July

Provo has a pretty great fireworks display for the fourth of July.  It also holds sentimental memories for Steven and me because it was our first official date.  Who knew that 12 years later we would end up married with 3.5 kids just blocks from that very spot on the hill?  I certainly would have never guessed that.

The kids enjoyed the fireworks and it was a pleasant evening had by all.  We got some cotton candy and glow sticks from vendors and enjoyed laying back waiting for nightfall.

 Rowan is still honing his photography skills.

 Love this man!

 Rowan is also honing his posing skills.  He refused to sit still for anything.

I know the camera has the ability to take good shots of fireworks, but I never really learned how.  Most of the ones I took didn't turn out.  It was a great show and we were thankful to be able to just walk a few blocks to watch them.

We went through 2-3 slip and slides and a whole lot of duct tape this summer.  Eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that if we put the slip and slide on our slope, the speed of our kids going down will burst the seams at the bottom.  In the end, it turned out to work better to just place the hose at the top without attaching it to anything.  This was one of their favorite activities in the backyard. 


Grandma Dorothy came to spend the summer in Utah again this year and we had lots of fun while she was visiting us.  She bought a pile of Barbies and doll clothes at a yard sale and Nadia had fun sorting through them all with her.  We intended to sew some, but ended up losing interest when the complexities of doing so became evident.  I guess it's not hard if you just plan on dressing Barbie in a muumuu.

With everyone out of school, we also had a few cousin playdates.  One sleepover was enough for the summer!  Those kids don't appreciate sleep, especially when there is fun company around.

Lest you think all we did was fun and games, we also put the munchkins to work.  They were surprisingly interested in chores that didn't involve picking up their toys.  Or at least everyone besides Elsa was.

Love that facial expression!

It was a bit of an adventure getting the compost for the flower beds in Grandpa Judd's old truck.  My mom was the only one available who could manage it's tricky stick shift.  She apparently felt like the truck was going to roll over with every turn since we had so much weight in the back.  It saved us a lot of money though in the end and it was good for our kids to get their hand dirty for a good reason.

 Another event in July was our ward's annual Cub Scout Camp.  I've only just been released as Rowan's Wolf Den leader.  Admittedly, I was never really that good or invested in it.  We combined with 2 other wards and the leaders from those wards were much more experienced and willing to take the reins.  I was essentially the token leader with only 2 cubs and absolutely no idea what cub scouts was about.  Thankfully they released me since I'm not much for hiking or even bending over these days.  But I did go to help with the camp as much as I could.

I was also not much for boating.  But Rowan enjoyed himself along with the other cubs and I guess that's all that matters.

This was probably my favorite activity.  We made foam swords and had sword fights afterwards.  Even I joined in, but I made for a rather large and obvious target.  I pray that no video of such theatrics ever sees the light of day.

 Classic archery.  Rowan really enjoyed this as well and wishes his had his own set to practice with in our backyard.  Considering he is never out there without Elsa following his coattails, I would say it's for the best that he doesn't.

Props to the camp for a delicious lunch!

Orienteering.

 He probably wasn't too happy at me for distracting him by taking pictures at this point.  You can never have enough foam sword fights I guess.

Another favorite of his- BB gun shooting.  I actually bought him a BB gun after we went to this camp because of his interest and also because we had a rat that was living under our deck that I wanted him to take care of.  I still need to get him a target to work on and of course I'll need to ensure Elsa isn't hanging around while he is practicing.  The rat met his demise through other means, so that no longer remains on our to do list.

I love my one on one time with this little man.  He is a light in my life.