Skip to main content

Wishing Summer A Fond Farewell

Are you ready for a TON of pictures?  School started last week, and after a fun-filled and active summer, I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.  The best way to say good bye to somebody or something is by sharing memories, so maybe I'll feel a little better sharing some of these fun summer memories with you.

I'll start with one of the more common summer occurrences . . . . swimming.

We spent the beginning of the summer playing in the backyard in the little inflatable pool set up on the deck.

The kids also took swimming lessons.  Some of the lessons were indoors and some were outdoors.  As usual, Ricky makes friends wherever he goes . . .
Makayla moved up to Level 4 and her teachers say she is a strong and talented swimmer.
Andrew was able to take a week of swimming lessons after he got his cast off.  Yes, that is a huge bruise on his head.  You should have seen the one the week before on the other side of his head.  These nasty bruises were from falling off his bike with a helmet on!  So, his confidence on a two-wheeler has greatly waned over the course of the summer.
In addition to swimming at the pool, the kids talked me into swimming at the lake, but we only did it once (thank goodness).  I think the lake is disgusting and going there is a lot of work.  We have to pack a ton of stuff and everything gets full of sand.  There is no lifeguard, so I'm always nervous about the little ones (not that I don't watch them closely at the pool, but I know the lifeguards are there for backup).  It may be a free summer activity, but I almost rather pay to go to the pool.




Another fun summer memory is riding bikes to Ghourty's.  Ghourty's is a new frozen yogurt shop that opened up about a mile away from our house.  One Saturday when we finished our chores, the big kids and Rick rode bikes there.



Sean and Andrew rode with me in the car.  I was a little nervous about Ricky on the big hills that fill the trail from our house to the frozen yogurt shop, but he made it just fine.
The place is so fun because you pick your flavors and your toppings.  You put as little or as much as you want and you pay by the ounce.  It's important to monitor the kids, but they love all of the choices.

I just liked the following two pictures.  Sean has grown a ton this summer.  Sometimes I think he grows an inch a week!

Another notable summer favorite is Wilson Apple Orchard.  Our summer/fall wouldn't be complete without going there.  It's such a beautiful and fun place and it's only 20 minutes from our house.






 I let Ricky take some pictures with the camera while we were there and he impressed me with the following professional shots.


 Playing with sidewalk chalk is another summer favorite.  Ricky drew Mr. Hot Dog and Makayla drew Mrs. Hamburger


Did you notice Makayla's cast?  It seems like the summer of 2011 for us has been the summer of broken bones.  Makayla fell off her bike and broke her thumb.  She got her cast off from breaking her arm just before school let out in June and returned to school last week with a splint which she will keep on for about 3 weeks total.

The first day of school was a success.  The kids have good teachers and Emily is loving junior high.  On Friday afternoon, about an hour after school, Emily sighed, "I wish I was back at school."  She loves it that much.  I'm glad she is having a good experience.


So, farewell summer!  We will miss you and look forward to seeing you again after a lovely fall, a mild winter, and an early spring.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Legacy Stinks

 Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/my-legacy-stinks Lately, I have been asking you, “What will you do to make Sunday special?” This is me encouraging you in your worship without giving you a prescribed list of things to do. One thing I do differently on Sundays is that I read a Sunday book that’s “different” than the fiction I read during the week. Usually, it’s a religious book, but sometimes it’s an inspiring biography or narrative nonfiction with an uplifting theme. My Sunday book for the past few months has been “Both Things Are True,” by Kate Holbrook. This collection of essays explores a range of topics, including faith, forgiveness, women’s roles, trials, history, and more. Each chapter contains a dichotomy that fuels the discussion. For example, the chapter on forgiveness explores both the concepts of forgetting and remembering. Last Sunday, I began reading the chapter entitled "The Weight of Legacy," in which she discusses the dichotomy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lyme Disease??

Let me just preface this by saying that I am soooo grateful for good health insurance. I have been to the Dr. for the kids lately so often, that I am embarrassed that they recognize our family when we walk in the door. So, here's Ricky's story. A couple of weeks ago he was extremely sick. He had a fever for over a week, complained that he couldn't move his legs, and ended up with an awful looking rash all over his body. We went to the Dr. 2 times for this. The first time, she said, it was a virus and it should run its course. When Ricky was getting worse, instead of better, we took him back in to a quick clinic where the nurse diagnosed him with strep (even though the short test was negative). Well, after a priesthood blessing and antibiotics (which we discovered later that he didn't even need to take--and in fact they may have made him feel worse), he got better. Then, last week, I discovered a new, crazy rash on his legs which continued to grow, turn purple on the in...
5 comments
Read more