August would be the best month of the year if school didn't take up half of it! Before school came we packed our last days of summer with as much fun as we could manage.
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A fun, short weekend in Bear Lake with friends. We had a fantastic time. The kids had fun on the beach, on the boat and playing at the lighthouse. I even got to ski and wakeboard for a few minutes. I usually get to ski or wakeboard one time every other year (when we go to Bear Lake and I'm not pregnant) but, it had been 4 years because of bad weather 2 years ago.
Andrew and Ashley on the tube with Tommy and Quincy and trying hard to stand up
Ashley has long been the Little Mama in our house. She is so good to Nathan.
Nathan learned to go from his belly to a sitting position by August 1st. At about the same time Nathan discovered how fun it is to climb up the stairs and he never wanted to stop. He climbed up over and over and over again for weeks really. He'd climb to the top, then I'd go get him, then he'd do it again. He'd sit at the top of the stairs and laugh, cry or yell for me to come get him, until he mastered going down backwards (that happened on his birthday!). Nate began army crawling back at the first part of June. By a lilttle past mid-August he graduated to crawling on all 4's. His crawl is a cross between a regular crawl and "mogley", he has his right knee down with the foot behind and his left knee up, with his foot on the ground. It's adorable and he is fast.
Face and Body painting by the talented Ashley
Bug catchers
Ashley making Nathan laugh
And Nathan laughing at Ashley
Andrew and Ashley love the electric scooter. It's fast!
Hay Hay
Kate
Glow in the Dark Mini Golfing. Andrew always begs to go mini golf!
More and more swimming next door
Hailey's swimming all alone and doing so well. She is getting braver, swimming farther and loves it.
Andrew and his friends often beg for a lemonade stand. I hate it because there is no traffic in our circle so they go to the corner. I can't just let them be alone on the corner, asking strangers to stop, so I'm out there with them and well, I hate it. I let them sell one pitcher worth, and usually they drink half so it's about 3 customers.
The Missionaries stopped by!
Dave's work does silly theme days a couple times a year, I have no idea why. Here he is after minion day. The kids loved this giant balloon floating around our house all week.
The Bees Game with cousins. Dave couldn't come so I was on my own. It was super fun for the kids and fun-ish for me. Here's the crew that went for a train ride; all the girls and Nathan.
Kate, Nathan, Me, Hailey, Ashley, Callie and Lizzie cut-off
Ashley, Liz, Hailey, Callie and Kate
Will, Andrew, Ashley, Kate, Hailey, Callie, Charlie and Lizzie
Cowabunga Bay!
Andrew coming down
Ashley
Kate found a water gun and couldn't have been happier about it!
We went to Cowabunga Bay 4 times this summer I think. The big kids get to bring a friend. This day Andrew invited Seth and Ashley invited Nathan J
Hailey loves the little slides
So does Kate
Ashley loves the big slides but, she's so good to her little sisters and comes to play with them at Kiddie Land for a bit too
Kate fell fast asleep
One Saturday we thought it would be so fun to go fishing at a lake just past Park City. After a short drive we arrived. Nathan was asleep in the car so I stayed with him in the parked car while Dave and the kids walked down a hill to the lake. We have a 'Dora the Explorer' fishing pole that always seems to be lucky. Ashley got to go first, she cast the line and just like that she caught a fish!
Then it was Andrew's turn. He tried to cast but as the line came forward the hook went straight into his very own elbow! Yikes! He was screaming. Everyone came to the car, Andrew was hysterical and I tried for about 10 seconds to to move the hook out but, it was obvious that we needed help. We drove to the Park City Instacare. Dave took the kids to a park while Andrew and I waited and waited.
He was scared but so brave. The doctor said they see this all the time. After took several failed attempts the doctor decided to numb it up and make some cuts because the barb just couldn't come out. Andrew was brave and held very still. He healed up perfectly and with no problems at all. It was very lucky. Now we have a rule that for fishing we need to wear long sleeve shirts, pants and a hat!
A trip to the Animal Shelter. I hate this place but, Ashley can't get enough.
Hailey has learned all of Ashley's animal loving traits
Always kind of crazy at our busy house
Nathan loves tubs. If he is cross a tub will always make him happy.
Sunday Dinner in Millcreek Canyon
We have an adorable picture of baby Andrew at this age, wearing this shirt, in Millcreek Canyon, doing this. We were trying to recreate it. It didn't quite work out but, Nathan is adorable and I feel such gratitude for my two sons, and three daughters too!
Charlie and Nate
The Price Cousins
Kate the cute
The water was COLD and none of the kids could stand being in for too long...except Hailey. She is so funny. Her body runs hot I guess. She loved being in the cold water. At night she has slept in just underwear for months and can't stand to be covered by warm blankets.
More water bounce house fun. Hailey with her friend Rachel
And Ashley with friend Ellie
Two year olds still need naps!
Nathan is soooo happy, social and sweet
My nose healed up more and more and isn't a noticeable scar. What is noticeable is that I am aging.
Andrew decided to play tackle football this year. Practice started the first week of August and was five days a week for 2 hours each in the evening at Upland Terrace. Dave was an assistant coach. They were gone so much. The practices were filled with conditioning which got Andrew is great running shape. He liked the practices a lot for the first while. When the weather was warm the other kids and I would come watch the last half of practice with other parents and the girls always seemed to have friends to play with. He made new friends and had fun with friends Job Johnsen and Landon Robirds.
Always climbing the stairs. Always!
Another water bounce house day. Andrew with Matthew Hicks
Ashley and Abby Brown
Kate loves to jump on the tramp if she's alone, or with just Hailey or a different little friend.
This summer Nate learned that otter pops and popsicles are great!
Another day at Cowabunga Bay. Ashley brought Ivy and Andrew brought Job.
Ashley taking Kate
Kiddie land is so fun for Hailey and Kate. Next year Nate likes to splash the water too.
We babysat our neighbor dog Jackie for a weekend. All the kids had fun with her, especially Ashley.
It was over too soon and Ashley was so sad to let Jackie go home. Her love for animals is intense.
Andrew and Ashley did 3 straight weeks of early morning tennis lessons, 5X week. I signed them up for one week but, they loved it so much that we ended up doing 3 in a row. It was great instruction and also great practice getting up in the morning for school, since we'd had a summer full of mostly lazy mornings. As a side note, Andrew continued weekly piano lessons in July and August. He does not like practicing but, does it and is learning a lot.
More swimming. Rudi J came along too
More naps
More stairs. His smile is so wonderful
Sweet Nate loves tub time
And loves emptying cupboards and drawers
A short visit to Silver Lake
Sleeping in Daddy and Mommy's room in their fort, just two more days of summer left.
Soaking up the sun and time outside together and with friends.
Andrew had Luke and Landon over
Summer is such an amazing and happy time for me as a mom. I really enjoy those days to the fullest and don't ever take them for granted. I was begging summertime to stay but, time keeps marching.
We spent our last day as a family. They played games
Swam, (of course)
Hailey swimming further and further
Took Andrew to the barbershop for a haircut
Went for a special lunch at Shivers
Handsome Andrew had football practice
The rest of us stayed home and played
and played Play Doh
And rode bikes
And took tubs and went to bed.
I try not to let on that I hate school to start, because kids shouldn't feel that way but, they know it. They love summer as much as I do and wish it would last forever but, luckily they were excited for school and started the year off with happy smiles and good feelings.
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Andrew starts 3rd grade with Ms. Limantzakis and Ashley starts 2nd grade with Mrs. Teynor. Both have lots of good friends both in their class and the other classes and have every reason to expect to have a great year!
The bus stop crew. This year
Andrew and Luke K
We don't let school slow us down too much. We had our 4th and final backyard movie night of the year that Friday night. We love our movie nights! So many friends come and it is always a great time! The next day was Saturday and we headed to Cherry Hill as a family.
Something clicked for Kate and she decided she loves the Cherry Hill kid area and this slide! She still hates the lazy river.
Caught these sweet girls hatching a plan or telling secrets or something sweet like this on a Sunday morning
After Church
Ashley brought home a pinata from her primary clas
Having the big kids away at school is hard on all of us. Hailey and Kate fought a lot for the first couple weeks and I missed having them for the fun and for the help. Cute Hailey doesn't nap as much anymore but, it's still fun to find her in funny places sometimes.
We still went swimming at the neighbors, just without Andrew and Ashley. It wasn't as fun and we had to keep it a secret too.
Kate wouldn't wear a swimsuit this day and said she didn't want to swim and was NOT going to get in.
Found more stairs to climb!
Nathan is 11 months old on August 25th. At 11 months he loves to eat everything, meats too, and makes noises while he eats. He is still nursing but, will take formula in a bottle. Blows bubbles especially when I give him baby food so he can spit it out, waves, gives high fives, blows air, pulls himself to standing a lot but has a hard time getting back down, when we clap he bangs his hands on a table or surface. He is obsessed with crawling up stairs. Smiles so easily, laughs easily, is very ticklish and is starting to play like hiding behind clothes for peekaboo. He is into everything and loves to empty things out. He makes the sounds dada, ga, baba and ma. He is cute, sweet, cuddly, and an absolute joy to be with. I am so blessed to have this baby boy.
Soccer season started! Andrew, Ashley and Hailey are each playing soccer. Andrew is also playing Football so he will be missing some soccer games, which makes him so sad since soccer is his favorite. Ashley switched this year from a co-ed team to an all girl team with lots of friends. She didn't really want to leave her old team but, at this age most everyone has, and the old team was ready to go to all boy. Hailey is playing for her first year! She is so excited to be big enough to play!
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Hailey is on a team with 4 other little girls from our ward plus a few others. She was so excited to play! She doesn't like to be "on stage" can be timid until she's comfortable but, in soccer she runs hard, stays in there and tries her best. She always wants to play, smiles and feels proud of herself.
Hailey, Stella and Mary
Football marched along too with lots and lots of practice. And a picture day
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