In June, the whole Evans clan headed off for a long weekend at Lake Powell. Wipe the jealousy off your faces, folks, cuz' the weather was crappy most of the time we were there. We froze our butts off in the wind, chilled to our cold, wet bones. We did get about half of one day with a little sun and not much wind, and we made the best of it and had a great time anyways with the family.
June was also Maycie's second birthday. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast! We celebrated it at the Reservoir again this year- it was great, and all the kids had fun playing in the water. I made Maycie a giant cupcake for her cake, and she loved it. She is obsessed with cupcakes, so she especially loved the play cupcake set that she got from her Aunt Kim, as well as the darling tea table that she got from her Grandma Tina and Mom.
Our family got at watch a lot of ballgames during the month of June, with both Wyatt playing baseball, and me playing softball. Wyatt is a great little baseball player, and I'm not just saying that because I'm his Mom- he really is. He hits well, and he can catch just about anything that comes his way. I won't go so far as to say that he gets it from his Mom, though I really didn't do too badly at my own games.
The Evans clan headed off to Island Park for our annual trip at the end of June. The weather was pretty nice, and we had a great time- as we do every year. We spent a day driving through Yellowstone, and I practically walked right up to a buffalo along side the road for a picture. He was very polite and posed very well, don't ya think? Old Faithful was still there waiting for our yearly visit, and it erupted with joy to see us- right on schedule. The kids had a lot of fun playing games with their cousins, and everyone had a great time riding 4-wheelers, walking around the island, and competing in the family Olympics. We were sad to leave at the end of the week, and already can't wait until next year.
Next on the list would be the Forth of July and Wyatt's birthday (which is actually on the Fifth). We spent the day in Layton with my Silotti family, and started it out with a big family breakfast. We then all headed out to watch the parade in Kaysville, where the kids all got lots of treats, prizes, and stuffed animals. The guys even got ties, though a some of them were pretty ugly. Luckily, Zane's isn't too bad, because he thinks it's great and wears it with pride. Later that afternoon, we had a big family BBQ and celebrated Wyatt's birthday. I can't believe he's eight now! Grandpa Silotti made sure to give him eight birthday spanks (and one to grow on) to teach him a lesson for growing up so fast! I bought him cupcakes with Sponge Bob rings on them, and the checkout lady asked why I would want cupcakes with pieces of cheese on them. We ended the day with sparkler fun and a great fireworks display, which has always been my favorite part of the Forth.
I'll make mention of the 24th of July as well, since we always look forward to that, too. My kids love to go to the rodeo and carnival, though thankfully we managed to skip the latter this year. Too many horror stories of people getting sick and throwing up on the rides the new carnies brought this year... We also never miss the parade, though my kids thought the candy throwing was a little lacking this time. We had a BBQ with family and friends in the evening, and the kids had lots of water fun with a dunk tank and bounce splash. At the end of the festivities, we watch the fireworks off our back deck, and I must say we have the best seats in the house!
August 1st was a special day, as Wyatt was able to be baptized and confirmed by his Dad. We had a nice baptism program for him where both his Grandmas spoke and the kids sang a song. He wasn't even scared to get dunked, though with Zane doing the dunking, I would've been! Afterwards, we had everyone over for lunch to celebrate with him. We're very proud of Wyatt and love him very much.
If you're tired of reading this, too bad, cuz' I'm not done yet. August always brings around another family reunion, so we headed out to Bear Lake for a long weekend of camping *#^%@! fun. Yes, that was a swear word. In the best circumstances, I don't really like to camp. But this year was extra awesome, as the weather was rainy and cold, so I got to deal with a leaky tent on top of it all. And sadly, we only go to go out on the boat for a couple of hours because it was too windy. The weekend did have it's bright spots, though. My aunt made all the kids marshmallow shooting guns which they utilized the ENTIRE time, and we all love the paper dig and evenings around the campfire. We also got treated to an authentic Polynesian Luau, as my cousin, the new Governor Gary Herbert's bodyguards are Polynesian, and they put on quite a dinner and show for everyone. Though I liked the pig, I must say I hope all those Polynesian Islands get McDonalds' before I go to visit! We ended the trip with our customary devotional on Sunday, and the weather cleared up nicely for that. Though we spent most of the time cold and/or wet, I still wouldn't miss going and visiting with my family that I don't get to see very much.
Alivia had quite a lot of fun this summer teaching dance classes with a few of her friends to all the little girls in the neighborhood. They were quite professional, and had the girls divided up into two different age groups. Classes were faithfully held each week, and they even helped the little girls make costumes and held a dress rehearsal to prepare for an end of summer performance. The recital was held on the church cultural hall stage, and boasted quite a nice turnout. Most of the neighborhood was in attendance to watch their daughters perform, and perform they did- it was quite entertaining! Teachers Alivia, Taylor, Bailey, and Camryn stood at the back to help coach the girls through their several dances, and they even performed a dance of their own. I must say their recital rivaled those of the best dance studios around- why pay out your rear for formal dance classes when you can get such quality instruction for FREE? The girls did a great job teaching, and all the little girls performed wonderfully and had such a good time. I'm sure all the moms in the neighborhood join me in thanking them for the best, no-charge summer activity ever!!
That brings me to the here and now. Today is the first day of school, and I'm a little sad that the summer has come and gone so quickly. Let me rephrase- I'll miss the warmth of summer, but let me hear a Whoop Whoop that the kids are now in school! Holy crap, it's quiet in here!! There's no FIGHTING!!! Just a minute while I let the tears of joy wash over me... okay, I'm good now. Anyways, they sure looked cute as I kicked their butts out the door! See ya in six blissful hours!!
