Wordless Wednesday (Book Lovers Edition)

-Bethany

Squeezing Out the Last Drops of Summer...

When we returned from Park City and our road trip, everyone's attentions turned towards back to school since we had just one week before the fall routines began.  When we started focusing on the looming school days, I noticed that Palmer started acting out and his new school nerves (something we hadn't yet seen in regards to the transition) kicked in.  After a few missteps with introductions to his new school, I decided we were no longer counting down that last week until school.  Instead, we were going to concentrate on enjoying our last days of summer.

What better way to enjoy lazy summer days than a long weekend at the Sarpong's lake house.  It was the perfect break where we didn't talk about school (although Ellie Sarpong was also facing nerves about being a new student at the same school and the two of them found unspoken solace in their comradery.)

We enjoyed our usual endless pool playtime, hikes to the lake, and a little biking along the way.

 Who doesn't dance ballet to rap music?

Benjamin, the engineer, relished in Palmer's interest of robots and the two of them worked to fix a few problems on Palmer's robot from a camp earlier this summer.

Thank you, Sarpong family.  We always love these carefree summer lake days.

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Back To School

Everyone is back in the swing of their new classes and routines for the fall...

Palmer started second grade at a new school, St. John's.

 

Although we were all sad to leave Palmer's friends and community at Lakewood, he was also excited for the new adventure.  Already, St. John's has been such a welcoming and nurturing environment and within days, Palmer felt at home and comfortable in his new place.  We are looking forward to the new opportunities for growth in second grade.

Welcoming the teachers back on their first day... (Palmer had pre-new school nerves and is hiding behind his green sign in the group photo!)

Palmer joined a competitive golf team at DAC for the fall and is also excited to join the chess club after school at St. John's.

Grace is excited to be the "big woman on campus" at her preschool in the Pre-K 4s class.  "Meet the teacher" turned into one giant playdate when all of the girls in the class already knew each other and quickly hugged and then got to work with their baby dolls in the kitchen center.

Ms. Belinda and Ms. Pat's class!

 
Finally, back to school for Grace..

Grace is returning to her beloved ballet class (which is a little less "princess" songs and a little more serious ballet this year!) and also starting a tumbling class for the fall.

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Park City 2018

Our final destination from our great road trip was our beloved Park City, Utah.  Over the last 5 years, we've really gotten to know the town and area and enjoy it immensely both in the winter and summer seasons.

Because Rick and I are both able to work remotely, we got to spend a good two weeks in the town enjoying biking and hiking and general cooler temps/mosquito free days.

 

Both kids really enjoyed bringing their scooters this year and shredding up the neighborhood skate/bike parks like the locals.

Evening hikes are always a great way to end the day, especially when Grace assigns us all character names from either Winnie the Pooh or Beatrix Potter.

 

We always love watching the athletes train at the Olympic Center.  We could watch them for hours every day (or at least, I can!)

This year, Palmer was old enough to try out the ski jumping class and Grace was old enough to do the ropes course.  Palmer loved his experience and wants to do more.  It was so fun/terrifying to watch his first jumps.

Although Grace may have met the age requirement to do the ropes course, her small stature was not able to reach all of the obstacles up high.  Rick was up with her on the course and said she was super brave, especially because she had to do some things without reaching the hand guides.  Good think Picabo Street's son was up there to cheer Grace along the whole time.  (I talked to Picabo down below and had no idea who she was- I just thought she was a mom and learned later that I was talking to the famous skier.)

The bike park has been a favorite for several years, but this year Rick was excited to take Palmer up on the mountains for biking.  I usually cringed and waited by my phone until I received a sign of life call after the adventure was over.  Eek.

On the second week, we enjoyed a visit from Adrienne, Matt, and Elliott.  It was fun to share our adventures with them.  We enjoyed paddle boarding, ice cream dates, bike riding with little kiddos in the trailers, and outdoor concerts during the week.

This photo pretty much sums the week up...  And sweet Elliott was enamored by everything Palmer did, just like Palmer used to do with big boys when he was little.

One of our highlights was driving on the back roads behind Deer Valley (roads that are closed in the winter) to a remote hike down to Bloods Lake.  The hike is about a mile down to this small and serene lake tucked into the mountains and not seen by the road.  The dads and kids braved the chilly lake temps.  Us moms took pics from the shore instead...

 

Having Adrienne and Matt in town also allowed each couple to take turns babysitting while the other couple had a date night.  Rick and I kicked off our 10th anniversary month with an amazing evening out at the Montage in Deer Valley.  We enjoyed fine food and wine and met an incredible musical artist at the piano, Dustin Christensen.

Park City, thanks for providing the backdrop to good family time.  Rick is convinced we are joining you permanently, but I will settle for longer visits in the future.

-Bethany