Lots to catch up on!

So, you may have heard about our trip to Virginia Beach...it really was fun! I am not sure I will make that drive again anytime soon (sorry Kirstynn). Maybe I just need some time to get over the trauma?! It was so great to rub Kirstynn's cute pregnant lil bitty belly. She was nice enough to give up the two extra rooms in her house so we could overtake them. We visited the aquarium, got VIP treatment at Krispy Kreme, and of course...went to the beach!



When we were at the beach, Marley & Ky were in heaven. It took us a minute to get use to the sticky salt water, but once we did it was pure bliss. We collected shells, built sandcastles, and even saw dolphins! I love the beach! One morning I woke up extra early and ran to the beach...it really was awesome. Running on the boardwalk took me to my happy place.



It really was a nice trip, and the ride home went much smoother! Ky saw hermit crabs for sale by the beach, and has wanted one ever since. So, being the pushover mom that I am, I bought him some when we got back. He named them Fire & Ice. He swears they are better than dogs. I give that about a month to wear off! But for now, they are a hit! Marley, being the sweetheart that she is, just picks them up and throws them if she gets a chance. Naughty naughty.

And, last month, Matt and Ky were in our friends wedding. So handsome, huh? Ky was the "ring master" (as he called it), and Mattson was the best man. It was a beautiful ceremony & a fun reception! As you can see below, Ky was geeked about riding in the limo!

Summer fun in Cali

Eli learned how to swim!!!! Swimming lessons paid off! Darius took them, too.
Dad came to visit! We had a great time together AND he fixed about 20 things in our house!
Scenic view from our camp out, 3 hours North of here. We were really roughing it - this was taken from the restaurant we ate at (due to the freakn' ants that attacked half of our food). Beautiful, huh!?
This is Lake Isabella, near our camp ground. The kids loved swimming in it. We loved the boat ride, too, till we got stuck in the middle of the lake. We paddled and paddled forever, but didn't know the winds picked up mid-day and made it IMPOSSIBLE to get back. We even hopped out of the boat at one point, trying to swim and drag the boat. Luckily, a little fisherman felt sorry for us and dragged us in w/ his motor boat. Good times.
We're loving our proximity to Sea World! It's AWESOME - lots of shows that you can sit down and watch. You don't have to stand in line for hours and hours.

Summer with the Stoffers

KISSES!!!

Just a few updates from the Royal Oak clan...

Derek started skateboarding again. In the 18 months since his accident, a new indoor skate park opened in Royal Oak. The vert ramp isn't a high as the one he was skating on before, but Derek said he's going to "start out slow." It's great because if you get A's and B's on your report card, you can skate for free. they have "Fossil Night" for skaters 20 and older, AND they have a room for birthday parties!!!! Guess where we're celebrating Derek's 40th next year!

We checked out the new outdoor skate park in Farmington over the weekend. Mikey got dressed in his skating gear and Derek pushed him around on his skateboard.

Mikey's potty training went well for a couple weeks, then he was done. He started up again, letting us know when he needs to go, instead of running around without a diaper on. He'll sit on the toilet and say "here it comes" a couple minutes before he goes. He's also obsessed with flushing the toilet and will wake up in the middle of the night, flush the toilet, then run back to bed. The kid is hilarious.

This is Mikey's latest past time... gross huh? Please tell me your kids went through this phase too...

Katie's 1/2 birthday is today! The last 6 months went by way too fast. (It almost makes me want to have another one... Derek says I can - with my next husband. Haha) She's 14 lbs 1 oz and 25 1/2 inches long. Her physical therapy ends next week. Her stiff neck is gone and she doesn't favor one side over the other anymore. No helmet will be needed, even though her heads still a little mis-shapen. We're hoping her head will round out with time. She's rolling more now and is trying really hard to sit by herself.

Katie's eating solids now. It must take a lot out of her. Here she is yesterday after eating some pears.

I made here some butternut squash the other day. She really likes it :) The snap peas are from our garden. Thanks for the seeds, Ken!

She's got those "Stoffers Cheeks."

Two Laree's

Last but DEFINITELY not least....I got to go pick up my baby in Arizona (hooray she is back).  So I couldn't pass up the chance to take a picture of my two favorite "Laree's"!  I missed this girl BIG time!  

Pioneer Day Parade in HOT Vegas.....

Then Jamie, Matt and the kids came to Vegas for Pioneer Day weekend! Our primary made a float on our trailer, so my father-in-law towed that while Jason was in back with our ladder fire truck! Jamie was SUCH a complete good sport and came on the float with both kids!  It was a little too hot though to be out there.  Luckily the parade only lasted about 30 minutes.    

Also got to see the childrens....

After the fourth of July, I got dropped off at Jamie's house and got to play with her and the kids for a few days while Matt went to Vegas.  Never a dull moment with them....I LOVE IT.

Where to Start...

Finally got some pictures uploaded. From the FOURTH OF JULY no less. Jason, Ross and I went up to Utah. Galen came up on the day of the fourth and spent it with us and the Wolfley family. We had a great time, trying to get the barbecue to light while it kept catching on fire! Then saw some AMAZING fireworks right from the driveway of our front yard! Also went hiking with Galen up in the flippen mountains.  I thought I was gonna die most of the time and had to grab onto Galen's backpack for fear of falling down the side of the mountain. (of course it wasn't that bad). We had big fun!