Summer Days

My house is suddenly messier, louder and crazier.... it must be summer.  Don't get me wrong,  I LOVE SUMMER and  am  not complaining (well 99% of the time I am not complaining) .  I love hot weather, late nights, summer food, having my kids home, no schedules,  relaxing etc.

With four kids home though we do need a little bit of structure.  Here is a very brief glance of how part our days in the summer go..... 

Every Day:  The kids have a list of jobs they need to do.  These include certain jobs around the house, a worksheet page, reading, etc.

Once those are done, we try to do something based on what day it is. 

Monday: Library- Every Monday we go to the Sandy library.

Afton and Lilly love to sit at the little tables
at the Sandy Library and look at their books.

After checking out books at the library, this is basically
 what my two older kids do the rest of the day on Monday. 

Tuesday:  Swimming at an outdoor pool- We usually rotate between Draper Pool (my favorite) and Cottonwood (the kids new favorite)

Each year it is getting easier and easier to take the girls. 
This year they can go into the little bit deeper water which is fun.

Extra bonus on the days Dad can come with us!

What's swimming without a snack break. 
Cottonwood lets you bring food in so the girls are munching on some banana chips here.

Wednesday:  Field Trip Day- our brainstorming list ranges from $1 movie, zoo, bowling, etc.
These pictures are from when we went to City Creek with a friend.

Afton, Lilly and our neighbor friend Greta checking out the fountains at City Creek.

Afton posing on rocks at City Creek.

Thursday: Cowabunga Bay- a lot of friends in our neighborhood have season passes there too so it is fun to hang out with friends.

It is hard to get pictures at Cowabunga. 
But I did get a picture of Lizzie with her favorite snack there.
 It is called bucket of fries :) They are delicious!!!

Friday:  Art or science project- we have a list of different art or science projects we want to do. On this day we did a project my parents gave the girls for their birthday (back in March).  We finally got around to opening the box.  Special bonus my mom came to visit and could see the present being used.

Hanging outside on a summer day doing crafts :)

Absolutely perfect project for Afton's always busy hands!
 

 We still have lots more fun and relaxing planned for the summer.
  It is going by too fast already.
 How can July already be here in just a few days!!!! 

"Jim Day"

 

"Jim Day"

 

This year I/me and the kids really had no idea what to get Jim for Father's Day.  So instead we declared June 15th "Jim Day."  He got to choose where he wanted to go and spend the day.  Of course he picked the mountains :) We headed up to the Uintahs for the day.

 It was a great day.  We got some good food, hiking, fishing, laughing and memories in.

Lizzie at Provo River Falls

Alisha with the bearded one
 

 

 

Of course Lucky found more rocks to save

Never realized how good Ethan looks in Aggie blue :)

Gorgeous- Moosehorn Lake

Lizzie and the hatchet have returned :)

Afton felt the need to bring a Cleopatra hat for the trip.

Can we just freeze time? Look how cute they are!

Happy Father's Day Jim. 
 The kids and I love you more than words can say!

 

Rest....

 





And now these well used backpacks will rest for a season.....

School is now out for summer. 

This was a tough year for goodbyes.
 We have been so lucky with good teachers for our children.  

Ethan has had the same wonderful teacher for TWO YEARS in a row. That doesn't happen very often and for it to be with an awesome teacher was great.  Mr. Skorney was just what Ethan needed. Here is his class (of only 15 kids I might add) getting their certificates to move on to middle school.
 

Lizzie's teacher Ms. Mallett (who is my absolute favorite teacher ever) is moving to Arizona.  She also taught Ethan for 3rd grade so it was sad to say goodbye to her yesterday.

I also didn't want to say goodbye to the school year because the next time school starts again my oldest will be going to middle school and my babies to kindergarten. 
Tears coming...


That being said, I will enjoy the break from using an alarm clock, homework, trying to keep track of school items, etc.

 Instead we will enjoy swimming, swimming and more swimming with a few other fun activities in between :)

We celebrated the last day of school by me and the kids going up to Cottonwood Rec Center for some outdoor swimming.
Later that night a few of us from the neighborhood gathered for our annual
"End of School Smore Party"

Let summer fun begin....

Little Things

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may
 look back and realize they were the big things."

-Robert Brault

Here a a few of our "little things" which I realize make special memories for our family.
 I also realized as I was typing this.... most of them involve food :)

1.  Once good weather comes, our Saturday lunch usually consists of  Hebrew National hot dogs,  potato chips, fresh fruit and lemonade. Pretend the fruit and lemonade are pictured :) Also we usually have lunch around 11:30 if you feel like stopping by.

2.  Jim and I both have our guilty pleasures.
- I made a new years goal not to drink Coke.  That didn't quite work :)  Now I just try to drink it occasionally (especially since I am running again).  It seems like when I am in my groove of running, it doesn't sound as good to drink.  But there are some days when a cold Coke helps make things a little bit better.
 -Jim REALLY likes to get a spoonful of peanut butter and sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on it.  It has to be creamy peanut butter and it has to be semi-sweet chocolate chips :)

3.  A typical snapshot of our family of 6 activities. It's a "good busy".

4. Whenever possible we make chocolate chip cookies on Sunday night.

 

5.  I have my very own parking spot for the next year.  Sure I have to trade almost every spare moment I have on PTA stuff but still... my own parking spot :)

6.  Having friends over.....
 I love having my kids friends over at my house.  It is noisier, crazier, funner and they usually eat a good portion of "snacks" at my house. But it is the best sound to hear my kids having fun with good friends.