End of Summer

 The rest of the summer was pretty low key. The kids enjoyed our path rollerblading, walking to the park, and I focused on teaching Leo to ride his bike with no training wheels until he could finally do it!! We were all very excited and happy for him and he was so proud of himself! He rode his bike a lot after that.

The days were also filled with playdates and birthday parties for friends. Leo went to Ryder's party (his best friend from Renfrew) at an acreage with a swimming pool and a big room to ride bikes, scooters, and go karts around. I had to stay so I could help him with his swimsuit and such. It was a long time, but it was a very cool place and Leo had a blast! Deacon went to Daxon and Porter's party. Porter had his party at the Rec Room and Deacon actually won a 5000 ticket roll! I didn't think anybody won those things. 

We also had to say goodbye to our sweet Dakota, as she is headed off to BYU. We went over for dinner and were all very sad to say our goodbyes. She has been our core babysitter for years! The kids had a great last evening though, and Deacon even caught a fish from their dock. He has been so obsessed with fishing this summer! 

We did a lemonade stand, which turned out to be such a hit! We did our usual freshly squeezed lemonade where we put a slice of lemon inside, and have a cup with a lid and cute striped straw. We also sold energy balls in 3 different flavors and bracelets the kids made. The only thing left were energy balls, and we made a good chunk of money (which I can't remember the amount!). The kids loved doing it and even got offered a job at a birthday party later. 

To end the season, we went to Calaway Park with Lena and her 5 kids! It was a lot of fun and even Boston could go on some rides. The older kids braved the log ride and roller coaster and we had a great day in the sun. 

It's been a good summer, but I'm always ready for it to be done and school to start. I love hanging out with my kids, but there's also something about a routine that just makes me happy! Also...the kids made me a spa one day with candles and a bed and gave me a massage (see photo). That was very cute - the kids are always looking out for me! We had a great summer.

Echo Lake

 Echo Lake this year was lots of fun! Deacon finally got a great lake to fish in and spent many hours doing that. We did lots of swimming, tubing, and some knee boarding and skiing. I also got to do some more shopping on my own, and with Bentley. We found a kid section in Maurice's and Buckle, and had the best time shopping together! Maurice's had the best sales so Bentley was set for back to school. Kellie, Bailey, Cindy and I went to the theatre to see the very popular Barbie movie that came out. It wasn't our favorite movie, but we still had a lot of fun! We also went on a hike and got ice cream in Big Fork one day. We went to church on the Sunday and then had a picnic at our usual park and fed the ducks. The cousins had a blast together riding the golf cart, playing in the sand, and just being together! It was a good week and a half, and then we came home on Aug.9.