A Smattering of our Summer

Well, here's one of those super annoyingly long posts with so much stuff in it that you don't even know where to begin as far as leaving a comment goes.  It's just that this summer doing new posts has been out of the question, and even checking friends' blogs has fallen by the wayside.  I've been debating whether or not just to call it quits for blogging all together since I very regretfully can't find the time to do it and since my audience is dwindling.   

But there's always so much to post about!  I just can't say my final good-bye - yet. 

So, here is a sumary of our summer.  Besides our San Diego trip and the girls' birthdays back in June, here's what else we did:

The middle of June my sister organized a couples-only get away at a cabin up in the mountains with my side of the family.  It was lovely on all counts.  There were no children (except Hannah and her baby cousin), the weather was cool, there was green foliage, we took naps, we played games, we ate GOOD food, we basically did nothing for two days.  Aunt Stacy was the hero who watched our other three kiddos while we were gone. 

Danny had a business trip immediately following the get away, so the kids and I just stayed in Mesa with my sister while he was gone.  The kids got lots of cousin time.  One evening, there were 11 children (cousins) under the age of 7.  It was crazy, chaotic, and fun!  We also made another trip up to Mesa mid-July.

This little doll is growing like a weed.  In June we started her on solid foods.  I make the majority of her baby food and she now eats well a wide variety: yams, carrots, butternut squash, peas, green beans, avocado, bananas, apple sauce, pears, and canteloupe.  And Cheerios.  This is her first taste of yams.

Her first taste of green beans.

This is her first taste of bananas.

She's learned to roll over and sit up.  She says bababa, mamama, dadada, and a bunch of other squeaks, squeals, etc.  And she sucks her two middle fingers, like this.

She generally is a happy, smiley, sweet baby.  According to the doctor, she is tall and skinny compared to other babies her age (hmmm....just like her daddy).

I took these when she turne six months old.  It was so much fun editing them, etc. 

I took these last week.  Hannah is 7 1/2 months old.  CRAZY!

We bought a piano!  It's used, as you can see, and it's not without imperfections, but it's good enough for us.  Some day our kids will play it. 

The first part of July Dallin and Emily got to go to Denver to visit Grandma and Grandpa Dixon.  They had the time of their lives and packed in the fun.  In contrast to summer time here, they got to do all sorts of stuff outside without nearly dying of heat stroke.  They went to the park with a splash pad and a creek.

They watched the 4th of July parade and fireworks.

They took a real train ride through the mountains.

They made a waterslide.

They went to a farm.

They went fishing for the first time ever.  This was a highlight for my kids.  Dallin even caught a fish totally by himself at the last minute.  He reeled it in and everything.

Grandma cooked them for dinner.

They said Dallin couldn't get enough.

We've had a great monsoon season this year.  A few times a week in the evenings big wind/dust/thunder/rain storms roll in from the east.  The temperature drops instantly by 20 degrees.  We go outside, sit on our porch swing, and watch the storm come - without sweating to death.  It's great. 

So, with school starting in a week, we'll see if things slow down enough for me to post a little more regularly.  I kind of doubt it, but I want to be back in the blogging world.