Summer officially started this week with temperatures hitting 100, the west side of the lake on fire all week, swimming lessons starting and PG Strawberry Days.  I love Strawberry Days, our city's summer festival.  We went to a concert in the park and ate strawberries and cream and hung out with neighbors.  Robyn didn't enjoy the mosh pit of kids in front of the goldie oldie band after getting trampled several times as kids dived for the candy being thrown out into the audience.  Taylor got the giggles when it was time to come home and Robyn was yelling at Spencer to get off the fence.  That little screech voice just tickled his funny bone.
Girls had a cooking class where they made strawberry floats, strawberry play dough and strawberry cookies.  Good thing we all like strawberries around here.

Then we had our night at the rodeo while Taylor hung out at home with Melissa.  Wild cow milking is always my favorite sport to watch.  Robyn danced the night away under the bleachers with her little friends.  Allison cheered on the horses and Spencer was in awe of the dirtbike jumpers for the intermission.
We had Huck Finn Days where they flood a local park and fill it with fish for the kids.  There are little free kid events everywhere - face painting, doughnut walks and a pet show.  Spencer inspired by my mom's suggestion to pursue the pet care merit badge brought Chaz his bearded dragon for the pet show while Allison brought along her guinea pig Midnight.  Lately if you want Spencer to talk for a few hours straight, just ask him about Chaz.  There is no limit to his conversation then and he is in pet heaven.  Robyn stuck with the doughnuts and face painting.
And then to round out our Strawberry Days Taylor and the girls with a cousin and friend in tow went to our city parade.  I love cheering on all the cheezy floats and high school bands.  Kids go wild diving for all the candy and other treats being thrown out.  And did I mention doughnuts? 
And to complete our summer days we spent a day at 7 peaks, our local water park with Kelly and cousins.  Jeremy met us with pizza and we closed the park down.  Robyn begged Kayla to come home for a cousin sleep-over.  When I took Kayla home a day later you would have thought she had lost her first born.  They love their cousins.

Taking Taylor to 7 peaks and carrying him/walking him around to the different pools etc is a serious work out.  Someone said to me how sad that you can't go on the slides with your kids but have to sit with Taylor.  And its true its sad.  But here is the flip side, I get to sit on the side of the pool, cuddling with Taylor and dangling my feet in the water and just have to sit and relax.  With Jeremy being willing to snooze with Taylor on a towel for a little bit Friday evening, I got the best of both worlds.

We have been going to swimming lessons this week and staying when we can to swim for a little bit.  Taylor loves to float around or work on his tan in the shallow part.
Taylor started summer school this week.  He goes for a few days in June and July.  So he has been coming nicely tired out each day.  Throw in all the walking I am making him do at the pool and he is getting his exercise for sure.

Girls started up their library classes this week and have been busy scratching away at their reading records as they read.  We did two non-technology days this summer each week so the books have been coming out every Tuesday and Thursday.

Spencer went in to get his warts worked on this week.  A few shots and a surgical soldering iron later and those warts are history.  It looks like we attacked him with a lit cigarette and I am worried about child services being called but hopefully they will stay gone this time.  His hypochondria came out full force but he was a pretty good sport about it.

Jeremy had a few photo shoots this week and then had an amazing day Saturday with Spencer, his brother Jason and his nephew Garion.  They went out to a truck rally to cheer on their old friend and enjoyed the fast trucks, buckets of gatorade and a stadium full of pumped up testosterone. Jeremy shared a blog post with some photos of the event.

Hanging out in the crew/team section enjoy a free lunch. Kids thought this was the coolest getting VIP treatment

Last big news of the week is that I got a new calling as 1st counselor in the Primary.  It will be fun to be back in the ward again.  We had our last stake event this week, a luncheon for all the Presidents.  It amazes me how much I have learned from these amazing ladies.  Mostly I have learned to speak less and listen more and have more love and patience.  I have a long ways to go.  Jeremy also received a new call as ward mission leader.

By Saturday night, we had such a good week that for our "date" I was out solo running errands...and I LIKED it.  I love my kids and spending all this time with them.  But at the end of these fun days I feel like I should return home to clean kids on bended knee offering me boxes of chocolate out of gratitude.  Instead I make some emergency chocolate cake and say good night, all other jobs can wait until the morning - my secret to staying sane.  And I learned a life skill this week thanks to some great neighbors.  How to change a tire on my bike.  I got my first flat ever Friday morning.  One of those skills I kept putting off learning, hoping I never would have to.  But I signed up to do a century in September so its one of those things I really needed to learn.

And a photo of my beautiful cousin Whitney's ring ceremony last week:

love, Heather