random and the Fourth

We've been having fun at Celia's house in the mornings doing home school--Celia is really awesome and does it for kids so we just kind of show up and tag along.  Ruby now knows a ton about dinosaurs and the solar system.  Jane just kind of hangs out with me and plays while Ruby does "Celia School"

                                               
                                               

Springville recently opened Bartholomew Park, which has a little "beach" and is super fun!  I took the girls last week and we met Kerry there with her kids.  Jane was uncertain at first but enjoyed it eventually.  Ruby was hard to get out of the water.  I hate sand but we managed to stay pretty clean!

I forgot Fathers Day!  I mean, not in real life, just to put up pictures.  The patio had just been finished the day before so for breakfast we ate out there and it was glorious.  For presents, we got him R2D2 car air fresheners, an R2D2 kitchen timer (my fave!), and an Oliver Queen POP figure.  The girls and I were so excited :)

We had a low-key 4th of July this year, but it was fun!  Kyle had to work in the morning so I took the girls to Walmart (woohoo!) and we got some shirts and supplies that made us feel festive.

In our matching shirts, we headed to the mountains! I made an awesome picnic lunch for the occasion. We drove the Nebo Loop and "hiked" to Devil's Kitchen, a little mini Bryce Canyon. The hike is really like a short walk on a paved trail--perfect for us.

Eliza came over when we got home and we ran through the sprinklers and I did the girls' nails. Then the Robbins fam came over and we had our favorite summer dessert: Summer Nights Berries and Cream. It has a hand motion and everything.  The picture of our fruit is sad because the strawberries weren't plated yet, but it was really pretty when it was ready.  I wanted to drink the cream right out of the bowl.

After doing sparklers, we let the girls stay up super late and watched fireworks.  It'll be nice someday when they're old enough to not fall apart because it's so past bedtime!

The Patio!

When Grandma Kay and Grandpa Dee moved to Provo, they had a lot of things to downsize. They generously gave us their patio set with table, 4 chairs, and big umbrella.  It was awesome and motivated us to finally do something about our teeny little concrete pad.  After MUCH deliberation we decided to do it all ourselves, which meant pavers, because we're afraid to pour concrete.  We were worried that would look weird with our existing patio but my friend Katy found plenty of pictures of similar projects that assuaged our hesitation.

This "before" picture is actually after we ripped out plants and pesky monkey grass. I am still haunted by the giant spider I found.

Cutting out the sod was probably the hardest part, and took 3x longer than we thought. But that's when Kyle started getting really buff and tan. And I helped a little!  And the bugs we unearthed will frequent my dreams forever.

Kyle, I learned, is amazing. Ok I already knew that, but I was so impressed with his skills!  He did so much leveling and measuring and stuff!   He figured out the right way to complete objectives with research and then did it. No shortcuts.

The majority of time on this project was spent on trips to Lowes, loading pavers and sand onto the cart, unloading into the car, and then unloading into the backyard.  KYLE IS RIPPED YOU GUYS.  I helped on all these trips too but am less ripped.  I struggled with each paver but Kyle could easily take 2 at a time!  He's so hot.

Once we were almost done, we REALLY wanted to finish.  It's also incredibly hot out and we have no shade (next year's project), so that meant that we started after the kids went to bed and worked until we couldn't see anymore.

For the final part, we rented a plate compacter, which is an incredibly cool tool.  And another example of Kyle doing things the right way.  I was amazed at what a difference it made!

The finished product!  We got a kid table, a comfy swing, and cute side table for my Diet Coke.  I went from spending zero time outside to hours outside.  I love sitting on the swing and watching the girls play, and every evening before bed we go outside and sit and eat popsicles.  Sometimes after the girls are in bed and it's not super hot finally, Kyle and I sit outside on the swing and just talk for a while!  It's heavenly.  I now love my backyard, even though we have a lot more to accomplish out there!

the next week

After picking up Mom at the airport, she and Katy hung around for a few days and then Dad came. We spent time with other relatives, went to the splash pad, ate lots of ice cream, went shopping, hung out on my awesome patio, and did our other fun Utah stuff.