Get ready for a picture overload. I know I should do more than one post to cover summer, but eh, I'm not going to.
Summer around here is simply not complete without a trip to Gizdich ranch to pick berries.
Chase participated in a mud run/obstacle course with a bunch of his coworkers.
You guys. Alexander's patisserie has the most amazing desserts. This and the chocolate orange one about put Chase and I in a beautiful, exquisite food coma.
Family hike
Trampoline time!
Summer also means swimming lessons
We planted our first ever vegetable garden. And things have actually grown!
We also went to Happy Hollow a number of times over the summer
And even Gracie got to go on some rides
Stargazing
Cull Canyon beach with friends
Finally finished Gracie's wall hanging
4th of July pancake breakfast
And potato sack race at a local park
The only trip we took this summer was to Utah, and we had a fabulous time. On the road there we snagged this shot of a classic Grace face.
Liv was thrilled to meet up with some old friends
As was I! I miss these ladies. And Jamie was so kind to host me for a few days while Chase was gone in Moab.
Temple Square
Janie was enthralled by the gardens, of course.
Seriously, temple square is one of the loveliest spots.
Met up at a park with the Harmans. It was fun to catch up, and the kids enjoyed playing with each other too. Seeing friends and family was one of the greatest parts of this trip.
Livia saw a woman practicing tight rope walking, and finally got up the nerve to ask to try it. She never got more than a few steps. It looked hard!
Meanwhile, as I mentioned, Chase was in Moab with the guys in his family.
I think it may just be his favorite place in the world.
I spent a day exploring BYU with my mom and sister
And also had a chance to meet up with several of my old London buddies. I miss them all so much! And London, of course. I can't believe it's already been ten years since that transformative semester.
One of the main reasons for our trip was the Fitt family reunion in Midway, Utah.
The reunion is for my grandfather, his brothers, and all their descendants. Uncle Richard is on a mission in France, and Jay is deceased, but these three were there! We color code.
So this is everyone from my grandpa's particular line that was able to come.
My cousin Maryann does all the costuming for the Hale Center Theater in Orem, and she got us tickets to see Into the Woods one night. It was amazing, and so much fun to have a night out with my mom and sister!
The resort where we stayed during the reunion. You guys, Midway is beautiful.
The girls slept together on the pull-out mattress. I'm just glad Jane didn't end up kicking Livia in the face.
Zermott resort had some great amenities, like restaurants, a perfect pool for kids, this carousel
A mini-golf course
And a giant chess board, to name a few. I helped Livia play against Chase, and it ended in a stale-mate.
We met up with the Mayfields one evening. Have I mentioned how much I loved seeing old friends?! Love this family.
Eating breakfast on the hotel balcony.
After the reunion was over, we spent a few days doing fun things around Utah. We spent one solid day at Thanksgiving point, visiting all the museums.
And another day at Snowbird, where we did the alpine slide, alpine coaster, some sort of zip-line, etc. It was a blast. The entire family (except maybe Grace, who couldn't go on anything) enjoyed it. And there aren't that many activities where that is truly the case, you know? Often I just enjoy things because I know the kids like it, but this was truly fun for everyone. I also managed to cross off a 101 goal while I was there:
#6 Do something that terrifies me. This would be the free fall tower, where you climb up a tower and then jump off the top. You're totally strapped in, and it slows you down as you approach the ground, but I am not a huge fan of heights, so stepping off the top really did give me a moment of terror. But I couldn't hesitate more than a moment, since Livia had gone off just before me, and hadn't hardly batted an eye! I couldn't very well let myself get outdone by my 7 year old now, could I?
One evening we went to Bridalveil falls with some of Chase's best friends from High School.
On the way home to California we had a different sort of adventure... :(
We were side-swiped by a semi-truck, which ripped back the whole door, and then sent us careening into the center divide.
You guys, I felt so incredibly blessed and protected. Not one of us was injured. No whiplash, no nothing. Okay, so Livia did get one scrape, but since that was solved by a simple band-aid, it doesn't really count.
It could have been SO much worse. And those few seconds before we stopped moving were terrifying. But no one was sitting next to the point of contact (and usually Jane did. I had just moved her the week before to a different seat), which was such a blessing, because if anyone
had been sitting there, they'd have gotten a face full of glass. And the center divide prevented us from rolling, which, believe me, is an experience I've had and do
not want to repeat.
I was so impressed by the people we encountered because of the accident. Several people stopped immediately and went above and beyond helping us out, helping calm our children down (because they were totally freaking out), and making sure we were taken care of. The Wendover emergency team was incredible. So kind and generous to my kids, and helped them feel safe again. One of them made this glove balloon for Livia. :)
The worst part was that were stranded in Wendover for two days, frantically trying to get a rental car big enough to get our family home. In the end we ended up in a big pick-up truck, and were again, so blessed that a family in our ward happened to be traveling home the same way and helped get Chase to the rental car place in Elko. There is not much along that lonely highway, my friends.
Can I also give a shout out to USAA, who were amazing to deal with and pretty much made us whole again, with a brand new minivan (since ours was damaged so severely it was totaled, even though it only had about 12,000 miles on it!).
It could have been a horrific experience, but instead was very faith-promoting. I feel incredibly blessed.
Moving on to the rest of summer!
This is what it looks like after we visit the library. The didn't even make it past the entryway.
This is what Livia calls "practicing." I don't think there are adequate words to convey to you the intense, frustrating experience it is to coerce her to practice the piano each day. And it is coercion. She despises it, but I'm making her keep at it until she's 8. The battle rages on.
Stilt walking at Ardenwood farm
More potato sack races
Jane took a ballet class
Livia went on her first real bike ride with Chase.
I had a birthday.
The girls got to play with their cousins
I had to say good-bye to this lovely lady this summer, as they moved clear across the country.
We also had to say good-bye to Chase's parents, as they were getting ready to leave for their mission to Argentina.
Jane's style kills me. It is so eclectic, and yet sometimes she puts together some seriously awesome outfits.
I promised the girls a lemonade stand/baked sale this summer. It turned out better than I anticipated!
#66 Learn to make a good green smoothie.
I live for moments like this.
Livia took tennis this summer.
And then it was time for school to start up again! 2nd grade for this little one.
And preschool for Jane.
Last weekend we went to the circus, which was a lot of fun.
And finished off the day with a picnic in the park.
Not pictured, but the best part of this summer, were all the days we just hung out at home, playing with our fabulous neighbors in the front yard and taking it easy.
