Mini donut maker

 Deke and I picked up this little mini donut maker awhile ago at Target and I have been having fun with it.  I have only tried a few recipes with it but I found a book called Mini Donuts: 100 Bite sized Donut recipes to sweeten your "Hole" day.  I ordered it online, I can't wait to get it.  The donut pictured above is a vanilla bean donut with a vanilla glaze.  The kids loved getting to learn how to use a real vanilla bean.  We made some yummy crumb donuts which everyone really liked.

 Made some pumpkin spice donuts....

 Everyone's favorite so far though has been just the simple donut recipe with a maple glaze and chocolate sprinkles.  The kids are more than willing to be "taster's" and are having fun getting to help make them.  Can't wait to try some from the book, they look so tasty :)

Baking helper

All the kids love getting to help bake things with me.  However our resident three year old likes to help the most.  Out of all the kids Emma has loved playing kitchen or restaurant all the time.  She loves to watch the show Masterchef and loves to have Avery pretend to face off with her in cooking competitions and have me judge their dishes.  She is always bringing us dinner or special desserts for us to try.  She is definitely mommy's little helper in the kitchen....

Family reunion

 Every year in June we head up north for the Adams family reunion.  It is nice to get out of the heat of the valley and spend time with extended family that we only get to see once a year.  This reunion used to be a full weekend camping trip since I was a little girl but as everyone has gotten older it has now been changed to a one day get together.  Everyone arrived at nine o'clock and had fun enjoying the beautiful yard....

 The girls quickly threw off their shoes and headed to the tramp and to play on the playground and the seesaw.

 A picture of great grandpa and great grandma adams.

 Hunter caught lizards all day long with the cousins and spent the rest of the time hanging out by the creek.

 One may have somehow come home with him.

 Papa and Hudson just hanging out together.

 Aunt Lisa had made stick horses out of pool noodles so the kids could have stick horse races.  They loved it!!

 More fun on the seesaw...

 Great grandma and grandpa Adams kids that are still living...

 Every year as part of the reunion we do a family raffle.  Everyone brings items preferably homemade and then you purchase tickets and put your tickets in the items you like and then we raffle them off.  It is always a really fun part of the reunion.  My kids love it.

 Then of course the pinata...

We kept busy with activities all day.  Good food, lots of visiting and watching the kids play with their cousins.  Such a fun weekend.

Wake surfing.

 We are having such a blast getting to spend time on the boat this summer.  Each time we go out we are all improving on our boarding skills.  This time Deke and I really encouraged the kids to try out the wake surf board.  Deke got in the water to help them get started.  Hunter was able to get up four or five times and actually stay on for a little while.  It was so awesome! I can't wait to watch him continue to stay up longer and get a better feel for it.  Way to go dude!!!

 I couldn't believe it when Avery asked for a turn and got right in.  She tried and tried to stay up on it but the board was way too big for her and she was just too lightweight for it.  So we let her lay on belly and try and then let her ride for awhile on it like a knee board.  Again I think that as she continues to get a feel for it she will continue to get a better idea of how to do it.  So proud of them.

 Had to include a couple of pics of me and Deke and then Mar and Dylan riding on the tube.  It is one where you can stand up.  I love lake trips!!

I may get nothing done.

I am supposed to be doing laundry, making phone calls, cleaning out a fridge and whittling away at a never ending list of "to do's."  Yet here I am sitting in my room watching Hudson sleep.  My older three are having quiet reading time in their rooms and the house is blissfully quiet for the moment.  He is swaddled up "burrito style" and sleeping soundly.  It is nice and cool under the air conditioning and all I can think about is crawling up on the bed next to him and closing my eyes for a bit.  But then I don't want to sleep because I just want to watch him sleep and enjoy how adorable and small he still is.  Ohhhh.....I love you magoo.  I could sit here all day.  I may get nothing done today :) :)

*** Go bowling- (Brunswick bowling pass)

I love the library summer reading program.  We have done it every year since Hunter was little.  The kids love doing it.  Read so many books then get a prize, at the end a free book for each of them.  We try to do a few reading programs so it usually ends up that the kids each get three to four free books every summer along with other fun coupons and prizes.  This year just for signing up for the program they received a prize.  The choices were sonic ice cream, a free game of mini golf at Golfland, or a Brunswick bowling pass.  The pass is so awesome.  The kids can get one free game everyday of the summer, only have to pay for shoes.  I am not a huge fan of bowling because I pretty much stink at it but it is fun for the kids and its free so good deal.  We are going to try to go at least a few times a month.  So we went for the first time the other day...

Deke is a good bowler and loves going bowling.  Poor Hunter has taken after me and just has a hard time keeping it straight.

Avery would only play with bumpers on her turn and loved it.

Emma was also a fan until about the sixth turn then she was getting bored.

I loved watching Deke try to teach them different techniques.  Something fun to practice throughout the summer.