Summer Roundup 2017

It's that time of year again when I start looking through summer pictures feeling nostalgic that my favorite time of the year is gone.  Here's my round up of my "stray" pictures of our summer fun. 

We spent a lot of time at Cowabunga Bay

Dad's make the best rafts.  

  Boys, Boys, Boys!!!  Aaron is the happiest surrounded by lots of friends.  My house felt like grand central station most days we were home and I fought for my sanity most of those days but I wouldn't change the life Aaron gets to have in our neighborhood for anything!!

My girls got into making fairy garden for about a week.  Jane's soccer fairy garden turned out to fit her personality perfectly.

Emily had a lot of company as she practiced her piano each day

Jeff helped us cut down a large pine tree in our front yard

Most of the grandkids with Nona celebrating her birthday

I'm lucky to serve as one of the activity days leaders.  I had such a fun day as with my girls at "This is the Place State Park"

Cupcake wars at the Sandy library.  A bit of a disappointment but Jane and our neighbor Elle hurried  and ate the candy off the top and then went back for refills on the candy and all was well.  

Jane's new soccer team enjoying a summer party together

The girls reading before sleeping on the deck

First Days

Monday:  Aaron had his first day of Preschool at Newcastle with Mrs. Margaret.

I had him all dressed and ready to go and then the force took over and he had changed into this shirt.  The girls were appalled that his first day pictures did not represent what he actually wore so we took another picture.  

Wednesday:  7:36 AM.  We rush out of the house as Emily's carpool pulls up and snap this quick picture.  It was a little bit of an adjustment as Emily starts middle school to have 2 different schedules in our house.   Emily has been overjoyed and making decorations for her locker all summer.  Tues after her orientation she calls me up at work and says that the school is open all afternoon and wanted me to take her back to spend some time decorating her locker.   It brought back memories of my middle school locker with my carpet sample and fruity air freshener.  

Wednesday: 8:20 AM  Jane is a little lost without her big sister there to take back to school pictures and go off to school with.  

We kept the tradition of the only day I drive you to school.

As I left her lined up with her other classmates for Mrs. Bronson's class I commented that this is now "Jane's school and she is going to own it".  She smiled and I think she liked the thought of having it all to herself now!!

Cowboy Wedding

Ty and this super cute and nice girl Cheyanne got married in Emery Utah.

The event took place at Castle Valley Outdoors Lodge.  Such a perfect location for this Western Couple.

After the ceremony we were treated to a Chuckwagon style dinner.  We all enjoyed the yummy food, fun selection of cookies and all you can drink Root Beer bottles.  Aaron and the rest of the boys especially loved the endless supply of Root Beer.

 We were lucky to be able to stay the night at the Lodge with my side of the family.  This meant nobody was in a hurry and all the kids ran around that night completely entertained by the open space.    I loved spending some quality time with all of my family including my 95 year old Grandma Pace.

The next day all of us except Brooke's family (who was too worn out from the wedding) went out a small reservoir up Ferron Canyon and enjoyed some time on the water until the afternoon showers came!

Curly Sue Spencer

I guess there is something to say about the sage old advice "When at first you don't succeed try try again."   It took until the 4th try but I do believe (knock on wood) that Spencer has Bart's curly hair.  

 

I adore Spencer's curls.    So much I may never cut his hair.   Going into marriage with Bart I just assumed it was a given that I'd have kids with curly hair.    Jane gave me false hope with her short lived curly mullet she had as a 1 year old.  I still have a little hope that her curls will come through when she goes through puberty like my friend Heidi.   I felt pangs of jealousy when Sarah's Kate developed these gorgeous curly locks.  Genetics are weird that she got the Bart curly gene.   When I saw that my cousin Ani's daughter inherited her lushes curls and expressed my envy, Ani said "Be happy your girls don't have curly hair they would just hate it trust me I know." So I accepted the fact that my gene's are dominant and moved on.    

When they laid Spencer in my arms for the first time I rubbed his little head and saw that his peach fuzzy hair was different than my first three's hair.   A glimmer of hope arose that this might be my curly headed kid.   Like his other siblings it soon fell out and left him a bald baby and just like Jane's his hair came back first curly in the back and wispy in the front.    At that point it was too soon to diagnose if it was just baby curls but I held on to the hope they would stick around.  I'm overjoyed that the more hair he grows the more curls he has.  Maybe there's a chance his curls with straighten out with age but until then I'll be running my fingers through them loving that I finally have a curly headed kid.