Welcome Home Grammy & Pa!

Mark's parents have been serving faithfully as missionaries in Ukraine since January 2012. When they left we were not even aware of we were pregnant, but just 7 weeks later we found out we had triplets waiting to join us. So they came home this July and met 4 new grandkids, including the triplets.

How many does it take to entertain triplets?

Swimming when it's 109 with cousins. Living the good life. 

Play time with Pa

Pocket Frogs

We attended a Maxwell reunion while in southern Utah, and the petting zoo and pony rides were a favorite.

Creighton unsure about the pygmy goat

Thea petting the sweetest little donkey

Paxton confirming that he really does hate animals

Horse ride triplet style... not moving

 

Just love these girls!

Two fussy babies led to a 3 baby picture moment

 Some of the Maxwell cousins with Grammy & Pa

July fun with friends

 The 4th of July parade with our neighbors the Hansen's!

 Makaela making butter and yarn dolls with friends

The 24th of July float parade preview. The best way to see the parade! We have doubled our families since the last time we all went together (us & Shimoda's)

 Loving their new ride

Stylin' in some lego helmets

Other fun moments

My cousin Bronson married a darling girl, Hilary, on his birthday, no less. It was an incredible weekend full of wonderful moments. A few pictures after the ceremony and before the bride & groom appeared were certainly in order.

Girl Cousins (and our girls) It was just us 6 girls holding down the fort growing up at Garrick events.

All the girls together, in-laws, aunts, cousins, kids! Now we have reinforcements and have grown! So wonderful!

My family

 With girls you do cindy-loo-who hair, but Makaela taught me that with boys you do mohawks!

Little baby boy mohawks right now.

 The girls rock climbing at the Fun Friday at Fat Cats!

4th of July

We started our 4th of July with the neighborhood parade (as usual). And on the way home from the parade Paxton & Creighton kept us laughing as they nodded off to sleep while sitting up in their choo-choo wagon.

And just a few hours later Weston fell asleep while floating in the pool.

But Creighton was styling in his sister goggles

 

 The swim party

 The fireworks in our front yard while babies slept in the comfort of their cribs (finally)

Good-Bye to our Tempe

 10+ years ago I visited the Humane Society and found a darling puppy with a tag on her cage that read, "puppy: great dane mix. here because she was too much puppy for her prior home." Her ginormous paws won my heart along with her big snout and brown eyes.

Well in a weeks time Tempe stopped eating, and started really struggling to be able to get around. She was taken to the vet 3x in a week and was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that was moving rapidly. Then in just a few hours she went from having to be lifted up 2 steps to not being able to stand or walk at all. And we knew it was the end. Mark slept in the kitchen by her during her last night as whined and worried the hours away, and when morning came we carried all 130lbs of her to the vet to say good-bye.

We love you Tempe. You were always so big and cuddly. A perfect Maxwell dog.

Princess Festival

We enjoyed an afternoon at the Princess Festival! It was such an experience. The little girls particularly enjoyed going on "adventures" where they hunted dragons, helped Cinderella find her glass slipper, or even freed Rapunzel from evil.

Ella got her face painted with rainbows and stars

Thea & Robin Hood

Weston trying to steal some shaved ice. It was 104' and the entire festival was outside. We were all grateful for anything that helped us stay cool. 

The only "princess" Makaela wanted her photograph with. She must know those are real diamonds

Thea loved every moment of this pretend world.

Get-aways & Welcome Summer!!!

We had a wonderful week with our friends in Park City! We enjoyed eating out, eating chocolate, going for walks, touring museums, visiting the park, discovering bounce houses, and just spending time together. Our friends, The Shimoda's, had been living in Australia so having them move back was worth a celebratory vacation! After all, it is the relationships we make that are the most important things in this life. Our families and close friends give us memories and support that we will forever cherish both here and into the eternities.

Makaela watching the moose swim in the pond across the street from where we stayed. It was very cool to watch her meander around. She even surprised us when we opened our front door about 30 minutes later and she was just 15 feet away! Ella was not nearly as thrilled as the rest of us.

We went walking on this trail one afternoon and I remembered the camera! 

Consequently, I have a lot of pictures from this adventurous afternoon. 

Creighton

 So glad for good helpers. Even if it's only on the downhills.

 Paxton

 Weston playing with the grass

Thea & Ethan discovered a pussy willow that they were determined to get. It took both of them pulling with all their might for a few minutes to obtain the prize. 

 Victory!

Makaela & Ellie are getting older. They were perfectly content to walk and talk like little grown-up women. 

And we managed to have our first day of summer party on the first day of summer this year (last year we had to do it early to accommodate me being in the hospital). The trade this year was that Mark didn't get to make his elf as he spent the creating time chasing triplets.

Zoo Day!

We had time to enjoy the Lego displays, both the hands on and the professional displays.

 Summer just keeps on flying by. The days are melting away as fast our popsicles in the 100+ degree temperatures. I am trying to get better at being ok with messy floors and laundry that is always behind so we can make the most of each day.