June 2014

Father's Day was fun and relaxing.  Just our little family at home....

 ....eating this fantastic dinner.  Grilled halibut and lots of yummy healthy side dishes.  It was delicious!  Ben loves halibut and we never have it, so he deserved it on this special day.  We are grateful for this daddy!

 June means summer, and summer means lots of reading.

 And crafts!  Mom has to suddenly think of a lot of ideas to help fill the time and keep the kids busy.

 Emma tried out swim team this summer and LOVED it!  This is definitely her thing!  She worked so hard every day at practice and swam her little heart out during the meets.  She placed 3rd for her age group in the final county meets in both backstroke and freestyle.  Wow!  Too bad we can't swim year-round here.  

 We swam at the pool a few times this summer--not nearly as much as we wanted to.  It is just hard with small kids!  Hopefully when the boys get bigger we can go more often.

 Thank goodness for this lifejacket/floaties combo!  We needed something to keep this water baby safe!  He loves the water just about as much as Emma.  

 Max turned 3!  We waited a week to celebrate so Granby and papa could join us.  I love this picture of the three of them!  We had a big BBQ with lots of loved ones.

 We got Max this cool tunnel.  The kids love playing with it in all sorts of creative ways.

 Simba!

 Ben's nephew, Adam, got married in June and the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  We got a sitter for the boys and took the girls out to Saratoga Springs to see the wedding and go to the reception afterwards. Good times.

 June also brings weekly mowing...with my sidekick.  

 Luke did T-ball for the first time and had a lot of fun learning the game.  It's pretty darn hilarious to watch 4- and 5-year-olds play baseball!

 Grandma and Papa came to watch the last game of the season and it was great to have them there.  Luke is a lucky boy!

Spring

Now that fall is approaching, I guess I better finish blogging about last spring!  We headed to St. George over spring break in early April to see Grandma and Grandpa Bergin.  We enjoyed all of the red rock, Zion National Park, swimming and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. Sadly, Grandma was very sick and couldn't do much with us. Next time, Grandma!

 Emma got a haircut!  She'd been wanting short hair for awhile and we finally did it.  She was so happy!  It looked so cute on her too.  

 Emma turned 10 (!).  Grandma cooked her a delicious roast beef dinner for her birthday.  Oh, how we have missed Grandma's cooking!  It was an even bigger deal because Grandma was sick and she still managed to wow us!  This is one happy girl.

 We let her pick out a pie from Croshaw's pies.  She chose sour cream lemon and it was delicious.  

 May brought some hikes with dad.

 And the school carnival--with a reptile show, games, and treats.  Get a load of this guy!

 Rachel had her end of year choir concert. They sang Mothers' Day and Father's Day songs and it was so great.  She learned a lot in choir this year!

 Grandma and Papa came too!

 Emma being a goofball.

 We got our garden in.  The boys loved helping to plant and water the seeds and plants.  

 Another school year in the books!  We adored Mrs. Stewart and was sad to learn that she would be leaving to pursue an administrative degree.

 Emma was sad to leave 4th grade as well. Miss Bateman was such a cute teacher!  She got married over the summer and we got to go to the reception.  It was a lot of fun!

March

We continue to get together with Ben's relatives most Sundays--whoever can make it.  Sometimes it's just us and Sue and other times, there are more.  It's fun to enjoy good food together and hang out.  

"dress like a cowboy" day at school.  Rachel looked pretty darn adorable!

 The end of March was a difficult time.  Ben's brother, Danny, passed away.  The one positive outcome of funerals is the increased family time.  It was wonderful to see a few of Ben's siblings that we rarely see.  Here are the serious boys at a dinner at Sue's house.  

 Reading with Mariesa at a dinner at our house

 My sweet girl

 My kids love Uncle David and Aunt Christi!  We only see them once or twice a year and it is fun to catch up when they're in town.

 Luke is always doing some sort of crazy trick!

 The funeral services were beautiful.  We all miss Danny so much!

February

Emma decorated our driveway with chalk hearts for Valentine's Day.  Each had a message.  Super cute! 

 Oobleck time.  We try to make this stuff a few times a year.  I love playing with it as much as the kids.  It's like a solid AND a liquid!

 Cute brothers in their hats

 My parents got Ben and the boys matching red ties for Christmas.  Max's is way too long right now, but the others fit just right.  So handsome!

 Lego time!

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of our annual Valentine's Day dinner!  I make a fancy dinner and break out the nice china and the candles.  We eat by candlelight and linger around the table talking--something about dim candlelight makes kids eat more slowly and calmly.  I love it.  Ben and I always have a nice date too, but not on V-day.  This year, we ate out at LaJolla Groves, which was super elegant and delicious, and shopped together.