Summertime and the livin is easy!

This summer came and went so quickly. We tried to do lots of fun things with the boys. This ended up being a long post, but here are some highlights of Summer 2017.

One fun thing about this summer is that we get to see lots of fireworks from our house. July 4th, 24th, Salem Days, Rodeos--they all shoot off fireworks and because we live up on in the foothills we have a great view of the valley and all the fireworks.

The boys had a lot of free time to play with friends and explore their new neighborhood. Thank heavens I took some photos to remind me of all the fun we did have. I'm grateful for the good memories and friendships that were made.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with family that live out-of-town. It's great that my boys have such fun cousins to play with.

I didn't take a shower for like a week, and even slept on the trampoline with all the kids. I think the slight bouncing made William sick. He woke up in the middle of the night, crawled to the edge of the trampoline and threw up. Then I tucked in back under the covers and he was fine. Other than that the kids had a blast. Mom told them stories, they played night games, and all got along so well. It made my heart happy to see their friendships blossom with their cousins.

The last night of summer. We went to Cold Stone and had ice cream for dinner. I thought it was the last night of craziness before school, routine, and structure began again.

One Saturday we drove up Payson canyon which is right by our new house. It was so nice to escape up to the mountains. The boys loved it. The jumped into the lake and swam. There were ducks, two beaver dams with fresh footprints from the beavers, and two dears came down to the water's edge and drank. It was fun to feel part of nature and get away from normal life.

 George lost his FIRST tooth! He has been wanting to lose a tooth forever! Finally it happened and this boy couldn't have been happier!

I had a crunch & sip at my house and invited over the whole neighborhood. It was wonderful and like 30+ people came. My house was bursting at the seams and it was perfect. There are a lot of new people moving in all the time, and I haven't been able to get to know lots of them. It was great to sit down and have conversations with many of these women, and all the kids had a blast running around playing together.

Thanksgiving Point.

This place has been a great escape for our family. We have been hanging out here since we first moved back to Utah. We sometimes go by ourselves, and other times we meet up with friends. It's been so much fun, and William especially hates to leave.

Soccer has also been wonderful for our family this summer. I was asked to be George's coach, and I made Gregory come to all our practices so he was going to soccer 4 times a week. It has been great for my boys to develop new skills, make friends, and be athletic. They have both improved a lot over the summer. Our first game starts this weekend for both Gregory and George so I'm excited to see how it goes.

We drove up to the border of Utah and Idaho and saw the Martin Harris Pageant. It was really fun. Also a much needed get-a-way. My Dad arranged the whole thing. We ate dinner at the church beforehand, and it was interesting to visit this small town. They didn't have any stores and not even a gas station. It was remote, beautiful, and a great escape.

William has been escaping to the park lately. He feels like he's old enough to just walk up to the park from the house. So I have tried to take him more, so he doesn't feel the need to go on his own. He really loves this place and I'm grateful we live so close.

Summer isn't complete without swimming! We all love the water and went to the pool many times this summer as well.

The boys have played Nerf wars with each other and their friends all summer long. It's been fun to see Stan jump in and instigate games with his sons. I love it when they all play together. 

I think it's safe to say that we had a great summer!