June 2013

Before school ended, I was really worried if I'd be able to keep the girls busy enough this summer.  I imagined trying to survive the constant cries of boredom.

But as you might see, there hasn't been a dull moment:



I don't know if I put this picture on the blog yet, but this is the view from our deck.  Eric's often out there in the evening trying to capture the perfect sunset shot.  I thought this one was pretty awesome.  Sure do love my hometown and our new home.

 

Summer just wouldn't be summer without some trips to Lagoon.

On the train at Lagoon.

We kept trying to convince the kids that there are much cooler rides than the merry-go-round.

Dude...This picture is AVA.  So cute and funny.

 

Don't know if I put these shots on here yet, but I begged Eric to pull out a tree in our front yard.  He got right to it.  :)

 

Andi's Ogden friends (Cambri and Elisa Jenks) invited us to Elisa's birthday party.  The party was at the BMX track at the fairgrounds in Farmington.  It was super hot that day, but I was so proud of Abbey and Andi for going and for hashin' out those dirt hills.

Our new and very exciting toy:  A TRAMP.  The greatest kid toy ever.

Playing Abbey's school games on my computer.  Smart girls.

When we bought the house, this step was seriously mangled.  We had to come up with a good temporary fix so the homeowners insurance would still cover us.  Here's what Eric did.  Doesn't it look good?  A good ramp that leads to his work room from the backyard.  Someday I'll paint that door...Along with all the other projects I have to do.

Look at these pictures above and below.  Abbey's face is a riot.  Love it.

Baby Aves, lovin' her morning routine of watching Caillou on the "Sprout" channel.

 

Here's my Andi-girl up in Park City for the annual Allen family reunion.

Andi and Grandma Joann havin' some fun.

In the above picture and in the seven pictures directly following, Grandma Joann and Uncle Isaac were playing in the pool with Andi.  I took a million pictures because it was a momentous occasion:  Andi and Isaac were warming up to each other.  Andi was being so brave and really enjoyed herself with her Allen peeps.  These few moments made the trip up to Park City so worth it.

Above and below:  Getting ready to sing happy birthday to Grandma Joann at the family reunion in Park City.  Westgate resorts, baby.  Lots of fun and family.  Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Kent were home visiting from China, and all of her kids were there too, along with my direct in-laws as well.

Eric is the man.  We had several, very tall trees right by our deck that were way too close to the house.  Every time the wind would blow, these trees would bang against the house and the deck railing, creating very loud and sleepless nights.  So Eric got out dad's trusty ol' chainsaw and had a go with the trees.  Unfortunately, one tree fell down in the wrong direction.  Eric put up a fight, as you can see.  :)  So grateful for a hard-workin' man. 

This is my favoritest sister Leslie who is currently eight months pregnant with her fourth child.  Sitting and standing are both uncomfortable states for her to be in, so her cute boy Luke decided to help her out.  At Grandma and Grandpa Luke's for Sunday dinner.

A trip to Utah county isn't complete without visiting Mommy Sheri's grave.

So precious. 

Love this girl.

Our girls know all about graves and share their experiences together. 

 

The first week of summer was kicked off by driving up to Mantua with all the Luke cousins to take pictures in a field of Poppies.  Afterwards we went to Peach City in Brigham City--a family tradition.  Here are some pictures of the day:

Lydia and Andi

All the Luke cousins

It wasn't easy getting a good shot, but we did get some.

These super cute girls are growin' up.

Andi, 4 1/2 years old.

Abbey, age 7.

Ava, 3 1/2 years old.

 

The Griffin family.

Celebrating Chloe's birthday at Peach City.  We gave her a "Monster High" doll--the latest obsession amongst the girls in our family.

Peach City, dudes!

Not the best picture, but smiling nevertheless.

Chloe, Leslie's third.  She's like another one of my girls.  Love having her spend time with us at our house. 

Luke, Leslie's first.  This kid is one of a kind.  He knows everything about bugs and animals, and he's an awesome artist.  He has a soft heart and a fun sense of humor.  Sure do love him.

Carter, Leslie's second.  Carter is a bundle of action!  He always has somethin' to say and he keeps the party goin'.  My girls LOVE to play with Carter.  They ask for playdates with him.  :)

We got to dog-sit my sister Lori's dog for a weekend, so in the above picture, Molly and Harry are chillin' together eating their nightly chews.

I never thought I'd see this sight, but my awesome Eric let Molly come on the bed.  I know it wasn't easy for him, but I loved it.  I'd have five dogs on my bed if he'd let me.  I know, I'm neurotic, but I don't care.  Dogs are the best.  :)

The morning of Abbey's 7th birthday!  Pancake Cake!

Ready for a party.

Notice the yellow theme...Abbey's favorite color!

This year we had a friend party for Abbey.  Here they are opening gifts.

Everyone came in swimsuits and we had a water party!

Eric was a popular opponent throughout the afternoon of the party.  He got the kids wet, and he got them wet.

Water balloon baseball.

 

Water balloon relay race.  (Eric was in charge of the games, and he did well. :) )

Great shot of Carter slammin' it in the "field."

Slip 'n slide fun.

The wet birthday girl.

Abbey's cute cousins, Skylar and Gracie, stayed after Abbey's party to spend some extra time with us.  We have to take advantage of when they can see each other!  So fun having them.  Abbey loves them.

A new dress.

Nothing less than the best:  A new Monster High doll.  This one is called "Cleo de Nile." 

Ask me any of their names.  I'm now an expert.

I always love seeing these moments.  What do you think?  Does Eric hate this dog as bad as he claims to?  I'm not so sure....

Having a relaxing evening at home.  Ava using Abbey's Kindle, Eric on his iPad.  Cuddling buddies.

Father's Day.  Abbey wearing her new birthday dress from Grandma and Grandpa Allen.

I spent way too much dang time on this freaking card.  So I at least had to take pictures of it.

At our favorite restaurant (Rainbow Gardens, up Ogden canyon--my other hometown) with Grandma Luke and our dearest Kylie.

Mom is so good with Kylie and has "Kylie time" each week. 

Speaking of my mom, she was recently diagnosed with Hemochromatosis, a rare condition that may explain a lot of health problems that she's been struggling with since the beginning of the year.  More on that later.

These girls will never say no to goin' to lunch with Grandma.

At the Bees game with Eric, James, and Wendi.  Eric's work got us tickets.  Baseball always reminds me of my dad and my late brother who loved to watch baseball games together. 

 

 

It's been really fun getting to know Eric's brother James and his wife Wendi.  We don't see each other a ton, but it's always fun when we've hung out.  I really appreciate them welcoming me into the family as I know it isn't easy.  I always wonder if people think I'm a stupid girl who actually supposes my presence is a replacement of the "real thing."  I know Sheri is loved and missed, and I hope they know that I know what it's like to feel a void.  And I'm confident in saying that last sentence is a great understatement.  Just appreciate their friendship.

  

I don't know why I'm so serious here.  This was the day Eric and I gave talks at church.  Perhaps I was just tired.  (Need I mention we spent our entire week preparing for these talks.  The topic was the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and we learned a lot.  Thank you for all the friends and family that emailed to me their thoughts and testimonies regarding Joseph Smith....Your words helped me.) 

 

I enrolled Abbey in a summer art camp for a week in June.  Here are some of her fun pieces:

Just as good as a Georgia O'Keefe!  She's a good little artist!

This one is Harry.  (Sideways, sorry.)

Okay, seriously.  I'm not sure if this picture should make me smile or get worried. 

At Lagoon-a-Beach.

 

I went to the Parade of Homes with my friend Carrie (our annual tradition that I love), and I had to take some pictures of some things I loved:

Super cute girl room.  Love the wall color.

Great style.

Love the rug and the patterned chair.

Look at this fun idea of how to paint just one wall in a room--extend it to the ceiling and adjacent walls.  It made such a difference and I loved it.  Also notice the painted bed...They stole my idea!  Super cute.

Lagoon-a-Beach fun.

Andi and I went on a Sunday walk down to the cemetery.  It was one of those days for me, so it was so nice being able to just walk down one block to feel a little closer to the people I miss.  June is always a hard month.

Pushing her "baby."

Dance camp, here they come!