Teeth!

 

Hard to believe that Aaron is 9 months old today!  He's rolling, going from his tummy to sitting, and can climb up from the family room (one step lower) to the dining room.  He's army crawling every where!  We'll take a more "flattering" picture later ... but for now we have to show off his four cute teeth!  What did we ever do without this big guy?!

American Ninja Warrior

 

We've hit every park nearby this summer ... more times than I want to remember.  I've been afraid that Nathan is getting old enough that being at a park isn't the same "perk" it used to be.  But, one night Nathan and Joshua saw a few clips of "American Ninja Warrior" and our stops at the park -- for better or for worse -- haven't been the same since!

Bike Ride

The weekend cooled off enough that a bike ride sounded fun.  Greg got all the bikes' tires fixed and filled and we headed out.  I think this could definitely turn into a favorite family hobby.

 

We bike to a park with a Velodrome ... made specially for bike racing.  We hope to go back and watch some time when there's a real race.  Amazing to see the setup!

Nathan is convinced that his two "sports for life" are going to be biking and swimming.  (You can tell what we've done most this summer ... and that the Olympics were inspiring!)

Camping Out at Home

Some year we'll buck up to actually take our kids camping.  We had planned to this last weekend, but just couldn't bring ourselves to do it!  Maybe some year when Greg isn't the Scoutmaster.  =)

Instead, we did some of our favorite camping things at home.  We ate on the deck with hot dogs ...


Woof 'Ems -- Greg's favorite from Scout Camp this year.

They're tube biscuits roasted on a little piece of dowel, and then filled with pie filling and spray whip cream.

Of course they must be "Woofed" ... Greg's specialty.

Finished off with S'Mores.

 

 

 

 

And then we watched an old movie called "Follow Me Boys" about scouts and their great Scout Master.  A fun time and a great night's sleep.  (The best part of camping at home!)  =)

Power Outage Perks

The power was out at our house for several hours one day this last week.  By the time Greg got home from work we were hot a restless.  We tried to go to the neighborhood pool, but it was closed because of the power.  We thought we'd come home and slip 'n slide, but realized we threw it away last year.  Thanks goodness for a fun dad!  He pulled out the tarp and and sprinkler and convinced us all it was the best thing ever!  

Aaron looking on...

 

How many dads would sport their goggles to slide on a tarp in the backyard?!

  

Love him!

Growing-Up Boy

 

Sunday Morning Legos with Dad

Our Little Mermaid

Our three big kids had swimming lessons last week.  It was Elizabeth's first time!  She did great.  The only problem was that she kept putting her head underwater whenever the teacher stepped away to help another child.  =)  My biggest fear is "no fear"!

Summer Field Trip: Temple

 

 

 

 

I've been realizing that even though Greg and I try to make it to the temple frequently, our kids rarely are part of the experience.  (They're being watched at home while we go.)  I wanted them to have the chance again to go be at the temple.  It was cute that Joshua wanted to wear a "shirt with a collar" because he knew it was a special moment to get to go.  Nathan has a little collection of rocks that he's found near other LDS temples we've visited, so we spent a little while finding him a new rock for his collection.

Then we went to a nearby mall big enough to have moving sidewalks and a LEGO store.  The ultimate perks of shopping.  =) 

Spectators

Nathan was a close second in "fun to watch" during t-ball.  He made a great third-base coach for Joshua.  One time I even realized he made his way right out onto the field to high-five and give advise.  With Nathan as third-base coach ... Joshua always slid home.  =)

 

Hanging Out During T-ball

 

 

 

T-ball Man

 

 

 

We endured a summer of the slowest-moving, hilariously painful sport known to man.  T-ball!  Joshua did an great job...often playing first base.  We're proud of him, and will try not to think too much about how he cried because he'd rather be playing at the school's playground instead of in the games.  Maybe next summer we'll stick to the playground.  =)

Ideal Summer Saturday...

 

 

 

  

   

 

 

  

 

 

We get invited to go boating with our friends, President and Sister Clough.  As you can tell by the pictures...we all had the BEST TIME!  It was just at a small lake we'd never been to, about 20 minutes up the road from us.  Greg water-skied, both boys knee-boarded, we all loved the tube.  The Cloughs taught the boys how to dive off the side of the boat.  Don't know when we've had a more relaxing, fun time as a family. Thanks, President and Cindy for a magical day!

At Our Best in Utah

We had an awesome two-week trip to Utah that will be more fully documented in the weeks to come.  But, in the meantime, here are photos taken with the Franson-side of the family by Camilla Myrra in Provo.

Crazy Boys

 

Nothing kills an afternoon more happily than a little water fun in the backyard.
What would these two do without each other?!