We Had a LONG and Glorious Summer

I suppose I wasn't done with Summer yet.  And, in fact, I wasn't done with the Camping-Road Trip either. I mean, I thought I was--until I saw these pictures and wanted them posted.


This face says, "Whelp, Mom just stuck me in here. I see miles of space and dirt to play in, and she's confined me to two feet by three feet. Not even a rock to pick up,"...

Then I saw THIS face (you have to look really closely to see how pathetically sad this really is) and figured, "Oh forget keeping him clean! Let the kid have some fun."...

And so he did. He just wanted to lay in it, play in it, and stay in it. THIS is a happy camper...

THIS is NOT a happy camper...

And these are the cause (believe it or not, this is the cleanest her feet ever got on this leg of the trip)...

Camping was done, we showered, we drove, we spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Harrington (shamefully no pictures) and then... The Zoo!...

Goodbye, Road trip. You were wonderful. All 40 hours of car sitting. Well, maybe not all--but a sizable chunk.

We went to Temple Square...

Taylor got a crazy hankering to take pictures as we walked around. So with a little help from me (just so the camera didn't fall and break) she snapped these...

 The spontaneous Trip to the Bouncy House with cousins (no narrative needed)...

I came across some random Sister Pictures that make it to the Summer Faves...

I love my sisters. A lot. There's nothing like going home for the weekend--chatting with sisters--staying up 'til 3 in the morning--regretting the sleep--and cherishing the memories. These two are the best. 

I got to go to Education Week this year. Russ manned down the fort while I was off to play. I know, I know. Russ is a saint and I don't deserve him. I'm learning to live with that.

Here is the gang I hung with, only Becky Vanatter wasn't in this picture :( (notice the absence of children? for a whole week??!! I did miss them--almost as much as I loved being at Education Week :])...

Top three favorite quotes from Education Week (in no particular order):

In Randal Wright's class:

     "If you go to bed at 10:00pm and get up at 6:00am, things will work out for you."

                    -Gordon B. Hinckley

In Lawrence Flake's class:

     "A mother's intuition is the purest form of revelation."

                    -Harold B. Lee

"To succeed in Life you need Three things. The first is a sense of humor. If you have that, the other two don't matter."

                    -J. Reuben Clark (I don't remember if it was Jr. or not)

Then Taylor had a Birthday!!!

The beautiful five year old on her big day...

Here she is being goofy...

Now the two of them (I love how Brecken is trying to push Taylor out of the shot)...

The actual blowing out of candles (hmmm candle)...

Why do I love this child? She is an angel. She is so affectionate. She is so ready to love--everyone. If ever I need a hug or a kiss to love  my sorrows away Taylor is the one I call upon. Her sweetness is unmatched by anyone. And, true, she has spunky, goofy, and sensitively emotional sides--but I love them! I love this girl!!!

Well, chronologically this is where I would put our trip to Hawaii. But... that's getting its own post. So I will end with our Day at the Fair.

My favorite little place at the fair was the farm they had for the kids to work. It was so much fun! and so stinking cute!...

And of course the kids loved the rides...

This one was just sweet to me...

Life is sweet.