Our Summer Flew By

What an amazing summer.

I dare say my favorite yet.

We filled our time with everything fun and family.

Our first outing after school ended was to a local cherry farm where we picked cherries to our delight.

Henry was in tree-climbing heaven and wanted to return the next day.

Unfortunately, nobody would eat the cherries but Mom and Dad and by the time we were ready to revisit the farm, the cherries were gone.

It was a Hurricane gem, though, and I hope we can do the same thing next year.

My parents came at the end of May.

We gifted Tuacahn tickets to them and we were planning on seeing Peter Pan with them.

The show was cancelled, but my little sister who was heading to Lake Powell with her family ended up getting appendicitis and was driven by ambulance to the St. George hospital. My parents were able to be with her through the event.

Rather than going to the play, Brendon and I took Henry and Maggie to a late-night showing of the movie Angry Birds while my parents stayed home with Hazel.
Afterwards, we got to hang out with Brittany and my parents for a couple days and even celebrated my Mom's birthday with her.

After a couple weeks we headed to Oregon to see Garen and Makayla get married.
We took our sweet time driving to Oregon and made several stops along the way.
We spent the first night with my parents.
The next morning we woke up and headed to 7 Peaks with the kids.
We had fun hanging out in the warm lazy river water most of the day and played with my sisters' families.
My dare-devil Hazel hated the big slides and Henry and Maggie didn't care much for them, either.
We stayed the night with my sister Mindy and let the kids play that night and the next morning.
We don't get together often enough but we had a great time being with them.
They treated us to a big, homemade breakfast and let us borrow Zootopia the movie, which entertained the kids about five times over throughout the trip.
Our next stop was Boise, Idaho to see the Meyet family (some friends from Texas).
We played at a park and a nearby pond where the kids swam and me and Stephanie chatted while Brendon swam with the kids.
We played in Boise for about 36 hours were off once more.
Destination: Oregon!
The drive was extremely beautiful. This was our first time seeing this portion of the country.
We rented a cabin in the mountains to share with some of the Holmes family.
The cabin was great! I wish we all planned on staying a couple more days to hang out more at the cabin with the family.
The wedding was fun and busy.
Our first night we went to a bridal shower and met Makayla's sweet family.
The next day we set up for the reception and then went to buy some donuts in Portland. They ended up costing $3/donut so we declined. Brendon logically explained how ridiculous the price was and that he wasn't hungry and we were going home to eat dinner anyways.
It made sense. I agreed. We walked away. I regret not buying a dang $3 donut that day.

 

We met everyone at the Portland temple the next afternoon and enjoyed the sealing of Garen and Makayla.
Our kids were crazy tired so we drove around the freeway for 45 min while they all napped before the luncheon at Old Spaghetti Factory.
We ended up sitting with Makayla's friends, who doted the whole meal over Hazel, making her happy as can be with a lot of attention.
We also sat by Mak's parents and had fun getting to know her family better.
The reception was beautiful and we hung out with our cousins and tried to keep track of the kids running around the church. We even had an eventful mouth bleed from Hazel (of course) who thought she could get down from the stage all by herself.
We left the next morning and drove along-side Grant and Julia till we reached our destination in Twin Falls, Idaho to visit the Jones family.
It was a sweet reunion and we all picked up as if we never left each other.
We chatted and played a game together.
It was a quick stay and we headed back home the next morning.

We got back home and two days later our long-time friends, the Sevy's came to visit!
We were so happy to see them.
Cassie and I were college roommates and we've kept in touch ever since.
It was a treat to see her new baby, Hadley, and to get to chat for awhile.

After a week, my parents came to visit for a rescheduled Tuacahn play.
My brother Austin even got to join this time.
I was a little nervous to bring a 4-year-old to the play but both Henry and Maggie LOVED it!
Henry was on the edge of his seat the entire play.
When we went to the restroom at intermission, Henry asked if it was past his bedtime and thought it was pretty darn cool that he and Maggie were awake at such a late hour (the play started at 8:45 PM).

The next day I had my ultrasound and we saw a healthy baby girl.
The big reveal to the kids went over well.
Henry was a little disappointed about another sister but only for about 10 seconds.
When I convinced him that his watermelon sucker was red, not pink, his frown disappeared.
He started asking me what we were going to name our baby sister within an hour.
He is so good with sisters that I told him he just might not have any brothers.
Time will tell.

The next day the Gibson Family Reunion started as everyone came into town (we held it in Hurricane).
We had a blast playing on side-by-sides, eating delicious food, playing with water balloons and the kiddie pool, playing games, talking, going to see Finding Dory together, and being around each other.
We were all together for five days, which is always a treat!

The next weekend Gramma Sheryl came to town along with Jordan and Breana's family.
We celebrated the fourth of July with a neighborhood barbecue and fireworks.
Gramma left for Provo to prepare for wedding number two while we went on a hike with Jordan's family.
It was a hot, hot hike and when we realized the water was gone this time of year the kids were disappointed.
We came home for lunch and headed out to a swimming hole in the Virgin River.
Everyone had fun and I was especially impressed with our cousin, Harley, who was busy discovering tadpoles and other creatures while the rest of us swam in the water.
We spent the next day at the splash pad. Water is our best friend in these hot summers.

Then we all left for Orem for Cody and Molly's wedding.
We stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and had another busy weekend.
The day we got there I finalized desserts for the rehearsal dinner and loved doing that.
The dinner was amazing (beautiful and delicious) as we reconnected with some of the Holmes family and met Molly's family for the first time.
The wedding followed the next day and it was a sweet sealing.
Afterwards we ate some delicious food at Cubby's, a new favorite, and headed over to the reception.
It was outside in Lisa's backyard, which Molly had rented before realizing there was any family connection between Lisa and Cody.
It was ideal for the kids. There was a trampoline, swing set, and tire swing.
We laid Hazel down for bed inside the house and the kids played the night away.
At the end of the night I told Henry what a great job he did playing with all the kids and he said, "Yeah, I pushed a lot of people. My hands hurt," (from the tire swing).
Maggie was sobbing to me as she told me, "I missed the party!!!!! I didn't get any food!!!! I wanted to dance (on the dance floor) but Henry didn't want to!!!!!" It had been a long day.
The next day was my birthday!!
We started with a Lindon pool party with the Holmes family and had fun swimming with the kids.
I wanted to eat out and invited the Gibson and Holmes families to Kneaders.
It ended up being the perfect place to celebrate because we all got to sit near each other but ended up table hopping and so we got to talk with everyone. Nearly all of both families came (even Cody and Molly showed up--they were going to open their presents shortly after dinnertime).
Afterwards we went to my parent's house for cake and ice cream.
We laid the kids to bed and met up with the Holmes family for games and played until 1 AM.
It was a great birthday!

We headed home for Hurricane for our first time being home alone for more than a week.
So we did swimming lessons for Henry and Maggie with a Mommy and Me class for me and Hazel.
The kids did great!
Henry has gotten a lot better at swimming.
Maggie was more timid but it may have been due to being in a new social scene as opposed to the water, but she enjoyed swimming.
Hazel was crazy happy about being in the water, as I knew she would.
She would jump into the pool and paddle with swimming motions as a stood ten feet from the edge.
She is crazy fun!
One woman said to me, "I have a five-year-old I wished swam as well as she does."
We celebrated our two Friday's of swimming lessons with treats: a slurpee and candy from the pool.

Staying home during the summer was not on our to-do list so after two weeks of being home, we went back up to Orem to celebrate the 24th of July with my Mom's family.
Dawna mailed us an invitation early in the summer and so we planned to go up and see almost all of my cousins for the party.
The kids were spoiled with toys and treats, we had a delicious meal, and we played games and caught up with everyone.

We came home again and did some potty training!
Maggie went with Brendon to California for a weekend while Henry, Hazel and I sat on the toilet.
We had a couple more visitors come through: two sets of Brendon's cousins.
Now here we are with school starting and summer is gone.
I think we lived up this summer.
I hope we always have this much fun during our summer break!

That's a Wrap!

We survived our first year of public school!

I am excited about this summer and having Henry around a little more 

(because let's be honest, he wasn't gone for very long during the day).

Now we can take however long we want with our morning activities--like the park or library--instead of rushing home to get lunch and send Henry off to school.

We ended the school year with some fun activities.

Henry had his first choir performance. 

He liked practicing his dance for us and it was fun to see him enjoy the process of learning to perform.

I think he sang one song out of the eight that his class sang but he was very excited about the whole ordeal and we enjoyed watching him from a distance.

Maggie had her first ballet recital and we loved every minute of the whole recital.

Even Hazel sat through all fifteen performances without a battle.

Maggie's group was the youngest group and they were darling.

Maggie started in one spot in her line and ended the dance in another.

When I asked if she was supposed to change spots she said, "No, but I wanted to be by Jenny."

Four-year-old dancers can pull off things like that without penalty.

Henry played tee ball and I coached.

It was a great experience although I question if Henry would do better with a different teacher.

This was Henry's first experience and he learned a lot and progressed throughout the season, consistently hitting the ball off of a pitch.

Fielding is a different story. I had to tell him to stand up about a half a dozen times each inning.

His favorite part was the treat.

I enjoyed working with the kids and was happy when the season ended.

Henry ended Kindergarten with a test and a lot of positive feedback.

He got 293/296 on his test and buzzed right through it.

Mrs. Reid told me how he remembers a lot of details and how much she enjoyed him in her class.

A mom Henry's classmate who helped with reading said Henry was mature.

It's fun to receive such great feedback.

I feel like this was our first really positive experience with school and I'm grateful for Henry's growth and progress and have enjoyed seeing him be so happy about going to school each day.

Henry got to meet his first grade teacher and see who will be in his class next year.

He keeps asking if he gets to go school and is so excited for first grade!

But for now, we're off for some summer fun!

Visitors

One visitor asked what my favorite thing about living in Hurricane is.

My first response was, "That Brendon is so happy."

But after thinking about it and selfishly looking for my own joy in living here I thought of our visitors. 

We have had so many people come through town to stay with us.

Even if it were simply the number of times we have seen grandparents, that would be enough.

But it doesn't stop there.

We've had siblings, aunts and uncles, and friends come to our home.

And we love every visitor!

Although my home is far from put together, I have enjoyed hosting and being with everyone.

We've gone on hikes, jeep rides, and the theatre, 

We've experienced some not-so-fine Hurricane dining and some fun outdoor adventures.

One of my favorite things is always when the kids are down for the night and the talking and/or game-playing begins.
But equally as fun is seeing the kids have fun with their cousins and friends.

Hazel Bug is Two

Oh man, this girl is FUN!

Happy, playful, funny, spunky, energetic.

We all love her and she loves us all.

(I vaguely recall writing that when she was born.)

Hazel is learning to talk, use the toilet, and is beginning to understand rules.

She is a momma's girl but loves when "dada" comes home and to play with her siblings.

She can be shy at times when she is unfamiliar with people but is the complete opposite at home.

She loves playing with babies, cars, balls, dinosaurs, and books.

When it's time to take a nap, she often wants to "pay" (play).

Whenever she hears a voice of a grandparent, she gets excited.

She is the sweetest thing when it comes to babies.

Whenever she sees a baby, she likes to touch it or give the baby a hug.

Her hugs can be violent at times, but she is quickly learning to be soft.

"Oh, nigh" (nice), she says whenever she offers a hug.

Another love of hers is candy, or should I say, "Can-ee."

She especially loves "Cucker" (suckers).

She will sneak candy when she can and it always makes her happy.

She connects with every one in our family for different reasons.

Mom is her go-to. Her favorite buddy. 

Dad is her playmate when she wants to be tossed or thrown in the air or tickled relentlessly.

Henry is her wrestling and running buddy.

They have similar personalities and are often laughing together.

Maggie is her talking buddy and her favorite word to say. 

We hear, "Maaaggieeeee!" a lot these days.

Overall, she brings us all a lot of laughter.

I love when Hazel thinks she's Mom and says, "Maggie! Two...free...on" (two...three...one)!

Today while she and I were sitting in the bathroom, Henry and Maggie were loudly playing together and Hazel yelled a couple incomprehensible sentences and then said, while pointing her finger, "Nigh" (nice)! 

 I congratulated Brendon and I for keeping Hazel alive until 2-years-old,

then quickly gave angels and God the credit.

She survived a 30-piece-magnet-removing surgery and chipped her two front teeth.

She is busy and brave.

This is typical Hazel. We went on a hike and the older kids decided to play on a tree.

Hazel and I were walking and she sat in the sand and she quickly decided to eat some...

then she figured--why not--let's swim in it...

then thought she'd take the plunge and roll in it.

Oh, crazy Hazey!

I love the dimple on her right cheek, her infectious smile, and her cuddles.

She loves to lay on a shoulder and tuck her arms underneath her belly and often wiggles her bum.

She is a healthy, happy girl and we feel so blessed to have her love and laughter in our home.

Our family is happier with her around. A little crazier, but definitely happier.