Busy Summer. . .

Hello, Everyone!! It has been one heck of a busy month!! Lots of fun, though. On the 3rd and 4th of July, we went to the Riverton Days celebration. We saw a parade, which was tons of fun. We even got to hear the music that the marching band was playing as it walked by!! Typically we get skipped over-- the drummers are keeping time of course, but we don't get to hear the music. :o) Then on the 4th, we went to the carnival, and enjoyed Riverton's FABULOUS fireworks show!! They dazzle every year-- this year there were 6 times that I thought, "Oh, this must be the finale." I was wrong every time. It was amazing. The kids liked it, too! Ben, who really loved it last year, was a little scared at first (??!!??), but then he enjoyed it at the end. Claire did really great-- she didn't even cry!

The next week, the kids and I went up to spend most of the day at the Evans Family Reunion. It was so much fun!! I was so glad to have all of Ben's cousins there, to play with him. It would have been really difficult, had it not been for them! It was really great to see my family, particularly my extended family whom I have not seen for a VERY long time (years, I don't know how many).

The next weekend, Josh and I and the kids went camping with Josh's Dad. That was so much fun!! Here's a picture of how Ben spent 90% of his time:

I was sure glad that Tony, Josh's dad, had that little shovel!! Also, I am REALLY pleased with my $10 purchase of the dump truck shown here. I can't tell you how much fun Ben has had with that toy this summer! He just can't get enough!!

Here's another shot of Ben with his new favorite toy:

Luckily, it is too big to take to bed with him. He would, if I let him!

Claire also had fun on the camping trip-- Here she is, with her Aunt Lacey's cool shades on:

I was suprised at how long she kept those glasses on!! Isn't she cute?!

The next weekend was the 24th of July-- Fairview Days, with Josh's Mom and her family! It also was busy, but fun. We saw another parade, and we went to the derby (Ben loved watching the cars crash! Two cars got rolled over-- that's a record!), and then after the derby were fireworks!! Ben slept right through. I tried everything to wake him up-- I shook him, I did a blowfish on his cheek, I called his name, and rubbed his head and shoulders, and there was no response. It was amazing! The next day, me and my sisters-in-law took a trip to Ephraim. We visited Polly's Brain Freeze, which is now connected with what used to be Fat Jack's Pizza- it's now Roy's. We stopped in at the Drug and Gift shop, and the Mercantile store. It was a lot of fun to see my old College town. :o) Sometimes I miss the Snow days. . .

Claire is getting so close to crawling now. I can't belive it-- she'll be crawling by the time she's 8 months old, for sure. She gets up on her hands and knees, and rocks back and forth. If she can't get what she needs that way, though, she is also an expert at rolling. She can roll across an entire room, if she sees something she wants!

Ben, much to my surprise, has really shot up in height within the last few weeks-- since we last measured him a month and a half ago, he's grown a full inch!! We'll see if it is enough to put him back on the growth charts.

Josh and I are doing well, also-- We both just got new positions at work! Josh in investments, and I will be helping people in the Lobby at Regence. We both start our new positions in a couple of weeks, and we're really excited!!

This week, I turned the big 2-5, and I realized I'm getting old. Granted, I'm not THAT old. . . But I am old! Last month, when we had Stake Conference, the local Mission President spoke. He asked the elders to come stand up front. My thought process was this, "Look at those young men. It's amazing the amount of work they have, and they're just my age. . . . Wait a minute. . . I'm at LEAST 4 years older than ALL of them!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" That was the moment that my age really hit me. AIEEEEEEE!!

To be honest, I am not really worried about it. It just strikes me as amazing how quickly the time passes.