Back to school

We started the month off right with the reunion, and then we tried to make the most of the rest of the summer. I've got these pictures out of order, but here's Tyler on his first day of kindergarten. As you can see, there are plenty of kids his age in the neighborhood. He's got a crush on the girl standing next to him - yep, he has good taste.We did s'mores and hot dogs at the park a few Mondays ago (since we never got around to it during the reunion). It was a fun family night activity.















We got to go horseback riding with some friends we haven't seen in over 3 years. They live in Newport Beach, so we think we'll go and visit them next! Vanessa is a professional photographer there, and she got me excited about photography again. I've been looking at cameras and saving up for one.
















Brian has a great work party every year at a small amusement park here. We got to rock climb and do bumper cars. I even went on a really scary ride. We had a great time.




















I was the world's best and worst mom all in the same day yesterday. We took the kids to play tennis, I made french bread and cinnamon rolls, and then I got out the slip-and-slide to celebrate the last really hot day of summer (at least that's what the weather man called it). I even braved it a few times (though my arms are paying the price this morning!). Brian sprayed a bunch of wasps while we were outside, and they went everywhere. One even went down my shirt and stung me three times before Brian bear-hugged me (and it) to death. I almost stripped right then and there in our front yard, but I showed a little restraint and waited until I was in the entryway (but I think the door was still open). The kids played on that darn slip-n-slide (actually just a thick, long piece of plastic that Brian staked into the ground) for over 5 hours. They slept SOOO well last night. Here's where the bad mom part comes in. I was too tired to cook last night, so we had cinnamon rolls for dinner. That's all we ate. The boys didn't mind, but I think it was the least nutritious meal I have ever served. So that's about it for now. I better go get those yahoos ready for church (which Tyler just informed me is "WAY, WAY, WAY too wong and borin."

Family Reunions!

We've been crazy busy this past month. First, we had Brian's parents, his sister Karie, and his sister Delona's family come for a weekend. We had a great time camping (but remind me not to take an 18 month old to a lake with only one pair of shoes ever again). We also spent a day at Bear Lake. Cameron was amazed at how big the fish were, and he couldn't get enough of the waverunner. We forgot Brian's sunscreen, we ate really greasy hamburgers, and we were grateful for showers and comfy beds when we got home.
















This past weekend, all of Lisa's family (except Chrissy's husband Jon) came to our house. There were 21 of us all in the same house. Getting ready for church was a challenge (Carl washed his hair in the kitchen sink), but everything else ran really smoothly. Everyone's kids are getting so big. It's fun to see them play together. We are looking forward to future reunions with less 2-year old tantrums, but lots of fun memories were made despite the occasional choas. Lisa's dad made a trip to the emergency room on Saturday, but is doing fine now (those darn 4-wheelers are fun, but sometimes you have to wonder if they are worth it!)














School starts next week. Brian will be in 1st grade and Tyler will be in afternoon kindergarten. I'm glad I still have 2 little ones at home, and I'm looking forward to an occasional nap with them!