What Did You Do This Summer?

Good question. Summer 2010 has been the year of the "stay-cation" for us. We didn't go on any big trips, but we've still been very busy! About a month ago, we said goodbye to a faithful friend: Jeff's 10-year-old Xterra. I've got to say that I was attached to it. It was our first major purchase after we got married. We logged a lot of miles (almost 200,000!) and a lot of good memories in that truck.

Speaking of good memories, I can't let the summer go by without mentioning Toy Story 3. I'll admit it, I cried...a lot...in the theater. If you've had a little boy who lived and breathed Buzz and Woody for the first 5 years of his life, then you'll know why. If you haven't, then you might think I'm ridiculous. I know it's cliche, but they grow up SO fast. Here's a picture of the kids and Meme playing with the Potato Heads. Meme and Pop took them to see the movie for a second time before they left on their trip to Alaska.

After the trip, the kids (with a little help from Mom) made signs to welcome them home.

Also growing up before our eyes is our puppy Lucy. The first picture was taken at the end of May:

And this one was taken about 2 months later:

She's about 30 lbs. now and keeps our backyard in disarray. She has a lot of energy and likes to dig! One of the casualties of her digging is my tiny garden. (It's more like a glorified flower bed.) I can't blame it all on the dog though. By other accounts, this has not been a great year for gardening. I did take one picture of my produce:

Suspiciously absent from my blog is much ranting about the heat. It has been a scorcher this year, but my dad said that tolerating the heat should be a badge of honor for true Southerners. So I'm trying to suck it up a little bit, but I still don't like it!

One of the best parts of our summer has been visiting with all of the cousins. The Johnson and Stacy kids all got to come home for extended visits. We've also seen Abby lots this summer since she has been babysitting for us on the days that Jeff's and my schedules overlap. And in 2 weeks, my kids are going to "camp" at Aunt Debbie's house with Jenna all week. Pictures (and most likely, crazy stories) to follow.

Jared (who just turned 14!) and Nathan playing Wii. Jared schooled Nathan on Mario Kart the last time they played, so this time Nate wanted to teach him how to play Super Mario Bros.

Jenna still thinks Ashley is a baby and wants to carry her around. Ashley doesn't mind the attention. On a side note, in almost every picture I've taken of Ashley this summer, she is wearing "bracelets" on her arms. They are not Silly Bandz (though she has plenty of them) but ponytail holders. Usually, she's wearing at least a dozen! It's her new thing.

That just about sums up our summer to this point. It's hard to believe that school starts in less than three weeks!