Weekend with the Bedkes

Layne and Jake at the aquarium

Kayci looking at the stingrays

Say cheese, Karlee!

Abby and her cousin Jace in front of the fish tank.

The kids got to touch a dead seahorse.

Kayci's expression says it all.

Abby, Karlee, Jace, Madi, Kayci, Jake, Carter, Courtney, and Aubri

Sitting in the big boat at the aquarium.

The boys coolin' down with their popcicles on a hot summer day at Aunt Kathy's.

The kids coolin' off on the water slide.

Kayci, Abby, Jace, Madi, and Karlee

Jake parked it in the middle of the slide. The water must have felt really good.

It's a race to the finish. Go, Abby! Go, Jace!

All summer long our kids look forward to spending time with their Bedke cousins in Utah. They have been counting down the days and planning out every minute they would spend together. We finally got to go last weekend, and I think it was everything they hoped. Kathy and Alex and their kids went with us on Friday to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. It was awesome. The stingray pool was an especially big hit. The pool was open with several stingrays swimming around in it so you could reach in and touch them. Well, when I went to do just that my purse fell off my shoulder and into the pool. Luckily I didn't hurt anything but managed to soak everthing in my purse. At the same pool, Kayci and I were leaning over the edge so she could get as close as possible and one stingray came clear out of the pool up the side and nearly gave her a kiss. It drew some pretty good laughs from those standing around the pool. From the aquarium we headed into Salt Lake to eat and to go to Build a Bear workshop. We went there for the first time a couple of years ago when the girls first got their bears. This year they have been saving their chore money to get new outfits for their bears. They had so much fun cleaning and fluffing up their bears then picking out new outfits and getting them dressed. It really is a fun experience. Their cousin, Madi, made her own puppy for her birthday and cousin Courtney made her own BYU bear. It was well worth all the extra chores!

Saturday happened to be the hottest day this summer in Utah so the kids spent most of the day playing in the water. Layne worked on projects with Alex throughout the day and then the adults all went out to dinner that night. We love hanging out with them. They always make us feel so welcome. Thanks for a great weekend, Bedkes! We can't wait until next year.

B-Ball and Dancin'

Abby posing with her friends Taylor and Keeleigh at BYUI Dance Camp

Dancing to Thriller!

Abby doing a little hip hop

Abby and Taylor in the Field House during Basketball Camp

It was another fun and busy week, especially for Abby. She got to spend a couple of days this week at the Sports Camp at BYUI. The Sports Activities program on campus hold camps for kids every summer. Last summer Abby did volleyball and basketball and this year she got to do the basketball and dance camps. The students give them t-shirts both days, a basketball, and a dance bag. She loved it. I think she learns more each year. We are sure fortunate to have the college so close and for Layne to be so involved there.

The Twins Baby Blessing

Ella on the left and Olivia on the right (I think!)

Holly and Jared holding the twins.

Sunday Holly and Jared had their twins Ella and Oliva blessed. They are almost three months old now and doing great. Jared gave them such nice blessings and of course we all got together to eat afterwards. It was a very nice day to share with them.

Fun at the Splash Park

Karlee, Andy, Abby and Kayci catching some rays!

Time to turn over.

Jake warming up to the water, a little. Playing with friend Logan.

Abby coming down the slide.

Jake and me in the fountain.

Karlee posing at the bottom of the waterslide.

Kayci splashing in the water. Do you think she's having fun?!

Jake checking out the water. This was as close as he wanted to get at first.

Abby and Karlee loving the water.

Abby, Karlee, and Kayci getting ready to slide.

We had a great time the other day at Rexburg's awesome splash park. We weren't the only ones there, but it really didn't seem crowded. We went with our friends the Trimbles and my sister Holly. The weather was perfect, not to hot and not to cold or windy. The kids had a blast. They would go every day if they could. I love it because it's free and it's in a great little park. We hope to make it again soon!

We Love the 4th of July!

Kicking off the 4th with the fireworks at Rigby Lake

Jake could have stayed there all night as long as he had his popcorn.

Karlee, Abby, Andy, and Kayci waiting as patiently as they possbily
could for the fireworks to start.

Overlooking the lake. The fireworks went off from the island

where the trees are just there in front of the girls.

Layne and me. Man, I love him!

Layne running in to the finish at the Libery 5K. Go Layne!

Layne with his mom and dad after the race.

The kids love cheering for Layne when he comes in to the finish. We can't wait to be

there when he does the Mesa Falls marathon next month.

Kayci had to be right there when Layne got his trophy for his 1st place finish.

Do you think she loves him or what?

My darling Abby waiting for the parade to start.

Karlee's enjoying the parade with her chocolate milk in hand.

(One of our favorite parts of the Rexburg parade is when they hand out the chocolate milk)

Cheese, Kayci!

There's my big boy, all ready to play in the water.

Abby, Andy, and Karlee playing in the pool at Grandma's house.

The girls and Layne having fun with their sparklers.
(Don't we all wish we could tan like Layne)

Karlee dancing around with her sparkler.

Kayci loved just watching her sparkler burn from top to bottom . She was

never very happy when it actually went out.

We saved some sparklers just for Jake. He thought he was so cool!

Our 4th of July always starts early. On the 3rd of July Rigby has their own fireworks show (so they don't have to compete with Idaho Falls). They hold it at Rigby Lake which is the perfect backdrop for the fireworks. So at 8:30 Friday morning, Holly and I drove over to the lake and left our pickups their to save our spot for the fireworks that night. It worked out great. They do a really nice show and there are a lot fewer people than at Idaho Falls (although I still really loving doing the I.F. thing). So despite being out very late Friday night, we were up bright and early Saturday morning to go watch Layne run the Liberty 5K in Rexburg. We love watching him run and this time he won his age division and came in 10th overall. Way to go Layne! His mom and dad came to watch, too, and I know he really appreciated that. After the awards were all handed out, we headed over to the parade where I had set out our blanket to save our seat. Rexburg is truly one of the only places left where you can do that and not worry about people stealing your things. In fact, all of Main Street was saved by 7:30 in the morning so we weren't the only ones with that idea. We watched the parade and the kids loved running out to get candy. From there we dropped in to say hi at Grandma and Grandpa Kinghorns and then headed down to Grandma and Grandpa Reed's for a BBQ. The kids played in the pools and on the waterslides until they were too tired to play anymore. We were all tired by then. We had decided against going to the fireworks that night but had our own little show at home. However, Jake was already asleep so we had to save a few for the next night. It's amazing how a box of sparklers can make a child so happy. We love being together for the 4th and are so thankful to live in this country and for those who made it possible to do so!

Children's Bike Parade

The girls with their faces painted. I was pretty flattered that they

wanted to wait in my line to get painted. Not bad for having

no artistic talent!

Me concentrating on the hearts on Kayci's face.

Abby, Kayci, Jake, Andy, and Karlee at the end of the parade.

Sister Byington helping Kayci decorate her bike.

Abby just finishing up putting the straws on the spokes of her new bike.

Karlee and Andy putting the final touches on Karlee's bike.

Me in the middle of the decorating chaos.

We had a very fun activity Saturday in conjunction with Rigby's 4th of July activities. Every year they hold a children's bike parade and this year they asked all of the primaries in the area to have a booth at a little carnival in the park afterward. For our primary activity we had the kids come to the church and decorate their bikes and have a picnic lunch. Then everyone headed over for the parade. The kids had a ball. Even Kayci rode her bike through the parade. After, the kids headed to the park where there were several games and activites for them to take part in. My presidency and I painted faces for two hours straight. I though the lines would never die down. It was a fun day for the kids and I have wonderful teachers and a presidency that makes doing stuff like this easy. They are amazing and I love serving with them!