Summer Vacation Part 2

Part two of my oh so long summer vacation blog. I will try not to be so long winded this time. When you think summer you think bar-b-que and we went to a few this summer. The first was a neighborhood one. We closed down one of the side streets put out a bunch of bar-b-ques, some tents and chairs and that was that. Even number houses brought sides and odds brought dessert and we all brought our own meat. It was lots of fun and a good way to meet more of our neighbors.We also went to one at the park for my friend Callie's little girl Jordan's 2nd birthday. It was great because all the kids played and we adults got to sit back and relax a little and no one's house was being destroyed in the process. Blake found this little pink scooter and was occupied for the rest of the night until the birthday girl wanted it back and they fought over it and she fell and got a black eye. I think we apologized about million times and that is when the party broke up.
This last bar-b-que was at my friend Tiffany's house. Cameron was called as the Sunday School President during the summer so we had a bar-b-que for all the counselors and their families. Tiffany's husband Mike is the second counselor and they were nice enough to let us have it at their house because they have a great deck area and their yard is shaded in the afternoon. It was fun and good way for the guys to become better friends since us wives already know each other pretty well. The top picture going clock wise starting at the bottom: Darren(Secretary), Cameron (1st counselor), Candice his wife, Mike(2nd counselor) and Tiffany and then the bottom is me, Blake, Cameron, my mom and Grace.

One fun place that my kids really like to go to has all these blow jump houses and slides. This is a great place in the winter when you can doing nothing else and they need to run and play but they begged and so I gave in. We went with my friend Chalan and her kids Blythe and Creed and my friend Jodi and her kids Gracie and Sander. I didn't have my camera on me but Jodi was nice enough to take some pictures of my kids for me. The picture to the left is Grace at the top of the giant slide trying to decided if she was brave enough to do it. Blake went no problem but Grace went up and down three times before she would finally do it. Once she did she was so proud of herself. I told her to just close her eyes and go. The pictures below are of first bottom to top:Blake, Sander, Blythe, Grace and Gracie and then on the side Blake and Grace.

These pictures I threw in for fun. Grace had the best Sunday school teachers and one Sunday they sent her home with an apple seed. She would not rest until we planted it, so we did in the backyard. Now I know nothing and about planting anything so I am sure I should have done this another way, like starting it in a cup which my husband so kindly pointed out but I didn't and I am sure it is dead but it is the experience right. For the first few days after we planted it Grace looked out the window every morning to see how big it was. When she could see nothing she would ask when it was going to grow and she could pick apples and I would say in a long time. I am very glad she has finally forgotten about it.

Of course we also made time to go to the park and ride bikes, which is a favorite of my kids. Grace got her bike for Christmas and growing up with no snow I never really thought about how hard it is for a kid to get a bike for Christmas and not get to ride it until spring, so we have tried to make up for all that time she couldn't ride it. Also as you can see from the side picture I am not a big fan of pushing my kids on the swing for like an hour so I tell them that I will push them for ten minutes right before we leave. When they start begging for me to push them I ask if they are ready to go home, if they say no I say go play some more and when you are ready I will push you. Blake gets tired of waiting and always gets Grace to push him, it's great for him because he gets extra time but poor Grace doesn't because he won't return the favor. Anyway that was our summer, hope it wasn't too boring and now on to my favorite time of year Fall!