Sprinklers Again

Car Wash

My brother Jeffrey's absolute favorite thing in the whole wide world is car washes. So we got together with Tiffany to let him wash her car and mine. He was so tickled he actually had a seizure (a fairly common occurrence, no worries.) Of course, my kids join in the fun too. And even though, this car wash actually necessitates another car wash, it's the fun that counts!

Brother Firefighter

For the past several weeks, my little brother has been in Arizona fighting the Horseshoe 2 Wildfire in the very southeast corner of Arizona bordering Mexico. That is not my brother in the pictures, for the record, but it is the same fire. He worked the graveyard shift and then slept during the day in a school gymnasium. Though these pictures are not him, this is the same work he's been doing. A lot of steep grade uphill climbing in super hot temperatures, digging, starting fires to stop fires, cutting trees, etc. He's coming home this week, though, so perhaps we'll find out more!

Sprinklers

Could there be a more quintessential, time-honored summer activity than running through the sprinklers. I think not! P.S. I love that my two year old has already mastered the art of "laying out."

Best Friends, Worst Enemies

My babies. A year and a half apart. They love each other. They hate each other.

Hanging out at the Mall

I hate the mall with a passion. I hate it more with kids in tow. But I endured it this once for Loryn's ear piercing. This trip was slightly more tolerable since I wan't on a mission to actually find or buy something.

We played on the playground for a bit and called it a day.

Ears Pierced!

Loryn has wanted to get her ears pierced FOREVER! Unfortunately, she has an aversion to needles and pain that causes her to break into hysterics at the mention of flu shots. But, out of nowhere, she decided she could be brave enough to get her ears pierced. I could tell she was scared out of her whits, but the desire overwhelmed the fear and she went through with it. She didn't cry or flinch or complain once, so I've got to hand it to her! She loves them and looks so cute! (this picture is taken pre-piercing as she nervously awaits the unknown!)

Papa's Birthday

Two days before his 92nd birthday, my sweet Papa had a slip and fall that landed him in the hospital, which meant he spent his birthday in the hospital. Jameson, Tiffany, my kids and I went to visit for a while. He is currently in a rehab facility and seems to be getting stronger and more sharp every day. I adore my Papa. He has perfected the art of "being there." With secret drop offs of homemade soup or fresh fruit, weekend trips to McDonalds, or constant surprises, he has always "been there" for us.

Cousins Day

So, every summer we try to have regular cousins day to wrangle all the little ones together for some organized activity. For our first attempt, we went to a splash pad and park in Spanish Fork. Unfortunately, since our summer weather was still very cold, the water had not been turned on yet. So the kids just ended up playing on the playground, which turned out fine. You can't go wrong with cousins, right?

Ladybugs, Butterflies, Oh My!

For Christmas this year, our aunties Tiffany and Megan, gave the kids a butterfly and ladybug garden. We waited until spring to order the larvae which were delivered by mail. Over the next few weeks, we were able to watch ladybugs grow and caterpillars change into butterflies.

The kids loved this process and were excited to come home from school every day to see the next phase of their butterflies.

On the first warm day of summer, we let our ladybugs and butterflies go. The kids were able to hold them on their hands for a little while before they finally got the gumsion to fly away.

We all scream for Ice Cream!

My parents definitely know the fastest way to their grandkids' hearts. Ice cream. My children know that all they have to do is to ask. When he's in charge, this is how my sweet dad satisfies my children. He gives them a gallon of ice cream, a bunch of spoons and let's them go to town. I kid you not, this is at least a weekly occurance. No wonder my kids always want to visit!

Loryn's Family Program

I have been on hiatus from blogging. Don't think I don't notice the irony that a writing-loving English major has completely lost the motivation to write and the ability to string sentences together! But, alas, I have returned in a less-than-valiant attempt to chronicle the goings on of our lives. An embarrassing amount of weeks have passed since Loryn had her "One Big Happy Family" program at school. She sang with gusto and purpose as only Loryn could. Loryn is my singer, like her dad. I'm not talking about ability so much as love. The two of them are ALWAYS humming and singing, sometimes on tune and sometimes with the right words.

I love my little Lo Lo and can't believe she is growing up so fast. Next year, she's off to second grade and I can barely stand it. She is such a delight. Many years ago I served in the Young Women's presidency with Loryn's first grade teacher, Mrs. Niccoli. At the time, her husband was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately passed away. Over the course of this school year, Mrs. Niccoli started dating someone, got engaged, and got married weeks after school let out for summer. Loryn was all abuzz with the latest details of Mrs. Niccoli's romance and upcoming wedding. Loryn is such a romantic!

Fabulous Fourth

The fourth graders had an end-of-year assembly to hand out some of the awards the kids had received for the year. Above is Taylor's best friend, Kendyl and her amazing teacher, Mrs. Harrington.

Taylor got the National Fitness Award and a Fabulous Fourth Award, which recognizes grades, attendance, reading, etc. They announced the kids in starting line-up style, letting them run down the aisle to music. I thought it was a cute little touch that the teachers showered the recipients of the awards in silly string.

Extravaganza

Yet another sign that summer is drawing nigh . . .The Rock Canyon PTA Extravaganza!

The kids wait all year for the school's Extravaganza. It's basically a hot, sticky, school carnival where you shell out a bunch of money for your kids to play silly games with dollar store prizes, repeatedly attempt to win the cake walk, and jump on inflatables. But they love it!

This is Jasmine. She plays on Taylor's soccer and basketball teams. They are the two tallest girls in fourth grade, so the two fellow sporty spices stick together.