July and August Mishmosh

Spare time is scarce, but surplus energy is even scarcer.  In that vein, let us honor the miscellaneous events of July and August in abbreviated fashion.

Edible construction at the library.  The tennis ball platform let us simulate stability during earthquakes.

Way too much Primary fun.  Our 4th & P Primary teachers look fantastic, don't you think?

This handsome little fella made his earthly debut this summer.  Brooke, you are the most beautiful mama!  Your babe is certainly blessed to be welcomed into a family like yours.

We feel blessed by the princesses and prince in our house too.

Annika's fashion choices are certainly original.

Making sure that all of her stuffed animals are tucked in for the night.

Enjoying a summer concert with Ruby, Brianna, and Justin at Brigham Young Park.

Flying cousins

Enjoying the summer sun by painting with our neighbor friends.

A few weeks before school started, Annika got a trim.

Good thing Jason's such a talented barber.

Just a wee bit shorter.  But oh so much easier to manage!

Quoting Tangled, that's a lot of hair.

While it was hard to cut my baby girls' hair, the new style suits her perfectly.

Exploring the Leonardo with Ruby.

 

The Lego model of the Cathedral of the Madeline is nearly complete.

 Courtesy of the kids' summer Read with the Bees program, we had great seats to a Bees game.

Too bad we loss to the Chihuahuas.


The County library summer reading program rewarded us with a trip to the Natural History Museum.  Annika's favorite part was the dance party.


As for me, I liked the dinosaur shadow lurking on the wall.

Always impressive.

Hiking Lake Solitude on a Sunday afternoon.

Filling up on cake with classmates.

Speaking of cake, we celebrated Ally's birthday with the extended Andrus family.  Ally is my first cousin once removed--daughter of my cousin Ben and his wife Shannon.  In this picture you can also see my cousins Kelsey and Kappy.

My Uncle Don...

...and my Aunt Ruth.  Thanks, Ben and Shannon, for the yummy cake and kind invite for dinner!

Before long (and much to my sorrow), it was time for all of us to go back to school.  Father's blessings at the beginning of school are a tender, special tradition in our family.


First Day of School, 2018.  Brooklyn (grade 8 at West High, Talia (grade 6 in Ms. Parker's class at Wasatch Elementary), Eli (grade 3 in Maestra Mary Lou/Ms. Oland-Wong's class at Emerson Elementary), and Annika (kindergarten in Ms. Tanner's class at Wasatch Elementary.)


Eli with his bus buddy, Asher.

Annika sitting on her carpet square for the first time.

Brooklyn greets Annika with a big afterschool hug.


Talia and Annika walking home together.

Oh, to pause time.  If only they could stay this little.

We celebrated the first day of school by riding the Heber Creeper that evening.

While Jason didn't ride with us that evening, I thought of the pivotal date where we (nearly) kissed and fell in love aboard the Heber Creeper sixteen years ago.

Back to school, judging by Annika's hair, there is substantial evidence that kindergarten can be rough.

She assembled this outfit all by herself.  I think she needs some fashion help from Uncle Lance.

Despite its occasional craziness, Talis was inspired by Annika's short hair.

Super cute, Goldilocks.

Zoo day.

Red Butte Gardens.

The flowers were stunning.

We took a hike out to the old Quarry House.

Due to wildfires, Salt Lake had some pretty terrible days of smog.  On the positive side, the cloudy skies made for some pretty tremendous sunsets.

One beautiful Saturday, Jason and Brooklyn headed up to Brighton to help clean up the LDS Girls Camp.

Brooklyn found the signature of her favorite counselor, Boots.

Jason was thrilled to upgrade his bike in August to this cyclocross.  His new wheels are as speedy and sexy as he is.  (Blush, blush.)

We stumbled across this fun car show at the Gateway one evening.

While we couldn't ride any of the cars, Jason let Annika mount his ride.

The Gateway was hosting a fun event sponsored by Circles, a community organization working to combat poverty.

Night or day, the Gateway is a great place for fun and balance.

We rounded off the night by letting the kids camp out on the trampoline.  While they slept soundly, the mosquitoes enjoyed an all-night buffet.

Even which slightly skewampus, sleeping indoors is probably safest.

So there you have it--our very random assortment from July and August.  Browsing these photos reminds me of how how richly blessed we are.  More important than material wealth, we are rich in experiences, family, and friends.  

Thanks for being there for us.  We love you all.