Summertime is Long Gone

 ... and unfortunately I couldn't be more ecstatic.  We did have a summer though. It was just a very, very sick one for the mama of the crew.  I will preface what I'm about to say with: #1 I am happy to be pregnant NOW and I don't love to complain, but I will about this.  Thing is though, my first 4 months of pregnancy each time thus far have been a living hell!  I won't lie; there was no happy place to be found.  There is no convenient time to be ill every hour of every day, AKA pregnant.  I cannot believe how sick I was day in, day out.  It would creep in anywhere between 11 am and 1 pm each and every day.  It would stay until I could fall asleep at night.  A never-ending nauseous nightmare, pregnancy is for me.  We all know that it is a necessary nightmare.  However, nothing can change the fact that life flips upside down and that dark cave that I longed for so desperately... the one I could live in for 4 straight months... wasn't an option.  When it's over, the world is a more incredible place than ever imagined.  My boys got a real mom back.  I could look at the color green without dry heaving.  I could have a conversation with D without my lip curling at the stench of the BBQ chips he was eating with lunch. Just a bit of honesty from what happens to be MY experience with the 1st trimester.  Or as I call it, trudging through the muck.  I guess more than anything I apparently still need to vent about it, imagine that :) I could go on for hours about any aspect of any trimester of pregnancy and/or birth.  It fascinates me how varied each woman's experience is.  Our bodies are wicked amazing.

I have never felt especially moved to take a picture of my pee stick, let alone make it so other people have to look at it.  It's just it feels like the last time for EVERYTHING if this is truly our last baby.  I am still a little bitter about the sick part, but you should see how recklessly nostalgic I am about soooo many things.  I have already cherished Lennox as if he is our last.  D and I are mush at every last thing he does that is still so "baby."  Whatever's mushier than mush is what we will be with this new little baby boy.

So back to summer.  I was dying that I wasn't able to give my boys the wonderful summer I had in mind for them; outside every day, swimming in many different pools, playdates and park time galore, zoo and Red Butte trips until they couldn't handle one more ounce of fun.  Well let's just say I tried and I have sweet, adaptable boys.  And so summer ended up passing the test.

Bon Iver 5.29.12 - Our first concert at Red Butte Garden!  It was absolutely beautiful up there.  The sound was amazing and the band did an incredible job.  The song "Holocene" is so close to my heart.  They played it to perfection.  Plus, we got to hang with Blake and Codi, which was fun.  A wonderful night!

I have to thank my parents; since D works so much, they help me out a LOT.  I am so thankful for them!  They are the best grandparents of all time.  On this particular night my dad was working on fixing the sprinklers and stopped what he was doing just so the boys could dig in the dirt.  

Loving the carousel

Skeptical of the carousel

Jig loves his polar bears

He is such a mini-D.  It astounds me.  We've watched this over and over, it's a treasure-

Jig's first haircut

Swimming at Mirjeta's; playing with Tavi & Tayt

Crosby's swim class @ Liberty Park

He had fun!

Spending Time

Playing with the marbles @ Marian's... one of Crosby's favorite things.  D tiled part of her basement this summer.  We love her dearly.  I love how she says to me, "You're one of my girls!"  She felt so badly that I was sick and brought us dinner one night.  I remember homemade enchiladas, fresh fruit, corn on the cob, and eclairs.  She is 92.

Croz and Luce... playdate on the moon

and Mars

My guys.

Cloud-gazing with Nan

Making faces with Grandpa

My mom got these guys dual shopping carts.  They absolutely love them and are very protective of them!

Ice cream for lunch some days.

Swim party at Kelsey and Bryan's

Cam & Audrey came to town!  Nan introduced Jig to the book "Boo Bunny."  He had a love affair with it all summer and loves to read it with Nan.  The kids were laughing at how he says, "Ha-ha-Halloween Night..."

Hanging with Uncle Cam

Cousins

Soccer with Dad

Jon & Susan had rented a huge bounce/waterslide house and so the kids had a blast playing and having a water fight

Camping at Redman

Jumbo hopped in the photo

Mountain Men

4th of July

My mom's gourmet cupcakes

Free wagon rides

I had time alone with Jig this day; we had such a good time

Cart racing

Eden's baptism

Reading is better with sunglasses

Lennox wanted to go for a ride in his monster truck.  Needless to say it had been sitting stagnant for weeks.

I was pushing him around for a bit when I finally noticed he was being bothered by something-

Especially when he started going, "Ooooh!  Oh!"

I felt so horrible... had no idea his bare baby legs were right next to a hornet's nest :(  So glad he escaped without a scratch on him

24th of July - we braved the parade

Poor Jig... SO hot!

Troopers

I was in a sleepy haze in bed one morning.  Finally I realized the door to Jig's room was closed and it had been quiet for a while.  I came in and Croz had barricaded Jig with a bunch of junk

Also there were new thoughtful touches all around the room.  I asked Croz what he did and he said, "I rearranged Jig's room."

Mirjeta invited us to a photo shoot

Don't grow up.

Mini people... I love them so.

Visiting Munga after her shoulder surgery

Another zoo day

Lennox was sick and feeling so awful.  D happened to have some extra time this day and was so happy to hang with Jig.  Lennox loves his dad so much.

Crosby jumps at the chance to vacuum

And supervises Jig when it's his turn

Twin church clothes

Croz found the Halloween box a little early

Serious business

Jig and the love of his life... Flip (he calls him "Flippo")

Girls' night away in Midway

Croz has been loving Legos recently; I love his creations

Celebrating D and Brandon's birthday.  We had delicious ribs, yummy potatoes, fresh fruit.  Pie, cake, ice cream.   It was so good!

My parents took the boys to LDS Hospital health fair and the Avenues fair; they had so much fun!  They said Jig wouldn't take his latex gloves off the whole time and Crosby performed laparoscopic surgery, no sweat.

Well... there's our summer in a nutshell.  Despite the condition I was in, I hope my boys had a decent summer.  I am so thankful for family, for health, for life.  Bring on the fall!