One Last Week

We are officially back in school.  Summer is no more.  But we sure crammed a lot into our last week.  Summer definitely went out with a bang.  We went and played at the lake, went to Cowabunga Bay, and spent the weekend in Sun Valley, Idaho.  It was awesome.

We've never gone to Sun Valley as a family before.  It was definitely a last second trip, but so great.  We decided to just get a hotel and not worry about camping.  We wanted a super relaxing trip, and that's what we got.  We took our time on the way up and stopped at Shoshone Falls.  Very beautiful, but in the time we were there Zack got stung by a wasp and Sage fell and scraped her knee and got a big goose egg (or goose bump as she called it).  Shoshone Falls were not good to us.

Sun Valley was beautiful, although a bit smokey.  The kids spent hours swimming in the pool and having a great time.  I spent hours relaxing by the pool and having a great time.   Jake and I managed to go mountain biking, each of us by ourselves, but at least we got to go right?  We spent lots of time walking around the little shops, playing at a park, and really doing whatever we wanted to.  Saturday night Kenny Loggins did a concert at Sun Valley.  We listened to some of it for free on the grass.  Nothing like a free concert:)

It was a great weekend.  The perfect ending to the summer.  And now we're already in the thick of school (well the kids are while I eat bon bons on the couch).  More to come on that…

Sage getting the most of her drink

Zack is always so excited

Kate got her ears pierced!

Shoshone Falls before tragedy struck

Waiting for the concert to start

Right after this Sage jumped off the rock and was shocked to land in water - she didn't realize it was a water fall.  Pretty funny

More Birthday Fun

The last couple weeks have been full of more birthday fun.  Good news all around though.  The first good news is that I managed to survive birthday season and I'm done for a year.  I don't think Jake fully appreciates what birthday season entails.  He's not impressed.  The other good news is that I think all of the birthdays were a big success.  Everyone had great birthdays, which I don't pull off every year.  A definite.

Kate's birthday always falls around Heber Fair Days so she always gets parades and rodeos around her birthday.  This year she got the special treat of having her cousin Megan come stay for a couple of nights.  I think that pretty much guaranteed a good birthday for Kate.  And then we managed to talk the family into coming to our house on her birthday (Sunday) for dinner.  It was good fun.

Sage's birthday is a national holiday according to her, so I definitely feel some pressure to make it good.  I felt so much pressure this year that I actually did a birthday party for her.  This party was super low key.  Definitely not Pinterest worthy.  But the girls all had fun and Sage loved it, so that's all that matters.  They made some bead bracelets, played with balloons and bubbles, and decorated cupcakes.  The party ended with a dance party.  Jake walked in right in the middle of this.  He was amazed at the dance moves and is really looking forward to future dance parties (said with great sarcasm - he thought it was great but I think it was all he could do to not turn around and run out of the house).   Sage's birthday concluded with pizza and brownies, enjoyed with Grandma and Grandpa Spjute.  I think I somehow managed to give her the "best day ever!"

We have managed to do other things besides birthdays the last couple of weeks.  We went to the rodeo (well, Jake took the kids while I stayed home and made a birthday cake - a perfect arrangement), the parade and fair.  We got to watch a lot of the Tour of Utah professional bike race.  That was a lot of fun.  Especially fun because they ride so close to our house and even rode right past our house on Sunday.  I also went to my 20 year high school reunion.  Yes, I am old.  Really old.   Sage thought I was going to come home with a cane.

Anyway, that's how we've spent the first couple of weeks of August.  We're bracing ourselves to start school in a week.  I'm both dreading and super excited for this.  Not looking forward to the craziness it brings.  The lazy days of summer are nice.  But all of my kids are in school all day this year and I have to admit I'm looking forward to it.  Everyone asks what I'm going to do now (apparently I must get a job or something to have any worth now that my kids are in school).  My answer, I'm going to sit on the couch and eat bonbons.  Jake is especially excited for this new occupation.

Peace out.

on the ferris wheel

best car ever

heavy heavies for Kate

don't look too close at the cake, but Kate sure is cute!

tour of Utah fun

Awesome free stuff including getting nails painted

Zack mixing a smoothie by riding a bike

birthday party fun

intense decorating of cupcakes

there is some cupcake under the candy

awesome dance party

Sage is 6!