A great big end of summer post

It generally stays really warm for several weeks after the kids all go back to school, but it just doesn't really feel like summer anymore, does it?

This was the Most Blistering Summer From Hades Twenty Thirteen. It was so great. Mason took two rounds of swimming lessons. He graduated Level 1 and then did Level 2 and now he can put is head under water AND blow air out of his nose so, progress! He loved it. We to some aquatic centers and went down some slides and that is always a personal favorite of mine. Brigham pool, only once. Sorry, Brigham pool.

We did some big projects on the house, including rocking the front exterior and a fireplace. Those are pictures I'm saving up for another before and after post. Finished basement!

We bought year passes to The Treehouse Museum and I imagine that as soon as it is too cold to spend all our free time at various parks, you'll find us there... letting Ava stuff strange toys into her mouth.

My sister-in-law Betsey had a very cute baby shower, and then a week a later she had a baby. His name is Friedrich and he is adorable and I don't have a single picture of him.

Over the weekend we went to the Box Elder vs. Syracuse football game. Tim's niece Haley is a cheerleader for BE and his nephew Riley plays for Syracuse, so win/win! Except, win/loss, because we wanted to see Box Elder win and they lost.

By the way, when I met Tim, Haley and Riley were, like, babies. Now they drive actual cars on the street and it just blows my mind. I remember when I was that age and people would tell me things like, "Wow, I remember when you were just a little girl, I can't believe you are driving," and I seriously thought they were old people. Now that is me. The weird old person, constantly reminding them that they were just barely kids.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Hyrum Reservoir. It was really low and really muddy. A little girl that was trying to make friends with Mason mentioned that she was waiting for her turn on the boat and when she found out that we didn't have a boat she asked why were even there, then? I've never been and I thought it was beautiful there (a Willard Bay upgrade, for sure) and the kids loved playing in the sand and mud.

Speaking of sand, we put sand box under the bottom deck, and this is my view while they play.

After the reservoir we went to the final night of the Golden Spike Rodeo. Neither Tim or I had been to a rodeo since high school which is sad because it was great. We took Mason and Brielle on a few rides before it started and they just went nuts with hapiness. Kids are the best.

And now a few more random pictures because this just hasn't gone on long enough, yet.

Ava at six months

My little Ava Darling is six months old. She is crawling all over the place, stuffing everything into her mouth. She pulls herself up on the furniture. She is trying to climb out of the crib. She is six months old.

I once had a baby girl and I thought the baby part of her would stick around for a while and soothe the baby-hungry in me. When she was born I would get these panics that she may be the last baby of mine that I ever get to hold and I would snuggle her and breathe her in and try to make it last longer. Apparently, she has other ideas because she is so over being a baby and is ready to be a toddler with her brother and sister. Three weeks ago she started scooting. Two weeks ago she was sitting unassisted. One week ago she was really crawling, and three days after that she was already working on the walking.

Some ladies in my ward said that it is totally normal for the third child to be walking before nine months. True?

Ava is also just the sweetest baby. She cannot turn down a smile. When she got her shots last week she started crying that sad, "how could you do this to me, mom?" cry. But then she caught a glimpse of the nurse smiling at her and she had to stop, return the smile, and then start her cry again. She just lights up any room. I've always thought each of my babies brought a special new joy to our home, but the joy my Ava brings is palpable. I think if I had to choose one word to describe her it would be enthusiastic. She is enthusiastic about being alive and it is contagious.

Mason is a four-year-old

My first baby turned four a few days ago. It is so hard to believe. I feel like the most cliche thing you can ever say is something like, "They grow up too fast." But it is cliche because everyone says it because it is the most true thing ever. He has grown up too fast. I think back to the days when it was just Mason and me and I would take pictures of his toes several times a day. We would take naps together. I never left the house because getting his carrier in and out of the car was so intimidating. We have both really grown up a lot since then.

I love Mason at each new stage. This year he got a new baby sister and he is so good to her. He coos to her and teases her lovingly and tries to carry her around so she won't get lonely on the floor. I love the way he thinks she is so great. He thinks Brielle is great too, usually, but sometimes he thinks it is a little too great to make her scream.

Mason is a total pal. He is the guy you want by your side while you work on a project. He loves to help people follow the instructions. Instructions are a very important part of any task! He is our little engineer and he would much rather build something with Legos than play catch. Last night we took apart an old fire alarm and he named each part. "That is the nu-ka-tina...what does it do?"

He has never been the most cuddly kid, but every once in a while he asks me to come sit on the couch with him. He rests his head on my shoulder or sits on my lap and then my life is complete. I just love him.

He wanted a dinosaur party with friends this year. We played pin the tail on the dinosaur, dug for fossils and bones in the sand, had a dinosaur egg pinata and dinosaur egg hunt, and a scavenger hunt. The picture below is of Tim drawing the pictures for the scavenger hunt. I'm not sure why, but that is so cute to me. I think it was the party Mason was hoping for. Someone gave him a fart blaster, but we call it a toot blaster. You know how it goes.

Dinosaur Park Museum

Mason went to a birthday party for a neighborhood friend his age a couple of months ago, and ever since then he has been so excited for a party of his own. The idea of any kind of party has always been pretty thrilling. Whenever he sees a picture of balloons or cake or anything else party-themed he has to point them out and he is just so enthusiastic about the greatness of parties. Sometimes he will pack toys in a box or backpack tell us they are for the party later. He is big on parties, is what I am saying.

Tim decided that Mason should have a pirate-themed party and go on a scavenger hunt and had this whole idea about how it should go. I pulled a total wife-fail/mom-win and let Mason choose what kind of party he wanted. He said dinosaurs. Sorry, Tim!

So. Yesterday, in preparation for Mason's birthday on Friday, Nana treated the kiddos and I to a trip to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden and we all liked it so much! Maybe if your kids are a little on the easily-scared side you should walk through the park and see the dinosaur statues before you go inside to the dinosaur robots. We did not do that.

One of my favorite things about being a mom is watching my kids' completely genuine reactions to new situations. There is no falseness or pretense in them. This trip was so full of so many hilarious reactions and I just couldn't get enough. I really regret not bringing my camcorder, or at least a real camera. I just have these poor-quality cell phone pictures.

They were both so intrigued but completely terrified of those giant dinosaur robots. They were so lifelike; I really can't blame them for being scared. Mason kept saying, "They aren't real, they can't eat us, let's go, I don't like it, they aren't real." Over and over. Brielle just clung to my mom, wide-eyed with horror and amazement. They were a lot happier the rest of the time there. Wary, but happy. Mason kept making up names for all the different dinosaurs and telling us facts about them. He's going to be the best four-year-old.

A couple of stories with pictures

First, a story about Brielle.

I've mentioned before that the blond of our family is a mischievous little monster. I love her anyway. One day, a few weeks ago, I was cleaning the kitchen when Ava let me know she was awake from a nap and ready for some lunch. I set the cleaner I was using on the table. My laptop was also on the table. You see where this is going? Mason and Brielle were on the floor playing with cars or something. They seemed engrossed in their activity so I went and fed Ava in the peaceful quiet of another room.

Less than ten minutes later I returned and noticed my laptop was open, turned on, and a little streaky on the screen. But it was working! So I just dried off the screen, shut it down, shut it, and went on with the day. A couple of hours later I went to use it and...dead. That's what the repair guy said. Actually, "Fried. It would cost more to repair than replace." Ugh. Brielle is still alive, though. Lucky girl.

So on to story number two, which is old because...no computer.

Early in the summer we took our now-annual Bear Hunt in the Box Elder camp ground. We go through the grass, "swishy swashy," and through the river, "splash splosh," and all that. We never seem to find a bear, though! Mason was just in heaven and gosh are they cute reciting that book and getting so excited at the thought of finding a bear, or even just a slightly overgrown trail.

And story number three, to wrap things up.

Last summer we took both kids on a fun, but also kind of miserable camp trip with Tim's parents at Mirror Lake. This year when they started planning to go again I quickly said heck no, have fun without me. The thought of sleeping with my two toddlers and a new baby just sounded sort of terrible. But Tim and Mason were going to go and drive three hours to sleep in the wilderness and great for them. Fast forward to the day they were leaving. Camp got moved to Blacksmith Fork Canyon (only about 40 min) and I got suckered into packing for myself and two girls in 15 minutes and heading up there with them.

I'm glad we all went. One night was plenty and we ended up coming home a day early but the kids loved it and Tim's dad did all the excellent cooking! Lots of four-wheeler and side x side rides. The campground was beautiful. I got to sit and whittle a stick while cousins entertained my kids. Camping has earned back a little of my admiration.