July! We are going to miss you.

Here are some highlights of July. We have had a fabulous summer so far, and can't believe how fast the time has gone.



Me and the kiddos at the Canyon 4th of July Breakfast. Every year our neighborhood has a breakfast to celebrate the 4th of July. I love going, it is one of my favorite 4th of July traditions. A lot of old neighbors who have moved away come back for this breakfast so it is a reunion of sorts too.



Taylor and Ella taking a break from swimming at the family reunion to eat some pizza.



Gordon and his cousins. He loves these guys more than anyone else in the world.



Running through the sprinklers is a summer must.


This girl thinks she is hot stuff.


All of the cousins playing and being crazy at our monthly family dinner.



Hanging out in the hammock.



Cleaning up the yard



Sina and Ella warming up on the sidewalk after going down the water slide.


A week of swim lessons for these three.


Ella and Grandma making a yummy dessert. They love to cook together.



Jace and Grandpa snuggling and watching baseball.


Night swimming in AZ. The only way to go in July.


Eating popsicles at least once a day sometimes more.


Playing Rock Band.


Oh yes, July has been grand and we hate to see it go!

Songs of the Summer

Every summer I like to pick a song that sort of represents this particular summer for me.
This year my song is Somewhere over the Rainbow by Jewel, an old classic, but I really like her version. I search my iTunes library and I actually have 9 different versions of this song.



I also like to have my family and friends share their summer songs. I create a playlist and then whenever I hear a person's song I think of them. So, if you are reading this please leave a comment sharing your summer song 2010.

This is Keni's summer song. (teine means girl in Samoan)


Happy Songs of Summer!

E's Birthday

E has been anticipating her Birthday for months. To her is seemed like the day would never arrive but finally it did. She had a princess/knight party in our yard. Cousins and friends were invited to dress up in their fairy or knight attire. Several games were played. Little fairies were hidden in the trees and bushes for the kids to find. Then they played Fairy Freeze. They danced like fairies until the music stopped and then they had to freeze. If someone moved after the music stopped they were out. They all loved the dancing.

E helped me decorate the cupcakes. The lollipops on top were a big hit.


It was fun to have the party outside where the kids could run around and play.


The menu consisted of Morning Dew (Sprite), flower petal sandwiches (PB & J and just plain strawberry J sandwiches cut with a flower shaped cookie cutter), grapes, strawberries and watermelon. Then later we sang Happy Birthday and had cupcakes and ice cream.

I had a good time making decorations and I think they turned out really cute.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

My kids sang this song on Sunday with the Primary for Father's Day. It really touched me. I love the song and wanted to share it here.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

I really liked this

A great reminder that nothing lasts forever and you should embrace the now.



Another book to add to my ever growing to read list.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

source


St. Patrick's Day is just a simple no big deal holiday. Maybe that is why I love it, there's not a lot of pressure but still a lot of potential for fun. Hope you have a good one!

Reading Impressions

Another thing I like to do when I read is write down quotes/phrases/thoughts that make an impression on me while I am reading.

Here is what I wrote down while reading The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith

She was human made up of a will to do good, but also with human failings.

....myth could be just as sustaining as reality- sometimes even more so.

We all wished for places to be made special somehow.

----little rituals (like that) gave life its texture.

There are so many different sorts of tears.

It was a perfect morning, the best sort of early summer morning, and all he felt was love.

A whole new life- a whole new set of possibilities....

....showing the power of small words to do big things.