June

Shnikeys!  School is back in session, and let's be honest: I'm kind of panicked.  Panicked by the fact that I now have a high schooler, a middle schooler who attends said high school, a fourth grader, and a first grader.  Panicked by how quickly our family's pace is accelerating, and by how few projects got done this summer.  (We all knew it would end this way, didn't we.)

Catching up on the blog is one of those things that never got done.  Guess it's time to pick up the pace here as well.  Without further ado, June.

An unexpected benefit of returning home early from Memorial Day camping is that we got to go see Aladdin at the Gateway.  I really liked the movie, but I liked playing on the teeter totters just as much.

We met a pug puppy along the way--the most adorable I've seen since Zoe was a babe.

We also stopped by the cemetery to visit the graves of Great-great-grandma and Great-great-grandpa Heaps.  We suspect Aunt Julie dropped by earlier in the day, bringing the pretty flowers.

Lucky us, NomiAnn was able to stay for nearly a week following Memorial Day.  Eli sure enjoyed having her cheer at his baseball games.

We also spent a lovely evening at the International Peace Gardens.  If only it were so easy to travel to the real Viet Nam.

Thank you, NomiAnn, for supporting our family in so many ways.  We love you!

Before we knew it, school was out.  Hallelujah!  We played hard on the that last day.  Eli went straight from school to the backyard of a classmate where they had the ultimate splash and bounce party.  Talia walked from school to get U Gurt with her friends before hanging out at one of their homes.  Brooklyn tried to hang out with her friends at City Creek, but security shooed them away so they went to Gateway's Planetarium instead.

In the evening we reconvened for the Wasatch Carnival.  Such a fun tradition!

I was grateful that I volunteered to help serve snow cones instead of cotton candy.  Both may be sticky, but only one ends up in your hair.

Annika was thrilled about her unicorn.

Still a monkey

Talia and her sixth grade buddies.

It was a bit sad knowing that all these gals are going different ways for middle school.

We quickly got over our sorrow by spending the next day at Lagoon with Grandma Susie, Ruby, and Brianna.  So much fun!

Brianna and Ruby look ready for some fun.

Annika's favorite part was watching the kangaroos.

The Cliffhanger ride broke down so the kids got soaked.  They may have frozen at the time, but it was funny in retrospect.

 Last but not least, here's Grandma Susie's favorite ride: Rocket Re-Entry.

With summer officially in motion, we immediately hit up a library program at Bend in the River park.

My big kids may have been a bit skeptical at first, but they loved making bookmarks out of fresh flowers.

True to character, my littlest kid loved searching for butterflies.

We also explored the Sidewalk Art Festival at the Gateway, adding a few of our own designs.

Of course, our artwork wasn't nearly as phenomenal as some of the other pieces we saw.


We enjoyed meeting many of our favorite characters.  Hagrid...

Groot...

Moana...

...and Toothless.

This piece doesn't really make sense...

...until you view it from the right angle.  Fly away, butterflies, fly!

At the Utah Museum of Fine Arts we enjoyed this Pantone display of all the colors found in Utah's great outdoors.

 

Thoughts of the wilderness gave us inspiration for our own crafting.

S'mores, anyone?

Thanks to our relaxed summer schedule, we explored some other fun places around town.  Here's Eli at Red Butte Gardens.

And here's Annika at This is the Place.

 Between the pony rides and panning for gold, This really is the Place.  Thanks for the invite, Ruby!

On to adventures at Liberty Park.


Three cheers for swim season.  And high fashion.

In June, both Brooklyn and Talia were fortunate enough to attend O.W.L. Camp at the Salt Lake County Viridian Center.  Between making chapstick in potions and planting succulents in herbology, they had an amazing time.

When our favorite Illinois friends Bruce and Brittney Richards passed through Salt Lake, we were thrilled.  Since this picture was taken, they've welcomed another little girl into their family.  Congratulations!

Annika often confuses the reflection pool with a touch pond.

Talia takes a quiet moment to contemplate.

I feel God's presence at the temple and in the mountains.  Here we are taking a Sunday afternoon stroll up Millcreek Canyon.

Handsome man.

Yup, love this family.

Now on to new adventures...

...or at the very least, homework.