August Thriving & Surviving

August and September honestly feel like survival months, and I've really tried to thrive at the same time. We planned as much fun as we could into every week, not wanting the summer to pass without taking advantage of the good sunshine and warm weather even if M had to work A LOT.

I invited Kylee and Tia to come over for a sleep over and to enjoy a day at the Aurora Reservoir. We had a lot of fun hanging out together, and it was an easy way to give Katey a little break. Several ward members were going to the Reservoir so we made the journey out there. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we had a great time. The water was pretty chilly, and Jay stayed close which was nice. I appreciate his hesitancy around large bodies of water. The girls loved playing in the sand and some in the water when they got too hot. We were originally only planning on one night, but opted for two when we got back late from our trip to the lake. The extended stay made everything a little more fun. I feel very blessed to have been around Kylee and Tia since they were small, only 2-3 when I moved here and they've grown so much. They are wonderful girls who bring so much light and energy with them wherever they go. 

Jay stayed in the shade and played with the shovel in the sand the majority of the day.

Tia, Jay, and Kylee

As part of my goal to soak up the sunshine, we hit up various splashpads. Jay still isn't totally sure if he loves them, but he loves being outside and the water flowing through a park makes me feel a little better about it being so hot outside. Jay's my adventure buddy, and is always a good sport when it's an outside adventure. I have also started to play pickleball every week with some gals in the ward. We bring our kids and lock them into one court with toys, bikes, snacks, etc. while we play for an hour on the other court. Occasionally we'll play at 7 AM, and I'll leave Jay at home with M. Luckily, Jay isn't quite tall enough to open the gate and we almost always play for a little bit on the playground before we bike or walk home. We've discovered our love for popsicles, the bubble gun, and water beads which made life a lot more entertaining!

This bear towel has been a staple for our water play at parks. 

This was an outdoor splashpad at an open mall, we met up with our friend there for a couple hours. They enjoyed a playground nearby as well.

Jay loves to be a helper, and insisted on carrying his own things back to the car. 

I finally got to meet baby Hope! She's a beautiful little girl, and the perfect little one to add to the Merrill clan. It's sweet to watch Jay interact with her as he's started to say, "Baby", in the cutest non-growling voice. 

Jay and Hope

Klaire came to visit and we got blessed with airport pick up and drop off. Her trip was timed perfectly with the peach sale at the grocery store of 99 cents/pound, so she got to experience canning with Katey and Kitt and a whole crew of kids. She was a HUGE help, and we loved having her. I hope we didn't scare her out of ever wanting to can again because it's quite the project. Klaire mainly came to help Katey get the kids through the first week of school, so we didn't see a lot of her. Jay and I did go play for a couple days and I got the best hug from Stanton at the airport. FaceTime is an amazing gift which allows me to video call Klaire and Stanton on a regular basis, plus all of our trips to AZ/ID, so I feel I know Stanton and he knows me decently well. 

We bottled all 5 cases! I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the final product.

Abby and Jay

Kade, Abby, and Jay at dinner at the Bryce's

Matthew's birthday comes at a hard time of year to really be able to celebrate, but this year he actually took the evening off. He went into the office for the day, but once he got home he didn't log back on! It was beautiful! We went for a family walk after dinner to enjoy the fresh air, then came home for presents and cake and celebrations. M coming home from work or finishing work is the highlight of my day and especially Jay's. Jay runs and jumps for joy when he hears the door upstairs open or sees the car pull in. M is the best dad, full of energy, love, and happiness. He makes the best husband too because he's got the biggest heart, the most patience, selflessness, and calmness. He's my rock (and Jay's rock too), we are so blessed to have him! 

Jay helped me with the sign and really loved using marker for the first time!

M, Me, Jay

Jay was a very happy helper with opening gifts!

Caramel brownies were the dessert of choice, that we ate on Sunday.

We did one house project in August, which was a big deal. Jack came and helped M install some window lining in our family room. The sun pours in our upper window, which I love and which also will eventually bleach our furniture and heats up the house a lot during the summer. With two tall ladders and two tall men, they had it installed pretty quickly. It looks great! 

Putting on the first section! 

Jay was very excited to climb Uncle Jack's ladder when he got up from his nap. 

August was a free month of public transportation, so Jay and I decided to take an adventure to Littleton on the train. We rode with M to work, then he walked with us downtown to the connecting train to Littleton. Jay was really excited at first, loving the "choo choo". He was waving bye-bye to everyone we passed. However, when we stopped for a long time at one station, he was ready to get out. He hung in until we got the Littleton station where Grandpa picked us up. Grandpa watched Jay while Grandma and I did a session at the Denver temple. Our session was totally full, which I haven't seen in years. Being together in the temple was lovely, and a great break. We loved the rest of the day at Grandma and Grandpa's, and Jay really wasn't sure about getting on the train again when it came time. I was grateful he was willing to get on, and we met M downtown to catch the other train back to the car in Commerce City. I loved the extra time with M in the car, and enjoyed getting out of the house for a day. 

Jay and I leaving Denver

Watching all the things pass by.

Jay and I on our way back to Daddy!

Here are some other picture highlights from the month! 

It's amazing what some kid power can do for a little one. 

We practiced biking in the garage in the shade while waiting for Dad to come home. We haven't quite figured out peddling yet, but we're working on it. 

All my Roma tomato plants got bottom rot, and grew in split. I was so sad!!

Jay loves using my hot mittens. 

Sometimes after working out, Jay will put on my shoes and socks and wander the house.

Jay's really good at mooching snacks off random people at the park. I guess I have started to assume if it's not killing one kid eating it, it won't kill mine. 

We met up with the twins for a play date at a park in Platteville, it's a great halfway point.