Pioneer Day

So I totally put Millie in a boat at Lagoon and the operator said normally it's a no-no (because babies don't have a ticket, they can only ride the carousel and train) but he would let me this time because LOOK AT THAT FACE.

She was SO happy all the way around and around.

While there, we met up briefly with the Christensens, who used to be in our ward and I miss them so much. Four boys and then a surprise girl (sound familiar?) and then just recently another girl (but that's where the similarities stop for us, Millie's the last-born).

Her kids are sweet and polite and rode rides with my little boys, while my big boys were with JB on the bigger rides.

We were there with the Richards from Texas (via Switzerland) because their oldest boy was going into the MTC that week.  Speaking of sweet and polite kids, those Richards from Texas are just the best-behaved and nicest teenagers around.

Here is JB with Greg (we last saw him in Houston with his brother York before our cruise)

Just the best people.

To round out the day, I snuck in some watching of my favorite movie. James stopped what he was doing and looked up, enthralled, and I snapped this pic.

Joe's house

I am playing catchup.  On a Saturday in July, we drove south to Springville to hang out with my brother Joe, his wife Susan and their cute 4 year old Kaylee. His complex pool was being cleaned (sans notice) so we adjusted quickly and went to the city splash pad. Not bad!

We can always count on fun animals to see at Joe's house. This is Hedwig.

Joe made hot dogs/ sausages and stuff and I talked Gilmore Girls and Harry Potter and the upcoming school year with Susan. We should do it again.

JB's birthday (and the second battle of the bees)

Happy birthday to this guy!

I made from-scratch carrot cake twice the week of JB's birthday. Once on Sunday to take to dinner, and then for his birthday. I am glad he likes it.  

If any of you saw my Instagram story, you saw that I wrote out "John Stockton" on the Sunday cake as a joke. When I first started to try and get fancy with decorating cakes for the boys' birthdays, he called me cake boss and said he wanted John Stockton on his. Done and done.

JB spent his birthday with a quick golf game, and the week before that he went with his dad and friend Sheldon.  I am really glad he has been able to golf more often this summer with friends -- they go pretty early in the morning on Saturdays for example. His game is improving and he has good company.

JB spent his entire birthday week fighting wasps. Which, now that I look at the date, happened the first time almost exactly four years ago during "the battle of the bees." This was bad. They had made two nests ON our house, one by the hose pipe, and another above the back door.  JB sprayed multiple times and sealed them off, but then the wasps started coming INSIDE our house.




They would crawl out of the walls from their sealed-off nests and get into the basement, laundry room, and big boys' room and then die on the floor. Except for one that stung Max's hand as he reached for a Lego piece on the floor.  Ugh.  Sad times.

BUT, now that we are back from our stay-cation (blog post coming eventually), I believe the wasps are finally all gone. There was a time during the week-long battle that JB said if his latest attack didn't work, we would just move.

So, I am very grateful for our protector and man o' the house. We couldn't do much without him!

Cheeser and climber

Behold the following two pictures, taken within seconds. Millie climbed into her toy bin, JB called her name, she turned, and then she saw the camera.

CHEESE!

What a ham! 

I feel like I could write the description like those titles of the clickbait articles you see online. "A baby was playing with toys. Wait til you see what happened next" or "But when she sees the camera...mind blown."

Also, it's more evidence of her climbing. She sticks that leg up and over whatever obstacle and hustles in. Her favorites are toy bins. 

I caught her hoisting herself back over the bathtub edge recently. 

And I have come into the living room to find her perched on the couch.

Before I saw her do it again, I had my doubts about her getting up that far to the couch, because often the boys will pick her up and then abandon her. We can't leave her alone in a room with James for example. He tries to pick her up by her ears, a la Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.

Though as to the climbing, I wonder where she gets it....

Scout camp

We missed our Maxwell so much!

The other kids and I said goodbye to him Sunday evening, and we didn't see him again until Saturday.  JB went with him the first two days, so Sunday night and Monday night the rest of us stayed overnight at JB's parents so they could help in the early morning hours when I was at work.

Look at that beautiful Bear Lake.

JB the bishop was also there to support the other kids and leaders (he goes for at least a day or two each time), but I was really glad he was there for our first boy's first major camp.

And all reports are that Max did great for the rest of the week! Even during the wilderness survival night under shelters in the hills.

Skipping rocks below.

He says they didn't feed them enough but that he liked almost every meal (hunger always does away with any pickiness), and he earned every merit badge he signed up for.  His Grandpa Deardeuff should be happy to know his rifle shooting was top notch.

The first few days, Andrew and James would ask, "Where's Max?" Then they wanted to talk his ear off when he came home.

Mess maker, mess maker

Make me a mess! Find me a find, catch me a catch!

Millie recently emptied out James's bottom drawer and climbed in. I mean, look at how funny that chubby pink baby is.  (His dresser is in her room/his old room for now)

She also goes right to the dishwasher to climb up. All of our babies did at this age, and they just get so proud of themselves.

She found (or did a brother give her this? Investigation is ongoing) a yogurt cup and smeared it all over her face as she tried to eat it.

And last week she tried brownies and thought that was mighty fine. A very acceptable offering.

I love watching the kick the boys get out of this baby. What a gift she is.  They wake up and ask about her. They laugh at her climbing and mess-making and love to make her laugh.

Silver Lake

A few Saturdays ago, we went up to beautiful Silver Lake. This is a perfect hike with kids (and people like me who don't like steep inclines).

Donuts near the parking lot. Baby sister fell asleep in the car on the way up the canyon, so she was in her carseat in the stroller.

Four mountain goat brothers.

Almost all of the way around the meadows and lake is this boardwalk. It's to protect the watershed and the area, but I like to think it was so that people with strollers can also get into the mountains and enjoy a hike.

Millie woke up pretty soon, so we got her out of the stroller when she squawked.

If the state of Utah wants to put this image on their next calendar, I will allow it.

Part of the way is woodsy, with tall trees. We saw deer. Millie is trying to wiggle out of Ben's arms below. By the way, they all clamor to hold her in pictures.

But many times I win.

James was proud of his sticks or grass or whatever this was.

We really had a nice time. I swear I am not sugarcoating it for a good blog post -- there was no fighting or arguing, no skinned knees or hungry crying; it was beautiful nature and bonding. We should do it again!