End of the school year and Part 1 of our Summer Fun

SCHOOL'S OUT 2014

Parker had a great First Grade year! His teacher was a stern one and definitely one of the more unpopular ones in the school (she's a yeller & not exactly " nice") but thankfully he made it through okay! The kid just loves learning and takes so much pride in school and his friends there that he was still able to make it a good experience. I could say a lot more about that but I'll leave it there. :) I have to say however that I am soooo relieved that this year for 2nd he got a really really great teacher that everyone loves- especially Parker. Phew! He deserved it after last year! :)

Here he is front and center at the annual year end Dance Festival that the elementary school puts on. It's one of my very favorite activities that they do all year! All the grades get up and perform their very own dance to popular music from the year. His was western themed (ahhh I can't remember the song) and it was super cute! This is actually a pic of the finale with the whole school. I guess his teacher made them all tuck in the their shirts once they got to school. This made me giggle the whole time because his pants looks so high... and I would have put a belt on him had I known tucking was going to be the protocol...but oh well!  

New cousins arrived just days apart late in May. Will and Liv! Soooo happy to have more cousins and our only Utah based ones! They put P, E, and L's total cousin tally at 6. Eric and Cindy's three in TX, Cousin Jack of Cali, and these two new cuties! We love them!!!

Chris was working on Memorial Day so it was just the kiddos and I who trekked to Holladay to see my Grandpa and Michael and then onto Mt Calvary Cemetery above the Avenues in Salt Lake to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Westwood and have a picnic lunch. We would have driven to Midway for Grandpa L but I wasn't up to the long drive being prego and without Chris. Plus you can bet I would have gotten lost! We talked about Atticus a lot on our drive...I truly hate that my kids don't have him here to play with. I love it when they talk about him though and their Uncle Michael and I am grateful to know that with some patience we'll see them again. 

AND SUMMER ARRIVED!!!! I am so SO happy to report that we had a really fun summer 2014. I felt so guilty last summer getting so sick near the end of July and felt like my kids totally got gypped on their summer fun with me being down and out for several months. It was so awful I hate even thinking back to it... Anyways, I was really worried that being prego this year would also put a damper on things but my body has been such a trooper and I am grateful that it allowed us to play away! Here is a glimpse of  Part 1 of our summer fun: 

 June...

FATHER'S DAY!!!!

My kiddos love their Dad!!!

June 24th - our Anniversary! We've been married a loooooooooong time... and it has flown by so quick. I'm grateful I get to grow old with this guy! We got a sitter - yes - a sitter and actually went out without kids. It's such a rare happening (I think it's happened a total of 3 times all of 2014 and it's now October) that we forget what sitting and actually having a conversation without whiny crazy kids to tend to is like. We went to Toucanos (I think?) - a Brazillian restaurant at Gateway in SL and then walked around Temple Square for a bit. Such a fun evening! Our kids are a nightmare to put to bed so we try and spare the sitter of that deed if at all possible and go as early as we can. Just less stress all around for everyone. Parker took this pic of us on the swings after our date. On a sidenote, months after this night happened, I had taken that necklace out to wear, and Lexi (2) said, "Mom, this is the necklace you wore when Landry babysat us!". I was so impressed that she had remembered that little detail from months before!

Back to June...A few nights later, we had Landry babysit AGAIN (I know - two times in one week - total record for us!!!) while we went to the Sandy Amphitheater for a "Date Night with Matt Townsend". Matt is  a relationship expert - and such a great, FUNNY speaker - I just love him. He is sometimes on TV and the radio...anyways, my Dad and Melissa were so sweet to buy us tickets and we went with them and Melissa's two cute daughters and their spouses. We met first at the park for a gourmet picnic (seriously!) that Melissa made us and then went over to the amphitheater. The music group Voice Male also performed and were really good and really funny too. SUCH a fun night! And a late one.... unfortunately for our sitter, she had to put the kids to bed....and it was, for her a nightmare. Parker was so naughty she had to call me....and then they wouldn't go to bed... agh! That, mixed with the total of our two nights out that week equaling close to $80 in babysitting fees, pretty much sum up why we never get to go on dates! We'd be broke! And we realize that family have their own lives and things to do on the weekends... so we hate to impose on them unless it's really necessary or they choose a night themselves that works well for them. 

Fourth of July! 

Lex was SO sick in the days leading up to the holiday. She got pneumonia again from a little cold that turned into breathing issues... same story again and again! She started some heavy steroids however the day before and by the actual day she was doing much better. I never would have taken her out, but we were "helping" with our Ward bike parade and breakfast, so I didn't want to cop out of it...I just tried to keep her away from other kids and she didn't participate in the parade. 

The kiddos love the bike parade so much. We're glad to live in such an awesome neighborhood! Lex and I stayed home with her germs that night and Chris took the older kiddos to party and do firework with the Hansens. 

SWIM LESSONS. 

I kind of hate them, I have to say! They are so time consuming (with P and E in different classes we had to go 2 different times a day) and take up weeks of our summer. And after FOUR years of them you'd think my kids could swim, but nope... it's like relearning it every. stinkin'. summer! It drives me crazy! I have definitely learned not to start them super early because it's just such a waste - you think they're doing awesome and then they just forget! Emmie could swim better at 2 than P could that year at 4. She was really good! But by the next year...gone! Unless you're always at the pool, which we're NOT - esp this summer - then it's just a waste. Totally my opinion.:) On a brighter note, my kids LOVE them! So I guess maybe  there's some value there...

THE MOUNTAINS

We took advantage this summer of living so close to the canyon in beautiful Utah and went up on a number of occasions for tin foil dinners. I love a good campfire and being in the mountains - and so do our kiddos! Way fun family time for us!

THANKSGIVING POINT... what can I say? We love this place! We took full advantage this summer of visiting the Farm, the museums, and picnicking and walking through the beautiful gardens there. I didn't take too many pics but we were there frequently and LOVE our family time there!

This last few years we have done the UT County Parade of Homes. The parade lasts for several weeks and we just love going!!! There are so many homes to see we don't usually see them all, but try and go to  several each day a few days a week....with kids that's how ya gotta roll! So fun to be inspired by the decorating and designs of these awesome homes. It's fun to dream a little, right?! 

Last of all for this post, I took this little cutie in for a Dr appt to talk about where she was at with her growth. We were maybe going to need to start growth hormone therapy beginning in the Fall, depending on where she was at, and I wanted to kind of know which direction we were headed with the baby coming and all at that same time. I am a total planner and need these things laid out in my head for mental preparation if at all possible, lol! :) We were super happy to find that she had grown 4 inches in height in 9 months, taking her up onto the chart to the 12th %ile. She was much lower for weight though with like 1% but the height was a huge improvement! Still such a peanut but hey, it's not all bad being a petite girl - I know all about that! :) So the Dr said she's still not out of the woods, but for now, we are delaying any sort of therapy. We were so relieved!!!