Please Don't Go!

I know school has already started, but I am SO not ready for summer to be over! Even though it is hot and dry and gets light at 5am, I am not ready to let it go. I want more days to swim and play and travel and do nothing (ok, so that part hasn't happened yet). So I am taking advantage of the last few days of the pool being open and I plan on going at least once more before they close next week. Doesn't that just look so refreshing?!

"We are a family, like a giant tree"

It's a song - in case you were wondering. And we're not really like a giant tree yet, but it fits. So the end of July we traveled to Vail, Colorado for the Maxwell family reunion (so my family). It wasn't the big huge family tree like last year, just my parents, their kids and our kids - so my immediate family (if you can still call it that). When I first attempted this post, I started making one of those slideshows, but there was still WAY too many pictures, and I thought nobody but my family wants to see them all anyway. So . . . here's the shortened version (even though by the end you will be saying "that was the short version?")

The yellow bandanas

"hike" through some really cool gardens

playing at the cool tree fort park

riding the gondola to the top of the mountain

Family Olympics!

bubble blowing contest

piggyback race

Corbin's 2nd place in the discus (aka paper plate toss)

Jump rope contest

Trying to get a picture in the village - 20+ shots and this is the best one

Alpine Slide in Breckenridge

Best part of the reunion . . .being with family, of course!

Love you guys!

Gone all day - what shall I do with only two?!

The first day of first grade! This seems like such a bigger deal to me than kindergarten. I can't believe my little boy is growing up. He was sooo excited today, he could hardly contain himself. Luckily he put up with his mom taking lots of pictures and being just as nervous/excited as he was.

Corbin loved eating lunch at school and I guess I'm lucky that he's a very methodical about eating - he assured me "And I got a popsicle, which, of course, I ate last". What a good boy. I guess maybe he will survive without me sitting next to him telling him to finish eating. He loved the "spider game" they played, he loved the fact the he got three recesses, and he told me he was very excited about something they are going to do tomorrow called "Letter Detective". When I was tucking him in bed tonight, he was speculating all the different possibilities of what it could be. He's so excited that he couldn't sleep (again). I hope this feeling like it's Christmas Eve and not going to sleep wears off at some point. Although I am glad that he loves school so much.


Corbin's teacher's name is Mrs Turek. He had her last year as a student teacher in his kindergarten class when she was "practicing for first grade". He was very excited about having her again. He says that she is "soooo nice" (which is good, because he asked for that several times in his prayers in the days before school started). He loves that her favorite book is Harry Potter, since he has just gotten into the first one. He has already read 180 pages in just a few days. He LOVES reading! I have to force him to put his book down when we are eating or going for a bike ride (Yes, he tried to convince me that he could ride his bike and read at the same time.)

I just love this boy and I am so excited this new adventure he is starting! His brothers sure are going to miss him though!

Lions and Tigers and ??

That's right, it's the annual pilgrimage to Bear Lake. Okay, so it's only like 3hrs away, but for everything we have to pack, we might as well be driving to Mexico. (hey, maybe we should do that next year instead?) So I won't bore you with the pics that look exactly the same as last year's or the year before, I'll just give you the highlights of the trip:

Hangin' on the beach . . .

Being with family

Tubing - Colton's first time, Cody hating it, Corbin loving so much that he scared his mom quite a few times (video will come soon).

And of course, I loved my early morning walks with Colton, who loved camping so much that he wanted to get up and enjoy it a good three hours before anyone else.