Summertime Visuals

I know that loving summer, sunshine, and warmth is no novelty to people all over the world, but we Alaskans tend to be extra good at appreciating and soaking it up while it lasts (because it doesn't last long).  This usually means days stuffed full of outdoor activities that extend into the middle of the night (thanks to our abundance of sunshine at 10:30pm).  

To be honest, by the end of the summer I am BEAT, my kid are massively sleep-deprived and cranky (as am I), and I kind of look forward to the slower and shorter days of fall so we can rest and recoup from doing "too much" during the summer months.  

Here are a few snapshots into some of our summer activities the past month or so........

I really cannot wait until I have  my own yard so I can grow my own flower and vegetable gardens.  I have loved going to my mom's and picking and eating her yummy produce.  And of course our Alaskan produce is monstrously huge:

The girls have loved wearing the baby carrot tops as long, green princess hair! 

And Soren has loved spending evenings hanging out with his Grandpa:

We have enjoyed walking over to my cousin Amy's house and visiting her baby goats and baby calf:

Going to Grannie and Grampy's is always fun for rides in Grampy's little red hot rod followed by swinging on the old tire swing:

On lazy Sundays, Garrett has helped Kenadie cultivate an interest in his new hobby of weaving chains out of wire (for jewelry):

She loves it! 

At the beginning of August, Garrett and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary by going back to this beautiful place where we were married:

we spent a morning serving in the temple followed by a kid-free run to Costco and took zero pictures/selfies that day.  Cheap and not very romantic, but we were rushed trying to get ready to leave on a family trip to Utah and then making sure we were prepared for Kenadie to start kindergarten once we got back from our trip.  At the end of the day I snapped this picture of Garrett reading a bedtime story to Kenadie. 

 It melted my heart.

Lately Garrett has been able to come home right before I put the kids to bed and it has been wonderful for them to be able to see him and have a nightly routine that includes him more often.  Garrett doesn't miss a beat once he gets home and gets right to work wrestling (yes, wrestling his girls!), brushing teeth,  reading to our kids, and leading us in family prayer and scripture study, often before he's had a chance to change out of his clinic clothes and eat dinner.  

He is such a hard-working, hard-playing, fun, and loving daddy.

Not to toot my own horn, but I sure know how to pick a good man!  Seven years later and I love him more every day.

Thanks for making our summer adventures possible, Gar, and thanks for taking the time to be a part of them as much has you can. 

Although it remains 70 degrees and sunny this week, I know that these summer days are winding to a close and it's just a matter of time before we see the "termination dust" on the mountains and have to pull out the jackets, coats, and boots.  But it sure was worth this beautiful summer.