Summer Days

Far too much has happened this summer to be able to do a reasonable size blog so I thought I would just write a few lists to give a brief recap of summer and maybe add a few favorite pictures. I am burnt out and extremely brain dead right now and so apologize for my lack of creativity. I will try to improve in future blogs! (Key word: try)

Favorite events/things from summer 2008:

• The Hansen Family Reunion
• The Garner Family Reunion
• The Jensen Family Reunion (as you can see, we were pretty busy with family this summer and it was so good to see relatives we only see every 2-3 years.)
• Our little overnight vacation to Leavenworth, Wa with the kids
• taking each of the kids on a special before school/school shopping date (though we were both a little sick of Chuck E. Cheese!)
  
• watching my youngest just get in and LOVE the water
  
• watching my other children work on and improve their swimming skills
• Baby showers, card parties and other times with family and friends
• Hyrum enjoying learning how to cook and Hannah enjoying being his assistant--they made me a yummy scrambled egg and orange juice breakfast in bed one day.
  

Some of my least favorite things/events of summer 2008:

• Trying to get through the insane scheduling for dental appointments (here in Mattawa there aren't a lot of options in town for dental work--one place--and the way they have you set up appointments is often beyond frustrating!)
• Having to do the aforementioned scheduling most weeks out of the summer (either because we couldn't get in or because there were numerous cavities to fill)
• Having to try to get work done with 4 children underfoot and trying to get the older 3 of those children to help clean up the messes they are constantly making! Anyone with children knows what I am talking about and the frustration levels that can be reached when working with children
• Cleaning up the messes that Hyrum made while learning how to cook.
• Becoming pregnant as planned and then miscarrying (this was not something that I was going to post but I think I have healed from that time and it is something that added stress to my summer days. So, there it is. I don't want anyone worrying about me. I am completely healed and just waiting a few months before trying again. If you have a new baby and live by me make sure you give me some time to hold them. It really helps me!)
• Having a two year old with almost no fear of the water.
• Children who can't seem to get along and were fond of telling me how bored they were as if it was my responsibility to entertain them constantly and falling down on the job!
• Finding baby-sitters since my youngest sister finally grew up and left home for Arizona and is no longer here to help us out in this capacity.
• Having to do Sharing Time for the month of August which is a busy month anyway and also a very long one (5 Sundays) and one in which we had our Stake Primary Presidency come visit our ward!

So that is our summer in a nutshell. I am hoping to find a little breathing room again to accomplish more projects now that two of the kids are in school. I just need to take a small breather first and get up some motivation!

Here are a few favorite photos from our summer:


My little toga trucker--he would live outside with his trucks and dirt if we let him!


My fearless swimmer


My sweetie


My handsome husband and me in, I think, the only picture taken of me this summer--luckily it looks good!


My oldest. He is actually mad at his parents in the first photo (for being "unfair" or something) but isn't he cute?


Playing in a mud puddle. His shirt was actually a white onsie to start with. It took a lot of rinsing and scrubbing to get that mud out of his hair and quite a time to get all that dirt down the drain!


Miss Photogenic. She seems to look cute in almost every picture we take of her! That is the watermelon that she grew from a seed, started in her Kindergarten class.


My two year old clapping and cheering on his birthday. : )

There are too many favorites! I better stop now so I can go get the kids in bed. Enjoy this post!