2015 first 7 months!

So, this year has been a crazy year!!  So much fun and so much excitement going on around here!  On August 20th, we will be moving to Hyderabad, India for 3 years!!  We are looking forward to sharing this adventure with you through our blog, but I would be remise if I didn't at least pay tribute to the fun time 2015 has been thus far!

Addison looked beautiful for her first Daddy/Daughter Dance!  She really loved this and had such a great time!

Some friends of ours, the Thraps, invited us to a fun spring break getaway!

It was still chilly, but it warmed up on the last day for some little boating!  In the meantime, we took some walks,

And some selfies, (I love this one because Addison is so happy she was able to "photobomb" us!  She still laughs about it when she sees this photo!

Though she didn't photobomb this one!

We visited some llamas.

and took more selfies!

Though we can't forget this cute group of kids!

Which we had to get once they were all in their life vests! 

 Evan is Andrew's best buddy. . . Evan is only about half way there on this point!

 We finished up some swim lessons as well as our membership at our gym.

 Got rid of our cat and got a dog whom we named Dax Tiberius.  He is a golden doodle and DOES NOT SHED!!!

 He's cute, and has doubled in size!

We got to go watch Evan play the Saxophone, which I'm so impressed that he could actually make music come out of!  He did such a great job!

We saw the last day of school come for these two, Evan finished 5th and Brayden 3rd.

Evan had a farewell to 5th grade and elementary school bash and was able to say good-bye to some friends he won't be seeing for a few years.

And of course, EVAN TURNED 11!  Which really does deserve it's own post, but well, it's just not happening this year!

He got some great presents!

Requested a magic themed cake. . . which I mostly was able to do ok!

 I also took them to the trampoline jump place.  They played for an hour and all came away with a headache and wet hair from sweating!

He wanted to eat out at Texas Roadhouse, so we went there after the trampoline place 

and that helped them all a ton!

He even got sang to and got an ice cream treat and sat on the saddle!  It was a great birthday for him and I can't believe he is so OLD!!

The end of June we took the kids to Idaho to visit Grandma and Grandpa Dance.  Josh and I left them in Idaho for a week while we went to India to find housing and schooling for the kids!  They did really well according to their Grandma Dance, and I just choose to believe her!

Josh and I got back in time to spend a few days in Idaho and we took the kids to the Idaho Falls temple visitor center.

It's crazy to think we got married there 12 years ago and with only about two weeks to go before the actual date, we were back there taking pictures with our 4 kids!  Time is an interesting thing.

We also got to spend the 4th of July in Idaho with family!

We had so much fun and made up some minute to win it type of games for the kids.

Marshmallow relays.

Bob for balls. . .  

and actually so many more that I didn't add in!  It was a lot of fun and the kids had a fabulous time!

Our kids got to experience 4th of July in a different way than they were used to, they got to experience setting of fireworks themselves!  Bottle rockets, and other such things that one buys at those fireworks stands alongside the road.  They had fun and enjoyed themselves a lot.

I forgot to give them the glow sticks on the 4th, so a couple of nights later, they had a glow stick party once it got dark.  It was worth it and really fun for them!

Josh went back to Iowa to work, but the kids and I stayed on in Idaho for another week.  We got to go up to yellowstone national park and explore around!

Cousins together!  We were in a three car caravan the whole day!  It was cool! You can see all the cool kids rode in my car (pictured above).

Here is my oldest and me at the painted pots!  We had been there last year and it had even changed in just that one year!  It's always so interesting and pretty to look at!

 Here we are at Old Faithful.  As you can see, Evan was one of my only children listening to me when it was time to take a picture!  So he got one of himself!

Here are the buffalo we saw!  Thank goodness!  I was so worried because it was all that Andrew had wanted to see!!  It was so awesome to show them to him!

They had Blackfoot pride days the last day we were there, so we went!  The kids got to climb the climbing wall for free!  Addison was super cute getting ready to climb, 

 and made it to the top!  

On our way home!  My niece Raven got to come back with us!  She was such a great help!  I miss her!

 We worked hard, but then played hard too!  We went to adventure land one last time before the big move!

They road some of the same old rides. . . 

Raven rode some of the crazy ones!

and some of our most favorite ones!!

 We even got Andrew to try this ride again because he believed that he didn't like it, but once he tried it this year, HE DID!! YEAH!

The Underground

The Teacups

which everyone loves!

and not pictured are my brave older two children trying new rides with Raven for the first time!  They rode rollercoasters and other rides they had not previously tried!  It was a successful trip all around!

The next day we went to the water park. . .unfortunately, cameras and water don't mix and we didn't get many photos!   But this turned into one of my favorite selfies of the year!

 We also took one last trip to the zoo. . . It was also a good time.  Camel rides, carousel rides, and train rides.  So fun!

Oh, and don't forget that Addison got a loose tooth.  She was DEVASTATED!!

She lost it a few weeks later and was just fine once she got the dollar the next morning!

It's been a great year so far, and a great summer!  We are busy getting ready for the movers to come this week and we are looking forward to all the paperwork being done!  I can't wait to update with all things we do and see in India!  See you on the other side of the world!!