Start of SUMMER!

Memorial Day weekend was our s-l-o-w start into SUMMER! Heath was out of school, the pool opened, and we hit the cabin! But Nolan and I still had some school to finish. 

We had yet another soccer game cancelled due to wet fields, so we took advantage of our free Saturday morning and took a walk up to Starbucks and King Soopers for coffee and donuts. 

We love this walk as a family. 

On our walk home the boys were convinced that it had warmed up enough to go to the pool. 

So, we obliged them and let them take a chilly dip! 

I sat pool side in jeans and a hoodie. Ha! 

But they had a GREAT time! 

Can you tell the weather wasn't that great? 

But there was no lightening, so the pool was open!

And if the pool is open, we're pretty much there! 

After all the rain we've had, our yard has never looked better! Brooks wanted to get in on the mowing action! 

We also did some bike riding that weekend. 

And we LOVED our time at the cabin! 

Of course, we went on a hike. 

And did some exploring. 

We are quite the crew! 

Somehow it ended up being a beautiful day with very little rain! 

The views there, NEVER GET OLD.

The swings were a hot commodity. 

Brooks keeping warm inside playing some Bags. 

Shuffleboard fun! 

Uncle Wes served up slices of watermelon the size of their heads! Watermelon = SUMMER! 

Nolan and I headed back to school that week, but we hit the pool after school every chance we got! 

And it was still pretty much empty most of the time! 

Tired out after a lot of swimming. Sweet thang! 

You will be seeing an overabundance of pool pictures this summer, I'm sure. I just can't resist. 

Nolan also started baseball! On this Wednesday he had school, soccer, and then baseball! He was a busy boy! 

Go Parker Pirates! 

Baseball has also gotten off to a slow start with 1 missed practice and 2 missed games due to storms. When will this rain end? But he is having fun and has a great coach this season too. Even though Daddy wanted a season off of coaching, he is finding it hard to sit on the sidelines, and has started to help out a bit. I guess coaching is in his blood! 

Baseball overlapped with Soccer for 2 weeks. 

But we wrapped up our season as FLAMES! 

We really enjoyed the Upward program. 

It focuses on EFFORT, SPORTSMANSHIP, OFFENSE, DEFENSE, and CHRISTLIKENESS. 

The boys earned stickers each week for the qualities that they most exemplified. They also had to memorize scriptures and could earn extra stickers each time they could independently recite their verse. I was so proud of them! They rocked the verses and were the only kids on the team that knew their verse every week. I guess it helps when your Dad's the coach and your Mommy is Type A and a teacher. Ha! 

This picture of Heath cracks me up. He was on Defense but it looks like he is doing Yoga! Oh boy! He was the youngest and smallest on the team but worked hard to give his best effort and hang in there with older and bigger kids. It was fun to see him really start to understand the sport.

Nolan grew more aggressive, faster, and more confident over the season. He also could kick the ball stronger and farther than any other kid on the team. 

Look at his face. Ha. 

Coach Mark did an excellent job wrangling these crazy kids, building their character and hearts, and teaching them a thing or two about soccer. I'm so thankful for his serving and patient heart. We didn't score many goals but these kids truly WON with Mark as their coach! 

The boys were THRILLED to receive their first trophies. When we were in the car later, Heath hopped in first and was alone in the car. I saw him staring at his trophy up close and heard him whisper to himself, "I can't believe I have a trophy!" He had the sweetest smile on his face and it was one of those moments I was so happy to catch.

 Win or Lose I hope they always work hard, be brave, be kind, and be proud of themselves! 

Celebrating Cohen's 5th Birthday! 

The cousins had a blast all being together! 

We love you Cohen! Thanks for letting us party with you! 

And finally, it was my LAST.DAY.OF.SCHOOL! Kim has watched Heath and Brooks for a few years now every Monday and Friday afternoon. My last day of school was also the boys' last day with her! They will both be in school on Mondays and Fridays next year while I'm working. So Kim decided to take them all to the splash park to celebrate the start of summer and send them off to their new schedule next year with a little summer fun. 

They had a great time! 

We are so thankful for the love, care, patience, and fun she has given them over the years. We are so grateful to have family and friends watch our boys while we work. It's a gift. 

And once again, I have thrown 5 million photos in one post, but I'm just trying to get caught up. I'm almost there! We've been busy, but it's all been GOOD! Really needing this summer to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. So thankful for the time with my guys!