Summer in review

With only 6 days until the kids hit the books, I wanted to recap some of the things we've done this summer. Believe it or not, we actually have done a few things besides pack and unpack!

We spent a lot of time at the pool. We often took friends with us, so the kids had buddies to play with. On this day, we invited the Simmons, Morrisons and Clayton Adams. It was a perfect day, besides when all the chocolate popsicles melted in the hot sun!

I just love this picture. While Brevan was waiting to be picked up for a birthday party, Logan sat on the porch next to him and waited for the car to arrive. Brevan was very excited to attend Emma's birthday party. He hasn't gone to a birthday party for many years. He spent a lot of time deciding on a present (Scrabble) for Emma, and counted down the days until the water party. I'm so grateful that Emma became his friend this year, despite the teasing and mocking she endured. I will forever love that girl.

Brynlie and the Wonderful Megan. They dressed up in Logan's clothes during one of their many summer sleepovers. You do not want to cross paths with these two in a dark alley.

Lindsey was feeling left out after I took pictures of Bryn and Megan, so she cried until I grabbed the camera and took this picture of her. The red face, swollen eyes and runny nose from the crying say it all!

A gorgeous rainbow after a summer rainstorm. We had a lot of really loud, awesome storms this summer! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Missouri rainstorms! Now if I could just convince my children that they are cool and not scary . . .

We spent a lot of time on the boat, and usually took another family along. The Simmons joined us the day I took these cute pictures.

One day the Activity Day girls in our ward visited Liberty Jail. I offered to attend the activity with them, because Liberty Jail is always a neat experience. I love feeling the Spirit while in that building, and being reminded that trials can be the best learning experiences.

Some of my cute Primary kids that attended the Jail. I love these sweet girls and hope they remember how special they are.

Fourth of July festivities! We celebrated for 3 days in a row, since the 4th was on a Sunday and we had many rainstorms that postponed events.

My handsome guy wearing his not-so-hot safety goggles in preparation of having fireworks hit him in the face.

I tried out the "fireworks" setting on my camera for the first time, and was pretty impressed with the results!

How cute is this? Lindsey insisted on wearing goggles so the ashes wouldn't land in her eyes. We always see the amazing fireworks display put on by a family in our ward.

This is much of what we've done this summer. Packing. Unpacking. Disassembling. Reassembling. Organizing. And organizing. We are finally getting everything in order.

On Logan's birthday, we attended a Cub Scout Pack Meeting at the pool. I let the kids order off the (expensive) Country Club dinner menu, and we spent the evening by the pool. Ryan was in Utah attending his Grandma Staker's funeral. I felt a little guilty about not having the rest of us attend the funeral, but it was just too crazy that week, since we'd only had possession of our new house for 2 days. I'm so glad he was able to be there with the rest of his family.

After getting back from the pool, the girls took pictures of me with my baby. I can't believe he is three years old. It seems like yesterday that I was enormously pregnant with him. Maybe I'm just wishing it was yesterday, since I haven't lost all my baby weight yet!

After Ryan returned from Utah, we had a little family party for Logan. The Napiers (a new family in our ward that happened to move in 2 houses away from our new house. Yay!) came over for cake and ice cream. Logan is wearing the new pajamas my parents gave him for his birthday.

There's nothing quite as cool as a Missouri storm, but this night had me a bit worried. Ryan saw an actual funnel cloud touch ground nearby, and he still insisted on finishing the lawn mowing before he would come inside.

As I've mentioned before, the torrential rainstorms completely ruined our piano that hadn't yet been brought inside our new house. The kids had a blast helping Ryan sledgehammer the piano apart! Check out the keys that kept falling off after being saturated.

I took this picture right before Ryan took Brynlie on a daddy-daughter date. They attended a program for all the Activity Day girls in our Stake, then ate a yummy lunch at Corner Cafe, where Ryan gave in to all of Brynlie's demands for pie. I just love this picture so much. I'm so blessed with an amazing husband and a beautiful, smart, fun daughter!

Back to School Shopping. It was torture this year. First of all, I took the three youngest with me to a few different department stores. Which don't have carts to restrain the children from running around and under all the racks. It was also torture because I think the fashionable girl clothes right now are UGLY. I tried hard to convince Brynlie that she will forever regret wearing the nasty stonewashed, paint splattered, colorful plaid outfits that she adores. I know, because I WORE them in the 80's and have spent my entire life trying to hide the evidence! I talked her out of the most awful things, but ended up giving in on many of the hideous fashions. She just can't blame me in the future for making her dress like a Goodwill Queen.

Some of the loot. Along with clothes for the girls, we got school supplies and many outfits for Brevan, who has recently been growing 2 inches every day. That dang puberty is expensive.

And of course, I have to add more proof that Logan can (and does) sleep ANYWHERE! And he doesn't have pants on in any of the pictures. We are the awesomest white trash family ever.

And now it's August, and I'm cursing the sun. This heat and humidity is going to kill me. My children are tired of me whining that "I'm melting away." I tell them often that if I don't survive the disgustingly hot day, I love them and they should go on without me.