Saying Good bye to summer at Yuba Lake

Right before school started, we went to Yuba lake with most of the Ellis clan.  Jake has told me stories of the fun times with his family at Yuba Lake, the naughty things he did as a teenager, and how he hasn't been there in forever.   Needless to say I had NO expectation. 





Ruth getting a sweet ride with Josh.

Jared, Trisa, Jesse and Liam on the boat.

We had a fabulous time!  Jared and Trisa brought their boat and RZR.   Thank You!  The kids played in the water and on the shore line.  Isaac spent about six hours each day making pots from the clay on the shore.  Grace played in the water and Sam did a little of everything.  I sat on my rear under a canopy in the shade and in the afternoon floated on the water.  It really felt like a vacation.




Isaac and Thomas on Liam's fun floaties

Gracie Lou building and exploring.  Jake drove with her how to the cliffs and they jumped off... twice.

Grandma and Sam being silly.

Jake -doing nothing. 

Friends- Jackson and Sam

Isaac and his snorkle

Jesse and Liam

Baby Jake

Grace with London.

Heather enjoying a float.  Later on in the day, insert me.



Ruth, Tom and Trisa enjoying the day.

Sam and his catepillar home.



Isaac's pot pile

Haley floating

 

After a fun weeked, we met Marmee, Jessica and Matt at a snow cone place in Provo.

 

School started the Tuesday after this Saturday evening.  I can't think of a better way to end the summer. 

Family, Friends, Water, Mud, and Snow Cones

 

Doughnut Hair

"Doughnut hair with sprinkles" says Sam.

Sam is a free thinker.  He loves himself and sticks to his ideas.   For the past few months, Sam takes a bath and all he can talk about is Doughnut Hair.  Doughnut Hair is when he lays back in the tub and then sits up with the wet hair stick up in a spikey circle.  Yes folks, doughnut hair is "in."  When we went to get his hair cut, he asked for doughnut hair.  I love that kid! 

Summer Fun: Chug Adventure

The Chugs (Chihuahua/Pug) puppies were born on June 17 and were a big part of our summer until they left for their new homes in August.  Grace LOVED taking care of the puppies.  All of the kids enjoyed them, Sam was a little too rough, but Summer (now London), Tucker (now Stich) and June (now Peanut) are off to a new adventure.  They weren't as bad as I thought they would be, but I was happy when they found new homes.  It is things like this that tell me Grace is getting so big. Grace took the puppies out every morning when she woke up and periodically throughout the day.  She let me know when they needed food and water and gave them lots of love.  I loved the way the puppies go from wobbly walking to jumping in the grass.  I don't love the clean up or the invasion of my laundry room (their home).  Grace and Jake want to do it again.  I think we should enjoy the memory!

Summer: Cousin Adventure

Trisa, my sister-in-law, has an 8, 6,4,and 2 year olds.  I have the in-between years.  Besides the fact that she is awesome and I can use all of the help I can get, I love to do things with her.  "With" meaning we switch off watching each others children.  It worked out really well when Sam and Jackson were in the same preschool so we decided to try it through the summer.  I will not lie, the first time with all 7 kids was a little rough.  I had been used to just 3 and 4.  I had grand ideas for summer adventures, but settled with sprinklers, foil rivers, volcanos, dress up, summer sweets stands and the occasional movie.  Summer flew by and I still got to go grocery shopping alone.

Lehi Days Parade

Jake was in Colorado and I wasn't feeling parade material this year, but there were three.  We pass by the parade route frequently so I was kinda stuck.
I was thinking how crowded 4th of July in Provo is and I really didn't want to mess with it.  It was lovely.  We showed up, found a curb and it started.  I really loved it.  The kiddos were pretty good.  I worry that with all the craziness we find ourselves in, things like community parades will get lost.  I recommitted myself to making the effort.  It is worth it.  It is important.  Our children need a community and it is up to us to make it happen. 
Speaking of Parades:  The Annual Ellis parade at Tom and Ruth is the 23 of July. 

Welcome Summer?

Grace's last day of preschool was last Thursday so I considered Monday to be our first day of summer. I was looking forward to running through the sprinklers and catching bugs, but woke up looking at snow. Today has been much better, but I hope our garden (which we planted on Saturday) survives. Due to the poor memory recording on my part, I just can't be satisfied skipping the last few months, but if I want to get to the gym in the morning I need to go to bed soon so I can't cover it all now. I want to share a video I made of Grace's preschool program. It is long. In the middle is Grace's talent that we came up with (all of the kids did a talent). I am mostly sharing this video so Grace can access it easily and my mom has been kindly asking for a few pictures or something for the last few days... weeks... months..... As for everyone else, the Ellis family is alive and kicking!