BUILDING BL(ayl)OCKS: The Sunshine of August

August flew by, not sure how it happened. It was such a fun month, we had a great time! I'll try to do it as much justice as I can in one post. First, August was our full month of self-reliance. I've enjoyed working with M on reviewing our finances and working a budget to help us save for our future home and emergency needs. We're blessed to have fairly similar stances on finance, so it's given us a nice forum to talk about everything and counsel with each other and Heavenly Father. He's blessed us and we need to be sure we're doing what we should with those blessings.

We've had several adventures with the Merrill's in August, including visiting their new home for the first time! Oh, it's a beautiful home and so much better suited for their growing family. The girls couldn't wait to give us the grand tour. We played hide and seek, and it actually took them almost 20 minutes to find me because there were more than just two rooms to search. We loved having them come to our house in the morning so we could go swimming, and the girls rode up with M and I which added to the fun. We made chocolate grahams, cookies, and so much delicious food. Our second adventure was the cabin. M and I drove up early on Friday morning, and the Merrill's joined us that afternoon. Before they got there, M and I went out on the lake with Jay. Jay wasn't totally sure what he thought about the pond, so we didn't stay out too long. The weather was gorgeous and the air was clear. August was wildfire month and air conditions everywhere were awful. We felt blessed Leadville was clear, and we soaked up all we could. We played games on the porch until Katey and Jason arrived, and then it was all fun from there. We almost got the easy bake oven up and running, but we couldn't find the right light bulb. We went out on the lake several times, taking a twin or one of the girls in our canoe or on the kayak. The last time we went out on the lake, I switched to the kayak and got soaked when I underestimated how hard I pushed off the dock. And, M underestimated how much Tia weighed so when she jumped onto his kayak, he got soaked too! We went on walks around the club, and enjoyed every moment of sunshine. One evening we played Pandemic with an expansion M got for his birthday, which was loads of fun. It was sad to leave on Sunday, but we had a great time.

It didn't take long for these kiddos to conk out.

So sweet.

Chocolate GF Grahams

Aunt Katey, Jay, and Kade

Fun morning at the park!

Tia, Kade, Kylee, M, Jay

Jay loved all the new toys!

Roasting Mallows!

M, Abby, Me

M, Tia, Me

Kade, Jay, M, Kylee, Jason

Grandma Blaylock had surgery at the beginning of August, and we were very happy we lived close so we could visit. M and Grandpa gave her a blessing on Friday, and she got some good Jay snuggles in before she went to the clinic. Everything went well, and we are so grateful! We also got to take her and Grandpa Sunday dinner, which was a treat for us. There was one afternoon when Grandpa was in Utah for Uncle Mark Elliot's funeral, and so we made a special visit to Grandma. We called her and then drove over. When we arrived, she'd gotten out little treats and set them on the coffee table and welcomed us in. We had a great time visiting with her, and I almost felt like we had just gone over to the house for tea. I've never been to someone's house for tea, but I imagine they get little teacups and treats out and you sit and chat and have a great time. We loved seeing her.

I was able to get together with a couple of my friends. First, my co-worker, Monica came over for a picnic dinner. We walked to the park, pulled up a little quilt, and enjoyed the evening outside. She's such a bubbly person we all had a great time. Jay also seemed to love her. Then, I went and got ice cream with Brianne. She was a fabulous first counselor years ago, and am grateful we can still stay connected. I tried to set her up with my friend in Utah, we'll see. I do love playing matchmaker.

Finally, the best parts of August revolved around M. Which is saying a lot because we had a great month. M got his BYU Graduation party box! There were lots of cool do-dads and trinkets. It may have arrived 4 months late, but it was still very fun. And, M turned 26! Woohoo! Nathan and Michela's trip to Denver overlapped with M's birthday which made it extra special. Saturday was the day of the main celebrations. Nathan and Michela went swimming with us, and it was really nice to catch up with them. In the evening, we had a BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa's house and Mike and Jenna and their whole family joined us. We had such a great time! We ate yummy burgers and dogs, and wrapped up the evening with a long water balloon volleyball game. Nathan and Michela filled up several hundred balloons for us and we played for a long time. We threw multiple balloons at a time, and one time we even synchronized our throws to hit Nathan by surprise. When Nathan ran to get the hose and soak everyone, M chased him down and they both ended up pretty soaked. Good brotherly fun, I guess. It was the perfect night, and Jay was a champ. Jenna was nice and took care of him so we could play volleyball and have fun with the kids. I made Skor bar cake, and that wrapped up the evening. Woohoo!

Hooray!

GRADUATE

Tanner & Caden, Brady & Cambrie, Nathan & Michela, Grandpa & Mike

The Cake

Lots of candles

Emery, Jenna, Michela, Nathan, Mike, Grandpa, Grandma, Tanner, Caden, Cambrie, Brady, M

The crew trying to be silly

Sunday was actually M's birthday, so of course we continued the celebrations. I made a fun sign, that we'll probably reuse, and we got to go to church. It was a great Sabbath and birthday. We went to dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house, where they'd made steak and potatoes. What a treat! M opened presents there, which included a ukulele, books to learn how to play the ukulele, bluetooth headphones, a book about Abraham Lincoln, a book about being an awesome Dad, Pandemic expansions, and some Cajun Trailmix and honey mustard pretzels. And, Saturday night, Mike and Jenna got him a Pay Day which was pretty funny, and a gift card. What fun to be able to celebrate with family! Monday the celebrations continued a bit when Grandma and Grandpa took us and Nathan and Michela to China Taipei for lunch. I was able to switch my meetings around to make it, and it was Jay's first restaurant. The owners loved Jay, and they always remember M and bring extra rice for him when they bring out his meal.

Happy birthday to the best daddy and husband ever!

Grandma, M, Grandpa

Mostly rolling, and trying to figure out how to scoot to Uncle Nathan.

Jay and M at China Taipei

Jay

Jay rolls everywhere, and we're slowly learning what needs to be baby-proofed. He's 8 months old now, and sits up so well. He does love to roll though, so sitting up doesn't last long. Jay is happy, loves riding in the stroller, and falls asleep on every ride home from Grandma's house. He continues to be a good sport on our rollerblading adventures too, which is awesome.