June

We had an unbelievably crazy June, but as I loaded pictures and reviewed, it's been an awesome summer and we have all had fun.  I feel like time has gone by at just the right pace (actually June 1st feels like forever ago) and I feel like we've been very balanced. Crazy to look at the calendar and have BALANCED be my word, but we've had just the right amount of busy, work, play, family time, service, and naps and we've been loving life and feeling good, so life is good!

With 239 pictures in the June folder (after deleting quite a few) and a full calendar, I'll try not to get too long on our recap.  (I should post every day, not every week or every month!)

Week 1

• A couple "real" days of summer--sleeping, reading, catching up on projects that had been on the desk since spring break, eating, and a little bit of cleaning and weeding
• Quick trip to Grandma's to help her plant her garden and play in the sprinkler (Charity's first time ever since we don't have grass!)
• Elevate gym open house:  Allie counted down the days until she could go see the new gym in Burley--more on that later . . . and more, and more, and more.
• Sarah stayed at grandma's for a week to go to Elsie's blessing and then help her grandmas.

Week 2

• Allie started on the competitive gymnastic team.  First time to do bars, beam, and vault. They are pushing her hard to get her ready for competitions this year and she's loving it.  She's finally fulfilling her dream!  And we only have to go the 20 minutes to Burley (yea that it's on the south side!) instead of an hour to Twin!  It now takes up every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.
• First story hour.  Steph is in charge again, but luckily she has lots of good helpers.  But we're up to at least 70 kids a week (we started years and years ago with 10 kids) so it's an adventure.
• Grandma, Marilyn, and kids came to work on computer projects (and play a tiny bit).
• Mollie's first big uh-oh!  (Grandma tipped the plant up before Mom got a good picture.)
• Dad and Kit's fishing trip.  She was so happy!!!

Week 3

• A bunch of photo shoots by each other (some are a little strange!).
• Sarah can dance again!!  She did a ballet camp with an instructor from Gonzaga who was intense and awesome!  And for the first time since November 2010 Sarah danced without extreme pain!  And she's totally focused on ballet again.  Yipee!!
• Dad went for the week to Alturas (it went fast for us since we were so busy, but slow for him because he had to video the whole time instead of just sit and listen and learn).  Then he came straight home to a Father and Sons (let's all cry for him that he has to go without sons . . . and probably always will although he has three girls that would LOVE to dress up as a boy and go), and then the next morning went to help put in sprinklers at the new church park.
• Allie went for three days to Boise for a gymnastic camp with her new coach and a new friend.  A little scary to send her away without us, but she survived just fine.
• Mollie got even more mobile, but got stuck a few times in her new adventures.
• Let's not forget an outing to Upper Crust for our 14th anniversary.  Oh ya!

Week 4

• Kathryn and Charity got to go to gym camp every afternoon after Allie was there every morning.  Luckily most days the girls took turns watching Mollie while I ran everyone back and forth and all over because by that point of the month Mollie and Charity were getting sick of all the time spent in the car or at the gym.
• Dad went to Youth Conference where he . . . videoed from 9 am to 10 pm!
• And don't forget story hour, Activity Days, babysitting, mutual, and . . . 
• Swimming!  Most of June we did our regular and went every day (although with our schedule we have missed a few days here and there this summer).  Mollie is out of control.  She loves it and cruises through the water.  And the girls are so happy that there is a diving board again!

Week 5

• We're trying to figure out what to do with a baby who gets into everything.  Will we survive?
• Charity's Angry Bird birthday.  The best birthday ever!  And totally tired her out!  And included a new iPad for our family.  (For more info see Allie's blog.)
• Missionaries to dinner including one from Chile who goes to the U so we had plenty to talk about!
• Stake farm bean weeding which ends with yummy hamburgers, pop, and doughnuts.
• Sarah to Soda Springs and Lava for girls camp.  It was much better than last year when she was in a cast and they spent the whole time at a lake.
• Charity, Kit, and Allie started swimming lessons.
• And, oh yes, I forgot about piano lessons every week.  Because of an extra incentive they are being awesome about practicing! 

Whew!  That's our June!  Yea for summer and funny talented crazy girls!