Summertime Randoms

We are down to our last day of summer tomorrow! Ryan starts school on Wednesday. I need to play catch up on the blog. We had a great summer and did our best to stay busy doing something out of the house almost everyday. That said, there were plenty of fun "in-between" moments this summer that are worth remembering too. 

Father's day was so fun this year. We brought Zach breakfast in bed and gave him his presents right when he woke up. The boys got him Super Smash Bros for the WiiU and a Dr. Pepper t-shirt. I got him a nice meat thermometer. He's been really into cooking lately and had mentioned a few times that he would like one- so it wasn't as random as it sounds. We also found out that I was pregnant on Father's Day morning. It was such fun timing. Zach loves to cook so, after breakfast, he cooked for the rest of the day! The boys had a blast playing the new video game. They even let Zach and I join them for a round or two. 

Zach lost his keys to the van for about a week at the end of June. Camden loves to go to Zach's nightstand and take things off to play with. I remembered last seeing the keys in Camden's hands. When we asked him where they were he would run to the nightstand, grab some other random set of keys and run excitedly back to Zach saying, "keys! keys!" Although thoroughly adorable, this did not help us find the keys. The hunt lasted so long and was getting so frustrating that Zach set a $1 reward for whoever could locate the keys. Later that week we had a few neighborhood kids over and one of them said, "Why are there keys in this toy?" I came running to find this:

The boys were so excited! They told their friend that he earned a dollar! When Zach came home he made good on his promise and paid the neighbor boy the $1 reward. Best play date ever for that kid!

Summertime meant summer haircuts for Ryan and Brady. I love their hair a little longer, but I love zero maintenance and no follow up haircuts for 8 weeks more. Ryan looks so different with a buzz cut!

We went to the movies one morning with our friends, the Smiths. We saw Inside Out. I wasn't sure how Camden was going to do but figured we might as well give it a shot! We loaded up on candy and snacks and Camden did great! He literally sat in my lap the entire time! :)

We almost always had our "out of the house adventures" before lunch time and naps. Most afternoons were spent just hanging around the house and playing with friends. One afternoon the kids got out the water color paints and went to town. They had so much fun and it made me appreciate the quiet simple activities that summer sometimes brings.

We found ourselves in St. George again for the 4th of July. We went to the parade downtown just like we did last year. We must have been at the end of the parade route because there was hardly any candy- I think everyone had already run out! It was a little disappointing, but the kids all came away with something and still managed to have fun.

These cool trucks were a favorite at the parade.

The boys with their loot.

Right after the parade we headed over to Home Depot for the kid's club. The project of the week was a little Minions scooter. All three boys made one and had fun doing it.

Lazy afternoons called for more than a few impromptu naps for Brady boy. Sometimes he made it to his bed (usually when he would fall asleep on the car ride home from our morning adventures and I would transfer him) but other times he would just nap on the couch/floor/stairs etc.

Camden loves his sleep. He will ask to go down for a nap if I don't get him down in time. On this particular day he helped himself to the essentials (binky and blanket) and camped out on the stairs until I got a minute to take him up to bed.

Zach made cookies and they were enjoyed by all.

I made kabobs and they were enjoyed mostly by just me and Zach. (my kids are so picky!) I loved this photo though.

We hit up the ever-crowded Highland splash pad one evening after dinner and it... wait for it... wasn't crowded! It was like we had unlocked some great mystery of the universe. It was as if we were playing in it for the first time. During the day it's crawling with kids but it was so quiet and relaxing to go in the evening. It ended up being just us and two other families.

Ryan has always been an enthusiastic splash pad participant. He doesn't waste any time getting absolutely soaked! 

On this particular day, however, Ryan did not wear a swimming suit. So when it came time to go, his clothes were still super wet. We didn't really want to get the car all wet so he stripped and I wrapped a towel around him for the short walk to the car and the ride home. His pose just kills me. Zach might actually kill me when he sees I posted this picture. Haha. Worth it.

Brady and Camden and Zach had fun with the football in between dips in the splash pad. This picture is one of my all time favorites. What you can't tell is he's on his way down to the ground... but loving every second of it apparently.

In July we discovered another beautiful summer life hack in the form of my sister's complex pool. Anne was so nice and invited us to come swimming a few times during the summer. The boys absolutely loved it.

On our first trip to the pool, it ended up being a little chilly at first and then a storm started rolling in. It was fascinating to watch the sky turn dark and the clouds take over. The little boys had had enough but I think Ryan would have stayed all day if we let him!

Zach took lots and lots of trips to California for business this summer. The boys always miss him when he's gone and are so excited when he comes back. One evening I let Camden wait up for him. He snuggled into the couch and watched a few episodes of Curious George until Zach got home. He is such a daddy's boy.

Stay tuned! More to come!

:)  I told you we had a fun summer!