My summer with the kids

We're over halfway through with the summer, and I can't believe how busy it's been!  I was so nervous for summer to even start, because I didn't know what I was going to do with 4 whining, fighting kids!

I'm happy to say that it hasn't been that way at all!  I've really enjoyed them.  It seems like since the twins were born I was kind of living in a mode of just trying to get through each day.  But around the time that Preston turned one, I have just been having fun with the kids.

Matt and Asher were going to go on a Father and Son's camp out.  The weather was really bad, so we got a little fire pit and made s'mores, then set up the tent, and let them play in it for the evening.  They loved it, but it totally blew away by the morning.  I think we salvaged everything before it got lost.

A few weeks ago I was doing Mindy Spencer's hair, and she had brought her children to a brain balance center in St. George that her sister had opened.  So she was telling me what having a balanced brain means, and it really sounded like something Asher could benefit from after not having the best behavior in kindergarten. 
It's an expensive, and time consuming program, not to mention far away from us.  So I was thinking about going down, but one of the biggest things they teach, is to cut down on screen time.  That includes; TV, computers, video games, Ipads, Phones.  Anything like that.  So they say 30 min or less per day.  Then they cut out gluten and dairy, they think that all the food allergies are kind of involved with the brain not being balanced. 

Anyway!  Being lazy, I just cut down screen time to 30 min or less each day.  And it has taken care of all the issues we have been dealing with!  It's turned our little monsters into cute, sweet, creative kids!

Carrie and her family are out here, and the TV has just stayed off almost the whole time.  She noticed that her kids stopped asking for it too.  On Saturday it was going to rain in the afternoon, and Matt needed to mow the lawn, and I needed to go on a bike ride.  So I told Asher once he had finished his stuff he could do his screen time while I was gone.  He goes, "Mom, do I NEED to do screen time?"  I go, "No, I just thought you'd want to."  He said he'd rather paint.  I was very proud!  Before TV and the computer trumped every other activity.

I made a little smash cake for Preston, for his first birthday.  Then we had all the family that was in town over, and barbecued hamburgers.  It was fun, and as usual, Preston was happy and cute the whole time!

Here he is being cute, and chubby.

The kids were loving that move!

I had gotten the girls ready for church, and they were just being so cute.  I love when they sweet to each other.

Always happy!

She loves to pose!

One more person trying to get to the computer now.

This was Asher's last week of school.  This picture was taken at the end of May, and I think that was the last time his hair was cut.  Asher's been so good, and so sweet.  I started kind of a little boot camp thing with him when summer started.  He just had a long list of things he needs to do each day, like; eat breakfast, get dressed, do his nose drops, chores, scriptures, prayers, read for 20 min...

It has been so good for him.  He doesn't do everything everyday, but it's enough that it gives him the structure he needs, and I feel like it has really gotten the ball rolling with the things he's needed to work on.

Asher's choice of poses.

Preston got a little sand box, and Asher got a pool for their birthdays.  So it's not uncommon to see 4 kids in swimming suits in the sand box, or a ton of sand in the little pool. 

Even though the sand box is small, they all get along, and do well being so close together.

I've always wished that Asher was motivated to do things for money, or that he was interested in learning about money and how you can save it, spend it, etc. 

One day he decided that he wanted a little laser from walmart.  So he asked if he could do a lemonade stand. We only had grape juice, and he was lucky we had that! We never have juice.  So he stayed out in the 95 degree heat for hours.  He sold his candy from the parade, and juice.  Within a couple of hours he had made over $6. 

I was downstairs working, and the other kids were asleep.  But I had a neighbor kid over to babysit while I worked, so she and Asher just worked the stand all afternoon.  I'd come out and check on them periodically.  This was the last time I came out.  The table was abandoned, change everywhere, and the table was super dirty.  But I was so proud of him.  He stuck to it, almost to the clean up stage!