Summer Recap

Yes, we are alive! What can I say other than my lack of blogging is due to nothing more than pure laziness!! Although, after a few failed attempts at trying to blog, I have concluded that I must've somehow offended the blogging Gods & are now being punished. Why you ask? 1) Good intentions of posting were replaced by falling asleep on the couch 2) Camera is in the car and too tired to go get it. 3)Can't log onto Blogger 4)Spent 40 mins typing out a post, couldn't get it to post, AND it didn't save arrgggg... 5) Tried again today & the bar at the top of the page to sign im wasn't there. I'm just glad that everyone else has kept up with theirs so I have something to read while I'm up at night :)

So here I am again with another feeble attempt. Camera is out of car, pix are downloaded, I'm obviously logged in, and not asleep on the couch. This is a good start. On with the highlights of the past 2 months:

We started our backyard project the first of July with a 46' long & at least 15'tall retaining wall made of the precast cement blocks, which look like huge legos stacked together by a remote control crane. Now instead of rolling down the hill which was our back yard, my kids can now just fall straight down off the wall! We hauled in 2 tons of fill dirt, and bless their heart, Troy and Nick backfilled it all by hand. I did make a pretty good dent in one of the dirt piles myself I must add. Last week we poured a little extension onto our patio which will be nice to have a bit more room to bbq & enjoy the yard. A big shout out to Travis Robinson for forming and helping to finish the cement. He is AWESOME! Guess that will teach him to ask if there is anything we need next time he comes home teaching (he helped us with tile last year). The next step is stinky mulch & sod. We've gotten a few bids on vinyl fencing (OUCH!) that will have to be next spring's project.

1st block laid

                                                       view of finished wall amid bushes from below

The 24th of July was fun to have all my family together in Beaver. We did the parade, park, bbq, horse races, fireworks, & lots of good visiting. My sister brought her 'trike' for us to try out. Have you ever tried one of these? It's hard to do (ok, so I'm just REALLY out of shape!)

Caroline on the trike

August began with our annual Smith family campout up on Beaver mtn. We had it at Tushar Lake campground, where my parents have been the hosts every summer almost 20 years since it opened. We all enjoyed canoeing, shooting, fishing, playing games, & eating lots! Nick & Paige came since they are basically family,& my sister's nanny & husband also came which added to the fun. Since this weekend fell in between Troy & Tanner's b.day's we celebrated them up there. I made a camping cake which turned out quite cute if I do say so. G.pa Webb & G.ma Kaye also came up from Cedar to have lunch and party with us. Aside from a few incidents and 'time outs' the kids all played and got along well. Camrie did great and slept thru both nights.

Braxton started a.m. Kindergarten at Sunset Elementary. His teacher is Ms. Callahan. He is doing well and likes it. Country Kids daycare takes him to school & picks him up, then we pick him up from the daycare after work which is such a sweet deal. I've enjoyed walking him to school on my days off.

Ms. Callahan

Tanner is just, well he's 2! Need I say more? He truly is our 'Tanner the tornado', why bother cleaning on my day off? He really is the funniest little guy ever. I could sit & watch him run back & forth all day, & laugh while he jabbers the cutest things. He loves to say "Ah, man" when things don't go his way, & had a great time playing peek-a-boo with his hand under my skirt in church a few weeks ago

Miss Becky                                        Bowling w/ dad

 

                                                                                                

 Camrie & Miss Ashley

The unfortunate day arrived on August 10th, that I had to return to work. You'd think by the 3rd time it wouldn't be that big of a deal? Not this time! I couldn't do it and took an extra week off without any PTO left and suffered greatly when the paycheck came and was only $125.00! But it was worth it! We love the DRMC Child Development Center!! Camrie's teachers in her 'Roly Poly' class literally pryed her out of my arms reassuring me that she (and myself) would be just fine. All the teachers there are great and love her Tanner so much. I did go down to visit them the other day while we didn't have any afternoon patients. Camrie was asleep...no big deal. Tanner was fine til he realized that I wasn't there to take him home. He cried the hugest tears & was so mad at me, he woudn't have anything to do with me when I tried to love him & say bye. Lesson learned: endure the long boring afternoons with my co-workers, forget the kids!

Troy's bad elbow has resurfaced a few times since the first bout of bursitis in May & was getting worse (thanks to shoveling 2 tons of dirt) so a month ago he had surgery to remove the damaged bursa. He wore a splint for 2 weeks that covered all but 4 inches of his right arm. He got along ok, but was entertaining to watch him do things left-handed. Ever tried putting deodarant under your left armpit with your left hand???

getting the drain taken out of his elbow

Camrie is now 3 1/2 months and is so much fun. She truly is the light of our lives, & her brother's little princess. Her smile is infectious & almost a bit mischievious at times and her giggles make us giggle right back. She's getting a little chubb but nowhere near as chubby as Tanner at her age. His Kankles were spilling over his socks at 2.5 months:) She has also discovered her hands, & has began to lose her cute hair that I could spike up for her bows.

We've had a fun, busy summer and can't wait for fall and cooler temps. Fall is my favorite season, for so many reasons, one of which includes FOOTBALL!! yes, once again we are bleeding red loud & proud at our house (go utes!. Hopefully we can make it up to a game this year.

I think i've covered most of our happenings for the last month or so. Sorry to be so detailed & long winded, but those who know me, know that's just the way I am. Hopefully I have repented & appeased the blogging gods & this post will go through!! Bed time. So where is the icon to download my picures, it's gone!! I beter start repenting more... pix to follow, maybe another day!