The Dawling Daws: Summer Fun

Here is a HUGE post to catch up on all of the many summer things we have done. Since Weston was out of school for only three weeks before starting again, we really tried to jam things into the break. And then he went "off track" just three weeks after starting, so we have tried to jam even more into the last little bit of summer. And I think we have done a good job of having fun!

(All of my pictures from July are frozen up for some reason, so we don't have pics to share... :( But there are some from our other activities.) We started it out by having lots of fun with grandparents and cousins on the 4th of July--fireworks, food and fun. Plus the boys went hiking with Scott's family and I didn't (I needed to just sit!). Then, the boys had a few nights of camping in the backyard, but we decided to really camp, so we took Scott's parents camper out for a few nights of camping in Wasatch Mtn State Park. It was a load of fun. Perfect weather. There was a little fishing pond that the kids could fish in (for free), so we fished a few times. We went to Jordanelle and swam and played in the sand. We went on a hike or two. Drove up to Soldiers something... can't remember the exact name. But it is a memorial for those who died in wars. We roasted marshmallows. I didn't keep our food cold enough so we went out to eat at a restaurant. We met mom and dad Daw for lunch one day and they hung out with us for awhile. It was just a fun weekend! The kids loved it, and although it wasn't necessarily comfortable or easy, it was well worth it for the fun that we had.

The boys took swimming lessons and did marvelous and Weston went to a Soccer Camp. We have great photos from that which, unfortunately, won't come up... He loved it though. Both the kids start soccer this week. (hey, that makes me a soccer mom!!!) And now during our first "off track" break, the boys are doing swimming lessons again, and loving it.

This a pic of Weston inside a "bean bag" I made (It doesn't have beans in it, instead that is where I store all of our stuffed animals... it is very nice!).

A little reservoir with a beach has opened up here in Herriman, so every week during summer break we went up there and spent HOURS playing in the sand. Brennan absolutely loved it. I loved it, too because it was very relaxing. The big boys wore their life jackets as they played in the water (just twoish feet deep or so) and Brennan didn't go near the water, just played in the sand.

I think somewhere in those three weeks we went downtown to the children's museum, too. That is a really fun museum. We only go when we get those great coupons -- 1/2 off. We also had a few lemonade stands and the kids earned some moolah and drank a lot of lemonade... and we played with lots of friends. Whew, what a summer!!!

With Weston off track, I decided to take the kids up to visit family in Idaho. The cousins all had lots of fun jumping on the trampoline and playing. All my boys were rather scared of their dog at first, but by the end loved her! I spent a lot of time with Hilary watching Discovery Health shows (wow... it is a good thing I don't get that channel, I'd be hooked), and reading books. I spent time with Heidi, who is "great with child", looking at LOTS of baby clothes--ohhh, ahhh. It was a quick trip, but fun.

We had a little party with Scott's High School friends. It was so relaxing and fun! They are such great people and I am glad he keeps in contact with them. I have gotten to be good friends with several of the women and love that we get together often. We talked for hours and the kids played. Our house got filled with lots of flies...

Since Scott and I attended the temple dedication on Friday morning, we didn't have anything to do on Sunday so we decided to go up to Park City on Saturday and stay in a hotel that night. It was another short trip, but fun filled! We went to Jordanelle (not as fun this time), and then to the Alpine Slide. We weren't sure if Weston would go or not, but after seeing Aidan go and have so much fun, he jumped aboard. (Later, he told me that was his favorite part)

We then played in the pool at the hotel and the kids had a blast!!! Brennan was so funny. He couldn't figure out the jumping off the side thing, so he basically walked off the edge--usually ending up face first in the water (into Scott's waiting arms of course...). Then he would sit on the side of the pool and just fall in. He loved it! Aidan was jumping in and completely submerging and Weston was showing off all the skills he learned at swimming lessons (he is especially good at gliding). Then we went out for Pizza at a fun and delicious restaurant. Which happened to be right across the street from the Family History place on the main street. We stopped in and found a few relatives. We ended the evening with ice cream and a movie at the hotel. The next day was Sunday, and we wanted to keep it holy so we went to Temple Square. We wanted to go to the church museum, but it was closed because of the temple dedication. So instead we walked all over temple square. Then we visited Grandma and Grandpa. We got home early enough to have a nice dinner and have a relaxing evening. It was a perfect trip because it felt like a long eventful trip. And now we are trying to settle down.