Summer is Happening

Well despite appearances, we're still alive over here. It's crazy what summer break does to my amount of free time. We are really enjoying our summer. We traveled a lot in June and are taking a break from it in July, and have a couple more trips planned for August. It's nice to be home for a while. The kids are loving the trampoline and sprinklers this summer. Addison and Bryn are reading books like crazy. Leah's started reading this summer and knows quite a few words. Asa is very slowly starting to listen more. He's learning to be safer with heights and the road, thank heavens, but I still can't hardly stand to watch him on the trampoline or the slide or the scooter. The boy is an adrenaline junkie.

Nate and I were called as Primary teachers. Nate teaches Bryn's class, and those kids are lucky to have a teacher like him. He does a great job. I got moved from teaching the 9-year-olds to being the junior Primary chorister a couple weeks ago, and though I miss my little class, I am LOVING my new calling!

We're slowly starting to make friends in our new ward, though it seems impossible that we'll ever be as close to them as we were to our old ward. But I suppose it will come with time. The ward has been very welcoming and kind to us. Nate and I are speaking in church next Sunday.

Here are some pics of the cuteness and the craziness. We're blessed in so many ways.

We had a picnic on Antelope Island with Grandma. What a treat! Several of us also got eaten alive by biting gnats.

Ice cream sundae/game night with Grandma and the older Aarons.

Nate's gone on a couple multi-day trips for work/church. So my phone is full of good-night selfies.

Nate and I are half-marathon training. Our new house is surrounded by hills everywhere, so pretty much every time I go running I want to die.

The hair's getting long!

Oh my word I love these boys. Addison has matured a lot this summer, and is getting to be quite helpful with his younger siblings.

Bryn has got some serious dance moves.

We've had lots of fun with this year's wading pool.

Warming up after playing in the water.

We have less grass to cut than we used to, so we sold our riding lawnmower and bought an electric push mower, aka: Bessie the electric cow. It's so quiet that you can hear it munching the grass, kind of like a cow.

We took a quick trip down to St. George and had to hit our usual spots.

A beautiful girl collecting beautiful leaves while we explored a new park.

We still do movie night every Friday! Asa's favorite part is the popcorn.

We spent a day at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City playing on the playground and in the rivers with Kim and her kids. This is one of my very favorite summer excursions.

Addison and Ben

Asa thought it was very amusing to tickle Dash's feet. Luckily Dash is a patient dog.

The boy and the dog took a little snooze together.

We worked our buns off to get a garden in this year. It was so much work and pretty expensive, but we're glad we invested the time and money. Nate built us two planter boxes this year, and we hope to add one or two more each year until we have as much space as we want.

This one's full of happy tomatoes. Also pictured is my chief watering buddy. We've spent some quality time together in the garden this year, which I've really enjoyed.

This one has strawberries, peppers, carrots, broccoli and crookneck squash.

Cutest wake up call ever. Asa doing, "Here is the church, here is the steeple."

The kids and I spent a day up at Willard Bay with Kim and Sallie and co. We had so much fun and I got my first peel-worthy sunburn in years.

Maggie and Kim turned Leah into a mermaid!

The coolest sand castle on the planet.

Addison likes to get wet for a minute and then warm up in the sun.

Asa finally sacked out on the blanket. He played hard!