Our Summer 2014

When I think back on this summer, I mostly just remembered how long and hard it's been. I went back to work, Marcus took care of the kids in the morning while I worked and then studied every other waking minute for the bar. We've been applying to jobs but still no job offers. It's definitely not been one of our better years which is probably a lot of the reason I haven't blogged in awhile. But then I started looking through my pictures and realized we still have been able to have a good summer with the kids and do some enjoyable things, even though our stress levels have been a bit ridiculous all summer. So here is a recap of our summer:

Lots of relaxing on nap mats. My kids are so obsessed with these.

 

We love spending time with our cousins! Johnny adores Ashlynn and Madison and they're all so good with Claire.

Marcus and I have gone to the driving range a few times. We really enjoy it!

Johnny turned 3!! I feel like this should be its own post but I really have no pictures of his party. He requested cupcakes so I didn't even make a cake. But he had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party with a few family and friends and he LOVED it. He is so social and loves that his friends came over to celebrate him. And he definitely is worth celebrating!

 He got a water table for his birthday and it's awesome. I often sent Johnny and Claire out on the back deck while I made dinner and it entertained them long enough to allow me to get dinner done, uninterrupted. 

(This = heaven).

 We went with family to get Shave Ice several times. Yum!

 We also got in some good cuddles.

 Swimming with cousins! Cole and Lola are some of Johnny's very favorite people.

Claire in this outfit is just too adorable not to post.

We hung out with Aunt Brittany a few times and went on a walk to the park. Johnny talked to her and told her stories the whole way. 

 Some more lounging- this time on the dog bed. 

 Claire's hair got long enough for pigtails! :)

 We even had the chance to go to the Museum of Curiosity with a friend from our ward. That place is awesome!

 Marcus' Law School Diploma! I'm so proud of him and all his hard work!

 We were able to celebrate our cousin Joey's 3rd birthday! They made each of the kids a car- so cute and fun!

 Claire is cute in everything but I love this picture of her in just a diaper and Johnny's BYU hat.

 This was Johnny swimming at an Activity Days Activity that we did over the summer.

 Johnny even helped Grandpa fix the 4-wheeler.

We celebrated the 4th of July with the Messer's, Bergam's, Gibson's, and Aunt Brittany in Centerville. Both kids stayed up and watched the fireworks. It was sad that Marcus had to be home studying and miss the festivities. But I really love the 4th of July!

Johnny got his first haircut at Cookie Cutters instead of by Mom and Dad. :) 

 Marcus and I celebrated 5 years of wedded bliss! We spent a whole Saturday together while my parents watched the kids. We went to the driving range, Cafe Rio for lunch, Park City for the afternoon where we rode a Ski Lift and saw the city and the mountains (it was fabulous!), then went to McGrath's for dinner. It was the perfect day- exactly what we needed after months of barely spending time together.

Claire's a cool chick! 

 We also went on a couple walks.

 One of my managers at work is having a baby girl the beginning of September and so I made her a quilt and a cake for the baby shower. I love doing stuff like this!

 The weekend before Marcus took the bar, the kids and I went with my family to Arizona! We visited my Dad's parents and his sisters and my cousins and it was wonderful! I love them so much and always have a great time when we are together. It was a fabulous trip- we just wish Marcus could have come with us, too!

Sometimes long road trips call for ice cream breaks.

My Grandpa Smith is a wonderful guitar player. I have fond memories of him playing to us.

 

 Johnny got a cowboy hat on our trip to Arizona and he's the stinkin' cutest cowboy I've ever seen!

 MARCUS TOOK THE BAR!

The kids and I made him cupcakes to celebrate his great accomplishment!

 After Marcus took the bar, we made a trip home to Washington to visit Marcus' parents and his oldest sister and her family. We love going to Washington!

 The kids love to help cook and set their table for meals.

They also love reading with Daddy. They cuddle up around him and love it when he reads to them.

 They are such good friends. It's so fun to see them become closer as they grow and see how sweet and loving they are to each other (most of the time).

 

Marcus and I took Johnny on a date- just the 3 of us. We took him to the pet store (he loves to go look at all the animals), to D.I. to pick out a new book, and then to his favorite restaurant for chips and salsa and red rice. It was so fun to spend time with just him. He's so smart and funny and full of personality. 

Some girls in our ward did a 3 day camp for kids ages 3-5. He went from 9-12 and LOVED it! Each day had a theme that the activities went along with. The first day was cowboys/cowgirls and here he is all ready to go! Day 2 was Super Heroes (he went as Superman) and Day 3 was Around the World but I don't have pictures of him from those days.

 

 One of the girls even owns a horse and they took all the kids on horseback rides. Seriously, these girls are awesome and so sweet. Johnny adores them.

 One of Claire's absolute favorite things is to be outside. The girl would stay out there 24/7 if we let her. She loves it even more when Grandpa, Grandma, and/or Aunt Shelby sit out there with her and bring out the dogs.

And that brings us pretty much up to date. We have moved out of my parents house and are just waiting for Marcus to get his Bar results back and get a job. Then we're off to the next adventure! Really, life is good.