The Lewis Family: August 2012

We have had such a fun and busy summer! I absolutely love having the kids home all summer. In fact when it came time for them to go back to school earlier this week, they were ready but I was not! I wanted to keep having fun and playing. I am so grateful that there is such thing as Summer Vacation! It was a nice escape from the school-year stresses of schedules, homework, and bedtime (okay, maybe I don't mind the bedtime part!) Since I apparently took a summer vacation from my blog as well, I decided to do one long summer recap and post some of our favorite memories from these last few months.

Memorial Day--Family bicycle ride and picnic at the university

Good-bye to Uncle Brian--who will be a missionary in The Netherlands for the next two years.

Alyssa's Wedding--My niece got married in the Manti, Utah Temple, and the girls and I got to be there for it! What a special experience it was to see my little niece who is now a beautiful, grown-up woman and share in her and her new husband's special day! I also got to see my parents and all six of my siblings who all traveled to be there as well. We also drove up to my parents' house to spend several days visiting with them and the family members who live in the area. I am so grateful we had this experience to see so many loved ones.

Grace with her newly married cousin.

All of my Parents' posterity

The girls with their Grandma and Grandpa Parkin

Playing with Cousins--The girls had the opportunity to see every single one of their cousins this summer (from both sides of the family...24 all together!!)

The girls with my brothers Jeremy and Jonathan's kids.

Daphne with cousin Samantha

Daphne and Olivia invented a new Olympic sport...synchronized box-jumping!

Digging a moat at Lake Tahoe

Baseball--Grace and Eve both enjoyed their first experience with little league...it really helped that they got to be on the same team, and that their dad spent a lot of time before the season teaching them how to throw, catch, and bat.

Grace at bat.

Eve running home.

Fourth of July--We decided to throw a last minute party, and discovered that we can throw a pretty fun party!

Swimming--The girls got really good at swimming this summer, mostly based on the fact that they were in the pool so much. Every day that we didn't have something big planned, they spent in the pool.

Visit from Julyssa--My best friend and her family came to visit from Arizona...we (and the kids) had a blast!

White-Water River Rafting--Aaron and I went with our friend Tricia on a guided raft tour down the south fork of the American River. This was so much fun!

The Beach--We got to go to the beach a couple of times this summer near Santa Cruz. Once with friends, and another time just the five of us.

Santa Cruz near the boardwalk

Manresa State Beach

Camping at Pinecrest--Aaron, the girls, and I brought "Auntie Sarah" (Aaron's youngest sister) with us to one of our favorite camping spots for an over-niter and a day of fun at Pinecrest Lake.

Sarah and the girls roasting marshmallows

Wading in Pine crest Lake

Going for a row on the lake (the boat wouldn't hold all of us!)

Lemonade Stand--The girls had a lemonade stand with with our neighbor friends. Their cuteness earned them more money than actual lemonade sold.

Lake Tahoe--We spent a week in Tahoe with Aaron's family for an official reunion...everyone was there except Brian (who is on his mission.) Family members traveled from Seattle, St. Louis, Southern California, Utah, and our neck of the woods. We spent our time hiking, enjoying the beach, swimming, kayaking, boating, paddle-boarding, playing games, watching Olympics late at night, cooking/bbq-ing, and just visiting! It was a beautiful place to be with so many things to do, and with so many people we love!