Summer randoms, rockets, fireworks,circus acts & bye bye summer 2016!

Harper got a launching rocket for his birthday and we piled up the kids into the back of their truck and found a spot to launch it...after a few failed attempts, none of us were particularly attentive when the rocket shot up into the air. We ended up following it for a mile or so and even found where it landed. As luck would have it, it landed on a rooftop adjacent to a family get together that happened to be across the street, so, we had over a few dozen witnesses to the majesty of the rocket!

Baby D and Kiri playing at Grandma and Grandpa's on the Fourth of july!

Fourth of July Festivities in Evanston.

Like father like son, Baby D LOVES his baths!

We took the kids to a circus....after which I decided that I hate the circus...clowns:fail! Stinky poop smell:fail! Ridiculously overpriced fair food:fail! Treatment of animals:Fail! Trying to get a picture with Mexican Spiderman circus performer:fail! Waiting in line to try to get a $45 ride on an elephant: fail! The worst fail was the treatment of the performers...as I watched this guy, balanced on five different levels of OSHA UNapproved scaffolding, juggling/carrying over fifty pounds of breakable plates, fire and other random things and begging, pleading for the audience to have some type of reaction (which did not happen since everyone was so focused on getting their $10 cotton candy and $20 stale popcorn)  I realized I HATE the circus and will not be attending another one again!

  

last trip with all the cousins on the Chiu side before school starts

Lia is OBSESSED with the crossed eye-ed picture pose!

 

my mom took this picture of me and baby D

A rare few get to witness the true Happy Lia giggling...she is happy because she thinks she's snuck the crossed-eyed pose into this picture...she's such a little trickster!

Parker and Max seeing if they are taller than the plant

Baby D soaking up all the outdoor surroundings

this yummy burger shop we had lunch at before we parted ways...always attempting to take a Grandparents and all the grandchildren shot...

Break your heart good-byes!

Bye-Bye Summer 2016 we had a blast!!!

Sapporo opens in Rock Springs!

we learn in church that there is opposition in all things, light to dark, good to evil, so...it only made sense that on the opening day of Sapporo to our little city, Baby D would have to get stitches...it was much less dramatic (for me as well as for Baby D- funny how that works) than when Max got his stitches some 6 years prior. We called our good friend/Doctor, Jeff and made a makeshift operating table on our kitchen table and within in hour or so, Baby D was enjoying the drums, fire and food at Sapporo.

I think the drums were his favorite part!

...the fire was nice, too..

We celebrated two of our friends' birthdays at Sapporo

Their daughter was not a big fan of the fire shooting out of her mommy's head

dual Birthday candles!

Fancy!

Baby D was a seasoned Sapporo patron by the time we went with the rest of the kiddos!

Kiri got squirted by the mini toilet...and after she was the only one to catch the zucchini in her mouth (which she has now decided is one of four vegetables that are on her like list!)

Lia said, "I knew you were going to squirt me with your toilet thingy!!!"

The chef was such a fan of the kids that he made them all balloon animals/swords and asked to take a picture with them on his phone! Sapporo is definitely a crowd favorite amongst the Phillips' clan!

Pionner day and our first tomato!

Our first Yellow pear on our tomato bush!!! The Girls were so excited!

Pioneer day, sad to admit that as this woman spoke of her trials as a child, I stood there in horror as she described the freezing cold and how her toes had to be amputated. I kept thinking how good her balance seemed to be, it wasn't until the end that I figured she was just retelling a story of her Pioneer ancestry.

Pioneer day at the church and the girls got to wash their own clothes...they kept telling me afterwards that they could do their own laundry now, if I wanted them to!

Playing Pioneer games...to which Max commented, were pretty boring...what do you think the pioneer children did all day?

This was the highlight of the day (maybe second to the Popsicles) making their own butter. Max took a big taste and was sorely disappointed...it wasn't until we got home and I put some of his butter on a slice of fresh baked banana bread that he felt his 20 mins of "churning" to be worth it!