Summer is HERE!!

School is out!  Summer is IN!  We're one week into summer already.  And now within four weeks of moving into our house.  Exciting!!

Scott was here on Memorial Day weekend so we did a few fun things.  We went to Boondocks in Draper and played mini-golf.  Then Matthew and Anna played Laser Tag and the younger kids played on the play structure.  Here's Grant swinging on the swing there.

We went during Emma's nap time.  She was tired.

Anna was sorry she opted for Laser Tag.  There were actually a lot of tears and hot tempers on our trip.  So not sure we will be going back.

After our disastrous trip we came back to Grandma's house for burgers, hot dogs and s'mores.

Anna and I with our s'mores.

Scott helped keep the fire going strong.

John, my shadow.  You can see Scott back there working his fire magic.

We also cooked doughboys, which is a small amount of biscuit dough cooked over the fire on the end of a special shaped stick.  Dough boys were a tradition in our ward in SoCal.  Beach bonfire?  Pool party?  Ward cookout?  Doughboys.  One of our close family friends made Scott and I some dough boys sticks for our wedding.    These sticks were made by my mom.  

Our dough boys were turning out too doughy.  I think we used too much dough.  I haven't made them in a while.

Matthew got a little burn from some metal on the fire pit.

He was ok...and also stole my sunglasses. Sunglasses are good by a fire.

Emma wants to be big like John. And play on the tablet while she's sitting there.

Matthew is reading Harriet the Spy and has been doing some spying of his own.  I told him not to look into people's houses so he's just been people watching a little.  He's also been taking pictures of people in our family and recording notes in his notebook, like Harriet the Spy.

Matthew took some funny videos of himself while "spying"

He entertained everyone with his videos

He also managed to get his leg stuck in the railing and had to be rescued by mom.  

It's those long legs.

Emma and John always have fun chasing bubbles.

We've gone to the library and swimming several times (no pictures of that).  And Matthew and Anna have had sports camp...and they'll have more of it next week. Here we are getting ice cream after a successful trip to the library.  I wanted to take a before picture of Emma with her ice cream.  She kept closing her eyes for the picture.

And here she is with her ice cream in the middle of eating it.

She actually did pretty well with it...after a face wipe up here and there.

A hot day at the park.  Grant hiding under the play structure.

John on his favorite swing.

Grant tried the big climbing pyramid that day.  

He got about to this point and then wanted to get down.

Emma was most interested in this bike rack.  Forget the toys.

She also wanted to investigate the big pyramid.

Grant has a new and surprising hobby: drawing.  He hasn't shown much interest in the past, but has been making lots and lots of stick drawings as gifts for people.  See one of his latest gifts to me HERE.  Usually when he disappears in his room for hours its to build Lego things.  But lately he's been throwing some drawing in there too.

Another surprising Grant activity: cleaning his room and making a valiant bed making attempt.  He even tucked his favorite snow leopard (named Fike) into his sort of made bed.  A for effort.

We've been playing in the yard a lot and having general summer fun.  One week down, many to go.  But only four or so more in Utah with Grandma and Grandpa.  It's been fun to spend time with them this year.  Their peace and quiet will be returning soon.