wind.

At the entrance to the hot pools at 8:30 in the morning. It is the perfect time to beat crowds and well, we were up so why not!

Enjoying one of the hot pools. Your body really only allows you to stay in for a short time.

Azure taking his afternoon nap after a morning of swimming.

Chad with the 3 oldest in the pool. The thunder clouds are rolling in the background. We had to leave shortly after this because of lightning and then we hung out under a pavilion while it drenched the city and then headed to the hot pools to enjoy their warmth in the drizzling rain.

Back to School

Kayden started 2nd grade and Boston started Kindergarten this year! Chad went into work a little later that day, so we could tag team to drop them off in their classrooms. McCoy had to be in the back to school picture and to be honest, I think he was just as excited because it means that he's the oldest at home now and can make up most of the rules.

It's only been 3 weeks, but it's been a good year so far and they are both still excited about school and happy to learn.

In the front yard before heading up the street to school.

Azure along for the ride and of course enjoying every minute.

He is always enjoying life with a huge smile.

Kayden opted for a shoulder bag this year as it was 'more cool' and Boston chose Star Wars Clone Wars for his first backpack.

Boston on his first day in his classroom.

Kayden at his new desk.

It was my last week of cake decorating class, so I chose to make them a cake.

Boston is 5!

Boston celebrated his 5th birthday. He had so much fun and just kept saying, "I can't believe I'm the birthday boy!" Chad's parents were in town to drop off their youngest at college, so he felt pretty special.

He and Kayden worked to put together the new Hero Factory toy that Boston got. He also got the Star Wars apron that he's wearing and wore it the entire night at Boondocks.

We went to Boondocks (family fun center) that night. Here he is riding with Kayden in a boat and Gpa Hutchings is shooting them with water.

Boston with his Aunt Breanna riding the go carts.

He requested a Lego Bionicle cake and I got to make it at the cake decorating class that I've been taking with my sister just for fun.

Pool Time

For the past month, we've been spending nearly every day in the new addition to our backyard - our pool. It is a 4 feet deep, 18 feet wide pool that was 50% off and being that I was overwhelmed by the size of my garden, we decided to make the growing place half as big. Here are a few shots.

And just for fun, here are a couple of our 6 month old, Azure. He is the most content baby. He smiles at everyone and truly makes raising the other 3 crazies doable, as he is my cheerful medicine.

Summer Sun

It's summer now.  It's been so long since we've blogged and there is no way I could catch up.  Here's a very quick recap:

---Kayden completed 1st grade
---We went to Sacramento for the kids to attend the annual Grandma & Grandpa Hutchings camp
---Chad was the Grinch in the Kaysville City musical, Seussical the Musical (he and the entire show were so good!)
---2 weeks of swim lessons
---Camping in the backyard
---Parade, BBQ and fireworks with cousins over July 4th

and lots of water, crafting, building, playing, gardening, exploring, day trips to water parks, aquarium, etc.

The picture above just sums up our summer so far. . . everything BOY and SUMMER!  (They were all sweating in the jeans, but we were doing some annual pictures of them.)

Promises on future blogging in the summer cannot be made with 4 boys at home and some summer relaxing, but we hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are ours.

Spring Break 2010

Monday:

We made a rainy day craft inside in the morning and then went and saw How to Train Your Dragon with our friends, the Lewis family, in the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed it, except the man in front of McCoy who was the sad recipient of McCoy's sippy cup flying through the air and into his head. Luckily, he had kids with him and didn't seem to mind that much.

Tuesday:

Sledding

We woke up to 8.5 inches of snow on Tuesday and decided to make the best of it and go sledding.

Wednesday:

Goblin Valley State Park

We left early Wednesday morning to head southeast. Our first stop was Goblin Valley - a boys paradise!

Thursday:

Indian Ruins and Natural Bridges National Monument

We hiked to see the cliff dwellings that we at a random stop on the side of the road and then at Natural Bridges we took this hike that literally went down the side of a cliff. The path was steps that were chiseled out of the side of the cliff face. Needless to say, I was quite a bit weary of the whole idea, but it was definitely worth the hike!

Friday:

Canyonlands National Park

Beautiful park with a lot of fun hiking trails. The boys especially enjoyed Whale Rock, which is basically this giant rock that looks like a whale and you get to hike up the back up of it. That night we stayed in Moab and it was warm enough for us all to swim in the hotel's outdoor pool.

On the way to Moab, we turned on a quick byway and were able to see some petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks.

Saturday:

Arches National Park

This place is breathtaking! The boys made it on hikes to quite a few arches, but they enjoyed the Sand Dunes Arch the best where they were able to play in really fine sand. After we were done here, we headed back north.