August 2016

August was filled to the brim with fun.  We stayed busy the entire month and it was a great way to end our summer.

eBay held a work party at the zoo and the girls loved every minute. 

We had some extra tickets so we got to have our friends, The Sagum's join us. 

Payne Family Reunion: Bear Lake

Bear Lake was beautiful and the company was even better.  Having the whole Payne family together again was amazing and it was 5 days of more fun than we could handle.  You know its a great vacation when you never want it to end!

Raspberry Shakes were a must for the first night there...

Our first full day was spent at Rendezvous Beach where we rented water Trampolines, kayaks, and canoes.  We swam, tubed, paddle boarded, and played in the sand.  It was a little cold at first but we still had a wonderful day. 

That night was the Raspberry Days Parade and it was pretty amazing.  Shirts, frisbees, balls, and more candy than the kids actually needed. 

And then we all got to go see "Ready! Fire! Aim!" at the Pickleville Playhouse.  This play was a riot! It was such a fun night for adults and kids.  

Gavin and Becky mastered one of the famous moves of the play...

Day 2 started with The Raspberry Days Carnival...

And then on to another beach where we could walk out into the lake for at least a mile...

The neighborhood moose stopped by for a meal right outside of the house we were staying in. He was so close!

That night we crammed everyone into a local mexican restaurant for a great meal. 

When your older cousins are awesome they play ring around the rosies with you...

And then back to the house for some backyard fun...

And of course when you have an insanely talented photographer in the family you take advantage whenever you can.  Thanks to Becky we always get such amazing family pictures. 

Day 3 started at the Minnetonka Cave.  Grandma stayed home with the youngest kids and it really helped us to be able to enjoy this with the older ones!  This was a really cool experience... 888 steps one way, amazing formations, and feeling an actual total darkness... crazy!

Day 4 began super early for Tess and I when she woke up crying at 6am.  To avoid waking the rest of the house up I decided to take her for an early morning stroll.  We walked a beautiful 6 miles!

At some point around mile 3 she fell asleep...

Family Devotional

This kid... eating all the marshmallows out of the box while everyone else was focused on the devotional!

The boys got some golf time in.  This hole was practically right in our backyard!  It was fun to see them play through!

Aunt Becky taught the kids how to make some paper birds and they loved it...

Tess and Nater taking turns spinning each other on the chair...

 I have been blessed to be a part of this group of women.  They have each taught and inspired me in countless ways and I am always grateful for the time I get to spend with them.  

Tess sure loved having Natalee and Carson around all the time...

And these girls were inseparable the entire time!  I really love seeing how close they are with their cousins even though they don't get to see them as often! 

Lunch... Extremely Large Pizzas!

Tess getting some extra loves from Aunt Sara and Uncle Ry-Ry before having to say goodbye.  We hate seeing this family leave Utah, but we cherish the time that we get to spend with them.  

We picked up a cute little puppy on our travels too...

Grandpa sharing his last raspberry shake of the trip...

On our final night in Bear Lake we decided to try out one of these 6 seater bicycles.  They are much more difficult than they look and completely impossible going uphill!  But we had a lot of laughs and a great workout!

Shaved Ice was a must afterwards...

Tried to keep busy filling as much of the last couple weeks of summer as we could.  

Museum of Natural Curiosity is always such a fun time.  

Sometimes water fun in the backyard is necessary when kids are slightly under the weather yet still wanting to be entertained. 

I really do have a pretty great view...

Relief Society outdoor movie was a lot of fun with these 2...

Sometimes we swim when we are at the pool.  And sometimes we lay out and take selfies...

One night we headed to a nearby park to let the girls play for a little while.  They immediately found a wandering cat and as they got closer they discovered a dead mouse that the cat was eating.  It was kind of gross but something that Tess couldn't stop talking about and would remember even months later when we came back to this particular park. 

Thanksgiving Point Farm.  These girls love animals and its fun to see them get excited when they see them.  

The Dinosaur Museum is always a roar...

I randomly decided one day to take the girls down to Price to reminisce at some of my favorite places from my college years.  Of course the first stop was Grogg's for the best Italian Chicken Sandwich ever.  It never disappoints.

Next we hit up the Dinosaur Park for some playground fun...

And lastly was swimming at the Wave Pool.  It was such a fun-filled day and I was so glad that we made the drive down there.  

At the beginning of summer/late spring, Addie decided that she wanted to start a business.  She put in all of her money to purchase candy and soda, made posters, and took fliers around the neighborhood to let people know that Addie's Candy Cart was open for business.  She worked hard and spent a lot of time walking around the neighborhood, through parks, and sitting out in front of the house and she loved every minute.  So proud of our little entrepreneur! 

This little lady loves to sing.  We are always surprised by the songs that she can actually sing along to.

Just before school started I had a chance to accompany Devin on one of his business trips back to San Jose.  It has officially been a year since we moved from California and it was so good to be back.  Naturally, our very first stop was the beach at Santa Cruz and dinner overlooking the water. 

The next day while Devin worked, I got to hang out with my favorite friend, Adriana Villamizar.  We headed out to Half Moon Bay for... that's right... more beach time.  It was a little chilly but it was amazing to just smell and hear and feel the ocean.  Plus any time with this lady is a good time.  

Then later that evening we got together with our other amazing friends, who are really like our California family.  We have really missed these people and it was so fun being with them again.

(Mike and Kate Montgomery, Gordon and Chrissy Dix, Dan and Adriana Villamizar, Us, Marshall and Olivia Derham)  

The next day Devin and I got to hang out in San Francisco for the first time without kids.  Oh how I have missed this beautiful city.  I definitely left my heart here.

 Eating at Scoma's has been on our bucket list but with our picky eaters we were never able to make it happen.  It was everything we hoped that it would be.  Just amazing. 

And then on to the AT&T Park for a Giants game.  The park was pretty awesome and it was such a fun night.  

We walked all day and all night and I couldn't have asked for a better trip.  It was so great having some time together in one of our favorite places.  And we are so blessed that we have such wonderful parents who willingly take our children so that we could do this.  And the girls had so much fun with Grandma Payne they didn't even miss us.  

And just like that summer was over and it was time for Back 2 School Night.  Make your own pizza, notes of encouragement, ABC cookies, and Father's blessings just added to the excitement already in the air for school to start.  We were all sad to see our summer end, but Addie and Quincy were  excited and ready for school to begin. 

The start of full day school for the 2 older girls means the beginning of Mom and Tess adventures.  We have tried to stay busy to keep our minds off the fact that sisters aren't around anymore for our personal entertainment. 

Playgrounds...

Ashton Gardens...

And soaking up the last bit of the summer sun with friends.  At this particular outing I managed to swallow a bee.  Yes, a bee.  It climbed down the straw of my drink, unbeknownst to me, and I went for a drink.  It hit the back of my throat and stung me and then I swallowed it.  My throat swelled a little and was in a lot of pain but other than that it was just a very bizarre experience.  

Shopping, where riding the "elligator" is a must...

And sharing drinks at "Tinkerbell" (Taco Bell) per Tess' request. 

Since school started our outings have been pushed to the weekends like visiting Drew in his Cookie Cobbler truck...

And playing around downtown Provo.

 August was such a fun month and we were sad to see it fade away along with summer.  Routines and schedules are back and while that is a good thing I always long for the freedom and sun of the summer.