Summer Fun

Now to fill in some of the stuff we did aside from the big trips this summer...

We got to swim at Grandma and Grandpa's a few times:

I love how the kids play together so well in the pool.

We also got a pool pass this year to a pool near us and had a lot of fun using that. Eli made a lot of progress in his swimming but still doesn't like to swim in the deep end or jump off the board yet.

We met Natalie's friend Mulan and her mom and sister at Gizdich Ranch for strawberry picking:

Eli and her little sister hit it off and had fun together.

I loved these pictures:

The kids saved up money to buy go cart pieces that attach to Nate's hoverboard and had a lot of fun on that:

Silly Nate trying on Natalie's swimcap:

Natalie had a great year of swim. She really turned a corner and started improving on her times a lot. She peaked right at the end of the season at championships and even won her heat for one race!

The weekend before YW Camp, I snuck away for a few days to drive down to Southern CA to meet Jaime and her friend Janie who flew in so we could all attend Jody Moore's VIP event.

The sunrise from the drive down:

We had some good time at the beach that day:

The next day, we attended the conference. It was super inspiring and we got to have a delicious lunch.

We also got pictures with Jody and the other speakers.

Then it was back to the beach and we had dinner on the pier:

It was a really rejuvenating weekend away.

Lareina Allred flew in to stay with us before and after YW Camp since they moved over the summer :(. 

She had fun giving Natalie a makeover after camp:

We had our annual Neighborhood Night Out potluck and with fire trucks this year:

We love our awesome neighborhood:

For Joe's birthday, he requested a hike. The kids complained but we managed to hike the whole Vargas trail above our house. It was a lot of fun and look at that sky:

Natalie's former primary teacher, Sis. Kalff, passed away from cancer and she and I attended her funeral. It was a really beautiful service. She was a wonderful person who was well-loved.

We made some trips to the open gym time at the ninja gym:

I went with the RS for a temple trip. It was just what I needed that day and I had a powerful experience there with some things I had been wrestling with (more on that soon). 

I'm so grateful for these good women:

A beautiful sunset one night on a walk:

The day before school started, I managed to talk the kids into having a beach day. Of course, we had to make a stop at Marianne's, too:

Sure love those kids. It was a great summer!