Summer Sampler

June came and went in a blink. We have been very busy, but also enjoying a little more freedom in our schedule, like staying up late and sleeping in (till 8, if that counts). Here are a few moments to remember.

My Aunt Sheryl passed away from lung cancer. She was way too young and left a large and loving family behind, but we're glad she's out of pain and in a better place. We were able to attend her funeral services in Logan along with my parents and two sisters. After the luncheon we took the kids to get Aggie ice cream because you can't go to Logan without stopping there.

Ty enjoyed getting a delivery from the UPS man with his reward for no sugar May: a remote control car! He has enjoyed learning how to drive it.

The big kids were pretty excited when school got out to join our cousin walking date. We meet some Wednesdays on the Jordan River trail for a walk and play at the park.

This day we spotted a group of cranes on the water. We live in some pretty beautiful country!

I couldn't help but snap a picture of Ella going to a friend's birthday party... Cute girl! Our summer has been full of birthday parties!

That same cutie is pretty excited that her tooth is finally starting to grow in a little.

Speaking of sleeping in... sometimes Ty and Jake get up before I can peel myself out of bed, and they usually play quietly in their rooms together. One morning Ty stole my phone and took pictures of their adventures. I'm glad these brothers have each other.

This was a picture we snapped for our cousin Ty who sent Tyler this outfit that matches his own. They thought it was fun to have pictures of each other in matching shirts.

We joined Dana's family at the Saratoga Springs city days at Neptune Park. Mike had never been there with us and had to conquer the pyramid with the girls. There's Maddie above and Ella below.

Ty and Bodie tested their bravery climbing as high as they could dare.

They next day, on a Saturday, we went tree shopping and chose a couple of shade trees for our back yard at Wholesale Landscape Supply (a Sterling Silver Lindon to make a pair with another one we bought at Home Depot, and a Crimson Sentry maple).

We also attended our own Lehi Round-Up Picnic in the Park a few weeks later. It was a fun night visiting with neighbors and ward members.

My hollyhocks are in their full glory right now. They are so pretty!

My sweet visiting teacher took my kids one afternoon for a water play date and crafts. Ella got a tummy ache halfway through and came home for some one-on-one with Mommy. That kind of time is rare and we made the most of it by doing a craft of our own together.

This is the apron the kids made with her. The next day Ty put it to use when we made chocolate chip cookies together.

These crazy kids took a break from their play to sit in our tiny bit of shade and eat the cookies. Grow trees grow!

We didn't do much swimming in June but we did hit up the Alpine splash pad with Dana one day.

Jake is growing up too fast, and this summer he thinks he is a big boy and follows the other kids around. I have to keep a close eye on him when he plays outside!

I caught this cute little parade, for example. The neighbor friends Maycee and Boston loaded a wagon with supplies and Ty and Jake trecked with them to their backyard camping site.

June is the time to enjoy garden peas. We picked a good amount one night for dinner and Ty helped me shuck them to make red potatoes and peas in cream sauce, yum!

My cute little pea helper.

The weather at the end of June was super duper hot and dry, so we had to take a break one Saturday afternoon and go get shaved ice.

Little did we know the "small" was as big as your head! Can you eat all that Jake?

The joke was on us! We ended up dumping half of each one because there's no way you can finish it!

And it wouldn't be summer with out some corn on the cob.  This was Jake's first real experience with it and he loved it!

Ty was our super duper corn eater. He cracks us up because he calls it corn on a log, and says ants on a cob. Silly boy.

To end this sampler I will represent another favorite activity of the kids with just one day's example... they love getting out all the blankets in the house and making beds and tents! It's good for some entertainment, but also requires a lot of clean-up!