We heart sand (and water)

Who doesn't love the beach?  We don't know. We do know that we go there as often as possible during the summer months, and we stay there as long as we possibly can.  It never gets old. 


Ahhhhhhh




Early June, before school let out, so Mills and Soccer Head here had the place to themselves




Kicking the ball around




Go, Eli, go!




Then there's this little sand monster



A little later in the summer, Liz's niece and nephew came to town. 

We took them to Natural Bridges Beach.



Apparently there used to be two bridges (thus the plural name), but I've only ever seen this one




Let the burying begin!




The kids thought this was about the coolest thing ever: the girl with no body




Sandy sass




Garbage Bags R Us



If we don't have time to get to the beach, we always have the sprinkler.

Labor Day was hot, so after some fun hiking & picnicking with Noam and Margaret,

the kiddos wanted to cool off in the backyard.

 

Sprinkler sidelines




You lookin' at me?




Oh, Lizzy, you always get the cute shots of me




Baby, you can drive my car

Dancey Dance

Having a daughter has surprised me.  People tried to warn me about the emotion and drama and social savvy that go along with having a girl, but I didn't listen.  Like all naive parents, I expected my daughter to be different.  I thought I could handle anything a girl would throw my way, because after all I'd survived a couple of crazy, high-energy boys.  How bad could it be? 

Um, yeah.  One order of humble pie (favorite entree of parenthood apparently).  Millie has shocked us with the amount of fiesty one little body/spirit can contain and frequently wield at us.  Some of her independence and defiance comes from being three, common characteristics for that age group, some of it comes from having to hold her own against two harrassing, older brothers; but some of it comes from her unique personality, the same one she entered this life with, the same one she'll always have.  

I mention Millie's stubborn, sassy, strong-willed toughness to emphasize the contrast and true appreciation I feel for moments when I see something other.  The moments when she shows me that, despite knowing how to throw a solid left hook, she's still a girl.  She shows me this when she puts her stuffed animals down for a nap.  She shows me when she wants to help do the dishes.  She shows me when she changes her outfits five times a day, or plays with my jewelry and make-up for the umpteenth time.  And as of this summer and fall, she shows me in her dance class.

Ballet

Tap

Can you tell she's found her calling in life?  My goodness, does she love it.  I definitely don't mind watching her, either.  It's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  So two cheers for dancey dance!!

All ye that labor

 . . . take a break and do something fun the first weekend in September.  Isn't that how the scripture goes?  Maybe it should be when you're feeling a bit bogged down by the first few weeks of back-to-school schedules and demands. 

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't even thought about Labor Day weekend, what with all the drop-offs and pick-ups and meetings and homework.  Stephen, however, had thought about it.  In fact, my homebody hubby surprised me by planning a daytrip.  On his own.  Way in advance.  Without any coaxing or hinting or guilt-tripping.  He picked the town, he picked the activity; he even picked the eats.  Wahoo!

We woke up Saturday morning, grabbed Liz, hopped in the van, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, drove through gorgeous Marin County, and ended up in a little town I've always wanted to visit. 

Santa Rosa

Charles Schulz Museum





Then we headed here for lunch

(recently opened in Santa Rosa)



for the yummiest pastrami sandwich I've ever eaten

#99 Charles Schulz

in case you want to try it yourself.

At last

Eli gets to join his brother at school!

Backpacks on

Snacks, lunches, water bottles in hand

Smiles ready 

Um, sort of. . .

(if you can call this a smile)

Little sister not wanting to be ignored

And we're off

One last nose-pick before the big day

p.s. He said he was going to try really hard not to pick his boogers at school.

Worthy goal, I think.

Kindergartner and third-grader

"Back in the saddle (stroller) again"

That's our Eli, ready to go, without one look back at me

Finding his desk, game face on

A quick story before all the parents leave

Look who took a liking to the kindergarten desks

Utah Valley's turn

My brother Justin and his wife, Andrea, built a gorgeous home in Lehi last year.  They generously, and on almost a moment's notice, offered to let us stay there with them.  They have three of the cutest boys you've ever seen, and considering how close in age they are to our kids, the gang can have some serious fun together.  What is it about cousin love that just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside?  Just and Ang = super fun, too, so we grown-ups loved getting to hang out and laugh with each other just as much as the munchkins did.

Here's a few shots of all the boys living it up in the basement:
(Boys + Basements = Beautiful peace for moms upstairs)
Jealous, jealous, jealous

Andrea and I:

We had to pay at least a little homage to our alma mater, so we spent one day in Provo that started at the stadium.  Big surprise there, right?  Our family's priorities are super transparent, I know.

The classic Brigham shot, minus my Michael Jackson dance move.

(p.s. Aren't you impressed with how my pink shirt and purple shoes match the flowers?)

Some serious sensory memories with this next home away from home.  The smell of books, the sound of nothing but pages turning, and the sight of bookshelves and study desks transported me to the mid-nineties in about ten seconds.  It's pretty crazy to think how much time I spent in this library. 

Shhhh!  This is one very serious study group. 

It made for one long and whiny walk--"It's soooo hot, I can't take it"--but I still insisted we trek to the far side of campus to see my favorite place, the Maeser Building.  I had quite a few classes here my freshman year and loved studying in the reading rooms just about anytime. 

Boy, does this lecture hall and podium bring back memories.  I had such a crush on Professor What's-his-name, who wore tweed jackets and oxford shoes and made me swoon as he pontificated about Goethe and the Sturm and Drang movement in Germanic literature.  *sigh*

Although he's cute, Eli's just not the same as Professor What's-his-name.

Then we headed down the hill to the athletic buildings and other sports complexes. 

Bennett found a couple spots he hopes to frequent someday:

Recognize this one?  Let's zoom in on those letters a bit.

The new (to us), indoor practice facility struck his fancy, too.

They even had soccer camps going on at the time.

There's a whole lot of new going on near the RB, and this trophy building earned top honors for sports-loving Stephen.  I think he wished we had started rather than ended our day here.

First basketball:

Then football:



I must admit, it's pretty cool seeing a Heisman in person

One very happy camper:



After a stop at the creamery to meet up with some CA friends, we headed over to visit two of my favorite former students, who by happy chance ended up marrying each other.  Nothing could be better than seeing two kids you loved as students now happy and in love with each other as adults.  Catching up with Adam and Becky made for a perfect ending to the trip.  They're both bright, talented go-getters, who make the most of life and still have a knack for making me laugh.  I could have stayed there for hours with them.

Talking

More talking



Good times with the Olsens



Somebody else who didn't mind hanging at a park all evening

Stephen had to be back to work by Wednesday, which gave us precisely one day to get from Utah to California.  Driving straight through, baby.  On Pioneer Day, no less!  Ha.  Up at the crack of dawn and hitting the road early shmerly did have one surprising benefit: two double rainbows that we could see in their entirety, from one side all the way to the other.  We took it as a lucky sign for travelers and pushed on through the deserts of Utah and Nevada.  I drove the first stretch for six hours straight and thought my legs were going to snap in half by the time we finally stopped for gas and I got out of the car to walk.



The boys asked if we could follow it to the pot of gold



We told them California = the prize at the end of their road trip rainbow

And it was.  After being in that killer dry heat for almost a week, the "low-seventies with a light ocean breeze" weather we came back to felt magically delicious.  We were happy to be home, even though we had such a great time in ID and UT with so many people we love.