Wednesday, August 31, 2016

August.

* I don't want to get any further behind so I am just going to do a quick update of the next few months and them *hopefully* go back and fill in the detail ...
We started off August at the doctors office getting a new cast.  Hooray!!!
That is ALOT of germs.
Such a cutie - he is handling his summer in cast like a champ.
Thank you uncle Dallin for introducing my kids to snap-chat.
This cracks me up, Truman and Bodie put this "tracking device" {also known as cold cereal} behind Pete's ear without him noticing.  I love when they play spy kids.  Even looking at the picture makes me laugh.  So funny.
I spy a baby helping mom fold laundry.
100° outside and we have the pool to ourselves ... what???
Pool slide slumber.
Just Bodie and I {and sleeping Norah} at the pool today.  So fun.
Truman and his friend Ben spent a week at BYU All Sports camp.  Each day they participated in a different sport.
Football day.
They thought it was pretty cool to be ON the football field.
Signed swag bag.
Baseball day.
Soccer day.
Basketball day.
The view in my car {above and below} driving home from BYU each day.
 We had a family goal this year to enter item in the fair.
I entered 5 pieces of art {photography} work and received the following ribbons in different categories.
Bodie's face says it all!  He was SO thrilled to get a blue ribbon for this lego set he put together.
And a red ribbon for a lego creation he made on his own.



My mom TOOK. THE. CAKE. for her entries.
She won grand prize for her bread.
My dad didn't do to shady either!
These are just SOME of my mom's blue ribbons.
One evening Truman was invited over to our neighbors house for a birthday party balloon fight.  My friend asked me to come take pictures of the event and maybe someday I will post them all.  It was fun playing with light.
Truman is blessed to have lots of really great friends in our neighborhood - this is just a few of them.
Truman, Hawk, Ben and Carter.
The kids and I started collecting school supplies to put together some backpacks for our local refugee's.  The conference talk in the spring about refugee's really spoke to me.
Happy mail day!
We got all caught up on our Chatbooks during their sale month.
She is to cute.
She was all zzzz'ed out and comfortable on my bed one afternoon.
STILL sleeping and still looking as comfortable as ever!
And I love that Bodie put his beloved 'blanky' on her.
So tender.
And of course he fell asleep too.
McKay shocked us all and bought a trailer ... why ... to start a food truck business.
Pete LOVES raspberries and raspberry season is in full swing.
Stealing grandma's raspberries through the deer fence.
Oh no, everyone is getting in on the trailor re-model business.  I asked my dad if he knew this is what his weekend was going to look like - he said "no" - and it's not just my weekend it's the next several weekends.
Nice dirty jersey, it must have been a good day.
Shop projects and shop help.
We have the best local Homecoming parade.

Truman's soccer season is in full swing - they have been playing him as goalie lately, it stresses me out!
Goalie concentration right there!
Date night to Gregg's 20-year mission reunion.
They were asking for some mission pictures for a slide show so I scanned a few treasures in and sent over.  The above picture Gregg is top left {holding the beer mug ...}  So funny.
Here he is in the Dutch Ensign.
And my favorite mission picture of his.
I didn't tell him I had sent in any pictures  -- I wanted him to be surprised when we watched the slide show at the reunion -- and he was.
Love this - umm ... how was nap time there dudes!
The way these two hang out .. it does not look comfortable to me.
My little Madlynn - this just might be my favorite dress of hers.
This picture does not even capture how beautiful the evening was.
Peek-a-boo.
I really dislike when my office starts to look like this.
My beautiful mother.
We had so much fun putting together our backpacks for refugee's together as a family.
Everyone had a job.
We had a goal to put together 20 backpack's and I think we ended up doing 75!
One evening I had to send Bodie to his room for some "chill-out -- think it out" time {we both needed the time away from each other to 'think it out'}
When I went up to talk to him {literally two minutes later} I found this!  I guess he was really tired.
I am so over pokemon cards - I don't get it.
When Truman mentioned he wanted to sell his on Ebay I jumped on the opportunity to get ride of them before school started again and he was sucked into the fad even more.  He was thrilled to get $75 dollars for them.  I was happy for him too.
I love journal entries.
Halloween plans.
This picture is the best.
Summer at its best.
Front porch chess.
The BIGGEST rain storm rolled through Midway one afternoon.  I took this picture of the back end of the storm rolling out.
We met our friends at the Montage one night for s'mores.
I didn't take any other pictures ... how did that happen?
I FINALLY mailed out Norah's baby announcements.
Better late than never?!
The kids participated in several art classes this summer.
I love all their creations.
Our super talented neighbor teaches the most amazing art classes in the summer on her back porch.
I loved this piece.
Convenient store prize after kindergarten testing.
I got this cute picture from Aunt Rachel when she took the older boys on an afternoon adventure one day.
Toward the end of the month we had the opportunity to go to Salt Lake and deliver the backpacks we prepared for the refugee's.  My niece's Addie and Quinn went with me and Gregg.
These kids are SO darling and so thankful to be in America.
What an awesome experience.
We fit in as many mountain biking opportunity as we could.
I mostly ran shuttle.
Addie and Tiff.
Truman, Bodie, Enoch, Tiff, Addie, Aaron, Quinn
{and some crying babies in the car that were really sad they could go too}.
I made my famous peach blackberry pie with the amazing Utah peaches that are in season right now.  When my parents oven wasn't cooking very evenly my dad turned the oven to broil.  So sad.  My pie burned.
Pete is obsessed with these mighty-mini popsicles.
The last day of an creative camp these cute sisters in our neighborhood put on.
Books, books and more books.  The little guy loves books.
Cousins.
Norah and Valley.
We helped Valley celebrate her first birthday.
Oh my goodness, are we done with this stinkin' cast yet??
We loved watching the Olympics.  The kids made themselves some gold metals to wear - love it!
We hosted so of our friends for a back-to-school BBQ.
Fun memories.  We have been doing this for years.
Summer dinner on repeat.
I loved getting up early and attending the temple on Friday mornings in the summer.
Summer hike with friends.
my hiking buddy.
Now that is a nasty blow out!
My aunt Ilene and my mom picking raspberries.
My parents crop was amazing this year.
Feeding the beggar!!!
Now he's got the power in his hands and he knows it.
Summer neighborhood movie night complete with a BYU ice cream bar!
We know how to party.
Text between me and Gregg.
Sacrament meeting entertainment.  Thanks Tagg for the awesome stickers.
McKay and Rach and all their children.  They are naturals.
Sometimes my mom comes over just to snuggle Norah!
We both love it.
Random pre-school picture of me.
Bodie looks like me.

More art from a week long art camp the kids did at the Montessori school.
First rice cereal.
Heaven help us all.
"see"
My happy desk top accessory.
FIRST DAY OF 2nd GRADE!
What happened to summer?!
We love our neighborhood.
These awesome mom came out to the bus like this to greet the kids on the first day of school.
I think the bus driver thinks we are crazy.
We had all sorts of treats for the kids as well.
Just chilling in the swing watching mom work.
Oh my goodness, cast, cast and more cast pictures.
It's well documented.  It was such a big part of our summer.

The hardest day of the entire summer was the day after Pete broke his arm - I cried several times that day because I was feeling very defeated.  I was so worried about this summer with 4 kids, one being a new baby - and then just when I felt like I was getting the swing of our new family dynamics Pete literally broke him arm {and broke it bad} the next day.  It took me a few days to figure out our 'new normal' and how to cope with the new reality of not going to the park, the pool, the sandbox or anything else we loved.  We figured it out - and we survived.
Pete helping on the trailer.
Bodie loves to snuggle right up to Norah as she falls asleep for her afternoon nap.  Sibling love.
This stinkin' drive way of ours ... its the million dollar driveway FOR SURE.
We had it "pumped up" where is started to sink about halfway down the drive.
Ugggg.
Tennis lessons for Bodie started back up.
Truman and Gregg got to go to a Real Salt Lake soccer game with Truman's team.  They got to play a game on the field during half time {is it called half time in soccer ...}
EVERYONE had their hand in helping McKay's trailer come to life ... here my Uncle Joel is working on it.
We were missing Truman and Gregg who were away at a Saturday soccer game for Stella's baptism.
I never got birthday  pictures with grandpa Bob and grandma Lynn and my kids so this was make-up.
I love this pictures.  It's not all the Simons cousins but it's some of them.
Bodie, Presley, Stella, Lincoln and Ender.
Cousins your same age are the best.
This is Lucy and she is 21 days older.
He's asleep and she is hanging out.
And then later when I checked in on these two she was asleep and he was reading.
Who sleeps like that??
These two have a crazy real bond.
And today they also happened to be twiners at church.
Read this after my dear friend Katie recommended it.
Love it.
Happy kids in my bed while I fold laundry.
AND THE DAY FINALLY CAME THAT THE CAST CAME OFF!!!!!!!
Nasty.
Dr. Haderlie having Pete move his fingers.
One last x-ray to make sure it's healed.
The moment of truth and the poor guy was terrified AND Gregg made ME hold him.
It was more awful then this picture portrays.
The rainbow of casts.
8 weeks 8 colors.
After the doctors appointment we went straight to the pool.
That must feel SO good.
Don't mind the naked sun bathing baby.
At kindergarten registration we ran into this cute 2nd grader in the hall.
There rooms happen to be right next to each other this year.
A gift from our cousins in Michigan.
Packed up and headed to the pool.
We were determined to make up for lost time.
And finally -
these two cousins got to spend their last day of summer together and with grandma Quinn!!  Lucky.
They got an extra two weeks for summer before kindergarten started.

We survived a summer {with a newborn and a two year old in a long arm cast} Ya!!!!