An Entire Summer in Just One Post!

Doesn't that title sound way more exciting than it actually is?  I thought so.  You might've thought I'd be good about posting things this summer, what with the baby and everything, but you'd obviously be wrong.  I have done a terrible job at keeping in touch with people, updating this blog, and many other things this summer.  Today is officially the first day of fall, and I've decided to turn over a new leaf (shout out to my father-in-law, the king of puns) this season.  I'm making a goal to post at least twice a month, and more like once a week if I can do it.  I started this blog to serve as a kind of journal for myself as well as being a way to keep in touch with family and friends, and I need to be better.

Alright, this summer.  Here's the highlights of what has happened since May:

• Went to my grandparents' farm in Montana for the last time before it was sold
• Went to Glacier with my family
• Went up to Snowbird for an afternoon of fun with Bryant's family

(Break while I rack my brains to remember what else I did this summer.  I know I've been busy, but what have I been doing?!)

• Went up to Heber with Bryant's family on two different weekends
• Read a lot of baby books
• Spent a lot of time in stores registering for baby things
• Did some house/cat/plant sitting for my in-laws while they were in Mexico
• Had a baby shower
• Went to 2 baby showers for friends due about the same time as me
• Met up with many different friends to catch up
• Watched a lot of HGTV (didn't have that channel in Grenada!)
• Lived through quite a bit of extended family drama on both sides of my family--this has been the summer of things going wrong, apparently
• Done quite a bit of babysitting for my sister while her husband was out of town
• Been to umpteen doctor's appointments

Unfortunately I don't have the time or energy right now to go into detail about everything (plus I think it would bore everyone to tears), but I'll post some pictures with captions and that will have to be enough!  I'll be back to post in two weeks, and you can start sending me annoying messages if I forget.

On our way up to Montana, a wheel came off the trailer.  Not just a tire, the whole wheel.  Bolts sheared off, the whole nine yards!  Some guy pulled up beside us and honked to let us know, and we went back to look for it.  That's the freeway over on the left and we're off-roading.

Bryant thought he might have seen the wheel and went to investigate, but it was nothing.  We never found it and had to spend some time at a tire place getting a new one.

At my grandparents' farm in Montana, riding the four wheeler down to the bird sanctuary.  We could've walked, but low speed four wheeler rides are always more fun!

The bridge to the bird sanctuary.  There were absolutely no birds around until Keagan (my nephew there) threw a rock in the stream.  Then hordes of these swallows came swooping out from under the bridge to circle around. 

At the bird sanctuary, skipping rocks.  What else do you do at bird sancutaries?

On the way back from the preserve we stopped to throw rocks off the bridge again.  As you can see, Bryant was an extremely enthusiastic rock thrower.

My grandparents' little farmhouse.  I will miss it!!

A shot of the fields stretching away behind the house.  Montana is a really beautiful place.

The tire swing in the yard.  I have many fond memories of this swing!  The current grandkids got to play on it a little bit, at least, but I'm sad Lydia will never get to spend time here.

The cute little house we all stayed at in Glacier.

The guys spinning the grandkids around.  Bryant loves playing with his nieces and nephews.  It's adorable.

We found a golf course on our little walk one evening and all three grandkids picked a golf cart to pretend to drive.  Alice (in the front) was the most serious about it.  She even has her driving face on.

Bryant with Keagan, Mike with Isabelle, and Jake with Alice.  Alice and Isabelle are Jake's, and Keagan is Mike's.

Bryant getting ready to ride one of the attractions at Snowbird.  Being pregnant, I just watched and took pictures.

View from the top of the lift at Snowbird.  Utah is a really pretty place, too, but I forget when I'm here all the time!

Last lunch with Bryant before he boarded his flight.  There was lots of crying after this, but I didn't want to document that with pictures. :)

While cat sitting, I caught Milo sleeping like this.  That is the top of his head smooshed upside down on the couch.  Ridiculous cat.  He also persisted in trying to get me out of bed at about 5 or 6 every morning because that's when Al (my father-in-law) gets up.  He went so far as to attack plastic bags and the blinds in my bedroom, but I held firm!  And by held firm, I mean I pulled the covers over my head and refused to get up before 8.

Lydia at 33 weeks.  I think it's pretty much the cutest profile I've ever seen, but I'm pretty biased.  Also, for those of you who can read ultrasounds measurements, you'll note that while everything else is right around 34 weeks, her head is measuring at 32 weeks.  Pretty sure she's going to have Bryant's head and I'm pretty sure that bodes well for me!

Baby shower #1--it was a beach theme, in case you didn't catch that.  Baby shower #2 to come in October.

At the aquarium with my sister, Jess, and her two boys, Keagan and Parker.  Jess works part-time in the evenings and so I ended up spending two different weeks at her house so I could watch the boys while she worked.

During one of those weeks, we went to the Ogden Temple Open House with my mom and my cousin, Josh, who was in town helping out with my grandpa before heading up to BYU-Idaho.

I bought this sock monkey for Lydia, but made the mistake of leaving it with some other presents on the floor in the living room.  Parker decided he had to have it.  His Ute fan father was not pleased, but I thought it was cute!