Every year it seems like summer goes by so fast, this year has been no different. I don't know if it goes by so quickly because it is my favorite season or because you get to have the most fun with less work, or if it is just because it really is only 3 months out of the year??? I don't know but it has been a fun one for sure, So since I have been busy enjoying the summer while it lasts I haven't really been updating the blog, so here's the run down of whats been going on with us Bateman's!
LAKE POWELL
Let me start off by saying that this summer has made me realize that I need to be better at getting the camera out and taking pictures because it is kinda lame how few pics I have of all the stuff we have done!
Ok so last year when I went to Lake Powell with Devin and his family we were just dating so it was fun relaxing time with my handsome boyfriend... This year we are a family, so it is still fun but not so relaxing time with my handsome hubby and our 2 kids:) Overall I think the kids really enjoyed our time there, but me being the worrisome mother that I am may have smothered them just a bit;)
In this picture the were playing with the 2 lizards we caught, Camden named his Zander and Mariah named hers Lake Powell.
Poor Camden was barely able to move around the house boat without me on top of him about his life jacket and where he was at all times. The worst was at night, I didn't sleep almost the whole time we were there because I was afraid that he was going to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or something and end up falling into the lake. Thats just how I am so my kids are going to have to deal with it:) We brought fishing poles thinking that the kids might enjoy that, in the end we found out that they are still not old enough to have the patients for something like that yet, so Devin and I enjoyed fishing a bit. One of the days it was really windy out so Devin took the kids out to the end of the cove that we were camping in an then they swam back since the wind would basically push them back to camp. Here I go being a worry wart again, but they started out as these 3 little heads way out in the distance, and as they got closer one of the little heads was floating farther and farther away from the Devin and the other little head. I was yelling at him to get which ever child it was. Turns out it was Mariah, and they were all fine and enjoying the float in. Looking back I don't know what I was worried about, they had life jackets on and the wind would eventually push them into camp. I think I just don't like the fact that if something had gone wrong there wasn't anything I could have done about it.
Mariah pretty much loved anything we did, she loved being on the boat, catching lizards, hiking, playing in the water, and just hanging out. She is like her momma and just loves to be out side in the summer. I think this picture is so cute of her!
Camden was not so hip on the camping thing. He kept asking, "When are we going to go back to our awesome house with the bunk beds?" He is a home body. He is always fun to have around tho. He keeps us laughing. One day Bryn asked him what his mom's name is, he said "Carli" and she asked, "what is her last name?" "Momma" he answered "Carli Momma". So that became the nick name that stuck for the trip. At the end of the trip I asked the kids what their favorite part of the trip was, Camden said that the only thing he liked about the whole trip was the night that we built a camp fire. He loved helping Dad get all the wood and start the fire. The whole family gathered around and we made smokes (with strawberry marshmallows because I thought that sounded like it would be good, and BJ concurred with me that it was delicious!) So we all ate smokes and listened to Grandpa Bateman tell a camp fire story that was quite entertaining to us all. At night before bed we would tell stories with the kids, this is when we found out how creative Camden really is. His stories involved bears (named Zander... turned out to be the theme name of the trip) lizards, aliens, hunters and magic. He was very entertaining.
One of the last days that we were there we hiked Hole in the Rock... with the kids... I had never hiked it before but I figured that since everyone else had and they didn't say anything about the kids not going that it was probably an ok hike for them... wrong!
It took us about 3 hrs. We basically lifted the kids up and down the whole thing. Thankfully BJ was there to help out too because at the end they were spent and whining and we were tired and hot. BJ carried Mariah for the last bit back to the lake, Sydney's flip flop broke so Devin carried her, and I carried Camden. The sand had to have been over 100 degrees and it would get into your water shoes and just fry your feet. Jumping in the lake never felt soooo good!
They are quite the little buds. Camden loves doing whatever dad is doing!
Sydo and the Kiddo's!
It ended up being a really fun trip (Devin dream vacation might I add). I loved spending time with my new Bateman family. I have so much fun with them and feel blessed to be able to call myself a Bateman!
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY... RIGHT!
It is really a shame that I have to do so many hard things for work...
Gym sleepover! Every summer we do a gym sleepover for the team girls. This year Kaylee and I had lots of fun with all of the girls, they made forts, we ate pizza, (I did some giants on the bars, I was so proud of myself), we played games, and watched Stick It! I really do love my job! That was Kaylee's last sleepover with us though because she had to move to Seattle for her hubby's school :( I am still really sad about it. She was so much fun to work with.
I am looking forward to coaching my first competition season this fall. I know my girls are going to do great!
MARIAH TURNS 7!!!!
And here is the finished product. I am quite proud with this being my first try, and it actually tasted really good.
We had about 20 kids at the party, thankfully there were a lot of adults there to help too.
With so many kids in the pool Cam had me worried that he was going to try out his new swimming skills without me knowing, but he did great and had a blast with all of the other kids.
We tried to put up some fun decorations in the backyard.
She looks terrified but that is just her cheesy smile:)
Camden taking a whack at it!
Blowing out the candles!
She was sooo spoiled with presents, you would have thought it was Christmas!! It was a fun day for such a cute girl. She is growing up so quickly I can't believe it. I remember turning 7 and thinking that I was such a big girl. I can't believe I have a 7 year old now. She is such a smart little girl who loves anything arts and crafts. She loves to me my little helper and has even started having chores. She is so friendly and has so many friends, she will be friends with anyone and everyone. She is a great little reader and loves to go to the library and get lots and lots of books to read. I feel so blessed to be her mommy.
My Birthday!
Ok so the next few things I have to share I don't have any pictures for. I think this is the first year that I actually forgot about my birthday until just a few days before. Remember when you were little and your birthday felt like it was a special day? Yeah it is just another day now. And I feel like I am getting old... I tried to tell Mariah that I was turning 24 again and she said that I can't do that:) Well my cute hubby woke me up with my favorite breakfast, french toast, that he had gotten up early to make. He got the kids all ready for church so I didn't have to worry about that, and he got me the most awesome gift, a mac book pro!!!! I love it! My old hand me down laptop was dying and I had mentioned that I had never had my own new computer, that they were always hand me down's, so he got me my first new computer and it rocks!! I wish I could post the video on here (I'm not smart enough to do that yet) of me opening my present. Devin spent hours wrapping the computer and putting it in a bigger box, then wrapping, and an even bigger box until the present that I opened was in a box big enough for the kids to get into (which is what they did, they now have little play houses out of the boxes). Seriously how cute is he? I love him so much and am so lucky to have him as my handsome hubby!!
BALLET!!
Mariah decided that she does not like gymnastics and that she wanted to try ballet. So I found a place here in provo and signed her up. She looks so cute in her little pink leo and tights with a pretty bun on top of her head. She has gone twice now and she says she loves it. I just can't believe how expensive it is for how little I feel that they do. Oh well I will let her keep doing it for awhile and see in a couple months if I feel like it is worth it.
BABY DAMON
Last but not least we got to meet our new nephew baby Damon. He is so adorable! Devin's brother Michael John, his wife Breeann, and their kids Sophie, MJ, and Damon were able to come out for a visit this summer. It was so fun getting to see Mariah and Camden play with their new cousins. Sophie and Mariah played princesses while Camden and MJ battled it out super hero style with swords! They even blessed Damon while they were here so we all got to be there for that. It was so fun getting to know them better, I wish they lived closer so that the kids could play more often.
