July - Part I

Are we really in November already? And am I still writing about July? AH!

July was busy and filled with fun things.

To celebrate Jaleah's birthday, that was back in June, we went to dinner at Wild Zucchini. This was my first time there, it being somewhat new...and I totally loved it! The selection of add-ins was awesome, the flavors were great, the portions were good-sized. Loved it! Can't wait to go again.

And who can forget about the 4th of July...I almost did since it was so long ago...but we had a very fun-filled holiday. We started the morning off at the Provo Parade with the Grubers, complete with tasty donuts (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Gruber). After the parade, we went to Bridal Veil Falls and had a picnic at the park. The kiddos had a blast climbing the waterfall rocks and wading through the stream. That night, Jason, Charlie, and I had dinner at Cubby's (a newer favorite) before driving to my parents house. We ended up going to Jordan High School with them to watch the fireworks. Bryan was gone all day with his Explorers Team doing traffic control. I was super nervous about how Charlie would react with the loud fireworks and it being so late....but he was loving it! He basically just kept running back and forth and spinning in circles to the music that was playing with the fireworks. It was great.

Since my other siblings couldn't join in that night, we had another 4th of July celebration with them the next day. We had a yummy BBQ, played croquet, and then lit off our fireworks in front of the driveway.

Jason had another fun trip/adventure this month. My dad took all of the boys in the family on a backpacking trip in the Uintahs. Jason will have to tell you more about that, but while they were away, the girls got to have some quality time. Well, the girls plus Charlie. We slept over in Draper and spent the first gorgeous evening swimming at Lifetime. Charlie was loving running back and forth through some little fountains in the shallow end of the pool. We definitely need to get that boy a life jacket that he will let us put on him, because he is starting to charge for the deep end. When he wasn't running through the water, he was running around the pool. He always thinks he is being chased, so he runs away and just giggles so hard. It is cute, except for the danger of running and slipping into the pool. Yikes! After our swim, we picked up dinner at Zupas and took it home to eat on the back patio. The weather was just too perfect to pass up. After dinner, we watched an old Arbon classic, The Pink Panther (the Steve Martin edition).

The next day, Tuesday, Camry had to go to work so we had to continue the party without her. While my mom left for a class, Charlie and I went on a bike ride. I love riding around the neighborhood in Draper...the paths are flat, the houses are beautiful, and the yards are immaculate. When my mom got back, she treated me to some maternity shopping. I was searching for a maternity swimsuit, but had little luck. So, we left the mall with a cute top and summer dress instead. That evening I had a bridal shower for one of my good friends from the old Vivint days, Casey Brandt. My mom was nice enough to watch Charlie while I headed to Provo to attend the shower. Still can't believe Casey and Nick Strong got married! So awesome! The next day, Charlie and I headed back home and spent the afternoon at the Springville Splash Pad (that is a great one, too, by the way!), and awaited Daddy's return.

As mentioned in previous posts, Charlie and I practically had weekly play dates and spent a lot of time outside. One special outing was going to Kara's in-law's pool. They have a gorgeous house in Lindon with an amazing backyard. It was fun to let the kiddos splash around in the water in a private setting...no more splashing and spraying from bigger kids. It was a nice change of pace.

It was finally time for the World Cup Final! We were very excited, especially Jason. George and Nancy invited us over to celebrate the event. They treated us to dinner and then we watched the game in anticipation, cheering for Argentina. We really hoped that Messi could lead the team to victory, but after some disgusting flopping from Germany, we saw our dreams slipping further and further away. Regardless of our loss, we enjoyed the weeks we got to spend watching the World Cup.

And, as always, a look at my "precious" flowers in early July: