Whenever August hits I start to feel the pressure to squeeze every last ounce of fun and adventure out of summer.  But, at the same time I am exhausted of having children around me 24/7 and of sand and wet towels and neighbor kids and kids asking for food ALL the time, but then I remember this fact and we power through. :)

Macey spent the first week of the month at Clear Creek. 

She went with one of her bff’s Carmen, who ended up getting the stomach flu and had to come home and then thankfully made it back up before the end of the week.    

It was an emotional week here for me, as I didn’t know how she was doing up there alone.  Worried she was sick, worried she wouldn’t make any friends.

Luckily, they sent us an email each night with pictures from the day and I would scour them for Macey’s smiling face. 

It all ended well, Macey had an amazing time, made a bunch of new friends, and it was good practice for me to let her out into the world alone. And you cannot beat a week in the mountains surrounded by this. 


An experience I hope she never forgets.  

And a friend I hope she keeps forever.  

We did our last trips to the pond.  

this particular day Crew entertained himself with garbage others had left behind.  Kids a genius.  

This is for sure one of my Utah summer happy places. 

Last pool trips.

Splash Pads

Weather finally cooled off enough that we could venture to parks in the morning. 

I tortured these 6 by making them walk the few blocks to the park.

Popsicles waiting at home was the only thing that got them through.

We finally got to check out our new school’s playground.  It passed the test and the kids approved.

So many scooter rides around the neighborhood.

So many board games.

and Playdough.

Paul hates Chalk the Block and I love it, so my homeless looking children and I ventured over and left Paul at home.

Paul and I also celebrated our 15th anniversary?!? Time is a weird thing. We are not old enough to be married for 15 years, but here we are.

We went all out and celebrated at Dave and Busters in SLC.  We ate greasy food, played lots of video games and bought the kids prizes with our hard earned tickets.  A quite romantic 15 year anniversary. :) 

There were a few items left undone on our Summer To-Do List that we needed to check off.

Late night with Penelope


End of summer outdoor neighborhood movie.  

Nickel City

Bike Ride


and of course some more trips to the mountains.

 kids better appreciate these amazing summers they get to experience.  :)