Good O'l Summertime

I love summertime.  I love the no homework, no rigid schedule. I love warm evenings playing ball on the side lawn.  I love summer mornings--light enough with the sun behind the mountains, but cool enough to run forever.  I love field trips with my kids up into the mountains for hikes, picnics, or just the view.  I love our weekly trips to Seven Peaks, sliding the slides and screaming the entire way down.  I love bike rides on river paths with ice cream cones at the end.  This summer for our weekly field trips we invited our ward along, and even though only a few ever really came, it was still great fun!

To begin the summer field trips, we went on a bike ride to Vintage Park where my kids ripped their shorts sliding down the concrete underpass and where we had a food relay.  The next week we rode our bikes to Macey's for ice cream.  A few days later, we hiked the Y because Cal wanted to try out his Camelbak.  We returned a few days later to hike up to the meadow above the Y.  It was amazing!  The next week we went to Foothill Park in Provo where we played in the run-off that makes a little river (see pictures below).  The following week, we hiked Rock Canyon and went back to the run-off river.  Then we hiked to Lindon Waterfall, but the water was so high and the waterfall was so huge, we couldn't really play in it.  After we got back from St. George, we went to Bridal Veil Falls and played in the water there, and the next week we biked up to Glen Canyon Park, an 11 mile bike ride!  The kids did so well, even though we ran into some mean and intense bikers who were mad at me that my kids weren't wearing helmets.  If only I had practiced the courtesy we have been learning about this month in FHE, I would have handled it with more humility.  Why can't I ever practice what I preach in the heat of the moment?  Anyway, summer has been great and it is almost over. We have one more week.  We'll make the best of it!

 We brought Hobbsie with us to the run-off.

 Trevor came with Calvin.

The girl behind Cal and Trev tried to pick up on Coleman and Jeffrey, but they would have nothing to do with it.

 Jeffrey came with Coleman.

 Tyler came with Cy.

My sister-in-law saw this picture and said, "Um, why is Cy riding a brown cow that looks like Hobbise?" That made me laugh. I didn't even notice that!

 Trev looks mad, though I think he enjoyed it.

 Hobbsie loved the freedom to roam.

 Beautiful summer!

 Cy took a picture of the sun.  I hope his retina survived!

 On the fourth of July before heading to Grandma's.

 In the morning, Cam and I hiked 7 miles around Y Mountain and came out Rock Canyon.  We want to make it a yearly tradition.

Kristi invited Coleman to go with the Ross family to Stadium of Fire!  He had a blast.

I love Summer!