My fantasy...

...Is that summer will be relaxing enough that we can just drop everything and go to 7 Peaks if we feel like it.  And the kids won't fight because they're bored or because I'm enforcing chores.  Oh, and that we won't be overscheduled.  Sadly, none of these things embody our summers.  Not that we don't get time to hit the water park or have lazy days.  Just that they are few and far between.  The good news is that being so busy makes it harder for the kids to get bored (though it still happens when that post-school lethargy hits).  

We started right off the week after school ended with 5th grade camp for Sedona and her cousin Erica.  They had a great time, and even though they slept little, at least they got the end of the A-frame that didn't get spiders...  We missed our Domba dearly, and were glad to have her home, as evidenced by this poster the younger 3 made for her.  (Note that the bottom, by Ash, says, "P.S. Your fingernails are gross."  She is not wrong about this fact.)

This is one of my single favorite shirts on Dade, and some sad day soon he will grow out of it.  Plus he just got a buzz so he looks cuter than ever...

One of the highlights of the month, besides getting rid of kids to camps (wink, wink), was getting to hear Brandon Sanderson speak at the Provo Library.  He read some excerpts from coming releases, and talked a little about what his life as a writer is like.  He's a very methodical man, and truly the embodiment of nerd.  (Which in this day and age is a total compliment.)

Summer means reading programs at our two local library systems!!  The Orem Library has a particularly cute theme this year: the "Libratory".  Lots of fun science activities and cool displays.  They have the best balloon art every year.

Last year their theme was heroes, but I think they've really outdone themselves with the mad-scientist theme this year.

I love these programs because as much as my kids love reading, they are easily distracted.  The programs keep them focused on reading every day.  The free prizes and kids' meals definitely help...

Old king Sol is a very merry soul, especially when he sneaks his way onto the huge sectional we inherited.  (Picture to come now that we've finally settled on it's arrangement.)  We are such suckers for him.

He still tolerates Dade, who loves him dearly.  Poor dog is constantly being made to dance, carried around, and generally abused with all the kids home.  The girls threatened to do his hair today even.  Poor dog.

 

My beloved Park Plaza roomies from college.  It was so amazing to hook up with them again and revisit our friendships.  It's so nice how we just pick up where we left off.  Can't wait to see them again!

Sedona and Brynn took a one week choir camp at BYU.  This was their performance.  It was pretty amazing how good their diction and other technical skills were, especially when they had just learned the music 5 days earlier.  Brynn is looking forward to joining Sedona in the early morning choir rehearsals at school in the fall.

You lucky folks are privileged to see the "biggest fort in the whole entire university" as Ash puts it.  I love having a finished basement to banish them to when they want to make big forts that get in the way.

Poor little last child suffers when all his sisters are in school all day.  He's loving the summer and relearning how to share the iPad.  (little addict)

Our birthday season began in May.  This month we have Ash & Derek (plus numerous other extended family members).  All the kids got the trampoline as their "official" present, but got a few other things for fun too.

And our new favorite dessert ever: the chocolate mousse tuxedo cake from Costco.  Don't try it because you will never be able to resist it again.  Good thing it's too expensive for daily consumption...

We had a lovely week of grandma, one of the evenings which we spent at Brick Oven, a locally renowned pizza place.  It was sort of funny when we realized it was us 3 adults, one of who was a grandma, with 8 kids.  Talk about being out-numbered.

Now that the new recreation center has (FINALLY) opened up, I've got the two youngest in swim lessons again.  Both are making fabulous progress.  Ash has an amazing doggy paddle and is getting more confident in the water, and Dade is putting his hold head in.  He started out barely dipping his nose in.

But now he is putting his hold head in!  Because he's still so water-stupid, he has to wear a life-vest all the time (when not in lessons).  I'm scared to death he's gonna drown one of these days.

Now if Ash can just get more comfortable with getting water on her face, she'll be able to move up to the next level of class and enjoy the experience more.

Speaking of the new rec center, it's really cool!  We went swimming one night and had so much fun.  Dade went down some pretty scary (for a 3-year-old) tube slides, and Adia did a dive off the high dive.  The girls climbed the rock wall over a deep pool, and everyone enjoyed the spraying mushrooms and teaching pool.  And that's not counting everything outside!  Guess we'll have to go again!
 

And when we don't want the commitment of the pools, we can drop by for a half hour at the nearby splash pads.  The kids love them, though they tend to get cold unless it's like 100F outside.  Amazing how much cooler the dry, desert heat can be. 
 

Since it's expected to be in the low hundreds by the end of the week, we'll probably either be at the outdoor pools, the splash pads or Bridal Veil falls.  (Haven't taken Sol there yet.)

 Poor little dude was freezing after just 10 minutes because it was only in the mid-80's that day.

Ash went in for her amblyopia evaluation and they said all the patching we did for the first few months of the year really made a huge difference for her!  Her amblyopia isn't totally gone, but is pretty close.  Of course, she'll still have to wear glasses because she got my astigmatism & near-sightedness.  But that was too be expected.

Sedona & Brynn had a final piano recital with their aunt/piano teachers.  Julie is expecting a baby, so they get a new teacher until she is up to teaching again.  They're going to miss her, but they are going to LOVE their new teacher.

Finally made it to Trafalga for their outside fun and games.  Dade is just a freaking daredevil.  He's doing all the dropping rides and getting squirted by the water boats at a way younger age than any of his sisters.  You can see him practically screaming with joy on the Frog Hopper above.  He cracks me up.  I just hope he doesn't take up extreme sporting as an adolescent...

Which brings us to camp numero dos: Adia's second year of Girl's Camp.  Things went so much more smoothly than last year and she had a great time.  The weather was great, the leeches in the lake gross as ever, and the camaraderie just right.

Derek got to go up as one of the priesthood leaders for 3 days this year and enjoyed hauling trash and burning garbage.  It probably helped Adia a lot to know her dad was coming too.

They had a very special testimony meeting and heard talks about having faith during adversity and gender roles.  It all sounded really cool.  I'm so glad for the church's young women's program that is so supportive of our gender and so good at encouraging girls to make something of themselves and not let themselves stagnate, whatever path they end up taking in life.  Adia also got to bear her testimony and showed how much she has matured and how keen her mind is.  She's such a dependable girl and works hard to do the right thing at all times.

One final note: the girls did some water colors of these gorgeous mountain aspens.  You can see below that Adia is not only a gifted runner, intelligent & responsible girl, but also an artist.  (Doesn't get that from me for sure.)  Now I just have to find a suitable frame...