On To June

June was busy, busy, busy....go, go, go! I’m sure that is how summer is for everyone. Let’s begin the list of June activities, shall we?

Every chance we got, we took advantage of the warm evenings and headed up the canyon for a BBQ. It is nice being so close to American Fork Canyon. We went twice in June. First at a random spot up the canyon, and then again at Mutual Dell. Both were fun and delicious, and Charlie was a gem. This time at Mutual Dell, I knew this was where I wanted to have Charlie’s First Birthday party. I had been anxious and nervous about it up until I knew this would be the spot. It would be perfect: spacious, beautiful, fun, great food, and a place that Charlie loves! (More on his party to come.)

A stroll at Tibble Fork after dinner...pushin' it way passed his bedtime

At Mutual Dell making dutch oven peach and blueberry cobler

June is a crazy month for birthdays! There are two birthdays on my side, four on Jason’s side, and then add Charlie to that mix. It is nuts, but very fun! My mom and Kimberly have birthdays two days apart, so the girls got together for a fun afternoon outing. Mom, Camry, Charlie, and I met up in Draper, picked up Kimberly for an extended lunch break, and headed to City Creek. We looked in a few of the shops, but the main item on our agenda was lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Yum! It was a fun outing....something that all of us don’t get to do very often.

Love Cheesecake Factory! They brought out a plate just for Charlie with bread and banana slices...without being asked! So impressed!

That evening, Jason, Charlie, and I met up with my cousin Brooke (Arbon side), and her husband and baby girl, Olivia. They only had a week or so left before they were going to move to Nevada for school. We definitely wanted to take advantage of that time to see them before they left. We met up at Chili’s for a fun dinner. Their little baby is the cutest thing I have ever seen! She is only four months younger than Charlie. She has the sweetest eyes and the longest eyelashes! Good luck with school! We miss you guys!

For most of May, my friend Amy was in Cambodia for a humanitarian effort/vacation. She was gone for three weeks! That is a long time to be without one of your best friends! I was especially anxious for her return because for my birthday in May, my brother Tyson surprised me with a working version of Kings Quest VII (which was a favorite game of mine and Amy’s when we were young). I didn’t want to start the game without her, so I had to wait for her return from Cambodia. When she finally got back, it was an awesome reunion...as we played King’s Quest to our hearts delight! It is a terribly embarrassing thing to do as adults, but it really gave us a high as we took a walk down memory lane. Such a fun gift, Tyson! Thank you! We are still enjoying your gift to this day...as we still have a couple more levels to beat.

Charlie and I have continued our nearly weekly visit to my mom. When Camry doesn’t have work, she joins in. For one of our weekly visits, my mom and I made homemade laundry soap. We got the idea from my cousin, Bri, loved it, and were anxious to make our own. You can save a bunch of money on laundry detergent this way. The soap-making was a success, and afterward, we headed to the Larsen’s to swim in their pool. Their pool is awesome (I have talked about it before...several times)! It was great for Charlie because they have a very shallow ledge that he can crawl around on, but still be in the water. It is also next to the side, so he can hold onto the wall and walk along it. The Larsen’s also had a giant floaty that he could sit in. We have been to their pool once or twice since then, and every time....Charlie cries when we put him in it, but he always comes around within a few minutes. Such a sensitive little guy!

I finally got some flowers for our outside windowsill. Last year, I had three planters full of flowers that I had to keep replacing since they kept dying. This year I limited it to just one planter. But I have been in love with them! We planted a Dahlinova Carolina, royal purple Lanais, and two apricot trailing petunias. I also planted a Regatta Blue Splash in a separate pot (not pictured here). Every day it brings me genuine pleasure to look out the window and see them there. I love seeing new flowers bloom. I love watering them. I love picking the weeds out of the bed. I love dead heading the old flowers. I love everything in the process of making my flowers flourish!

The beginning of my growing flowers

A fun-packed June so far...and more to come...