Rodeo Fun, part one

One of my very favorite weekends of the year - Preston Rodeo! We had a very busy, very fun weekend and we got to spend it with so many people we love!

We watched the parade two nights.

My uncle Sid taught Sam the fine art of the turkey walk.

(Sorry for borrowing your favorite blanket, Quincy!)

The kids always get a kick out of watching Nana ride in the parade. They seriously feel like they are related to a celebrity!

Trip and Sam.

My dad took Garreth, Davy, and Stephen on a four-wheeler ride in the mountains and they had a blast.

The kids loved hanging out at my parents' house. It's kid paradise.

There were several trips to Big J's. On one trip we even provided the entertainment.

We hit the carnival.

We even got to see some old friends. Amber and I have been friends since we were wee little girls, and it was so great to see her and her cute family.

We are still trying to work out a way to be next door neighbors with these two someday.

One of our favorite couples ever.

It was fun to see our kids play together.

(But not so fun to try to get all seven kids together for a picture!)

Irish in America

We were so happy to have Garreth's big brother Stephen and his family in America for the last two weeks. The kids had so much fun getting to know each other again (it's been 4 years since they've been together!) and got along great. And having the three Ratchford brothers together is one of Garreth's favorite things ever. I have hundreds of pictures to sort through to post about our fun times together, but here's a start!

Beautiful Ratchford girls: Grace, Leah, and Saoirse.

Declan and Muireann, one of the cutest, funniest little people I've ever known!

Sam and Breen. My boys were all obsessed with Breen. Ciara (his mom) gave Sam a shirt that didn't fit Breen anymore, and Sam was so excited because it "even smells like Breen!"

Swimming at the Roy pool.

Like father, like son. Above is Garreth and the rest below are Liam. I am seriously worried about that boy's teenage years. He has zero fear and some serious thrill issues.

We went to a Real game. Have I mentioned lately how much we LOVE Davy's job and the sweet hookups he provides us?! Breen even got to go on the field:

Brunch in Salt Lake City:

(I love this picture of Garreth and his dad!)

Grace loves her Auntie Pauline!

Ma Ratchford and sons.

Scenes from Soccer Camp

In July we spent a fun week at soccer camp. There were a few surprises - number one, that Rock Springs could even get such a prestigious soccer camp to come. It was put on by British Challenger Soccer, an internationally known training camp with instructors from all over the world. And holy cow, were they GOOD!

The other surprise was just how much every one of the kids got totally into it. When I signed them up, Liam was the one sure thing. I wasn't sure if the other three would enjoy it, but I knew he would. But they all had such a great time and it (probably along with the World Cup) really sparked a deep love of the game. And their dad and I could not be happier about this.

Liam's coach Sophie (from Manchester) played a really cute game with her team. Above, they are contesting a yellow card, and below, they are trying to convince her that they are injured!

Sam and Coach Stuart (also from Manchester).

Grace's coach, Igor, was from Brazil. Not as many pictures of her, because "Mom, it is totally embarrassing!"

Declan's coach, Dan, is from Spain and was my favorite. He was so cute with the kids and he reminded me a little of Filipe. The kids loved him because, duh, he's from SPAIN!

Declan completely surprised me with how good he is. He was the best in his class and when they'd play a match he just dominated. He's such a sweet little guy that I never guessed he'd be so aggressive on the field, and I can't wait to watch him in the future. There is some definite star potential there.

Closing ceremonies. At the beginning of the week, they divided the kids into teams and each team chose a country to be. Throughout the week, the kids had homework assignments - to learn about that country's team, make a flag, etc. They earned points all week and at the end, Mexico won the "World Cup." Grace (team Spain) and Liam (team Brazil) were a little disappointed, but it was such a fun week they couldn't stay sad for long. Well, actually, Liam could. He cried and cried that camp was over.

Which means that the week was definitely a success.