June was our first full month of summer vacation. And what a full month it was! Having all four kids home every day, all day was hard to get used to. Suddenly the house was even messier and more kids than ever were coming over to play. But after a while we found a routine and settled in to our summer.
Joey loved having everyone with us to run errands. The girls kept him laughing all the way through Sam's Club.
Tommy's love for puzzles continues. He can do most of the puzzles we own all on his own. Time to get some new ones!
After the smashing success of their bread business, the girls decided to try a lemonade stand. Unfortunately we don't live on a through-street so we had to transport everything to the neighborhood street corner. The girls made their own signs and treats to sell - along with lots of lemonade. They made $25 in less than two hours. They were thrilled.
Tommy and their friend Nathan came out to "help"too. Mostly the boys just drank the lemonade and ate cookies and cupcakes so the girls decided not to share any of the money with them.
Tommy was hit with a tummy bug - or perhaps too many cookies from the lemonade stand. He was pretty sick all night but bounced right back the next day.
Jeremy was assigned to give a talk in stake conference on diligence. He did an amazing job. So many people told me how great it was. I was wrestling four kids at the back of the stake center gym, so I didn't get to enjoy most of his talk.
We hit some 90 degree days in June. It was too hot for us! The girls decided to use some of their business money to buy a little swimming pool. We filled up the turtle sand box for Joey too, but he didn't want to get in. Nothing like a cool little pool to beat the heat.
June was a stressful month for Mommy. One day I totally lost it with the kids. Sweet Lily went to my nightstand and brought me my Orange Rhino to help me remember that I want to "Yell less...Love more" as a mom. This book has been so helpful for me. I am so thankful for children who allow me to try again and keep learning how to parent. And I am thankful for the tender way Lily reminded me of my goal. The Orange Rhino is a visual reminder from the book "Yell Less, Love More" that the author used to keep hanging in various rooms of her house to help herself not yell at her kids for one year. I am nowhere near that yet. But we're all trying!
To beat the summer blahs, I made us a daily chore chart. Before the kids could play with friends or have free time, they had to finish the list on top. Before they could have screen time, they had to finish the chart on the bottom. We used this chart all summer long and it was amazing! It was a great way to help us have more productive days and avoid too much screen time.
We hosted a little neighborhood pool/trampoline/sprinkler party. It was fun, but I was too busy hosting to get pictures. I'm glad I got this one of him taking a lemonade break with his fishy towel.
Annie started soccer. We looked forward to her weekly practices and games. Sitting in the shade on the cool grass was nice for all of us. Some nights we would pack a picnic dinner to eat too.
Oh the lazy days of summer with all their buddies.
Tommy has been interested in our strawberry patch. He loves to help pick berries. He's better at it this year. In previous years, he tried to help by putting the piked berries back in the plants where they belonged. He finally realized that they taste good and was motivated to be a picker this year.
Joey is finally old enough to play in the tub with Tommy. The boys are enjoying this new time together. More water ends up on the floor than we would prefer, but we know this bath time is good for their relationship. Such cuties!
I found Lily reading to Joey and Annie one night while I prepared dinner. It is so awesome to see her growth in reading ability. And I love that she enjoys reading to her siblings.
Annie decided she was ready to learn to ride without training wheels. She got all geared up and asked Daddy for a tutorial. Daddy was so patient, but Annie was not. We'll try again soon.
I planted begonias and pansies in our window boxes this year. They did great. I think I will do begonias every year they don't require a lot of maintenance and they thrived in the shady location.
I told you Tommy was invested in his berry patch! He would check the plants daily. I'm amazed any berries made it into the house. He always asked me to take pictures of his berries after picking. He's so cute, how could I resist?
Sweet Joey turned 10 months old this month. He is crawling everywhere and trying to walk along furniture and walls. He even walks while being held up. None of our other kids were this mobile at this age. I think he'll be an early walker. Heaven help me.
Part of the deal with the summer chore chart was doing something creative every day. Annie decided to sculpt with Play-Do one morning. She made a cupcake and two lady bugs. They were too adorable. Great job Annie!
The kids also had to do at least 20 minutes of physical activity to earn a check on their charts. One day I caught them playing "Hot Lava" in the living room. They set up safe rocks to help them jump from one piece of furniture to the other. They just couldn't touch the carpet because it was hot lava. They ended up playing for over an hour and they played it at least once a week the rest of the summer.
Nothing like an afternoon at the park.
Tommy loves to help me bake. He can even crack eggs!
We reserved some of the strawberries to make milkshakes. Oh man, they were fantastic!
Our neighbor invited us to the lake for the afternoon. We all loved it. Joey couldn't get enough of the sand. And I learned that smooth rocks are great for teething babies.
We swam and played in the sand. Joey kept running his hands through the sand. Annie made some sandcastles and Tommy even ventured into the water on his own. I love our little Rigby Lake.
Jeremy surprised me with a date night hike to the top of the Menan butte. It was a gorgeous evening. the weather was wonderful. The views of the valley were full of summer golden splendor.
Jeremy has been training for his Mt. Rainier climb, so I thought nothing of his backpack on the hike. When we reached the top, he pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, and a picnic dinner - complete with a blanket to sit on. We sat and watched the sun and enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was a much needed break for us.
So beautiful. The last picture is at the trail head. I can't wait to do it again.
Lily left me this note one morning. I just love it.
Our neighbors organized a water balloon fight for the kids. They bought a few of those rapid fill kits that you can hook up to a hose and it blows up 100 balloons in less than a minute. It was awesome. Balloons everywhere!
Annie looking super cute at soccer practice!
Joey got to try his first strawberry. Just a few minutes later he was covered from heat to toe in bright red juice. It was worth it.
Our most exciting news for the month is.....we bought a new van, and Joey started walking at only 10 months old! Our Dodge minivan was having a lot of issues but the biggest one was the transmission. With all the traveling we had scheduled for the summer, we didn't want to risk driving the van and having it break down. So we bought a Toyota Sienna. We love it. The best feature is a built in dvd player with wireless headphones. We can't wait to try it out on our long drive to Washington in July!
Look at him go! Joey is officially a walker, He can get up and down on his own and go for 6-8 steps at a time. We love that he's more mobile because he's so heavy! Our last week of June was the Hall Family Reunion. It was so much fun that it deserves it's own post. Coming soon!
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