BBQing with friends

Like most people, we get together in the summer with our friends for a good, old-fashioned BBQ.  This year we went down to Rock Creek park and ate us some weeners and chips. 

12th ward Rafting Trip

Our ward is awesome. It seriously is. I don't mean to brag, but we have an amazing ward and amazing people in it. We have people from other wards all the time say how lucky we are to be in the 12th ward.  We even have some families that have moved out of the ward they are in, just to be in our ward! Not kidding! Everyone gets along with everyone and we are all so close. I consider this ward like family.

 We did an adult ward rafting trip and had such a great time. They are going to make this a yearly thing now, and everyone is stoked! :) We went to a nearby park and had a cook out after the rafting trip was over.

Family Health Services Summer Party

Ward Party!

We had our ward summer party yesterday and it was so much fun! It was at a nice park and we had a BBQ with hotdogs and hamburgers and so many different varieties of salads to try that everyone brought. Great food! There was a huge water slide, a water ballon fight they we got into, games and bubbles for the kids, volleyball (which I loved!), a playground for the kids, icecream and lots of laughs! It was SO fun! I love parties! So, I thought I would just post pictures of the fun evening and let you see for yourself!

"It hurts, it hurts!"

"Woah! Kuawabunga dude!"
150 feet of waterslide...sweet!
Water-ballon FIGHT!!! Madi and daddyMadi got pretty scared of the merry-go-round so she didn't stay on but a few spins!Tough-guy little Jon
Friends from the ward
Avery and me

A Perfect Day...

Our day started with an amazing BBQ...I know we have a BBQ like every weekend, but we love having friends and family over to hang out and eat good food! What's not to love!? We had the Moores and the Johnsons over. We played some mean volleyball and everyone had some sweet moves on the court! (grass) We only got a few pictures...

Amy and Aaron showing off their sweet volleyball skills...

Morgan and Ryan laughing at Aaron's attempt to spike the ball...lol! JK!

"I've got it!"

All the girls together...Abby, Sadie and Madi

Sadie and Madisen eating their rice krispy treats, as Abby gives a HUGE smile for the camera!

After the BBQ and everyone went home, Ryan and I had a relaxing afternoon watching golf...which Tiger Woods had some pretty amazing shots! Then I got to go out and do some shopping, while Ryan stayed home with the girls. I love shopping!! I found some pretty cute stuff...too bad I couldn't buy everything!

We ended the night with a fun competitive game of tennis! Ryan and I took the girls with us. We put Avery in the walker and we let Madi roam the courts near by. It's sometimes difficult to take the kids and try to play a game at the same time, but we make it work! It was a great game!

If I were asked what a perfect day would be like, it would something like today...

Friends, Good Food, Volleyball, Relaxing, Golf, Shopping, Tennis....A Perfect Day!

Big Bad BBQ

This is special reporter Ryan writing in again about a fantastic activity that took place at the Hodges' house over the weekend. The back yard was filled with friends, food, and plenty of fun. Those in attendance were (in order of arrival): Kevin and Stephanie Woodward with their son Heigan and daughter Saylee; Jeremy and Morgan Johnson with their daughter Sadie (the twins, Brooklyn and Kate were M.I.A); Haley Meusborn with her children Josie, Sam, Ellie, and Eva (her husand Aaron arrived shortly after due to having to work; Blake and Lara Tanner with their children James and Bethany; and Christie Collier and her children Sam and Zoe (her husband Moses showed up a bit late also due to kicking some serious butt in his Kempo martial arts class. We also invited the Moores and the Hamiltons but the Hamiltons had a wedding to attend and the Moores just don't like us very much. (j/k, they went out of town)

In this picture: Lara, Haley, Blake, Kevin, Saylee and Stephanie

Jeremy, Morgan and Sadie Johnson

Festivities set off with some serious grilling by yours truly, involving hamburgers, about a million hot dogs, some chicken, and a baby hamburger the Johnsons brought for Sadie. There was a ton of great food there and we all ate until we were stuffed with goodness. The kids played on the swingset, jumped on the tramp and threw sand into each others' faces and hair while the parents sat and talked or played a mean game of volleyball (which the kids eventually took over also).

Sadie on the swing

Eva and Heigan playing

Sam and Sadie jumping on the trampoline

Sadi and Zoe embracing...(let's hear it...AWWW!)

Josie, Ellie, And Madi in the sandbox

Madisen

I learned some new interesting things about some of our friends during the party, like Blake Tanner went to Argentina on his mission (where Spanish sounds so beautiful), and Moses could kill me with his bare hands and some kempo skills. I hear he's pretty good with a bow staff. I learned that Kevin is a true Star Wars junkie at heart and that Jeremy could hold his own on the professional volleyball circuit. I also learned that Aaron Meusborn is a pickle connoisseur with a special place in his heart for scrumptious dill pickles.

Christy and I loved having everybody here and hope that we can do this again with all our friends!

(These pictures were taken by Morgan Johnson. Christy and I forgot to get our camera out, so not everyone is in these pictures... Sorry! Thanks to Morgan though, we have a few!)