August

Paul and the boys were invited on a white water rafting trip. This was a first for the boys and they had a great time. The only casualty was Paul who, after going over a little rapid, lost his balance in the back of the raft and went over the side. The picture was taken at the perfect moment. 

During the summer, the kids participated in the kids' class again at our gym. In August, they wrapped that up, and after school started back they picked up a new class: Ninja class at the gymnastics gym where Claire also began her first class. There was another brother duo in Sam and Nate's class who were a bit rambunctious and obnoxious. Sam didn't hit it off too well with them and it came to blows with the younger brother on a couple of occasions.

Olympia invited us on a private tour of Tiger World in NC one afternoon. A friend of Olympia's who has worked at Tiger World in the past, was filling in for the week and showed us around. Many of the tigers and other animals she took care of from the time they were babies. It was really neat seeing tigers so close. There was also a baboon who had previously been owned by a lady who used to dress him up and have dinner with him. He took a liking to me, reaching out his hand to me and jumping up and down. He took great exception to Paul when he placed his arm around my shoulder and started yelling, grabbed a handful of mud, and threw it at us.
We brought Sam's friend, Bryce, from school. Mimi, Pop Pop, Robin, Olympia, and all the cousins were also along. And as is becoming the norm on adventures with Pop Pop....we were yet again seeking shelter from the rain, and then eventually giving up on it stopping, and ultimately just walking around in it.

The boys had meet the teacher night at their separate schools on the same night. We met Sam's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Nyvall, who was very sweet. And Nathanael was super excited when he found out he had Sam's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Rice, and his best buddies, Sam and Will, from 1st grade were in his class.

Bryce invited some buddies from school for one very last pool party of the summer. 

Having mastered the selfie, Claire was found several nights, having fallen asleep, phone in hand, with a whole montage of pics she took after being put to bed. 

The first day of school came too quickly. The beginning of each school year makes me very melancholy. Yes, it's nice to get a break from the kids for a few hours each day. Yes, it's nice to be on a routine. But it just reminds me that another year has passed, they are another year closer to leaving the nest, our time stops belonging to us and, instead, belongs to the school. I like having those little boogers around. I like being able to stay up a little later, letting them play in the street with friends, and then sleep in a little later the next day. I like being able to lounge around as we please or go on an adventure with no thought of homework due the next day. Nevertheless, the first day of school always comes. Paul was in Boston on a business trip on the first day. Not the best timing. Mimi and Pop Pop were very gracious to pick Sam up and cart him off to his school so that I could get Nathanael to school and walk him to class. Nathanael was much more agreeable to me taking his first day of school in the classroom picture than Sam was at the same age. Nathanael doesn't find me to be quite as embarrassing with things like that.

We had some left over tie-dye stuff from last summer. I finally got up the nerve to tackle it. We probably would have been better off just skipping it. If I'm being accurate in the account, tempers flared as they sometimes do with crafts are being made...

With the dawn of the school year, Claire and I resumed our toddler time attendance. 

Bless her sweet heart, she sure has to spend a lot of her time running errands with me, but we also find plenty of time to work on her domestic skills. She would bake every day if we had time. She loves making and eating muffins and cookies. 

Claire is our most independent child. She has a very strong mild of her own. She often picks out some very creative ensembles. On the day pictured below, before we left the house she proclaimed, "a lot of people will say 'look at that girl, isn't she awesome?!'" 

Just because she's cute and these pictures shouldn't go to waste.

July's pictures

For at least a couple of years, Nathanael has been wanting his own luggage. Before our vacation to Colorado we ordered a new set. When it arrived and we told him it could be his, he was over the moon. 

Just because she's cute:

Social media has certainly put more pressure on mothers, and I must admit that I fall into the trap. I do enjoy searching for and recreating ideas I find on Pinterest to create joy in my children's lives, but when I feel completely devoid of energy and need to just take some time off from making every flipping day special, I feel like I've failed and they will remember their childhoods as boring and their mother as a failure.
For the most part, the summer days were completely unplanned. We spent in until the late, late hour of 7:00, watched more TV than I'd have liked, and went to the pool when we could. But we did manage to complete the Barnes & Noble reading program, for which the boys were rewarded with a new book. And we made it to the craft store for free cookie decorating.

We attended our ward Pioneer Day party, which included a parade for the kids, pioneer costume contest, giant slip 'n slide covered in dish soap, and creepy music. This activity certainly confirmed to the residents of the adjoining neighborhood that we are, indeed, a peculiar people. 

Nathanael is not afraid to be silly. We have often said he likes to have too much fun to be stuck in our uptight family.

Just a regular Sabbath day at church.

Speaking of church, Claire has the most amazing Sunbeam teacher who loves her and who she adores back. Alysia teaches Claire good principles and encourages her to incorporate them into her life. One Sunday, Claire brought home a picture of the temple. She immediately wanted to hang it in her room, just like her teacher had encouraged her to do.

We took a field trip with Mimi, Pop Pop, and Benny to North Carolina. Pop Pop's field trips are always very precisely planned and kept on a timeline. First stop was some scenic overlook, the name of which escapes me.

Next up was gem mining at a little place in Brevard.

We picked a nice enough looking picnic spot which had a short trail down to a river where the kids waded in the water and Pop Pop taught Nathanael how to successfully skip rocks. He was instantly a pro. 

Our final stop was the Cradle of Forestry at Pisgah National Forest. When we set out on our adventure, it was a beautiful sunny day. As soon as we stepped out of the discovery center at the forest, it was beginning to drizzle, dark clouds were overhead, and we could hear thunder. Pop Pop, our fearless leader, charged ahead, into the coming storm. Surely it won't rain much, we thought. Surely it will pass quickly, we thought. The rains increased, the clouds darkened. We sought shelter in a little display area of some sort along the trail. We waited for several minutes, believed the rains to be lessening, then continued our journey further along the trail. Pop Pop had the final destination, an old train engine, securely positioned in his intent. There was no stopping, no turning back. We pressed forward. We rains continued and we became cold, as our clothing was saturated. We once again sought shelter under a log structure. We all huddled under a very small area of roof. And it leaked.
We did eventually make it to that old engine. The rain stopped. We were drenched, nevertheless spirits were not dampened. Except for Claire's. She was totally over it. My biggest complaint was loading up a bunch of dirty, wet bodies back into my van.

Our last adventure of July was an overnight trip to Atlanta, just the kids and me. We arrived at about 5:00, checked into our hotel, which is disgusting. Our room had visibly not been cleaned. There was hair all over the bathroom floor, the sofa-bed was pulled out with sheets on it, there was no soap, no toiletries, and it desperately needed vacuumed. It was rather discouraging to arrive to such filth. We went back to the desk and asked for another room. The second room was not much better, but we didn't have time to worry about it. It was time to head off to Medieval Times for an evening of dinner and entertainment.

The show was really fun, the dinner was very tasty, and the kids seemed to be enthralled the whole evening. It was already Claire's bedtime when the show began, so she held up better than I could have asked. She did get tired before the end, but it was a very nice evening and they all asked when we could go again. Even Sam was a very good sport when one of the knights, attempted to give Nate a high five, knocked his cup of ice cold water over and into Sam's lap. I was shocked by how well he held it together, in fact.

The next morning, we headed over to spend the day with the Simpsons. It was fun to see how surprised and excited Reagan was to see us.

And what fast friends Claire and Blythe were.

We spent several hours at their community pool, which was the coolest community pool I've ever been to. The kids were quite disappointed when it was time to leave. They could have spent the rest of the day going down the water-park-like slide.

On our way back out of town, we stopped for a town at Mayfield Dairy. We had done the tour years ago, before Claire's entrance into this world, at Mayfield's Tennessee facility. Same tour, different location. Sam threw up his ice cream, and lunch, in his car seat on that tour years ago. This time, we all enjoyed our ice cream cones with none of the messy aftermath.

I've got them so fooled. (Picture by Nathanael)