Summer's End

Justin has been doing lots of traveling lately. He has had some pretty exciting trips, especially when he would help the marines get radios working on their helicopters. He was strapped in as they practiced their tactical missions, watching as they shot huge guns and big rockets. He always tells me about his helicopter rides AFTER he has already landed safely.

 While my family stayed in Park City, we went up for the day to have some fun. We left Lucy with Grandma Sherri and rode up the lift so that Dad and Nolan could go mountain biking down. There was some confusion about which lift Ezra and I could go on (we were just riding back down), so we didn't all get to ride together, but we still had a good time. Ez and I were on a date and he loved it! I even took him to get a caramel apple. It turns out Nolan had a crash on his bike and hurt his stomach pretty bad. It was bleeding but luckily Justin had some first aid stuff. Nolan was shaken up and went very slow the rest of the time. Justin will need to head up again on his own some time so that he can cover more ground. But Nolan was brave and it was still a fun day spent hanging out with cousins, too. Justin even let me take his bike from Park City down to the condo near Kimball Junction. What a great ride I had!

 Hanging out with Bryson.

The Ogden Temple open house made for a nice family outing. We planned to take the front runner train but missed it by about 2 minutes. In the end, riding in our own van was probably more relaxing, although you can imagine the boys' disappointment. We had a yummy lunch and then enjoyed our temple tour. 

 During the last week of summer break, I took the kids to Classic Skate. It turns out I should have been taking them there all summer long. They had a great time! Lucy gave the bounce houses a try and the boys had a good time in the jungle area. Then we went outside to the water area and that was a big hit! Nolan could do all the slides by himself. Ezra tried to go up the huge blow-up slide (this thing is massive!) but decided to come back out using the stairs. I don't blame him. I hadn't brought Lucy's swimsuit but I finally let her get in the water with her clothes on for just a little while. She was one happy little fish!

 Lucy wants to play dress-up with all kinds of things. She insisted that I help her put this pair of underwear on her head. She was so pleased!

That weekend, we managed to get Nolan a new bike (with gears, yay!) just in time for his first triathlon. It was a stunning evening filled with community spirit. Nolan swam down the length of the pool and back, biked 3.2 miles, and ran 1 mile. I got emotional watching all the kids jump in one-by-one as they started out the race, seeing all the support from loved ones. The swim was tough. At times it seemed like he was flailing his arms but hardly moving. But he stuck it out. He flew on his bike, of course, and then he was so happy as he crossed the finish line after the run. We couldn't have been prouder! A week later, we found out that he came in 4th place in his age group. What a champ!

 Lucy decided one day that she would just stand up in the middle of the room. She would stand up, balance for a while, and then plop down. What a surprise to turn around and see her standing! She was pretty happy when we all broke out in cheers and I ran for the camera.

 The night before school started, we headed to the lake for the free "paddle and play." You can try out paddle boards, pedal boats, and canoes. The Rignells came, too. It was the most beautiful night. I would have loved to stay on that paddle board for much longer! The boys and I decided we would try swimming in the lake but we couldn't decide who would get in first. Well Dad walked up behind us on the dock and pushed us all in! It all happened so fast that Ezra, the last one to be pushed in, was still caught by surprise! It was a nice swim though. It turns out the lake was quite warm.

Nolan was excited to start 2nd grade, especially because we are letting him ride to school and back on his bike. It has been wonderful to send him on his way without packing up all the kids. He met a new friend in his class, Spencer, that just moved from Las Vegas. They were instant friends and we were pleased to know he lives close enough that Nolan can ride his bike to his house to play. 

 Watching the neighbors' dogs... but getting sleepy.

Ezra was pretty bored once Nolan went off to school. Here he is doing a little science to keep himself busy. Most of the time he sits with Justin's tablet playing minecraft. The boys are addicted!