July has been such a fun month. I'm hoping to hold on to these memories well into the winter, since these have been the kind of days you pine for all year long. Consequently, I have taken a LOT of pictures. Posting them all would require four or five blog posts, so I'll just showcase some of my favorites, but if you click any of them, they'll take you to my Flickr photo stream and you can peruse at your pleasure!

We picked raspberries at Grandma and Grandpa's, and the kids dubbed it "Raspberry Wonderland". As adults, sometimes we lose sight of the simple pleasures and beauty around us, but hearing the kids as they hunted for berries made me so happy and reminded me of picking berries with my cousins at G&G Gessel's house.


Maesa's basket only managed to hold one berry at a time before it made it to her mouth.




Last weekend we went to Bear Lake! The kids have been talking about it for months now, and were so excited to actually sleep in our tent. Connor was an eager helper as Daddy set up the tent!




As soon as it was up, Alaina told us that Bootsie needed a nap. She loved to escape the action of Bear Lake and roll around in the tent all alone.


Anthony saw the old, decrepit float that was awaiting being burned and took it upon himself to make an entirely new one out of completely repurposed materials. Gotta admit, I thought he was crazy for taking on such a project, but after seeing it done, I'm proud of my helpful hubby.


Even though we had clean sand with seashells just a few yards away, Connor just couldn't stay out of the ashy sand around the firepit. He was black for two whole days. Maesa loved to rearrange the chairs into rows and yell, "Kids!" when she deemed they were ready.


Grandma also took on a huge task, cleaning out the shed!


In Dave's words, "Two days of Bear Lake".


The campfire is always the best part of the day.




Anthony and Dave with their masterpiece.


While there will never be a replacement for my childhood memories of buying penny candy at the Old Rock Store, the Gessels did a great job of making new memories for the little kids. I thought it was pretty funny that inflation had been taken into account and candies that I bought for 1 cent 15 years ago are now 3 cents. :)


Bear Lake is a much different experience now that I'm a parent. Much more worrying about campfire burns, too much candy consumption, sunblock reapplication, and achy joints from sleeping on the ground, but I cannot describe the joy it brought me to see my children making memories with their cousins the exact way that I did as a child.


I've attempted some star trail photos in the past without much luck, but I'm elated with this 27 minute exposure. I set up my tripod with a view of the characteristic Bear Lake trees and hoped for the best. I may have scared Kristina a little bit as she was walking to close the gate and I was lurking in the darkness! :) I was so pleasantly surprised with the fact that I got the North pole in the frame (it's the star around which all the others rotate) and the orange glow from the campfire on the trees. This was taken within a few minutes of my 26th birthday, so it's a cool memory to have!

Soaking Up Summer

Whew! What a fun weekend! I've been cajoling Marinda to take us out on the boat while Mary Ann and the girls are here, and we got to go on Saturday! It was a blast, though a bit choppier (and sunnier--ask Anthony's burnt-to-a-crisp knees) than the last time! The highlight of this trip was the tube. Connor wanted to go first with Kimball, which honestly surprised Anthony and I. The idea of pulling our tiny baby boy 30 feet behind the boat seemed proposterous, but I guess every parent experiences that feeling multiple times over the years. Connor couldn't hide his excited smile at first, but then he tough-guy'ed it for the rest of the ride and attempted to look bored.




Anthony then attempted to go with Alaina and Tori, but after nearly tipping the tube, he and I switched places. We started off slow, and Alaina was smiling. Then, Tori said she wanted to go faster, and so did I, so we amped it up a bit. Through all the bouncing and splashing, Alaina and Tori screamed and giggled in delight. That's a memory I don't want to forget!


We slowed down for some lunch and to soak up some rays.


Connor's tantrums have reached epic proportions lately, so much so that we have named his various angry faces, the worst of which is "Angry Troll Face". Watch out if you get that one, it'll give you nightmares. Marinda suggested that I take a picture of the pouty face. I told her that I'd rather not remember these 4-year-old mood swings, but she insisted that we'll laugh about it someday. Here's to hoping. :)


I love how this photo sums up the time on the boat...Alaina loving the sunshine, Marinda enjoying herself, and Connor pouting about Capri Suns.


I think Anthony's ready to adopt Maesa. Sorry, Blake and Mary Ann, she's just too cute to pass up! We've taken to shouting one-word commands around here...Trash! Drink! Phone!


Then today, little miss Elle turned 7. She is the sweetest little girl and plays so well with my kids. Kandis and Dave pulled out all the stops with an old-fashioned celebration featuring a hot dog bar, cotton candy, games, and homemade ice cream. How am I ever supposed to keep up with my talented siblings?!

Marshy can thank me later for introducing him to the beauty of Red Vines. Welcome to the dark side, Marshmallow.




When Dave broke out the cotton candy, I couldn't resist. Who needs a paper cone handle when your own hand will suffice? Gotta say, the sugar was hotter than I expected!


Watch the fingers!


On the 4th, Marinda mentioned to Kandis that she'd always wanted to participate in a pie-eating contest. Kandis didn't disappoint, and neither did Marinda! I had a hard time competing between inhaling whipped cream and laughing at Marinda's face.


All the competitors had to take a moment to clear our passages.


Life is very tough when you are denied the privilege of grape soda.


Next came the three-legged race! Janet and I did well until we tripped over a pipe, but for the first 20 paces, our 1-2-1-2 count kept us on track.


Connor was just too cute with Kandis and Dave's dog Ruby. This picture is definitive Connor...one hand full of candy, one hand full of puppy. At this moment, he was in heaven.


...And you have to end the post with the aftermath of the licorice. Now Marshall's accepted food color list is orange AND red!

On Wednesday, I miraculously didn't get called into work, and we went boating with the Whites instead! It was the kids' first time on a boat, and they both adored it! The expressions from the wind were priceless! :)




Daddy's sunglasses to the rescue!


Utah Lake was prettier than I remember! With Anthony's college career more than half over, and us not knowing where we'll live two years from now, I know we'll look back fondly at the pictures of the Utah scenery if we're not here!


Aunt Myrna owning it.




Anthony, a second before learning that only the top six inches of the water is warm. :)




Modeling the wetsuit I wore when I was 17! 'Twas a bit more snug, but I'll take it! There's nothing worse than putting on a wet wetsuit, so even if I needed a little bit of help zipping it up, I'll suck it in so I can have a dry one every time! :P


Me owning it.


Just kidding! I was pleasantly surprised when I got up my first time, after an eight year hiatus!


Despite having never been wakeboarding, Anthony figured it out quickly!




Connie Bell, resident babysitter. :)




Thanks for a wonderful night, Whites! As soon as we got in the car, Alaina said, "That was so much fun!" We can't wait until next time!

SUMMER!

Yesterday actually felt like summer! Even though there is still a part of me that denies that it will ever be warm, I'm so excited to start wearing warm weather clothes and be outside all day!

One of the many perks of living with Grandma and Grandpa was access to their grill. Anthony has grillin' in his blood, so I thought it would be a nice Father's Day gift to get him a grill. It was originally supposed to be a surprise, but I knew I would pick out the wrong one if I tried to spring it on him! So, I told him about the plan a few weeks ago, and he successfully talked me out of it, for our finances' sake. However, once the warm weather hit, there was no denying the itch. Here's Anthony with his early Father's Day gift!


Connor approves of Daddy's grilling skills with a mouth full of hot dogs.


We also bought a hose and a kids' sprinkler, and I can honestly say that it's the best gift we've ever given Connor. Who new a $10 hose could bring so much fun?!




When Connor's little cheekies get too pink (a great gauge of his body temperature!), we venture inside. Anthony and I both disapprove of how much tv the kids would prefer to watch, so we've been trying to come up with more constructive activities. The kids LOVE to paint and Connor informed me that he was working on a "science pwojet".


Alaina could paint all day. She sat at the table for two solid hours, painting left-handed. We still can't figure out if she's a righty or a lefty, or both, like Aunt Marinda!


Oh, summer, how I've missed you!!

Recently...

Sunday was gorgeous! Hot, sunny, family fun, no work, perfect. I took the kids over to Grandma and Grandpa's house and was happily surprised to find out that David and his family were coming, too!

Dave says that Ava is a mama's girl, but it looks like Ava's got three things wrapped around her little finger.


Grandpa knows how to impress the kiddos! He disappeared into the house for a minute, then came out with a tray full of goodies!


She is not one to waste a treat.


Connor loves to play with Elle. Whenever he is "calling" someone on his toy cell phone, it is almost always Elle. She plays so sweetly with him and I just love her for it. Not very many little girls will play with a rambunctious four year old boy, but Elle is a perfect playmate.


I don't really know what to say about Alaina's posing anymore. Some days she is the ideal model and will work the camera, even pausing long enough for a slower shutter speed in the bathroom ambient light. Like today...






Wrinkle toes!


My current parenting battle is following through. I'll be the first to admit that most of the time, it's just EASIER to let the kids have their way. And a lot of the time, Connor's back talk makes good enough sense that I find some truth in it. However, I'm really struggling with the eating habits that they (we) have adopted, and I feel like I need to nip it in the bud before this battle extends further into everyday life. I had to be the mean parent at Grandma and Grandpa's and turn off the hose since Connor had two chances to not spray people and blew both of them, and I had to be the mean mom tonight at bedtime. The kids refused to eat the dinner that I made, and they both said that they were full at the table. Then, when in bed, they both began to cry for granola bars. I tried distraction, drinks of water, teeth brushing, but they were deadset on eating something. I steamed a plate of broccoli for both of them, and they ate it and seemed fine with it, but I don't know who won here! I try to keep things in perspective, telling myself that I'm not the worst mom in the world by insisting that my kids eat nourishing food, but Mom Guilt is so much more intense than I ever imagined. I wonder if I'll ever feel like I've done it right or if I'll always find something to judge myself against. :/


Oh, the HORROR!