It's Time to Catch Up Again

So I'll go back to April, because I can't remember much before then.

April-
2-
We celebrated Tommy's 11th birthday.  He took the day off from school and hung out with me all day.  We took him to Red Robin for his birthday lunch, and had pizza for his birthday dinner.  He had a soccer game that evening and played his heart out.  He is growing more handsome everyday, and is so helpful around the house.  He took babysitting certification and now is in charge of the younger boys when Steve and I go out on dates.

15-
 We celebrated Michael's 8th birthday with a dinner and the traditional strawberry shortcake.  Because the school had standardized testing that week, we kept him home the Friday before so he could enjoy his day off for his birthday.  We took him to Pizza Hut and Scooptacular for his birthday lunch.  It was probably the first time he's ever had Pizza Hut brand pizza.  If I buy pizza, it's Little Caesars.  He loved it and had a fun day.  He is such an interesting person to talk to.  He has an amazing imagination, and I love it.

22-
Amelia turned 1.  We had a little party for her, and I don't think we took her out for her own lunch.  I can't remember.  I do know that we visited grandma's house, and had some friends over for cake and ice cream. She is so petite, and fun.  She "talks" all the time.  It is fun to hear her make words.  I can't wait until I understand what she is saying.  her favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus".  She can sing along.  She loves music, and can count to one.

27-
Michael was baptized by his Steve as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am proud of him for choosing to be baptized.

May

3-
I accomplished my goal to run a half marathon.  A half marathon is 13.1 miles.  It turns out that the race I chose is one of the most difficult in the country.  You gain 2,000 feet of elevation in 6.5 miles, and then turn around and run like a cartoon character down the mountain.  It was hard, but rewarding.  I actually expected it to be worse than it was.  My official time was 2:10:33.  Now I am training for the St. George marathon which will be on October 5.

23-
The kids were released from school for the summer.  I was so happy.

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This has been the busiest Summer Vacation we have ever had, and school starts on the 1st of August.  I don't feel like I have had time with the kids yet!
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June-

We had two Microsoft Camps, two sports camps. My sister Molly and her two girls came to visit. We welcomed a new member to our family (more on that later).  We went camping which was a bit of a disaster caused by lack of communication.

18-
Burke turned 3.  He chose McDonald's for his birthday lunch and so he ate his first Happy Meal.  Because of our gluten free home, we haven't been to McDonald's for years.  I love this boy so much.  He is a little tornado but is the sweetest boy with the sweetest kisses.  He has been potty trained since March.  It is nice to have only one child in diapers.

July-

4-
We went to Sedona with the Findlay family for the day.  It was the best day ever.  We went hiking, and let the kids play in a creek and had a picnic.  After the picnic we hiked a bit more, and then went back to the car.  We bought dinner and drove to another creek to play and had another picnic.  We then drove to a town called Cottonwood for a great fireworks show.   The kids had a great time, and so did Steve and I.
We ended up having to pull off the side of the road and take a nap on the way home because we were so tired.

10-13-
Alexis went to Girl's Camp for the first time.  I'm pretty sure she had a great time, but she hasn't told me anything about it yet.

This week Alexis will be gong to Time to Blossom.  I hope she has fun.

Next week we are headed off to Carlsbad State Beach for our 3rd annual camp out.  We love it there and have been looking forward to it all summer.