Summer re-cap

Towards the end of spring each year, I make plans for summer. I always begin the summer vacation with some trepidation thanks to my tendency to worry/think negatively, but I also have hopes for good things. We definitely had lots of good things happen this summer--Henry learned to ride his bike without training wheels and pump on the swing by himself, Robbie had a fun first season doing swim team (which was quite a time commitment, but I think we'll keep doing it), Clara went to her third year of girl's camp, and as I've already posted about, we hosted lots of visitors, which was so fun. The practice was quite busy for Michael, which is also a good thing, and plus things were just different with Benjy being a mobile toddler. Really, every summer is a little different because our kids are ever-changing and growing. As it should be.

 I tried to do a daily "table time," where we work on various math skills, arts/crafts, games, etc. It ended up being harder than I realized with swim team, and I kind of petered out at the end. But I was happy that we did as much art as we did. My themes for the summer were "outside time, service, and creativity."

 The kids helped me make some canvases for the basement.

 Here's the table time list idea.

 And our bucket list. We did most of them, but not all.

 And our schedule, which also didn't go quite according to plan, but did generally.

 Perler bead bowls were a success!

 Successful solo swinging!

 This is the look of a mother asking her daughter to give her her phone back. Pretty sure every mom has given this look--it's pretty much a daily thing for me.

 Fun at the swim meet (actually, it was not my favorite place to bring the kids--Michael and I worked out being able to switch off, which was really nice. They are crazy!)

 Check out this freaky bug that Dad Weiler found! I looked it up and found out it is called a Dobsonfly. Blech.

 We get lots of afternoon thunderstorms here. One day the kids and Michael came back from the pool because of the rain/thunder and took advantage of the rain to play in the culverts.

 And I got to fulfill my dream of having them float boats down! (I folded them really quickly before the water totally stopped flowing.)

 Melody came with us up to Philly for a quick temple trip and they went to the dinosaur museum.

 I hope that some day, Henry's accidents (he took an unexpected afternoon nap here on the couch) will make me laugh.

 I did a poor job of having Clara help me in the kitchen, but we did make these sushi rolls, which she was justifiably proud of.

 More art--we learned about watercolor resist painting using white oil pastels.

 More watercoloring. We learned about James Rizzi's art.

 Just had to add a bum shot of this chunky cutie.

 Melody has been an absolute joy to have here. She is so kind, patient, and not high maintenance. We will miss her dearly in December when she heads west.

 Jackson Pollock art with yarn in paint.

Anyway, I know that school has already started, but I wanted to share some highlights of the past few months. I am thankful for the privilege of staying home with these kiddos and that we can share these memories.

School starts!

It was a good summer, and now it's time for school to begin. We are all ready, and the kids were excited this morning. Clara was nervous and anxious the past week or two, but I think she is handling it all pretty well, all things considered.

 Both Michael and I were so impressed at the back to school night at Spotswood--the teachers, staff, and administration are all very dedicated and committed to the success of the students. I am so grateful for their passion, especially considering the pittance they get paid for all their work.

  It was also pretty surreal being at SHS when it seems like only a year or two ago (but is actually 8!) that we had Hyrum here. It has been gratifying to have personnel come up and introduce themselves and ask about him.

 This is Clara's environmental science teacher, Ms. ?, and she said she was Hyrum's earth science teacher--he had to take it as a junior with a class full of freshmen, who according to apparently thought he was awesome. She cracked us up (and took us by surprise) when she said that Hyrum would near-daily ask to go to the bathroom and would then show up awhile later with PBJ sandwiches, which she found out from him later he had gotten from Coach Davis' office. She laughed and asked him if he could just tell her that he was going to Coach Davis' office instead of going to the bathroom and said how much she enjoyed Hyrum as a student. (Good thing she was a laid-back teacher!)

 Here they are, ready to get on the bus! Clara starts seminary next week (yikes!)

 Robbie's neighbor buddy, Noah Zopp, is starting Kindergarten, and it was exciting for them to be able to ride the bus together.

 And he's off to first grade!

Our ward playgroup went to Mr. J's and celebrate/commiserate the start of school and end of summer. Good times.

Fort Lewis Lodge

We took a quick getaway to the Fort Lewis Lodge, a sweet place Michael and I have enjoyed on our own a couple of times. This time we thought it would be fun to bring the kids along.

 Here was our little cabin, which was great for us. See the sunflowers? There was a little garden right next to us.

 We stayed in the silo last time we visited.

 We took an early-morning walk to the Cowpasture River for the boys to attempt some fishing.

And Michael caught one! It was their first foray into fishing, and I think that Robbie enjoyed it. Henry enjoyed practicing casting with one of the poles. I was surprised to realize I had memories of my dad teaching me how to cast. I don't really remember fishing much with him, but it was gratifying that I did have those memories.

Benjy reallllly wanted the box of nightcrawlers.

 Happy.

 Clara reading on the cabin porch. Clara was pretty anxious on this trip and didn't want me to leave her to do anything, which made things challenging. And while there were definitely things for the kids to do, we felt like we had a few kids too many for this type of place.

 The food was wonderful, as always.

 Benjy practiced taking steps, too!

 I was proud of Clara for getting in the water and tubing a little.

 Robbie took a kayak out by himself, which made me quite nervous, but he was only out for a bit and Michael was in his kayak nearby. I took the canoe out for a little bit, but it is just a tricky age with Benjy to do things around the water--one of us had to be with him all the time.

 And the boys had a fun time in the canoe with Michael.

 Benjy wasn't too thrilled about the life jacket, but it made me feel a little better.

 They had a hot tub, which was a fun diversion.

 Whoops, forgot the swim diaper!

 Here's the inside of the cabin.

 The last morning we took a hike (also tricky time for Clara, but we were proud of her for making it through) and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Happy to be with this handsome stud (and the little guy on his back).

 Check out this crazy tree!

Brave Robbie. I'm sure I can use this tree for some analogy for a talk some time...

Overall the trip went well, but it certainly gave us pause to consider what types of trips we can plan in the future. Mercifully, fun pics and the passing of time help sweeten the memories.

Benjamin turns ONE

A year has passed! I would say it's hard to believe, but I think I feel like it feels about a year since Benjy was born.

He has been truly a joy. I love how he sometimes smells food before he eats it, how he smacks his gums before he nurses, and how he bonks his head with both his hands at times (which is a little worrisome but also very cute). I love his chunky legs and his huge smile, his bright blue eyes and blond hair. I love how he can play peekaboo, waiting for me to pull the blanket from his face until I repeat several times, "Where's Benjy?" Benjy is also getting to be quite the busy boy, pulling out things from drawers, playing in the toilet water, and generally just getting into as much as he can. It will be fun to see what the next year brings.

 I decided to make a cake I was in the mood for instead of the traditional cupcake, so I made some no-bake cheesecake.

 Benjy wasn't too sure about it, but he seemed to enjoy eating it more when he had a spoon.

You want me to do what? Touch it with my bare hands?

 Okay, okay, I got this.

 He had a few presents to open, which his cousins and siblings eagerly helped him to do. It was fun to have Erik and L'Anita's family with us on his birthday.

We are so thankful that Benjy is a part of our family!