Summer is flying by, as it always does. I remember when the kids were little and I worried at the beginning of summer how I'd manage with everyone home all day long.... it seemed a looming idea for 2.5 months to have no quiet time! Despite my qualms, time always seemed to move quickly in those days and by the end of August, I was sad for school to start. I have that same feeling but even stronger now that the kids are older. Having the kids home all day is a blessing! They are my buddies and we have fun adventures, and relaxing movie nights and pool/beach days. I hate the thought that July is over and we are heading into the last few weeks of our break!
We enjoyed the beautiful, warm weather this month - spending extra time in the pool and at the beach; LOTS and LOTS of soccer tournaments, boating and spending time with family and friends. The 4th of July was a blast this year... we are almost always traveling, so it was really fun to be home and spend the day with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Troy who we hadn't seen in a while. We loved seeing Troy and it was a HUGE highlight of the holiday weekend. In the evening, we attended our ward 4th of July party at the Matters home and that was also a blast. They have the PERFECT view of the fireworks from their backyard, along with the yummiest snow cones outside of Hawaii! One of my very favorite days of the year- I LOVE the 4th of July.
Dane and I traveled to Rexburg, Idaho to celebrate Adam's graduation from BYU-I ! So proud of Adam and absolutely loved exploring Rexburg and being with Grammy and Papa and the Paces. Adam is the first grandchild to graduate college- a huge accomplishment and we couldn't be more happy and excited for him. We enjoyed taking a college tour, visiting Bear World, going out to yummy dinners, the river walk, movies and game nights! I finally learned how to play secret hitler... haha!
A huge highlight this month was our lovely cruise to the Western Caribbean! We began at Galveston, TX and from there cruised to Costa Playa, Roatan, Honduras, and Cozemal, MX. Even more fun... we had the Dave Stevens family and Grammy and Papa with us! That made for some really fun game nights and exciting adventures at all the ports! Highlights for this trip were: dinners in the dining room.... the staff took such special care of the little ones and the food was incredible. Roatan, Honduras where we snorkeled in a BEAUTIFUL reef and spent time with monkeys, sloths, toucans and all sorts of tropical animals! Watching the musical Grease with the family--- SO inappropriate at times, but also made for a hilarious memory. Movie nights on deck, having a gaggle of girls follow Grant around everywhere he went, games in the card room, sleeping in until 10, water slides, endless ice cream cones and massages on the beach. Poor Evelyn didn't get a break from school so she had to write papers, read textbooks and even do a presentation in the cabin! Thankfully we had reception that evening! It was a super fun trip and we loved every minute.
Keeping the kids busy.... Grant finished his trip to Outerbanks with Papa. He had an incredible time and truly loved his leaders, the friends he made and most importantly, the spirit he felt and the growth in his testimony. He bore his testimony in sacrament meeting afterwards and expressed the importance of pondering on God's words, writing them down, praying and then seeing the Lord's hand in your life every day. I'm so proud of Grant for the outstanding young man that he is and I love his passion for the gospel. He definitely keeps us in line-- reminding me that we need to do Come Follow Me more often- ha! Grant works hard every day to train for soccer: lifting, running, shooting balls into the net. He loves his new team and he's much happier with the switch in clubs. We've enjoyed watching him play and feel more confidence and excitement. Grandma has been amazing to come to the tournaments as well. The boys are always thrilled to have her rooting for them and excited for all of their plays. Grant is so excited for high school and seminary. He really has zero nerves about it but just complete eagerness to grow up!
Evelyn has been working hard this month on her classes and at the ESS program teaching drama and music. The kids ADORE her and she really is a natural with kids and in the elementary school setting. Ev spent the weekend at the beach with Emma and her sisters for her 19th birthday and they had a blast . She continues to spend most nights with Amaya and new friends -country line dancing. The group even hangs out around here now- camping, swimming, making dinner. It's been so fun to see Evelyn happy and confident these days now that she is no longer with her old boyfriend who really did a number on her and that's all I'll say about that. Ev takes care of the pets, babysits, drives everyone around and is pretty helpful around here most days. I'm happy to see her rekindle friendships and spend time with friends.... we loved supporting Reha in her art show last month. Our next big task is subletting the Provo apartment for fall as Ev has decided to stay here until January when her clinicals start!
Anna has been babysitting up a storm this month and earning TONS of money to prove it! She loves babysitting Sophie Judd and it's been a win win all around because we all love having Sophie at our house and Elizabeth loves having a little break here and there. Anna works hard with her reading tutor each week and has a fresh set of nails at least twice a week- she gets compliments everywhere she goes and people can barely believe she has done them herself! Anna loves to spend every moment with friends- at the beach, swimming, beading, playing games, camping out. She is always up for anything and everything and our house is a constant gathering place for a bunch of cute tween girls who we adore. Anna is eager to learn how to play tennis better and Dane's girlfriend has been teaching her. It's been a fun hobby! I'm still trying to convince Anna to continue with dance this next year as I think she is the best dancer ever and I hate that she is no longer taking classes. I guess no matter what she chooses to do, one thing is for sure-- Anna is always the life of any party and brings so much joy and laughter wherever she goes. I remind myself that when I get frustrated with her messy room or her refusal to dive back into dance or tumbling. She'll be fine! Love that girl so much.
Dane has enjoyed his summer off and spent pretty much every moment with Kenzie. They go on fun dates to the fair, to the beach, to watch the sunset, to create art, to walk around and pick flowers, to watch endless softball (Kenzie) and soccer (Dane) games and sit around the fire roasting marshmallows, swimming and tanning in the pool, watching movies, boating, going on drives and drive-ins. Dane adores Kenzie and they have such a sweet relationship. When they are not together, Dane is playing soccer, hanging with friends or thrifting for his business which has not been thriving lately. Dane is considering working for ESS in the fall at the schools to earn money. Obviously not as appealing to him as owning his own thrifting business, but when you have a girlfriend- you need money! We shall see how it all works out. He has a lot of decisions coming up- which colleges to apply for, mission plans? jobs? career options! It's a lot to think about and I'm so excited for all the adventures he has ahead of him. Best kid ever.
As for me.... lots of sweet moments with friends and family. Hiking has taken a little hiatus because of the heat, but if we leave early enough in the morning, it's manageable! Lots of taking care of our pets, running kids from here to there, washing towels, cleaning up big messes in the kitchen, hosting youth activities, etc. All good things! Chandler Jones got married this month and I LOVED being there for that special day with Amy and Dallas! Though we don't see the Jones nearly as much as we used to, we adore them and have the best memories of our kids growing up together! Elizabeth's Ty came home from his mission and her Don got married! I wasn't there for the big day because it was in Idaho, but so happy for all these fun events in her life. Celebrated our friend Amanda's 40th birthday with a big dinner date and game night. Of course I had to arrive dateless because Blake had "bishop" things to attend to! Poor guy! He is super busy with remodeling the office and crazy busy ortho season and Bishop duties and just so much going on in his life. I feel for him and wish I could do more. I hope one day he will be able to relax a little- I think he works harder than anyone I know. A full month and so many incredible things to be grateful for. Especially grateful for my little family and the joy they bring me in every season of life.
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