Saturday, July 31, 2021

life in july

Lynn Creek is finally open again!!  Due to flooding, it was closed for what felt like forever, and we were seriously missing our summer weekly playdates there. 
SO many friends came to play, but I didn't take a single picture until the end when it was only us and the Nesbitts.  They usually come several hours late, so we normally stay a few hours extra to play together.  My kids live for the beach and water, so it all works in our favor :)
We needed to take a break from the sun one day and these two played amazingly well together the ENTIRE day!  It was actually sort of a miracle so I hardly disturbed them at all and just went on my merry way getting stuff done around the house. 
Friday Date Night :)  I thought it was hilarious when our server complimented our "coordinated but not necessarily matching" outfits.  Not planned, but fun nonetheless. We used our gift card to Bonefish that Grandma and Papa gave us for Christmas (I think). Or maybe it was for Kevin's birthday?
We went boating with the Funderburks and everyone had a blast...
Ryan and Mandy...
And their kids: Jack, Logan, and Evie...
Brooke was excited to show them how to kneeboard, then Evie and Logan gave it a try...
Although Logan and Brooke are closer in age, Logan and Colby are best buddies.  I think it's because of all our playdates last summer, but these two love to hang out and play super well together. 
We went to the fireworks show on the 3rd of July (different post), but the 4th was a Sunday so we still went to church.  But first, the kids wanted to put our flag out. Let freedom ring!!
Kevin missed our after-church photo shoot because he had to stay and help with tithing (he's in the Bishopric now), but I love this picture so much. 
Since the holiday was observed on Monday, we spent the whole day at the lake with family.  Can you spot a little photo bomber in the back??
We moved her to the front and this precious picture is definitely going on a canvas! 
More pics from our day...
Lake days are the best!  We went back to our house for dinner and more playtime, and it still wasn't enough for these cousins.  They are so lucky to do childhood together!

One day, we headed to Hawaiian Falls with our friends. I think we have been too busy because both of my kids were just "off".  But while we sat eating lunch (while our friends were off having fun together), Colby climbed over the cooler and gave me the sweetest kiss on my cheek.  It was totally out of nowhere and really touched me.  So, of course I made him do it again so I could get a pic of his cuteness.  Sure do love this boy!
Brownie mouth, haha. 
Cute friends and their littles...
Things totally turned around after my kids ate and the rest of the day was a blast.  Brooke and Finley were loving the wave pool...
Colby, Hudson, and Brandt were living it up at the Tiki Tower...
Hawaiian Falls is better with friends, even though Tracy had to leave a little earlier with her kids. 
Took the kids to the library one day and out of nowhere, a huge rainstorm hit!!  We were definitely unprepared with our giant bag of books, but Colby had the clever idea to use some free catalogs to cover our heads, haha. And I made sure to protect the books as I ran to the car :)
We celebrated Doug's 40th birthday at Hard Eight BBQ.  When your friends start hitting that milestone you realize just how old you truly are.  Love these friends and the hilarity that ensured while taking these pics...
We babysit the Funderburks one day and the kids were loving the 8 hours they spent together.  Lots of painting, dress up, snacks, imaginative play, and laughs. 
Pool date, just me and the kids...
Dropped the kids off for a sleepover at Grandma and Papa's house.  We coordinated this around my hair appointment, but it ended up being incredibly helpful as I ran last minute errands for our trip, packed, and got the AC fixed in the Tahoe.  
It was sweet to see their excitement about the sleepover...
Grandma and Papa spoiled these kids rotten with a trip to Hobby Lobby and dinner at Salt Grass Steakhouse.  They FaceTimed us on the way home and they were talking a mile a minute about everything they had been doing. I even tried to take a few screenshots (which were all blurry) because their smiles were precious!
When I went to pick them up, they were in the backyard "swimming", haha. I hadn't sent swimsuits, but they improvised and the kids loved it. 
Papa even joined Colby in the inflatable pool and this might be my new favorite picture of them :)
Brooke was cold and moved over to the swing...
Then they tried to empty the pool, which was pretty hilarious and not very successful, haha. Colby and I eventually dumped it over, then it was time to dry off and get changed. 
The kids weren't ready to leave yet, but we eventually needed to get on the road to pick Kevin up from work and rescue our car from the shop. (Nothing like spending $900 on AC repairs! Paying for car repairs is the worst, but I was certainly grateful for working AC in this Texas heat.  Just driving around for a few hours without it was downright miserable.)

Anyway, the kids loved everything about their sleepover adventure and I'm sure will want to do it again sometime soon.
But first, Colby needed a nap...
The next day we flew to California, but those stories and pictures get their own series of posts!

Colby is so proud of these dollar store zinnia seeds he planted, even though they look a little weed-like with their tall stems. I've tried to convince him to cut some for a beautiful bouquet, but he's not convinced since "then they'll all be dead."
We had our first Hawaiian Falls day with cousins, but it definitely won't be our last...
Emery was being so cute in her new sunnies, so I took a million pictures of her!
I just LOVE this cousin picture, and the fun they always have together...
Colby requested a lake day with JUST Logan and fam.  The sun was intense, but we all loved it. And those clouds were gorgeous!
My kids were pumped to play for hours at the Hawkins' house, and when the play date continued at our house, my kids were in heaven!  We are all about the never-ending summer fun...
Our friends, the Petersons, are way more creative than us and hosted a Family Olympics.  Each family was asked to represent a country, dress accordingly, and bring a food from your country to share. 
We selected Germany (Colby's request), planned our black, red, and yellow outfits, and studied random facts about our country.  We decided to make German pretzel bites, and Colby was my little helper.  They turned out really yummy, but I wasn't a big fan of the cheese sauce I made.  We also brought orange Fanta after leaning that this was created in Germany during World War II due to a shortage of sugar to make Coca Cola. 
They had planned a ton of events, some of which were kid-only and adult-only. 
Brooke is the only girl (besides Parry, who is 3), so at times she was intimidated, but I love that she gave it her all. 
The whole crew: Petersons (Italy), Smiths (France), Richeys (Argentina), Hibberts (Portugal), and us (Germany). 
We won the Bronze medal, Richeys won Silver, and the Smiths won Gold!!
Way to go, Germany!! 

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