Summer is winding down, and fall is on the horizon, and our August was a mix of both, such as:
Celebrating . . . the end of teaching (for now). Mike wrapped up the engineering class he taught at the U this summer. He has been burning the candle at both ends for the past three months in order to stay on top of everything, and it was a big relief to have it finished. Although he hopes to have more teaching opportunities in the future, he is quite happy to only have to worry about his 9-5 job. We went to Tiburon with Mike's parents to celebrate the end of the class as well as their birthdays/Mother's Day/Father's Day. We've been once before, and it is quite the experience with the meal broken down into courses so that each one can be fully enjoyed and savored. Highlights included the crab cakes and pork rind for appetizers and the lime cake for dessert.
Hosting . . . a baby shower. My sister, Anna, is expecting her first baby in September (spoiler: he's here!). My sister-in-law, Meagan, and I organized a baby shower for her. We were hoping to have a bunch of Anna's friends and in-laws there in addition to our own family, but it was a busy weekend, so it ended up being mostly just Anna's side of the family. I hosted it at our house, and, despite the lower attendance, it was still a lovely time together with good food, a fun game, and gifts.
Fishing . . . every morning at teachers' camp. All of the young men's quorums in our ward decided to have their own camps this summer, and since Bradley is a deacon, Max is a teacher, and Aaron is a priest, that meant they each had their own camp to attend. Max's group camped in the Uintahs. They hiked, relaxed in hammocks, and fished. Max and one of friends fished every morning before the other boys were awake. They saw moose (from a distance), as well as a beaver who swam back and forth between them, slapping his tail on the water each time. Max said it was a 10 out of 10 experience for him (even though he ate way too much one morning trying to down a "man-cake" and felt miserable for a couple of hours afterwards). (Much thanks to the adult leaders for the photos!)
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Riding . . . horses at the priests' high adventure camp. Aaron also had YM camp this month. One of his leaders owns horses, and he took the boys on an epic adventure up in the Uintahs. Instead of backpacking in, they rode horses, and it was so fun and memorable (and I'm sure so much work for the leaders). Aaron rode Buddy for the duration, and it seems like they made a good pair. (Again, photos are courtesy of the adults leaders.)
Hosting . . . family at the pool. We love having people come to the pool with us, and we were lucky to get my brother, Steve, and his family one day, and my brother-in-law, Bryon, and his kids another day. Our pool days are dwindling for the season, so we tried to soak it up as much as we could.
Touring . . . the church history museum. We organized an outing at the church history museum with the primary children in our ward. Despite it being a hot summer day, we had a good turnout, and the kids loved exploring the various activities. Afterwards, we ate lunch together on the lawn.
Expanding . . . his palette. Max said, "It's pretty great being a teenager. I find new foods I like every day! There are things I've never liked before, and suddenly, now I like them! It's pretty awesome." Very perceptive.
Closing . . . his eyes on the trampoline. This resulted in Ian getting kneed or bumped in the eye (either by himself or someone else--no one is sure since they all had their eyes closed), which led to a pretty colorful black eye.
Riding . . . on a bus. Mike was given a city bus pass while he was teaching at the U. Although he never used it for commuting, he and Silas went on a little bus outing one morning. This "adventure" included all of riding the bus to the store, purchasing a few things, and riding it back home. Now Silas points out the bus whenever he sees it and makes sure we all know he's been on one of those before.
Discussing . . . a book. Per tradition, we had a family book club this summer. I was debating between several choices, but as soon as I started reading Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, I knew it was the one. It had humor and heart and great characters, and I knew it would be enjoyable for our whole wide range of ages. Max came up with all the discussion questions, Mike prepared the menu, and the rest of us contributed our enthusiasm and participation. We held our book club on Sunday after church (and it happened to by Fast Sunday, so everyone was absolutely starving). It was one of the best book clubs we've had, in part because Kate DiCamillo is just magic when it comes to stories. And now we all say, "Out of my way, fools!" at random times, just because.
Watching . . . the Olympics and just feeling so inspired by it all. Favorite moments: the parade of nations floating on the Seine, Celine Dion crushing it at the opening ceremony, Cole Hocker coming from behind to win the 1500m, Katie Ledecky leaving everyone in the dust per usual, Tara Davis-Woodhall leaping into her husband's arms after winning the long jump, Sarah Sjostrom surprising herself with the 100m freestyle win, and Sydney McLaughlin giving all the credit to God.
Supporting . . . my youngest brother, Christian, as he went to the temple to receive his endowment. It was a beautiful morning and a joy to be there with my parents and some of my siblings. Christian has many developmental handicaps, but he has big dreams and goals for himself. He recently began a service mission and has been hard at work with various organizations across the valley (along with my parents who are working right alongside him). He spent a lot of time preparing to go to the temple, and I loved watching him walk around the celestial room at the end. When my dad asked him if he was ready to leave, he said, "But if I go, will I get to come back?" (Answer: yes.)
Experiencing . . . a rodeo. Growing up in a small town in northeastern Colorado, the annual county fair and rodeo were a big deal. I have wanted to go to a rodeo with my kids for several years but finally looked up dates this summer and got one on our calendar. We decided to go to the Logan rodeo since it landed on an open weekend for us and we could also spend some time with Mike's parents at their cabin. The rodeo was a blast. We walked through the animal barns before finding our seats in the arena. We saw quite the variety of events: bareback riding, calf roping, mutton busting, barrel racing, and bull riding. I thought Silas would quickly lose interest since it didn't even start until 8:00pm, but he watched the entire thing with rapt attention, his little hands clasped in front of him and asking a stream of questions: "Is he going to fall? Why was the horse in the car? What is he doing to the cow?" For my part, it took me right back to my childhood, and I enjoyed it so much. Besides the rodeo, we had a delightful time at the cabin doing all of our favorite things: going on a walk, swinging, playing in the stream, shooting BB guns, getting drinks from the spring, and playing games. On our way home, we stopped by Mike's parents' new house that is currently under construction.
Beginning . . . a new school year. I anticipated Silas having a hard adjustment to being an only child during the day again, but having occasional lunches at Mike's work, starting music class, and resuming our Thursday visits to my parents' house have helped immensely. As for the others who are actually in school, the feelings have been mixed, but overall, they are all off to a good start. Aaron: junior; Maxwell: freshman; Bradley: 7th; Clark: 5th; Ian: 2nd.
Getting . . . pedicures. With my sister approaching her due date, we thought pedicures were in order. My mom, Angela, Anna, and I all went. Unfortunately, the salon could only get two of us in at a time, so we were split up for most of it, but it was still fun.
Traveling . . . to Colorado. I went on a quick, rather spontaneous, trip to Colorado with my mom and sister, Angela. It was prompted by the passing of our dear family friend, Bea Sack, who, along with her husband, had been our neighbor, substitute grandma, organ teacher, sewing instructor, and friend for many years. My mom wanted to attend her memorial and asked if I would be up for tagging along. It happened to land at just the right time when school had already started but other activities had not, so it was actually possible for me to leave behind my normal life in Mike's very capable hands. And it was such a joyful trip. Not only did we get to remember our dear friend, but we got to see and catch up with many others. We stayed with the Loutensocks in my little hometown. I walked up and down pretty much every street in town, went into the little grocery store, ate dinner at the local restaurant, went to church in my home ward, and drove past landmarks. And with these things came an absolute flood of memories, most of them very happy. It was just the most delightful trip, and I'm so glad I could do it with my mom and sister.
Walking . . . in Colorado. Besides the people, this was my favorite thing during our trip. My mom and I got up at 6:00 every morning and walked. One morning, we walked all the way across town to our old houses. Another morning, we walked around the pond. It was misty and still and quiet. It felt almost magical--like we were going to come around a tree and catch our past selves kayaking on the water. We also walked through the Catholic cemetery, up and down Main Street, around the park and the swimming pool and the school. The sky and the moon and the line of the horizon were beautiful. I filled my lungs with the sweet scent of my childhood. What an absolute gift.
Having . . . a nightly visitor. Around 8:00 every evening, our cat, Thunder, makes his way to Ian's bed and waits for him. Ian arranges the blankets around both of them and cuddles up with the cat and a book. It's the cutest thing.
Training . . . to be soccer referees. Max and Bradley both signed up for the free ref training, and then they got hired for the soccer season. It's a great job for young teens: only on Saturdays and decent pay. It's been a good fit so far.
Learning . . . how to kiss. After years of trying to teach him, Silas finally figured out how to give kisses. We have all been the lucky recipients ever since.
Finishing . . . a few projects. I've been knitting the Anker Tee for most of the summer and finally finished it. It is one of my best fitting sweaters, and I've been wearing it a lot. I also knit a pair of shorty socks on my trip to Colorado. They were fast, but I'm not sure I'm going to like wearing them. I might prefer a little more height on the ankle. And lastly, I sewed a blouse. I took it slow, and I'm quite pleased with the final result.
Taking . . . shelter during a storm. I invited a friend to come to the pool with us one morning after school started. Just as we arrived, dark clouds rolled in, and within minutes, we heard the distant rumble of thunder. We hoped the storm would pass quickly, so we camped out under a pavilion as the rain came down in heavy sheets. The kids actually loved it. They made little cages for themselves out of the chairs and then danced in the rain once the lightning had passed. The sun eventually came out, and then they had a good time swimming, too.
Going . . . on a date. As Aaron has started dating this past year, it has been hard for him to branch out and ask different girls on dates instead of the same one. We encouraged him to not go on a date with the same girl twice in a row. He and his friend, Ben, planned a double date with two girls they hadn't asked out before, and they had such a good time. They went bowling and then came over to our house for ice cream. Aaron had the best time, and he even thanked me for making him get out of his comfort zone a little.
Meeting . . . a tarantula. We went on the Living Room hike one evening after dinner. It's a short, but fairly steep hike. Silas wasn't able to manage it on his own, so Mike carried him the whole way, and he really felt that elevation gain with a toddler on his back. It was turning to dusk as we hiked back down, and we were quite surprised (and some of us, thrilled) to find a tarantula on our path. It was a highlight for sure and even turned around the bad mood of one unnamed child.
Navigating . . . curfew, driving, dating, etc. Having a 16-year-old is presenting all sorts of new boundaries, expectations, and rules. Hopefully Aaron will cut Mike and me a little slack as we all figure things out together. It's hard.
Laughing . . . at a Johnson Files show. Mike and I have followed Shaun and Nicole Johnson (Johnson Files) on Instagram for years, and we finally decided to go to one of their shows. It was our first time watching improv comedy, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was at an outdoor theater, and the weather was perfect. We picked up dinner on our way and met up with Mark and Amanda.
Attending . . . a demolition derby. One of Bradley's friends had a free (and also, VIP) ticket to the demolition derby, so Bradley got to go, and his brothers and dad were jealous.
We went on a little trip to Montana at the very end of the month, but because it spilled over into September, I'm going to save it for next month's recap. So that's all for now!
