August came and went so fast that I'm sitting here, looking at these pictures wondering how it is mid-November already!
We started off August by attending our first BYU Devotional since graduating (and my first summer devotional!) because this good-looking and amazing guy was the speaker:
Kirt did an amazing job speaking about service. Afterwards, we went out for lunch and ice cream at the Creamery.
Also in August:
Michael's favorite things to make are ships and airplanes. There are usually crazy guns and missiles on them. They travel really fast and would put actual battleships and planes to shame.
Lea dog-sat a friends dog for a week and brought him over for a visit. Gabe loved this new furry friend. The dog didn't like being banished to the backyard though.
Rachel is my shopping buddy, but she's also just a kid, so while she was happy to let me drag her all over the mall, helping me pick out new shoes, she did ask to ride the train, and I couldn't say no.
And in order for her to take a selfie with me, I had to pull out the funny sticker things:
I think this is my lap at church, but I'm not really sure.
A lazy Sunday afternoon:
I love how babies just kick their feet up like this. Gabe always does it when he's reading a book. It kills me.
We got a smart sprinkler box. It's supposed to automatically detect when it rains and put the system on a delay.
Post scripture study tickle session and dog piles:
Brothers make the best friends.
That day that Gabe found Rachel's hat:
A soccer game. More on that soon:
Once, when we were eating at Zupas, we saw a guy that looked like a ladder put on pants. We're 99% sure it was Sean Bradley. This guy was so incredibly tall! His shoulders were above the top of the drink dispenser!
We'd been working on re-vamping our patio downstairs to make it more usable. We added turf, lattices, and finished these headboard benches back in July, but I finally took a picture of it in August.
The kids play here more. It just feels nicer. I love it!
We made these benches out of old headboards that Brian and his siblings used growing up. The other pieces came from extra wood from projects, including the legs and the seat (minus the fabric and cushion) was made from our old handmade (aka painted plywood) headboard.
And here's our shed. We added some pavers, weed paper, and dirt. Next spring, we'll plant something here.
It's rare, but sometimes Rachel just falls asleep during the day. Here's one of those rare occasions. Always so sweet.
Oh Gabe!
Movie night:
I found this awesome gem one day. Good advice all around.
School shopping! We didnt' buy this dress.
School shopping: We did buy this shirt
And this one.
Release night tradition continues! Dinner and dessert date with mom.
Gabe is quite the climber.
These captions are really lame. I do apologize. I have nothing exciting to say about the fact that we went for lots of walks in August, and one time we took a picture.
We went to the first BYU Football game. Kirt hooked us up with tickets. My dad came down to visit us, but mostly so he could go to the game, so Michael, my Dad, me, Brian, and Kirt all went. It was really toasty outside, and we won the game...but anyone who has followed BYU football at all this year knows that it was a weak win and we had a terrible season.
But, we're still Cougar fans, even if they don't play well.
And I loved spending the afternoon with some of my favorite guys.
Our HOA threw another great party this year. I missed most of it because of the game, but our sitter took Rachel and Gabe up, and then Brian took Rachel and Michael up later, after we had some dinner. Apparently my kids are rock climbing stars.
They don't get it from me.
Brian and I did a health challenge all summer, which for some reason made us crave baking. So, on our free days, we baked together.
Rachel started the UPSTART program (an online preschool), and she is loving it.
I have no words for this.
Or this:
One Monday, Michael was in charge of our Family Home Evening activity. He chose target shooting with Nerf guns.
And here's Gabe, the ever present sidelines cheerleader at soccer games, whether he liked it or not :)
Summer vacation ended way too quickly. And then we were in full blown schedule mode again in September.
