I've been trying to post this for over a month. Tonight a line from The Lion King came into my head, "It is time!" (Thanks to Aspen, I seriously have that entire movie memorized word for word)
Summer was frustrating, spontaneous, hot, stressful, lazy, and fun all rolled into one. Nick still rotates day and night shift. In 2016 he worked night shift from January until the beginning of September. Having him sleep during the day while my kids and neighbor kids ran in and out of the house was soooo much fun!
Uggghhhhhhh. (Insert thumbs down emoji's)
Anyway. Onto the highlights of the summer...
Toby wanted to earn money over the summer so he swept sidewalks, sold toys and lemonade. It was super cute.
Love that Nick chin.
I had some fun nights with good friends. This one was a favorite: I went with my good friend, Colleen, to Alison's Hip Hop Hooray party. Everyone dressed in 90's clothes while dancing the night away to Spice Girls, Vanilla Ice and many other gems from that awesome decade.
Zack and I loved taking walks when it wasn't blazing hot. He is just precious. And pasty-white--like his mama.
Casting a spell on the sprinkler... :)
We liked this hike to Battle Creek Falls. Family friendly and pretty. I think the kids liked seeing a rattlesnake more than the waterfalls.
I also did the Black Light Run with my old pal, Ashley. We had a blast!
Nick and I celebrated out 11th wedding anniversary (June 3) by going to one of our favorite places: Bombay House. Sooooooo good.
Nick, Toby, Aspen and Nick's parents went to the Oregon coast for about 8 days the last week in July. I am not an adventurous mom. Zack doesn't do well with car rides -- he struggles with the drive to North Ogden when we visit my parents -- so the thought of driving 6-7 hours a day with him didn't sound appealing. Plus, he really sleeps best in his own bed. Nick and I both agreed that it would be better for everyone if I stayed home with Zack and have Nick take the two olders on the trip. It worked out great. Nick said they had a nice, relaxing time with his parents and I had a lovely break at home with Zack-attack. It really was good down time everyone.
Oh! And we have chicken again! 8 to be exact (there are 9 in this pic--one died a few weeks ago. Twas very sad). They just started laying eggs this past month. The kids love playing with them out in the yard and collecting their eggs every day. I love that I always have fresh eggs on hand. And Nick just loves having chickens again. :)
This isn't really related to my summer post, but I just wanted throw out there that I have lost about 25 lbs since the beginning of the year. It's been a slow and steady process. I never set out to lose a certain amount of weight. I just wanted to have a healthier lifestyle. So I started working out consistently: running, yoga, Zumba., etc. Then I cut back on my sugar intake (I don't believe in cutting out anything completely ...moderation in all things, people) and tried to eat healthier options for meals. It has been amazing to see my body become stronger. Yes, it's nice that I'm able to fit into some clothes I haven't dared touch in years, but I've liked the emotional and mental benefits so much more. I feel happier. I feel more alert. I feel more sensitive to spiritual things. I'm very much at peace with myself and it feels good.
So that's it. No before and after pics. Just me saying that I'm kind of proud of all my hard work.
Hopefully I will post about all our fun fall activities before Christmas... ;)
