St. Augustine Done Right

Our summer excursion to St. Augustine this year was the best one ever! I attribute it to my dad's retirement and the fact that I'm not pregnant or nursing a new baby! Seriously, it was awesome.
We saw friends, family, and my dad cooked dinner every night! That, in and of itself, was amazing. Jared doesn't cook at all, so I do ALL the cooking around here. It was nice to have a break from that and having to think about it. Instead, my dad just cooked my favorite meals ever and I overindulged because... VACATION!

I spent some time next door with my dear neighbor, Miss Carmina! She taught me how to make pastellios. They are a fried pastry with meat and cheese in the middle! So very delicious. It was even more wonderful to be in her kitchen once again. Many childhood memories here!

Just because I was on vacation, I still worked my business. Got to meet up with my newest coach, Janeen. I love hanging out with friends!

Naps were all over the place because we were maniacs and swam every day! My mom brought me a book so I could enjoy the nap in the van! She's the best!

Weston took a spill because he is a clumsy baby. You should see the other guy.

Poolside! This is the life.

We enjoyed tons of delicious foods! Dad even helped me throw a pizza party on Saturday. I didn't get any photos, but it was awesome!!!!!!!!!

Every morning the children ended up in Papa and Gigi's bed!

Workout in every day! Woot Woot!

Spent some time at the Rype and Readi Farm when Jared joined us after his three days at Scout Camp. Yummy veggies and baked goods. Cute animals too!

Jared and I learned from the master, Uncle Lonnie, how to boil shrimp! Seriously, the food we ate this trip was beyond delicious! So good!

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

I'm always looking for healthy, tasty recipes to take to gatherings. I feel like I show up to BBQ's or church socials and there are about 50 desserts and no fruits or veggies. I made this delicious salad recently and wanted to share it with you. It is beautiful and tastes so yummy! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It is the perfect take along to your next BBQ!

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/2 of a seedless watermelon, cubed
1/2 a lemon juiced
1/2 thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water for 15-20 minutes
1/8 cup olive oil
Thinly sliced fresh mint to taste

I sliced the onions first and then let them soak while I chopped the remaining ingredients. Drain the onion, squeeze dry and toss with cucumber, melon, lemon juice, 1/8 olive oil, and mint. Chill until ready to serve. If desired, right before serving,
season lightly with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Summer Fun

We are two weeks into summer and are having a blast. Sometimes it feels like too much fun because everyone is so worn out they start to get cranky. Seems we should be staying up later, but instead we are heading to bed early many nights. Here's some of the shenanigans we've been up to lately.

Mermaid fortress pool at Aunt Stacey's house. We literally spent 45 minutes putting up the canopy and blowing up and filling up the pool. About five minutes into the fun the wind picked up so strong that the canopy blew over and broke! The rain followed shortly after, but the kids were good sports and played their little hearts out.

The boys picked up their own library cards and are participating in a reading contest for some fun prizes. We also were part of the Minecraft Club!

We went to Hobbs Farm to pick up some fruits and veggies. It was a fun place to hang out too.

Jared took us on a family date to Chick-Fil-A. It is always a big hit!

The boys were introduced to marbles this summer. Instant hit! Landon has some pretty awesome natural ability. 

Went for a spontaneous drive to my parent's resort near Disney and played at an awesome pool. There was a slide and a lazy river. So fun!

Having the kids home over the summer means they have to join me on our grocery adventures. It could be worse, but it is not my favorite. Thank you, Publix, for providing free bribery!

Pulled out the good ole sprinkler for some backyard fun. 

For the most part, my children are awesome and well-behaved. However, it seems that they are already tired of one another. That means I am quickly getting tired of them tattle-tailing and complaining about one another and the house rules. 

Packing and Fun?

So I'm spending most of my time packing or thinking about packing. My kids are not impressed. I try to do some fun things with them, but mostly they are on their own until we get unpacked at the new house. Jared tells me I'm not their cruise director, but if I don't plan some things I'll have anarchy on my hands.

We've been to St. Augustine, went swimming with friends, ran errands, played at the park and went for a bike ride. And, we've been doing a summer chart that encourages the older boys to read, write, exercise, and help out around the house every day. 

Swimming with friends!

And, we're packing! While I pack the kids have been pretty creative. Below they built a train out of pillows and chairs. They even used blankets to make them into sleeping cars. I love these cuties.

Summer is here!

I have been anticipating summer for many weeks! I am so happy that it is here. Summer means no more school. Summer means I get to be with my babies every day. Summer means I don't have to get out of bed and rush in the mornings. Summer means lazy days. Summer means we're moving to our new house! This is going to be an exciting summer.

Ethan had a great year in Mrs. Rivera's first grade class. She really is an awesome teacher. We will miss her a lot! Note: As I type this on the first day of no school, Ethan is doing school work that he brought home. It's a pre-2nd grade math readiness packet. This kid is my mini-me. I thought playing school in the summer was so fun when I was growing up. I'm sure I drove my siblings just as crazy.

Summer also means that Jared has completed his seminary assignment for the year. He probably would have stayed on, but since we're moving they will have to find another teacher. I think he is sadder about this than he thought he'd be. He really grew to love the kids in his class and to love the intense study of the scriptures he needed to do in order to be prepared to teach the class every morning at 5:45 AM. I loved hearing the stories of the kids in his class and about what they were learning. A common question for me to ask each night was, "What's your lesson on tomorrow?" I loved that Jared would then share with me what he was studying and preparing. I gained a lot from this experience as well. One of my favorite experiences Jared had this year was when two of the girls in his class asked him to give them a blessing prior to their taking the SAT exam. Neither has a priesthood holder in her home and Jared was honored to be trusted with such a special experience. Despite the early mornings, Jared and I will miss being part of the seminary program. 

On the last day of seminary, the kids gave Jared a certificate of appreciation "For being the best seminary teacher EVER" They also made him cookies. How sweet are they?!

Last Week of Summer

We survived the last week of summer despite pneumonia!

Monday the boys spent the day with a friend from church and I napped and finished season 7 of Psych with Miriam.

Tuesday I made Tapioca and reminisced about BYU.

 

 

Wednesday we spent the day at JoAnn's house and ate ice cream for lunch.

 

Thursday we attended two different meet the teacher events.  Grayson has Mrs. Fisher for VPK and he's super excited.

 

 

Ethan has Mrs. Rivera for first grade and I didn't get a picture.

Uncle Tony also came to visit. He and the boys played hide and seek and after the children were in bed, he and I went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was super fun and we felt like teenagers again.

 

 

Friday we enjoyed our final summer pool day with our friends and got rained out so we came home to watch movies and take naps.

 

Saturday I ran my 5K and we spent a rainy afternoon at Lowes and the library.

 

 

 

Wish I'd gotten a picture of my boys at Lowes. They love it there, especially the lawn mower section. They also informed me that it was a boy's store and I did my best to inform them that girls can do anything boys can do!

 

 





I Got Money

My boys have had the opportunity all summer to earn an allowance. I don't typically do an allowance because I think children should participate in family life, including chores, without monetary recompense. However, I wanted to find a way to motivate them to keep up skills, i.e. reading, writing, etc over the summer months. Ethan earned $23 from allowance and losing teeth. Grayson earned $20. Landon earned $6.
After paying their tithing, the boys were promised a trip to the toy store to spend their money. Grayson had been talking about getting a fish for about 6 months, so I planned to go to the pet store if nothing at the toy store enticed him to do otherwise with his funds.


Ethan bought Mixl Monsters. It's a Lego thing.

Landon bought a helicopter.

Grayson bought FishE and all his house and food. I chipped in a little because he was $4 short and had been working so hard to more than 6 months to buy a fish. Plus, I was super impressed that after seeing about 100 things he wanted at the toy store, he held out for the fish.

Dog Days of Summer

I hope it doesn't make me a bad mom to admit that summer is starting to stink! It is too hot to play outside and when contained in a small space for hours on end my children turn into hooligans. They are irritating one another and in turn, irritating me. It is so fun!
We've been trying our hardest to beat the boredom with outings and friends. Two more weeks until school starts. I think we can make it.

Playing in Phoebe's kennel. Too bad they can lock and unlock it. I really could use a nap. Just kidding...

All the boys outgrew clothing this summer. We passed along hand-me-downs and bought some new things. This meant we had to discard and donate old items. Landon couldn't bear to part with his helicopter shirt. Seriously, when I told him it was being donated he hugged and kissed and expressed his love to the shirt itself. Aunt Myndie suggested we put it on a teddy bear. It was a great idea and now Landon isn't sad.

My boys love frogs! We spotted this guy at Grandma and Papa K's house. He is white to match the light. It is pretty cool.

Sweating and sliding at the park.

Pushing out pizza dough for pizza night. 

Ethan found a Blue Jay feather and wanted a photo.

 

Grayson also wanted a photo, but is grumpy because Ethan took a photo with the feather first. This is what I'm talking about. Hooligans.

Pirates attacking at the park.

Beach volleyball.

Watching the firefighters check the hydrants in the neighborhood.

Lots of Legos this summer. The boys are all becoming master builders.

Three Photos

 Miriam wearing her first nightgown. She loved it. I love how her little hand is holding onto her skirt. She's just adorable.

A view from my morning run. It is still difficult to get out of bed some mornings, but it is so worth it. I have more clarity and energy and patience and vigor for life. Mornings are my favorite.

Rode our bikes to the bakery last week. The children are thoroughly enjoying their cookies. I love them! (The children, not the cookies. Who am I kidding? I love cookies too!)