Now this is looking like Summer!

Asleep on the floor, and before dinner even!

Cousins and Bubbles what could be better?

Cousins and Bubbles and Swimsuits!!

Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft. Not even sleep, eat, minecraft. Just Minecraft!

Daddy's school was in for an extra week after our kids were officially out so S. helped him with his work.

Summer=Swimming.

T. named the tree I planted"baby tree". Its taller than he is, that should count for something. I guess in a neighborhood of old established trees it doesnt. BTW  I didnt hit a single sprinkler line planting it.

Princesses on the tramp.

First piano recital, so exciting! Such a blessing to have the best teacher in the world be her very own grandma who lives 5 minutes, 18 seconds away!

Car show with Daddy.(She got her chores done in record time so she could go) Are those Goldfish? Seriously?!

How does the Hog like summer?

Her best friend moved away. She is so bored!

Seriously who sits around and mopes out of a window all day?

GoodBye Philip!!

He flew himself home to Beijing. Told you he was smart!

Just Kidding. We forced him to go to an Airshow on the day he left. He was horrified and promised me that airshows always end in plane crashes and that he would never be able to board his flight later in the day if I made him go with us. Poor kid!

I thought Airshows were about trick planes, not machine guns.

T. tries out a Thunderbird that is his size.

It really was a tad more fun than N's face would let on. Even the official escorts at the plane doors were less serious!

It started to pour and dropped about 20*. We were soaked and frozen by the time we bailed. First though I really wanted a picture of all the kiddos in front of the Minuteman that Gpa M. worked with. Cool!

The beauty of this world amazes me.

I just had to share the thoughts of never giving up this plant give me. It is a rosebush that has been buried for years (before we moved in) under several feet of large gravel. To add further insult, because of where it is located, we covered it with a chainlink fence and other debris for almost a year. Look at it though. Its Flourishing! Unwatered, Unpruned, Unwanted. I love it! I love its strength and its contrasting beauty with its surroundings!

You may not find beauty in snakes, but I do. I love the Utah summer memories with my brothers and snakes. I love the sudden bravery in my oldest son too.

Cant we all just get along? Uh, and then it bit the neighbor girl. Hard enough to bleed. There must be some beauty in that but right now I am just not seeing it.

What happens when your shovel hits a sprinkler line?

Your husband teaches your 12 year old how to repair them. Even though the line in this photo was D's fault(totally in the way of the power line trench) the other 3 or 4 breaks out front in the flower bed were all mine! Whoopsie!

Lucky me to have 2 capable big boys!  Although I would still like to know how to fix it myself, just in case.

Studio 625

Got the wheels, just needing some way to power them. But then again D. looks like he doesnt even need electricity to enjoy a good potters wheel.

Finishing digging out the rock and boulder filled trench for the power to the studio.

Finally!!! A studio! Wired, and set to go.

4 year olds with clay are hillarious! Cleaning up after them, not so much!

Z . will kill me for posting her excited face but she was so dang happy to finally be allowed to throw something!

Serious at his work, and good work it was.

Like father like son. There is some talent growing here!

What a fun place to be, and in our own back yard! This is what family is about. Creating something together.

I just love the new Summer feet. Dirt, slivers, cuts, bruises, tanlines and Clay!

Even little feet enjoy it.

As Spring turns into Summer

Back Yard greenwaste burning makes for a nice night of toasted marshmallows.

 

Trampoline injury. Too bad our Butterfly bandages are Huge and her eye area is so small. The first time her eyelid was stuck open, she didnt complain, just wondered "why".

UVU baseball game. It was really fun.

Baseball game souvenir.

Kindergarten Fieldtrip to the Farm. Best friends and animals, too cute.

I'm not complaining, just saying....

 I miss A.C. !!!

And yes it did actually get to 89* before it started to cool off.
I must say that I am a fan of horror and deprivation because of the great effect it has on my gratitude.
I would prefer a life of luxury and ease but discomfort sure has a way of making me count my blessings.
Thank You to President Thomas S. Monson for the reminder to have an "Attitude of Gratitude" 2010 Oct. general conference:

“We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that ‘gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.’ …

“Do material possessions make us happy and grateful? Perhaps momentarily. However, those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money cannot buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we receive from those around us. Unfortunately, these are some of the things we allow ourselves to take for granted. …

“A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude.”