Pinehurst

 We look forward to the Pinehurst fire works every year.  We set our blankets and chairs up on the soft grass and then go play catch until it gets too dark.

This year Justin's parents came and brought 3 missionaries.  They had races with the boys and made Nathan's day by "letting" him win.  Great guys!

The show was beautiful and lasted a good 30 minutes.  It was fun to try and take firework pictures for the first time thanks to my "lessons" the previous night.

July Fourth

 The boys woke up late the morning of the fourth of July breakfast.  We were all up late the night before watching the fireworks at Clement Park.

We took blankets, footballs, flashlights, and a yummy picnic; chicken salad sandwiches, homemade guacamole and chips, peaches, chocolate sheet cake, and Twizzlers.

We found the perfect spot and then it started to rain.

We grabbed all our stuff and ran like Olympian track stars back to our vehicle and set up there while we waited for the storm to pass.

Just as we were about to "try again" we saw some of our good friends, the Eagers.  We ended up joining their party. SO glad we did! Tamera showed me the how too's of taking a good firework picture and we talked the night away while all the kids ran and played and peered into prairie dog holes.

The kids and dads set up camp on top of their Cruiser and the ladies ate all the treats down below.  Just kidding. wink wink

The next morning we made our way to our ward breakfast...

Why are outside pancakes so good and why can you eat twice as many?  We will never know...

The scouts did a nice job with the flag ceremony,  a bike parade circled the park, volleyball and football games were going on in the field, and my favorite part: Danny Pruiett aka Giant Abe Lincoln made an appearance.

Next were off to swim lessons with the boys and Justin had to finish up painting a house with Todd.

Time for a nap.  There is nothing like a 4th of July nap that gets you ready for another late night.

We went to Pinehurst Country Club that night after dinner and the next night we had our own wiz bang Hillan  Palooza.

 Papa had surprised the boys and took them to pick out some fireworks.  They came back excited to say the least and I was excited to give "bikini girl" a wetsuit with a magic marker.

Our little firework show ended up being a highlight of the weekend.  It was so LOUD and we were laughing so hard!  I felt bad for our neighbors.

I caught the finale on video and you would have thought we were on the white house lawn with the most amazing show in the nation with our little firecrackers.

Such a fun night!

Learning to SWIM...

 If there is one thing in this life that I want my kids to learn, it is to SWIM!

Last year, I was a bit out of commission and I felt the boys were way behind.  I wanted them to have private lessons and wasn't sure how it was all going to work out.

The stars aligned perfectly and my friend Kimi who teaches lessons had some openings.  We snagged them up and the rest is history.

Because of her, the boys can SWIM and are working on their techniques for different strokes!

I am one happy mama and have to say, Kimi is magic!

Letters

The boys were practicing their handwriting and I overheard a little conversation. I had to giggle.

Nathan: "Who invented cursive, anyways?"

Kendall: Without skipping a beat, "Jesus!"

He's A Good Dad....

 I mean a REALLY good dad.

It just seems like every year he gets better and better and all those layers pack down to make a pretty darn good foundation.

After all, when you leave the hospital you have no manual what so ever and you learn that prayer and "experienced" others that have already done the whole parent thing and learning from your mistakes... becomes priceless.

I love that he gets tears in his eyes when he talks about his boys and I love all the hours he racks up of dad time.  I love all the games of catch they play in the yard and all the reading they log in together as they get lost in adventures.

 I love that every day when he gets home from work, the boys jump into his arms and when he is smothered in a Nathan Kendall sandwich, he looks at me and smiles and I know he is thinking, "I have a good life."

On Vallecito Lake

It was long over due to get this group of second cousins together so when Kami mentioned a cabin weekend, we jumped on board.

It was a beautiful drive.  Lots of twisty roads lined with pine and spruce trees.  Occasionally we would roll the window down and suck in that mountain musty air laced with sap mixed with fresh open space.  It truly was rejuvenating.

  I might add that it was a much needed getaway.  In fact, every moment made up for the fact that I dropped my cell phone in a small town gas station toilet.  And the tender mercy?  After days in a rice bag and tons of antibacterial...it still worked!

We pulled up to the cabin and had a sweet reunion.  Within minutes we felt at home and the kids were inseparable.

The Palmer kids showed us the ropes including how you gazelle jump off a huge boulder elegantly and how to catch a fish within seconds of casting.

My boys were in heaven and quite frankly, so was I.

At night we would put all the kids to bed and sneak into the kitchen where we laughed and ate the nights away.

The view.  Oh my, the view.  Each morning we awoke in the sun room that overlooked the calm waters of the lake.  The sun glinted through the trees and you could hear birds singing and squirrels jumping from tree to tree.

I was usually the first one awake and loved every minute of that morning time.

 There is a peace in the mountains and couple that with a lake, blue sky with puffy white clouds, purple wildflowers, cousins you adore and a trip to the local mini merc for peppermint ice cream, paddle boarding and kayak ball races...ain't nothin' better.

 

A Crazy Camp!

It was Nathan's first time to go scout camp this year.  Boy howdy, was he ever excited!

We packed him a dinner each day and sent him off with water and his backpack.

He returned home each night with fun details about the day and all kinds of homemade trinkets; a bird house, a boat, a top, archery targets, necklaces full of beads, and stuff for his kerchief.

A major highlight was when I picked him up and knew by his huge grin that something was up. 

His leader met me by the the car giggling and Nathan proceeded to tell me that his team was in the kayak splashing another group and when they retaliated, the boat flipped over including their sweet leader.  They LOVED it!

They were drenched but grateful to cool off on that hot day.

Andrew, Nathan, and Wesley

Taking Turns

 The boys spend tons of time in the sand box taking turns burying each other.  They love being covered in dirt and I love it when they get out of the tub all sparkly clean.

Sprinklers!

 I love the smells of summer.  The one smell that tops my list is the smell of water!  It instantly takes me back to watering the yard with Grandad.  Great memories!

The boys love to put on their swimsuits and head out back for a refreshing run through the sprinklers. 

I'm glad I captured Nathan being so brave for this day the temperature was only 65 degrees.

Summer Bucket List...

Every season is amazing.  It truly is.  By the time each one rolls around, your soul aches to smell the smells, be present and live in the moment, and suck the marrow out of the current experiences.

After family home evening one Monday night, we all stuck around to make our list.  Our list to solidify the beloved season of hot weather and fresh grassy scents.

 We have been anticipating the summer season for many weeks and had no problem coming up with 50 things we would gladly do to enhance each day.