Top Eleven Exciting Events of the Summer (So Far....)

I love summer. I don't know if it's because I'm a teacher, so summer is just as exhilarating to me as my kids, but we seem to always do awesome things. The days go way too fast, and the end of August creeps up on us always way too quickly, but summers are always exciting and full of fun. **Sigh!!** Here's for some of the fun we have had so far- in no other order besides chronologically, since I cannot rate them because they have all been eventful! Some of these events were right before summer officially started, but they started our summer off with a bang!

11- Clayson played baseball, and improved so much from last year! He loved hitting the ball, but also enjoyed being the catcher- why? Because he got to constantly touch the ball and was in the middle of the action- that's my boy!!

10- Mom took the girls to LES MISERABLE at Capital Theater. WOW!!! When I was in junior high, Les Mis came and Mom took Stef, Kayla, and me. So it was only fitting when Les Mis came back, she took us again, as well as Lindsey this time around. What a fabulous time we had. The music is amazing, and the actors did a great job. It was one of those experiences where you still dwell on it and sigh because it was so great- especially spending some girl time.

9- Clayson graduated from Kindergarten- need I say more because his face says it all. All I can say is at his little singing program, he sure likes to be silly instead of singing. Nothin' like his sister! Enough said!

8- A fun trip to the zoo was in order with Dad after the last day of school. It was so relaxing, especially considering the weather was perfect!

7- The Firetruck... our neighbor was pulling out his washer and dryer, and broke a gas line, hence calling the fire dept, who came and fix the problem and had to wait to make sure they could back in the house, so they were there for awhile, chillin', and invited the kids to chill with them by playing in their truck. I don't know how that was relaxing for them because the kids were ALL over the truck- rolling up and down the windows, playing in the driver's seat and all, but they loved it, and the firemen were so nice!!

6- Ady was invited to meet an author, Hal Malchow!! She was involved in being in a book review for a new author, gave her feedback on the book before it was published, and then he invited her to meet him at King's English bookshop. He gave her a Sword of Darrow shirt and a signed personalized copy of the book. How special. The kids thought it was pretty cool!

5- Camping at Capital Reef!!! We went down for the Jakins' family reunion. It was literally the best camping experience ever! We had endless amounts of fun!

4- Summertime crafts- I try to do something fun for the kids each week. I have tons of kids' craft books, and we do at least something creative once a week. That's all I can handle, and I think that's all the kids can handle, but it still makes our summer fun!

3- Cousin Day!!! Need I say more? Every Thursday we get together with our cousins and do something fun. The first week we went to the zoo with Grandma, too. It is always crazy wherever we go, but I wouldn't change this tradition for the world! The next week we went to the Nature Center- where Ady stepped in a big puddle of mud and Bray ran, fell, and scraped up both knees and never complained until blood was streaming down his legs and it freaked him out, and they gave me alcohol wipes and he screamed and bawled, and we finally got him fixed up! Then we went to the Hill Air Force Base Museum where the kids, and moms, are proud to know Uncle Pete, Grandma's brother, who made such a difference in WWII... very cool stuff! We still have more fun up our sleeves for the rest of the summer!

2- Family Reunions!! We had three this year... we haven't had one for ten years, and before then I was too young to remember, and three???? Three weeks in a row, now less! But it sure was fun! The first was a big Burton reunion that we had in my dad's cousin's back yard.. there was a zip line that the kids thought was amazing... there was huge play house, a bounce house, and he is in the process of building a  tree house with slide leading to the pond... indoors was a beautiful pool and hot tub... really??? Why have we not visited before?!

The next reunion was the Jakins' reunion down in Capital Reef which equaled a fun camping trip also. The last one was the Clayson Family Reunion, which equaled celebrating Grandpa's 90th birthday and Grandpa and Grandma's 70th wedding anniversary- really? I only hope we live to see our 30th! (Literally live, ya know?!) They are my monster example of love. They have always been so adorable and sweet with one another, and now Grandma's losing her mind, and Grandpa his hearing, so they truly do make a perfect couple!

1- Fourth of July-- Parade! Aerial fireworks!!! Amazing friends!!! Enough said!