First days of school

I was just as excited to see these kids off to school this month!

Makenzie is in 5th grade, which is in the middle school here!!!  I had just a bit of a hard time letting her go.  She has a locker and multiple teachers.  She is growing up way too fast!

Jordan is the big brother now at Lee Elementary and is in the 3rd grade.

And this guy is FINALLY in kindergarten!!  Gavin often tells me his days are "double awesome."  He always requests a turkey bacon sandwich for his lunch.  And he has stayed on a "green light" so far with good behavior.  This guy seems to be thriving!

And now I just have little Ellionna to keep me company during my days.  She has enjoyed being the queen of the house-- being able to watch whatever she wants on the TV without the older siblings complaining.  She even found my phone one day and decided to take 250 selfies of herself!!!  She also loves our little day outings which include the park, library, and pet store.  She gets all of mom's attention, and she loves it!!!

Life at the Sherman house

Jordan holds a special relationship with our animals.  He is very affectionate with them and shows them the most love.  This just captures one of those moments with Xela and him. 

Jordan bit his tongue while jumping on the trampoline.  Of course there was plenty of blood and screaming and crying.  Bandaids fix everything!  

The kids enjoying the trampoline! 

It makes Ellionna's short hair electrifying now!

We went on a hike one evening to the city's commonly known "Saddlerock."  We were impressed that Ellionna hiked the whole thing up, which was quite a feat!!

The kids are pretending to ride in the "saddle".

Xela with one of her new toys.  I try to find indestructible toys, but I have yet been successful!  She had the head off in a matter of two days.

Sometimes this little guy still gets tuckered out, which I don't mind seeing, except when we are just starting a shopping trip.  I would much rather let him sleep than wake him up to go inside the store!

 

Capturing random summer activities

I have not been good capturing our summer!  So this is what I have found.

We went on a boating/camping adventure with some friends.  

I couldn't help but capture these two cuties.

The water in this lake is so clear and beautiful!

We like to go bowling (for free) and then get the most out of a two person arcade ride afterwards.

 
This is the start of the harvest!  Salsa for now....

Showing off his art skills...

Swimming all afternoon and falling asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car.

 Teaching the kids how to be a midget- a favorite memory from Tyler's childhood.

Time for a change.... although not planned!

There's never a dull moment in the Sherman house!

Gavin got the bright impulsive idea that Ellionna needed a haircut.  Supposedly, she agreed.  So he started chopping away!!!

Oh, her beautiful long locks on the floor made me cry.  I keep saying it could have been so much worse! So we took her into a salon and they fixed her right up with a cute little A-line cut.  It took us several days to get use to the new Ellionna, although it didn't seem to phase her one bit.  She is a cutie  no matter what!!

Gavin's Happy Happy Birthday!

This summer birthday boy has turned 6!  His birth 6 years ago is one that will never be forgotten! This happy-go-lucky guy is easy to please and had a permanent smile on his face all day.  We spoiled him like a king.  We showered him with presents first thing in the morning.  We went out to the movies as a family (a rare occurrence) and then had some yummy chocolate cake.

Jordan decided to buy a nerf gun with his extra money.  Then Tyler felt left out and got one too!  We have had nerf bullets all over the house!

Minecraft sword in the back and nerf gun in the front.

I just love all the expressions that come from his face!

We have found that Gavin has matured quite a bit in the last few months.  We are very happy with our decision to hold him back an extra year from kindergarten.  We are confident that he will do very well in school this year!

It's a.... SHE!

We had the ultrasound for BABY #5!

The kids were excited to find out who is coming next....

They had a silly string fight... that revealed the color PINK.

They then enjoyed their chocolate HerSHEy bars!

Now there is a disclaimer:  We aren't for sure it is a little girl!  After several attempts to get a good peek, it just never happened.  We came to the conclusion that it is a girl.  Luckily my doc will give us another peek at our next appointment!

  

Utah Trip, Part 1

We have been looking forward to our Utah trip all year!  It was a jammed packed 2 weeks between both families.  Tyler's family has many memories of having to get out of the car to get state line pictures.  We had to do it just once with ours! 

My dad celebrated his 70th birthday with all his family there.

We had a fun BBQ in the backyard, where all the family played. 

Climbed trees and played laser tag

Had a water fight

And roasted marshmallows for s'mores. 

Here are my parents with all of their grandchildren.  

(Minus Chase, who is the only adult grandchild and in the military)

We did the Kannaraville hike one afternoon.  

It was quite the adventure with so many people!

It was hot and dry at first.

But, we eventually walked through a small creek and through some beautiful slot canyons.

We climbed a ladder by a water fall.

The kids found a natural waterslide that they enjoyed.  

They also enjoyed drying off on the rock in the sun.

We also spent a day enjoying the four wheelers and motorcycles. 

Ellionna got a ride with Uncle Dan.

The kids all took their turns on the smaller toys, so they could ride independently.  

 

Hailey, our teenage niece, crashed her motorbike at one point.  Tyler decided it as best to call an ambulance, as she was having a lot of back pain.  It was more of precaution, but it sure did bring more excitement to our day than planned.  After several tests at the ER, they deemed her well enough and she was discharged.

While all that was happening, we had the kids stop riding.  Gavin persuaded the younger kids to push him around without the engine on.  He has a talent at getting what he wants. 

And that was the highlights of the 2015 Bales Family Reunion.
Utah Trip, Part 2 (Sherman Reunion) is next.